James Hugh Loden (May 1, 1928February 22, 2016), known professionally as Sonny James, was an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, "Young Love", topping both the Billboard Hot Country and Disk Jockey singles charts. Dubbed the "Southern Gentleman" for his congenial manner, his greatest success came from ballads about the trials of love. James had 72 country and pop charted releases from 1953 to 1983, including an unprecedented five-year streak of 16 straight Billboard Hot Country number-one singles among his 26 Billboard Hot Country number-one hits. From 1964 to 1976, James placed 21 of his albums in the top 10 of Billboard Top Country Albums. James was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1961 and co-hosted the first Country Music Association Awards show in 1967. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. to Archie Lee "Pop" Loden and Della Burleson Loden, Atkins invited Capitol Records executive Ken Nelson to join them for dinner. James stated, "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.'"
Following his long streak of number-one hits, James is also remembered for his 1975 number-six song, "A Little Bit South of Saskatoon", that was in the 1977 Paul Newman hockey comedy Slap Shot.
Top of the charts
thumb|James in 1957
In late 1956, James released the 45 rpm single" Young Love". As the first teenaged country crossover single, it topped both the US country and pop music charts in January and February 1957. Record sales could have been higher if Capitol Records had anticipated the exposure on popular-music charts; they had ordered only enough copies of the record to satisfy the anticipated country-music demand, and were therefore unable to supply most of the requests for records. It sold well over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Dubbed the Southern Gentleman because of his polite demeanor, he gained more exposure with an appearance on the popular Ed Sullivan Show and the Bob Hope Show.
Thus began a seven-year search for a sound that gave him a lasting career. Two more years at Capitol Records did not produce it, and they parted ways in 1959. James signed with National Recording Corporation, and then stints with Dot (1960–1961), RCA (1961–1962), his second time with Capitol (1963–1972), and later with Columbia (1972–1979), Monument (1979), and Dimension (1981–1983).
In 1962, he returned to his roots and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and a year later signed again with Capitol Records. From 1964 to 1972, he was a dominant force in country music. James and his Southern Gentlemen appeared on the major TV shows during that period, including Ed Sullivan, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Jimmy Dean, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, and the Joey Bishop Show, and was a guest on Hee Haw several times; he also appeared on the Johnny Cash Show and made minor singing appearances in four motion pictures.
More success
On August 15, 1964, James made his first appearance with a vocal group that had been together for five years. The group consisted of Lin Bown – first tenor, Gary Robble – second tenor, Duane West – baritone, and Glenn Huggins – bass. These four young men had started singing as freshmen at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1959, and in September 1962 they transferred to a sister college in Nashville, Tennessee. 16 months later in January 1964 they replaced the Jordanaires as the Grand Ole Opry quartet. James felt he had found the combination that propelled him into his second career – that sound he had been seeking for seven years. So these 21- and 22-year-old men, along with James' multitalented bass player Milo Liggett, became the Southern Gentlemen and joined 36-year-old Sonny James.
Two months later, James had his first number-one Billboard hit since "Young Love" – topping the country charts with the song he co-wrote with Bob Tubert, "You're the Only World I Know". His next five releases peaked on the Billboard country charts at numbers two, one, three, one, and two (though all five of them hit number one on either Billboard, Record World, or Cashbox).
Billboard number-one streak
Beginning in 1967 with "Need You" and ending with "Here Comes Honey Again" in 1971, James recorded 16 straight number-one country singles. His career number-one total was 26, the last coming with 1974's "Is It Wrong (For Loving You)". During his career, he had 72 charted releases.
In 1973, James also helped launch the solo career of Marie Osmond, producing and arranging her first three albums, including her smash hit, "Paper Roses".
Personal life and death
In July 1957, Sonny married Doris Shrode in Dallas, Texas. He died of natural causes at Nashville's Alive Hospice, according to a statement on his official website. He is buried at Cedar Tree Cemetery, in Hackleburg, Alabama.
Recognition
In 1956, as rock and roll was just beginning, James's multimillion selling single "Young Love" became a number-one country and pop hit, one of the first such crossover hits by a country artist.
In 1957, James became the first country recording artist to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
In 1961, honoring his contribution to the music industry, James was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6630 Hollywood Blvd. He was the first country music star to receive this honor, as well as being the only person to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1961, as well as the last person to get one until 1968.
In 1967, along with Bobbie Gentry, James hosted the first Country Music Association Awards show.
From 1969 through 1971, James became the first country artist to achieve a feat previously not done in the country music industry. In the middle of his highly successful run of 16 consecutive number-one hits, of the next seven singles that James released, five had previously been moderately successful releases for soulful R&B artists Ivory Joe Hunter, Brook Benton and Clyde Otis, and Jimmy Reed. Those five songs were "Since I Met You Baby", "It's Just a Matter of Time", "Endlessly", "Empty Arms", and "Bright Lights, Big City", all of which hit number one on the Billboard country charts.
In 1969, Billboard named Sonny James as Country Music's Artist of the Year.
In February 1971, James was the first country artist whose music went into space; he made a special music recording for the crew of Apollo 14. They later presented him with one of the small American flags that they had carried to the Moon.
On August 15, 2015, exactly 51 years to the day when he first teamed up with the Southern Gentlemen in 1964, James was inducted into the Birmingham Record Collectors Hall of Fame. Gary Robble, one of The Southern Gentlemen, accepted the award on behalf of James and all of The Southern Gentlemen.