Sonny James was born James Loden on May 1, 1929, in the little town of Hackleburg, Alabama. He began his career at the age of three as a member of his family’s band, “The Lodens.” The group built a reputation throughout the South for their radio shows and personal appearances.

Sonny served 15 months in Korea before returning to the entertainment circuit. He met and played with Chet Atkins, who later got him a tryout with Capitol Records. The label liked what it heard and offered him a contract.

Sonny’s first single, “That’s Me Without You” hit the Country Top Ten in early 1953. Subsequent releases were not very successful, but in 1956 “For Rent (One Empty Heart)” became his second big hit. James, who played guitar on virtually all of his records, followed up with two 1956 Top Ten near - misses “Twenty Feet of Muddy Water” and “The Cat Came Back.” His next single became his biggest hit: “Young Love” spent nine weeks at number one during 1956 - 57, and crossed over to top the pop charts also. This multi-million seller began a string of 20 consecutive number one recordings, which was a record until 1988 when the group, Alabama, broke it.

During his career, Sonny James was a headliner on some of the biggest shows around: The Big D Jamboree in Dallas; The Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport; The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville; and finally The Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Missouri. 

Sonny was named the top Male Country Singles Artist numerous times by the major music industry publications, Billboard, Cash Box and Record World, and was named Country Male Artist of the Decade by Record World for the 1960s. He co-hosted the first CMA Awards Show in 1967, and was the first country recording artist honored in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He made frequent appearances on television shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Bob Hope, and Red Foley, and credits them as “key figures” in his success.

Dusty Owens
TCM Radio News