fridaynightboogie

"A Little Sooner" By Billy James

Listen to a clip of "A Little Sooner" performed by Billy James, written by Joan Carol Stone, published by McGibony Publishing/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "A Little Sooner"Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"But We Do" By Billy James

Listen to a clip of "But We Do" performed by Billy James, written by Louise Shields/Dale Meador, published by McGibony Publishing/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "But We Do" MP3 Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"Love Is Something Worth Holding On To" By Billy James

Listen to a clip of "Love Is Something Worth Holding On To" performed by Billy James, written by Richard McGibony, published by McGibony Publishing/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "Love Is Something Worth Holding On To" MP3. Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"Look What Love's Done For Me" by Billy James

Listen to a clip of "Look What Love's Done For Me" written by Richard McGibony, published by McGibony Publishing/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "Look What Love's Done For Me" MP3  Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"Don't Take The Kids And Move Away" by Billy James

Listen to a clip of "Don't Take The Kids And Move Away" performed by Billy James, written by Vern Decato, published by McGibony Publishing/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "Don't Take The Kids And Move Away" MP3 . Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"State Of Confusion" By Billy James

Listen to a clip of "State Of Confusion", performed by Billy James, written by Richard McGibony, McGibony Publishing/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "State Of Confusion" MP3  Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"Makin' Money On My Misery" By Billy James

Listen to a clip of "Makin' Money On My Misery" performed by Billy James, written by Art and Alton Corey, published by McGibony Publishing/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "Makin' Money On My Misery"  Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"Big Smokin' Gun" By Billy James

Listen to a clip of "Big Smokin' Gun", performed by Billy James, written by Richard McGibony, published by McGibony Publishing/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "Big Smokin' Gun"Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"I Need You" by Billy James

Listen to a clip of "I Need You" performed by Billy James, written by Richard McGibony, published by McGibony Publishing, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "I Need You" MP3 Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"The Need For My Woman" by Billy James

Listen to a clip of "The Need For My Woman" performed by Billy James, written by Louise Shields and Richard McGibony, published by McGibony Publishing, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "The Need For My Woman" MP3Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"One 8x10 Framed In Gold" By Billy James

Listen to a clip of "One 8x10" Framed In Gold", performed by Billy James, written by Richard McGibony, published by McGibony Publishing/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "One 8x10 Framed In Gold" MP3Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"Where No One Stands Alone" By Billy James

Elvis Presley won three Grammy awards during his lifetime, all for his gospel performances. Friends and musical associates often remarked that Presley was happiest when singing gospel music. The 1967 album HOW GREAT THOU ART, a collection of fourteen sacred songs drawn largely from the standards of the genre, was his third gospel recording and his first Grammy winner. "Where No One Stands Alone" is from this album. Listen to a clip of "Where No One Stands Alone", performed by Billy James, written by Mosie Lister, published by Mosie Lister Songs/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "Where No One Stands Alone"  Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"You Gave Me A Mountain" By Billy James

This song was written by singer-songwriter Marty Robbins during the 1960s. Elvis Presley performed it at several of his concerts, including the famous “Aloha from Hawaii: Via Satellite”. Listen to a clip of "You Gave Me A Mountain", performed by Billy James, published by Mariposa Music Inc/BMI, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "You Gave Me A Mountain" MP3   Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"Reach Out To Jesus" By Billy James

It is in the field of Christian music that Ralph Carmichael has been most prolific. In particular, his experiments in pop-rock style in the 1960s and 1970s have brought him recognition as the "Father of Contemporary Christian Music".  He founded Light Records in order to widen the audience for the music of the Jesus People. He was subject to controversy from within the church, being called a heretic for his use of guitars in worship and his adaptations of Gospel songs to big band stylings. One of Carmichael's contemporary hymns, "Reach Out to Jesus", was recorded by Elvis Presley, on the singer's 1971 Grammy Award-winning album of sacred songs, He Touched Me. Listen to a clip of "Reach Out To Jesus" performed by Billy James, published by EMI Christian Music Group/ASCAP, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "Reach Out To Jesus" MP3  Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"He Touched Me" By Billy James

He Touched Me was a 1972 gospel music album by Elvis Presley which sold over 1 million copies in the US alone and earned Presley his second of three Grammy Awards. Not counting compilations, it was his third and final album devoted exclusively to gospel music. The song "He Touched Me" was written in 1963 by Bill Gaither, an American singer and songwriter of southern gospel and Contemporary Christian music. Listen to a clip of "He Touched Me" performed by Billy James, published by Gaither Music Co/ASCAP, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "He Touched Me" MP3. Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"It Is No Secret What God Can Do" By Billy James

Back in the 50's there was a well known radio host/comedian/song writer in Hollywood named Stuart Hamblen who was noted for his drinking, womanizing, partying, etc. One of his bigger hits at the time was "I won't go hunting with you Jake, but I'll go chasing women." One day, along came a young preacher holding a tent revival. Hamblen had him on his radio show presumably to poke fun at him. In order to gather more material for his show, Hamblen showed up at one of the revival meetings. Early in the service the preacher announced, "There is one man in this audience who is a big fake." There were probably others who thought the same thing, but Hamblen was convinced that he was the one the preacher was talking about (some would call that conviction) but he was having none of that. Still the words continued to haunt him until a couple of nights later he showed up drunk at the preacher's hotel door around 2AM, demanding that the preacher pray for him! But the preacher refused, saying, "This is between you and God and I'm not going to get in the middle of it." But he did invite Stuart in and they talked until about 5 AM at which point Stuart dropped to his knees and with tears, cried out to God. But that is not the end of the story. Stuart quit drinking, quit chasing women, quit everything that was 'fun.' Soon he began to lose favor with the Hollywood crowd. He was ultimately fired by the radio station when he refused to accept a beer company as a sponsor. Hard times were upon him. He tried writing a couple of "Christian" songs but the only one that had much success was "This Old House", written for his friend Rosemary Clooney. As he continued to struggle, a long time friend named John took him aside and told him, "All your troubles started when you 'got religion,' was it worth it all?" Stuart answered simply, "Yes." Then his friend asked, "You liked your booze so much, don't you ever miss it?" And his answer was, "No." John then said, "I don't understand how you could give it up so easily." And Stuart's response was, "It's no big secret. All things are possible with God." To this John said, "That's a catchy phrase. You should write a song about it." And as they say, "The rest is history." The song Carl Stuart Hamblen wrote was "It Is No Secret." "It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you. With arms wide open, He'll welcome you. It is no secret, what God can do...." By the way... the friend was John Wayne. And the young preacher who refused to pray for Stuart Hamblen? ...That was Billy Graham. Listen to a clip of "It Is No Secret What God Can Do" performed by Billy James, published by Hamblin Music Co. Inc/ASCAP, produced by Craven Productions. Download the full song "It Is No Secret What God Can Do"  Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"In The Garden" By Billy James

An astonishing story lies behind the making of one of the most beautiful of Methodist hymns. Written in 1912 by C. Austin Miles, as a commission by a music publisher, "In the Garden" was no less spiritually inspired for all its secular beginnings.

Written in 1912 by C. Austin Miles, as a commission by a music publisher, “In the Garden” was no less spiritually inspired for all its secular beginnings. Miles left an accounting of the writing of it. He describes sitting in a darkened room and taking up the Bible for inspiration. “My hands were resting on the Bible while I stared at the light blue wall. As the light faded, I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. A woman in white, with head bowed, hand clasping her throat, as if to choke back her sobs, walked slowly into the shadows. It was Mary. As she came to the tomb, upon which she place her hand, she bent over to look in, and hurried away.... Mary reappeared; leaning her head upon her arm at the tomb, she wept. Turning herself, she saw Jesus standing, so did I.” I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear, The son of God discloses. The image of Mary arises out of the initial stanza, as she seeks her lost son. People who are bereaved take comfort and succor from the lyrics of the refrain, in which it becomes clear that the loved one’s spirit is yet alive and ever present. The stanza is generally sung in a sweet, almost unsure, light and wistful tone, while the refrain is sung joyfully with great strength and conviction. And He walks with me, and he talks with me And He tells me I am His own, And the Joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known. “I awakened in full light,” finished Miles in his accounting, “gripping the Bible, with muscles tense and nerves vibrating. Under the inspiration of this vision I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed the poem exactly as it has since appeared. That same evening I wrote the music.” It does not take a terribly religious individual to grasp in the hearing of the song its seamless content and timeless power to tame grief. This can only have come of Miles’s astonishing spiritual experience the night he wrote it whole of one piece. It is a hymn that eases pain for all who sing it or hear it sung.

Listen to a clip of "In The Garden" performed by Billy James, produced by Craven Productions.

Download "In The Garden"

Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"Thanksgiving Day" By Billy James

Listen to my Thanksgiving 2010 Radio Show.  Thank you for listening and Happy Holidays! Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

"She's Keeping Me Strong" By Billy James

Listen to a clip of "She's Keeping Me Strong" performed by Billy James, written by Irene J. Gaskins/BMI. Download "She's Keeping Me Strong" Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com

Country Music's Taboo Song

Who's Rocking The Cradle" is considered Country Music's Taboo Song. It is highly controversial and was presented to many top country music artists by Mr. Cliffie Stone, including Reba McEntire, but only Billy James dared to record it. Listen to a clip of "Who's Rocking The Cradle" performed by Billy James, written by Joan Carol Stone and Curt Fries/BMI. Download "Who's Rocking The Cradle"   Visit Billy's Website fridaynightboogie.com