Though he'll forever be most recognized as the voice behind the most iconic version of the Burt Bacharach-penned "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," BJ Thomas has enjoyed a long-lasting career with plenty of other notable milestones. Raised in the Houston, Texas area, he first began singing as a member of his church choir. As his voice matured, he joined The Triumphs, a vocal pop group that recorded a handful of songs but never found an audience. After the group dissolved, Thomas set off to pursue a solo career, using his powerful voice to combine bits of his gospel background with a heavy interest in country music. The late-1960s marked the first real upswing in his career, as Thomas found his first hit with "Hooked on a Feeling," which reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. Following hot on that single's success, he recorded "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," a sunny piece of classic pop, for the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The track won an Academy Award for "Best Original Song" later that year, and cemented Thomas as a staple on AM radio. In the 1980s, he saw a bit of a career resurgence when he recorded the title music to the popular family sitcom, Growing Pains. Now nearly 50 years into his career, Thomas continues to tour and even record, most recently releasing albums full of Christian and holiday songs.
