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Composer of two of the most well-known pop recordings
of all time, Willie Nelson's version of "Always On My Mind"
and Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds". James recorded the latter in 1968
and it bombed, but Elvis took it to #1 a year later. Elvis would continue to use James as
a songwriter. " Raised On
Rock" shared the marquee with "For Ol' Times Sake"
as the title of a 1973 Elvis release.
He also co-wrote the title track of B.J. Thomas's 1978 LP, Everybody Loves A Rain Song. It was not the first time he had
collaborated with Thomas. They
were childhood friends, raised in Houston, Texas, and as B.J.'s
career began to take off in the late '60s, James was along for the
ride, penning "The Eyes of a New York Woman", "Hooked on
a Feeling", and "It's Only Love". James' biggest success,
perhaps, came in 1982 when Willie Nelson covered "Always On My Mind",
co-written with Wayne Carson and John Christopher, and originally recorded
by Brenda Lee. It won a Grammy
and two consecutive CMA Song of the Year awards. Mark James was recently invited to
Elvis Unlimited's "Back in Memphis" show, headlined by his
old friend, B.J. Thomas.
John Wesley
Ryles recordings
You Are Always
On My Mind (Wayne Carson/John Christopher/Mark James)
Sources:
1.
http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0054311
2.
http://www.elvisnews.com/Presentation/Functional/Page/news.aspx?command=show&item=9488
3.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_James_%28songwriter%29
4.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595936/suspicious_minds
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