In 1969, Sonny James took a song that had already been a major R&B hit more than a decade earlier and gave it an entirely new life on the country charts.
“Since I Met You Baby” had originally been written and recorded by Ivory Joe Hunter in 1956. Hunter’s version topped Billboard’s R&B chart and reached No. 12 on the Hot 100, making it one of his signature recordings. Thirteen years later, James’ country interpretation would take the song all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
There was actually a little history between the two singers before James ever recorded it.
According to accounts of the song’s history, James met Hunter backstage at The Ed Sullivan Show in 1957 and suggested that “Since I Met You Baby” could work as a country song. Hunter agreed and encouraged him to record it. James eventually followed through more than a decade later.
James released his version in August 1969, and it quickly became another major success during one of the most impressive stretches of his career. The song reached No. 1 on the country chart in October, becoming his 13th country chart-topper. It also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 65.
The hit was part of a remarkable run for James, who was known for bringing pop and R&B songs into the country mainstream. In fact, five of the songs in his eventual streak of 16 consecutive No. 1 country singles had previously been recorded by R&B artists. “Since I Met You Baby” was the first of those five during that particular stretch.
The strategy was clearly working. James followed the song with more R&B-rooted material, including “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” “Endlessly,” “Empty Arms” and “Bright Lights, Big City,” and all four eventually reached No. 1 on the country chart as well.
More than 50 years later, what began as an R&B standard became, in James’ hands, another country classic and a major milestone in his extraordinary run at the top of the charts.
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