On This Day in 1971, Sonny James Was at the Top of the Country Chart with His 15th Consecutive No. 1 Single

On this day (July 25), country singer Sonny James was at No. 1 with “Bright Lights, Big City.” It was his 15^th consecutive No. 1 single in a streak of 16 chart-toppers. His hot streak started in 1967 with “Need You” and ended in 1971 with “Here Comes Honey Again.” The line of No. 1 hits spanned five years and 13 albums.

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While James isn’t widely remembered by modern country fans, he was a massive force for the genre in the 1960s and early ’70s. Over the course of his career, he scored 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. His first chart-topper came in 1957 when “Young Love” topped the chart and stayed there for nine weeks. He topped the chart for the final time in 1974 with “Is It Wrong (For Loving You).”

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Sonny James Covers a Blues Legend

Highly influential bluesman Jimmy Reed wrote “Bright Lights, Big City” with his wife, Mary “Mama” Reed. He released it as the first single from Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall in 1961. It was a hit for Reed, landing at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart and No. 58 on the Hot 100. The song’s tight 12-bar blues and Reed’s steady, driving guitar style are great examples of what made him so influential to future generations of musicians.

The likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Hank Williams, and The Rolling Stones count Reed as an influence. The Stones have recorded songs by the blues legend, including “Little by Little” and “Honest I Do.”

When Sonny James recorded “Bright Lights, Big City,” The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Led Zeppelin were some of the biggest bands in the world. Their blues-based hard rock was the driving sales of records and tickets alike. So, taking on a classic blues tune was a safe bet for the massively successful country singer.

His rendition of the song featured some interesting guitar work that sounds more like the rock and roll of the late 1950s than the driving sounds of the 1970s. It also stood out from the country crowd in a year when songs like Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden,” Sammi Smith’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” and Charley Pride’s “I’m Just Me” were spending multiple weeks atop the country chart.

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