Are you feeling it yet? The tremendous soul from these great 100 Top R&B Songs of the 70's*...Inside the Rock Era has presented the first 30--here are numbers 70 through 61.
#70--"Lean On Me" by Bill Withers
We just heard from one of the last songs of the decade to make the list. We go back to 1972 for this great one from Bill Withers. We've already featured it once in our just-completed special of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*. It did well on the R&B chart as well.
The song reached #1 on June 24, spent 17 weeks on the chart and sold a million copies. It was out at the same time as "Oh Girl" from the Chi-Lites and "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right" by Luther Ingram. The song would do better on a mass appeal basis--in the R&B genre, it ranks #70 for the 1970's*.
#69--"The Hustle" by Van McCoy
Here's a #1 song that taught us all how to do the dance The Hustle. It was bigger on the popular chart, but still strong enough R&B to make this list.
McCoy was born in Washington, D.C. and was an A&R guy at Scepter/Wand records, producing Gladys Knight, the Drifters, the Shirelles, the Stylistics, and others. This song hit #1 on July 12, 1975, remained on the R&B chart for 19 weeks and it too sold well over a million copies. Again, it would likely rank higher in The Top 100 Songs of the 70's* than it does in The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 70's*, but there was little competition at the time on the R&B chart, which holds the song down here.
#68--"Back In Love Again" by L.T.D.
We heard L.T.D. with "Love Ballad" already. Here's their biggest career hit from the group from North Carolina that once backed Sam & Dave. It features lead singer Jeffrey Osbourne
It spent an impressive 22 weeks on the chart and sold a million copies. Sandwiched between mega-hits "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me" by Barry White and Earth, Wind & Fire's "Serpentine Fire", it still found time to reach #1 for two weeks in November.
#67--"Want Ads" by Honey Cone
This Los Angeles trio had a smash in 1971, reaching #1 for three weeks in May and June. The song spent 14 weeks on the chart and it too sold over a million records.
It was out at the same time as "Never Can Say Goodbye" from the Jackson 5 and "Mr. Big Stuff" by Jean Knight so competition indeed helped this song.
#66--"You Haven't Done Nothin'" by Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5
Wonder put together a great streak of four consecutive #1's on the R&B chart beginning with this song but it was also part of a streak of nine songs that placed in the Top 3.
"You Haven't Done Nothin'" refers to U.S. President Richard Nixon and it's a complete rebuttal of Nixon's policies in the 1970's. Released at a time when Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love" and Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" were dominating the R&B chart, it still found its way to #1 for two weeks in September and October of 1974. All told, it spent 16 weeks on the chart.
#65--"Sweet Thing" by Rufus
This group from Chicago, Illinois evolved from the quartet American Breed ("Bend Me, Shape Me"). Once Chaka Khan got on board with lead vocals, they had the right sound.
The song spent 19 weeks on the chart and sold a million copies. "Disco Lady" by Johnnie Taylor was the main competition but there was little else at the time that was strong on the R&B chart. "Sweet Thing" did log two weeks at the #1 spot in February, 1976.
#64--"ABC" by the Jackson 5
We go back in time from the end of the decade to the beginning. In fact, this was the fifth #1 song of the 70's on the R&B chart. "Rainy Night In Georgia" by Brook Benton which we've already heard, and "Love On A Two-Way Street" from the Moments were both out at the same time.
The Jackson 5 reached #1 on April 4 and spent the entire month (four weeks) at the top. It only lasted a total of 12 weeks on the chart, so not good longevity, and it did not sell a million copies. But no doubt the song belongs high up in The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 70's*.
#63--"Getaway" by Earth, Wind & Fire
We revealed that "Boogie Wonderland", Earth, Wind & Fire's collaboration with the Emotions, made the list at #71. Here's the second of many from the group.
"Getaway" was Earth, Wind & Fire's third #1. The song reached the top in August and remained there for two weeks. It spent 17 weeks on the R&B chart and sold a million copies. The song received fairly good competition from Aretha Franklin's "Something He Can Feel", "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" from Lou Rawls and "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" by K.C. & the Sunshine Band.
#62--"Close the Door" by Teddy Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass just squeezed in "Turn Off the Lights" in the Top 100; this one made it easily. Teddy began as the drummer for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in 1969 and became their led singer the following year.
After he went solo in 1976, Pendergrass reached #1 on the R&B chart with this one for two weeks in July, 1978. "Close the Door" spent 19 weeks on the chart and went gold. Pendergrass was nominated for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance for this song at the Grammy Awards. It didn't have strong competition although it did keep "Use Ta Be My Girl" by the O'Jays from a longer run at #1.
Here's another winner from this Los Angeles-based group. Singer/songwriter/percussionist Maurice White formed the group after being a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio. The group took its name from the three elements of Maurice's astrological sign.
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