Paul Cotton was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who was a key member of the band Poco. Cotton’s best known song with the band is “Heart of the Night,” which was a major hit from the group’s Legend album. He also penned the song “Barbados.” Paul Cotton passed away in July 2021.
BJ Thomas will forever be famous for the lucky break he almost didn’t get. Composer Burt Bacharach was turned down by his top two choices to record a song for the soundtrack of a quirky western in 1969. But when Bob Dylan and Ray Stevens put up their umbrellas, Thomas would step in to ride “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” to the top of the US charts and a Best Song Oscar. Despite battles with drug and alcohol addiction, Thomas’s honeyed baritone would lead him to become a mainstay of the pop and country charts and, after recovery and a religious awakening, he would record a handful of gospel hits. In May 2021, lung cancer took Billy Joe Thomas from us, but thanks to his time here, many of us will never hear a rainstorm the same way.