Hall of Fame Songwriter Mark James Got Hooked on Creating Hits for Other Performers

After serving in the Vietnam War, Mark James moved to Memphis and soon his songwriting career took off. In just two years — 1968 and '69 — he wrote "Eyes of a New York Woman," "Hooked on a Feeling" and "It's Only Love" for B.J. Thomas. 

Next, he wrote "Suspicious Minds." He recorded his own version to little acclaim, but the song became a major hit for Elvis Presley, revitalizing Presley's career. James also co-wrote "Always on My Mind," which won two Grammys and became a number one hit for Willie Nelson in 1982. 

BMI, the music performing rights organization, recognized him as one of the songwriters of the 20th century for the hits "Hooked on a Feeling," "Suspicious Minds" and "Always on My Mind."

The picture of James in this episode's thumbnail is from his profile in the  Songwriters Hall of Fame, in which he was inducted in 2014. The photo is credited to Randy Anderson.

James and Thomas were friends since childhood. You can watch Thomas perform "Hooked on a Feeling" in 2009 in this video and listen to him sing "It's Only Love" here. Or listen to the 1974 version performed by the Swedish rock band Blue Suede.

You can go here to listen to James' version of "Suspicious Minds."

This tribute is one of 41 stories that Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime journalist, has written and recorded in honor of the music notables who passed away in 2024. He's written tributes for other years as well. You can listen to the ones from 2023 on Everyday Creation. We'll have the 2022 tributes available later this year.

Sheldon also is the creator of Song of the Day, a story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email [e-mail] with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.