Sonny James

Sonny James
James in 1967
Background information
Birth name	James Hugh Loden
Also known as	Sonny James The Southern Gentleman
Born	(1928-05-01) May 1, 1928
Origin	Hackleburg, Alabama
Genres	Country music, pop music
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1953–1983
Labels	Capitol, Columbia, Dot, RCA, Monument, Dimension, Curb

James Hugh Loden (born May 1, 1928), known professionally as Sonny James, is an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, "Young Love". Dubbed the Southern Gentleman, James had 72 country and pop charted releases from 1953 to 1983, including an unprecedented five-year streak of 16 straight Billboard #1 singles among his 26 #1 hits. Twenty-one of his albums reached the country top ten from 1964 to 1976. In May 2007 Sonny, accompanied by his Southern Gentlemen, walked the red carpet and were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. James is currently retired and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Biography

Musical beginnings

James Hugh Loden was born to Archie Lee 'Pop' Loden and Della Burleson Loden, who operated a 300 acres (120 ha) farm outside Hackleburg, Alabama. His parents were amateur musicians, and his sister Thelma Lee Loden Holcombe also played instruments and sang from an early age. By age three he was playing a mandolin and singing and was dubbed "Sonny Boy". In 1933 the family appeared on a radio audition which resulted in their being offered a regular Saturday slot on Muscle Shoals, Alabama radio station WMSD-AM. About this time the parents volunteered to raise an Alabama girl named Ruby Palmer, and soon Ruby was also part of the musical group, and the singing Loden Family, later billed as Sonny Loden and the Southerners, was soon playing theaters, auditoriums and schoolhouses throughout the Southern United States.

To this point the musical appearances had been a part-time effort for the family, as they returned after each gig or tour to work the family farm. After a few years the father decided they were professional enough to immerse themselves into the field full-time, so the father leased out the farm and they took a daily spot on radio station KLCN, where they provided early-morning accompaniment for the area's early-risers. After that they had spots on several other radio stations around the South. In 1949 they returned to Alabama, with a show on radio station WSGN in Birmingham, Alabama. Near Christmastime that year, the two girls were married in West Memphis, Arkansas in a double ceremony and left the group. The parents found other girls to take their place, but the group soon disbanded (the parents returned to Hackleburg and opened a clothing store, where James worked while belatedly finishing his final year of high school). During the summer of 1950 James worked with a band, sometimes singing but he was most useful as a guitar player on the Memphis, Tennessee radio station WHBQ, but that was interrupted near the end of the summer when James' National Guard unit was activated to participate in the Korean War. On September 9, 1950 his Alabama Army National Guard unit was sent to Korea, returning home in the fall of 1951. Loden was honorably discharged and moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he signed with Capitol Records with the help of Chet Atkins, with whom he had previously roomed. Capitol Records exec Ken Nelson asked him to drop his last name professionally as they believed there were already several musicians named Loden, Louden or Luden, and that "James" would be easier to remember: "The smallest children can remember Sonny James." So he released his first studio record as Sonny James. Later, because of his polite ways, he would be tagged as "The Southern Gentleman".

While appearing on Louisiana Hayride he met musician Slim Whitman. James' performance on stage playing a fiddle and singing brought a strong crowd response, and Whitman invited him to front for his new touring band. James stayed with Whitman's group for only two months when Whitman felt he had to do some club work to keep up his income to be able to pay his band. The Loden family had only appeared in schoolhouses and such and Sonny agreed to stay on for a few shows until Whitman could find his replacement. For the remainder of his career he never played a club performance. Over the next few years, he had several songs that did reasonably well on the country music charts and he continued to develop his career with performances at live country music shows. He also appeared on radio, including Big D Jamboree, before moving to the all-important new medium, television, where he became a regular performer on ABC's Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Missouri beginning in October 1955.

Following his long streak of #1 hits, James is also remembered for his 1975 #6 song "A Little Bit South of Saskatoon" that was in the 1977 Paul Newman hockey comedy Slap Shot.

Top of the charts

James in 1957

In late 1956 James released "Young Love", a 45 rpm single for which he would forever be remembered. As the first teenage country crossover single, it topped both the US country and pop music charts in January 1957. Record sales could have been higher if Capitol Records had anticipated the exposure on popular-music charts; they had ordered only enough copies of the record to satisfy the anticipated country-music demand, and were therefore unable to supply most of the requests for records. The track peaked at No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart. It sold well over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Dubbed the Southern Gentleman because of his polite demeanor, he gained more exposure with an appearance on the popular Ed Sullivan Show and the Bob Hope Show.

Thus began a seven-year search for a sound that would give him a lasting career. Two more years at Capitol Records didn't produce it and they parted ways in 1959. James signed with National Recording Corporation, and then stints with Dot (1960–1961), RCA (1961–1962), his second time with Capitol (1963–1972), and later with Columbia (1972–1979), Monument (1979) and Dimension (1981–1983).

In 1962 he returned to his roots and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry and a year later signed again with Capitol Records. From 1964 to 1972 he was a dominant force in country music. James and his Southern Gentlemen appeared on the major TV shows during that period including (Ed Sullivan, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Jimmy Dean, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, The Joey Bishop Show, was a multi-time guest on Hee Haw, also on the Johnny Cash Show and made minor singing appearances in four motion pictures.

#1 streak beginnings

On August 15, 1964 James made his first appearance with a vocal group that had had been together for five years. The group had started singing as freshmen at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1959, had moved to Nashville in September 1962 and 16 months later in January 1964 they replaced the Jordanaires as the Grand Ole Opry quartet. James felt he finally found the combination that would propel him into his second career - that sound he had been looking for for seven years. So these young 21 and 22 year-old men, along with Sonny's multi-talented bass player Milo Liggett, became The Southern Gentlemen, joined 36-year-old Sonny James and quickly headed off into Country Music history.

Two months later in October 1964 Sonny had his first #1 Billboard hit since Young Love - topping the country charts with the song he co-wrote with Bob Tubert, You're The Only World I Know. His next five releases peaked on the Billboard country charts at 2, 1 ,3, 1, and 2 (though all five of them hit #1 on either Billboard, Record World or Cashbox).

With his musical style now refined and his "sound" on records and on personal appearances produced to be immediately identifiable, Sonny James was set to begin what would become his legendary streak of 16 straight #1 singles - an uncontested record which no other solo recording artist has ever surpassed in any genre'.

Billboard #1 streak.

Beginning in 1967 with "Need You" and ending with "Here Comes Honey Again" in 1971, James recorded 16 straight #1 country singles. His career #1 total was 26, the last coming with 1974's "Is It Wrong (For Loving You)". During his career he would have 72 charted releases.

In 1973 James also helped launch the solo career of Marie Osmond, producing and arranging her first three albums, including her smash hit, "Paper Roses".

James' #1 consecutive streak for a solo artist has never been surpassed.

The Southern Gentlemen

In 1959 a quartet of young men met in September of their freshman year at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts and started singing together. The college at that time was sending out acapalla male quartets and ladies trios to represent them in their northeastern educational zone. If you were fortunate enough to be accepted by the college and travel for them on weekends and then for ten weeks in the summer – half of your college tuition was waived.

When these four first sang together it was from day one - magic – so much so that not only did they travel for the college but they became the Youth for Christ quartet travelling with John DeBrine in rallies across the northeast.

Calling themselves the Parsons, they travelled for the college and YFC for three years logging some 50,000 miles in their last year while still being full-time students.

In September 1962 they transferred colleges and moved to Nashville Tennessee. Here the four of them settled in for what would turn out to be the dream of a lifetime.

Knowing only that they had this great desire to sing together, Lin Bown, Gary Robble, Duane West and Glenn Huggins, after attending college for just one quarter, settled in and started free-lancing doing vocal background work on custom recording sessions.

Fifteen months after moving to Nashville they were introduced to Country Music icon Archie Campbell and because of that meeting, in January 1964 they replaced the Jordanaires as the Grand Ole Opry Quartet.

A couple of months later they were contracted to do all the vocal background on the first Country Music show held in the old Madison Square Garden.  

A few months after that Sonny approached them about working with him and on August 15, 1964 they made their first appearance with him as The Southern Gentlemen on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium for a Saturday night performance of the Grand Ole Opry – and for many years following they made music history together.     

Personal life

In July 1957 Sonny married Doris Shrode in Dallas, Texas.

In the spring of 1984, Sonny and Doris quietly retired to their home in Nashville, Tennessee. He came home to Hackleburg during the first annual Neighbor Day Festival on April 20, 2002 and would continue attending the festival every other year. During the April 25, 2009 festival, he recognized the 100th birthday of the town of Hackleburg on the main stage.

Recognition

!n 1956 as rock n roll was just beginning, Sonny's multi-million selling single Young Love exploded on the scene and became a #1 country and pop hit - the first such cross-over of its kind by a country artist.

In 1957 Sonny became the first country recording artist to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.

In 1961, honoring his contribution to the music industry, Sonny James was the first country music recording artist to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6630 Hollywood Blvd.

In 1967 along with Bobbi Gentry, James hosted the first CMA Awards Show.

From 1969 thru 1971 Sonny became the first country artist to do something previously not done in the country music industry. In the middle of his highly successful run of 16 consecutive #1 hits, of the next 7 singles that James released - 5 had previously been moderately successful releases for soulful R&B artists Ivory Joe Hunter, Brooke Benton & Clyde Otis and Jimmy Reed, Those 5 songs that Sonny James released were Since I Met You Baby, It’s Just A Matter of Time, Endlessly, Empty Arms and Bright Lights, Big City – all of which hit #1 on the Billboard country charts.

In 1969 Billboard magazine named Sonny James Country Music's Artist of the Year.

In February 1971, James was the first country artist whose music went into space and he made a special music recording for the crew of Apollo 14. They later presented him with one of the small American flags that they had carried to the Moon.

Beginning in 1973 as the producer of Marie Osmond’s first three albums, the initial single “Paper Roses” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart less than one month after her 14th birthday causing her to become the youngest female and overall youngest solo artist to ever reach this No. 1 chart position - a record that still stands as of 2015

In 1987 Sonny was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

In June 2001 honored with the Male Golden Voice Award.

In November 2001 received the Master Achievement Award / R.O.P.E. Award

In June 2002 honored by the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame and Country Radio Broadcasters with the prestigious Career Achievement Award.

On November 6, 2006 he appeared on television for the first time in nearly 20 years when presenter Kris Kristofferson announced on the ABC television network's Country Music Association Awards that Sonny was to be one of its newest inductees. Sonny's acceptance speech opened with the words, "I want to thank my Good Lord for the career He has given me." - a statement which sums up perfectly the life, career and legacy of "The Southern Gentleman".

In May 2007 Sonny James, along with his Southern Gentlemen, was officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum,

In 2009 James was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

On August 15, 2015, exactly 51 years to the day when he first teamed up with The Southern Gentlemen in 1964, Sonny James was inducted into The Birmingham Record Collectors Hall of Fame as Gary Robble, one of The Southern Gentlemen, accepted the award on behalf of Sonny and all of The Southern Gentlemen.

Discography

Main article: Sonny James discography

External Links

• Official website