Originally Published December 12, 1995 in Nash Country Weekly When you think about the all-time superstars of country music, the name Sonny James may not immediately pop into your mind. But Sonny, known as “The Southern Gentleman,” was a megastar, reeling off an incredible 16 No. 1 hits in a row.<\/p>\n No one’s done that before or since — and it’s doubtful anyone ever will.<\/p>\n To hear Sonny talk, with that gentle voice and modest, unassuming manner, you’d never suspect he was the Garth Brooks of his day.<\/p>\n In a remarkable career spanning more than 30 years, Sonny’s amazing achievements have earned him a secure place in the history of country music.<\/p>\n True, Garth’s sold more records than Sonny ever did; Eddy Arnold’s had more hits; and Conway Twitty had more No. 1 songs. But nobody except Sonny has ever put 16 *consecutive* hits at the top of the *Billboard* country charts.<\/p>\n And that didn’t even count his first No. 1 — monster hit “Young Love” — in 1957.<\/p>\n Born James Hugh Loden on May 1, 1929, in Hackleburg, Ala., Sonny got his first guitar, which was handmade by his father, when he was only 3 years old.<\/p>\n “It’s true, and that guitar is now in the Country Music Hall of Fame,” Sonny told COUNTRY WEEKLY, with quiet pride in his voice.<\/p>\n From age 4 on, Sonny sang with his sister Thelma and his parents, Della and Archie — “Everyone knew them as Mom and Pop” — in the Loden Family group. He had his own radio show when he was still a teenager.<\/p>\n After serving in the Korean War with his activated National Guard unit, Sonny was discharged in 1952 and went to Nashville to visit his old buddy Chet Atkins.<\/p>\n “I met Chet when I was a teenager,” Sonny recalled. “In fact, we roomed together in Raleigh, North Carolina, when we were playing at the same radio station.<\/p>\n “When I got out of the Army, I spent a week with Chet and his wife in Nashville. He introduced me to his friend Ken Nelson, who was with Capitol Records.<\/p>\n “After dinner, Chet and I began woodshedding on our guitars. We played a few songs I had written, then Chet turned to Ken and said, `What do you think, Ken?’ And Ken said, `I’d like to record him.’ ” That was the start of Sonny’s fabulous career. Billed as the Southern Gentleman because of his tall, elegant appearance and gracious manner, Sonny racked up a total of 23 No. 1 hits between 1957’s “Young Love” and 1974’s “Is It Wrong (For Loving You)”.<\/p>\n “Young Love,” was also a sensational crossover success, and soared to No. 1 on both the country and pop charts.<\/p>\n But it wasn’t until 1967 that Sonny launched his incredible streak of 16 chart-busters in a row. The No. 1s included:<\/p>\n 1967 — “Need You,” “I’ll Never Find Another You” and “It’s The Little Things.”<\/p>\n 1968 — “A World Of Our Own,” “Heaven Says Hello” and “Born To Be With You.”<\/p>\n 1969 — “Only The Lonely,” “Running Bear” and “Since I Met You, Baby.”<\/p>\n 1970 — “It’s Just A Matter Of Time,” “My Love” “Don’t Keep Me Hangin’ On” and “Endlessly.”<\/p>\n 1971 — “Empty Arms,” “Bright Lights, Big City” and “Here Comes Honey Again.”<\/p>\n What was it that made Sonny so popular? The 66-year-old living legend, now retired and living with his wife, Doris, in Nashville, paused before answering.<\/p>\n “I always tried to do material that fit me,” he explained. “We’d do a variety of material — ballads, up-tempo and even bluesy songs — but I stayed the same. I tried to give the fans the kind of songs they had come to expect. I think that was the reason I had such success.”<\/p>\n Sonny’s friend, Grand Ole Opry star Jim Ed Brown, agreed: “He knew his voice and he knew his music. He’s a good man.”<\/p>\n In 1973, Sonny changed hats and became a producer, turning out Marie Osmond’s cover of the pop oldie “Paper Roses.” It became Marie’s first hit record, crossed over to the pop charts and virtually launched her career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A 1995 Nash Country Weekly profile of the Southern Gentleman, from his record run of 16 No. 1 hits in a row to the gentle voice and manner fans remember.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3626","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
\nPaul Ladd | Published: May 16, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n
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