Mark James, a Songwriters Hall of Fame member who wrote or co-wrote “Suspicious Minds,” “Always on My Mind” and “Hooked on a Feeling,” died June 8 at his home in Nashville. The news was reported by his hometown newspaper, the Houston Chronicle.
James was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014. BMI named him one of its Songwriters of the Century in 2000, citing all three of the aforementioned tunes as being on a list of the 100 greatest songs of the 20th century.
James won two Grammys, both in 1983 for “Always on My Mind,” which he shared with co-writers Wayne Carson and Johnny Christopher. It won both song of the year and country song of the year after being recorded by Willie Nelson, who took it to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the country songs chart. It was previously recorded by — and is often associated with — Elvis Presley, although his 1972 version was not a major hit at the time in the U.S., having been issued as an Elvis B-side. A cover version by the Pet Shop Boys was arguably as big internationally as Nelson’s, reaching No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 4 in the U.S. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
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