SONNY JAMES, 87. Died Feb. 22, 2016.
"The Southern Gentleman" of country music. Born James Loden in Alabama. Performed with his family on Mississippi and Alabama radio stations where he was called "Sonny Boy." Korean War veteran.
Sonny James charted 72 times on country Billboard charts and had 21 #1s and crossed over to the Pop Charts 18 times with "Young Love" being by far his biggest hit. It went to #1 in 1957.
His "First Date, First Kiss" went to #25 on the Billboard Pop charts in 1957, but the rest of his crossovers mostly peaked in the 80s.
He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Hit Parade Hall of Fame and Alabama Music Hall of Fame and retired in 1983, spending the rest of his life doing his second love- fishing.
I saw him at a concert back in 1968 and bought an album, "Heaven Says Hello." After the show, i was waiting for him to come out to sign it and saw Johnny Cash exiting and asked him for an autograph. He said yes, but all I had was the Sonny James album, but he signed it anyway, but laughed.
So that's the story of how my Sonny James album came to have Johnny Cash's signature.
Being an account of some things I'm interested in, what I'm doing, and reflections on my past, especially music.
Listen to this man. Seven years of college, you know. Trying to reason with 2020 and, now, 2022.
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