B.J. Thomas to release ‘The Living Room Sessions’: Pull up a chair

It only took 50 years but this time somebody done somebody right. Music legend B.J. Thomas, whose endless roster of iconic pop, country and gospel hits defined endless generations is celebrating an extraordinary half century in music by releasing an intimate acoustic album of stripped down, reworked versions of 12 of his most renowned songs.

“The Living Room Sessions” celebrates five decades of remarkable music and over 70 million records sold since Thomas’ first gold record, a hit cover of Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” gathering together a matchless collection of musical all-stars to lend their gifts to the outstanding album.

One of Billboard’s Top 50 Most Played Artists over the past 50 years, the five-time Grammy and two-time Dove Award winner invites longtime fans – and newcomers too – into his “living room” for never-heard-before arrangements of his legendary classics.

The rock and roll call contributing their talents to the spring 2013 release reads like a “Who’s Who” of music, including Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Keb’ Mo’, Isaac Slade of The Fray, Richard Marx, Steve Tyrell, and others.

Working with celebrated country music producer Kyle Lehning (Randy Travis, Willie Nelson) at Sound Stage Studio in Nashville and backed by some of Music City’s finest session musicians, Thomas recorded many of the cuts as duets from his “wish list” of “genre-bending” guest artists, including Marx (“(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”), Gill (“I Just Can’t Help Believing”), Keb’ Mo’ (“Most of All”), Lovett (“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”), Slade (“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”) and Tyrell (“Rock and Roll Lullaby”).

“The Living Room Sessions” also includes four solo performances by Thomas: “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Eyes of a New York Woman,” “Whatever Happened To Old Fashioned Love” and “Everybody’s Out of Town.”

The popular artist continues to perform 60-80 shows annually throughout the U.S. and internationally – from Australia to Hong Kong to Paris – and with plans to tour with the release of “The Living Room Sessions.”