B. J. Thomas celebrates a birthday today (August 7) and we celebrate with him by sharing a bit about his brand new album, and five things you probably didn't know about him.

Though he's best known for the Academy Award Winning Song Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, the musical career of B.J. Thomas has been so much more than one song. And now, he has a brand new recording called The Living Room Sessions, which re-invents many of his greatest hits like Rock and Roll Lullably, Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song, and Hooked on a Feeling. The album  includes duets with music veterans like Richard Marx, Vince Gill, and Lyle Lovett. In the words of one of his many hits, 'some love songs never die.'

Happy 72nd birthday to B.J. and here's five things  you probably didn't know about B.J. Thomas.

  • 1

    B. J. Thomas ranks in Billboard's top 50 most played artists of the last 50  years. He's won five Grammy Awards, two Dove Awards for his gospel albums, and has sold more than 70 million albums.

    (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
    (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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  • 2

    B. J. has been married to his wife, Gloria, for 45 years, and they have three daughters and three grand daughters. His wife became a Christian in 1975, and a short time later, so did he. You can see her in this video on the making of the Living Room Sessions.

  • 3

    In December of 2013, his single Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, written by Burt Bacharach,  was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The song was recorded in 7 takes, because Bacharach reportedly didn't like the first six. In the movie version of the song(Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) Thomas was recovering from laryngitis, so his voice sounded more hoarse than it does on the radio single.

  • 4

    Home Where I Belong was his first Christian album (an album I have in my collection) and the first Christian album to go platinum. The album won a Grammy and a Dove. Thomas was the biggest contemporary Christian artist of the period.

  • 5

    B. J.Thomas is the only artist to have the 'Song of the Year' on the pop, country, and gospel charts. He's had 15 top 40 pop/rock hits, 10 top 40 Country hits, and became the 60th member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1981. Here's a cut from the Living Room Sessions featuring Sara Niemetz on an unplugged rendition of Hooked on a Feeling. Here's the deal. The guy can still really sing!

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