Just heard that B.J. Thomas has passed away, ending his battle with cancer. Another piece of my youth has died. “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” was one of my first records. I bought it at Musicville in Cedarvale Shopping Center when I was 5 years old. Not Musicland, Musicville. It was a small independent record store, owned by a rather crabby old lady who used to shoo me out of the place until she realized that I actually had money to spend. More on that another time.
“Raindrops” was the first #1 record of the 1970s. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”, it held the top position for 4 consecutive weeks. A huge hit record which Billboard ranked #4 for 1970. At the end of the seventies, American Top 40 with Casey Kasem had it at #31 for the entire decade!
Other big B.J. hits included “Hooked on a Feeling”, “”(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”, “I Just Can’t Help Believing”, and “Don’t Worry, Baby.” B.J. Thomas, dead at 78. R.I.P, sir. Thank you for the music and the memories.