James, Sonny, 1928-2016

“Sonny” James Hugh Loden was born May 1, 1928 in Hackleburg, Alabama, to a
musical farming family. His parents, Archie Lee "Pop" Loden and Della Burleson Loden,
and sister Thelma Lee Loden (Holcombe), known as The Loden Family, had their own
radio show on WMSD-AM in Muscle-Shoals, AL in the early 1930s.The Loden Family
unofficially adopted a young Ruby Palmer, who also sang in the family band. While the
Loden Family started with a radio show in Muscle Shoals, they moved over the next 15
years to do radio shows in Jackson, MS, Blytheville, AR, Knoxville, TN, Raleigh, NC,
Memphis, TN and Birmingham, AL. They did a live show very weekday morning and
performed in the listening area on the weekends at auditoriums and tent shows. James
also won many fiddle contests throughout the southeast.
James served in the Korean War in the Alabama Army National Guard. After his
service in the military, he moved to Nashville, TN. In 1954, James was signed by Ken
Nelson to Capitol Records, when it was suggested he change his stage name for
simplicity to Sonny James. James became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in
October 1962. In the 1970s he signed with Columbia Records. Sonny James
produced Marie Osmond’s “Paper Roses”, on MGM Records in 1973; the song sold
over one million records.
From 1953 to 1983, Sonny James charted 72 times, including 23 that reached #1.
According to Billboard statistics, between 1960 and 1979 he spent fifty-seven weeks in
the #1 chart position—more than any other country artist of the era.
Sonny James was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

<objectXMLWrap>
<container xmlns="">
<filename>/data/source/findingAids/unc/30005.xml</filename>
<ead_entity en_type="persname">James, Sonny</ead_entity>
</container>
</objectXMLWrap>

The collection contains materials assembled by Raymond Pulley when he hosted "The Cuzin' Ray Hoedown" radio program. Included are news clippings about the station; Cuzin' Ray letterhead; a Carl Smith Award presented to the radio station; sheet music; publicity photographs (many autographed) of country and pop musicians including Roy Acuff, Jack Anglin, Anita Carter, Helen Carter, June Carter Cash, Maybelle Carter, the Chordettes, the Clinch Mountain Clan, Stoney Cooper, Wilma Lee Cooper, Red Foley, Bill Hayes, Sonny James, the Louvin Brothers, Marion Marlowe, Benny Martin, Dusty Owens, Webb Pierce, Elvis Presley, Jerry Reed, Jim Reeves, Mimi Roman, Tommy Smith, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, Justin Tubb, Kitty Wells, the Wilburn Brothers, Johnnie Wright, and Faron Young; 45-rpm single recordings by Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley on the Sun Records label; and an open-reel audiotape of interviews conducted on 12 February 1956 with Elvis Presley, Maybelle Carter, Helen Carter, June Carter Cash, and Anita Carter. There are also photographs of those interview sessions and of the artists performing on stage

The collection consists of recordings, films, images, and papers collected by Eugene Earle. The recordings consists of commercial and non-commercial transcription discs, audiocassettes, and open reel recordings documenting a wide array of radio programs and performers of blues, country music, jazz, old-time music, popular music, swing, and other types of music from 1939 through the early 1980s. One series of the collection is government-sponsored Army V-Discs and Navy V-Discs from World War II. These discs were issued, October 1943-May 1949, and feature material from a variety of sources, including special recording sessions, radio broadcasts, broadcast rehearsals, film soundtracks, and issued and unissued commercial recordings. Along with the Armed Forces Radio Service, the V-Disc group was a morale-building unit that addressed the need for current music by the troops overseas. As V-Discs were produced exclusively for use by military personnel and the many artists who volunteered to perform on the recordings were adamant about the discs not being commercially sold or used, many of the V-Disc metal pressing parts were destroyed by the United States Army. Consequently, the V-Discs that survived document performances by artists unavailable on any other recordings. Other transcription discs are of the "Ralph Emery Show," which aired on WSM radio in Nashville, Tenn., 1971-1974, and showcased some of the leading country music performers of the day; the "Lawrence Welk Show"; and various government-sponsored radio shows, such as "Country Roads," :Navy Hoedown," :Sounds of Solid Country," "The Veterans Administration Presents Here's to Veterans," "The United States Army Presents Country Express," "The United States Air Force Presents Country Music Time," and "Country Cookin'."