{"id":3614,"date":"2015-09-12T14:50:45","date_gmt":"2015-09-12T20:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.firstlook.ws\/sonnyjames\/?p=3614"},"modified":"2026-09-30T16:09:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T22:09:03","slug":"nat-king-cole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnyjames.com\/hof\/nat-king-cole\/","title":{"rendered":"The Direct Influence of Nat King Cole"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
Capitol Records \u00b7 1963<\/div>\n

The Beginning of an Era<\/h3>\n
\n

1963<\/span> marked Sonny James\u2019s return to Capitol Records. He had left the label in 1959, still searching for an identifiable sound and style of his own in the wake of the massive success of \u201cYoung Love.\u201d That sound was about to arrive. Over the following decade Sonny James would place twenty-two singles at #1 on the country charts, including a legendary, uninterrupted streak of sixteen consecutive #1 hits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/span>\"The<\/div>
\u201cThe Minute You\u2019re Gone\u201d<\/strong>Capitol Records \u00b7 1963<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n

His first release after re-signing with Capitol was the debut recording of \u201cThe Minute You\u2019re Gone,\u201d an original song by Jimmy Gately, a Nashville, Tennessee fiddle player and singer. It found immediate success, reaching #9 on the country singles chart and #95 on the American pop chart. How that one song laid the foundation for everything that followed, launching the hit-after-hit run that became the greatest streak of #1 records the music industry has ever seen from a solo artist, is a story in its own right.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
22<\/b>#1 country singles in the decade that followed<\/span><\/div>\n
16<\/b>Consecutive #1 singles, an unbroken streak<\/span><\/div>\n
#9<\/b>Country peak for \u201cThe Minute You\u2019re Gone\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
At a glance<\/div>\n

The Road to the Streak<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
  1. Summer 1962<\/span>Nat King Cole releases the Ramblin\u2019 Rose<\/em> album on Capitol<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Oct 25, 1962<\/span>Sonny records \u201cThe Only Cure\u201d at Gold Star Studios, Hollywood<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Late fall 1962<\/span>Sonny & Doris leave Hollywood for Hackleburg, Alabama<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Early 1963<\/span>Capitol brings Sonny back to Hollywood to work with Nat King Cole<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Mar 15, 1963<\/span>\u201cThe Minute You\u2019re Gone\u201d recorded in Nashville<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. May 6, 1963<\/span>Released as \u201cSonny James Returns To Capitol\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Sep 15, 1963<\/span>In Birmingham the morning of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Aug 15, 1964<\/span>Meets The Southern Gentlemen at the Grand Ole Opry<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
    01<\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
    Chapter 01<\/div>\n

    The Back Story<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    In 2014, during one of my regular visits with Sonny to review updates for this website (and to share a few laughs over his old stories), he casually handed me a photograph of himself with Nat King Cole. It was taken, he said, during time the two had spent together at Capitol Studios in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

    Sonny had never mentioned it before, and when a lifelong friend hands you a photo of himself in the studio with Nat King Cole, you take notice. In the conversations that followed, with Sonny and with others close to the story, the depth of Cole\u2019s influence came into focus, revealing this moment in history as the fountainhead of Sonny\u2019s enormous success.<\/p>\n

    \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n
    The House That Nat Built<\/div>\n
    The Capitol Records Tower, Los Angeles<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Cole\u2019s standing at Capitol explains why. Founded in 1942, Capitol Records owed so much of its subsequent success to Nat King Cole that the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles is still widely known as \u201cThe House That Nat Built.\u201d Throughout the 1950s Cole was, literally and figuratively, the heart and soul of the Capitol brand as it grew into one of the preeminent record labels across a wide variety of genres.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
    02<\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
    Chapter 02<\/div>\n

    From Hollywood to Home<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Beginning around 1960, Sonny and his wife Doris lived in Hollywood. Sonny spent those years writing, searching for songs, recording at Capitol\u2019s studios and building relationships across the industry. For all the sacrifices made in pursuit of a new and more sustainable career, the work was far from finished. By late 1962 the couple left Hollywood, uncertain of what the future held, and returned home to Hackleburg, Alabama.<\/p>\n

    Among the last work Sonny completed in Hollywood was \u201cThe Only Cure\u201d<\/a>, a song he wrote that was recorded on October 25, 1962 at the Gold Star Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, and released on DOT Records.<\/p>\n

    Sonny and Doris were back in Alabama by the late fall of 1962. That summer Nat King Cole had released Ramblin\u2019 Rose<\/em>, a Capitol album featuring a number of well-known country songs. Its title track broke new ground: for the first time, a full multi-vocal sound was presented from the very first measure, making the record instantly identifiable to listeners.<\/p>\n

    \"Nat
    The blueprint<\/span>Nat King Cole \u00b7 Ramblin\u2019 Rose<\/em><\/strong>Capitol Records, summer 1962. The title track was a major success for both Cole and Capitol, selling well over a million copies.<\/span>1,000,000+ sold<\/span>Multi-vocal sound<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
    03<\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
    Chapter 03<\/div>\n

    The \u201cCole\u201daboration<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    In the early months of 1963, Capitol and producer Ken Nelson brought Sonny back to Hollywood to collaborate directly with Nat King Cole. The aim was a deeper musical and production understanding of how Cole had arranged and recorded \u201cRamblin\u2019 Rose.\u201d Capitol\u2019s message to Sonny was clear: if he could find an original song and record it with the same qualities for country music, new opportunities awaited him at the label.<\/p>\n

    Cole and Capitol both recognized that the \u201cRamblin\u2019 Rose\u201d approach, applied to the right song, was a formula for hit records at the time. They also appear to have understood that Cole himself could not fully adopt it without redefining himself as an artist, and no one was going to redefine the style of Nat King Cole, nor should they.<\/p>\n

    Both men were born and raised in Alabama, and their kinship came naturally. Nat had long been a favorite singer of Sonny\u2019s, and of Sonny\u2019s father as well. Energized by the collaboration, Sonny returned to Nashville immediately to begin his search for \u201cthe\u201d song Capitol wanted him to find.<\/p>\n

    \"Sonny<\/a>
    From the archive<\/span>Sonny James & Nat King Cole<\/strong>In the studio, early 1963. This image was released for the first time here in the Fall of 2015.<\/span>Capitol Studios<\/span>Hollywood<\/span>1963<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
    04<\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
    Chapter 04<\/div>\n

    Search for the Song & the Sound<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Back in Nashville, Sonny turned to people he trusted to help in the search for material. When Jimmy Gately\u2019s \u201cThe Minute You\u2019re Gone\u201d surfaced, he knew it held the promise he was looking for. He called on artist and arranger Ray Stevens<\/a>, and the two sat at Sonny\u2019s kitchen table and worked out an arrangement that delighted him. Soon Sonny was back in the studio with Ken Nelson producing, recording \u201cThe Minute You\u2019re Gone\u201d in the same Nashville studio where he had cut \u201cYoung Love.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \n
    Written by<\/span>Jimmy Gately<\/b><\/div>\n
    Arranged with<\/span>Ray Stevens<\/b><\/div>\n
    Produced by<\/span>Ken Nelson<\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Capitol promoted the release as \u201cSonny James Returns To Capitol,\u201d and the single reached #9 on the country singles chart and #95 on the American pop chart. The success confirmed that Sonny had found what he and Capitol were looking for, and the search began for more songs in the same vein.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
    05<\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
    Chapter 05<\/div>\n

    The Birmingham Church Bombing & the Civil Rights Era<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Sonny soon embarked on a new run of touring engagements. On the morning of September 15, 1963, he was preparing to leave Birmingham, Alabama after a show the previous evening when he found downtown Birmingham in distress. He soon learned the cause: the historic 16th Street Baptist Church<\/a> had been bombed.<\/p>\n

    The way Sonny internalized the struggles of that era was never about changing country music. It was about giving his music a fresh appeal that might expand the country audience beyond its existing boundaries, and about finding common musical ground between the rural country life he had known and grown up in and the urban city life he was adapting to.<\/p>\n

    \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n
    If he could make music that country folks and city folks alike could appreciate, that would be the measure of his professional success, and a positive contribution to the American fabric.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
    06<\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
    Chapter 06<\/div>\n

    Finding the Voices of \u201cThe Southern Gentlemen\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Sonny had turned what Nat King Cole and Capitol provided into an identifiable top-ten country hit, but he knew a crucial piece of the puzzle was still missing: the right backing vocalists, a group that could complement his own sound and style, fill out the sound and bring added energy to the stage. The singers heard on \u201cThe Minute You\u2019re Gone\u201d had been assembled for the record and did not tour.<\/p>\n

    Sonny set out to find a vocal group he could call his very own, and he found it at the Grand Ole Opry on August 15, 1964. Eight months earlier, this group of extraordinary harmonies, performing as The Chordsmen, had replaced The Jordanaires as the Opry\u2019s staff backing vocal group. The Jordanaires had been Opry members since 1949 and for fifteen years were Nashville\u2019s principal quartet, singing background vocals on both the Opry and recording sessions.<\/p>\n

    Without management, a record contract or even a name of their own, The Chordsmen stepped into the Jordanaires\u2019 shoes and settled in. The Opry was so impressed with their energy that they quickly earned their own spot on the weekly show, and on one occasion received an unprecedented 11 encores after a single set.<\/p>\n

    \"Sonny<\/a>
    August 15, 1964 \u00b7 The Ryman<\/span>The first song together<\/strong>Photographed backstage at the Ryman during their very first song together, as Sonny first harmonized with the group that would become The Southern Gentlemen.<\/span>11<\/b> encores after a single Opry set<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    In their very first conversation, Sonny asked the group to harmonize with him. He was sold on the spot and offered them the role of The Southern Gentlemen. Together they would record and tour for many years and make music history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
    \n
    \n
    1962 \u2192 1963<\/div>\n

    Sonny James & Nat King Cole Make Country Music History<\/h3>\n

    One million-selling Nat King Cole record set the sound for Sonny\u2019s next chapter. Hear the song that inspired him, then the record it led to.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
    \n
    \"\"Nat King Cole<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
    \n
    The inspiration \u00b7 1962<\/div>\n

    \u201cRamblin\u2019 Rose\u201d<\/h4>\n

    This million-selling release was recorded by Nat King Cole on June 19, 1962.<\/p>\n

    Million seller<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \n
    \"\"Sonny James<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
    \n
    The result \u00b7 1963<\/div>\n

    \u201cThe Minute You\u2019re Gone\u201d<\/h4>\n

    Sonny\u2019s first recording influenced by Nat King Cole, modeled on \u201cRamblin\u2019 Rose.\u201d Recorded March 15, 1963 and released May 6, 1963.<\/p>\n

    #9 Country<\/span>#95 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
    \n
    \n
    07<\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
    Chapter 07<\/div>\n

    Sonny Takes R&B Into the Country Mainstream & Achieves Legendary Success<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Building on the sound he had made his own under Nat King Cole\u2019s influence, Sonny released \u201cYou\u2019re The Only World I Know,\u201d which reached #1 on the country charts in November 1964. \u201cI\u2019ll Keep Holding On (Just to Your Love)\u201d followed, peaking at #2 in March 1965, and \u201cBehind The Tear\u201d reached #1 in October 1965, the Cole sound still ever present.<\/p>\n

    \n
    Nov 1964 \u00b7 #1<\/span>You\u2019re The Only World I Know<\/b><\/div>\n
    Mar 1965 \u00b7 #2<\/span>I\u2019ll Keep Holding On<\/b><\/div>\n
    Oct 1965 \u00b7 #1<\/span>Behind The Tear<\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    In April 1966, in the midst of the American Civil Rights Era, Sonny\u2019s recording of Adam Wade\u2019s<\/a> \u201cTake Good Care of Her\u201d quickly became a #1 country hit. With that single, Sonny became the first country artist to record an R&B song and carry it into the country music mainstream.<\/p>\n

    The pattern continued through his celebrated run of 16 consecutive #1 hits. Beginning in 1969, five of the next seven singles James recorded were songs that had already been top-three R&B hits for Ivory Joe Hunter<\/a>, Brook Benton<\/a> and Jimmy Reed<\/a>, two of them co-written by Clyde Otis<\/a>. All five, \u201cSince I Met You Baby,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s Just A Matter of Time,\u201d \u201cEndlessly,\u201d \u201cEmpty Arms\u201d and \u201cBright Lights, Big City,\u201d reached #1 for Sonny James on the Billboard country charts.<\/p>\n

    In 1965 Sonny also recorded \u201cTake Me Back,\u201d a top 20 R&B hit for Little Anthony and the Imperials. It was never released as a single, however, and so never registered on the country charts.<\/p>\n

    \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n
    From the birth of R&B in 1949 through 1971, when Sonny\u2019s last such recording topped the charts, no other country artist achieved comparable success with R&B material. The next country artist to reach #1 with an R&B song would not arrive until April 1976. For 27 years, from 1949 until April 1976, Sonny James stood alone as a true innovator, broadening what country music and its appeal could be through the adaptation of great R&B songs.<\/div>\n
    27 years unmatched \u00b7 1949 \u2013 1976<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
    \n
    \n
    1966 \u2013 1979<\/div>\n

    The R&B Songs of Sonny James<\/h3>\n

    Rhythm & blues songs Sonny carried into country music. Play his version, then hear the original that inspired it.<\/p>\n

    \n
    13<\/b>R&B songs recorded<\/span><\/div>\n
    6<\/b>#1 country hits<\/span><\/div>\n
    27<\/b>Years unmatched<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
    1. \n
      1966<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Adam<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Adam Wade<\/div>\n

      \u201cTake Good Care of Her\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1966<\/span>#1 Country<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Adam Wade<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1961<\/span>#7 Pop<\/span>#20 R&B<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
    2. \n
      1966<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Etta<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Etta James<\/div>\n

      \u201cSomething\u2019s Got a Hold On Me\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1966<\/span>Album track<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Etta James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1962<\/span>#4 R&B<\/span>#37 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
    3. \n
      1967<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Little<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Little Anthony and The Imperials<\/div>\n

      \u201cTake Me Back\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1967<\/span>Album track<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Little Anthony and The Imperials<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1965<\/span>#15 R&B<\/span>#16 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
    4. \n
      1969<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Ivory<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Ivory Joe Hunter<\/div>\n

      \u201cSince I Met You Baby\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1969<\/span>#1 Country<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Ivory Joe Hunter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1956<\/span>#1 R&B<\/span>#12 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
    5. \n
      1970<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Brook<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Brook Benton<\/div>\n

      \u201cEndlessly\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1970<\/span>#1 Country<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Brook Benton<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1959<\/span>#3 R&B<\/span>#12 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
    6. \n
      1970<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Clyde<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Clyde Otis \u00b7 Songwriter<\/i><\/div>\n

      \u201cIt\u2019s Just a Matter of Time\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1970<\/span>#1 Country<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Brook Benton<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1959<\/span>#1 R&B<\/span>#3 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      Written by Clyde Otis. The original recording was performed by Brook Benton.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n

    7. \n
      1971<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Ivory<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Ivory Joe Hunter<\/div>\n

      \u201cEmpty Arms\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1971<\/span>#1 Country<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Ivory Joe Hunter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1957<\/span>#2 R&B<\/span>#43 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
    8. \n
      1971<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Jimmy<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Jimmy Reed<\/div>\n

      \u201cBright Lights, Big City\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1971<\/span>#1 Country<\/span>#91 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Jimmy Reed<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1961<\/span>#3 R&B<\/span>#58 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n
    9. \n
      1971<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Chuck<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Chuck Willis<\/div>\n

      \u201cWhat Am I Living For\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1971<\/span>Album track<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Chuck Willis<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1958<\/span>#1 R&B<\/span>#9 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      Sonny recorded it on November 6, 1969 for the Empty Arms album (1971). It was also issued as the B-side of \u201cSurprise, Surprise\u201d in 1973.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n

    10. \n
      1971<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Johnny<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Johnny Ace<\/div>\n

      \u201cPledging My Love\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1971<\/span>Album track<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Johnny Ace<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1954<\/span>#1 R&B<\/span>#17 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      From Sonny\u2019s 1971 album Here Comes Honey Again, recorded April 28, 1971. Johnny Ace\u2019s original held #1 on the R&B chart for 10 weeks.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n

    11. \n
      1976<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Sam<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Sam and Dave<\/div>\n

      \u201cWhen Something Is Wrong With My Baby\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1976<\/span>#6 Country<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Sam and Dave<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1967<\/span>#2 R&B<\/span>#42 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      The original was written and produced by Isaac Hayes.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n

    12. \n
      1976<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Otis<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Otis Redding<\/div>\n

      \u201cI\u2019ve Been Loving You Too Long\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1976<\/span>Album track<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Otis Redding<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1965<\/span>#2 R&B<\/span>#21 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      From Sonny\u2019s 1976 album When Something Is Wrong With My Baby.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n

    13. \n
      1979<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
      \n
      \"Joe<\/figure>\n
      \n
      Joe Tex<\/div>\n

      \u201cHold What You\u2019ve Got\u201d<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
      \"\"Sonny\u2019s Version<\/span><\/span>Sonny James<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1979<\/span>#36 Country<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \"\"Original Recording<\/span><\/span>Joe Tex<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
      1964<\/span>#1 R&B (Cash Box)<\/span>#5 Pop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      Joe Tex\u2019s original was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Sonny’s 1963 return to Capitol Records, the influence of Nat King Cole on his sound, and the start of the era that produced his legendary run of No. 1 hits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t