The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Artists of the 1980's: #100 to #91

A couple of things to keep in mind, because one of my pet peeves is the plethora of misinformation about music, artists, and "chart success".  First, this is a ranking of Adult Contemporary music, which for some time has been the most popular genre of rock music, a branch of rock that features soft rock and rock ballads.  This ranking of The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Artists of the 1980's* is just that--it is a ranking of how artists did on the Adult Contemporary chart, and not the popular or overall chart.  In other words, these are not The Top 100 Artists of the 1980's*, rather they are the most successful artists in the AC genre.  Big difference.


Second, this is a ranking of the achievements of AC artists only in the 80's decade.  Some artists enjoyed their entire career in this one decade and will rank very high.  But that in no way means they are ranked ahead of all the artists behind them for all-time, either for purely Adult Contemporary or especially including all formats.  Those lists would be called The Top Adult Contemporary Artists of All-Time* and The Top Artists of the Rock Era, respectively.  Clear?  


This format became relevant in the 1980's.  It had been called Easy Listening prior to 1978, and garnered only a small share (less than 10%) of the rock audience.  But beginning with its name change and adjustment to be more "hip", Adult Contemporary came into its own in the 80's.  Later in the decade, Adult Contemporary became the dominant format, a title it holds to this day.  Although the exact year that its methodology became more accurate than what is passed as "top 40" can be disputed, there can be no doubt that this change took place.


So with that understanding, we proceed with The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Artists of the 1980's*!

This "younger sister" began an amazing solo career in the 80's:

100. Janet Jackson

Jackson began her career as an actress with the debut of the variety show The Jacksons in 1976 on CBS-TV.  In 1977, Janet starred in the sitcom Good Times.  Later in the decade, she was in A New Kind of Family before joining Diff'rent Strokes from 1981 to 1982 and playing a recurring role in the fourth season of the television series Fame.


Jackson wasn't gung-ho about a music career, but recorded a duet with brother Randy ("Love Song for Kids") in 1978.  When she was 16, she signed a contract with A&M Records and her self-titled debut album was released in 1982.  Brothers Tito, Jackie, Michael and Marlon helped out on her sophomore effort, Dream Street.  In 1985, Janet and sister LaToya sang at the Yamaha Music Festival, where they won a silver medallion and an "Outstanding Song Award".


After Dream Street, Jackson moved out of the house and out from under the control of her father.  John McClain, executive at A&M, hired producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to work with Janet on her third album.  It was a turning point in her career.  Within six weeks, the three were ready to record the album, appropriately named Control.  The album became a #1 LP, selling over 200,000 copies in its first week.  Five of the singles became Top 5 songs on the popular chart. 

 Although Jackson ranks much higher overall or on the R&B charts, she's had enough success to warrant inclusion here.  Janet scored a #2 Adult Contemporary song with "Let's Wait Awhile" and a #10 with "When I Think of You" from the Control album.


Most of Janet's music videos were choreographed by then-unknown Paula Abdul.  Control sold five million copies in the U.S. and 14 million worldwide.  It was nominated for a record 12 American Music Awards, winning four.  Janet picked up trophies for Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("Nasty"), Favorite Female Video Artist - Soul/R&B and Favorite Soul/R&B Video  and Favorite Pop/Rock Video for "When I Think of You".  She was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Album, among others. 


Control also earned seven Billboard Music Awards and another three nominations.  Jackson was recognized as the Top Pop Singles Artist, the Top Pop Singles Artist-Female, the Top Black Artist (combined LP's & singles), the Top Black Singles Artist,the Top Dance Sales Artist, the Top Dance Club Play Artist and the Top Black Single ("Nasty)".  Jackson was also nominated for Album of the Year, Best R&B Song ("What Have You Done for Me Lately") and Best R&B Female Vocal Performance ("Control") at the 1987 Grammy Awards.  She won an MTV Video Music Award (Best Choreography for "Nasty") as well.


In 1988, Jackson released her follow-up, The Pleasure Principle, another wildly popular album, but it was ignored by Adult Contemporary.   Jackson won another MTV Video Music Choreography award for the title track.


In 1989, Jackson released Rhythm Nation 1814.  A&M executives wanted an album similar to Control, but Jackson wanted to send a socially conscious message that complimented her lyrics about love and relationships.  Rhythm Nation also reached #1 on the album chart, sold six million in the United States and 14 million worldwide.  It is the only album in music history to have seven Top 5 hit songs on the popular chart.  The video for the title track won the 1989 Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video.  


Rhythm Nation was the biggest-selling album of the year and won an incredible 15 Billboard awards  Jackson won a special Tanqueray Sterling Music Video Award for Artistic Achievement and was also rewarded for Top Selling Album of the Year, Top Hot 100 Singles Artist of the Year, Top Hot 100 Singles Artist of the Year - Female, Top Selling R&B Album of the Year, Top Selling R&B Albums Artist of the Year, Top Selling R&B Artist of the Year, Top R&B Artist of the Year, Top R&B Female Artist of the Year, Top Female Video Artist, Black/Rap, Best Female Artist, Dance, Director's Awards in both the Dance and the Black/Rap categories, Top Hot Dance 12" Singles Sales Artist of the Year and Top Dance Club Play Artist of the Year. The Rhythm Nation World Tour became the most successful debut tour by any 
recording artist. 

  

With sales now over 100 million records, Janet is one of the best-selling artists in history.  The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists her as the 11th best-selling female artist in the United States.   

At #99, a star of one of the top acts of all-time that explored a few side projects in the 80's:

99.  Barry Gibb 

The #99 Adult Contemporary Artist of the 1980's* has been a member of the famous Bee Gees, but also did considerable work away from that group in the decade. Gibb released the solo album, Now Voyager and contributed the music for the Hawks Soundtrack. In addition, he wrote, sang on, and produced the Guilty album for Barbra Streisand and Heartbreaker for Dionne Warwick.  With Streisand, Gibb hit #5 on the AC chart with "Guilty" in 1980 and enjoyed the #1 smash "What Kind of Fool" in 1981 and he scored a #8 solo hit in 1984 with "Shine Shine".

 

Guinness Book of World Records lists Gibb as the second most successful songwriter in history behind Paul McCartney.

At #98, an artist who once appeared in a cameo role in the movie National Lampoon's Animal House, in which he plays an aspiring folk singer whose guitar John Belushi smashes:

98.    Stephen Bishop

Bishop's career was already well underway by the time the 80's rolled around, and in 1983, he scored the #1 AC hit "It Might Be You" from Tootsie.  He followed that up with the #4 song "Unfaithfully Yours (One Love)" from that movie.  Phil Collins produced a Top 15 Adult Contemporary hit for Bishop in 1989--"Walking on Air".

Bishop released the albums Red Cab to Manhattan, Sleeping with Girls and Bowling in Paris during the decade. He also did soundtrack work for the movies Tootsie and The China Syndrome, and wrote "Separate Lives" for Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin.

Up next, an artist loved the world over:

97.    Julio Iglesias

Julio studied law in Madrid and was a goalie for the Real Madrid professional soccer team until he developed temporary paralysis from a car crash on September 22, 1963.


Doctors thought Iglesias would never walk again, but slowly through constant therapy, Julio began recovering, and to develop and increase dexterity in his hands, he began playing guitar.  When he recovered, Iglesias traveled to the United Kingdom to study English, attending the Bell Educational Trust's Language School in Cambridge, England.


In 1968, Iglesias won the Benidorm International Song Festival in Spain with the song "La vida sigue igual", or "Life Continues Just the Same".  In 1970, Julio represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest, where he won fourth place.  This led to a recording contract with the Spanish branch of Columbia Records.  In 1979, Iglesias moved to Miami, Florida and signed a deal with CBS International. 

 

Together with Willie Nelson, Iglesias had a #3 Adult Contemporary hit with "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", which was certified Platinum, then reached #2 later in the year with "All of You", a duet with Diana Ross.  He also had the Top 15 AC hits "Moonlight Lady" and "My Love", a duet with Stevie Wonder.

Julio Iglesias has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums.  

Up next in this special, one of the most successful artists "out of the gate" in the entire Rock Era:

96.    Taylor Dayne 

 

Dayne began singing in rock bands such as Felony and Next after graduating from high school.  She released two dance singles under the name Les Lee after finishing college.

 

Taylor signed with Arista Records and had two big hits in 1988 on the AC chart: "I'll Always Love You", which went Gold and reached #2, and "Don't Rush Me", a #3 song.  The former was a Top 5 sing in most countries and a #1 in several.  She also got airplay with the song "With Every Beat of My Heart".

This group took a song by the Ad Libs and used it to catapult them into the limelight in the 80's:

95.    Manhattan Transfer

There are two different lineups of Manhattan Transfer--Tim Hause is the only one to be a part of both.  As far as the 80's are concerned, the latter Manhattan Transfer is responsible for its success in the decade.  The name comes from the book Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos in 1925.

 

The second reincarnation of Manhattan Transfer was formed in 1973 and formed a cult following at Max's in Kansas City, Missouri.  Ahmet Ertegun, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records, saw their act at the club Reno Sweeney and offered them a contract.  Manhattan Transfer released their first album in 1975 and in the summer of that year, had their own hour-long variety show on CBS-TV.

The Transfer had a smash with "Boy from New York City", which reached #4 in 1981.  Later in the decade, the hit #5 with "Spice of Life" and #6 with "Mystery", which later became an extremely popular song for Anita Baker.  The group also had minor AC hits with "Route 66" from 1982 and "Baby Come Back to Me (The Morse Code of Love)" from 1984.

 

The group released the albums Mecca for Moderns, Bodies and Souls, Bob Doo-Wopp, Vocalese and Brasil in the decade.

A soul act which debuted in the 80's is next:

94.    Atlantic Starr

Trumpeter Duke Jones, drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer, percussionist and flutist Joseph Phillips, guitarist Sheldon Tucker and the Lewis brothers, David on vocals, keyboardist Wayne Lewis and Jonathan Lewis (percussion and trombone) started Atlantic Starr in 1976.  

 

The group broadened its appeal beyond R&B beginning in the 80's with their album As the Band Turns.  They hit #1 with "Secret Lovers" and scored a minor hit with "if Your Heart Isn't In it" in 1986.  The group enjoyed the monster across-the-board hit "Always" in 1987 from their album All in the Name of Love.  

Just ahead of Atlantic Starr, the exciting, upbeat music of a surprising group from England:

93.  Swing Out Sister

This group was formed by Andy Connell on keyboards and Martin Jackson on drums with Corinne Drewery joining them later on vocals.  The name comes from the 1945 movie Swing Out, Sister starring Arthur Treacher. 

 

Swing Out Sister signed with Mercury Records in 1985 and the following year, they released their debut album, It's Better to Travel.  It went to #1 in their native England, a mix of jazz and pop.  The first single, "Breakout", generated a buzz about the group with its effervescent sound and rose to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.  The jazzy "Twilight World" continued the success later in the year, reaching #7.  The group was nominated for two Grammy Awards:  Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo for "Breakout".  

 

Jackson left the group while making the second album, Kaleidoscope World.  The album again received critical praise and reached the Top 10 in the U.K.  Famed songwriter Jimmy Webb arranged two tracks on the album.  An orchestra was added, providing a richer, fuller sound.  "Waiting Game" peaked at #6 on the AC chart in 1989.  

Another British group that was part of the second invasion in the 80's was like a shooting star--they were hot all at once, then faded into obscurity:

92.    Culture Club 

Culture Club was:  Boy George on lead vocals, Mikey Craig playing bass, Roy Hay on guitar and keyboards and Jon Moss playing drums and percussion.  They were a hot group in the beginning of the decade as their second album, Colour by Numbers, has gone over 10 million in sales worldwide.

 

The group's other albums were Kissing to Be Clever, Waking Up with the House on Fire and From Luxury to Heartache.

 

Culture Club hit #8 on the AC chart with "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" in 1982, reached #6 with "Time (Clock of the Heart)" the following year, scored a #3 song in 1984 with "Karma Chameleon" and peaked at #8 in 1984 with "It's a Miracle".

At #91, eight siblings that didn't even make up half of the family:

91.    Jets

Here's a family group from Minneapolis, Minnesota comprised of the eight youngest brothers and sisters in a family of 19 that was originally from the island of Tonga.  They formed in 1985 and released the albums The Jets, Magic and Believe in the decade.  Several members revived the group in the mid-to-late 1990's as a gospel group.

 

All members of the group played at least two instruments.  Their first single, "You Got It All", was a #1 AC smash in 1987, and they followed that up with another #1, "Make It Real" in 1988.  The group also had a minor AC hit with "The Same Love".

The Jets performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the seventh game of the 1987 World Series.  They also performed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and after reforming, also appeared at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Coming up tomorrow--numbers 90 through 81...