Sonny Throckmorton
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Sonny Throckmorton | |
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| Birth name | James Fron Throckmorton |
| Born | April 2, 1941 Carlsbad, New Mexico,U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, singer |
| Years active | 1965–1988 |
James Fron"Sonny"Throckmorton(born April 2, 1941) is an Americancountry musicsongwriter. He has had more than 1,000 of his songs recorded by various country singers. He has also had minor success as a recording artist, having released two major-label albums:The Last Cheater's Waltzin 1978 onMercury RecordsandSouthern Trainin 1986 onWarner Bros. Records.Throckmorton is a member of theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame,and has been awarded Songwriter of the Year by bothBroadcast Music Incorporatedand theNashville Songwriters Association International.
Biography
[edit]Throckmorton was born inCarlsbad, New Mexico,[1]and his family moved toWichita Falls, Texasshortly after his birth.[2]After graduating from college, he moved toSan Francisco, Californiaand first playedrock & rollbefore switching his focus to country music at record producerPete Drake's suggestion.[citation needed]By 1964, he played bass guitar forCarl Butler and Pearl,and was signed to a publishing contract; his first hit as a songwriter was "How Long Has It Been," which was a Top Ten country hit forBobby Lewis.[2]Throckmorton was later signed to a contract with Sony/Tree Publishing, but was fired after none of his songs became hits.[2]
Throckmorton returned to Texas in 1975. However, other songwriters had continued selling his songs, and he was soon re-hired by Tree Publishing. Over 150 of his songs were recorded in only nine months, includingJohnny Duncan's first Number One hit, "Thinking of a Rendezvous."[2]Other artists who had hits with his songs includedJohn Conlee,Dave & Sugar,Merle Haggard,The Oak Ridge Boys,andJerry Lee Lewis.[2]Throckmorton was also signed to a recording contract withMercury Recordsin 1976, although none of the singles from his debut albumThe Last Cheater's Waltzreached Top 40.[2]He was also named Songwriter of the Year by theNashville Songwriters Association Internationalin 1978, 1979 and 1980,[1]as well as Songwriter of the Year byBroadcast Music Incorporatedin 1980. Between 1976 and 1980, at least one of his songs appeared on the country charts almost every week,[2]and overall, more than a thousand of his songs were recorded by country artists.[2]Throckmorton's streak of songwriting continued into the 1980s and 1990s, withMel McDaniel,George StraitandDoug Stonerecording his material as well.[2]
Throckmorton was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985. Three years later, he signed to a second recording contract withWarner Bros. Records,releasing the albumSouthern Trainbut no singles.[2]Throckmorton retired to his ranch in Texas in 1988 to care for his dying father.[1]
In 2019,Willie Nelsonrecorded a version ofRide Me Back Homeby Sonny Throckmorton and released an album with the same title.[citation needed]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- Last Cheater's Waltz(1978)
- Southern Train(1986)
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | US Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Rosie" | 76 |
| 1977 | "Lovin' You, Lovin' Me" | 73 |
| 1978 | "I Wish You Could Have Turned My Head (And Left My Heart Alone)" | 54 |
| 1979 | "Smooth Sailin'"/"Last Cheater's Waltz" | 47 |
| "Can't You Hear That Whistle Blow" | 66 | |
| 1980 | "Friday Night Blues" | 89 |
| 1981 | "A Girl Like You" | 77 |
References
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
