Mark James, the Grammy-winning Songwriters Corridor of Fame member behind hits like “Hooked on A Feeling, “Suspicious Minds” and “At all times on My Thoughts,” has died. He was 83.
James died on June 8 in his Nashville house. The information was first reported by the Houston Chronicle.
“Mark’s legacy and zest for all times will dwell on within the hearts of those that cherished him, and thru his timeless lyrics and melodies which were the soundtrack of lovers for generations,” his household stated through assertion.
James received each of his two Grammys in 1963 for “At all times on My Thoughts,” which he co-wrote with Wayne Carson and Johnny Christopher. The Willie Nelson hit took house trophies for nation music of the 12 months and music of the 12 months. James and his co-writers initially wrote the tune for Elvis Presley, who launched the observe with out a lot fanfare in 1972. Nelson’s model a decade later popularized the music, and a canopy by the Pet Store Boys additionally achieved worldwide success. “At all times on My Thoughts” was inducted into the Grammy Corridor of Fame in 2008.
James was a frequent songwriter for Presley, writing King of Rock and Roll’s “Suspicious Minds,” amongst others. “That music was a sledgehammer,” he instructed the Houston Chronicle in 2014. In 1969, the observe grew to become Elvis’ final No. 1 music earlier than his dying in 1977.
James could also be most well-known for his music “Hooked on A Feeling” — initially written for B.J. Thomas in 1969 and since lined by quite a few artists, together with Blue Swede and the Hives. The music, recognizable throughout generations, additionally seems in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Canines and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
James was inducted into the Songwriters Corridor of Fame in 2014, a decade and a half after BMI named him one in all its Songwriters of the Century in 2000. He was additionally inducted into the Texas Songwriters Corridor of Fame, the New York Songwriters Corridor of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Corridor of Fame.
James was born Francis Zambon in Houston, Texas, in 1940. His father was an Italian contractor and his mom was a instructor. He frequented the flicks as a toddler, the place he discovered that “a fantastic story might be instructed time and again.” He started his profession as a performer, altering his title early on as a result of Houston membership house owners didn’t just like the sound of Francis Zambon.
He’s survived by his spouse, Karen Zambon, his daughters Sammie and Dana Zambon, grandchildren and prolonged household.
