The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era: #175-151

We hope you have enjoyed the special thus far. If we've done our homework, the next 25 should be the best yet...

This duo wrote this song as an expression of the deep love they had for their city:

#175:  American City Suite--Cashman & West    

Terry Cashman was lead singer for the Chevrons in the late 1950's, and also played minor league baseball in the Detroit Tigers organization.  In 1967, he joined Gene Pistilli and Tommy West to form the group Cashman, Pistilli and West.  Cashman and Pistilli wrote "Sunday Will Never Be the Same", a hit for Spanky and Our Gang.  

Pistilli left and the group was changed to the duo Cashman & West.  They recorded six albums, with "American City Suite" being their only big success.  It was highly underrated at #27 in the United States and #25 in Canada.

Cashman and Pistilli also had a #22 song "Medicine Man" as the Buchanan Brothers.  Cashman and West produced Jim Croce's songs in the early 1970's.  In 1975, the pair began Lifesong Records, which would lead to songs like "Shannon" from Henry Gross.  




Despite recording this great song, this group could not come close to the success of their one big hit:

#174:  I Only Have Eyes for You--Flamingos

Jacob and Ezekial Carey and cousins Paul Wilson and John E. Carter formed the Flamingos in Chicago, Illinois.  Earl Lewis soon joined, and after several name changes (from the Swallows, El Flamingos and the Five Flamingos) the group became known as the Flamingos.  Sollie McElroy replaced Lewis, and the group's first single on Chance Records was "If I Can't Have You".

That song and "That's My Desire" were local successes, and Carter's song "Golden Teardrops" helped the Flamingos spread their fame regionally.  The group switched to Parrot Records in 1954, then, after Nate Nelson replaced McElroy, the group signed with Checker Records.  The group scored a #5 song on the segmented R&B chart in 1955 with "I'll Be Home".  The Flamingos appeared in the 1956 movie Rock, Rock Rock.  Zeke Carey and Carter were drafted into the United States Army later that year.

Nelson, Jake Carey and Wilson continued the group with new member Tommy Hunt joining.  Tenor, lead guitarist and arranger Terry Johnson also joined and the Flamingos began recording for Decca Records.  Zeke Carey returned to the group in 1958, and the group switched labels once again to End Records.  Johnson wrote "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" and the group recorded their first album Flamingo Serenade.    

The next single, "I Only Have Eyes for You", was a remake of a 1934 song that put the Flamingos on the map.  The song reached #11 overall in the United States and was a #3 R&B hit.  The group appeared in the movie Go, Johnny, Go, and became known for their stage show and choreography.

But the group began falling apart by the end of the decade. Hunt left for a solo career, and Nelson and Johnson split to form the Modern Flamingos in 1961.  Nelson eventually joined the Platters in 1966.  New members were brought in, but the best the group could do after that was #26 in the U.K. with "The Boogaloo Party".  

The Flamingos received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award in 1996 and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame in 2004.  "I Only Have Eyes for You" was inducted into the Grammy Award Hall of Fame.

This group rode the car song craze of the 60's:

#173:  G.T.O.--Ronny & the Daytonas

This group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1964 and secured the services of Bill Justis ("Raunchy") as their manager.  Paul Jensen (vocals and guitar), Thomas Ramey (bass, guitar), Lynn Williams (drums), Lee Kraft (songwriting, guitar) and John "Bucky" Wilkin (songwriting, guitar, vocals) were the original members.

Ronny & the Daytonas signed to Mala Records and released "G.T.O." as their debut single.  It hit #4 and sold over one million copies.  A follow-up, "Bucket T" reached #54.

But out of 15 singles, "G.T.O." was their only big hit.

At #172, this artist who enjoyed a worldwide smash in 1997:

#172:  Show Me Love--Robyn

Robyn hit the Top 10 in her native Sweden with "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)", but the success did not spread.  

Then, she released Show Me Love", which reached #7 in the United States, #8 in the U.K. and #14 in Sweden in 1997.  The single reached Gold status in the U.S.

Robyn has released five albums and 18 singles in her career.

Although this artist couldn't get record companies interested in a song he'd written, it wound up being the highly recognizable song in one of the blockbuster movies of all-time:

#171:  Tubular Bells--Mike Oldfield  

Oldfield attended St. Edward's preparatory school and Presentation College in Reading, Berkshire, England.  He began playing acoustic guitar in local folk clubs.  Mike and his sister formed the folk duo the Sallyangie in 1967 and signed a recording contract with Transatlantic Records.  The two released the album Children of the Sun in 1968.

Oldfield then joined a duo called Barefoot before playing bass and lead guitar for Kevin Ayers' backup group, the Whole World.  Bandmate David Bedford encouraged Oldfield to develop a song he was working on called "Tubular Bells".  Oldfield shopped the song to several record labels without luck.  

Then, when Oldfield went to record his bass guitar part for the Arthur Louis Band, engineers Tom Newman and Simon Heyworth heard Oldfield's song and took it to Richard Branson, who was about to start Virgin Records.  Oldfield signed a recording contract and recorded "Part One" of "Tubular Bells" in one week.    

The Tubular Bells album was released as the inaugural album of Virgin Records.  Oldfield played more than twenty different instruments on the project.  The album sold over 2.6 million copies in the U.K. alone.  The title track got significant exposure when it was included as music for the classic movie The Exorcist.  The single reached #7 and won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition and is considered to be a forerunner of the New Age movement.  

Oldfield's music was used as the musical score for The Space Movie that celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.  Mike's follow-up album, Hergest Ridge, reached #1 in the U.K. but, unlike its predecessor, success did not spread worldwide.

Oldfield made a transition to popular music and wrote songs for other artists, the best of these being "Family Man" in 1982 for Hall & Oates.  Oldfield wrote the score for the movie The Killing Fields.  Mike continued to explore new musical styles with The Songs of Distant Earth.  In 1994, the asteroid 5656 Oldfield, was named after him.

Oldfield has released 27 albums and 47 singles in his career.

This artist sadly has still not properly been paid for his work 54 years ago:

#170:  Sea of Love--Phillips  

After performing the song "Sweet Slumber" at his school, Philip Baptiste was encouraged to pursue a singing career.  He performed with his brothers in a gospel group known as the Gateway Quartet before recording "Sea of Love" in 1959.

Baptiste changed his name to Phil Phillips and released the song on Khoury Records.  But after the song began receiving heavy airplay, the song was leased to Mercury Records.  "Sea of Love" reached #2 overall and #1 on the R&B chart and sold over one million copies.

But Phillips was only paid $6,800 and still has not received any further royalties for his huge hit.  Because he fought for what was rightfully his, an album that Phillips recorded was not released.  Del Shannon and the Honeydrippers both recorded cover versions of the song.

A tie-in with the Beatles will forever keep this artist in the public mind:

#169:  Suspicion--Terry Stafford

Stafford grew up in Amarillo, Texas, graduating from Palo Duro High School.  After high school, Stafford moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.

Stafford released the single "Suspicion", which had been previously recorded by Elvis Presley, in 1964 and it reached #3 in the United States and #31 in the U.K.  The song holds the distinction of being #6 on April 4 when the Beatles made history by holding down the entire top five.  "Suspicion" sold over one million copies.

Stafford's follow-up single, "I'll Touch a Star" made it to #24, just shy of the Top 20 benchmark which defines a major hit. His 1973 composition "Amarillo by Morning" later became a huge hit in 1982 for country superstar George Strait.

Friendship with 2/5's of Fleetwood Mac helped this artist break through:         

  #168: Magnet & Steel--Walter Egan 

In 1977, Egan signed a recording contract and recorded his first album, Fundamental Roll, produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The following year, Egan released the album Not Shy, produced by Buckingham and Richard Dashut. Egan performed at the first Texas Jam in Dallas in front of 100,000 people along with acts such as Journey, Aerosmith, Van Halen, and friends Heart and Eddie Money.

Magnet and Steel", which featured backing vocals by Nicks, was released as a single and reached #8 in the United States and #32 in Australia.

Egan wrote the song "Hot Summer Nights" for the group Night and had a minor hit with it himself.  Walter released eight albums in his solo career.  He later became a touring member in a later version of the group Spirit.  

This artist recorded one of the big hits of 1967:

#167:  Western Union--Five Americans

This group formed as the Mutineers in Durant, Oklahoma with lead singer Mike Rabon, John Durrill, Norm Ezell, bassist Jim Grant and Jimmy Wright on drums. Guitarist Robert Rambo, keyboardist Leonard Goldsmith later joined the Five Americans. They released "I See the Light" in 1966, which reached #26. "Evol-Not Love" reached #52 later that year.

Then in 1967, the group recorded "Western Union", which became a #5 song.  Though they also had minor hits with "Sound of Love" and "Zip Code" in 1967, "Western Union" was their only Top 20 hit out of 21 singles.  

The Five Americans broke up in 1969.  Rabon went on to sing lead and play guitar for Gladstone ("A Piece of Paper" in 1972).  Durrill wrote "Dark Lady" for Cher and also was a member of the touring group the Ventures.

Contributions of the members of this band went far beyond the group:

#166:  Magic--Pilot    

Pilot was formed in 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland by David Paton and Billy Lyall, members of an early version of the Bay City Rollers.  Stuart Tosh and Ian Bairnson joined the group and Pilot recorded several demos in 1973 and 1974.

The group signed a management deal with Nick and Tim Heath and John Cavanaugh and eventually inked a recording contract with EMI Records.  In 1974, Pilot released the single "Magic" from their first album, a song written by Paton and produced by Alan Parsons.  "Magic" reached #5 in the United States and #11 in the U.K.  

A follow-up single, "January", reached #1 in the U.K. and Australia, but was only #87 in the U.S., and nothing further reached the Top 30. Paton, Tosh and Bairnson were members of the Alan Parsons Project, and Paton was a noted session musician, playing for Elton John and Rick Wakeman, among others.

A close association with Tommy James helped this group:

#165:  Tighter, Tighter--Alive and Kicking

This group was formed in 1968 in the basement of original bass guitarist Rich Luisi.  They were led by singers Pepe Cardona and Sandy Toder and included Bruce Sudano, eventual bassist Woody Wilson, guitarist John Parisio and drummer Ron Pell.

Alive and Kicking signed a recording contract with Roulette Records, the same label as Tommy James & the Shondells. James originally considered having Alive and Kicking record "Crystal Blue Persuasion", but he liked it so much he kept that one for his group, so James co-wrote "Tighter, Tighter" for them.  

"Tighter, Tighter" was released in 1970, reached #7 and sold over one million copies.  After their next two singles could not continue the success, the group broke up in 1971.  They did reunite in 1976 and still play at parties and weddings.

Up next, one of several groups that Glen Campbell worked with in his early years:
#164:  Hey Little Cobra--Rip Chords  

In 1957, Ernie Bringas and Phil Stewart began singing together following their graduation from high school and founded the Rip Chords.  With the help of Doris Day's recording company, Daywin, the group auditioned for Melcher (Day's son) at Columbia Records and Melcher agreed to work with the group.

The Rip Chords released "Here I Stand" in 1963, with lead and falsetto vocals by Bringas and baritone from Stewart.  The single, which reached #51, was produced by Melcher while Glen Campbell contributed lead guitar.  Bruce Johnston, a friend of Melcher, joined the Rip Chords and contributed falsetto vocals on the single "Gone" with Bringas singing lead.  "Gone" did well in several regional markets but did not chart nationally.  The group appeared on television and performed around the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.  

Bringas, who was studying to be a minister, graduated from California State University, Long Beach and was ready to begin studies at United Theological Seminary.  This made live appearances difficult since essentially, Stewart was the only other member of the group.  Also, conservative officials of Bringas's church, the Evangelical United Brethren, demanded that Bringas should give up music.  Reluctantly, he did.

Stewart hired Rich Rotkin and Arnie Marcus to join him for the purpose of touring as the Rip Chords, but the two did not appear on any recordings.  Without Bringas, Melcher and Johnston officially joined the group.  Melcher and Carol Conners co-wrote "Hey Little Cobra" and the Rip Chords recorded it.  Melcher sang lead for the first time and Johnston contributed the falsetto.

"Hey Little Cobra" reached #4 nationally and was one of the highlights of the drag-racing theme that had become popular in the rock scene.  Meanwhile, the Bishop of the Evangelical United Brethren overturned the former ruling of church officials and Bringas returned to the Rip Chords to record the album Hey Little Cobra.

The follow-up single was "Three Window Coupe", which reached #28.  The group released one other single before eventually disbanding.

Melcher became one of Columbia's most innovative and successful producers, working with Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Byrds, and producing "Kokomo" for the Beach Boys. Johnston later joined the Beach Boys.

Up next, the act that would serve as the launching pad for Bad Company:

#163:  All Right Now--Free  

This English rock band formed in London in 1968.  They came together for their first rehearsal, then played a show that same night at the Nag's Head pub in London.  At the time, bassist Andy Fraser was 15 years old, lead guitarist Paul Kossoff was 17, and lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke were 18.  Later that year, Free signed a recording contract with Island Records in the U.K. and A&M in North America and recorded their debut album Tons of Sobs.  

The group's self-titled release was next, but it was Fire and Water in 1970 that made them famous.  As is nearly always the case, it was a huge hit that did the trick.  "All Right Now" was a #1 song in over 20 countries, hit #2 in the U.K. and #4 in the United States. The song has now been played on the radio over three million times.

Free released the album Highway later in 1970, marking an output of four albums in less than three years.  Unlike Fire and Water, Highway performed poorly on the charts. 

Free was famous for their spectacular live performances.  "All Right Now" helped Free land a spot at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, where they played before 600,000 people.

In 1971, due to the drug problems of Kossoff and differences between Rodgers and Fraser, along with inconsistent record sales, Free broke up.  The next year, however, the group reformed in an attempt to save Kossoff from his growing drug addiction, and released the album Free at Last.  

The group broke up in 1973 but its members have made great contributions to the Rock Era since.  Rodgers became the famous voice behind Bad Company and the Firm while Kirke was Bad Company's drummer.  Andy Fraser continued his career with several bands and also wrote "Every Kinda' People", which Robert Palmer turned into a huge hit in 1978, while Kossoff became a demanded session musician. 

This artist split from House of Pain to a big solo hit:

#162:  What It's Like--Everlast

Erik Francis Schrody took on the stage name of Everlast and released his first solo album, Forever Everlasting in 1990, which was a commercial disappointment.  He then joined with DJ Lethal and high school friend Danny Boy to form the group House of Pain.

The group signed a recording contract with Tommy Boy Records and released their self-titled debut in 1992.  Thanks to the hit "Jump Around", the album went multi-platinum.  House of Pain toured with the Ramones, the Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine.  

But in 1996, House of Pain broke up, and once again Everlast set out on a solo career.  He recorded the album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, which contained the track "What It's Like".  The single was a Mainstream Rock smash and reached #13 overall in the United States.  It was a hit in six other countries, including reaching #6 in Canada, leading the album to achieve three million in sales, and the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Male Performance.  The single "Ends" was also a Mainstream Rock hit, it did not reach the Top 100 overall.

Although Everlast never again achieved a major worldwide hit by himself, he did collaborate with Santana on the highly-acclaimed "Put Your Lights On" on the album Supernatural.  That track reached #8 on the Mainstream Rock chart and won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Everlast has released six albums and 19 singles in his career.

This promising artist burst on the scene in 1996:

#161:  Sunny Came Home--Shawn Colvin  

Colvin learned how to play guitar at the age of 10.  She moved to Austin, Texas and joined a swing band known as the Dixie Diesels.  She played on the folk-rock circuit in Illinois and San Francisco before forming the Shawn Colvin Band.

Colvin later moved to New York City and thrived in Greenwich Village.  Shawn appeared in three off-Broadway shows and in 1987, sang backing vocals on the hit "Luka" for Suzanne Vega.  

After touring with Vega, Colvin signed a recording contract with Columbia Records.  She released her debut album Steady On in 1989, which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.  Fat City in 1992 was nominated at the Grammys for Best Contemporary Folk Recording and the song "I Don't Know Why" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal.  In 1993, Colvin moved back to Austin and released Cover Girl, a collection of remakes.

In 1996, Colvin released the album A Few Small Repairs.  The single "Sunny Came Home" became one of the year's biggest hits, reaching #7 overall and landing at number one for four weeks on the influential Adult Contemporary chart.  The song won Grammys for both Song and Record of the Year and A Few Small Repairs was nominated for Best Pop Album.  

Since 2000, Colvin has collaborated with several other artists including James Taylor, Sting, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Edwin McCain and Shawn Mullins.  Colvin has released 8 albums and 15 singles in her career.  But despite much critical recognition, "Sunny Came Home" represented her only major success.

Sun Records may have had Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, but it was this artist who gave the label its first million-seller:

#160:  Blue Suede Shoes--Carl Perkins  

Perkins worked in the cotton fields of Tennessee after school and 12-14 hours in the summer for 50 cents a day.  He became interested in music, so his father made a guitar from a cigar box and a broomstick, since they could not purchase a real one.  Carl taught himself how to play, then got some help from a fellow field worker named John Westbrook, who played blues and gospel. 

Perkins and his family moved to Madison County, Tennessee in 1947 and at age 14, Carl wrote the song "Let Me Take You To the Movie, Magg", which later convinced Sam Phillips to sign Perkins to his Sun Records label.  Carl and his brother Jay entertained at the Cotton Boll tavern on Wednesday nights in 1946.  Soon, the brothers became well known around Jackson, Mississippi and Carl persuaded his brother Clayton to play bass fiddle.    

Perkins began performing on WTJS-AM in Jackson in the late 1940's as a member of the Tennessee Ramblers and the Perkins Brothers received overwhelming positive response.  Perkins continued to pick cotton and worked at a dairy, a mattress factory and a battery plant.

In 1954, Perkins heard "Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Elvis Presley.  Presley was already signed to Sun Records, and Perkins traveled to Memphis and successfully auditioned for Phillips.  "Movie Magg" and "Turn Around" were released as singles with regional success.  Perkins was booked to open for Presley at theaters in Arkansas.

After a couple more singles, Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes".  Several weeks later, Perkins recorded the song, which reached #2 in the United States and the Top 10 in the U.K. in 1956.  It was the first song on the Sun label to sell a million copies. 

After a show in Norfolk, Virginia on March 21, the Perkins Brothers were heading to New York City for an appearance on The Perry Como Show.  Shortly before sunrise on March 22, the driver hit the back of a pickup truck, sending the car into a ditch of water.  Perkins was lying face down in the water when one of the passengers rolled him over, saving him from drowning.  But, he had suffered three fractured vertebrae in his neck, a severe concussion, a broken collar bone, and lacerations all over his body.  Carl's brother Jay died later from a fractured neck and severe internal injuries suffered in the accident. 

"Blue Suede Shoes", meanwhile, had sold over one million copies and Perkins received a gold record for his huge hit.  Perkins returned to live shows on April 21 and he recorded songs at Sun Studios.  He played a tour of the "Top Stars of '56" along with Chuck Berry and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

Sun released more Perkins singles, with "Boppin' the Blues" doing the best at #70.  One day when Perkins was recording, Presley visited the studio.  Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis were also there and the four spent over an hour signing R&B, gospel and country songs while the tape was rolling.  The casual session was dubbed "The Million Dollar Quartet" the next day, and it was eventually released on CD in 1990.  

In 1957, Perkins starred in the movie Jamboree before moving to Columbia Records.  But no songs were able to capture worldwide attention there either.  Perkins performed at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1962 and 1963, as well as going on a tour of Germany.  In 1964, Perkins toured England and afterwards, the Beatles asked him if they could record one of his songs, "Matchbox".  Perkins gave permission and the Beatles did just that.          

Perkins' songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Cash.  Perkins released 17 singles in his career.

Perkins has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and he earned a Hall of Fame award from the Grammys.

Songwriting prowess led to a big hit for this artist:

#159: Nobody Knows--Tony Rich Project 

After Rich attracted the attention of the production team of Tim & Bob, the two arranged for Rich to become a staff writer at LaFace Records. While at LaFace, Tony wrote songs for artists stuch as Boyz II Men, TLC and Toni Braxton.

Rich's songwriting work led to a recording contract with LaFace.  In 1996, he released the single "Nobody Knows" under the moniker The Tony Rich Project.  The single was an across-the-board smash, reaching #2 and the debut album Words was released.  Both single and album went Platinum and Rich won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.

The follow-up album Birdseye won critical praise, but as many artists have found before, critics don't buy a whole lot of albums.  Rich has released five albums and five singles in his career, but could never match the success of his first release.

It was all in the family for this next artist:

#158: Seven Year Ache--Roseanne Cash  


 

Cash, the oldest daughter of Johnny Cash, achieved her breakthrough single in 1981 with "Seven Year Ache", which reached #22 overall and was #1 on the much-smaller country chart.

Cash never did cross over with a hit the size of "Seven Year Ache".  Her closest attempt was her 1985 song "I Don' Know Why You Don't Want Me", which was a minor Adult Contemporary hit. 

Cash has written fiction and essays that have been published in The New York Times, New York Magazine, and other periodicals and collections. 

This talented singer/songwriter came out with her worldwide breakthrough in 1993:

#157:  Insensitive--Jann Arden  

Arden graduated from Springbank Community High School in Springbank, Alberta, Canada. She released Time for Mercy, her debut album, in 1993. "Insensitive" was released as a single and included on the "Bed of Roses" Soundtrack and Arden's second album, Living Under June. "Insensitive" rose to #12 in the United States.

Arden has released 10 career albums and 24 singles, and has enjoyed great success in her native Canada (17 Top 10 songs in Canada, eight Juno Awards and 19 Juno nominations).  Unfortunately, "Insensitive" has been the only song to break out of Canada to worldwide success.

The sound produced by this group made them one of the most promising newcomers of their time:

#156: Life in a Northern Town--Dream Academy  

Singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel met in the late 1970's while Laird-Clowes was in a group called the Act.  The two sought to create a sound by emphasizing strings, woodwinds, percussion and synthesizers, instruments which had not figured prominently in the Rock Era before.  Originally, they called the project the Politics of Pop.

Multi-instrumentalist Kate St. John was asked to join and the trio were known as the Dream Academy.  Demos were sent out, but ever record label rejected the group until Warner Brothers signed them in 1985.  David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, a friend of Laird-Clowes, produced their first two albums.

"Life in a Northern Town" was a hit around the world, reaching #7 in the United States and #15 in the U.K.  The Dream Academy went on a worldwide tour and appeared on the television shows Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, Top of the Pops and American Bandstand.

But soon after, Gabriel and St. John left the group to pursue solo interests.  Laird-Clowes eventually did the same, helping Gilmour with lyrics for the Pink Floyd album The Division Bell before recording a solo album. 

The Dream Academy released three albums and 11 singles, with "Life in a Northern Town" being their one claim to fame.

You won't find too many better love songs that the one which this act recorded:

 
#155: Love (Can Make You Happy)--Mercy  

Jack Sigler, Jr. started Mercy with former members of his high school, Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida.  The group performed from Tampa to Miami, and after some lineup changes, consisted of Sigler, Brenda McNish, Debbie Lewis, Ronnie Caudill, Ann Sigler, John Hudson, Roy Schultz and Lou Vasenda.

Jack's father provided the cash so Mercy could record their songs, and "Love (Will Make You Happy)" was released as a single on Sundi Records.  Jack Sigler joined the Navy, but the song was released.  It took off in Florida, with Jamie/Guyden Records distributing it nationally.  The song was a huge hit, reaching #2 overall and also #2 on the Easy Listening charts, and selling over one million copies.

But without Sigler, there was no group for promoter Gil Cabot to schedule for live appearances, and no group to record an album.  Cabot thus found a trio of background vocalists to perform as "Mercy".  Sigler returned from the military to find this trio performing under the name of his group.  He filed suit against Cabot, but Cabot countered by renaming the group "the Mercy".  The trio not only toured North America, but also recorded all the tracks on the Mercy album except "Love (Can Make You Happy)".

But Mercy went to Warner Brothers Records, which signed them, and produced their own album.  It clearly outsold that of the fake "Mercy", yet Mercy was never able to enjoy another big hit after their One Hit Wonder.

At #154, one of Ireland's biggest musical exports:

#154: The Boys Are Back in Town--Thin Lizzy

Guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon, who had played with the group Them, went to see the group Orphanage, which included drummer Brian Downey and lead singer/bassist Phil Lynott.  The four decided to form Thin Lizzy in Dublin, Ireland in 1969.  The following year, the group signed a recording contract with Decca Records, though Wrixon had left the band by then.

Thin Lizzy recorded their self-titled debut album, which sold a few copies but did not chart.  The group moved to London in 1971 and began recording their second album Shades of a Blue Orphanage.  A third album followed in 1973--Funky Junction Play a Tribute to Deep Purple, though no credit was given to Thin Lizzy.

The group toured the U.K. with Slade and Suzi Quatro and released their remake of "Whiskey in the Jar" as a single.  The song went to #1 in Ireland and #6 in the U.K., but was not a worldwide hit.  Bell left the band in 1973 after the group released the album Vagabonds of the Western World.  Ex-Skid Row guitarist Gary Moore was brought in to replace him, though Moore only played on one album (Nightlife) and stayed until the next year. 

Guitarists Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham joined the band, and Thin Lizzy negotiated a new deal with Phonogram Records.  In 1975, the group toured the United States, opening for Bob Seger and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.  Thin Lizzy then opened for BTO on their tour of Europe that year.  

Thin Lizzy returned from their successful tour to record Jailbreak, which was their breakthrough.  The album finally gave the group their first worldwide hit, "The Boys Are Back in Town".  The song hit #8 in the U.K. and #12 in the U.S.  The title song received some airplay but it wasn't popular with the general public.  Thin Lizzy opened for acts such as Aerosmith, REO Speedwagon and Rush on a U.S. tour.  

The group recorded the album Johnny the Fox in 1976, but tensions flared between Lynott and Robertson.  After Robertson got into a ruckus at a London pub, Lynott replaced him with Moore for a tour of the United States.  Moore left the group again and eventually Robertson got back in good graces to help record the album Bad Reputation in 1977.

But Robertson's time was short, and after a live album, Moore once again joined Thin Lizzy.  The group toured the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, before recording Black Rose:  A Rock Legend.  The sessions were dragged down by the drug use of Lynott and Gorham.  The album sold well in the U.K. but Thin Lizzy was never able to sustain success in North America.    

After Lynott's death in 1986, the group has endured through various lineups.

The next featured artist recorded this unique song:

#153: She Blinded Me With Science--Thomas Dolby

Thomas Robertson was born in London but since his family moved often, he also lived or worked in France, Italy and Greece.  Robertson attended Abingdon School in 1975-76.  He sang in choir at age 11 and played folk songs on guitar.  He then began playing piano, bought a synthesizer in the mid-70's and never looked back.

Thomas acquired the nickname of Dolby when he was a teenager, because he was always occupied with keyboards and tapes.  When he was 18 or 19, he adopted the stage name so as to avoid confusion with British singer Tom Robinson.  

Dolby got his start as a session musician, playing keyboards on the debut album of Bruce Wooley and the Camera Club. Thomas played synthesizer on the album Set by the Thompson Twins and played keyboards on Robyn Hitchcock's first solo album.  Dolby's most significant contribution, however, was the synthesizer sound on Foreigner's "Urgent", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.  Dolby also played the synthesizer intro on "Waiting for a Girl Like You" for Foreigner on that same 4 album.

In 1982, Dolby released the album The Golden Age of Wireless.  It didn't include his One Hit Wonder until the release of the five-song EP Blinded By Science; in fact, "She Blinded Me With Science" was the fifth single released.  After "She Blinded Me With Science" reached #1 in Canada, #5 in the United States, and #7 in New Zealand, the album was re-released to include the hit.

In 1983, Dolby worked with other artists including George Clinton in the studio project Dolby's Cube, which allowed Dolby to release more dance-oriented material.   Dolby released his album The Flat Earth in 1984.  "Hyperactive!" became his next-biggest song, placing at #17 in the U.K. but only #62 in the United States. 

Up next, this talented songwriter, arranger and producer:

#152: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme From 2001)--Deodato  

Eumir Deodato de Almeida began playing the accordion at age 12 and recorded his first session at age 17. He began playing piano and arranging in Rio de Janeiro before moving to New York City.

Deodato released his first album Prelude in 1972.  In 1973, his version of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" hit #2 in the United States, #3 in Canada and #7 in the U.K. and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

The album Deodato 2 did not sell well, while its lead single "Rhapsody In Blue" peaked at #41.  Deodato released 23 albums and 9 singles, but could never match his early success.  He did achieve dance hits in 1985 with "S.O.S., Fire In The Sky" and "Are You For Real".  

Deodato has arranged music on more than 500 albums, ranging from Kool and the Gang to Bjork and including Frank Sinatra.  

At #151, a group assembled by the famous duo of Kennny Gamble and Leon Huff:

#151: TSOP--MFSB  

MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother) was actually a pool of over thirty studio musicians based at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The project was the work of famed producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.  The lineup included Karl Chambers and Earl Young on drums, guitarists Norman Harris, Roland Chambers, Bobby Eli and T.J. Tindall, Winnie Wilford and Ronnie Baker on bass, Vincent Montana, Jr. and Larry Washington on vibes and percussion, Harold Ivory Williams on keyboards, Huff and Thom Bell on keyboards and Don Renaldo on strings and horns featuring Rocco Bene on trumpet.   

MFSB became the house band for Philadelphia International Records.  Over their career, they sang backing vocals for the Spinners, the Stylistics, the O'Jays, Wilson Pickett, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and Billy Paul.

In 1972, they released the single "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)", which was also the theme to the popular television show Soul Train.  The song hit #1, sold over one million copies and became one of The Top 500 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*.

MFSB also gained exposure with the inclusion of "K-Jee" on the all-time successful "Saturday Night Fever" Soundtrack.  After a disagreement with Gamble & Huff, however, several members left to form the Salsoul Orchestra.  MFSB was through, but they left us with that one great #1 song.

   


We are just six days from the conclusion of The Top One-Hit Wonders*.  We remind you that the rankings are highly subjective, although we did do our level best given the criteria we outlined at the beginning.  The Top 10, we believe, stand out as the ten artists who had the best chance of having another hit or showed the best potential with their one hit.  Tune in tomorrow for #150-126.