{"id":4,"date":"2011-05-13T22:37:59","date_gmt":"2011-05-14T04:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/66.101.193.173\/~insuredcus\/?page_id=4"},"modified":"2024-09-12T21:57:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T03:57:50","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='layer_slider_1'  class='avia-layerslider main_color avia-shadow  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_section  avia-builder-el-first  container_wrap sidebar_right'  style='height: 471px;'  ><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-4ddfy-6c5af755731e1cbdb9cf630d7977a6a1\">\n.avia-section.av-4ddfy-6c5af755731e1cbdb9cf630d7977a6a1{\nbackground-color:#020202;\nbackground-image:url(https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/bckgrnd-pattern2.jpg);\nbackground-repeat:repeat;\nbackground-position:0% 0%;\nbackground-attachment:scroll;\n}\n.avia-section.av-4ddfy-6c5af755731e1cbdb9cf630d7977a6a1 .av-section-color-overlay{\nopacity:0.7;\nbackground-color:#212121;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section av-4ddfy-6c5af755731e1cbdb9cf630d7977a6a1 main_color avia-section-default avia-no-shadow  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_layerslider  el_before_av_section  avia-bg-style-scroll av-section-color-overlay-active container_wrap sidebar_right'  data-section-bg-repeat='repeat'><div class=\"av-section-color-overlay-wrap\"><div class=\"av-section-color-overlay\"><\/div><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-4b1oy-bd05ebf2f59074978214842586e80e58\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-4b1oy-bd05ebf2f59074978214842586e80e58{\npadding-bottom:10px;\ncolor:#ffffff;\nfont-size:38px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-4b1oy-bd05ebf2f59074978214842586e80e58 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-4b1oy-bd05ebf2f59074978214842586e80e58 .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:38px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-4b1oy-bd05ebf2f59074978214842586e80e58 .special-heading-inner-border{\nborder-color:#ffffff;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-4b1oy-bd05ebf2f59074978214842586e80e58 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n\n@media only screen and (min-width: 480px) and (max-width: 767px){ \n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-4b1oy-bd05ebf2f59074978214842586e80e58 .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:0.8em;\n}\n}\n\n@media only screen and (max-width: 479px){ \n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-4b1oy-bd05ebf2f59074978214842586e80e58 .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:0.8em;\n}\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-4b1oy-bd05ebf2f59074978214842586e80e58 av-special-heading-h1 custom-color-heading blockquote classic-quote  avia-builder-el-2  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  av-inherit-size'><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Sonny James, The Southern Gentleman<\/h1><div class='av_custom_color av-subheading av-subheading_below'><p>Singer | Musician | Entertainer | Songwriter | Producer<br \/>\n16 Consecutive #1 Country | 26 Total #1 Country | 72 Charted Releases<br \/>\nRecording Artist of the 1950&#8217;s, &#8217;60&#8217;s, &#8217;70&#8217;s, and &#8217;80&#8217;s | Country Music Hall Of Fame Legend<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_2'  class='avia-section av-48fh0-f17b51c5dc4cf1c750f9ce1d48a7d5bd main_color avia-section-no-padding avia-no-shadow  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  av-desktop-hide av-medium-hide av-small-hide av-mini-hide avia-bg-style-scroll container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_3'  class='avia-section av-45ma8-ef597ec5b9df020e947c82d44f08fb3b main_color avia-section-small avia-no-shadow  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  avia-bg-style-scroll container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  class='flex_column av-43ch8-f2280065807e8a2170d1e810454be5f1 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-6  el_before_av_two_third  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-ej9m-f1dd0eabdaf22e6aae1398506886e981\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-ej9m-f1dd0eabdaf22e6aae1398506886e981{\nheight:80px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-ej9m-f1dd0eabdaf22e6aae1398506886e981 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-7  el_before_av_image  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-3yulg-19a02952e1b5d254bbe1d78c8736363d\">\n.avia-image-container.av-3yulg-19a02952e1b5d254bbe1d78c8736363d img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-3yulg-19a02952e1b5d254bbe1d78c8736363d .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-3yulg-19a02952e1b5d254bbe1d78c8736363d av-styling- av-hover-grow av-img-linked avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James-Portrait.png\" class='avia_image '  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label='Sonny James'><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-3184 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-3184 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James-235x300.jpg\" alt='' title='Sonny James'  height=\"300\" width=\"235\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James.jpg 805w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-3x2yc-e1d60d82b056c544c1764b985694e1ff '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\">VIEW LARGE IMAGE<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-3un8u-0bc1281594129e5db304eea7060d85a1 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><center><a class=\"noLightbox\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DegZTLMCRh0?rel=0&amp;autoplay=1&amp;iframe=true&amp;width=996&amp;height=560\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox&#091;iframes&#093;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.agencyinfo.net\/sonnyjames-wp\/hmvideo-play-matter-of-time.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"65%\"><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-3s4c2-f1e3a7fd469c73cc27370be1f16bb521 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><center>SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE VIDEOS<\/center><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div><div  class='flex_column av-3qwp8-6a446ecdca9b72faf0279a5385e4b65f av_two_third  avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_one_third  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-3no3g-d1ac3c486b77175d3f02bef2b2040478\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-3no3g-d1ac3c486b77175d3f02bef2b2040478{\nheight:30px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-3no3g-d1ac3c486b77175d3f02bef2b2040478 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-13  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-d0la-7bd1bdb466351248cc28eb459b1b9c0f\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-d0la-7bd1bdb466351248cc28eb459b1b9c0f{\npadding-bottom:3px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-d0la-7bd1bdb466351248cc28eb459b1b9c0f .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-d0la-7bd1bdb466351248cc28eb459b1b9c0f .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:26px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-d0la-7bd1bdb466351248cc28eb459b1b9c0f .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-d0la-7bd1bdb466351248cc28eb459b1b9c0f av-special-heading-h3  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_textblock '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Legendary Streak of 16 Consecutive #1 Singles<\/h3><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-3kbhs-3c4a00b918eba05f969ff3fc345648af\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-3kbhs-3c4a00b918eba05f969ff3fc345648af .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:16px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-3kbhs-3c4a00b918eba05f969ff3fc345648af '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>According to Billboard statistics, for almost 20 years (1960-1979) Sonny James spent more time in the Number One chart position than any other artist in country music \u2014 a total of 57 weeks, including a 5 year period of 16 Consecutive #1 Singles, a feat never before accomplished by any solo artist in Country Music, Pop or Rock \u2018n Roll. If incorporating the same criteria used today for determining #1 singles, James would have had an unbelievable 25 number ones in a row.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-3hgus-c21de57a39130ae74d99b02d7c195b54\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-3hgus-c21de57a39130ae74d99b02d7c195b54{\nheight:20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-3hgus-c21de57a39130ae74d99b02d7c195b54 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-3g57i-53d382a9726e1242b6d39dd3065b848e\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-3g57i-53d382a9726e1242b6d39dd3065b848e .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:14px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-3g57i-53d382a9726e1242b6d39dd3065b848e '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"50%\">\n<h5>TOP COUNTRY HITMAKERS 1960-1979<\/h5>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-3924\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/hit-makers.jpg\" alt=\"HITMAKERS 1960-1979\" width=\"182\" height=\"206\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Weeks at #1: Ranked 1st<\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 10px;\">(Sonny James | Buck Owens | Merle Haggard)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Total #1 HITS: Ranked 3rd<\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 10px;\">(Conway Twitty | Merle Haggard | Sonny James)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Billboard Point Rankings: Ranked 5th<\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 10px;\">(George Jones | Buck Owens | Johnny Cash | Merle Haggard | Sonny James)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Top 10 Hits: Ranked 7th<\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 10px;\">(Loretta Lynn | George Jones | Buck Owens | Merle Haggard | Conway Twitty | Charley Pride | Sonny James)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-3dpsa-37332e870f69b71fd05fe8381937e13e\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-3dpsa-37332e870f69b71fd05fe8381937e13e{\nheight:20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-3dpsa-37332e870f69b71fd05fe8381937e13e hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-18  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_heading '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-3buka-10e64ac47727d79fc8a126f9d93f606b\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-3buka-10e64ac47727d79fc8a126f9d93f606b{\npadding-bottom:3px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-3buka-10e64ac47727d79fc8a126f9d93f606b .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-3buka-10e64ac47727d79fc8a126f9d93f606b .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:26px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-3buka-10e64ac47727d79fc8a126f9d93f606b .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-3buka-10e64ac47727d79fc8a126f9d93f606b av-special-heading-h3  avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_textblock '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Most Recent Article Post<\/h3><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-39alg-232410b3879e50c5c32d0b7ea24e6001\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-39alg-232410b3879e50c5c32d0b7ea24e6001 .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:16px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-39alg-232410b3879e50c5c32d0b7ea24e6001 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><div class=\"pt-cv-wrapper noLightbox\"><div class=\"pt-cv-view pt-cv-grid pt-cv-colsys\" id=\"pt-cv-view-df350aaxkc\"><div data-id=\"pt-cv-page-1\" class=\"pt-cv-page\" data-cvc=\"1\"><div class=\"col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-xs-12 pt-cv-content-item pt-cv-1-col\" ><div class='pt-cv-ifield'><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/christmas-2018-eric-clapton-records-sonny-james-christmas-song\/\" class=\"_self pt-cv-href-thumbnail pt-cv-thumb-default\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/eric-clapton-christmas-300x300.jpg\" class=\"pt-cv-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/eric-clapton-christmas-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/eric-clapton-christmas-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/eric-clapton-christmas-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/eric-clapton-christmas-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/eric-clapton-christmas-120x120.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/eric-clapton-christmas-450x450.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/eric-clapton-christmas.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n<h4 class=\"pt-cv-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/christmas-2018-eric-clapton-records-sonny-james-christmas-song\/\" class=\"_self\" target=\"_self\" >Christmas 2018: Eric Clapton Records Sonny James Christmas Song<\/a><\/h4>\n<div class=\"pt-cv-content\">Written by Sonny James and John Skye and first recorded and released by Sonny in 1954, \"Christmas In My Hometown\" would again be recorded and released by Sonny James and The Southern Gentlemen in 1966 when it was included on his \"My Christmas Dream\" Capitol Records album. With tidings of ...<br \/><div class=\"pt-cv-rmwrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/christmas-2018-eric-clapton-records-sonny-james-christmas-song\/\" class=\"_self pt-cv-readmore btn btn-success\" target=\"_self\">Read More<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-35w3q-a0e1a439f8801a5c936f7694f9d32c44\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-35w3q-a0e1a439f8801a5c936f7694f9d32c44{\nheight:20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-35w3q-a0e1a439f8801a5c936f7694f9d32c44 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_4'  class='avia-section av-bbxe-6735f029f2b40363ae21afcc2be99e70 main_color avia-section-small avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-22  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  avia-bg-style-scroll container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-32u36-b6fc316f27a6e83320062f79ccfd424f\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-32u36-b6fc316f27a6e83320062f79ccfd424f{\npadding-bottom:3px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-32u36-b6fc316f27a6e83320062f79ccfd424f .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-32u36-b6fc316f27a6e83320062f79ccfd424f .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:26px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-32u36-b6fc316f27a6e83320062f79ccfd424f .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-32u36-b6fc316f27a6e83320062f79ccfd424f av-special-heading-h2  avia-builder-el-23  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first '><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Did You Know?<\/h2><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-30cmm-bd5ad4495da9a0c463007e706193cb5a\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-30cmm-bd5ad4495da9a0c463007e706193cb5a{\nheight:20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-30cmm-bd5ad4495da9a0c463007e706193cb5a hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-24  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_two_third '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div  class='flex_column av-2xsyc-363f85ae686233d0935ac03929067927 av_two_third  avia-builder-el-25  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_one_third  first flex_column_div  '     ><style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2v6by-169e7404623f9977ceca67facc19460d\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-2v6by-169e7404623f9977ceca67facc19460d .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:14px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-2v6by-169e7404623f9977ceca67facc19460d '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h5>SONNY JAMES &#8211; THE INNOVATOR<\/h5>\n<p>In the midst of the American Civil Rights era with his #1 release of <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Take_Good_Care_of_Her\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adam Wade&#8217;s &#8220;Take Good Care of Her&#8221;<\/a> in 1966, Sonny was the first country artist to record and deliver an R&amp;B song into the country music mainstream. During his highly successful run of 16 consecutive #1 hits, beginning in 1969 of the next 7 singles James recorded &#8211; 5 had previously been moderately successful releases for soulful R&amp;B artists <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ivory_Joe_Hunter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ivory Joe Hunter<\/a>, <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brook_Benton\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brook Benton<\/a>, <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clyde_Otis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clyde Otis<\/a> and <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jimmy_Reed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jimmy Reed<\/a>. Those 5 songs were Since I Met You Baby, It\u2019s Just A Matter of Time, Endlessly, Empty Arms and Bright Lights, Big City \u2013 all of which reached #1 on the Billboard country charts.<\/p>\n<p>From the inception of the R&amp;B genre in 1949 through 1971 when Sonny&#8217;s last such recording topped the charts, no other country artist ever achieved such success with R&amp;B material. The 2nd country artist to reach #1 with an R&amp;B song would not occur again until April of 1976. And so from the beginnings of R&amp;B in 1949 until April 1976, Sonny James stood alone for 27 years as a true innovator towards the broader appeal of what country music could be.&nbsp; <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/nat-king-cole\/\">Learn More&#8230;<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div  class='flex_column av-2uf0c-f5b6e35db47334e49378de539effdc83 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-27  el_after_av_two_third  el_before_av_hr  flex_column_div  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2rwlm-0f49e59833035a1feb4c326385ccad83\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-2rwlm-0f49e59833035a1feb4c326385ccad83{\nheight:30px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-2rwlm-0f49e59833035a1feb4c326385ccad83 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-28  el_before_av_image  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2q3r6-f106eb829f320c95a55e45c40b7e35bb\">\n.avia-image-container.av-2q3r6-f106eb829f320c95a55e45c40b7e35bb img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-2q3r6-f106eb829f320c95a55e45c40b7e35bb .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-2q3r6-f106eb829f320c95a55e45c40b7e35bb av-styling- av-hover-grow av-img-linked avia_animated_image av-animated-when-visible-95 bottom-to-top avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-29  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-nat-king-cole.jpg\" class='avia_image '  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label='Sonny James and Nat King Cole - Capitol Recording Studios Hollywood CA - 1963'><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-3551 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-3551 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-nat-king-cole-150x150.jpg\" alt='' title='Sonny James and Nat King Cole - Capitol Recording Studios Hollywood CA - 1963'  height=\"150\" width=\"150\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-nat-king-cole-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-nat-king-cole-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-nat-king-cole-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-nat-king-cole-120x120.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-nat-king-cole-450x450.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-2mk8w-be998559fc04497cd0bce1c5c524d384 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\">1963: Sonny James &amp; Nat King Cole in collaboration at Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood CA<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-button-wrap av-2l1dm-f5742c25e3c273b73968310b263cd0c3-wrap avia-button-center  avia-builder-el-31  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '><a href='https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/nat-king-cole\/'  class='avia-button av-2l1dm-f5742c25e3c273b73968310b263cd0c3 av-link-btn avia-icon_select-yes-left-icon avia-size-small avia-position-center avia-color-theme-color'   aria-label=\"READ THE STORY\"><span class='avia_button_icon avia_button_icon_left' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue826' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >READ THE STORY<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2ikoa-2b6a5537c6224c0cd8fffc9b26883177\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-2ikoa-2b6a5537c6224c0cd8fffc9b26883177{\nheight:20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-2ikoa-2b6a5537c6224c0cd8fffc9b26883177 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-32  el_after_av_one_third  el_before_av_two_third '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div  class='flex_column av-2hqko-7fae9e0a4405aa185851870af3e98bc8 av_two_third  avia-builder-el-33  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_one_third  first flex_column_div  '     ><style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2eovs-fe8148d49ac4d46401756129d84c1ad6\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-2eovs-fe8148d49ac4d46401756129d84c1ad6 .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:14px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-2eovs-fe8148d49ac4d46401756129d84c1ad6 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h5>SONNY JAMES &#8211; THE PRODUCER<\/h5>\n<p>Sonny produced the first 3 albums for Marie Osmond. The first album went Certified Gold in the US and the first single &#8220;Paper Roses&#8221; also received a Certified Gold recognition. The phenomenal success of &#8220;Paper Roses&#8221; would see Marie nominated for a Grammy Award.&nbsp; Each of these three albums also contained recordings of a number of James&#8217; #1 hits.<\/p>\n<p>An industry powerhouse and long-time close friend of Sonny&#8217;s Mike Curb, who had overseen Donny Osmond&#8217;s solo hit covers of oldies like &#8220;Go Away Little Girl,&#8221; &#8220;Puppy Love,&#8221; &#8220;Sweet and Innocent,&#8221; and &#8220;Hey Girl,&#8221; used the same approach with Marie. According to Curb in the book <i>Billboard&#8217;s Hottest Hot 100 Hits<\/i> by Fred Bronson, when Curb was looking for country songs for Marie to record for her first album, Sonny James suggested Marie sing &#8220;Paper Roses&#8221; which had been a #5 Pop hit for Anita Bryant in 1960.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Paper Roses&#8221; was the first song James&#8217; recorded of Marie, and also her first single release. The single was released in August 1973. MGM promoted the single first to country radio, and received a favorable reaction to the song from radio stations and disc jockeys. Soon the song became a hit for Osmond, going all the way to #1 on the country charts. Before long, the song crossed over to pop radio as well, becoming a #5 Pop and #1 Easy Listening singles hit in the US as well as receiving similar success internationally.<\/p>\n<p>Upon reaching No. 1, Osmond became &#8212; at less than one month after her 14th birthday &#8212; the youngest female artist and youngest overall solo artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, a record that still stands.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div  class='flex_column av-8en4-023bca97575204f77e2757da2ccd0536 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-35  el_after_av_two_third  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2b7j0-f6150fa71352c07b53f2399929e10a22\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-2b7j0-f6150fa71352c07b53f2399929e10a22{\nheight:60px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-2b7j0-f6150fa71352c07b53f2399929e10a22 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-36  el_before_av_image  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-28nw4-2288bb0424255dfb8ab84ebe82689321\">\n.avia-image-container.av-28nw4-2288bb0424255dfb8ab84ebe82689321 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-28nw4-2288bb0424255dfb8ab84ebe82689321 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-28nw4-2288bb0424255dfb8ab84ebe82689321 av-styling- av-hover-grow av-img-linked avia_animated_image av-animated-when-visible-95 bottom-to-top avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-37  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-marie-osmond.jpg\" class='avia_image '  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label='Sonny James and Marie Osmond'><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-3558 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-3558 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-marie-osmond-150x150.jpg\" alt='' title='Sonny James and Marie Osmond'  height=\"150\" width=\"150\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-marie-osmond-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-marie-osmond-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-marie-osmond-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/sonny-james-marie-osmond-120x120.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-25h6o-f5f26e560dc8def98220c3620fd5896e '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center;\">Sonny&#8217;s productions of Marie Osmond&#8217;s first 3 albums and initial release of &#8220;Paper Roses&#8221; sold over a million worldwide.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_5'  class='avia-section av-23c3e-2350b8612f51a6612cbb2ab519f53cb2 main_color avia-section-small avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-39  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  avia-bg-style-scroll container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-21p10-5d5d00b8dc815fc2a30c72fd0090ef2d\">\n.avia-image-container.av-21p10-5d5d00b8dc815fc2a30c72fd0090ef2d img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-21p10-5d5d00b8dc815fc2a30c72fd0090ef2d .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-21p10-5d5d00b8dc815fc2a30c72fd0090ef2d av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-40  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-3889 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-3889 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/album-covers.jpg\" alt='' title='Sonny James Album Covers Samples'  height=\"423\" width=\"1218\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/album-covers.jpg 1218w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/album-covers-300x104.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/album-covers-1024x356.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/album-covers-705x245.jpg 705w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/album-covers-450x156.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1218px) 100vw, 1218px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-1yy28-b270cd80037ca6d5a849c78695f02095\">\n.avia-section.av-1yy28-b270cd80037ca6d5a849c78695f02095{\nbackground-color:#e2e2e2;\nbackground-image:unset;\n}\n.avia-section.av-1yy28-b270cd80037ca6d5a849c78695f02095 .av-extra-border-element .av-extra-border-inner{\nbackground-color:#e2e2e2;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_6'  class='avia-section av-1yy28-b270cd80037ca6d5a849c78695f02095 main_color avia-section-small avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-41  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  avia-bg-style-scroll av-arrow-down-section container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  class='flex_column av-1ymxy-f0401939164c9633df0f9c54336c71f8 av_two_fifth  avia-builder-el-42  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-1we9i-bd42cd003f31065a138059d2478a6e17\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-1we9i-bd42cd003f31065a138059d2478a6e17{\nheight:100px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-1we9i-bd42cd003f31065a138059d2478a6e17 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-43  el_before_av_image  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-1u5na-15228cc6f82c0fe3812e920a30663031\">\n.avia-image-container.av-1u5na-15228cc6f82c0fe3812e920a30663031 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-1u5na-15228cc6f82c0fe3812e920a30663031 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-1u5na-15228cc6f82c0fe3812e920a30663031 av-styling- avia_animated_image av-animated-when-visible-95 left-to-right avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-44  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_hr '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-3466 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-3466 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/CapitolRecords-logo-300x145.png\" alt='' title='CapitolRecords-logo'  height=\"145\" width=\"300\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/CapitolRecords-logo-300x145.png 300w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/CapitolRecords-logo-450x217.png 450w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/CapitolRecords-logo.png 454w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-6b3y-7755e6ed29f53583e411ddd4ef127397\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-6b3y-7755e6ed29f53583e411ddd4ef127397{\nheight:1px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-6b3y-7755e6ed29f53583e411ddd4ef127397 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-45  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-1pzzi-46681b0a59068dc9fa313ccb8442d1d0 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Capitol Records released his signature song &#8220;Young Love&#8221; in late 1956. This giant hit became one of the most recognizable songs ever recorded. It was the first Traditional Country\/Teen cross over record. Followed by fellow Capitol artist Ferlin Huskey&#8217;s &#8220;Gone&#8221; and later Marty Robbin&#8217;s &#8220;White Sport Coat&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div><div  class='flex_column av-1mkcy-7105ab65c0ca57601d3a3181f3d0ae29 av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-47  el_after_av_two_fifth  el_before_av_hr  flex_column_div  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-1l4q2-9bc257d5b528bd4298923f8e94a67f22 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><center><\/center><\/p>\n<h2>YouTube Playlist:<\/h2>\n<h2>The 26 #1 Hits of Sonny James<\/h2>\n<p><center><iframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/videoseries?list=PLDd09h2Jd1NkbC7s-pGmvy4Hd20R1UgIr\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><center><em>[Courtesy of Richard Custer]<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-1iu14-f2f5431728dc3d8528921ff66c0f6e52\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-1iu14-f2f5431728dc3d8528921ff66c0f6e52{\nheight:20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-1iu14-f2f5431728dc3d8528921ff66c0f6e52 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-49  el_after_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><div class='av-extra-border-element border-extra-arrow-down'><div class='av-extra-border-outer'><div class='av-extra-border-inner'><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-1h4k2-0ed2dd4df754a8cbba89b8b584685a83\">\n.avia-section.av-1h4k2-0ed2dd4df754a8cbba89b8b584685a83{\nbackground-color:#b3dde2;\nbackground-image:unset;\n}\n.avia-section.av-1h4k2-0ed2dd4df754a8cbba89b8b584685a83 .av-extra-border-element .av-extra-border-inner{\nbackground-color:#b3dde2;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_7'  class='avia-section av-1h4k2-0ed2dd4df754a8cbba89b8b584685a83 main_color avia-section-small avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-50  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  avia-bg-style-scroll av-arrow-down-section container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  class='flex_column av-1ecde-d982eb6d52666ebc3e8a4dbe70a6919b av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-51  el_before_av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-1boye-c480185498a4248f9d730a1d8ce68d8d '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/kix-brooks-245x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"140\"><\/p>\n<p>On August 30th of 2006, the day it was announced Sonny James was to be an inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Kix Brooks (Brooks And Dunn) probably said it best, \u201cThis is an artist who really dominated his time in history.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div  class='flex_column av-19jqe-49e90259d8f19723a567bf03b32ffd63 av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-53  el_after_av_one_fourth  el_before_av_one_half  flex_column_div  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-4dne-8b6b3a4da5e49de617875a972690688d '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/elvis-wordforword-218x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"140\"><\/p>\n<p>Similar accolades from fellow entertainers began early in James\u2019 career\u2026 Elvis Presley, from the best seller book \u201cElvis, Word for Word\u201d was asked \u201cwho do you think\u2019s the greatest country and western singer that\u2019s alive today\u201d his reply, \u201cI like Sonny James\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div  class='flex_column av-15ljs-967ceb1aa5c8cc672ddc44c4b095129c av_one_half  avia-builder-el-55  el_after_av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-3x6w-26e60591c9e17374d5927610ede4ed58 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><center><a class=\"noLightbox\" title=\"2006 CMA Awards: Friend Kris Kristofferson presents plaque to Sonny commemorating James' Induction Into the Country Music Hall Of Fame\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dKVh-1wceHc&amp;rel=0&amp;autoplay=1&amp;iframe=true&amp;width=996&amp;height=560\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox&#091;iframes&#093;\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Click to View Video\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/main_cma_awards2.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><center><strong>Friend Kris Kristofferson presents plaque to Sonny commemorating<br \/>\nJames&#8217; Induction Into the Country Music Hall Of Fame<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><div class='av-extra-border-element border-extra-arrow-down'><div class='av-extra-border-outer'><div class='av-extra-border-inner'><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-3up6-6d3822ceb48aba22a0e934b8d49f0683\">\n.avia-section.av-3up6-6d3822ceb48aba22a0e934b8d49f0683{\nbackground-repeat:no-repeat;\nbackground-image:url(https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/nat-king-cole-sonny-james-studio1.jpg);\nbackground-position:0% 50%;\nbackground-attachment:scroll;\n}\n.avia-section.av-3up6-6d3822ceb48aba22a0e934b8d49f0683 .av-section-color-overlay{\nopacity:0.8;\nbackground-color:#3b424c;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_8'  class='avia-section av-3up6-6d3822ceb48aba22a0e934b8d49f0683 main_color avia-section-no-padding avia-no-shadow  avia-builder-el-57  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  avia-bg-style-scroll av-section-color-overlay-active av-minimum-height av-minimum-height-custom av-height-custom  container_wrap sidebar_right'  data-section-bg-repeat='no-repeat' data-av_minimum_height_px='445'><div class=\"av-section-color-overlay-wrap\"><div class=\"av-section-color-overlay\"><\/div><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div class='container av-section-cont-open' style='height:445px'><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  class='flex_column av-yjpq-5b5f978584d1c3c03749fc92242d5af1 av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-58  el_before_av_two_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div  '     ><\/div><div  class='flex_column av-x2ko-36dab1f63e9d8922971ff0d92903dd58 av_two_fifth  avia-builder-el-59  el_after_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-vqf2-bada7f1fa019adc21d15f87aafcc9dba\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-vqf2-bada7f1fa019adc21d15f87aafcc9dba .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:20px;\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-vqf2-bada7f1fa019adc21d15f87aafcc9dba '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock av_inherit_color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Learn how Nat King Cole&#8217;s collaboration with Sonny James in 1963 at Capitol Studios in Hollywood became the formula for the greatest streak of Consecutive #1 Singles the recording industry has ever known in any genre from a solo artist before or since.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-button-wrap av-2x9k-4bc954e351a60469a98b581212b1acd1-wrap avia-button-left  avia-builder-el-61  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '><a href='https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/nat-king-cole\/'  class='avia-button av-2x9k-4bc954e351a60469a98b581212b1acd1 av-link-btn avia-icon_select-yes-left-icon avia-size-large avia-position-left avia-color-theme-color'   aria-label=\"READ THE STORY\"><span class='avia_button_icon avia_button_icon_left' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue826' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >READ THE STORY<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-rj6m-2abe1962b3e9d8c314202f5796318f99\">\n.avia-section.av-rj6m-2abe1962b3e9d8c314202f5796318f99{\nbackground-color:#ffffff;\nbackground-image:unset;\n}\n.avia-section.av-rj6m-2abe1962b3e9d8c314202f5796318f99 .av-section-color-overlay{\nopacity:0.1;\nbackground-color:#3b424c;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_9'  class='avia-section av-rj6m-2abe1962b3e9d8c314202f5796318f99 main_color avia-section-no-padding avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-62  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  avia-bg-style-scroll av-section-color-overlay-active container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class=\"av-section-color-overlay-wrap\"><div class=\"av-section-color-overlay\"><\/div><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-olx6-84e2f6351aaed3dadc59ee5eb77d6923\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-olx6-84e2f6351aaed3dadc59ee5eb77d6923{\nheight:10px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-olx6-84e2f6351aaed3dadc59ee5eb77d6923 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-63  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2cuk-52be1389b9574568cd673b32a9a5a3bd\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-2cuk-52be1389b9574568cd673b32a9a5a3bd{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-2cuk-52be1389b9574568cd673b32a9a5a3bd .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-2cuk-52be1389b9574568cd673b32a9a5a3bd .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-2cuk-52be1389b9574568cd673b32a9a5a3bd av-special-heading-h2  avia-builder-el-64  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_textblock '><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Career Highlights<\/h2><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-ke96-f529db99f6726056841ccbf310e77ab1\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-ke96-f529db99f6726056841ccbf310e77ab1 .avia_textblock{\ncolor:#707070;\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-ke96-f529db99f6726056841ccbf310e77ab1 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock av_inherit_color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><em>Click on any tab shown below to view details.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<div  class='tabcontainer av-j64u-c5f3f1934b2bd6b2140efb8869af8217 top_tab  avia-builder-el-66  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '>\n<section class='av_tab_section av_tab_section av-gglq-6116f49734c55f1597eac48cf23be198'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div id='tab-id-1-tab' class='tab active_tab' role='tab' aria-selected=\"true\" tabindex=\"0\" data-fake-id='#tab-id-1' aria-controls='tab-id-1-content'  itemprop=\"headline\" ><span class='tab_icon' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue89b' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span>MOST POPULAR RECORDINGS<\/div><div id='tab-id-1-content' class='tab_content active_tab_content' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab-id-1-tab' aria-hidden=\"false\"><div class='tab_inner_content invers-color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h2>MOST POPULAR RECORDINGS<\/h2>\n<p><em>All rankings provided by Billboard. Pop\/Rock Comparisons are provided to match the time in music history.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-11\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-11\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\" style=\"width:15%;\"><strong>Video<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-2\" style=\"width:32%;\"><strong>Song Title<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-3\" style=\"width:8%;\"><strong>Top Rank<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-4\" style=\"width:10%;\"><strong>Month\/Year<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-5\" style=\"width:10%;\"><strong>Chart Weeks<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-6\" style=\"width:25%;\"><strong>#1 Pop\/Rock Same Time Period<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d4636\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K-SIb5yqEu4&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/K-SIb5yqEu4\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K-SIb5yqEu4&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d4636\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>Young Love<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">December 1956<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>24 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Young Love - Sonny James<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d45b8\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=70jaEobT_tA&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/70jaEobT_tA\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=70jaEobT_tA&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d45b8\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>You're The Only World I Know<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">November 1964<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>25 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Baby Love - The Supremes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d4538\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=k3Ji2pJUjyY&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/k3Ji2pJUjyY\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=k3Ji2pJUjyY&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d4538\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>I'll Keep Holding On (Just to Your Love)<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#2<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">March 1965<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>20 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Eight Days A Week - The Beatles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d44ab\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4nkOs2atlk8&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/4nkOs2atlk8\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4nkOs2atlk8&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d44ab\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>Behind The Tear<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">October 1965<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>22 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Yesterday - The Beatles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d4428\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=x8KNiw8OU5M&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/x8KNiw8OU5M\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=x8KNiw8OU5M&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d4428\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>True Love's A Blessing<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#3<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">December 1965<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>18 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Get Off Of My Cloud - The Rolling Stones<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d4397\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VqWLQNbBNHY&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/VqWLQNbBNHY\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VqWLQNbBNHY&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d4397\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>Take Good Care of Her<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">April 1966<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>20 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">19th Nervous Breakdown - The Rolling Stones<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d4317\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hWjlA7MHR6o&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/hWjlA7MHR6o\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hWjlA7MHR6o&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/re0yP-OAHoA\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=re0yP-OAHoA&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d427a\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>Need You<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">April 1967<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>18 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Happy Together - Turtles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-11 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d41d5\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Gorh6iMmvL8&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Gorh6iMmvL8\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Gorh6iMmvL8&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d41d5\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>I'll Never Find Another You<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">June 1967<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>17 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Respect - Aretha Franklin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-12 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d4155\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Xr6mcAsF9vE&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Xr6mcAsF9vE\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Xr6mcAsF9vE&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d4155\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>It's The Little Things<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">August 1967<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>18 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">All You Need Is Love - The Beatles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-13 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d40b2\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-k0jprvd4JA&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/-k0jprvd4JA\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-k0jprvd4JA&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NhIoK9HE2Es&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d4011\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>Heaven Says Hello<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">June 1968<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>17 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Mrs. Robinson - Simon &amp; Garfunkel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-15 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d3f93\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=udxvfjXRYus&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/udxvfjXRYus\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=udxvfjXRYus&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S5tC9bgvQI8&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5LhEhGFL_cA&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YFjooo72W4c&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DegZTLMCRh0&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N4Xp4vrdlMc&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sbK8dRsBlMo&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7MymI6hKqWU&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1BVRBM4ODvs&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QH1uvt3_jX8&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LfV5S0KxtoM&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                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src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/OFubPaMnyxw\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OFubPaMnyxw&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d39fb\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>Only Love Can Break A Heart<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#2<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">January 1972<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>16 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\"> American Pie - Don McLean<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-28 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d3972\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7wgDmR4_ijs&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/7wgDmR4_ijs\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7wgDmR4_ijs&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n            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class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kVfUwnjMKvY&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d38da\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>When the Snow Is on the Roses<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">July 1972<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>15 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Lean On Me - Bill Withers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-30 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><div class='noLightbox'><a id=\"69f65311d3821\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N-cRkqBDskA&#038;rel=0&#038;width=640&#038;height=480\" title=\"\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_box\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/N-cRkqBDskA\/0.jpg\" class=\"video_lightbox_auto_anchor_image\" alt=\"\" \/><div class=\"wpvl_auto_thumb_play\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-video-lightbox\/images\/play.png\" class=\"wpvl_playbutton\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(640);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.75);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N-cRkqBDskA&amp;rel=0&amp;width=640&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.75);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+640+\", ratio \"+0.75+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#69f65311d3821\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><h4>Is It Wrong (For Loving You)<\/h4><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><center><h4>#1<\/h4><\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-4\">March 1974<\/td><td class=\"column-5\"><center>15 Weeks<\/center><\/td><td class=\"column-6\">Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-11 from cache -->\n<hr style=\"height: 10px; visibility: hidden;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>MONTAGE VIDEOS CREATED BY &amp; COURTESY OF RICHARD CUSTER<\/em><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 10px; visibility: hidden;\">\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<section class='av_tab_section av_tab_section av-eh94-89846026a799e887a5e463efd55a9282'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div id='tab-id-2-tab' class='tab' role='tab' aria-selected=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\" data-fake-id='#tab-id-2' aria-controls='tab-id-2-content'  itemprop=\"headline\" ><span class='tab_icon' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue8c5' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span>TOP 15 COUNTRY HITMAKERS 1960-1979<\/div><div id='tab-id-2-content' class='tab_content' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab-id-2-tab' aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class='tab_inner_content invers-color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h2>TOP 15 COUNTRY HITMAKERS 1960-1979<\/h2>\n<hr>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-10\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><strong><h5>ARTISTS &amp; #1 HITS<\/h5><\/strong><br \/>\n<hr align=\"left\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/td><td colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-3\"><strong><h5>ARTISTS &amp; WEEKS AT #1<\/h5><\/strong><br \/>\n<hr align=\"left\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Conway Twitty:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">28<\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><mark><strong>Sonny James:<\/strong><\/mark><\/td><td class=\"column-4\"><mark><strong>57<\/strong><\/mark><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Merle Haggard:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">24<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Buck Owens:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">44<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><mark><strong>Sonny James:<\/strong><\/mark><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><mark><strong>22<strong><\/mark><\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Merle Haggard:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">43<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Charley Pride:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">22<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Charley Pride:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">41<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Buck Owens:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">20<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Conway Twitty:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">37<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Tammy Wynette:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">20<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Tammy Wynette:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">37<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Loretta Lynn:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">16<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Johnny Cash:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-9\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Marty Robbins:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">10<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Marty Robbins:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-10\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Waylon Jennings:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">10<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Waylon Jennings:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-11\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Dolly Parton:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">10<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Bill Anderson:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-12\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Johnny Cash:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">8<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">George Jones:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">22<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-13\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">George Jones:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">8<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Loretta Lynn:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-14\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Bill Anderson:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">7<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Eddy Arnold:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-15\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Eddy Arnold:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">7<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Jim Reeves:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">19<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-16\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Jim Reeves:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">6<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Dolly Parton:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-17\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><br style=\"height:4em\" \/><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><\/td><td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-18\">\n\t<td colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-1\"><strong><h5>ARTIST &amp; BILLBOARD RANKINGS<\/h5><\/strong><br \/>\n<hr align=\"left\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/td><td colspan=\"2\" class=\"column-3\"><strong><h5>ARTIST &amp; TOP 10 HITS<\/h5><\/strong><br \/>\n<hr align=\"left\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-19\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">George Jones:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">7237<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Loretta Lynn:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">47<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-20\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Buck Owens:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">6019<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">George Jones:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">46<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-21\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Johnny Cash:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">5833<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Buck Owens:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">45<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-22\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Merle Haggard:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">5353<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Merle Haggard:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">44<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-23\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><mark><strong>Sonny James:<\/strong><\/mark><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><mark><strong>5207<\/strong><\/mark><\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Conway Twitty:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">43<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-24\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Loretta Lynn:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">5204<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Charley Pride:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">38<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-25\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Conway Twitty:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">4989<\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><mark><strong>Sonny James:<\/strong><\/mark><\/td><td class=\"column-4\"><mark><strong>37<\/strong><\/mark><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-26\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Bill Anderson:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">4866<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Tammy Wynette:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-27\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Tammy Wynette:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">4253<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Bill Anderson:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-28\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Charley Pride:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">4107<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Marty Robbins:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-29\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Waylon Jennings:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">4102<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Johnny Cash:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">31<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-30\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Dolly Parton:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">4100<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Waylon Jennings:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-31\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Eddy Arnold:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">4033<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Dolly Parton:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-32\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Marty Robbins:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">4031<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Jim Reeves:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">29<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-33\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Jim Reeves:<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">3984<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Ray Price:<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-34\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><\/td><td class=\"column-3\"><\/td><td class=\"column-4\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-10 from cache -->\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<section class='av_tab_section av_tab_section av-bvei-7c6dcd3a602ce83a1e6401fc60c49b09'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div id='tab-id-3-tab' class='tab' role='tab' aria-selected=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\" data-fake-id='#tab-id-3' aria-controls='tab-id-3-content'  itemprop=\"headline\" ><span class='tab_icon' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue80a' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span>Official BIO<\/div><div id='tab-id-3-content' class='tab_content' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab-id-3-tab' aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class='tab_inner_content invers-color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">SONNY JAMES &#8211; OFFICIAL BIO<\/h1>\n<p><center><strong>THIS IS THE FIRST AND ONLY PERSONALLY AUTHORIZED BIO OF THE SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN, SONNY JAMES.<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">THE PURPOSE OF THIS WEBSITE IS TO PROVIDE ACCURATE INFORMATION REGARDING<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">THE ACHIEVEMENTS AND HISTORY OF THE CAREER OF SONNY JAMES.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>SONNY JAMES, The Southern Gentleman<\/h2>\n<h5>From 1953 to 1983, The Southern Gentleman has had a total of 72 Chart Hits.<\/h5>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3184\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"Sonny-James\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James.jpg 805w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><br \/>\nBy the mid 1960&#8217;s the career of Sonny James would reach new heights. Starting with his hit recordings &#8220;The Minute You&#8217;re Gone&#8221; and &#8220;Baltimore&#8221;, &#8220;You&#8217;re The Only World I Know&#8221; climbed to Number One country in 1964 spending four weeks in that position.<\/p>\n<p>JOHN BUSH<br \/>\n(All Music Guide)<br \/>\n&#8220;That began one of the greatest tears country music has ever known: 21 of Sonny James&#8217; next 25 singles hit Number One (and the other four were near-misses with three reaching No. 2 and the other No. 3&#8221; &#8212; During this streak of hits, James scored an incredible five year run of 16 Consecutive Number One Singles&#8230; a feat never before accomplished in country music, pop or rock &#8216;n roll. If we use the same criteria used today for determining #1 singles, James would have had an unbelievable 25 number ones in a row.<\/p>\n<p>(Billboard, Cashbox, Gavin, Radio &amp; Records)<\/p>\n<h5>According to Billboard statistics, for nineteen years (1960-1979) he spent more time in the Number One chart position than any other artist in country music &#8212; a total of 57 weeks.<\/h5>\n<p>(Record Research, Inc. Joel Whitburn&#8217;s Top Country Singles 1944-2001)<\/p>\n<p>On August 30, 2006, the day it was announced that Sonny James was to be an inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Kix Brooks (Brooks And Dunn) probably said it best, &#8220;This is an artist who really dominated his time in history.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The foundation for this success was laid years before when in late 1956 this Alabama native took his guitar, a simple musical arrangement and sang what would become his signature song &#8220;Young Love&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Capitol Records discovered radio stations of all formats were programming &#8220;Young Love&#8221; and was taking country music to scores of fans it had never reached before. The record soared to top all charts (classical being the exception) to become one of the most recognizable hits ever. It was the first traditional country teen crossover hit. (Followed by fellow Capitol artist Ferlin Husky&#8217;s &#8220;Gone&#8221;&#8230; and a few months later Marty Robbins&#8217; &#8220;White Sport Coat&#8221;). Over forty years later &#8220;Young Love&#8221; is still programmed around the world.<\/p>\n<h2>TELEVISION<\/h2>\n<p>The importance of television no doubt played a key role in James&#8217; recording career. His years as a cast member with The Ozark Jubilee (ABC-TV) and his frequent appearances on the nationally televised Ed Sullivan Show introduced his new releases to millions of viewers, while creating additional interest for guest appearances on other television programs, notably Bob Hope, Andy Williams. Variety Specials also gave valuable exposure.<\/p>\n<p>In 1961 he became the first country artist (recording division) to be honored with a star in the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame (Located across from Grauman&#8217;s Chinese Theatre 6628-6636). He joined the world famous Grand Ole Opry in 1962 where he regularly appeared until touring schedules would not permit him time to both tour and return to Nashville for the required Opry programs.<\/p>\n<p>In 1967 the honors continued when James would host the first CMA Award Show &#8211; Country Music Association&#8217;s recognition of country&#8217;s top writers and performers. With Bobbie Gentry as his co-host, the two no doubt played a major role in what has become an annual event, and one of television&#8217;s highest rated programs.<br \/>\nIn the 60s and 70s he received numerous awards from Billboard magazine and other publications for his hit recordings and personal appearances. Was named Male Artist of The Decade by Record World.<\/p>\n<p>On January 31, 1971 Sonny James took a trip to the moon! By special request James was honored to be the first country artist to record a program exclusively for a moon flight. In appreciation, the crew of Apollo 14, Stuart Roosa, Edqar Mitchell, Commander Alan Shepard, presented him with a flag they carried to the moon &#8230; one of James&#8217; prized possessions.<\/p>\n<p>In 1987 James was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame- the Lifework Award for Performing Achievement.<\/p>\n<p>Capitol Records released his signature song &#8220;Young Love&#8221; in late 1956. This giant hit became one of the most recognizable songs ever recorded. It was the first Traditional Country\/Teen cross over record. Followed by fellow Capitol artist Ferlin Huskey&#8217;s &#8220;Gone&#8221; and later Marty Robbin&#8217;s &#8220;White Sport Coat&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Stuart Roosa, Edqar Mitchell, Commander Alan Shepard, presented him with a flag they carried to the moon &#8230; one of James&#8217; prized possessions.<\/p>\n<p>In 1987 James was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame- the Lifework Award for Performing Achievement.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 10px; visibility: hidden;\">\n<p>[wonderplugin_audio id=&#8221;2&#8243;]<\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 10px; visibility: hidden;\">\n<p>[wonderplugin_audio id=&#8221;1&#8243;]<\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 10px; visibility: hidden;\">\n<h2>DAVE SAMUELSON (Music Historian and Biographer)<\/h2>\n<p>Samuelson did a one on one interview with Sonny James on special assignment &#8211; an insight on the early years. Here are some excerpts from that interview.<\/p>\n<p>Sonny James (Loden) was born May 1, 1928 in Hackleburg, Alabama, a small agricultural center about ninety-five miles northwest of Birmingham. His parents, Archie and Della Burleson Loden, operated a 300-acre farm about six miles outside of town. Their farm supported three tenant families, who cooperatively used teams of horses and mules to raise enough cotton, corn and hay to see them through each season.<\/p>\n<p>Along with his sister Thelma, who was born five years earlier, &#8220;Sonny&#8221; James grew up listening to music. Both of his parents were musicians. &#8220;Pop&#8221; Loden played guitar and fiddle but preferred the five-string banjo, while &#8220;Mom&#8221; played guitar in an open tuning. Thelma -whom the family always called &#8220;Sis&#8221;- learned guitar as soon as she could wrap her left hand around the fingerboard. The family owned a wind-up Victrola- Pop particularly liked Jimmie Rodgers&#8217; records- and a battery- powered radio introduced them to pop singers like Kate Smith.<\/p>\n<p>James vividly retains childhood memories of Saturday nights when local musicians gathered in each others&#8217; homes to play music amid the bronze glow of Aladdin and coal-oil lamps. &#8220;I used to play around on a broom&#8221;, he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s when Pop decided, \u2018Well, I&#8217;ll give him something that he can at least play around on.&#8217; That&#8217;s when he cut the molasses bucket in half and used the bottom of it and put a neck on it and then reversed it. It became the top of a little banjo, but it was tuned like a mandolin- So then I graduated to a mandolin and long about that time -I must have been about three or something &#8211; I began singing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>By age eight, Sis Loden was a confident singer and skilled rhythm guitarist with a knack for picking up contemporary hill-billy or pop tunes. Mom&#8217;s voice soared over the others, creating a harmony that paralleled with what Rose Carter later did with the Chuck Wagon Gang. When Pop added the necessary bass vocals, the Loden Family&#8217;s sound began to gel.<\/p>\n<p>In 1933, Pop Loden arranged an audition with WMSD in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, impressed with the family&#8217;s performance, the station manager offered them a regular Saturday slot. James also remembers when the family won a Mid-South Champion Band contest. &#8220;The prize or the reward for winning was-I think they might have had some money, I don&#8217;t recall&#8211;you&#8217;d get to play two weeks on WAPI&#8221; he said. \u2018it was a 5,000-watt station, one of the leading stations in Birmingham at that time. They would get a big artist to come in to headline the band contest, and Kate Smith happened to be that artist. She saw us do our show-now this is what Pop and all of them had said- she kind of took a liking to us. She must&#8217;ve for some reason took a liking to me. She had me on her lap, gave me a silver dollar and said that some day I would have a bright future in the entertainment field.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Later that year Pop and Mom Loden volunteered to raise an Arkansas youngster who was about Sonny&#8217;s age. Ruby Palmer loved the family&#8217;s music and was soon incorporated into the group. She began playing bass and handling yodels on Western-flavored numbers, and duets with Thelma. Her excellent voice was a key in the group&#8217;s trio and quartet.<\/p>\n<p>By 1936 the Loden family was a popular attraction throughout the South. &#8220;We sang everything from Jimmie Rodgers to whatever was on the radio,&#8221; James recalled. &#8220;When we hit the stage, always from the first time I was little, when the curtain went up we were playing, and we started off with something fast, do another full number before Pop would ever say anything. He got the show started in a good way!<\/p>\n<p>Pop made sure that no two Loden Family shows were ever alike. &#8220;He used a mixture of not only the tempo of the song-slow, medium, fast- but a variety, like Sis and Ruby should sing a duet and then I would sing something and I&#8217;d play an instrumental. You didn&#8217;t have the sameness following the other numbers. We tried to make it entertaining. I think one way of doing that is you mix your tempos up and you mix your sound up when you do a trio, a folk-type song, or when you&#8217;d be doing something from the hills like Molly O&#8217;Day or Roy Acuff.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Though a musical career is admittedly risky, the family&#8217;s success convinced Pop Loden to turn professional. &#8220;As our personal appearances would do a little bit better, then we&#8217;d come back home, and then we&#8217;d go again and come back home,&#8221; James recalled. &#8220;Finally he decided, \u2018Well, we&#8217;re going to try it in Blytheville, Arkansas at KLCN.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, the Lodens were in a position to take such a risk. &#8220;We&#8217;d have the farm as a backup&#8211;what we got from the renters and what we got off of our farm,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Of course, they&#8217;d cover for Pop any of the farming that needed to be done for him while he was away.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Pop Loden also made sure his decision did not affect his children&#8217;s education. &#8220;I went to several schools but it was never hard on me,&#8221; James admitted. &#8220;Pop wouldn&#8217;t ever book anything so far that I couldn&#8217;t go to school and live a normal life. Consequently I participated in all sports and he was most cooperative. I never was held out of anything.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Despite a paltry 1000-watt signal, KLCN blanketed Arkansas, southeastern Missouri and western Tennessee as effectively as any 10,000-watt station. &#8220;We had good reception and the station was able to get good sponsors for us&#8217;, he said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve advertised everything from Griffin Shoe Polish to you name it. I used to sing the theme song. The way we&#8217;d start out would be the first thing you&#8217;d hear right out of the news. You&#8217;d hear this train whistle. Sis and band playing real fast, and I&#8217;d blow it two or three times. I&#8217;d sing \u2018Don&#8217;t forget your suitcases, umbrellas and ba-a-a-a-bies!&#8217; &#8220;That was every morning. That was the way we opened up when people got up in the morning. I&#8217;d see people in school and they got the biggest kick out of that. They&#8217;d all sing, &#8220;Don&#8217;t forget your suitcases. . .&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>With the tenant farmers taking care of the Loden property back in Hackleburg, the family concentrated on its music and personal appearances. &#8220;You&#8217;d work a radius of maybe two hundred miles around,&#8221; James said. &#8220;The radio station would cover it and that was your means of advertising. Basically we would play school auditoriums. A lot of towns had one theatre of course. Occasionally we&#8217;d play an outside- what we&#8217;d call a picnic, a musical picnic- but basically it was schoolhouses and theatres.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On some of those dates the Lodens shared billings with another radio group working out of northeastern Arkansas, The Wilburn Family, including young Teddy and Doyle Wilburn.<\/p>\n<p>The Loden Family left Blytheville two years later for brief stints over stations in Greenwood and Columbus, Mississippi, before securing an extended slot over WJDX in Jackson. By then the group had matured into a self-contained show band, often in demand as an opening act for traveling radio and recording headliners. Musically, the family could handle virtually any type of song, from pop tunes like &#8220;Now Is The Hour&#8221; to Bob Nolan&#8217;s classic Western specialties. James credits his sister Thelma as one of the key factors in the family&#8217;s success. &#8220;My sis was one of the funniest comediennes you ever saw,&#8221; he said. &#8220;She participated in whatever we were doing. From the time she came on until it was all over, it was all upbeat. She knew when to talk and when not to &#8230; her timing and actions were just plain funny. She&#8217;s the nearest thing to a female Red Skelton or Homer and Jethro that I ever saw..not just a rube comic..she did that, but was also cleverer. And the more I&#8217;d laugh, the more she&#8217;d laugh. The audience ate it up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Just before the end of World War II, Lowell Blanchard brought the Loden Family to Knoxville to appear on his daily Midday Merry-Go-Round and Saturday night Tennessee Barn Dance over WNOX. &#8220;I don&#8217;t even remember auditioning for Lowell&#8221; James admitted, &#8220;so evidently Lowell heard us somewhere.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Blanchard&#8217;s impressive talent roster at the time included Cliff and Bill Carlisle, Archie Campbell, Eddie Hill, Johnny Wright, Molly O&#8217;Day and Lynn Davis, and occasionally Chet Atkins. Lost John Miller briefly worked on WNOX during the winter of 1945-46. James remembers hearing and becoming friends with Miller&#8217;s banjo player, Earl Scruggs.<\/p>\n<p>During the family&#8217;s stay at WNOX, Pop hired accordion player Buddy Baines as a concession to the current style in country music. When they moved to WPTF in Raleigh, North Carolina early in 1946, Lois Brock replaced Baines.<\/p>\n<p>While in Raleigh, James roomed with two musicians working in Johnny and Jack&#8217;s Tennessee Mountain Boys, Chet Atkins and fiddler Paul Warren. &#8220;We&#8217;d just pick up a storm&#8221; he recalled.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A lot of people didn&#8217;t know it, but a little of that comes out in songs like &#8220;I&#8217;ll Never Find Another You&#8221; and &#8220;A World of Our Own&#8217;. If you listen to the guitar work there, you know I like that kind of picking. We jammed a lot.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In retrospect, James considers the stays in Knoxville and Raleigh as the family&#8217;s professional and artistic peak. In 1949 the group returned to Alabama, landing a slot over WSGN in Birmingham.<\/p>\n<p>From there the family joined WMPS, Memphis, where they reconnected with Eddie Hill,then a daily show with Ira and Charlie Louvin. &#8220;We&#8217;d do an hour show,&#8217; James said. We&#8217;d do the first thirty minutes then Eddie would do thirty. Eddie and the Louvin Brothers would do a fifteen-minute program. Then Eddie would come on and say, \u2018Welcome and for all the sick and shut-ins&#8217;..That was the approach and it was easy. He&#8217;d emcee and Charlie and Ira would sing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Around Christmas 1949, Thelma Loden and Ruby Palmer were married in double ceremonies in West Memphis,Arkansas and both left the act. Pop Loden hired two or three musicians to maintain the WMPS job, but things weren&#8217;t the same. &#8220;It was a good band but after the girls got married, we just weren&#8217;t into it,&#8221; James admitted. Using money they saved, Pop and Mom Loden returned to Hackleburg and opened a clothing store. &#8220;I think they were at that time ready to come home, James said. &#8220;They were happy and I felt they worked a little bit hard- I don&#8217;t mean in toil, but in long hours.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>During that period James joined the National Guard and completed his final year at Hackleburg High School.<\/p>\n<p>Despite its popularity, the Loden Family left virtually little behind for posterity. They thrived in an era when the record business primarily served juke box owner-operators. Since family acts like the Lodens, the Wilburns and the Everlys did not play honky-tonks, major labels didn&#8217;t seek them out. The few that made records, such as the Chuck Wagon Gang and the Johnson Family Singers, generally limited their repertoires to sacred numbers. As a consequences once-vital segment of country music&#8217;s heritage has been lost to history.<\/p>\n<h2>GOING SOLO<\/h2>\n<p>Now out of school and back in Hackleburg, James worked in the family store and pondered his future options. Torn between continuing his education or pursuing a career in music, he opted to return to radio until he made a decision. He contacted a friend of his in Memphis, Freddy Burns, who fronted a band featured on a noontime show on WHBQ that fed to stations on the Mutual Broadcasting System. &#8220;I said, \u2018Until I decide what I&#8217;m gonna do, would you be interested?&#8217; He was already familiar with the family, knew all the family and all of that from my background. He said, \u2018Shoot yes, son! Come right on!&#8217; So he more or less took me under his wing so I started doing this daily network show with him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>During summer 1950, James essentially served as the band&#8217;s utility man, playing fiddle and handling the occasional vocals. From that beginning, he was soon offered his own fifteen-minute show each day, performing by himself with a bassist for support, for the Mutual Network. &#8220;I was out there doing that when Pop called me,&#8221; he said \u2018Son, Capt. Brumley just called and said you all are on active duty.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I said \u2018What?&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He said, &#8216;Yeah, this conflict they&#8217;re having, they&#8217;ve placed you all on active duty. They need troops.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Returning to Alabama, James joined his fellow Guardsmen with the 252nd Truck Company from Hamilton, Alabama. &#8220;On Sept. 9, 1950 they shipped us to Seattle-Fort Lawton&#8221; he said. &#8220;It was port of embarkation, which should tell you they didn&#8217;t intend for us to stay there long. We just stayed there a short time and then they shipped us to Korea. Our company and a unit from Pennsylvania I believe, were the first National Guard Troops in Korea.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>James&#8217;s company was to land in Inchon, about one hundred miles south of the 38th Parellel. China&#8217;s entry into the conflict forced the 252nd Truck Company to disembark at Pusan on the Korean peninsula&#8217;s southern tip. &#8220;We were attached to the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division.. our primary mission was to re-supply the front line with food, ammunition, gas, personnel, equipment, carry prisoners of war casualties&#8211;just anything.&#8221; Altogether the Unit carried more tonnage than any other truck company assigned to the Eighth Army. The 252nd remained in Korea for a time after a cease-fire ended the hostilities. During their service in Korea, the group lost only one member.. none of the Hamilton-based Guardsmen were casualties. Their company was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and one of just two units in the nation to receive a citation for their service in the Korean conflict.. also the Meritorious Unit Commendation.<\/p>\n<p>James continued to hone his musical skills. Though he left his good instruments in Hackleburg, he kept a fiddle and an old Epiphone guitar wherever he was stationed. Though he had dabbled in songwriting for years, he began writing seriously. By the time he shipped back to the states, James had a notebook of about a dozen songs that he thought had some potential.<\/p>\n<p>Returning to Alabama around Thanksgiving 1952, James stayed around home for two or three weeks before leaving for Nashville. &#8220;Obviously I was interested in getting back to either doing my radio work or writing or possible recording or whatever&#8221; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>He looked up his former roommate, Chet Atkins, already an established recording artist, session musician and featured act on the Prince Albert portion of The Grand Ole Opry. &#8220;In the den of his house, we&#8217;d each pick a guitar and I&#8217;d sing material&#8221; James remembered. &#8220;After two weeks of being together it was like old times.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Impressed by James&#8217;s songs and warm, intimate style, Atkins felt James had potential as a recording artist. Curiously, he thought the singer might have a better chance at success on Capitol than his own label, RCA Victor. The next time Capitol producer Ken Nelson flew into Nashville from Los Angeles to record his southeastern artists, Atkins invited him and James to dinner. &#8220;Chet wanted Ken to hear me&#8221; James said. &#8220;I forgot who said what, but anyway, either Chet asked Ken, or Ken said, &#8220;Son, would you like to record for me?&#8217; or something.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, that&#8217;s how Ken Nelson and Sonny James got together.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the first recording session, Ken Nelson suggested the singer adopt &#8220;Sonny James&#8221; as his professional moniker. &#8220;Sonny,&#8221; Nelson advised, &#8220;when we start recording, instead of &#8220;Loden&#8221;, let&#8217;s use \u2018James&#8217; as your last name, because there&#8217;s a lot of \u2018Lodens&#8217; and \u2018Loudons&#8217; and \u2018Ludens&#8217;. I think \u2018James&#8217; would be good, because the smallest children can remember \u2018Sonny James.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Though some people had been calling him by those two names for years, the singer initially balked at Nelson&#8217;s suggestion. &#8220;What about people that know me?&#8217; he responded. \u2018I know my family won&#8217;t know who I am!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Nelson reassured him. &#8220;Believe me,&#8221; he said. \u2018They&#8217;ll find out.&#8221; The market-savvy producer also provided a memorable tag similar to along the lines of Eddy Arnold&#8217;s &#8220;The Tennessee Plowboy&#8221;, Hank Snow&#8217;s &#8220;The Singing Ranger&#8221; and Ernest Tubb&#8217;s &#8220;The Texas Troubadour&#8221;. &#8220;Because I was tall and lanky and had this Southern accent, he called me &#8220;The Southern Gentleman&#8221; James said.<\/p>\n<p>For that first session on June 11, 1952, Nelson selected four songs written during James&#8217;s tour in Korea. Atkins was recruited for lead guitar, Jerry Byrd played steel, Eddie Hill played rhythm guitar and Floyd &#8220;Lightnin'&#8221; Chance was on bass. When the musicians gathered in the Castle Studios in the Tulane Hotel, the producer left them alone. &#8220;In his mind he knew that I cared so much about my career he gave me leadway&#8221;, James explained. &#8220;There are some things that a person does naturally. The longer I worked with Ken, the more liberty he would give me. If he didn&#8217;t think something was a good idea, he&#8217;d tell me. He had a way of doing it. He&#8217;d say, \u2018Sonny, you might consider this.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We just treated each other just like we should have. It&#8217;s not anyone overriding. He recognized that I was doing my best. Of course, being a friend of Chet&#8217;s and we were musicians, he gave you that liberty to show what individuality that you had. That&#8217;s one of the things that I think was the greatest thing to happen to me because I did work with someone like Ken, you see I love to play the guitar and it became a part of my sound. And without that, it wouldn&#8217;t have been me. By him giving me the liberty to bring out my guitar, it&#8217;s a style. Without that, there wouldn&#8217;t have been a Sonny James sound that people are familiar with.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Several days after that session, Nelson unexpectedly brought James back to the studio, this time as a sideman. Jim and Jesse McReynolds, also making their debut session for Capitol, arrived in Nashville, without a fiddle player. Knowing James was still in town, Nelson asked him if he might help the brothers. &#8220;I said sure, because I like them&#8221;, he remembered. &#8220;I was more or less just helping out.&#8221; Now hailed as bluegrass classics, those early Jim &amp; Jesse Capitols capture a rare glimpse of James&#8217; skill as a fiddler.<\/p>\n<p>Back in California, Nelson reviewed the four sides James recorded at his session and selected the uptempo &#8220;Shortcut&#8221; as the \u2018A&#8217;-side with a ballad, \u2018It&#8217;s So Nice To Make Up&#8221; as the flip.<\/p>\n<p>While waiting for the record&#8217;s release, James made a guest appearance on The Louisiana Hayride on KWKH, Shreveport. Curly Harris introduced the singer to Slim Whitman, a Hayride regular starting to break through as a recording artist. As demand for personal appearances increased, Whitman decided to quit his post office job and go on the road with his band, the Stardusters. Normally shy and reserved, the singer needed a dynamic, personable front man to warm up the crowd before he took the stage. After watching James entertain the Hayride audience, Whitman found his front man.<\/p>\n<p>James was grateful for the opportunity. Following conventional country music protocol, James came on stage after the band played its opening number. For thirty minutes he whipped up the crowd with songs and fiddle tunes. &#8220;He&#8217;d sing and play the fiddle behind his back and under his leg,&#8221; Whitman told Kevin Coffey in 1995.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Slim and I, we got along great,&#8221; James said. &#8220;While I was with Slim, one day we were headed on a personal appearance and we traveled in a car with a teardrop trailer. At that time, we weren&#8217;t getting any television exposure, Slim wasn&#8217;t getting any and neither was I. We used to go into restaurants, and of course, they&#8217;d see that teardrop trailer out there with Slim&#8217;s name on it. Here I was, six-foot-three and just as slim as I could be, and Slim was a little heavy &#8212; he&#8217;s just a good, stout man. We&#8217;d go into restaurants, several times he&#8217;d be looking at the menu and he&#8217;d look over at me, and he&#8217;d say, \u2018Slim, what do you think you want?&#8217; He&#8217;d play me off as Slim to the waitress!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Capitol released James&#8217;s first record during his stay with Whitman. &#8220;I remember the first time I heard my record,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We were in the car and Slim was driving. We heard it and I said, \u2018Hey, that&#8217;s me!&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>James never recorded with Whitman, though he played fiddle and electric mandolin on an Imperial session featuring the Stardusters&#8217; Curly Herndon and Hoot Rains.<\/p>\n<p>In many ways, Whitman and James were kindred spirits. Neither smoked nor drank, and both bad an aversion to working those honky-tonk crowds that did. But unlike James, Whitman faced the responsibilities of meeting a weekly payroll. To keep the band working, he had to accept the roadhouse and honky-tonk bookings he hoped to avoid. This posed a moral dilemma for James. &#8220;Slim, I&#8217;m not comfortable doing that,&#8221; James told him. &#8220;All my family ever played was theaters and auditoriums and schoolhouses.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Although sympathetic to his front man&#8217;s concerns, Whitman encouraged James to stick it out. &#8220;Spend a couple of weeks with me,&#8221; he pleaded. &#8220;Maybe I can work this out.&#8221; But as those club dates grew closer, James reluctantly gave Whitman his notice.<\/p>\n<p>During his two months with Whitman, James kept his eye open for other opportunities. While visiting a Jackson, Mississippi, station to promote his first single, a disc jockey suggested the singer hear a new release by Baton Rouge singer Lou Millett, &#8220;That&#8217;s Me Without You.&#8221; &#8220;He said, \u2018It&#8217;s strictly a territorial. and I know the writers would like to get a major label to do it,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Co written by Jay Miller and issued on his Feature label, the song&#8217;s lyrics immediately struck the singer. &#8220;That was the first time that I&#8217;ve ever heard a song that you&#8217;ll just listen to how it&#8217;s written:<\/p>\n<p>\u2018A night with no moonlight, a day with no sun,<\/p>\n<p>A plane with no rudder, a watch that won&#8217;t run.<\/p>\n<p>A tree with no branches, a rose with no dew,<\/p>\n<p>A song with no music, that&#8217;s me without you.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In other words, you mention all the different subjects, different things, and then you come along with the main line: \u2018that&#8217;s me without you.&#8221; That combination I had not heard in a country song.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Convinced that this was a hit song, James called Ken Nelson in California, asking to record it at his next session. &#8220;Ken told me, \u2018Sonny, we just released your other song, your first record.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I said, \u2018I know, Ken, this is different. It&#8217;s just so unusual.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He said, \u2018Tell me some of the lyrics.&#8217; I told him and he said, \u2018I&#8217;ll meet you in Nashville.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s Me Without You&#8221; was the first song James recorded at his September 17, 1952, Nashville session, which also featured three more originals penned in Korea.<\/p>\n<p>By then James landed a spot in Dallas, working with Bobby Williamson, an RCA Victor artist with a strong local following. &#8220;He wondered if I might do the same thing with him that I was doing with Slim,&#8221; James said. &#8220;The difference with him was I would stick on a hat. Bobby dressed in Western &#8211; all of his boys did. He asked me would I play fiddle and mandolin or something else.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In addition to opening for Williamson, James became a utility player, picking up the fiddle, mandolin or guitar as needed. The group made several television appearances, worked a regular midday show over WFAA that featured Bob Shelton of the Shelton Brothers. Program Director Dan Valentine also offered James his own show in addition to his appearances with Williamson. Even more important, the singer was given a slot on WFAA&#8217;s The Saturday Night Shindig, which was simulcast on radio and television.<\/p>\n<p>While James was in Dallas, Capitol released &#8220;That&#8217;s Me Without You.&#8221; Disc jockeys jumped on the song, and Billboard reported strong airplay. The next stage in making a record a success was to grab the attention of jukebox operators. After that, record sales usually ballooned.<\/p>\n<p>James&#8217;s record reached No. 9 in Billboards &#8220;Most Played by Jockeys&#8221; country chart at the same time Marty Robbins did with his intended breakthrough ballad. James believes both songs could have sold even better had it not been for a back-to-back cover by Webb Pierce, then Decca&#8217;s hottest country artist. &#8220;He came right out with that, and he just absolutely killed us,&#8221; James said. &#8220;He killed what would have been for Marty and me a good start.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When The Saturday Night Shindig folded, James joined the cast of KRLD&#8217;s live country music showcase, The Big \u2018D&#8217;Jamboree.&#8221; Ed McLemore, who ran the program along with Ed Watt became James&#8217;s managers.<\/p>\n<p>With the stockpile of available sides dwindling by summer 1954. Nelson needed new material. Because James&#8217;s busy schedule prevented him from going to Nashville, the producer booked time at Jim Beek&#8217;s Dallas studio in late July for two sessions. James used his regular band, which included Harland Powell on steel and Neil Jones on guitar. The first track, &#8220;This Kiss Must Be Forever,&#8221; opened with James&#8217;s distinctive lead guitar work &#8211; a significant component of his maturing style. The second track, the bouncy &#8220;She Done Give Her Heart to Me,&#8221; became a d.j. favorite, reaching No. 14 on Billboard&#8217;s &#8220;Most Played by Jockeys&#8221; chart. The session also yielded a Christmas single, featuring songs James co-wrote with John Polanski, a Dallas Salvation Army major who wrote under the name &#8220;John Skye.&#8221; But musically, the most impressive side was probably &#8220;\u2018Till the Last Leaf Shall Fall,&#8221; a sacred song that drew its arrangement from the great gospel ensembles of the era. James would apply elements of this sound to some of his most memorable recordings.<\/p>\n<p>Hit records may be elusive but James&#8217;s career was taking off in other ways. In addition to his weekly appearances on The Big \u2018D&#8217;Jamboree, Ed McLemore landed him a rotating slot on Ozark Jubilee, a new country music show aired Saturday nights on ABC-TV. An expanded version of a weekly barn dance show heard on KWTO, Springfield, Missouri, Ozark- Jubilee debuted January 22, 1955, with Red Foley as its host. In the beginning, about eighty stations picked up the first half-hour, then the full network carried the remaining hour.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was originally an hour-and-a-half show,&#8221; James said. &#8220;Red said, it&#8217;s just too long for him to emcee &#8211; he was afraid people would tire of it.&#8221; Foley opted to emcee the final hour of the show, leaving the first thirty minutes to be shared by three rotating hosts: Sonny James, Webb Pierce and Porter Wagoner.<\/p>\n<p>Every three weeks James would board a train from Dallas to Springfield, nearly 425 miles away. &#8220;Every third week I&#8217;d emcee the first portion,&#8221; James said. &#8220;I&#8217;d have to give the Rolaid commercial live and all that stuff. I just remember they&#8217;d always make sure that they manicured my fingers, because they&#8217;d shoot me holding the Rolaids. That was just one of the sponsors, but I had to do that. They&#8217;d just make sure that your nails were clean.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>James&#8217;s high visibility on The Big D Jamboree and Ozark Jubilee assured steady sales of each new Capitol release. &#8220;I could almost be booked on these country tours due to my exposure that I was getting on radio, and then, of course, there was Ozark Jubilee&#8221;, he said. &#8220;There was no (other) live television country that was network.. The exposure was just amazing what Ozark Jubilee did for me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A December 1955 session yielded a conventional country ballad, &#8220;My Stolen Love&#8221; penned by Dot artist Billy Vaughn. For the last song of that session, &#8220;For Rent (An Empty Heart)&#8221;. Penned by James and Jack Morrow, the song was built around a driving backbeat, bluesy piano and a breezy background whistler. &#8220;For Rent&#8221; sounded unlike anything James had previously recorded &#8211; many collectors consider it his finest moment from his first tenure at Capitol Records. It certainly was his most popular record to date.<\/p>\n<p>When James next visited Jim Beck&#8217;s Dallas studio in April 1956, Major-Bill Smith, a Public Relations Officer at Casswell Air Force Base, supplied &#8220;Twenty Feet of Muddy Water&#8217;, a bluesy ballad. Adam Komorowski queried Smith about the song in a late \u201870s profile for New Kommotion No. 23: &#8220;Jack Anderson, who&#8217;s a famous columnist in America, he was working for Parade magazine at the time &#8211; and he and a navy photographer came down to the base to do a story on the B-36, the biggest bomber of all time&#8221; Smith said. \u2018We were sitting around the office and the photographer said, \u2018one time during the war I had to go down in twenty feet of muddy water and take pictures.&#8217; That hit me&#8211; twenty feet of muddy water-so I thought I&#8217;m gonna write a song with that title. I came up with the idea that somebody told this guy that his girl had taken off his ring and threw it in the river and he&#8217;s going down into twenty feet of muddy water to see if she really threw it away.&#8221; This record was heavily played by country radio.<\/p>\n<p>In August 1956, James and Harland Powell flew to Los Angeles to record James&#8217;s first album for possible single release. With backing by guitarist Joe Maphis, bassist Bud Dooley and drummer Pee Wee Adams, the sessions were aimed at a mainstream country audience. Nelson used nine of these tracks on Southern Gentleman (Capitol T 779) and fleshed out the album with three sacred tracks from earlier sessions. &#8220;The Cat Came Back&#8221;, a buoyant, folk-flavored song was picked as James&#8217;s next single for 1956. &#8220;That&#8217;s me hitting the guitar between beats.. Anyway, I just used me and a bass fiddle&#8221;. As before, it became a favorite of disc jockeys.<\/p>\n<p>James returned to Nashville for another session in 1956- the one that produced his breakthrough record &#8220;Young Love&#8221;. He always considered the song and his arrangement as &#8220;country as anything&#8217;, but it grabbed the pop market at the end of 1956 and clung to the Billboard&#8217;s pop and country charts until May, 1957. And would have hung on longer if Capitol Records had been better prepared to supply the demand.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It caught the people in merchandising off guard&#8230; being a country artist they looked for me to sell a certain amount of records and each release was based on that&#8230; in other words, they didn&#8217;t want to overpress before any record was released&#8230; the song surprised everybody it hit so fast, and was such a hit.<\/p>\n<p>James&#8217;s success also led Ken Nelson to push other country artists into pop markets. Ferlin Husky&#8217;s &#8220;Gone&#8221; was a No. 4 Billboard pop that spring. Marty Robbins also benefited from James&#8217;s single. Irritated that Columbia Records undercut his \u2018Singing the Blues&#8217; with an inferior pop cover by Guy Mitchell, Robbins began cutting his own teen pop with arranger Ray Conniff in New York City. &#8220;A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)&#8217; and &#8220;The Story of My Life&#8221; attracted the same pop audience that bought &#8220;Young Love&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>As demand for personal appearances escalated, James&#8217;s television representative MCA Agency also launched a campaign to place him on major television shows in addition to his regularly scheduled Big D Jamboree and Ozark Jubilee appearances. He married his lovely wife Doris in 1957 in Dallas.<\/p>\n<p>His career overall was thriving. However, he readily admits mistakes were made regarding his recordings. &#8220;I should have set aside more time for writing and screening demos publishers were sending me &#8212; I&#8217;m sure I overlooked some good songs and settled for mediocre because I was runnin&#8217; all the time, thinking I had to be everywhere for everybody to keep my career at that level.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Also by now there were several records of mine out there. I figured my fans would want me to do something different once in awhile. So I&#8217;d leave my guitar off a record now and then, change the background, and feature other players and other folk&#8217;s arrangements for a change. That was a mistake on my part, I was wrong. And it&#8217;s a valuable lesson I remembered when a few years later my string of hits began. I learned to gradually add new things without doing away with the original.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>James departed Capitol for a period of time, recording albums for his ex-roommate and friend, Chet Atkins on RCA and Dot Records respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Now based in Nashville, James joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry 1962. Responding to the warmth of the Ryman crowds, he realized he needed to make records that were true to his own vision. He contacted Ken Nelson in California and arranged to meet him the next time he was in town. &#8220;I said, \u2018Ken, well, I&#8217;ve tried since we left and I think if I go back and do my guitar like we were doing it, and our sound &#8211; just do Sonny James, I think we can do it. I&#8217;ve just got that confidence.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And he said &#8220;I think you&#8217;re right &#8211; let&#8217;s do it that way&#8221;. He said \u2018Marvin Hughes is here&#8217;-he had Marvin working Capitol at that time in Nashville. And when we got together it was just great&#8217;. &#8220;Ken was right. The minute we started doing what I call homegrown type arrangements in my head and picking songs that went along with my country background it was unbelievable, everything began hitting &#8230; I guess people wanted to hear what they heard on my earlier records&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That taught me a lesson I&#8217;ve never forgotten, different type songs are needed along the way for freshness and variety.. but without changing the artist- Loyal fans have certain things they listen for on each record. Once you&#8217;ve found it, don&#8217;t stray too far from what got you there. My years with Capitol meant more to me than hit records&#8230; Ken Nelson, Marvin Hughes, Kelson Herston and George Ritchey not only produced my recordings but became my very close friends.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>In the early \u201860s James re-established his career as one of the most successful recording artists of all time. For nineteen years (1960-1979) his hit recordings were a dominate force in the growth of Country radio.<\/h3>\n<h3>Country music history verifies his achievements.<\/h3>\n<h2>SONNY JAMES MOST POPULAR RECORDINGS<\/h2>\n<p>RUNNING BEAR<br \/>\nYOUNG LOVE<br \/>\nI&#8217;LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER YOU<br \/>\nIT&#8217;S THE LITTLE THINGS<br \/>\nNEED YOU<br \/>\nYOU&#8217;RE THE ONLY WORLD I KNOW<br \/>\nBORN TO BE WITH YOU<br \/>\nBRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY<br \/>\nHEAVEN SAYS HELLO<br \/>\nDON&#8217;T KEEP ME HANGIN&#8217; ON<br \/>\nTAKE GOOD CARE OF HER<br \/>\nMY LOVE<br \/>\nHERE COMES HONEY AGAIN<br \/>\nFOR RENT<br \/>\nSINCE I MET YOU BABY<br \/>\nA WORLD OF OUR OWN<br \/>\nBEHIND THE TEAR<br \/>\nTHAT&#8217;S WHY I LOVE YOU LIKE I DO<br \/>\nWHEN THE SNOW IS ON THE ROSES<br \/>\nIT&#8217;S JUST A MATTER OF TIME<br \/>\nENDLESSLY<br \/>\nA LITTLE BIT SOUTH OF SASKATOON<br \/>\nROOM IN YOUR HEART<br \/>\nTHE CAT CAME BACK<br \/>\nEMPTY ARMS<br \/>\nONLY THE LONELY<br \/>\nTRUE LOVE&#8217;S A BLESSING<br \/>\nBALTIMORE<br \/>\nIS IT WRONG<br \/>\nI&#8217;LL KEEP HOLDING ON (JUST TO YOUR LOVE)<br \/>\nONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART<br \/>\nWHITE SILVER SAND<br \/>\nCOME ON IN<br \/>\nAMI-ESPOSA CON AMOUR (TO MY WIFE WITH LOVE)<br \/>\nTHE MINUTE YOU&#8217;RE GONE<br \/>\nLITTLE BAND OF GOLD<br \/>\nWHAT IN THE WORLDS COME OVER YOU<br \/>\nGOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS (OF LIVING)<br \/>\nTWENTY FEET OF MUDDY WATER<br \/>\nCARIBBEAN<br \/>\nI LOVE YOU MORE AND MORE EVERYDAY<br \/>\nFIRST DATE, FIRST KISS, FIRST LOVE<br \/>\nJENNY LOU<br \/>\nUH-HUH-MN<br \/>\nASK MARIE<br \/>\nWHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY BABY<br \/>\nTHE PRISONER&#8217;S SONG<br \/>\nTHAT&#8217;S ME WITHOUT YOU<br \/>\nSHE DONE GIVE HER HEART TO ME<br \/>\nYOU&#8217;RE FREE TO GO<br \/>\nIN THE JAILHOUSE NOW<br \/>\nTHIS IS THE LOVE<br \/>\nLOVE SICK BLUES<br \/>\nYOU&#8217;RE THE REASON I&#8217;M IN LOVE<br \/>\nINNOCENT LIES<br \/>\nTIL THE LAST LEAF SHALL FALL<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<section class='av_tab_section av_tab_section av-36a-574a8da3e0fe86a488f442d176ded56d'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div id='tab-id-4-tab' class='tab' role='tab' aria-selected=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\" data-fake-id='#tab-id-4' aria-controls='tab-id-4-content'  itemprop=\"headline\" ><span class='tab_icon' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue8a8' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span>HONORS RECEIVED<\/div><div id='tab-id-4-content' class='tab_content' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab-id-4-tab' aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class='tab_inner_content invers-color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h2>HONORS RECEIVED<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3090\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/hof-abc-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"Sonny James\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/hof-abc-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/hof-abc.jpg 285w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><br \/>\n<strong>1961<\/strong><br \/>\nBecame the first country artist (recording division) to be honored with a star in the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1962<\/strong><br \/>\nJoined the world famous Grand Ole Opry.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1967<\/strong><br \/>\nThe honors continued when James would host the first CMA Award Show.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1960&#8217;s and 70&#8217;s<\/strong><br \/>\nNamed Male Artist of The Decade by Record World.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1987<\/strong><br \/>\nInducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June, 2001<\/strong><br \/>\nMALE GOLDEN VOICE AWARD<br \/>\n-Golden Voice Awards<\/p>\n<p><strong>November, 2001<\/strong><br \/>\nMASTER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD<br \/>\nR.O.P.E. AWARDS<\/p>\n<p><strong>June, 2002<\/strong><br \/>\nCAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD<br \/>\n-The Country Music DJ Hall of Fame and Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>August 30, 2006<\/strong><br \/>\nCOUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2009<\/strong><br \/>\nInducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<section class='av_tab_section av_tab_section av-sxi-79584906bed39bbcb6b156fd9f88455e'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div id='tab-id-5-tab' class='tab' role='tab' aria-selected=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\" data-fake-id='#tab-id-5' aria-controls='tab-id-5-content'  itemprop=\"headline\" ><span class='tab_icon' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue81f' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span>NOTABLE FIRSTS<\/div><div id='tab-id-5-content' class='tab_content' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab-id-5-tab' aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class='tab_inner_content invers-color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h2>NOTABLE FIRSTS<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p>In 1956 as rock n roll was just beginning, Sonny&#8217;s multi-million selling single <i>Young Love<\/i> exploded on the scene and became a #1 country and pop hit &#8211; <b>the first<\/b> such cross-over of its kind by a country artist.<\/p>\n<p>In 1957 Sonny became <b>the first<\/b> country recording artist to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.<\/p>\n<p>In 1961, honoring his contribution to the music industry, Sonny James was <b>the first<\/b> country music recording artist to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6630 Hollywood Blvd.<\/p>\n<p>In 1967 along with Bobbi Gentry, James hosted <b>the first<\/b> CMA Awards Show.<\/p>\n<p>In the midst of the American Civil Rights era with his #1 release of <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Take_Good_Care_of_Her\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adam Wade&#8217;s &#8220;Take Good Care of Her&#8221;<\/a> in 1966, Sonny was <strong>the first<\/strong> country artist to record and deliver an R&amp;B song into the country music mainstream. During his highly successful run of 16 consecutive #1 hits, beginning in 1969 of the next 7 singles James recorded &#8211; 5 had previously been moderately successful releases for soulful R&amp;B artists <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ivory_Joe_Hunter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ivory Joe Hunter<\/a>, <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Brook_Benton\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brook Benton<\/a>, <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clyde_Otis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clyde Otis<\/a> and <a title=\"Wikipedia\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jimmy_Reed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jimmy Reed<\/a>. Those 5 songs were Since I Met You Baby, It\u2019s Just A Matter of Time, Endlessly, Empty Arms and Bright Lights, Big City \u2013 all of which reached #1 on the Billboard country charts.<\/p>\n<p>In February 1971, James was <b>the first<\/b> <b>country artist<\/b> whose music went into space and he made a special music recording for the crew of Apollo 14. They later presented him with one of the small American flags they had carried to the Moon.<\/p>\n<p>As the producer of Marie Osmond\u2019s first three albums beginning in 1973, the initial single \u201cPaper Roses\u201d upon reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart less than one month after her 14th birthday caused her to become <strong>the youngest female and overall youngest solo artist<\/strong> to ever reach this No. 1 chart position. A record that still stands.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<section class='av_tab_section av_tab_section av-5jve-f494ea1c8614fef896efdc9e3dad6be7'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div id='tab-id-6-tab' class='tab' role='tab' aria-selected=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\" data-fake-id='#tab-id-6' aria-controls='tab-id-6-content'  itemprop=\"headline\" ><span class='tab_icon' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue84e' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span>CAREER OF SONNY JAMES<\/div><div id='tab-id-6-content' class='tab_content' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab-id-6-tab' aria-hidden=\"true\"><div class='tab_inner_content invers-color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h2>THE CAREER OF SONNY JAMES<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3184\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"Sonny-James\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonny-James.jpg 805w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><br \/>\nBorn in Hackleburg Alabama on May 1, 1928, Sonny James would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. The last leaf was fallen for him upon his passing on February 22, 2016.<\/p>\n<p>With a natural talent for playing stringed instruments it would be at the age of four, when placed at the centerpiece of his family&#8217;s country show consisting of his mom and pop Loden, sister Thelma and friend Ruby Palmer, is where he first began to realize his potential to entertain others.<\/p>\n<p>Because he was just a kid he was affectionately called \u201cSonny Boy\u201d by family and friends, yet by 1952 when he signed with Capitol Records this six-foot three-inch talent was re-billed as The Southern Gentleman, a tag that portrayed his unyielding polite ways.<\/p>\n<p>In 1956 as rock-n-roll was just beginning Sonny&#8217;s multi-million selling Young Love exploded on the scene and became a simultaneous #1 country and pop hit &#8211; the first such traditional country cross-over of it&#8217;s kind.<\/p>\n<p>By 1963 a collaboration at Capitol Studios in Hollywood with Nat King Cole, a fellow Alabama native and favorite of Sonny and his father, would begin to focus Sonny&#8217;s musical approach into a more pop-sounding style of country in the hopes of broadening the country listening audience.<\/p>\n<p>Beginning in 1964 with the addition of The Southern Gentlemen made up of bassist Milo Liggett, backing vocalists Lin Bown, Gary Robble, Duane West and Glenn Huggins; a refined musical style was immediately found to be identifiable by listeners. Supported by the Capitol Records team led by Ken Nelson, Sonny began what would become his legendary streak of 16 consecutive #1 releases &#8211; an uncontested record which no other solo recording artist has ever surpassed in any genre.<\/p>\n<p>A mere decade later, Sonny James had amassed a surreal 16 #1&#8217;s in a row, and 26 #1&#8217;s in total culminating in 72 titles on the country charts. From 1966 through 1971 six of his most popular #1 recordings had previously been released by soulful R&amp;B artists Adam Wade, Ivory Joe Hunter, Brooke Benton, Clyde Otis and Jimmy Reed.<\/p>\n<p>Sonny&#8217;s broad appeal not only as a performer, but an entertainer, brought him into larger and larger markets and venues as he created new paths for others to follow which had not previously been welcoming to country artists in general, including his numerous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.<\/p>\n<p>Always an integral part of his sound and style, his mastery of the guitar as a musician added a depth to his recordings and stage appeal which translated perfectly to television. His full vocal tones backed by his \u201cSouthern Gentlemen\u201d created a sound that was awarded time after time with great success.<\/p>\n<p>The first country recording artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his hits \u201cThe Minute You\u2019re Gone\u201d, \u201cYou\u2019re The Only World I Know\u201d, \u201cIt&#8217;s Just A Matter Of Time\u201d, \u201cRunning Bear\u201d, \u201cEmpty Arms\u201d and so many more &#8211; make it easy to realize that at the same time the world was beginning to listen to music from the British invasion of the 1960&#8217;s, they were hearing Sonny James on country radio.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately following his string of #1&#8217;s, Sonny went on to produce the first 3 albums for Marie Osmond, which saw the first single, Paper Roses, surpass sales of 1 million worldwide and Marie was nominated for a Grammy Award.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Jimmie Hugh Loden (Sonny James) is survived in life by his beloved wife of 58 years Doris Shrode Loden, sister-in-law Sally Ribble, niece Donna and husband \u201cJoe\u201d Mora, nephew Chuck Holcombe, Terry and Pam Holcombe.<\/p>\n<p>Preceded in death by his father Archey Loden, mother Della Loden, and sister Thelma Lee Holcombe.<\/p>\n<p>With immense admiration we say thanks to not only the Southern Gentleman, but a True Gentlemen and beloved friend to so many.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2imc-27fb245e0ce3532b6d88dfdae6eca1a5\">\n.avia-section.av-2imc-27fb245e0ce3532b6d88dfdae6eca1a5{\nbackground-color:#ffffff;\nbackground-image:url(https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-content\/uploads\/hm-cmhof.jpg);\nbackground-repeat:no-repeat;\nbackground-position:50% 50%;\nbackground-attachment:scroll;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_10'  class='avia-section av-2imc-27fb245e0ce3532b6d88dfdae6eca1a5 main_color avia-section-no-padding avia-no-shadow  avia-builder-el-67  el_after_av_section  avia-builder-el-last  avia-bg-style-scroll av-minimum-height av-minimum-height-custom av-height-custom  container_wrap sidebar_right'  data-section-bg-repeat='no-repeat' data-av_minimum_height_px='468'><div class='container av-section-cont-open' style='height:468px'><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='after_section_10'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-4'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}