Sonny Throckmorton
Induction Year: 1987
Birth Name: James Fron - Sonny Throckmorton
Birth Date: April 02, 1941
Place of Birth: Carlsbad, NM
Biography
(on songwriters coming to Nashville)"The odds sure are against the newcomer, but there's room for a great new songwriter. Probably not much room for a good one, the good ones get looked over. I'm going to tell the truth. It's not a daydream. It's a hard job. It can be a job or a hobby, but if it's a hobby then the returns are generally in hobby form. I did it for 14 years and nothing. Then all of a sudden I got 90 songs cut in a two-year period...Yeah, it's been worth it for me. When you do what you want to do, you're rich."
Education:
High School--Wichita Falls High School (graduated in 1959)
College--Midwestern University
Discography / Career Highlights
Career Milestones:
1962--cut first album in Los Angeles on a small label
1964--moved to Nashville
1966--first big cut, "How Long Has It Been," recorded by Bobby Lewis
1975--moved to Texas
1976--moved back to Nashville and signed a new contract with his old publisher, Tree Publishing
1976--1st #1 hit, "Thinking of a Rendezvous," recorded by Johnny Duncan
Awards:
1977--Cashbox\Songwriter of the Year
1979--ACM\Song of the Year\It's a Cheating Situation
1979--NSAI\Songwriter of the Year
1980--DJ Songwriter of the Year
1980--NSAI\Songwriter of the Year
1985--ACM\Song of the Year\Why Not Me
Catalog Highlights:
"Middle Age Crazy" - Artists: Jerry Lee Lewis
"I Wish I Was Eighteen Again"- Artists: George Burns, Jerry Lee Lewis
"Tryin' to Love Two Women" - Artists: Oak Ridge Boys
"The Way I Am" - Artists: Merle Haggard
"Thinkin' of a Rendezvous" - Co-writer: Bobby Braddock, Artists: Johnny Duncan
"I'm Knee Deep in Loving You" - Artists: Dave & Sugar
"Last Cheater's Waltz" - Artists: - T.G. Sheppard, Emmylou Harris
"I Wish You Could Have Turned My Head" (and Left My Heart Alone) - Artists: Sonny Throckmorton, Peggy Forman, Oak Ridge Boys
"Fadin' In, Fadin' Out" - Co-writer: Bobby Braddock, Artists: Tommy Overstreet
"I Feel Like Loving You Again" - Co-writer: Bobby Braddock, Artists: T.G. Sheppard
"It's a Cheating Situation" - Co-writer: Curly Putnam, Artists: Moe Bandy
"Where the Cowboy Rides Away" - Co-writer: Casey Kelly, Artists: George Strait
"Why Not Me"- Co-writer: Harlan Howard, Brent Maher, Artists: The Judds
Comments:
Song "Middle Age Crazy" made into a movie with Bruce Dern and Ann Margret (1980)
"I Wish I Was Eighteen Again," made into movie "18 Again" (1987) starring George Burns
