Billy Joe "B.J." Thomas (born August 7, 1942, died May 29, 2021) was an Ame… Read Full Bio ↴Billy Joe "B.J." Thomas (born August 7, 1942, died May 29, 2021) was an American popular singer. He was particularly known for his hit songs of the 1960s and 1970s, which appeared on the pop, country, and Christian music charts. His best-known recording is the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head".

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.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
B.J. Thomas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

From God our heavenly Father
The blessed Angel came
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

And when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Savior lay
They found Him in a manger
Where oxen feed on hay
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Now to the Lord sing praises
All you within this place
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Overall Meaning

In B.J. Thomas's rendition of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," the lyrics paint a picture of the story of Jesus's birth. The first verse mentions the birth of Christ and the reason for his coming to the world. This verse reminds the listeners to stay focused on the real meaning of Christmas and not be dismayed by the chaos and consumerism that surround this holiday. The second verse talks about the shepherds who were visited by the angels, who told them about the birth of the Son of God. This event is significant as it shows that the news of the Messiah's arrival was not only reserved for the rich and powerful but was instead shared with those who were considered lowly and insignificant.

The third verse describes the shepherds' arrival in Bethlehem, where they found the newborn baby lying in a manger. This humble beginning was symbolic of the lowliness of Jesus, who came to serve and save all people, regardless of their status. The final verse is a call to action for all believers to come together and celebrate the holy tide of Christmas in love and brotherhood. This verse reminds us that the true meaning of Christmas is not the presents, decorations, or food but rather the love and joy that Jesus's birth brings to our hearts.

Line by Line Meaning

God rest ye merry gentlemen
May God give you, happy gentlemen, a peaceful rest

Let nothing you dismay
Don't be discouraged by anything

Remember Christ our savior
Recall that Jesus Christ, our rescuer,

Was born on Christmas day
was born on the 25th of December

To save us all from Satan's power
to deliver us from the control of the devil

When we were gone astray
when we had gone the wrong way

Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Oh news of relief and delight

From God our heavenly Father
From our divine father in heaven

The blessed Angel came
The holy angel arrived

And unto certain shepherds
And to a few shepherds

Brought tidings of the same
Brought the same news