Mark James was a songwriter who wrote a string of major hits performed by artists like Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson, including “Hooked on a Feeling,” “Suspicious Minds,” and “Always On My Mind.”
· Died: June 8, 2024 (Who else died on June 8?)
· Details of death: Died in Nashville at the age of 84.
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Mark James’ legacy
Born in Houston, Mark James began playing music at an early age: first the violin while in grade school, and later guitar and piano. He played the club circuit there before serving a stint in Vietnam with the U.S. Army; when he returned to the United States, he connected with Memphis producer Chips Moman. In 1968, via Moman, James released the song “Suspicious Minds” as a single. A year later, it was covered by Elvis Presley. The recording became a chart-topping hit and one of Presley’s most enduring songs.
James signed with Screen Gems-Columbia Music as a songwriter in 1972, and the hits from him kept coming. Brenda Lee had success with her recording of his “Sunday Sunrise,” plus Presley did more of his songs — “Raised on Rock,” “It’s Only Love,” and “Moody Blue” among them. James’ best-known work was arguably “Always On My Mind,” which became a hit for Presley, Willie Nelson, and the Pet Shop Boys — with Nelson’s version winning Grammy Awards in 1983 for Best Country Song and Song of The Year, plus others.
James often wrote for his lifelong friend, singer B. J. Thomas. These songs include “Hooked on a Feeling,” which was a hit for Thomas and again a chart-topper for Blue Swede, a version made popular again in the 2000s, thanks to its use in “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
In 2015, James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Tributes to Mark James
Full obituary: Variety
