Remembering B.J. Thomas and 70s Hit Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head | Professor of Rock
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2024
- On Saturday May 29th 2021 we lost one of the great singers of the rock and roll era. BJ Thomas, an Oklahoma native, passed away in his home in Arlington Texas of lung cancer. We wanted to share our condolences with his wife and family and recognize his incredible contribution to music as his songs continue to inspire with a pair of #1 hits including Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head which B.J. tells the story of in this exclusive interview.
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#70s #Music #Story
Hey music junkies and vinyl junkies Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest 70s vinyl songs of all time for the music community and vinyl community.
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What a humble and down to earth guy, no wonder he was the perfect artist for this song you can hear that he is real, nothing plastic about him, RIP Mr. Thomas thank you for the way your songs make me feel
Great comment.
Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head john farnham
A piece of my childhood went with him...
Me too. RIP song man.
Facts
Same
Professor, I swear on my Mother, peace to her...I was just playing that Song yesterday. that's my jam by B.J.
I watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid this weekend. I had no idea. Rest in peace BJ☮️
Always sang the song on rainy days.
I think somewhere I heard that he did go to Vietnam, so I thought that was quite coincidental of his death being memorial Day weekend. And by the way, I do believe you!
🌬🎵🎶🎶🎵🌧🌧🌧🌧🌦💞
We had a lot of rain here the end of last week, and because of road construction I was having to park over a third of a mile from my house and haul my boxes of take-home work back and forth on a handcart -- covered in plastic sheeting if necessary. Friday morning before I left, it was raining like crazy. I was standing on the front porch, soaked through after making my morning rounds of the front and back yards -- making sure there were no baby birds down, no gift piles of deer poopies left for me overnight -- and I rather tiredly sang the first line of the song.
Raindrops keep fallin' on my head.
Then, instead of stopping at that point as I usually do, I just stood there in the rain in front of my house and sang the whole rest of the song. Loud enough that the neighbors could have heard, too ... if it hadn't been raining so hard.
One of the greatest singers of all time. Not to mention the great songs he sang!
BJ Thomas was indirectly responsible for me meeting my wife in 1984. I had driven two hours to meet with a guy who wanted to promote the band I was frontman for at the time and turned out he wasn’t there! He had double booked and forgotten to tell me he’d be on tour with BJ! Very frustrated, I began to walk out of the building when I heard singing in another room, so I decided to check it out. There she was, the woman of my dreams, up on stage singing! We married less than a year later and at present that was nearly 38 years ago. Thank God & BJ! I wish I could have told him
The remarkable thing about BJ Thomas is that he had some of the most iconic songs in music history, AND, like Elvis, his gospel music resonated with everyone. He had that kind of voice that suited all popular genres of music. I have specific memories attached to at least 5 of his songs. When I hear one of these songs, I go back in time to that memory. And that is what good music is all about
Little Green Apples is the song of his that always jumps into my mind first.
“I Just Can’t Help Believing “ is his one song that holds special value to me & of course “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry “ is probably the greatest cover song ever.
I don’t know which emoji to put up because his death is so sad, but his music has always made me smile so I think I will go with that. 😀😀😀
🌧🌧🌦🌥🌤💞💞
The one that takes me back the most is Somebody Did Somebody Wrong Song, and of course, Raindrops. RIP Billy Joe Thomas.
I also remember this from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid from when I little. so popular back in the ‘70’s ... R. I. P. BJT
I was the first view, the first comment. I'm glad it was for BJ Thomas, I'm sad it was for BJ Thomas. I saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at a drive in, with my Mom in the front seat and us younger kids in the back. I remember hearing this song through the tinny speaker. BJ Thomas could sound good even through that less than stellar sound system and still make a world of memories. 6 years later I was in High School washing dishes at a restaurant after school and Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song was on the juke box, played several times nightly. Songs are memories come to life again. Thanks for honoring this artist.
Very well said.
I'm so glad that you are honoring The Great BJ Thomas. I've loved him and his music since l was elementary school. BJ has an amazing catalog of music from all different styles of music. He was an amazing singer and I will love and miss him forever 😭😭😭💋💋❤️❤️. I cried when I heard that he died even though I knew that he had stage 4 Lung cancer. I still didn't want to let him go. Thank you so much for remembering such a magnificent singer and a wonderful man. He so much deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He should of been in it s long time ago. I love you BJ Thomas l prey that we meet on the other side 🙏🙏💋💋❤️❤️ your fan forever.
I'll always remember when I was a baby, I was about 2 years old, 1973 and my father would play records for me. this was one of the records. I'd sit in an old plastic milk crate and my father would tilt me side to side sometimes carrying the crate with me inside pretending I was in an airplane flying to the music playing. I now own that 45 rpm single of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head'", It's part of my huge record collection, and I also own the milk crate airplane I flew in, that now holds one partial section of my 12 inch singles. Rest In Peace B.J. Thomas.
I have loved BJ for 6 decades and he was one of a kind. He will always be in my heart of hearts. And he was so gorgeous such a beautiful human being all around.
RIP B.J. You have always been a pleasure.
ahhhhh.... I loved BJ Thomas...R.I.P......love and light 🌈
I'm 60 years old You Love Led Zeppelin Deep Purple and Mountain and you just couldn't help but like that song and has voice and anything he did the same holds true to Karen Carpenter there's a spirit in your heart from those days they were very good days
5 great acts! If it rocks, it rocks!
My dad loved his music and so did I, cried the other night playing his songs. RIP BJ
My favorite song of his was Whatever Happened To Old Fashioned Love.
RIP B.J.
Great tribute. I remember my dad buying the single when it was released, and we played it at his funeral 15 years ago. I've always loved it myself. Great memories. Best wishes from Scotland 🏴🇺🇸
Rest in Peace BJ. We were proud to have you in Muscle Shoals so often, back in the day.😨😰
I love raindrops keep falling on my head. RIP BJ !
One of my favorite singers RIP BJ 🙏🕊💜
God be with Bj Thomas and his family
He was always one of my favorites, made me really sad to hear of his passing. Thanks Professor for this tribute to him!
Thanks for listening
🎶🎵🎶🎶🌧🌧🌧🌧🌧🌦🌦🌥🌤💞
He had such a WONDERFUL VOICE !! 💜. His songs were AMAZING ❤️ !! RIP BJ Thomas !!! 💜🙏
BJ was one of my all time favorites! RIP BJ
Met him when I was a kid, he took time to hang out with my brother and I, 1976 Pensacola Florida. He was very gracious to 2 kids.
Great song and interview. Thanks. RIP BJ with the Lord Jesus Christ
I remember him as a very young child for singing "Raindrops", "Hooked on a Feeling", and "Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song", but I also recently saw him hosting a Time Life Music infomercial for Forever 70's, but I also was aware he had stage four lung cancer, so I already knew his time on earth was coming to an end. Even so, it's still quite sad to hear of his passing. RIP B.J. Thomas.
I got to see him in concert a couple of years ago in my hometown of Emporia, KS. He sounded exactly the same! The world is a little bleaker today, Professor...
Raindrops was my first “favorite” song as a child and BJ’s music was always present throughout all the stages of my life. Thanks for the warm tones and wonderful memories.
My first favorite song was Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.
@@sexagesimalian One of the best! You can’t help but sing along to that one.
One of my favorites of his is I Just Can't Help Believing💕
🎵🎶🎶🎶🌧🌧🌧🌧🌧🌧🌦🌥🌤💞
RIP BJ Thomas. A classic tune you will always be remembered for.
RIP Mr. Thomas. Thanks again, Professor....
He also did "As Long as We Got Each Other", the theme from the '80s TV show "Growing Pains." A version of this song (with Dusty Springfield) was on his 1988 Midnight Minute album. Great artist. A true loss.
My late father LOVED Burt Bacharach and Raindrops was one of the few contemporary 45s he ever purchased. Thanks for the remembrance...
Thanks for sharing!
R.I.P B.J. We all will miss you.
As a child of the 60s and 70s this song is forever in my head and heart. RIP BJ.
Met B. J. and had a picture taken with him at a golf tournament in Ft. Wayne Indiana in 1988, fabulous guy, I'll never forget that moment!
"I Just Can't Help Believing"... good stuff.
RIP, Mr. Thomas
Amen, Professor of Rock. B. J.'s voice is irreplaceable. "Raindrops" and B. J.'s music had a huge impact on my life. He will be missed so very much. Rest in Peace, B. J. ❤
Just found out. He will always be on our minds 😔
My father sung that song in its heyday day after day after day....so much so that whenever I hear it I always think of him. He's 88 now and it remains "his" song as far as in concerned! ❤ There's a family story connected to it because he sung it so much. He had gone to his doctor on my mom's insistence because his knees hurt. My mother told him he was overweight and that was why. The doctor told him the same thing!
He came home disgruntled that the doctor told him to lose weight. My older brother from the other room was listening to the story and probably was the only one who could get away with this...began to sing "Raindrops" but changed the words (it was part in Italian but in English its) "My fat is pressing on my knees...."
We all busted a guy and my brother got chased! 😂 He didn't come home for a few hours!
Great memory!
I listened to "Raindrops keep falling on my head" song, and I loved it. Today I listened to "Hooked on a feeling" and I endure that more. But no matter what, B.J. Thomas is one of the most famous singers on the 60s that will never be forgotten.
R.I.P, BJ Thomas.
I loved that song, when I was kid. I remember singing the song back then and I think my jewelry music box with the dancing ballerina played Raindrops keep falling my head.
He had a hell of a voice.
Last month I woke up with the song "Hey, Won't You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" playing in my mind. I have no reason why. But, I've been listening to it like crazy since then.
Lost Charley Pride and B.J. Thomas within 6 months. I am sad.
Another great one gone. He had some lovely songs.
For a minute, I thought my volume was down when I didn't hear the intro music. Nice tribute.
Anyway, may BJ Thomas rest in peace!
Yes. This was a very respectful tribute. Thank you, @Professor of Rock
@@jethrofawkes8189 Agreed!
RIP. He was absolutely amazing🎤 Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song. I listened to him with my mom who passed away in 2011. I really miss enjoying great music with my parents💔💙
In September 2015, the great ZZ Top performed Saturday night at the Fayette County Fair in La Grange, TX but the closer for Sunday night was BJ Thomas. RIP
R.I.P. BJ Thomas, I'll miss you! Geez all the icons & influences of my youth are passing on, a little scary but I'll be following soon, we all must go!
Great tribute! Hooked on a Feelin' was/is one of my all time favorites
Me too!
Reached No. 5 in 1969 on the Billboard Hot 100. Swedish group, Blue Swede, recorded a version that went all the way to No. 1 US Billboard Hot 100 in 1974.
My mom used to play this song for me when I was feeling sad. It always worked.
Just like your son when I was 5 my mother would always play rain drop for me ......RIP BJ thank you for the soothing music it will last many lifetimes.
Thank you for this lovely tribute. B.J. always seemed like such a sweet, gentle soul.
You're very welcome.
Thank you for this Professor. His songs were a huge part of my childhood and they bring a flood of memories and emotions whenever I hear them. You can tell he was a special person and a good man. My sympathies go out to his family.
Amen
Didn't know the backstory to the recording of this song. Quite a distinct song and vocals.The theme to Growing Pains as well..
I didn't know that - Show me that smile again...
RIP BJ💕
I met him once at a battle of the bands festival in Alabama that my dad's band was in. I was a little dumbfounded. My dad introduced us and I shook his hand. Must have been back in 1982ish. ☔🌧️🎶💜✌🏻
I was not a fan although I appreciated his work. Listening to this and thinking back on the work, that was good work and he was a true professional.
My wife and I saw him once in concert. I can't recall if it was the Missouri State Fair or the Phelps County Fair. But he put on a good show and as I said, was the consummate professional.
One young woman carried a bouquet of flowers to the stage and laid them there. He looked down at her and said "Please hand them up. These pants are too tight for me to bend over." There was a pause, "no, I mean it. Please hand them up." And so she did.
After the concert he patiently and genuinely greeted the fans who came up to have a word or ask for an autograph. Wife had nothing, so she said "Sign my shirt." "Are you sure?" "Yes, please..." and she turned so he could sign the back of her t-shirt, which he did right across the shoulders.
I believe he appreciated the folks who came to see him and paid the fee. He seemed like a gentle man to me who had the opportunity to do what he loved to do.
Rest in peace, Mr. Thomas. Vaya con Dios.
B.J. Thomas was the first concert I ever went to. It was in San Luis Obispo over 30 years ago. It was a love fest 😍😍❤️❤️🥰🥰
I just want to tell a little story .........I am 70 now and back in 1970 at Sheppard AFB Texas I went to a small concert and saw BJ Thomas singing and I can remember that I was sitting on one side where I could see thru the glass door where he would enter and he was walking past the door many times waiting and finally when they introduced him he quickly got on stage and his very beautiful voice started...............also before he performed the great BB King played and sang and I was in heaven and enjoyed both of them and never forgot that concert............only 8 months later I was in DaNang South Vietnam.......
As a child I've always loved Hooked on a feeling and Somebody done somebody wrong song and a song we sang in our church skits Using thing's and loving people that is just so simple and beautiful😪❤
"(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" is my favorite song from him. I still remember when it was out, and I was just 3 years old. It was one of a handful of songs I remember from 1975 when they were out.
Funny how music can take us back to that exact moment!
iconic voice of the 70's , lost some of my childhood since he's gone.
Thanks Professor, for the shout out to a treasured artist. There hasn't been much fanfare for him sadly. So many of these artist pass without notice after working for us for years.
Very true. Love B.J. He was a really great guy.
Great job Prof! B.J. will be missed by so many of us including me.
I sung it as a three yr old around the house according to my mum. With my own original lyrics '" it won't be long to happy it...' hehehe
I'm in nz!
Rest In Peace BJ
your Raindrops and
As Long As We Got Each Other
( Growing Pains Theme)
are still respectable
and loved songs
to this day ,
still make the rounds
on my playlist 🎼❤️🎼
Great interview with BJ. My dad played Drums for Burt Bacharach back in the late 70s, and part of the catalog that dad played while with him was Rain Drops, even when they went down to South America for a tour. Definitely a part of my childhood. Everyone is checking out....just a reminder to value people TODAY, for they will not be around "tomorrow".
B.J. Thomas such a legend! May he rest in paradise❤️🙏👍
Rain drops keep fallen and fallen. My grand daughters just last year listened to that song and song it all weekend. Loved it
Love this song. One of my earliest memories as a kid, where music is concerned, is watching the movie on TV and hearing this song.
B.J. had a great voice for the kind of music he sang. Rest in peace B.J.
Thank you for this rememberance.
I distinctly remember hearing the song when I was in kindergarten.. beautiful
Sad news. They used a BJ Thomas song for the 80s sitcom Growing Pains theme that I liked when I was a kid
I watched this because just last night, for no reason, I pulled out my guitar and figured this song out. No reason, I just did it. Great tune.
Hooked on a Feeling... One of my first 45s ever...Played it endlessly... RIP Mr. Thomas
So glad for the prompt recognition of BJ, losing another great of our times. This song tears a piece of my heart out, and always will, in part longing for those special times in this country This song is way way up there in my all time favorite songs where Bacharach/David really put feeling to their songs I was a kid, it was all over the radio in the winter of 1970. My mom took us to the drive in to see Butch Cassidy. That voice, love the way his vocal was slightly strained giving a unique quality too. BJ was a good looking man too. My others favorite of his, "I just can't help believin"
I didn't know he died, wondering why his name started coming up lately. A great voice, loved that song since it came out in 1969, didn't see the movie till it premiered on TV in the mid '70s. When excellent a singer and composer come together, they produced magic. BJ created many classics and the overrated Mr. Businessman, remake of the Ray Stevens song. I heard many years ago that Thomas initially didn't like the song and thought it would end his career. Then I heard yesterday that Robert Redford thought the song wasn't appropriate for the movie. They both were proven mightily wrong and learned to appreciate the gem it is.
Hi Adam! Thanks for doing a tribute to the great B.J. Thomas
*B.J. THOMAS* _...An enormous talent!_
I sure wish that more people knew about his Christian faith.
🙏🏻🙏🏻 rest peacefully in Heaven BJ Thomas!🙏🏻🙏🏻
PoR, Adam, about 2 years ago I told my hubs that all of our idols were going to start dropping (sorry to say it that way), but those of us children of the 70's, teens of the 80's, those people didn't always take good care of themselves during that time period.
We've already lost some greats that were way too young to leave this Rock (planet).
Thank you for putting this together as you did, I'm glad we have someone to relate to when we lose someone of this magnitude.
*Long live rock from previous era's!*
If you have never heard his song "Mama" you need to. Every Mother's Day I dedicate that song to my mother who passed away in 2012.
Great song. Used to sing this while walking in the rain all the time, walking home from school. Now, any time I am out in the rain, it comes to mind.
Rest In Grace BJ
Saw him a few years before he passed. One of my best concerts. He had so many hits and was such a professional! Soo glad I went . Classy guy he was.
One of the best voices, ever.
My childhood song also we listened in Spanish... la lluvia no podrà llenarme de tristezas !
Llueve y no para de llover 💦 💧
Love love that song 🎵
I Loved that song!!!!!!!!!
We in Oklahoma lost a great
Singer , he bjt was o e 😎 dude , when i fist heard this song i was like wow rain drops keep falling on my head. i learned to sing along with the song after hearing it for the first time it was an easy song to remember those were the days of waiting on dad to give me my weekly schedule of work to do list before i could go out have fun. well i was outside cleaning the yard and racking grass and leafs while my little brothers got to play i would hear this song playing in a neighbors house with their windows open and i would remember while cleaning i would be singing along with bjt singing that song..what memories.. Still listening.
One of my favorite performers. A voice that was unique and I think BJ meant every word he ever sang. His voice was an instrument. Raindrops got the attention but another song that was in the same time period and I am sure was a Bacharach/ David song was Everybody's Out of Town. Just as sure footed and unique. I think we will still be listening to BJ Thomas songs a hundred years from now. Though I will not be hear to verify that. Even through his 70's his voice had the power and strength that cut through the crapola that I hear today. The joy's of being over 60. I don't have to justify my listening habits. Sad to think he has left this planet. But thanks to you and youtube and social media hopefully his songs will continue to be heard and appreciated!
I think the uniqueness of his voice was what enabled him to have success in so many different styles of vocal music. His voice did not sound like a prototype pop voice, gospel voice, easy listening voice, country voice, or whatever, so he did not get "typecast". He sounded like B.J. Thomas, and whatever he sang became a B.J. Thomas song, no matter what the "genre".
@@merriemisfit8406 I agree. Though a lot of pop artist did shift their focus to Country in the mid 1980's. But really BJ could sing any type of music.
One of all time favorite singers. I grew up as a kid in the 70s listening to his albums of my parents.
I remember hearing Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with my dad as well.
Great song and perfect for that part of the movie.
RIP BJ Thomas!
Only found out about this in the paper today, sad news. He left many great songs and memories. RIP
Professor, Like a lot of people who grew up with BJ's hit songs playing on the radio, a few days had passed before I learned of his death. I think we should be thankful for his long career but we should also be thankful that we were born at a time when popular music was still shaped around a core of melody. Melody allowed beautiful voices like BJ's or Linda Ronstadt's to really express a much more meaningful dimension than today's music. I am sure we still have great voices but we really lack beautiful songs which make the most of them. R.I.P. BJ. My sympathy goes out to his family, friends and the fans who feel the loss of his wonderful voice today. I just can't help believin' music was better then.............. :-)
This song is my earliest memory of his voice. 😎
Other hits:
Rock and Roll Lullaby, Hooked on a Feeling, I Just Can't Help Believing, Sharing , As Long As We Got Each Other, Hey Won't You Play Somebody Did Something Wrong Song.
RIP BJ Thomas
My 1st music box Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head...❤
RIP, mrThomas ✌️
I am SOOO glad you respectfully did this segment on BJ. So many people think BJ was a country or Christian singer but you couldn’t turn on AM rock radio in the late 60ss/early 70s without hearing BJ .
Great guy and the quintessential baritone . I remember seeing him in concert in March 77 and he introduced “ Hooked on a Feeling “ by rolling his eyes about Blue Suede’s version . He called them “ Blue Swine.” 😂😂😂
RIP BJ . One helluva voice. I literally can’t think of 1968-71 without thinking of BJ
I think "Raindrops" is a certifiable classic-Thanks for this marvelous tribute,Professor!
Thanks Professor for another great tribute video. BJ Thomas was one of my favorites. I was 7 when I first heard Raindrops and 11 when Somebody ..Wrong Song came out. Several years ago I was fortunate to see a tribute to him at Alamo Village near Del Rio, Texas where he played in his early years. It was where John Wayne filmed the Alamo.
Thanks for the nice tribute... All the greats are leaving us...