Ep. 64 - MARK JAMES ("Suspicious Minds")
b'Legendary songwriter Mark James is best known for writing the perennial standards \\u201cAlways On My Mind\\u201d and \\u201cSuspicious Minds,\\u201d the latter earning induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame and named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the Greatest Songs of All Time. Both compositions were originally hits for Elvis Presley, who recorded additional charting singles by James, including \\u201cMoody Blue,\\u201d \\u201cRaised on Rock,\\u201d and \\u201cIt\\u2019s Only Love.\\u201d Mark\\u2019s initial success came with B.J. Thomas, who hit the charts with his songs \\u201cThe Eyes of a New York Woman,\\u201d \\u201cEverybody Loves a Rain Song,\\u201d and the Top 5 single \\u201cHooked on a Feeling,\\u201d which was revived as a #1 hit by Blue Swede in 1974 and was prominently featured in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy. Additional hits from the Mark James songbook include Brenda Lee\\u2019s Top 10 country single \\u201cSunday Sunrise\\u201d and previous Songcraft guest Mac Davis\\u2019s Top 10 pop single, \\u201cOne Hell of a Woman.\\u201d Mark found his greatest success with Willie Nelson\\u2019s revival of \\u201cAlways On My Mind\\u201d in 1982. The record hit #1 on the country chart, became a Top 5 pop single, won BMI Song of the Year, earned CMA Song of the Year two years in a row, and was awarded a Grammy for both Best Country Song and Song of the Year. Other artists who\\u2019ve recorded Mark\\u2019s material include The Box Tops, Percy Sledge, Lou Rawls, Pet Shop Boys, Julio Iglesias, Helen Reddy, Waylon Jennings, Fine Young Cannibals, Dwight Yoakam, Phish, and Martina McBride. In 2000, BMI named Mark one of the top Songwriters of the Century. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.'