Thomas was born in rural Hugo, Oklahoma, in the year 1942. He grew up in Houston and then later grew in Texas. He completed his graduation at the Lamar Consolidated High School, Rosenburg. With this, he was influenced by different king of music genres. This includes music genres like pop, country, rock, and gospel. Along with this, he got his major influence in music from the traditional country of Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams. He began his singing career by starting to sing in church in his childhood. He later joined the Houston-based band named The Triumphs.
BJ Thomas Net Worth
It was in the year 1966 when Thomas got his first recognition. He was able to lend his vocals to ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ for Scepter Records. This single peaked at number eight on pop charts and even became Thomas’s first million-selling single. Following this, he released his next single called titled Mama. It was in the same year he also dropped his solo album. Thomas had to wait till 1968 to achieve his second million-selling single, ‘Hooked on a Feeling’. Thomas’s sophomore album ‘On My Way’ got signed with Paramount Records. The golden age for BJ Thomas was in the 1960s and 1970s. His 1975 album ‘Reunion’ rose his fame much more. Thomas blended country, soul, gospel, and soft rock in his works. He sold more than 70 million records throughout his entire music carrier.
BJ Thomas had quite a busy career in his six decades-long music career. BJ Thomas was awarded various awards throughout his lifetime, this includes 6 Grammy and a Grammy hall of fame. BJ Thomas mainly earned through record sales, album tours, royalties, and lucrative brand endorsements. Reports suggest that BJ Thomas Net Worth is valued at more than $5 million net worth throughout his entire life. Thomas was married to Gloria Richardson in 1968. Gloria is also a singer and songwriter. The couple has three daughters who were named Erin, Nora, Paige. Nora. The couple also adopted a child from North Korea in 1978. At some darker parts of Thomas’s life, the singer went through a rough patch where he was addicted to drugs. But he was able to fight back his addiction when his wife, Gloria, stood with him and helped him to quit drugs. BJ Thomas later became a believer in 1976 and then dropped a gospel album in 1976. This gospel awarded him with a Grammy. Billy Joe Thomas released his last album in 2013, titled The Living Room Sessions. This album celebrated his six-decade-long career in the music industry.
BJ Thomas Grammies
The Grammy Award, or as all call Grammy, is one of the most popular awards around the world. This award is presented by the Recording Academy in order to recognize talented artist’s achievements in the music industry. The trophy given to Grammy winners depicts a gilded gramophone. The Grammys are held every year where artists are awarded for their works in the previous year. Achieving a Grammy is a huge thing as not everyone is able to achieve it.
BJ Thomas was among the fortunate and hard-working, talented people who were awarded Grammy. BJ Thomas not only won Grammy once, but he won them five times again throughout his carrier. Thomas won his first Grammy for the category Male pop vocal performance in the year 1970. It took nearly eight years for him to win another Grammy for the category Inspirational Performance. He continued to win this for the next two years and later in 1982. In the year 1981, BJ Thomas was awarded Grammy in the category of Gospel Performance, Contemporary. In 2014, The Grammy Awards awarded BJ Thomas with the Hall of Fame award. Also Read: When Was The Hollywood Sign Erected, The History Of Iconic Structure?