Sonny Throckmorton

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Sonny Throckmorton
Birth nameJames Fron Throckmorton
Born (1941-04-02) April 2, 1941 (age 82)
Origin
Warner Bros.

James Fron "Sonny" Throckmorton (born April 2, 1941) is an American

Broadcast Music Incorporated and the Nashville Songwriters Association International
.

Biography

Throckmorton was born in

rock & roll before switching his focus to country music at record producer Pete Drake's suggestion. By 1964, he played bass guitar for Carl Butler and Pearl, and had been signed to a publishing contract; his first hit as a songwriter was "How Long Has It Been", which was a Top Ten country hit for Bobby 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, including

Broadcast Music Incorporated in 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, with Mel McDaniel, George Strait and Doug Stone recording 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 with

Warner Bros. Records, releasing the album Southern Train but no singles.[2] Throckmorton retired to his ranch in Texas in 1988 to care for his dying father.[1]

In 2019 Willie Nelson recorded a version of Ride me back home by Sonny Throckmorton and also named his new album after it.

Discography

Albums

Singles

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