B.J. Thomas died Saturday 3 months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.  He was 78 years old.

Thomas was known for such hits as I Just Can't Help Believing, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head and Hooked On A Feeling.

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/29/1001614273/hooked-on-a-feeling-singer-b-j-thomas-dies-at-78

I'm sorry to see another one from that era go. But honestly, I still can't take that "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My head" song.  Even back in the 60s it was a song for old grannies.

He was a superstar of my generation with many huge hits - sad to say goodbye    :\'(  :\'(  :\'(

R.I.P. B. J. Thomas

Wow. :\'(



Thomas was known for such hits as I Just Can't Help Believing, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head and Hooked On A Feeling.

And those were great songs of his. O0

Ooga-Chaka  :\'(

B.J. Thomas died Saturday 3 months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.  He was 78 years old.

Thomas was known for such hits as I Just Can't Help Believing, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head and Hooked On A Feeling.

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/29/1001614273/hooked-on-a-feeling-singer-b-j-thomas-dies-at-78

RIP BJ.  :\'(

Here’s another BJ classic.  8)

QyrRYIrhLL0

Ooga-Chaka  :\'(


That wasn't the BJ Thomas version. It was the Blue Swede version that went "ooga-chaka".

:\'( :\'( :\'(

I saw him in concert-TWICE. The first time was around '78 or so in Tulsa. I had a friend who wanted to see him (and Debby Boone) and didn't want to go alone. I didn't have anything better to do so I said ok. It was a good concert. I remember leaving and saying to my friend, "I think I'm in love." She said to me, "I KNOW I'm in love." (We were teenagers.)

The second time was about 2007 when he toured with Billy Jo Royal for the "Raindrops & Boondocks" tour. The concert was a fundraiser for the firefighters.


Cat

He had so many great songs.  As a child in the 80s, I knew him best for the theme to Growing Pains.  Over the 1985-1992 run of that show, he sang the theme song on his own (season 1), with Jennifer Warnes (seasons 2, 3, 5 and 7) and with Dusty Springfield (season 4).  The 6th season used an acapella version featuring new singers and it wasn't great

With Jennifer Warnes
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With Dusty Springfield
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Here's a LENGTHY tribute to BJ Thomas by commentator Bob Lefsetz. For those who are interested I suggest you read it all, as it is not just about BJ but about the entire 60s era when he was having hits and it's right on the money. It's accurate.

https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2021/05/30/b-j-thomas/

Excerpts:

"Not that 'Butch Cassidy' had a deeper cultural meaning, in an era when those were prevalent in cinema, and not that it was an intentional antidote, but it was a film that everybody saw, needed to see, it played in theatres for months and months and it had no mechanical shark or special effects. I can’t say I’ve ever met someone who hasn’t seen 'Butch Cassidy.' Maybe if I polled youngsters…but quizzing youngsters about the films they’ve seen is no longer a thing, they want to talk about social media stars and oldsters are all about defending their turf and counting their money. It’s not only Republicans who want little change, it’s the same deal with the wealthy Democrats. Sure, I’ll pay a few million more in taxes, just don’t make me change my lifestyle, don’t make me give up any power.

But the sixties were completely different. No one was that rich, there was a strong middle class, and although we were fighting for truth and justice our culture was really dominated by the arts. You knew who all the stars were, they were famous for actually doing something. And those on the big screen were truly larger than life."


"The music of today is just grease for the fire, cartoons, the blatherings of nincompoops trying to make bucks or those who believe they’ve got talent when at best they’re B performers. To be a rock star in the old days was to be one of the most powerful people on earth, not only were you rich, you could do whatever you wanted. with no governor, no limit…you truly had your freedom. And believe me, they all would have lined up for vaccination against Covid-19, after all they were the first generation after polio, assuming they squeaked by that tragedy."

"And B.J. Thomas sang with power, with a rich voice, like the best person in the glee club, and unlike on today’s television competition shows, he was not showing off, he was not demonstrating melisma, this was twenty-odd years before Mariah Carey, when the song became more important than the singer. And by holding back just a touch, yet singing with power, Thomas’s rich voice resonated."

So sad!!!!!