R.I.P.: Mark James, Hit-Making Songwriter of ‘Suspicious Minds'

Mark James, a chart-topping songwriter who channeled his own longings in the hit “Suspicious Minds” made famous by Elvis Presley, and whose upbeat “Hooked on a Feeling” became a 1970s staple with an improvised “ooga-chaka” intro, died June 8 at his home in Nashville. He was 83, according to The Washington Post.

After mostly shifting from performing to song crafting in the 1960s, James’s soulful ballads and country-infused pop were covered by stars including B.J. Thomas, Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam. Nelson’s 1982 version of the wistful “Always on My Mind” — which Mr. James co-wrote with Wayne Carson and Johnny Christopher — won Grammy awards for song of the year and best country song.

By 1968, Mr. James had his first successes as a songwriter. Thomas, a friend from Houston, covered “The Eyes of a New York Woman” and “Hooked on a Feeling,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1969.

One night in Memphis, Mr. James was toying with melodies on his Fender guitar and Hammond organ. He was married, but was still smitten by his childhood sweetheart. She was married, too. “My wife suspected I had those feelings,” he recalled, “so it was a confusing time for me. I felt as though all three of us were all caught in this trap that we couldn’t walk out of.”

So begins “Suspicious Minds”: “We’re caught in a trap/ I can’t walk out/ Because I love you too much, baby.”

James first recorded the song in 1968, but the single received little attention. His producer, Lincoln “Chips” Moman, had an upcoming recording session with Presley. Moman felt he had a hit on his hands, and he and James introduced Presley to the song. His version, released in 1969, soared to the top of the charts (Presley’s last No. 1 single) and became one of his signature songs at concerts for years.

“Elvis had been out of the market a while,” Mr. James recalled. “Tom Jones was the big thing then. There were questions about how old can a rock artist be. But I bet on Elvis.” Rolling Stone lists “Suspicious Minds” among the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Presley recorded five songs by James, including “Always on My Mind” in 1972 and “Moody Blue,” on an album of the same name released shortly before Presley’s death in 1977.

And “Hooked on a Feeling” was sent into a surprising direction. In 1971, singer Jonathan King added a chanting “ooga-chacka” opening. The Swedish band Blue Swede kept the “ooga-chacka” prelude in a version that topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974.

James was born Francis Rodney Zambon in Houston on Nov. 29, 1940. (He took the name Mark James after Houston club owners said they didn’t like Francis Zambon.)