B.J.
Thomas was the main attraction at the 1984 Black Gold Festival although it was
not his first concert here. Thomas first appeared in concert at Memorial Gym in
1965. Thomas has recorded an incredible string of successes in several genres -
15 Top 40 pop hits, 10 Top 40 Country hits, five Grammys, two Dove awards, two
platinum and 11 gold records, and chart-toppers on the pop, country, gospel and
adult contemporary charts. Along the way, his has become one of the most
recognized and respected voices of his generation. Almost 50 million records
after his initial successes, B.J.'s versatility is still as much of his approach
as his wonderfully expressive voice. In fact, B.J. Thomas has always chosen to
present positive, uplifting material, no matter what genre he's been working in.
By '68, he'd had four gold records - "The Eyes Of A New York Woman,"
"Hooked On A Feeling" and "It's Only Love" being the other
three - and labelmate Dionne Warwick, who'd been working with the Burt Bacharach/Hal
David songwriting team, recommended him for "Raindrops Keep Falling On My
Head," which was written for the motion picture Butch Cassidy & The
Sundance Kid. "I was in the right place at the right time," B.J.
says, "and probably got their best song ever." "Raindrops"
was Bacharach/David's first million-seller; it won an Academy Award and B.J.
sang the song on the 1970 Academy Awards telecast. B.J. would go on during the
early '70's to record hits like "I Just Can't Help Believin',"
"No Love At All" and "Rock And Roll Lullaby," scoring a
dozen gold records. Throughout the period, he sold tens of millions of records
and appeared regularly on TV programs like the Ed Sullivan Show and in top
nightclubs and concert halls. In 1976, he released the first of several gospel
albums, "Home Where I Belong," which went platinum, making him the
biggest contemporary Christian artist of the period. Over the next several
years, he received a couple of Dove awards. He's had 10 Top 40 hits on the
country charts with hits like "What Ever Happened To Old Fashioned
Love" and "New Looks From An Old Lover." His country success led
him to become, on his 39th birthday, the 60th member of the Grand Ole Opry.
B.J.
Thomas was the main attraction at the 1984 Black Gold Festival although it was
not his first concert here. Thomas first appeared in concert at Memorial Gym in
1965. Thomas has recorded an incredible string of successes in several genres -
15 Top 40 pop hits, 10 Top 40 Country hits, five Grammys, two Dove awards, two
platinum and 11 gold records, and chart-toppers on the pop, country, gospel and
adult contemporary charts. Along the way, his has become one of the most
recognized and respected voices of his generation. Almost 50 million records
after his initial successes, B.J.'s versatility is still as much of his approach
as his wonderfully expressive voice. In fact, B.J. Thomas has always chosen to
present positive, uplifting material, no matter what genre he's been working in.
By '68, he'd had four gold records - "The Eyes Of A New York Woman,"
"Hooked On A Feeling" and "It's Only Love" being the other
three - and labelmate Dionne Warwick, who'd been working with the Burt Bacharach/Hal
David songwriting team, recommended him for "Raindrops Keep Falling On My
Head," which was written for the motion picture Butch Cassidy & The
Sundance Kid. "I was in the right place at the right time," B.J.
says, "and probably got their best song ever." "Raindrops"
was Bacharach/David's first million-seller; it won an Academy Award and B.J.
sang the song on the 1970 Academy Awards telecast. B.J. would go on during the
early '70's to record hits like "I Just Can't Help Believin',"
"No Love At All" and "Rock And Roll Lullaby," scoring a
dozen gold records. Throughout the period, he sold tens of millions of records
and appeared regularly on TV programs like the Ed Sullivan Show and in top
nightclubs and concert halls. In 1976, he released the first of several gospel
albums, "Home Where I Belong," which went platinum, making him the
biggest contemporary Christian artist of the period. Over the next several
years, he received a couple of Dove awards. He's had 10 Top 40 hits on the
country charts with hits like "What Ever Happened To Old Fashioned
Love" and "New Looks From An Old Lover." His country success led
him to become, on his 39th birthday, the 60th member of the Grand Ole Opry.