B. J. Thomas
B.J. Thomas Since the mid-1960s, B.J. Thomas has become one of the most recognized and respected voices of the American musical landscape. He has impacted many areas of popular music with 15 Top 40 pop hits, 10 Top 40 country hits, 5 Grammys, 2 Dove Awards and 15 Gold and Platinum Records. Billy Joe Thomas, nick-named B.J. by his baseball coach at age 10, was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, and grew up in Houston, Texas. He moved with his family to Rosenberg, Texas at age 15 where he sang in his high school and church choirs. As a teenager, he developed a passion for R&B and was soon sneaking into nightclubs to hear blues legend Bobby "Blue" Bland. While still 15, he joined a local Houston rock band, the Triumphs. With influences ranging from Ernest Tubb to Jackie Wilson, B.J. became more and more popular as lead singer for the band. The Triumphs became one of the biggest acts in Texas, opening at the Houston Coliseum for headliners like Roy Orbison, the Dave Clark Five and the Four Tops. The Triumphs first album was recorded in Beaumont, releasing several well-received local singles. In 1965 the band set out to record an album of vintage rock and roll. When they needed one song to finish the project, B.J. recalled his father saying, "Don't come back unless you record something country." With that in mind, B.J. suggested Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." The recording became a regional hit in Southeast Texas with the help of local DJs. However, when the album was leased to New York's Scepter Records, it went to number four on the national pop charts and sold more than a million copies. By 1968, B.J. was on his own and had recorded four gold records: "The Eyes of a New York Woman," "Hooked on a Feeling," "It's Only Love" and "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." The latter, was a Burt Bacharach/Hal David tune written for the motion picture Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The song was a first million-seller for the songwriting team and that same year won an Academy Award for Song of the Year after B.J.'s performance at the ceremony. In 1976, B.J. released the first of several gospel albums, Home Where I Belong, which went platinum. Moving back to country music, B.J. hit the Top 40 ten times with hits like "What Ever Happened to Old Fashioned Love," "New Looks From an Old Lover" and "The Whole World's in Love When You're Lonely." His country success led him to become the 60th member of the Grand Ole Opry on his 40th birthday. In 1989 B.J. recorded "As Long As We Got Each Other," the theme song for the ABC sitcom Growing Pains. As the tours and records keep coming, B.J. Thomas maintains his reputation as a singer. His music is testimony to the fact that he is a survivor, overcoming personal adversity and addiction as well as weathering professional storms to emerge musically stronger than ever.
Harry James
HARRY HAAG JAMES BORN: March 15, 1916 - Albany, Georgia DIED: July 5, 1983 - Las Vegas, Nevada Trumpeter, Band leader, and composer. Played cornet in school bands in Beaumont and led his own orchestra on dates in nearby Texas cities. After playing with the bands of Joe Gale, Ben Pollack, and Benny Goodman, started his own band in 1939. Swing rendition recordings include "Texas Chatter," "Ciribiribin," and "The Flight of the Bumble Bee." Play-It-sweet records include "You Made Me Love You," "You'll Never Know," and "September in the Rain." Has over twenty album releases.record).
Issac Payton Sweat
ISSAC PAYTON SWEAT Born: July 19, 1944 - Port Arthur, Texas Died: June 23, 1990 - Houston, Texas Singer, drummer, guitarist, and bass player. Graduated from Nederland High School and attended Lamar University. Played withe the Blazer Trail, The Continentals, Johnny Winter's Black Plague Band. Toured in the U.S. and appeared in clubs and on television shows. Recordings include "Cotton eyed Joe," "The Schttische," and "The Race Is On." The Day the Music Died, a memorial album, has been released since his death.
Ivory Jo Hunter
"IVORY" JOE HUNTER BORN: 1911 - Kirbyville, Texas DIED: November 8, 1974 - Memphis, Tennessee Singer, pianist, composer, and record company executive. Graduated from Lincoln High School, Port Arthur. Sang in church choir and played in high school band. Had own radio show on station KFDM, Beaumont, Texas and formed a band which played in Houston and Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange area clubs. Wrote and recorded "Blues at sunrise" (on his own Ivory label in 1943) and such 1950's hits as "I Almost Lost My Mind," "Since I Met You Baby," and "Love is a Hurting Game." Wrote 7000-8000 songs by 1972, including compositions that resulted in recording hits for Pat Boone and Elvis Presley.
Janis Joplin
JANIS LYNN JOPLIN BORN: January 19, 1943 - Port Arthur, Texas DIED: October 4, 1970 - Hollywood, California Singer and artist. Given the informal title of "Queen of Rock." Attended Port Arthur Schools, Port Arthur College, Lamar University, Beaumont, and the University of Texas, Austin. Joined Big Brother and the Holding Company as lead singer and made the album Cheap Thrills with this group in 1968, earning a gold record. Left the group and recorded the album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama (1969, gold record) and, at the time of her death, was working on another album, Pearl. Received posthumous gold records in 1971 for Pearl and for the hit single from this album, "Me and Bobby McGee." Other albums released posthumously are Joplin in Concert (Gold, 1972) and Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits (Gold).

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