We continue now with the next 10 artists in our Adult Contemporary special:
At #60, an artist which debuted in the 80's:
#60. Breathe
There's few formats that wouldn't do very well with the artist at #59:
#59. Journey
The original members of Journey began in San Francisco in 1973. Santana alums Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie were part of that original lineup. Bassist Ross Vallory and drummer Aynsley Dunbar completed the group, but it wasn't until the group hired Steve Perry as lead singer in 1977 that they took off.
At #58, an artist who has come a long ways since his rock & roll days.
#58. Michael Bolton
Bolton began his career in hard rock and heavy metal, once opening for Ozzy Osbourne. He became famous after a stylistic change in the 1980's towards Adult Contemporary music. Michael got his first break when his song, "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" reached #1 on the AC chart for Laura Branigan.
The next artist finally saw his career take off in the 80's in the way that he and music critics had hoped:
#57. Bruce Springsteen
After seeing Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show at age seven, Springsteen knew what he wanted to do. In 1965, he became the lead guitarist and eventually the lead singer of the Castiles, who performed at several places including Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village, New York.
Springsteen has sold more than 65 million albums in the U.S. and has won 21 Grammys, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award for his work.
The next featured artist from Canada was a hard-working singer-songwriter waiting for his big break:
#56. Dan Hill
Hill left high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the age of 17 to work as a songwriter for RCA Records. He achieved his first success with the ballad "Sometimes When We Touch" in 1977.
We've heard from 45 artists so far, and up next is a popular superstar who also came into his own in the 80's:
#55. Kenny Loggins
Loggins got his break as a $100-a-week staff songwriter and wrote four songs on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1970 album Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy, including "House at Pooh Corner".
The brilliant Kenny Loggins was a little-known singer/songwriter when he was introduced to Jim Messina in 1970. Messina arranged for Loggins to sign a six-album contract with Columbia Records and helped in terms of songwriting, arrangement, guitar and vocals so that an "accidental duo" was born.
He scored another big AC hit with "Heart to Heart". In 1985, Loggins joined the all-star cast of U.S.A. for Africa on "We Are the World".
Twelve of Loggins' album have gone Platinum and Kenny has enjoyed hit songs in four consecutive decades.
The next artist in the special has faced the difficult question of "How do follow up a legend for a father?" She has done quite well:
#54. Natalie Cole
The daughter of legend Nat King Cole, Natalie began singing in small clubs after graduation. She made her own name beginning in the 70's with the album Inseparable. Although she won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, Cole went through a long dry spell and didn't begin to achieve her potential until spending six months in a rehab facility for drug addiction.
Natalie began the decade with the album Don't Look Back in 1981, and had a huge hit with "Someone That I Used to Love". After her rehab in 1983, Cole signed with Modern Records and the album Dangerous began to reverse the negative trend she had been experiencing. "A Little Bit of Heaven" was a minor hit for Natalie.
In 1989, Natalie released the album Good to Be Back, which included the #1 "Miss You Like Crazy" and the minor hit "I Do".
The #53 artist received his big break when talented Roberta Flack came looking for a new singing partner:
#53. Peabo Bryson
Bryson went to several concerts at an early age, developing his love of music from seeing artists such as Sam Cooke, Little Richard and Billie Holiday. Bryson made his professional debut at the age of 14 signing for a local group. When Peabo recorded at the studios of Bang Records in Atlanta, Georgia, the label was not impressed with his band, but general manager Eddie Biscoe did like Bryson. Biscoe signed Peabo to a contract as a writer, producer and arranger.
Bryson teamed up with Roberta Flack for two huge AC hits--"Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" and "You're Looking Like Love to Me".
After several albums, Peabo scored big with "If Ever You're in My Arms Again". The song became Peabo's first #1 on the AC chart and it remained there for four weeks. In 1985, he appeared on the television soap opera One Life to Live to sing a lyrical version of its theme song. Bryson's vocals were added to the theme and his voice was heard daily until 1992. Bryson scored another Top 10 in the genre with Regina Belle on the song "Without You" in 1988.
Bryson has sung duets with Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, Melissa Manchester, Minnie Riperton, Deborah Gibson, Regina Belle and Sandi Patti.
It's all in the family for our #52 artist:
#52. DeBarge
Sister Bunny and brothers Mark, Randy, El and James formed groups in the mid-70's. They eventually became DeBarge and sent a demo tape to Motown CEO and founder Berry Gordy, who signed them.
In 1982, the group's second album, All This Love paved the way for success, led by the title track, which reached #1 on the AC chart, and the minor hit, "Time Will Reveal". The follow-up, In a Special Way, reached Gold status in the United States. Following that success, Luther Vandross handpicked DeBarge to open for him on a national tour.
Sparked by the success of the tour, DeBarge recorded the Diane Warren song "Rhythm of the Night" for Motown's movie, Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon. The song was also the title for the group's 1985 album, and it became their biggest career success, selling over a million copies. "Rhythm of the Night" became the second #1 from the group, which scored a third with "Who's Holding Donna Now" in 1985.
The next artist followed that familiar path of going from lead singer to solo star:
#51. Jeffrey Osbourne
Jeffrey is the youngest of 12 children of what is indeed a musical family. His father, Clarence "Legs" Osborne, was a trumpeter who played with Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Lionel Hampton. Jeffrey began his career in 1970 with Love Men Ltd., later known as L.T.D.
Osborne released his self-titled debut album in 1982, which yielded the Top 10 AC hit "On the Wings of Love". His sophomore release,Stay with Me Tonight, reached Platinum status. In 1985, Jeffrey wrote the lyrics to "All at Once" for Whitney Houston and also sang on the U.S.A. for Africa song, "We Are the World". Osborne sang the vocals for the theme song of the television soap opera, Loving, from 1992-1995.
Join us tomorrow on Inside the Rock Era for the next installment of 10 artists.
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