Records, rankings & honors

Born in Hackleburg, Alabama on May 1, 1928, Sonny James was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. The last leaf fell for him on February 22, 2016.

A natural with stringed instruments, he was just four years old when he took his place at the center of the family’s country show alongside Mom and Pop Loden, his sister Thelma and friend Ruby Palmer — and first discovered his gift for entertaining. Family and friends called him “Sonny Boy.” By 1952, when he signed with Capitol Records, the six-foot-three performer had been re-billed as The Southern Gentleman, a name that captured his unfailingly polite ways.

In 1956, just as rock ’n’ roll was taking hold, his multi-million-selling “Young Love” became a simultaneous No. 1 on the country and pop charts — the first traditional country crossover of its kind.

In 1963 a collaboration at Capitol Studios in Hollywood with Nat King Cole — a fellow Alabamian and a favorite of Sonny and his father — began to shape a more pop-leaning country sound, one meant to widen country music’s audience.

From 1964, with the addition of the Southern Gentlemen — bassist Milo Liggett and vocalists Lin Bown, Gary Robble, Duane West and Glenn Huggins — listeners could identify the sound within a few bars. Backed by Ken Nelson and the Capitol Records team, Sonny began the legendary run of sixteen consecutive No. 1 releases, a record no solo artist in any genre has surpassed.

A decade later he had amassed 26 No. 1 hits and 72 titles on the country charts. Between 1966 and 1971, six of his most popular No. 1 recordings were songs first released by R&B artists Adam Wade, Ivory Joe Hunter, Brook Benton, Clyde Otis and Jimmy Reed.

His broad appeal as a performer carried him into ever-larger venues and markets that had rarely welcomed country artists, including his many appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. His mastery of the guitar gave his records and his stage show a depth that translated perfectly to television, and his full vocal tone, framed by the Southern Gentlemen, was rewarded with success time after time.

The first country recording artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his hits — “The Minute You’re Gone,” “You’re the Only World I Know,” “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” “Running Bear,” “Empty Arms” and so many more — are a reminder that while the world was listening to the British Invasion, it was hearing Sonny James on country radio.

After his run of No. 1s, Sonny produced Marie Osmond’s first three albums. Her debut single, “Paper Roses,” sold more than a million copies worldwide and earned her a Grammy nomination.

He was always ready with a funny story and a boyish smile. A man of deep faith, he had a rare gift for making every friend feel like his closest friend.

Jimmie Hugh Loden (Sonny James) was survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Doris Shrode Loden; sister-in-law Sally Ribble; niece Donna and her husband Joe Mora; nephew Chuck Holcombe; and Terry and Pam Holcombe. He was preceded in death by his father Archey Loden, his mother Della Loden and his sister Thelma Lee Holcombe.

With immense admiration we say thank you — not only to the Southern Gentleman, but to a true gentleman and beloved friend to so many.