Mark James, Grammy-winning songwriter of ‘Always on My Mind’, dies at 83

Legendary songwriter Mark James who wrote Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” and “Always on My Mind” and BJ Thomas’s “Hooked on a Feeling” has died aged 83.

James died in his home in Nashville on 8 June. The news was first reported by his hometown newspaper, the Houston Chronicle.

“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,” they said.

James was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014, and in 2000 was named in BMI’s list of the Songwriters of the Century, alongside Paul McCartney and Elton John. James also entered the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame, the New York Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“Always on My Mind,” which he co-wrote with Wayne Carson and Johnny Christopher, won James two Grammys for country song of the year and song of the year in 1983. The song was previously recorded by Elvis Presley in 1972, and released shortly after he separated from his wife Priscilla. However, it was released as a B-side track and didn’t make too many waves.

Willie Nelson’s rerecording of the song in 1982, on the other hand, took “Always on My Mind” to the fifth spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top of the country songs chart, which then resulted in the Grammy wins.

A synth-pop cover by the Pet Shop Boys in 1987, on a television show commemorating tenth anniversary of Presley’s death, did so well that the duo released the song as a single, spending four weeks atop the UK’s Christmas number-one chart.

“Always on My Mind” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.

Over his career span, James’s compositions were recorded several times by Presley. “Suspicious Minds,” “Raised on Rock,” “It’s Only Love” and “Moody Blue” were all James’s compositions.

James described “Suspicious Minds” as a “sledgehammer” in the Houston Chronicle in 2014, which was Presley’s last No. 1 song before his death in 1977.

James had released it himself in 1968, trying to set up his own music career, but it was Presley’s recording that really made it a hit.

“Late one night, fooling around on my Fender guitar and using my Hammond organ pedals for a bass line, I came up with a catchy melody. I was married to my first wife then but still had feelings for my childhood sweetheart, who was married back in Houston,” James told the Wall Street Journal about “Suspicious Minds” in 2012.

“My wife suspected I had those feelings, so it was a confusing time for me. I felt as though all three of us were all caught in this trap that we couldn’t walk out of.”

A year later, Presley was told about the song, and reportedly went “crazy about it” when he heard it. “He wanted to hear the song over and over again, and learned it on the spot,” said producer Chips Moman.

Presley not only recorded the song, but used almost the same arrangement to record his version.

“In the years that followed, whenever I saw Elvis, he’d cross the room just to say hello to me – no matter who was with him. After he died, I heard he’d always asked the guys in the studio, ‘Did Mark send me any more songs?’ Golly, I wish I had known that,” James said.

Several of James’s songs have found popularity after other artists released covers. Swedish rock band Blue Swede hit No 1 with their version of “Hooked on a Feeling” in 1973. This cover was used in Tarantino’s 1992 film Reservoir Dogs, and in the trailers and soundtrack of Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014.

Born Francis Zambon in Houston, Texas in 1940, James was teased in school because his father was a teacher and had to wear orthotics because of bad ankles. He found refuge in cinema, and learned that “a great story can be told again and again.”

He changed his name to Mark James very early in his career, because Houston club owners didn’t like the name Francis Zambon. His fledgling career was put on hold as he was drafted to fight in Vietnam. On his return, he signed with a music publishing company in Memphis, and wrote “The Eyes Of A New York Woman” and “Hooked On A Feeling” for B J Thomas’s album On My Way.

James ended up writing over 300 songs in a seven-decade long career, and even studied film scoring at the University of California at Los Angeles.

James is survived by his wife, Karen Zambon, his daughters Sammie and Dana Zambon, grandchildren and extended family.