Thomas was raised in and around Houston, Texas, graduating from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg. Before his solo career, he sang in a church choir as a teenager, then joined the musical group The Triumphs. During his senior year he made friends with Roy Head of Roy Head and The Traits. The Traits and the Triumphs held several Battle of the Bands events in the early 1960s.
In 1966, B.J. Thomas and The Triumphs released the album I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Pacemaker Records). It featured a hit cover of the Hank Williams song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". The single sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The follow-up single, "Mama", peaked at No. 22. In the same year, Thomas released a solo album of the same name on the Scepter Records label.
Thomas came back to achieve mainstream success again in 1968, first with "The Eyes of a New York Woman", then five months later with the much bigger "Hooked on a Feeling", which featured the sound of Reggie Young's electric sitar and was first released on the album On My Way (Scepter Records). "Hooked on a Feeling" became Thomas's second million-selling record. A year later Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid featured Thomas performing the Bacharach/David song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", which won the Academy Award for best original song that year and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. Sales of it also exceeded one million copies, with Thomas being awarded his third gold record. The song was also released on an album of the same name. Other hits of the 1970s were "Everybody's Out of Town", "I Just Can't Help Believing" (No. 9 in 1970, covered by Elvis Presley), "No Love at All", "Mighty Clouds of Joy", and "Rock and Roll Lullaby".
Thomas's earlier hits were with Scepter Records, his label for six years. He left Scepter Records in 1972 and spent a short period, in 1973 and 1974, with Paramount Records, during which time he released two albums, Songs (1973) and Longhorns & Londonbridges (1974).
In 1975, Thomas released the album Reunion on ABC Records, which had absorbed the Paramount label; it contained "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (the longest titled No. 1 hit ever on the Hot 100). It was Thomas's first big hit since 1972 and secured him his fourth gold record. It won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Country Song, awarded to its songwriters, Larry Butler and Chips Moman.
In 1976, Thomas released Home Where I Belong, produced by Chris Christian on Myrrh Records, the first of several gospel albums. It was the first Christian album to go platinum, and Thomas became the biggest contemporary Christian artist of the period.
On MCA Records, Thomas and Chris Christian recorded what would be his last Top 40 hit single, "Don't Worry Baby", on his last pop album, which also included the Adult Contemporary hit "Still the Lovin' Is Fun".
During the 1980s, his success on the pop charts began to wane, but many of his singles reached the upper regions on the country singles chart, including two 1983 chart toppers, "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" and "New Looks from an Old Lover" (see 1984 in music), as well as "Two Car Garage", which reached No. 3. In 1981, on his 39th birthday, Thomas became the 60th member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Thomas scored another hit, recording "As Long As We Got Each Other", the theme to Growing Pains, with Jennifer Warnes. A later version, used for the show's fourth season, was recorded with British singer Dusty Springfield. Thomas first released this track on his 1985 album Throwing Rocks at the Moon (Columbia Records).
Thomas has also authored two books including the autobiography Home Where I Belong, and starred in the movies Jory and "Jake's Corner". Several commercial jingles including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Bell, have featured his singing voice and music. On December 31, 2011, Thomas was the featured halftime performer at the 2011 Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
On April 2, 2013, Thomas released The Living Room Sessions, an album with acoustic arrangements of well known hits. It features guest appearances with established and emerging vocalists accompanying Thomas on seven of twelve tracks.
On December 3, 2013, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced that his 1969 single "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" would be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Thomas was married to singer-songwriter Gloria Richardson since December 1968. They had three daughters: Paige (born 1970), Nora (adopted from Korea in 1978), and Erin (born in 1979). Shortly after Thomas's career began, he became dependent on drugs and alcohol which led to his marriage nearly ending and himself even coming close to death. Gloria became a Christian in 1975, and less than a month later, so did B.J.; most press sources indicate that Thomas had been sober since their separation was reconciled in 1976.
Don't Worry Baby
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For oh I don't know how long
I don't know why but I keep thinkin'
Something's bound to go wrong
But she looks in my eyes
And makes me realize when she says
Don't worry baby
Don't worry baby (oh)
I guess I should-a kept my mouth shut
When I start to brag about my car
But I can't back down now because I
Pushed the other guys too far
She makes me come alive
And makes me want to drive when she says
Don't worry baby
Ev'rything will work out all right
Don't worry baby (oh)
She said now baby when you race today
Just take along my love for you
And if you knew how much I loved you baby
Nothing could go wrong with you
Oh what she does to me
When she makes love to me and she says
Don't worry baby
Ev'rything will work out all right
B.J. Thomas's song Don't Worry Baby is a powerful and heartfelt track that touches on themes of love, support, and anxiety. The opening lines of the song set the stage for the rest of the track, as B.J. Thomas sings about a feeling that's been building up inside of him for an unspecified period of time. He can't quite put his finger on it, but he knows that something's bound to go wrong. This sense of impending doom is a common feeling that many people can relate to, especially when it comes to relationships.
However, things take a positive turn when B.J. Thomas's lover looks him in the eyes and tells him not to worry. She assures him that everything will work out all right, and suddenly, his fears melt away. This is a powerful moment in the song, as it shows how supportive and loving relationships can help alleviate anxiety and fear.
The song then takes a turn towards a more lighthearted tone, as B.J. Thomas sings about how he shouldn't have bragged about his car. He pushed the other guys too far, and now he can't back down. However, his lover's support makes him come alive and want to drive faster. This is a playful and fun moment in the song that adds some levity to the serious themes that were explored earlier.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's been building up inside of me
I've been feeling anxious and stressed for a while now
For oh I don't know how long
I can't even remember how long I've been feeling this way
I don't know why but I keep thinkin'
I'm not sure why, but I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen
Something's bound to go wrong
I'm convinced that there's a disaster waiting to happen
But she looks in my eyes
When she looks at me
And makes me realize when she says
And she helps me see that
Don't worry baby
I have nothing to worry about
Ev'rything will work out all right
Everything will be okay
I guess I should-a kept my mouth shut
Maybe I shouldn't have talked so much
When I start to brag about my car
When I boast about how great my car is
But I can't back down now because I
But I can't stop now because
Pushed the other guys too far
I've already gone too far and can't take it back
She makes me come alive
Being with her makes me feel alive
And makes me want to drive when she says
And she motivates me to keep going
She said now baby when you race today
She said to me, 'When you're racing today'
Just take along my love for you
Remember how much I love you
And if you knew how much I loved you baby
If you only knew how much I cared for you
Nothing could go wrong with you
You will be safe and nothing bad will happen
Oh what she does to me
Being with her has a profound effect on me
When she makes love to me and she says
Especially when we're intimate and she reassures me, saying
Don't worry baby (oh)
You have nothing to worry about (oh)
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Brian Wilson, Henry Medress, Jay Siegel, Mitchell Margo, Philip Margo, Roger Christian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dave Enyart
One of the finest live performances ever. Two of God's gifts for all of us. BJ Thomas and Jimmy Capps. Rest in peace....both of you.
Susan Johnson
B.J Thomas had a voice of a angel! I loved him since I was a teenager! Smooth as silk! R.I.P!💔💔💔
Kelly Gilbert-Rios
His voice remained excellent. That definitely doesn’t happen very often
Cmecu_See Me See You
He had one of the best voices I have ever heard. His tone, his control over the octave of his voice, the placement of his mouth in relation to the microphone . Its just a clean smooth voice , and it never failed him as he aged. RIP BJ Thomas.
Ankit Verma
A maestro, The Golden Voice, Absolute Control of pitch hats off. A pure Genius.🥵
adi hrd
This singer manages to beautifully adapt the lyrics of the legendary song from The Beach Boys on the second chorus and so on according to the decade and circumstances so that this song of expression of love still gets the hearts of every listener, leaving such a deep impression that it is always remembered forever and ever.
chiptenor
The 'great' BJ Thomas....an 'angelic' voice.
Robert Ryan
What a beautiful man. May he rest in peace. From Ireland 🇮🇪
Anders Österman
Superb performance from a fantastic artist // 😍R.I.P. B J Thomas...
Sandy Muddy
Bj always stellar 💫✨️💫 he remained humble & God bought him through the pathway of this life & took his beautiful spirit home❤