Billie Jo Spears

GAC extends condolences to the family, friends and fans of country artist Billie Jo Spears. Spears passed away at her home in Vidor, Texas on Wednesday morning. Billie Jo had five songs reach the Top 10 on the country charts between 1969 and 1977. Her biggest hit and only No. 1 was “Blanket on the Ground,” which was released in 1975.

Born in Beaumont in 1937, Billie Jo made her professional debut at 13 during a concert in Houston. She cut her first single, “Too Old For Toys, Too Young For Boys,” while she was still a teenager and performed on the Louisiana Hayride at 13. After high school, she performed in nightclubs while seeking a record deal. Famed songwriter Jack Rhodes worked with her to provide her material in her early years. She signed her first record deal in 1964 with United Artist Records, but had little success. She moved over to Capitol Records in 1968.

Her first hit came in 1969 when “Mr. Walker It’s All Over” reached No. 4 on the country charts and No. 80 on the pop charts. She had four more Top 40 country hits in the next two years, then went four years without a hit. During that stretch, she recorded cover versions of popular country songs like “Ode To Billie Joe” and “Harper Valley PTA.”

In 1975, Billie Jo returned to United Artists Records and also returned to the charts with “Blanket on the Ground.” The song had previously been turned down by Nashville producers, who were concerned about the chorus, which talked about ‘slipping around,’ would be misread. Controversy never materialized, however, and it went on to become her only No. 1 hit. She followed it up with the Top 10 hit “What I’ve Got In Mind.” The song did even better in Europe, becoming a Top 5 hit in the UK.

Billie Jo’s success in the United States tapered off in the mid-1980s. However, she remained popular in the UK where she went on to record a number of albums for the British market that have not been released in the U.S. She has been described as ‘The Queen Mother of Country Music.’ She underwent two surgeries on her vocal cords in the early ’70s and made a full recovery from both. She also had triple bypass surgery in 1993, which she also recovered from, and continued touring. The cause of her death has not yet been made public.

Here’s a clip of Billie Jo singing her signature song, “Blanket On The Ground”

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