Sonny James 1594242 219144221 2008-06-13T19:49:18Z 64.183.92.106 /* External links */ {{Infobox musical artist |Name = Sonny James |Img = <!--Image SonnyJames.jpg deleted per I6 --> |Img_capt = Sonny James album |Img_size = (Only use for images smaller than 220 pixels) |Background = solo_singer |Birth_name = James Loden |Alias = |Born = {{Birth date and age|1929|5|1|mf=y}} |Died = |Origin = [[Hackleburg, Alabama]] |Instrument = |Genre = [[country music]] |Occupation = [[country]] [[singer]]/[[songwriter]] |Years_active = [[1953]]-[[1983]] |Label = [[Capitol Records]] |Associated_acts = |URL = |Current_members = |Past_members = |Notable_instruments = }} '''Sonny James''' (born '''James Loden''' on [[May 1]], [[1929 in music|1929]] in [[Hackleburg, Alabama]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[country music]] singer and songwriter. In [[2006]], James was elected into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]]. ==Rise to Fame== Sonny James (Loden) was born on a farm into a family of musicians. By age three he was playing a [[mandolin]] and singing. At age four he joined with his "Mom" & "Pop" and nine-year-old sister Thelma "Sis" to perform on an area radio station. Ruby Palmer also joined the group and the singing Sonny Boy & The Loden family's popularity was such that before long they were playing theaters, auditoriums and schoolhouses throughout the [[southern United States]]. After years on the road, the two girls married and the family band dissolved in [[1947 in music|1947]]. In [[1950 in music|1950]], Sonny James joined a country group in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], but his desire for a full-time career in music was interrupted by service in the [[Korean War]]. After nearly eighteen months overseas, he was shipped home and discharged in the late fall of [[1952 in music|1952]]. James later headed for [[Nashville, Tennessee]] where, with the help of [[Chet Atkins]], whom James had roomed with, he signed with [[Capitol Records]]. The company had him drop his last name of Loden, and as "Sonny James" he made his first studio record. While appearing on a popular radio show, the [[Louisiana Hayride]], he met musician [[Slim Whitman]]. James's 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 a few months before returning to Nashville to make further recordings including what became his first Top Ten country hit, ''That's Me Without You''. 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 did well on radio and then on the all-important new medium, television, where he appeared on the ''[[Ozark Jubilee]]'' and ''[[Ed Sullivan]]'' shows. ==Height of His Career== Dubbed the "Southern Gentleman" because of his polite demeanor, Sonny James recorded "[[Young Love (1956 song)|Young Love]]", a [[45 rpm]] [[Single (music)|single]] for which he would forever be remembered. That was in [[1957 in music|1957]]. As the first-ever teenage country "[[crossover (music)|crossover]]" single, it topped both the country and pop music charts. He gained more exposure with a television appearances on the very important [[Ed Sullivan Show]]. After leaving Capitol Records for the 1st time in [[1959 in music|1959]], Sonny James signed with [[National Recording Corporation]]. His career also included stints with [[Dot Records|Dot]] ([[1960 in music|1960]]-[[1961 in music|1961]]), [[RCA Records|RCA]] (1961-[[1962 in music|1962]]), his second stint with [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] (1963-1972), [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] (1972-[[1979 in music|1979]]), [[Monument Records|Monument]] (1979), and [[Dimension Records|Dimension]] ([[1981 in music|1981]]-[[1983 in music|1983]]). Sonny James went on to a long and highly successful career and in [[1962]] he became a member of the [[Grand Ole Opry]]. From [[1964 in music|1964]] to [[1972 in music|1972]], Sonny James was a dominant force in country music. Beginning in [[1967]] with "''I'll Never Find Another You''" and ending with "''Here Comes Honey Again''" in [[1971 in music|1971]], Sonny James recorded 16 straight #1 singles in addition to 72 verified chart hits. James's career No. 1 total would eventually stand at 23, the last coming with [[1974 in music|1974]]'s "Is It Wrong (For Loving You)." The No. 1 streak record is a point of contention among historians. Country supergroup [[Alabama (band)|Alabama]] reportedly surpassed James's record in [[1985 in music|1985]] with their 17th No. 1 song, "Forty Hour Week (For a Livin')," but the dispute stems from a 1982 Christmas single, "[[Christmas in Dixie]]." The Christmas song peaked at No. 35 on the ''[[Billboard magazine]]'' [[Hot Country Songs|Hot Country Singles]] chart in January 1983, in the middle of what is widely considered to be a streak of 21 No. 1 songs. Some sources, including the [http://www.alamhof.org/alabama.htm Alabama Music Hall of Fame web site], state that the failure of "Christmas in Dixie" snapped Alabama's streak before it could achieve parity with James's; others, such as [[Joel Whitburn]]'s "Top Country Songs: [[1944 in music|1944]]-[[2005]]", disregard non-No. 1 Christmas singles (such as "Christmas in Dixie") in determining chart-topping streaks and consider Alabama to have surpassed the record. James was a guest performer on popular television shows, such as the [[Bob Hope|Bob Hope Show]], the [[Ed Sullivan Show]] and [[Hee Haw]]. He also made minor appearances in several [[Hollywood]] [[motion pictures]] and in [[1969 in music|1969]], [[Billboard magazine]] named him "Artist of the Year." ==Settling Down== In [[1983]], James retired to his home and wife Doris in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]]. For his contribution to the [[music industry]], James has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]. In 2006, James was inducted into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]], and also appeared on [[Television|TV]] for the first time in nearly 20 years, to accept his induction on the [[Country Music Association Awards]], on [[November 6]], 2006. ==External links== * http://www.sonnyjames.com/bio.htm * http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/sonnyjames.txt {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Sonny}} [[Category:1929 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American military personnel of the Korean War]] [[Category:American country singers]] [[Category:American country musicians]] [[Category:American male singers]] [[Category:American members of the Churches of Christ|James, Sonny]] [[Category:American songwriters]] [[Category:Hollywood Walk of Fame]] [[Category:People from Marion County, Alabama]] [[Category:Alabama musicians]] [[Category:Former Grand Ole Opry members]] [[de:Sonny James]]