Sonny James
From 1960 to 1979, he spent
57 weeks at the top of the charts,
James was inducted into the
Hall of Fame in 2006.
James was born James Hugh
Loden in Hackleburg, Alabama,
and was already singing for an
audience at age four with other
members of his family.
This led to the family
hosting a radio show in Alabama.
Music was a large part of
his life, as he took part in fiddle
competitions as a teenager.
After serving in the
military, and already a local celebrity,
he signed with Capitol Records, taking
the stage name Sonny James.
His biggest hit, "Young
Love," hit the top of the country and Disk Jockey
charts in 1957.
(Oddly enough, a second version of that song recorded
by Tab Hunter also found
success, and both recordings were among
Billboard's top 10 singles of 1957.)
James would hit No. 1 on the
country chart a staggering 23 times in all.
He also had a streak of 16
straight No. 1 country hits from 1967 to 1971,
including "Need You"
and "Here Comes Honey Again."
That record stood until 1985, when the
band Alabama
broke it.
Billboard called him "one of the first artists in the
(country) format to
consistently see his records cross over to the pop
charts."
"Throughout his life he
has stood always at the ready to share a funny story,"
"Accompanied
by his boyish smile, this man of deep faith never failed to
cultivate his
unique gift of making every friend feel as if they were his
greatest friend every
step of the way."
