DIscography: Taylor Swift

Definitely the hottest act this century, Swift has sold over 116 million albums since 2006.

2006:  Taylor Swift (#5 in U.S., #14 in Canada, 7 million in global sales)

2007:  Holiday Collection (1 million in global sales)

2008:  Fearless (#1 in U.S., Canada and New Zealand, #2 Australia, 12 million in global sales, her best album)

2010:  Speak Now (#1 in U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, 6 million in global sales)

2012:  Red (#1 in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland,7 million in global sales)

2014:  1989 (#1 in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Denmark, 12 million in global sales)

2017:  Reputation (#1 in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Denmark, 3 million in global sales)

2019:  Lover (#1 in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Spain, 3 million in global sales)

2020:  Folklore (#1 in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Spain, 3 million in global sales)

          Evermore (#1 in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, 2 million in global sales)

2022:  Midnights (#1 in every major country in the world, 3 million in global sales)

2024:  The Tortured Poets Department (#1 in every major country in the world, 8 million in global sales)

Re-recordings:

2021:  Fearless (Taylor's Version) (#1 in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, 1 million in global sales)

          Red (Taylor's Version) (#1 in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway (2 million in global sales)

2023:  Speak Now (Taylor's Version) #1 in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway and Spain, 2 million in global sales)

          1989 (Taylor's Version) (#1 in every major country in the world, 3 million in global sales)

Live Albums:

2011:  Speak Now World Tour--Live (#11, 500,000 in global sales)

2020:  Live form Clear Channel Stripped 2008

          Folklore:  The Long Pond Studio Sessions (#3 in U.S., #4 in U.K.)

2023:  Lover (Live from Paris) (#1 in U.K., #2 in U.S., #2 in Ireland)

Compilations:

2013:  Complete Album Collection Boxed Set

Top One-Hit Wonders Goes Over 2,000 Page Views; Inside The Rock Era approaching 5 Million Page Views!

Thanks to our revamped One-Hit Wonders special and renewed interest in Billy Joel from his And So it Goes documentary, Inside The Rock Era is honing in on 5 million page views.  We cannot thank you enough!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #210-201

As we zero in on The Top 200*, enjoy these 10 One-Hit Wonders*!

Two talented session musicians teamed up to form this group:

#210:  Tarney Spencer Band--"No Time To Lose" 

Alan Tarney and Trevor Spencer met while playing in two Australian groups: Johnny Broome and the Handels and the Vectormen. In 1969, both emigrated to the U.K along with Kevin peek and Terry Britten. The four formed the band Quartet and released two singles on Decca Records.

In 1973, Tarney and Spencer backed Cliff Richard in the Eurovision Song Contest and became session musicians for artists such as Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Bonnie Tyler, the New Seekers, John Farrar and Hank Marvin.  Spencer joined the Shadows from 1973-1977, while Tarney appeared on albums by Cliff Richard and the Shadows from 1970-1979.

Tarney and Spencer formed a duo in 1975 and released their debut album in 1975.  Their first single "I'm Your Man Rock And Roll" was a minor U.K. hit and Tarney and Spencer appeared on the television show Top of the Pops.  

In 1978, the Tarney/Spencer Band signed a recording contract with A&M Records.  The single "Takin' Me Back" was Top 10 in South Africa.  Then the duo released Three's a Crowd and the album received airplay from AOR stations in the United States, while the single "It's Really You" reached #86.

But it was in 1979 that the Tarney/Spencer Band recorded their top song, "No Time To Lose".  It was featured on the album Run For Your Life and reached #84.  I can tell you firsthand because I was there at the time--A&M didn't promote them properly as they had other "priorities".  A&M cut their 10-album contract short and released them, and shortly after this time, the duo broke up.

Two years later, MTV (which used to stand for Music Television for all you young people!) began, and "No Time To Lose" began to get played.  This led A&M to reissue the song and it fared slightly better, hitting #74 in 1981.

Tarney began producing and was largely responsible for Cliff Richard's resurgence in the United States with "We Don't Talk Anymore" and he also produced A-Ha for three albums, as well as Leo Sayer, Squeeze, the Dream Academy and Charlie Dore.

This group from Great Britain landed a #1 song in 1974:

#209:  Paper Lace--"The Night Chicago Died"  

This group first formed in 1967 as Music Box, but changed to Paper Lace, choosing their name from lace products created from a special grade of high quality paper manufactured in their hometown of Nottingham, England.  The band originally consisted of Dave Manders (guitar and lead vocals), Philip Wright (drums and lead vocals), Mike Harper (lead vocals), Mick Baughan on lead and rhythm guitar, lead guitarist Roy White and bassist Cliff Fish.  The group played small clubs, but their career didn't take off until a win on the television show Opportunity Knocks.

The win drew the attention of songwriters/producers Mitch Murray and Peter Callender, who signed Paper Lace to a contract.  "Billy Don't Be A Hero" was #1 in the U.K., but Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods had the hit in the United States with that song, relegating Paper Lace to #96.  

The follow-up in 1974, however, was a worldwide smash.  From the instant the single "The Night Chicago Died" was released, it shot up to #1 and sold over three million copies.

Paper Lace released two albums but quickly faded from the public mind as they could not produce another popular song.

This artist got his big break when his song about the 1981 Brixton riots caught on:

#208:  Eddy Grant--"Electric Avenue" 

Born in Guyana, Eddy Grant and his parents emigrated to London, U.K. when he was young.  Eddy went to the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at Tufnell Park.  He was the lead guitarist and songwriter for the Equals when they recorded the #1 U.K. hit "Baby, Come Back".

Grant reached #1 in the U.K. with "I Don't Wanna' Dance", but the song was ignored in most countries.  It was "Electric Avenue" that hit #2 in both the U.K. and the U.S. and sold over one million copies.  "Electric Avenue" was #2 in the United States for five weeks in 1983.

Grant had a minor hit with the title song from the movie Romancing the Stone, which reached #26.  "Gimme Hope Jo'anna" was a #7 song in the U.K. and a few other European countries but again Grant could not command a worldwide audience. 

Grant has released 14 albums and 14 singles in his career.  

Eddy set up his own recording company, Ice Records and has produced Sting, Mick Jagger and Elvis Costello.

An artist with an amazing voice graces our special next:

#207:  Eddie Holman--"Hey There Lonely Girl" 

Holman learned the piano and guitar at an early age. At first, he mostly only sang at church. But in 1956, at the age of ten, Eddie appeared on Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York and "wowed" the audience with his great voice. 

Soon, Holman performed at theaters on Broadway and Carnegie Hall.  He learned the technical aspects of music at the Victoria School of Music in Harlem before Holman and his family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  After graduating from high school, Eddie graduated from Cheyney State University with a degree in music.  

Holman recorded his first song "This Can't Be True" in 1965.  He sang with the groups the Delfonics and the Stylistics before releasing "Hey There Lonely Girl" in 1970.  The song reached #2 in the United States and #4 in the U.K. and sold over one million copies.

Eddy became an ordained Baptist minister and uses his singing to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ.  Holman started his own record label, Agape Records, and the Schoochiebug Music Publishing company. 

This group generated one of the surprise #1 songs of the time, then more surprisingly, didn't have a follow-up:

#206:  Dexy's Midnight Runners--"Come On Eileen"   

Kevin Rowland (vocals and guitar), who at the time was going by the pseudonym Carlo Rolan, and Kevin Archer (vocals and guitar) founded Dexy's Midnight Runners in Birmingham, England in 1978.  That pair was joined by Jim Paterson (trombone), Geoff Blythe (saxophone), Steve Spooner (alto sax), keyboardist Pete Saunders, bassist Pete Williams and Bobby Ward on drums.

Dexy's Midnight Runners recorded the single "Dance Stance" in 1979.  The song reached the Top 40 in their native U.K., and the follow-up single, "Geno" hit #1 in Britain.  The latter featured new members Andy Leek on keyboards and Andy Growcott on drums.  Neither single was able to enjoy worldwide success, however.

The group released their debut album, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, in 1980.  Shortly afterwards, most of the members quit the band, upset with personality problems with Rowland, including his imposed press embargo on the group.  Patterson stayed with Rowland and the group added Billy Adams (guitar and banjo), Seb Shelton on drums, keyboardist Micky Billingham, Brian Maurice on alto sax, Paul Speare on tenor saxophone and bassist Steve Wynne.

The group released the single "Show Me" in 1981, which reached #16 in the U.K.  Rowland soon took the group in another direction.  He recruited fiddle players Helen O'Hara, Steve Brennan and Roger MacDuff and bassist Giorgio Kilkenny.

With this lineup, Dexy's Midnight Runners recorded the album Too-Rye-Ay in 1982 with the band dressed in dungarees, scarves and leather waistcoats.  The first single from the album, The Celtic Soul Brothers, reached #45, but the follow-up, "Come On Eileen", hit #1 in the U.K. and finally gave the group a hit in the United States, where it topped the charts and became the #1-selling single of the year.

The group released "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)", their remake of the Van Morrison tune, that hit #5 in the U.K., but their worldwide success was gone.  The brass section (Paterson, Speare and Maurice) left to form the TKO Horns, which recorded with Howard Jones and Elvis Costello.  Billingham left the group to join General Public.

Dexy's Midnight Runners continued to tour until 1983.  Then, after a two-year break, the group returned with the album Don't Stand Me Down.  But the magic was gone and soon the band broke up.   

Curtis Mayfield helped this group get off the ground:

#205:  the Five Stairsteps--"O-o-h Child"                     

This group from Chicago, Illinois was called the "First Family of Soul".  They were a teenage five-member brothers and sister group consisting of lead singer Clarence Jr., Alohe, James, Dennis and Kenneth.  The older members of the quintet attended Harlan High School.  

The father, Clarence Sr., played bass guitar, co-wrote songs and managed the Five Stairsteps, so named because they resembled steps when they were lined up by age.  After winning a talent contest at the Regal Theater, the group received several recording offers.  The group signed with Curtis Mayfield's Windy City label and their first single "You Waited Too Long" was a minor R&B hit.

 Buddah Records picked up national distribution for the group's second album Family Portrait.  In 1970, the Five Stairsteps released "O-o-h Child", which hit #8 and sold over one million copies.  The group had a few other minor hit songs and found some success on the R&B chart, but they had set a standard with "O-o-h Child" that couldn't be matched. 

After the group broke up, Keni recorded as a solo artist on George Harrison's Dark Horse Records and his bass playing can be heard on everyone from the Four Tops to Diana Ross, Sly & the Family Stone, Dusty Springfield, Natalie Cole, Billy Preston, Gladys Knight, Bill Withers and the Emotions.

We feature a pair of brothers next:

#204:  Santo & Johnny--"Sleep Walk" 

Brothers Santo & Johnny Farina hail from Brooklyn, New York.  The pair began taking steel guitar lessons.  When Santo was a teenager, he had a local music store modify an acoustic guitar so he could play it like a steel guitar.

When he was a teenager, Santo performed in amateur shows and was writing songs.  He formed an instrumental trio with a guitarist and drummer.  The group performed at local dances and parties.  When Johnny was 12, he began playing with Santo.  The brothers soon formed a duo and recorded a demo they sent to local New York City record companies.

In 1958, Mike Dee & the Mello Tones (Santo, Johnny and their uncle Mike Dee on drums) recorded an instrumental called "Deep Sleep". 

A music publishing company contacted the brothers and signed them to a songwriter's contract.  Santo & Johnny then signed a recording contract with Canadian-American Records.  "Deep Sleep" became "Sleep Walk", which Santo & Johnny turned into one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*, a #1 song for two weeks in 1959 that sold over one million copies.

After touring Europe, Mexico and Australia, Santo & Johnny signed an Italian recording contract.  The duo had some European hits, including the theme to the movie The Godfather, which went to #1 in Italy.  But Santo & Johnny could never manage another worldwide hit after "Sleep Walk".

Johnny is the president of Aniraf Records. Santo & Johnny were inducted into The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2002.

Our next artist gave a great singing performance featured on her big hit:

#203: Dionne Farris--

"I Know"  

Farris sang on three songs with the group Arrested Development before beginning a solo career.  In 1995, the single "I Know" reached #4 and was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  Her song "Hopeless" was included on the "Love Jones" Soundtrack.

Farris released three albums and six singles in her career.

This artist not only found fame in his adopted country but worldwide with his big hit:

#202:  John Paul Young--"Love Is In The Air"  

Born in Scotland, Young and his family emigrated to Australia in 1962 when John was 11.  After school, Young began an apprenticeship as a sheet metal worker.  John formed his first band in 1967 with schoolmates.

Elm Tree recorded a single (a cover of Marmalade's "Rainbow") on Du Monde Records in 1970.  The following year, the group entered the New South Wales Battle of the Sounds and reached the Sydney finals.  After one Elm Tree performance in Newcastle, producer and manager Simon Napier-Bell signed Young to a solo contract with Albert Productions, the same firm that produced the group the Easybeats.  

Young recorded his first solo single, "Pasadena", co-written by George Young and Harry Vanda of the Easybeats.  The song was released under the name John Young; later releases used John Paul Young.  "Pasadena" reached #16 in Australia.  

Young hired manager Dal Miles, who helped John Paul land a role in the Melbourne production of The Jesus Christ Revolution.  This in turn led to a role in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which Young starred in for two years, as the production broke attendance records.

After these roles, Young returned with Albert Productions, and Vanda & Young resumed writing songs for him.  "Yesterday's Hero" gave Young a Top 10 hit in Australia.  From 1974-1987, Young was the guest host on the Australian Broadcasting Company television series Countdown.  It is this exposure credited in making Young a teen pop success in Australia.

Young went on a national tour in 1975 to promote his debut album Hero.  He enjoyed a series of hits in Australia including "Love Game", "I Hate The Music" and "I Wanna' Do It With You".  "I Hate The Music" was also a hit in Sweden and the latter two were hits in South Africa.  But still, worldwide success eluded him.

That success would finally come in 1978, when Young released "Love Is In The Air".  The song was #2 in Norway, South Africa and Sweden, #3 in Austria, Australia and Germany, #5 in Switzerland and the U.K. and #7 in the United States.  

Beyond "Love Is In The Air", Young enjoyed other Top 10 songs in Germany, the Netherlands and South Africa.  He released nine albums and 20 singles in his career.  In 2000, he performed at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.  But he would never again release a song as universally popular.

This next artist with the super voice gave us a standard:

#201:  Julie London--"Cry Me A River"

London and her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 14.  She began singing under her birth name of Gayle Peck in her teens.  Shortly afterwards, she began appearing in movies, and graduated from the Hollywood Professional School in 1945.  Julie enjoyed a singing career in the 1950's and an acting career of more than 35 years. 

In 1954, London met Jazz composer and musician Bobby Troup at a club on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles.  London embarked on a singing career in 1955 that spanned 32 albums.  Her first live performance was at the 881 Club and London made her first recordings on Bethlehem Records.

"Cry Me A River" was written by her high school classmate, Arthur Hamilton, and was produced by her husband.  The song reached #9 and sold over a million copies.  Despite this being her only charting single, Billboard Magazine named her the most popular female vocalist of 1955, 1956 and 1957.   

London also starred in over 20 movies and was a pinup girl prized by GI's during World War II.  One of her greatest roles was in Man of the West in 1958 starring Gary Cooper.  London starred in several variety series and dramatic shows on television, including The Big Valley and Adam-12, but her most prominent role was as nurse Dixie McCall in the show Emergency!

London was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Lots of great songs in there.  Join us tomorrow as we move into the Top 200*!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #220-211

We've got another great list for you today in our special.

At #220, the artist who gave us one of The Top Love Songs of the Rock Era*:

   #220:  Bloodstone--"Natural High"  

This group formed in high school as the Sinceres as a doo-wop act in Kansas City, Missouri in 1962.  They were backed by the brass group the Smokin' Emeralds and drew large crowds at a venue called the Place.  In 1971, the group's members included drummer Melvin Webb, Roger Durham and Harry Williams on percussion, Charles Love on ,lead vocals and guitar, bassist Charles McCormick and guitarist Willis Draffen.

The band then moved to Los Angeles, where they met managers George Braunstein and Ron Hamady.  Eddie Summers replaced Webb on drums and the group changed their name to Bloodstone.  The group then traveled to London and signed a recording contract with Decca Records.  

Bloodstone released their self-titled album which included the singles "That's The Way We Make Our Music" and "Girl (You Look So Fine)", both written by Summers.  In 1973, the group released the album Natural High, with its title track reaching #10 and helping the album sell one million copies.

Bloodstone toured with Elton John, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions.  Bloodstone released 13 singles, many of which had success in the R&B genre but were unable to crack the mainstream.  

A sister act scored their big hit in the 60's:

  
#219:  Paris Sisters--"I Love How You Love Me"  

The Paris Sisters consisted of lead singer Priscilla Paris, older sister Albeth Paris and middle sister Sherrell Paris.  They formed in San Francisco and hooked up with producer Phil Spector.  They first recorded for Decca Records in 1954, but "Be My Boy" in 1961 was their first charting single.

The follow up to "Be My Boy" was the single "I Love How You Love Me", which reached #5 and sold over one million copies.  The Paris Sisters finished their career with five charting singles, but "He Knows I Love Him Too Much" at #34 was the next best they could do.  

The group appeared in the 1962 movie It's Trad, Dad!, released in the United States as Ring-a-Ding Rhythm.  Sherrell later was the production assistant on The Price Is Right television show.

This next group's big hit included some big names as backing musicians:

#218:  Cascades--"Rhythm Of The Rain"  

The Silver Strands began performing while serving in the United States Navy in 1960 on the USS Jason in San Diego, California.  After leaving the Navy, the group recruited manager John Gummoe to join their group and became the Thundernotes.  After original guitarist Len Green left, the group consisted of lead singer Gummoe, Eddie Snyder on guitar, David Szabo on keyboards, Ronald Lynch playing keyboards and saxophone, bassist Dave Stevens and drummer Dave Wilson.

The group released the instrumental "Thunder Rhythm" as their first single on Del-Fi Records.  Influenced by the nearby Beach Boys, the group recorded vocal harmonies and released a demo tape.  Barry DeVorzon, an executive at Valiant Records, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers, signed them to a recording contract and changed their name to the Cascades.  The group's first release on Valiant--"There's A Reason" was a regional hit.  

The group then recorded a song Gummoe had written while in the Navy.  Backing musicians included Glen Campbell on guitar and drummer Hal Blaine.  "Rhythm Of The Rain", arranged by Perry Botkin, was released as a single in 1962.  It reached #3 in the United States, #5 in the U.K., was a major hit in over 80 countries, and sold over one million copies.

The Cascades were on their way.  But after an album and several other singles, none matched the success of "Rhythm of the Rain".  The group continued to perform in San Diego clubs such as The Cinnamon Cinder and toured often.  The Cascades appeared in the movie Catalina Caper in 1967 but eventually split in 1975.

The same musicians that helped out the Cascades also were the driving force behind this next act:

#217:  Hondells--"Little Honda" 

The Beach Boys recorded "Little Honda", written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, for their album All Summer Long. Producer Gary Usher then gave vocalist Chuck Girard a copy of All Summer Long and asked him to learn it.

Usher then recruited several studio musicians, including guitarist Glen Campbell and drummer Hal Blaine and together the group recorded an album of Honda-related songs for Mercury Records.  Mercury released "Little Honda" as the single and as it rose up the charts, Usher assembled a touring group to support the record.  "Little Honda" eventually reached #9.

The Hondells released another album in 1966 and had a minor hit with the Lovin' Spoonful song "Younger Girl" before disbanding.  Usher went on to assemble numerous temporary groups, including the Rip Chords, who are also featured in Inside the Rock Era's salute to One-Hit Wonders.

If you were listening in the spring of 1975, you'll remember this song:

#216:  Sammy Johns--"Chevy Van" 

Johns received his first guitar at age nine and formed his own band, the Devilles, as a teenager. The group performed in local clubs and recorded a few records that received regional airplay.

After moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 1973, Johns signed a recording contract.  In 1975, the single "Chevy Van" was released, which rose to #5 and sold over a million copies.  Although Johns never would enjoy further recording success, he has written songs for other artists, including John Conlee, Waylon Jennings and Conway Twitty.  

This former lead singer of the Dovells enjoyed his own solo hit:

#215:  Len Barry--"1-2-3"

Barry's inspiration in school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was to be a professional baseball player.  Upon entering military service, however, Barry sang with the U.S. Coast Guard band at Cape May, New Jersey and decided to pursue a musical career.

After his discharge, Barry joined the Dovells as lead singer.  With that group, Barry enjoyed hits such as "You Can't Sit Down" and "Bristol Stomp".  The latter sold over one million copies.  Barry and the Dovells appeared on The Dick Clark Show, Shindig and Hullabaloo.

Barry left the Dovells and recorded the solo single "Lip Sync".  In 1965, Len recorded "1-2-3", which hit #2 in the United States, also made the Top 10 in the U.K. and sold over one million copies.  "Like a Baby" just missed the Top 20 at #27 in the U.S.  Barry co-wrote both songs.  He also recorded a remake of Roy Head's song "Treat Her Right".

In 1969, Barry and John Madera co-produced The Original Version:  Journey to the Moon album for Buddah Records.  The album used actual conversations with the astronauts and U.S. President Richard Nixon, among others, mixed with original music.   The band included Daryl Hall, later to join Hall & Oates, and the album was approved by NASA.

Barry went on to write "Keem-O-Sabe" and was a key contributor to the Philadelphia disco sound. 

This artist started a musical "project" that resulted in a #1 record:

#214: M--"Pop Muzik"  

Robin Scott enrolled at Croydon Art college in a London suburb.  While at Croydon, he began writing songs which he performed on radio and television, which led to his debut album, Woman From the Warm Grass.

After this initial foray into the music business, Scott began singing his own songs and accompanying himself on guitar. He played folk music clubs, sharing bills with emerging artists such as David Bowie.  Scott conceived of a multimedia project called "The Voice" which aired on BBC Radio 3.  

In 1972, Scott won the Search For A Star national talent contest, but refused a recording offer from EMI because they would not include his backing band.  In 1973, Scott wrote a musical called "Heartaches & Teardrops".  Scott then began working with the band Roogalator, producing their album and releasing it on his own Do It Records.

While in Paris, France, Scott began working on a project he called "M" with a group of session musicians.  The single "Pop Muzik", which he wrote and produced, reached #1 in the United States and #2 in the U.K.

A follow up called "Moonlight and Muzak" was released and reached #33 in the U.K.

All told, Scott released four albums and nine singles, but none approaching the level of "Pop Muzik".



Up next, one of the most promising newcomers of the 1980's:

#213:  Bertie Higgins--"Key Largo"        

Bertie was born in Tarpon Springs, Florida.  Higgins played drums in a band known as the Romans as a teenager, changed to the Roemans when Tommy Roe became the lead singer.  The group released three singles between 1964 and 1966, which received some airplay but did not chart.

Higgins achieved his only hit with "Key Largo"  in 1981, a song which referenced the Humphrey Bogart movie of the same name.  "Key Largo" reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and was #8 overall and sold over one million copies.  

Higgins did achieve success in Japan and China with his song "Casablanca", continuing the theme of Bogart movies, but his only worldwide success was with "Key Largo".

This gospel-rock band hit paydirt in 1971:

#212:  Ocean--"Put Your Hand In The Hand"

Ocean was a gospel-rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1970.  They consisted of Greg Brown on vocals and keyboard, Jeff Jones on bass and vocals, Janice Morgan on guitar and vocals, guitarist Dave Tamblyn and Chuck Slater on drums.

In 1971, they struck gold with the million-seller "Put Your Hand In The Hand", which reached #2.  The single was recorded on Yorkville Records, picked up for distribution by Kama Sutra.

Ocean had a hit in their native Canada with "We've Got A Dream" but couldn't achieve further worldwide success and broke up in 1975 after two albums.

 This talented singer was discovered by Paul Revere & the Raiders:

 

 #211:   Merrilee Rush--"Angel Of The Morning"

   

Merrilee Gunst is from Seattle, Washington and studied piano at an early age.  In 1960, she became the lead singer for the Amazing Aztecs.  She soon married saxophone player Neil Rush and the two performed covers as Merrilee and Her Men before joining the R&B group Tiny Tony and the Statics.

Merrillee and Neil then formed Merrilee Rush and the Turnabouts, which became popular at dances in the Northwest.  The great group Paul Revere and the Raiders discovered her during this time and invited Merrillee to open for them on tour.  Mark Lindsay, the lead singer of the Raiders, introduced Rush to producer Chips Moman, and her career was born.

Rush recorded "Angel Of The Morning" in 1968 and the single was released on Bell Records.  Songwriter Chip Taylor, brother of actor Jon Voight  and uncle of actress Angelina Jolie, wrote the song.  Merrilee made a great impression with listeners and the song rocketed up to #7 in the United States and was a worldwide hit.  "Angel Of The Morning" went gold and earned Rush a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Pop Female Vocalist of the Year.

Merrilee appeared on numerous television programs including American Bandstand, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, The Everly Brothers Show and Happening.  Rush and the Turnabouts released "That Kind of Woman" in 1968, while the rest of her releases were solo singles.  Her next best effort came in 1977, when Merrilee reached #54 with "Save Me".  

Merrillee was discovered by the great 60's group Paul Revere  & the Raiders.  Her next best effort came in 1977, when Merrilee reached #54 with "Save Me".  

Wow, some great songs in there!  We've got another 10 One-Hit Wonders* lined up for you tomorrow!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #230-221

Glad you've joined us!  We're ready to present 10 more memorable songs.

Back-to-back instrumentals on The One-Hit Wonders*:

    #230:  Chantays--"Pipeline"       

When high school friends Bob Spickard  and Brian Carman (guitars), drummer Bob Welch, bassist Warren Waters and pianist Rob Marshall decided to start their own band, the Chantays were born.  The five were all students at Santa Ana High School in California.

Just one year later, the Chantays recorded and released "Pipeline", which peaked at #4 in the United States and #16 in the U.K. and became one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*.  "Pipeline" has been covered by many artists and has been featured in many movies, commercials, television programs and on numerous compilation albums.  The group recorded their debut album Pipeline, followed by Two Sides of The Chantays in 1964.  

The Chantays toured the United States and Japan and were the only rock and roll band to perform on The Lawrence Welk Show.  The group were honored with a star on the Hollywood Rock Walk and are included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.  "Pipeline" is listed as one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

The Chantays have four albums and eight singles to their credit.

We're up to the artist who gave us this memorable song of the 60's:

    

#229:  J. Frank Wilson & the--"Last Kiss"  Cavaliers              

Guitarist Sid Holmes, bassist Lewis Elliott, saxophonist Rob Zeller, drummer Ray Smith and lead singer Alton Bair formed the Cavaliers in 1955.  Baird was drafted into the United States military shortly afterwards so the group brought in J. Frank Wilson in 1962.

The group hired Sonley Roush as their manager, who brought them a Wayne Cochran song called "Last Kiss".  The song that wouldn't say "quit" was first released on LeCam Records, then on Tamara, before finally becoming a hit in 1964 on Josie Records.  The song was a #2 smash and sold over one million copies.

In the ultimate tragic irony, while driving in Ohio later that year, Roush fell asleep and died in a head-on collision with another car.  J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers recorded other songs, but the next best they could do was #85 with "Hey Little One".

This artist paid his dues, then cashed in for a big hit in 1972:

  

#228:  Billy Paul--"Me And Mrs. Jones" 

Paul began singing at age twelve on local radio shows in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He attended Temple University, West Philadelphia Music School and Granoff School of Music for formal vocal training.

Billy attracted a following on the underground music circuit, which led to appearances in clubs and college campuses across the United States.  Soon, Paul was opening for artists such as Roberta Flack, Sammy Davis, Jr., Miles Davis, Dinah Washington and the Impressions.

Paul formed a trio and recorded "Why Am I" on Jubilee Records before being drafted into the Armed Forces.  Following his discharge, Paul was a temporary member of the Blue Notes with Harold Melvin.  Paul released the albums Feeling Good at the Cadillac Club, Ebony Woman and Going East.

But it was his 1972 album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul that struck paydirt.  The lead single was "Me and Mrs. Jones", which reached #1 in the United States and #12 in the U.K., sold over two million copies and won a Grammy Award.

Paul toured internationally and released 13 career albums, but was never able to provide a follow-up hit.

At #227, the group that gave us one of the instrumental smashes of the Rock Era:

   

#227: Tornadoes--"Telstar"  

The Tornadoes were the backing group for many of producer Joe Meek's productions and for singer Billy Fury.  Rhythm guitarist George Bellamy, bassist Heinz Burt, lead guitarist Alan Caddy, drummer Clem Cattini and Roger Lavern on keyboards formed the Tornadoes.  Ray Randall played bass after Burt left the group.  

The group released their first single, "Telstar", in 1962.  It not only reached #1 for three weeks but became one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*.

The group's single "Globetrotter" made it to #5 in the U.K. but once the Beatles arrived on the scene and changed music forever, instrumentals were not as popular as they once were.  By 1965, the group fell apart.

Bellamy is the father of Matthew Bellamy, lead singer of Muse.  The Tornadoes released 14 singles in their career.   

Hard to believe that this many talented artists had just one big hit but for those of you who have never tried, it takes a monumental amount of work, talent, and luck just to get as far as these 500 artists.  We began at the first of the month, presenting 10 artists per day, and we're now up to #226 in The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders*:

Up  next, an artist who reminds us...are the record companies really more of a problem than they're worth:

    

#226:  Steve Forbert--"Romeo's Tune"  

Forbert signed a recording contract with Nemperor Records in 1978 and released his debut album Alive on Arrival.  In 1979, he released the album Jackrabbit Slim.  Forbert released the single "Romeo's Tune", which earned the #11 position in the United States.

In 1984, Forbert had problems with his record company, which not only prevented his next album from being released, but also prevented Steve from recording for several years.  He eventually signed with Geffen Records and released the 1988 album Streets of This Town.  But the momentum was gone.

Forbert continued to record, and in 2004, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk for his album Any Old Time.

Just ahead of Forbert, a rock veteran who scored a big solo hit in 1979:

   

#225:  Nick Lowe--"Cruel To Be Kind"

Lowe went to Woodbridge School in Suffolk, England.  He began his musical career in 1967, when he joined the group Kippington Lodge with his friend Brinsley Schwarz.  The group released a few singles on Parlophone Records before renaming the band Brinsley Schwarz in 1969.

Lowe played guitar, bass, piano, harmonica and sang lead vocals for the group until 1975.  He then joined Dave Edmunds in the group Rockpile and released the single "So It Goes" on Stiff Records, where Nick was the in-house producer.  Lowe continued to produce albums for Stiff and other labels, and co-wrote "Milk and Alcohol" for Dr. Feelgood, which reached the Top 10 in the U.K.  

Since Lowe and Edmunds had recording contracts with different record labels, Rockpile albums were credited to either Lowe or Edmunds.  These included Lowe's Labour of Lust and Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary, which were in essence albums by Rockpile.

In 1978, Lowe released the single "I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass", which hit #7 in the U.K. but was unable to break through in any other country.  

"Cruel To Be Kind" was co-written with Iam Gomm and originally recorded when Lowe was with Brinsley Schwarz.  The song was re-recorded and included on the album Labour of Lust.  After being released as a single, "Cruel To Be Kind" hit #12 in the United States, the U.K., Canada and Australia.

After Rockpile split, Lowe toured with his band Noise To Go and later with The Cowboy Outfit, which included keyboard player Paul Carrack.  In 1992, Lowe's song "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" was covered by Boise, Idaho's Curtis Stigers on the huge-selling soundtrack album to The Bodyguard.

Lowe wrote songs for Carrack, Edmunds, Elvis Costello, Dr. Feelgood, and his father-in-law, Johnny Cash and produced many artists, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds.  Lowe released 13 albums and 24 singles in his career.  

Other sites ridicule the One-Hit Wonders (as if they could ever do better!)  We praise the tremendous talent of them, such as this singer:

   

#224:  Chi Coltrane--"Thunder And Lightning"

Chi Coltrane was born in Racine, Wisconsin and played several instruments as a child.  She gave her first piano recital at age 12.  In 1970, Chi played jazz, funk and rock in local Chicago clubs and bars.  In 1971, she represented the United States at the International Rock Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  She appeared on The Midnight Special and The Tonight Show on television.

Coltrane released the single "Thunder And Lightning" in 1972, which hit #12 in the United States, #4 in Germany and #18 in Canada.  Another song on her self-titled debut album, "Go Like Elijah" was #1 in the Netherlands but only hit #94 in the United States.

Despite the enormous potential revealed in "Thunder And Lightning", Coltrane never had another mass appeal worldwide hit.  She continued to release albums through the 70's and 80's and moved to Europe for a few years, where she became extremely popular.  Chi did television soundtrack work and collaborated with Tangerine Dream in 1991.  In 1993, Coltrane moved to Los Angeles and built a recording studio.

In 2009, Coltrane attempted a comeback, giving a concert in Vienna that drew 100,000 people.  She signed a recording contract with Sony and did tours of the Netherlands and Germany.  

Coltrane has released six albums in her career.

We turn to the 80's for this highly underrated 

group:

    

#223:  Diesel--"Sausalito Summernight"

Drummer Pim Koopman created the group Diesel in the Netherlands in 1978 with Rob Vunderink (guitar, lead singer and songwriter), Mark Boon (guitarist and songwriter) and bassist Frank Papendrecht.  The group released their debut album Watts in a Tank in 1980.  "Going Back to China" was released as a single and became a minor hit in the Netherlands.  Two other singles, "Down in the Silvermine" and "Sausalito Summernight", also became hits in their native land.  

Boon and Papendrecht left the group, replaced by bassist Wijnand Ott and guitarist Hugo de Bruin.  In 1981, Kim Weemhoff replaced Koopman.  Watts in a Tank was released in North America in 1981, and "Sausalito Summernight" hit #1 in Canada and #25 in the United States.  Upon seeing the sudden success, Boon returned to the group and Diesel did a North American tour.  

The group signed with Atco Records and released the album Unleaded in 1982.  However, nothing caught on the way "Sausalito Summernight" did, and several personnel changes followed before the group broke up in 1985.

You may have been spotted on the dance floor heating it up to this group: 

  

  #222:  No Mercy--"Where Do You Go?"  

Frank Farian, Marty Cintron and twin brothers Ariel and Gabriel Hernandez formed this group in 1995 in Miami, Florida.

No Mercy released their self-titled debut album (later re-released in Europe as My Promise) in 1996.  The group's remake of "Where Do You Go" by Labouche rocketed to #2 in the U.K. and Australia, #3 in Germany, #4 in France, #5 in the United States and Austria and #6 in Sweden.  The follow-up, "Please Don't Go", reached #4 in the U.K. but only #21 in the United States, just one spot away from the Top 20, which would have made the group ineligible for the One-Hit Wonders music special.  

No Mercy's remake of "Kiss You All Over" by Exile (never try to remake a classic!) was a #1 dance song but unsuccessful across the rest of the world.  "When I Die" was a Top 10 hit in Australia, Switzerland and Austria but only #41 in the United States and it did not chart in the U.K., music's second-biggest market.

No Mercy released the album More in 1998 and their third album Day By Day in 2007.

 This San Francisco band lost their momentum when their popular lead singer went solo:

    

#221: Big Brother and the Holding Company--"Piece Of My Heart"

Peter Albin and Sam Andrew formed this group in San Francisco, then invited guitarist James Gurley and drummer Chuck Jones into the group.  Big Brother and the Holding Company performed for the first time at the Trips Festival in 1966.  David Getz, who was in the audience, soon replaced Jones as drummer.

Soon, Big Brother became the house band at the Avalon Ballroom.  Wanting a strong lead singer, the group invited Janis Joplin from Texas, who debuted with the group at the Avalon in the summer of 1966.  The group members weren't overly impressed with Joplin and it took some time for the band's fans to accept her.

The group moved to a house in Lagunitas, California, often partying with the Grateful Dead, who lived less than two miles away.  The group signed a recording contract with Mainstream Records before Joplin relapsed into drinking and intravenous drug use.  Big Brother began playing at the Fillmore West and Winterland in San Francisco, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and at several other venues along the West Coast.  

The group released their self-titled debut album, which was popular in the Bay Area but did not do well elsewhere.  In 1967, the group performed at the Monterey Pop Festival, giving an impressive performance that attracted national attention.  The single "Down On Me' reached #43 as a result.

Following their show at Monterey, Big Brother signed with Columbia Records and booked a tour of the United States.  In 1968, the group released the album Cheap Thrills and single "Piece Of My Heart",  which reached #12.  The album went to #1 and sold over one million copies thanks to "Piece Of My Heart".  But Joplin announced that she was leaving the group in the summer.

Big Brother & the Holding Company did another tour, and released "Coo Coo" later in the year.  But that song, at #84, would be the closest the group would ever come to being successful after Joplin left.

A group that may very well have been a big act if not for the departure of Joplin.  Join us tomorrow for 10 more!