Doug Davis | Friend sent James a hit

Sonny James.
Sonny James.

This week in 1972: The U.S. widened hijacking curbs to include foreign airline operations in the U.S.; The U.S. canceled Jimmy Hoffa's permit to go to Hanoi on a peace seeking mission; U.S. halted a $3 million loan to Uganda after Idi Amin praised Hitler; and a singer from Hackleburg, Alabama, had his 41st hit record.

A lot of hit songs come from friends of the artists, and according to Sonny James, that was the case with his 1972 No. 1.

Sonny said, "I had a good friend who lived in North Alabama named Edgar Clayton and Edgar knew that a lot of material crossed each artist's desk all the time. The songs are either sent in or handed to them by publishers or writers - or wanna-be writers - and Edgar always kept an ear out for songs for me. He knew good songs and things that he liked and this was a song that he just loved so he sent me a tape of "When the Snow is on the Roses." I will never forget calling him back - thanking him for sending me the song and that I loved the song and couldn't wait to get in the studio to record it. He was very pleased that I liked the song because he loved it and thought I would, too. So just a few days after getting the tape in the mail, I was in the studio recording the song."

Sonny James' Capitol Records single "When the Snow is on the Roses" was released May 7, 1972 and was in the No. 1 spot on September 16th.

The song was written by Larry Kusick, Eddie Snyder, Ernest Bader and Hans Last. The single was produced by George Richey.

It was Sonny James' 41st charted song and his 22nd No. 1. It was on the charts for 15 weeks.

Sonny James (born: James Loden in 1928) placed 72 songs on the country music charts between 1953 and 1983 - including 23. Twenty-one of his 72 country charted songs also made the pop charts.

Sonny joined The Grand Ole Opry in 1965 and was inducted into The Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2006.

Sonny James died in 2016.

 

Join Doug Davis weekends on KPIG-FM Radio 103.9 and 98.5 from 6 a.m. to noon for "Roots of Country" on Saturdays and "Sunday Country" on Sundays. You can also listen on the internet at Mypigradio.com and on the My Pig Radio Facebook page.

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