The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era: #275-251

We've been presenting The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era* for 10 days now, and you may not appreciate the number of great songs contributed by these artists who enjoyed just one big hit.  The quality goes up as the numbers get smaller:

After 13 years of recording, this Jamaican artist scored his one big hit after forming his own record label:

#275:  Here Comes the Hotstepper--Ini Kamoze  

Ini Kamoze released his first single in 1981 called "World Affairs".  In 1984, he released a mini-LP on Island Records.  By 1988, however, Kamoze had basically disappeared because of a lack of interest in his music.

But this next song in our feature is about a lesson in persistence.  Kamoze founded his own label and after several other releases, recorded "Here Comes the Hotstepper", which was a reworking of Chris Kenner's "Land of 1000 Dances".  Two years after being recorded, "Here Comes the Hotstepper" reached #1 in the United States, Australia and New Zealand and #4 in the U.K.

Although nothing else from Kamoze caught on, he has released 10 career albums.

We're up to #274, and it's by a soul artist who gave us this great song:

#274:  Why Can't We Live Together--Timmy Thomas   

Thomas played for Donald Byrd and Cannonball Adderly, before working as a session musician in Memphis, Tennessee.  Thomas released singles on Goldwax Records as part of the group Phillip & the Faithfuls, but had little solo success until he switched to Glades Records.

In 1972, Thomas released the single "Why Can't We Live Together".  The song made it all the way to #3 overall, was a #1 R&B hit, and was a Top 10 song in several other countries.  Sales of the single have topped two million copies.  

Thomas released singles for both Glades and the T.K. Disco label.  He enjoyed several R&B hits, including
"People Are Changin'" and "Gotta' Give A Little Love (Ten Years After)", but the best he could do after his great song "Why Can't We Live Together" was #75 on the popular chart.  He also did session work for other T.K. artists, including Gwen McCrae, and later became a producer.

This group signed with then was dropped by several record companies until their persistence finally paid off with one worldwide hit:

#273:  Under the Milky Way--Church 

The Church formed in Sydney, Australia in 1980 with Steve Kilbey on lead vocals and bass and guitarists Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper.  The group produced a demo tape and sent it to ATV Northern Records in Australia.  Publisher Chris Gilbey heard the tape and signed the band to his new record company in association with EMI Records.

The Church released their debut album Of Skins and Heart in 1980.  The single "She Never Said" was released but did not chart.  In 1981, Richard Ploog replaced Ward on drums. A second single, "The Unguarded Moment" was released and reached #22 in Australia.  To promote the album, the group toured their native country.

The success in their native land led to deals with Carrere records in the U.K., EMI Records in Australia and Capitol Records in the United States.  Both re-released the album under the name The Church.  In 1982, the group released the album The Blurred Crusade and toured Europe and Australia.  But Capitol Records was unimpressed and dropped the group.  

Still, the Church soldiered on, and released the album Seance in 1983, co-produced by the group along with John Bee.  Two EP's followed, that were internationally packaged as the album Remote Luxury.  By this time, Warner Brothers had signed the group and released the album in the United States.  The Church signed up for concerts in New York City and Los Angeles, but some nights had audiences as few as 50.  The band lost a lot of money.

After a hiatus, the Church recorded the album Heyday in 1986.  An international tour was planned, but Willson-Piper quit, leaving the group to perform as a three-piece.  Willson-Piper returned a week later, but low sales in Australia led EMI to drop them.  The band did sign a four-album contract with Arista Records in the United States in 1987 and signed with Mushroom Records in Australia.

Every artist of any quality has a seminal moment, and for the Church, it was when they began recording in Los Angeles with producers Waddy Wachtel (Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan) and Greg Ladanyi (Fleetwood Mac and Jackson Browne).  Wachtel and Ladanyi had Kilbey take voice lessons.  Four weeks of rehearsal led to the album Starfish.  The band didn't like the experience, but pros Wachtel and Ladanyi knew much more about the music business than they.

Starfish became a Top 50 album and sold over one million copies.  The difference this time was that they had a worthy song capable of promoting the album--"Under the Milky Way", which hit #24 and reached #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart.  The song also helped the Church win an ARIA Award in Australia for Single of the Year.  In fact, in 2008, readers of The Australian voted it the best Australian song for the last 20 years.  "Reptile" charted on the Mainstream Rock chart but it wasn't popular overall.

The Church promoted the album with a nine-month tour before working on a follow-up album.  But the group felt pressured by Arista and sessions were tense.  Drugs too took their tole on the group.  Ploog failed to meet Wachtel's demands for a consistently reliable tempo.  His tracks were replaced by a rigid drum machine, and Ploog was booted from the group.

Gold Afternoon Fix was the next album but was a disappointment.  The group hired drummer Jay Dee Duagherty and toured for two years.  They experienced some further success on the Mainstream Rock chart, but despite 20 albums and 33 singles, they could not come up with the magic of "Under the Milky Way".

The act at #272 also was persistent, but in this case, their one big hit came too late to save the band:

#272:  Der Kommissar--After the Fire  

Keyboardist Peter Banks formed After the Fire in London in the early 1970's.  After several lineup changes, the group found stability with Banks, guitarist and lead singer Andy Piercy, bassist Nick Battle and Ivor Twidell on drums.

After the Fire enjoyed local success and released the album Signs of Change on their own label.   Battle left the group, Piercy switched to bass and John Russell was hired to be the new guitarist.  After the Fire signed with CBS Records and released their first new wave album, Laser Love.  Twydell then left and Nick Brotherwood took over for him.  The group released "One Rule for You", which was only a hit in the U.K.

Pete King became the new drummer and the group recorded the album Batteries Not Included.  Then in 1983, After the Fire's remake of the Falco song "Der Kommissar" hit #5 in the United States and was #47 in the U.K.

However, success had come too late and musical differences led to the demise of the group.  After the Fire released six albums and 13 singles in their career. 

Born with music in his genes, this artist helped bring back the style of music that his father had helped make popular:

#271:  Tired of Toein the Line--Rocky Burnette  

Burnette, the son of early rock star Johnny Burnette, was part of the revival of rockabilly in the 1980's. He released his debut album Son of Rock 'n' Roll on EMI America in 1979.  The single "Tired of Toein' the Line" reached #8 in the United States, #1 in Australia and #3 in South Africa.  

Financial problems at EMI limited the promotional help that Burnette got on his second album, and was not successful.  Burnette toured Europe in 1981 and although several of his singles did well on that continent, "Tired of Toein' the Line" would be his only worldwide hit.

It may have been tough for some music publications to gauge popularity, but no one can deny that this artist enjoyed their one big hit in 1971:

#270:  Get It On--Chase 

Bill Chase, Ted Piercefield, Alan Ware and Jerry Van Blair, were all excellent jazz trumpeters who were quite good at vocals and arranging. The four were backed by a rhythm section of Phil Porter on keyboards, Angel South on guitar, bassist Dennis Johnson and Jay Burrid on percussion. Terry Richards handled lead vocals on the first album.

With this lineup in 1971, the group released their self-titled debut album, which contained the great but highly underrated song "Get It On".  The single peaked at #24 while the album sold 400,000 copies, itself evidence that those making the chart didn't at the time adequately factor in album sales.  Chase was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, but was edged out by rising star Carly Simon. 

Chase released four albums in their career, but their best work is definitely "Get It On". 

This group scored their one big hit with a little "Elvis magic":

#269:  Tell Him--Exciters 

The Exciters were originally a girl group (lead singer Brenda Reid, Carolyn Johnson and Lillian Walker), although Reid's husband Herb Rooney was added later.  

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, famous songwriters for Elvis Presley, produced "Tell Him" for the Exciters, which reached #4 in 1962.  It was "Tell Him" that was the song that Dusty Springfield heard which inspired her to start a solo career.  The song would later be featured in the great movie My Best Friend's Wedding as well as in episodes of the television series Ally McBeal.

The group also recorded the original version of "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" in 1963 before it became an international hit for Manfred Mann a year later.

This next singer was so popular it seemed as if the entire record industry was rooting for her:

#268:  Lotta Love--Nicolette Larson

Larson graduated from high school in Kansas City, Missouri and attended the University of Missouri before leaving to begin a music career.  This led Nicolette to San Francisco, where she worked in a record store and volunteered for the Golden Gate Country Bluegrass Festival.  Larson made her public debut opening for Eric Andersen at a club in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  

Larson performed with Hoyt Axton when he opened for Joan Baez in 1975, and sang on her first record when she provided background vocals for Commander Cody.  Nicolette continued her work for Commander Cody on two further albums, and also sang for Rodney Crowell, Jesse Colin Young and Jesse Winchester.  Larson's work with Emmylou Harris in 1977 enabled her to meet Harris' friend Linda Ronstadt.  

Larson was at Ronstadt's home in Malibu, California, when neighbor Neil Young called to ask Ronstadt if she could recommend a female vocalist.  Ronstadt suggested Larson, becoming the third person that day to recommend her to Young.  

The next week, Ronstadt and Larson recorded vocals for Young's American Stars 'n Bars album.  Nicolette also provided vocals on Young's Comes a Time album in 1977.

This led to Larson signing a recording contract with Warner Brothers.  Larson's debut single "Lotta Love" (written for her by Young) hit #8 overall and was a #1 Adult Contemporary song.  She also continued her session work with the Doobie Brothers (on the Minute by Minute album), Emmylou Harris and Crowell.

Larson recorded a performance of "Lotta Love" at Madison Square Garden for the "No Nukes" Soundtrack album in 1979.  Larson's second single, "Rhumba Girl" only peaked at #48.

In 1980, Larson released her second album In the Nick of Time featuring the single "Let Me Go Love".  While that song would only reach #35, Larson continued to do well as a backing vocalist, featured prominently on "Say You'll Be Mine" by Christopher Cross and "Make a Little Magic" by the Dirt Band.  The lack of a major hit limited impact of future albums Radioland and All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go.

Larson continued her session career with credits on albums by Ronstadt (Mad Love), the Doobie Brothers (One Step Closer), Van Halen (Women and Children First), Rita Coolidge, John Stewart and Tom Johnston.  She charted a few more times on the minor country chart, but Nicolette could never repeat her success with the general public before dying in 1997 of cerebral edema.

This artist did a major disappearing act after his One Hit:

#267:  Do You Wanna' Make Love  

Bridgeport, Connecticut's Peter McCann became a staff writer with ABC Music, and wrote "Right Time of the Night", which became a huge hit for Jennifer Warnes in 1977.  Three months later, McCann hit #5 in the United States and #11 in Australia with his own recording, "Do You Wanna' Make Love".  Then, he was never heard from again.

This group from the 90's is next in our special:

#266:  Take a Picture--Filter 

Singer Richard Patrick played guitar on tour for Nine Inch Nails but left the band shortly afterwards. In 1993, he formed Filter with guitarist Brian Liesegang. The group signed a recording contract with Reprise Records in 1994.

Filter released their debut album Short Bus in 1995 that included the single "Hey Man, Nice Shot".  In order to tour, Filter recruited Geno Lenardo on guitar, bassist Frank Cavanagh and drummer Matt Walker.  The new group recorded the video for the single "Dose".

Filter then recorded several songs for soundtracks, including "Thanks Bro" on Songs in the Key of X:  Music from and Inspired by the X-Files and "Jurassitol" for Crow:  City of Angels.  Liesegang left the group in 1997.

Patrick kept Filter going with Lenardo, Cavanagh and drummer Steve Gillis, who joined after Walker left for the Smashing Pumpkins.  Filter recorded their second album Title of Record, which included the mellow ballad "Take a Picture", which reached #12.

The Amalgamut featured the singles "Where Do We Go From Here?" and "The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way)", but neither received much airplay.  

Patrick joined the Damning Well in 2003 and then Army of Anyone and Filter was on hiatus.  Liesegang and Matt Walker played in Billy Corgan's touring band in 2005. 

Patrick began working on the Filter album Anthems for the Damned, released in 2008.  After the release of a Greatest Hits album, Filter began working on a new album that has yet to be released.

Beethoven may be long gone, but he had a hand in this artist achieving success:

#265:  A Fifth of Beethoven--Walter Murphy 

Murphy grew up in Manhattan, New York, and began studying several instruments, including the piano and organ, at age four.  Walter studied classical piano and went to Mount Saint Michael Academy, where he studied jazz and performed his own compositions.  Murphy enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music in 1970 and wrote songs for the school jazz ensemble.

In 1972, a fellow student introduced Murphy to Doc Severinsen, musical director of The Tonight Show, who heard Murphy's arrangements. Severinsen was so impressed that he had The Tonight Show Band play them live. Murphy also wrote radio jingles for companies such as Woolworth's, Revlon and Lady Arrow.

In 1974, Murphy was writing a disco song for a commercial when the producer suggested he use an updated version of classical music. Murphy recorded a demo tape of these songs and sent them to record companies in New York City. Murphy's version of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5 in C Minor", however, caught the ears of Larry Uttal, the owner of Private Stock Records. Murphy signed a recording contract and recorded "A Fifth of Beethoven" in 1976.

The song was credited to Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band at the urging of Private Stock, which believed it would have a better chance of being played if it were credited to a group. Two days after release, however, Private Stock discovered there was already a band by the name of The Big Apple Band, and changed the credit to The Walter Murphy Band.

"A Fifth of Beethoven" climbed to #1 and became one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*. Murphy released an album of the same title and included his version of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" entitled "Flight '76". The follow-up single hit #44.

Murphy released three more albums but "Themes From E.T. (The Extra-Terrestrial)" at #47 was his only other song of note.

Here's a singer that Rick James helped become a recording artist:

#264:  Lovergirl--Teena Marie 

Mary Christine Brockert grew up in Mission Hills, California, a natural performer. She began singing "Banana Boat Song" by age two. She also loved Motown music and began singing the popular songs of the 60's and 70's.  

At eight years old, Brockert began performing auditions, which landed her an acting role on The Beverly Hillbillies. Brockert learned to play piano and later taught herself to play guitar, bass and congas.

Mary soon formed a semi-professional R&B band with her younger brother Anthony and friend Paul Saenz. Brockert attended Venice High School in Oakland and joined the Summer Dance Production. After graduation, Mary auditioned for record companies while studying English Literature at Santa Monica College.

In 1976, Brockert was introduced to Hal Davis of Motown Records.  Eventually, label head Berry Gordy signed her as a solo artist.  She recorded several songs that were unreleased before Rick James heard her and was impressed.  James produced the album Wild and Peaceful, credited to Teena Marie.  

The album yielded the Top 10 R&B song "I'm a Sucker for Your Love", a duet with James. A second album in 1980, Lady T, included "Behind the Groove", #6 in the U.K. but largely ignored everywhere else.

In 1980, Teena Marie wrote and produced all the songs, the horn and rhythm arrangements and handled the backing vocals on her third album, Irons in the Fire. The single "I Need Your Lovin'" became a #37 song in the United States and #28 in the U.K. Later that year, Teena Marie sang the duet "Fire and Desire" with James.

But in 1982, Teena Marie and Motown were embroiled in a legal battle over her contract and disagreements about releasing her new material. The result was known as "The Brockert Initiative", which made it illegal for a record company to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material that the artist recorded.

Epic Records contacted Teena Marie and signed her to a contract that also allowed her to establish her own publishing company, Midnight Magnet. Teena Marie released the album Robbery, which included the minor R&B hit "Fix It". Still, the talented Teena Marie was mostly unknown.
Then finally in 1984, Teena Marie released Starchild, which contained the #4 smash "Lovergirl". She followed that up with the rock album Emerald City, which didn't sit well with her fans and did not do well. Teena Marie also recorded "Lead Me On" for the movie Top Gun. In 1988, her song "Ooo La La La" was a #1 R&B song but again, largely ignored.

Further releases fared no better and despite 13 albums and 29 single releases, "Lovergirl" is by far the only song Teena Marie did that will be remembered.

For this artist, it was all in the family, until alcohol ruined his career:

#263:  Teen Angel--Mark Dinning  

Dinning followed his sisters, the popular Dinning Sisters of the 1940's, and pursued a career in music and in 1957, signed a recording contract with producer Wesley Rose.  Efforts were unsuccessful until "Teen Angel" in 1959, which went to #1 and sold over one million copies.

Dinning's dependency on alcohol led him to appear at performances too intoxicated to perform, caused promoters to stop booking him, and Dinning's star faded.  He had three minor hits afterwards, but nothing came close to "Teen Angel".

This London act is cued up next:

#262:  Have I the Right?--Honeycombs  

The Honeycombs, founded in London in 1963 as the Sheratons, consisted of lead singer and harmonica player Denis D'Ell, lead guitarist Alan Ward, rhythm guitarist Martin Murray, bassist John Lantree and drummer Honey Lantree.  Peter Pye replaced Murray in 1964.

The group played in the West End of London and at the Mildmay Tavern in North London.  The Sheratons arranged an audition with producer Joe Meek.  Following a gig by the band in February of 1964, the group met with aspiring songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley.  This led to the Sheratons recording "Have I the Right?"

In the recording, members of the group stomped their feet on the wooden stairs to the studio to enhance the drums in the song.  The effect was completed when someone beat a tambourine directly into a microphone.  The single was released in June on Pye Records with Pye chairman renaming the group the Honeycombs, a pun on the drummer's name.  

"Have I the Right?" reached #1 in the U.K., Australia and Canada, #2 in the Netherlands and #5 in the United States and the single topped one million in sales.  The Honeycombs toured Australia and the Far East.  Howard and Blaikley acted as the group's managers and wrote two more singles for them, which did not do well.  

The Honeycombs could never follow-up their One-Hit Wonder and they split in 1966.

At #261, a songwriter who scored his biggest career success when he released a solo single:

#261:  I Can Help--Billy Swan   

Swan learned to play drums, piano and guitar while growing up in Cape Giradeau, Missouri. Billy also began writing songs and joined a band called Mirt Mirly & the Rhythm Stoppers. One of his songs, "Lover Please" was recorded by Bill Black, former bassist for Elvis Presley.  In 1962, Clyde McPhatter recorded his version and it became a #7 hit.

Swan moved to Memphis, Tennessee to work with Black, but Black became ill and died in 1965.  Billy also worked for a while at Graceland, Presley's estate.  He then moved to Nashville, where he wrote songs for artists such as Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings and Mel Tillis.  In 1969, Swan produced "Polk Salad Annie" for Tony Joe White.  Billy also played bass for Kris Kristofferson before signing a recording contract with Monument Records.

Swan's first single, "I Can Help" went to #1 on both the popular and country charts in the United States in 1974 and became a hit in several other countries.  Future albums failed to capitalize on the success, however.  Swan played in the Havana Jam Festival in 1979 in Havana, Cuba along with Billy Joel, Stephen Stills, Rita Coolidge, Kristofferson and others.  

Swan continued to tour with Kristofferson and played on two albums for Randy Meisner of the Eagles.  

This group did all the right things in the music industry, and their dues paid off when they scored their own hit:

#260:  Don't Disturb This Groove--System 

Session keyboardist David Frank and singer/guitarist Mic Murphy met in the early 1980's while working for the group Kleer. Frank was the group's keyboardist on tour while Murphy was the band's road manager. 

Later in New York City, Frank was working on a session that resulted in a song called "It's Passion", which featured aspiring singer Madonna on vocals. Because of creative differences, Madonna bowed out. Frank called Murphy and invited him to work on the song.  Atlantic Records was so impressed that they offered Murphy and Frank a recording contract.  In 1982, the duo founded the group the System and "It's Passion" became a local hit in New York.

The resulting album in 1983 (Sweat) led to several R&B hits.  The System appeared in the 1984 movie Beat Street and the title track from their 1985 album The Pleasure Seekers was featured in an episode of Miami Vice on NBC-TV.  The System's version of "Rock N' Roll Me Again" was featured in the movie Beverly Hills Cop in 1984, and the title track from the movie Coming to America reached #23 in the R&B chart.  

Meanwhile, the group worked with Phil Collins on the song "Sussudio", and lent their talents to Chaka Khan for "I Feel for You".  In 1987, the System released the single "Don't Disturb This Groove", the title cut from their new album.  The song reached #4 and was a #1 R&B song.

The System enjoyed another Top 10 on the R&B chart with "Nighttime Lover", but neither that song nor future efforts resulted in a mainstream hit.  After releasing the album Rhythm & Romance in 1989, the System split up.

Murphy recorded a solo album, while Frank continued to write songs and produce, notably for Christina Aguilera for the song "Genie in a Bottle" in 1999 and for Dream's "He Loves U Not" in 2000.

Up next, a great songwriter who scored a huge solo hit in 1977:

#259:  Undercover Angel--Alan O'Day  

O'Day began creating melodies on a xylophone at age six.  Alan went to Coachella Valley Union High School in Hollywood, California.  He joined the group called the Imperials before starting his own band, the Shoves.  A third group, the Renes, played Latin and Mexican standards mixed with rock and roll songs and gave O'Day the chance to be a songwriter.

In 1961, O'Day helped out with the sound for an independent movie producer and the following year, was music editor on the movie Eegah.  This work led to the formation of the band the Archers, which played at clubs such as Whiskey A Go Go and Pandora's Box.  In 1965, O'Day was in the band Alan & Bob & Denny, a group which played nightclubs in the area and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Despite his success, O'Day decided to concentrate on songwriting.  In 1969, he signed with E.H. Morris Music, then moved to Warner Brothers Music in 1971.  He wrote "The Drum" for Bobby Sherman, then in 1974, three of his songs became hits: "Angie Baby (a #1 song for Helen Reddy), "Rock and Roll Heaven" (by the Righteous Brothers) and "Train of Thought" (by Cher).

In 1971, Warner Brothers organized a recording label for composers who also performed.  O'Day was the first artist signed and he wrote "Undercover Angel" in 1977.  The song became a #1 record in the United States, #9 in Australia and sold over two million copies.  O'Day thus joined an exclusive club as one of a handful of artists who had written a #1 song for themselves and a #1 for another artist.

But a second single, "Starting Out Dancing, Ended Up Making Love", peaked at #73, O'Day's last appearance on the U.S. charts.  In 1980, "Skinny Girls" reached #11 in Australia.  He recorded three albums and eight singles in his solo career.

With that singing career over, O'Day and Janis Liebhart co-wrote a children's song for a new Saturday morning animated television show in 1983, Jim Henson's Muppet Babies.  Eight years later, O'Day had written almost 100 songs for the series, which won an Emmy Award.

O'Day and Liebhart collaborated on other kid-focused projects, including National Geographic's Really Wild Animals.  

At #258, yet another artist whose career was cut out from under them by drugs:

#258:  No Rain--Blind Melon 

This group formed in Los Angeles in 1990 when Mississippi natives Rogers Stevens and Brad Smith met vocalist Shannon Hoon of Lafayette, Indiana.  Guitarist Christopher Thorn was added shortly after and drummer Glen Graham completed the lineup.

Blind Melon recorded a demo in 1991 and signed a recording contract with Capitol Records later that year.  Hoon sang backing vocals on several songs for the Guns N' Roses albums Use Your Illusion I and II, including "Don't Cry".  Blind Melon began a tour in support of Soundgarden.

The group relocated to Durham, North Carolina and began working on their self-titled debut album with Rick Parashar, the producer of Pearl Jam.  The album barely got off the ground with the singles "Tones of Home" and "No Rain", until the latter began receiving heavy airplay on MTV.  For those unfamiliar with songs on MTV, the network used to play nothing but music.  Of course those days are long gone, but in this case, it greatly helped Blind Melon.

The album went on to sell four million copies, thanks to the success of "No Rain", which reached #20 in 1993.  

Blind Melon supported the album with heavy touring in Europe and Mexico, performed at Woodstock '94 and opened for the Rolling Stones.  However, personal and legal problems brought on by drug use began to tear the group apart.  Hoon had multiple trips to drug rehabilitation, but he didn't get the message.

In 1995, Blind Melon released the album Soup, and "Galaxie" reached #25, just short of attaining the Top 20 status necessary to avoid being a One-Hit Wonder for purposes of this special.

Later that year, the group recorded "Out on the Tiles" on the Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium.  Disregarding the advice of Hoon's drug counselor, Blind Melon went on tour.  After several weeks on the road, Hoon was found dead of a heart attack caused by drug use.

The band tried to continue but their efforts were in vain as they broke up four years later.  They reformed in 2006 and recorded a fourth album but "No Rain" was the song that they were famous for.

This 60's psychedelic rock group is next in The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*:

#257:  Psychotic Reaction--Count Five       

Lead guitarist John Michalski and bassist Roy Chaney formed this group in San Jose, California after previously playing in other groups. Originally, they were known as the Squires, but after several line-up changes, they became Count Five. John Byrne was the lead singer and rhythm guitar player while Craig Atkinson played drums for the group.

Byrne wrote "Psychotic Reaction", with the group refining it highlighting it during live shows.  Several record companies rejected the group before Count Five signed with Double Shot Records.  "Psychotic Reaction" reached #5 and became a staple of the garage rock sound.  

However, the group was never able to produce another memorable song and faded from public memory.  In 1969, they broke up.

This group has something in common with the other 499 One-Hit Wonders--that's one thing they've got:

#256:  Breakfast at Tiffany's--Deep Blue Something   

This group formed in Denton, Texas in 1992 with brothers Todd and Toby Pipes, drummer John Kirtland and guitarist Clay Bergus.  Originally, they were known as Leper Messiah.  Bergus left the group prior to their debut album, 11th Song and Kirk Tatom joined after the release of the album.  

In 1994, the group released Home on Rainmaker Records, but Interscope Records re-released the album a year later.  "Breakfast at Tiffany's" caught on, reaching #1 in the U.K. and #5 in the United States.  

Bergus returned as guitarist in 1995 to replace Tatom and Deep Blue Something worked on the planned album Byzantium.  But the group had legal troubles over copyright issues and the album was put on hold until 1998.  Deep Blue Something then signed with small label Azera Records and released a self-titled album, but broke up shortly afterwards.  

A 60's group plays next on The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders*:

#255:  (Just Like) Romeo & Juliet--the Reflections 

This group of Tony Micale, Phil Castrodale, Dan Bennie, Ray Steinberg and John Dean formed in Detroit, Michigan.  They recorded "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet" on Golden World Records and released the single in 1964.  It reached #6.  Steinberg left the group shortly afterwards but the group kept recording and appearing on television.

But despite 12 single releases, they only enjoyed one big hit.

This durable Southern U.S. band finally struck it big with their one big song in 1977:

#254:  Heard It in a Love Song--Marshall Tucker Band  

This group formed in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1972 with lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Toy Caldwell, vocalist Doug Gray, keyboardist, saxophone player and flautist Jerry Eubanks, rhythm guitarist George McCorkle, drummer Paul Riddle and bassist Tommy Caldwell.  The original members of the band have been playing together in various lineups under different band names since the early 1960's.  

The group signed with Capricorn Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1973.  The single "Can't You See" was released and then re-released in 1977, but never got higher than #75.  The Marshall Tucker Band began touring, playing over 300 shows per year throughout the decade.

The group began to attract a following and enjoyed several gold albums.  "Fire on the Mountain" peaked at #38 in 1974. Early albums included contributions from Charlie Daniels and Elvin Bishop.  

In 1977, the group released the album Carolina Dreams, which included "Heard It In a Love Song".  The single reached #14 and helped the group score their first platinum album.  

The Marshall Tucker Band has been one of the most persistent and enduring of the One-Hit Wonders, performing under various lineups for over 40 years.  They have released 23 albums and 27 singles, but only one, their One-Hit Wonder, reached the Top 20.  



This veteran British musician enjoyed his big solo hit in 1979:

#253:  Hold On--Ian Gomm  

Gomm joined the group Unit 4 in 1962 but the group broke up by 1964.  He was a well-recognized rhythm guitarist in Brinsley Schwarz from 1970-1974.  

After the demise of Brinsley Schwarz, Gomm built his own recording studio in Wales and released his solo debut album Summer Holiday in 1978.  The following year, Epic Records released the same album retitled as Gomm with the Wind in the United States.  "Hold On" from the album reached #18.  Gomm co-wrote "Cruel to Be Kind" with Nick Lowe and opened for Dire Straits on their Sultans of Swing tour.

Gomm spent the next decade building a new studio, Mountain Sound, and writing songs.  He then turned to producing and engineering.  Gomm has released seven solo albums in his career.

This Vancouver, Canada group enjoyed their big hit in 1973:

#252:  Wildflower--Skylark 

This group formed from one of Ronnie Hawkins' backup groups and signed with Capitol Records.  They released their self-titled debut album in 1972.  

"Wildflower" was #1 in Canada and #9 in the United States in 1973 and sold over one million copies.    Guitarist Doug Edwards co-wrote the song, which has been covered by Kenny Rogers, the O'Jays, Johnny Mathis, Aaron Neville, Color Me Badd, and others.

Skylark released three albums and two other singles before breaking up.

He may have enjoyed only one popular hit, but this artist has put out a lifetime of great work:

#251:  Chariots of Fire (Titles)--Vangelis  

Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou began writing his own songs at the age of four and is largely a self-taught musician.  He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Athens, Greece.  Vangelis began his professional musical career in the 1960's by founding both Forminx and Aphrodite's Child.  The former was very popular in Greece while Aphrodite's Child enjoyed success in Europe with the single "Rain and Tears". 

In the 70's, Vangelis wrote scores for several animal documentaries, including L'Apocalypse Des Animaux, La Fete sauvage and Opera sauvage.  After the student riots in 1968, Vangelis was inspired to record the album Fais que ton rêve soit plus long que la nuit (Make Your Dream Last Longer Than the Night), mixing music with news snippets and protest songs.

In 1973, Vangelis released his first official solo album, Earth, which featured ex-Aphrodite's Child guitarist Silver Koulouris and vocalist Robert Fitoussi.  After keyboardist Rick Wakeman left the group Yes, Vangelis was offered a job as his replacement.  He decided instead to move to London and sign with RCA Records.  

Vangelis began his own studio, Nemo Studios, and began recording several electronic albums, such as Heaven and Hell, Albedo 0.39, Spiral and China.  Parts of Heaven and Hell were later used as the theme to the PBS television series Cosmos by Carl Sagan. 

In 1980, Vangelis formed a musical partnership with Jon Anderson, lead singer of Yes.  The pair released several albums as Jon & Vangelis.  The following year, Vangelis wrote the score to the incredible Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire and released the single "Titles".  The song shot up to #1 as a multi-format hit and Vangelis captured the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score.  "Chariots of Fire" was later chosen by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs to introduce the first MacIntosh computer.

Vangelis continued work for movies, composing soundtracks for Blade Runner in 1982, Antartica in 1983 and The Bounty in 1984.  He also collaborated with Italian singer Milva on the albums Ich hab' keine Angstand Gehiminisse (I have no fear and Secrets).  In 1992, Vangelis composed the music for the movie 1492:  Conquest of Paradise, a 500th anniversary commemoration of Christopher Columbus' voyage to the New World.  Vangelis received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score - Motion Picture.

Vangelis also wrote music for the staging of the Greek tragedy Elektra, several ballets, and music for the Euripides play, Medea.  He also scored several undersea documentaries for French ecologist and filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau. 

In 2000, Vangelis composed the music for the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics.  He performed live and released Mythodea, an orchestra piece that was used by NASA as the theme for the Mars Odyssey mission in 2001.  In 2002, Vangelis created the Official Anthem for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.   In 2011, Vangelis was invited by Katar's Cultural Village in the state of Qatar to compose music for the opening of its world-class outdoor amphitheater.   

France honored Vangelis a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1992.  In 1995, a minor planet (6354 Vangelis) was named after him by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.  NASA conferred the Public Service Medal to Vangelis in 2003, the highest honor the space agency presents to an individual not working for the U.S. government. 

Vangelis has composed more than 52 albums of material and he is regarded by many as one of the greatest composers of electronic music of all-time.  All of his talent and work in other areas, and the respect he gets from his peers makes it all the more amazing that Vangelis had just one hit in his entire career.


We have now hit the halfway point, but the good thing about 500 artists is that there are another 250 to go.  Join us tomorrow for the next installment of the special on Inside The Rock Era.