Grammy Winner Mark James Has Died

The Songwriters Hall of Fame member's music was recorded by Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson.

By Allison Schonter

Mark James, the Grammy-winning songwriter behind hits like "Hooked on a Feeling, "Suspicious Minds" and "Always on My Mind," has died. James passed away at his Nashville home on Saturday, June 8, according to the Houston Chronicle. He was 83. A cause of death was not disclosed.

"Mark's legacy and zest for life will live on in the hearts of those who loved him, and through his timeless lyrics and melodies that have been the soundtrack of lovers for generations," his family said in a statement. "He was a captivating storyteller who had the sweetest smile, the most infectious laugh and a twinkle in his eye that never dimmed."

Songwriters Hall Of Fame 45th Annual Induction And Awards – Backstage
(Photo:

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 12: Honoree Mark James attends Songwriters Hall of Fame 45th Annual Induction And Awards at Marriott Marquis Theater on June 12, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)

- Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)

Born Francis Zambon on Nov. 29, 1940, in Houston, Texas, James changed his name when he began performing guitar in public because Houston club owners didn't like the sound of Francis Zambon. He went on to release his first single, "Jive Note," in 1959, before forming the Mark James Trio. After serving in Vietnam, he relocated to Memphis, where he signed to a music publishing company and connected with B.J. Thomas, helping write Thomas' breakout hit "The Eyes of a New York Woman," "It's Only Love," and later, the chart-topping "Hooked On a Feeling," which was later covered by artists including Blue Swede and the Hives, and has since appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.

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James was also a frequent songwriter for Elvis Presley, writing the King of Rock's "Suspicious Minds." Reflecting on the song, he told the Chronicle in 2014, "that song was a sledgehammer,." The hit became Presley's last No. 1 song before his death in 1977. Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter later turned it into a country hit in 1976, and The Fine Young Cannibals made the track a Brit-pop success in 1986. He also co-wrote "Always on My Mind" with Wayne Carson and Johnny Christopher. The song was initially written for and recorded by Presley in 1972, but it was Willie Nelson's recording of it that earned James his two Grammys in 1963.

James was named in BMI's list of the Songwriters of the Century in 2000 alongside Paul McCartney and Elton John, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014. He also entered the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame, the New York Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife, Karen; his daughters, Sammie and Dana; and grandchildren.

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