The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era: #150-126

We've been celebrating the music and story of The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era* for 14 days now, and we've heard from 350 artists thus far. 

His song contributed greatly to the musical magic of Flashdance.  Here is #150:

 
#150:  Maniac--Michael Sembello

Sembello played on Stevie Wonder's classic album Fulfillingness' First Finale.  Michael also played on the landmark Songs in the Key of Life album for Wonder, playing lead and rhythm and lead guitar and co-writing "Saturn" with Wonder.  Sembello also worked with Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, the Temptations, George Benson, Chaka Khan, Stanley Clarke and David Samborn, among others.

Sembello released his debut album Bossa Nova Hotel in 1983.  One of the tracks on that album, "Maniac", was selected to be in the movie Flashdance.  "Maniac" was released as a single, rose to #1 and became the third highest-grossing song from a soundtrack.  The "Flashdance" Soundtrack won the Grammy for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special.

Afterwards, Sembello spent most of his time writing and producing for other artists.  He has scored numerous soundtracks for movies, including those for Independence Day, Cocoon and Gremlins, among others.

In 2008, Sembello's work with saxophonist Michael Lington on the album Heat was nominated as Jazztrax Album of the Year.  

Despite his enormous talent and recognition, the best Sembello could do other than "Maniac" was #34 with "Automatic Man".



This artist gave us one of the biggest sellers of the Rock Era:

 
#149:  Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas    

Born in Kingston, Jamaica and based in the United Kingdom, Douglas released "Kung Fu Fighting" in 1974.  It rocketed to #1 in the United States and the U.K. and sold over one million copies.  "Kung Fu Fighting" has now sold over 11 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all-time.

Douglas released two other singles, but the success of "Kung Fu Fighting" overshadowed the rest of his career.

Collectively, the efforts of Joey Levine are considerable.  But he participated in so many one-off projects that he could be called the One-Hit Wonder King:

 
#148:  Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)--Reunion            

Joey Levine founded Crushing Enterprises in New York City in 1969.  In the 1970's, Joey Levine began working on jingles for television commercials, with one of his most memorable being "Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut" for Mounds and Almond Joy chocolate bars.  Other popular campaigns were "Pepsi - The Joy of Cola", "Gentlemen Prefer Hanes", "Just For the Taste of It - Diet Coke", "Come See the Softer Side of Sears", "Heartbeat of America - Chevy", "You Asked For It, You Got It, Toyota" and "This Bud's For You" for Anheuser-Busch.

Levine sang for and participated in many bubblegum groups, including the Ohio Express.  Reunion was an ad hoc group of studio musicians.  "Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" is a fast patter of disc jockeys, musicians, songwriters, record labels, song titles and lyrics, broken only by the chorus.

"Life is a Rock" rolled to #8 in the United States and #33 in the U.K.  But the was the last we heard of the "group" Reunion.

You can't keep a good man down, nor a good song.  When many had given up on the song, it finally took off and gave this next artist his one big hit:

 
#147:  Polk Salad Annie--Tony Joe White

White grew up in Oak Grove, Louisiana and at age 16, began learning how to play the blues on guitar.  Tony Joe began performing at school dances, then after graduation, at nightclubs in Louisiana and Texas.  He formed the band Tony White & His Combo in his teens.  The group performed six nights a week for eight consecutive months at a nightclub in Kingsville, Texas.

White continued to perform at the small clubs of the South with various groups over the next seven years.  In 1967, he signed with Monument Records and released four singles.  None caught on with a worldwide audience, but "Soul Francisco" was a hit in France.  

"Polk Salad Annie" had been released for ninth months and written off as a failure until it entered the charts in the United States in 1969.  It finally climbed to #8 and White opened for acts such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sly & the Family Stone and Steppenwolf in England, Germany, France, Sweden and Belgium to promote the album Black and White.  In 1970, White penned "Rainy Night in Georgia", which became a huge hit for Brook Benton. 

In 1973, White appeared in the movie Catch My Soul.  Later in the year, White sat in on the Memphis sessions for Jerry Lee Lewis's Southern Roots album.  Between 1976 and 1983, White released three albums, each on a different label, with little success.  At this point, he gave up on singing and concentrated on writing songs. 

In 1989, White played several instruments and produced Tina Turner's Foreign Affair album.  He also wrote the hit "Steamy Windows" for the album.  White recorded three more albums after the fame gained from working with Turner.  He toured with Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton, and played the Montreux Festival in 1992.  

White released 21 albums and 21 singles in his career. 

This group's light sound made them a most promising newcomer in 1976:

#146:  Moonlight Feels Right--Starbuck  

Starbuck formed in Atlanta, Georgia with keyboardist/vocalist/producer Bruce Blackman, marimba player Bo Wagner and guitarist Johnny Walker.  All three had previous success in the group Eternity's Children ("Mrs. Bluebird" in 1968).

Starbuck struck gold in 1976 with the single "Moonlight Feels Right", which hit #3.  They toured with groups such as ELO, Hall & Oates, Boston and K.C. & the Sunshine Band and appeared on The Midnight Special, American Bandstand, The Merv Griffin Show, Dinah!, The Mike Douglas Show and Solid Gold.

Subsequent singles "I Got To Know" (#43) and Everybody Be Dancin' (#38) were minor hits but the group could never capitalize on their smash One Hit Wonder.

At #145, this Native American group which formed with encouragement from Jimi Hendrix:

#145:  Come and Get Your Love--Redbone

Brothers Patrick (bass and vocals) and Lolly (guitar and vocals) Vasquez moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and formed the group Redbone with drummer Peter DePoe and guitarist Tony Bellamy.  Jimi Hendrix, himself part Native American, talked Patrick into forming an all-Native American rock band.  The brothers had been performing under the stage surname Vegas.

Redbone signed with Epic Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1970.  Their first taste of success came with the single "Maggie" from their second album Potlach.  "The Witch Queen of New Orleans" (#21 in 1971) just missed giving the group their first Top 20 hit in 1971.

Butch Rillera replaced DePoe in 1972.  Redbone released "Come and Get Your Love", written by Lolly, in 1974, and the single rose to #5 in the United States and sold over one million copies.  The group released "We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee", telling the story of the massacre of Lakota Sioux Indians by the Seventh Cavalry in 1890.  The song reached #1 in The Netherlands and charted in several other European countries.  But it was not a worldwide success as it was initially withheld from release in the United States and was banned by several politically conservative radio stations.

At #144, the group named after a famous Canadian rodeo:

 
#144:  Sweet City Woman--Stampeders  

Rich Dodson, Len Roemer, Brendan Lyttle, Kim Berly and Race Holiday formed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1964 as the Rebounds.  Ronnie King and Van Louis replaced Roemer and the band renamed themselves the Stampeders in 1964.  In 1966, the group moved to Toronto, Ontario, and then became a trio in 1968 when Lyttle, Louis and Holiday left.  

The group released the single "Sweet City Woman" (written by Dodson) in 1971. It reached #8 and sold over one million copies in the United States and won Juno Awards for Best Single, Best Group and Best Composer. 

The Stampeders broke up in 1977, but reunited at the Calgary Stampede in 1992.  They enjoyed two other Top 5 hits in Canada ("Carry Me" and "Wild Eyes"), but "Sweet City Woman" was their only worldwide hit.   

This group at #143 is going to warm things up:

#143:  California Sun--Rivieras  

Marty "Bo" Fortson (vocals and guitar), bassist Doug Gean, guitarist Joe Pennell, organist Otto Nuss and drummer Paul Dennert formed this band while they were teenagers at South Bend Central High School in Indiana.  They originally were known as the Playmates, but since there was already a group with that name, they changed to the Rivieras.

The group released the single "California Sun" in 1964, and it became a #5 song.  The Rivieras released three more songs in 1964, but "Little Donna" at #93 was the next-best they could do.  Fortson and Pennell left the group for the United States Marine Corps shortly after recording "California Sun".  Other members left the group to focus on education, which led to the breakup of the band in 1966 after they had released three albums and seven singles.

At #142, we celebrate the success of the common man, who went from being the chauffeur of the Who to achieving an international success:

  #142:  Something in the Air--Thunderclap Newman  

Pete Townshend of the Who and Kit Lambert formed Thunderclap Newman in 1968 to showcase the songwriting talent of John "Speedy" Keen (vocals, drums and guitar), then the chauffeur for the Who.  Pianist Andy "Thunderclap" Newman and 15-year-old guitarist Jimmy McCulloch joined Keen in forming the nucleus for Thunderclap Newman.  

The group released the album Hollywood Dream and three other singles.  Townshend played bass on the album under the pseudonym Bijou Drains.  Keen, Newman and McCulloch met for the first time when they gathered in Townshend's home studio to record "Something in the Air".

Keen had written the song "Revolution" for the movie The Magic Christian, but the Beatles had already released a song of that name, so the title was changed to "Something in the Air".  The single rose to #1 in the U.K. for three weeks, holding off releases by the Beatles and Elvis Presley,  and it peaked at #37 and sold over one million copies in the United States.    

The group recruited bassist James Pitman-Avery and drummer Jack McCulloch on a tour of England and Scotland to open for Deep Purple, before folding in 1971.  The single "Accidents" was the next-best song by the group in 1970, reaching #44 in the U.K. but failing to chart in the United States.  

McCulloch went on to join John Mayall and Paul McCartney & Wings before dying at the age of 26 because of heroin.  Keen recorded briefly before producing, credited with Motorhead's first album among others.   

This group originally included a singer/guitarist by the name of Jon Bon Jovi:

#141:  The Warrior--Scandal

Guitarist Zack Smith formed Scandal in New York City in 1981.  The other original members included guitarist Jon Bon Jovi, bassist Ivan Elias, guitarist Keith Mack, keyboardist Benjy King, drummer Frankie LaRocka and vocalist Patty Smyth.  Bon Jovi quit shortly after the group was formed and of course achieved superstar status in the band that bears his name.

Scandal scored a huge hit when "The Warrior" took off in 1984, reaching #7 in the United States, and #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart.  

The group released two albums and seven singles.  Although "Goodbye to You" remains one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era* (#65), its failure represented the group's next best effort.  Scandal also released the minor hits "Beat of A Heart" (#41) and "Love's Got A Line On You (#59).  Obviously, the group had great potential.  But because of internal struggles and arguments with their record company, the members of Scandal split one by one until by the time their tour arrived, Smyth and Mack were the only two remaining original members.  Scandal broke up shortly after the tour ended.

Just ahead of Scandal, the story of two accomplished musicians who met and recorded one of The Top Instrumentals of the Rock Era*:

 
#140:  Canadian Sunset--Hugo Winterhalter and Eddie Heywood

Winterhalter graduated from Mount St. Mary's near Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he played saxophone in the orchestra and sang in two choirs.  He then studied violin and reed instruments at the New England Conservatory of Music.  Winterhalter taught school for several years before becoming a backing musician and arranger for Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey and others.

Winterhalter also arranged for singers including Dinah Shore and in 1948, he became musical director at MGM Records.  In 1950, Winterhalter signed with RCA Victor, arranging for artists such as Perry Como, Eddie Fisher and the Ames Brothers.  Winterhalter recorded several instrumental albums, and, with pianist Eddie Heywood, reached #2 with "Canadian Sunset" in 1956.

Heywood was popular in the 1940's, playing with several jazz musicians such as Wayman Carver and Clarence Love before moving to New York City.  Heywood backed up Billie Holiday in 1941 before putting together his own sextet that became popular. 

But in 1947, Heywood suffered partial paralysis of his hands and could not play at all.  Gradually, he regained the use of his hands and made a comeback in the 1950's, achieving his widest fame with Winterhalter on "Canadian Sunset".  Heywood earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Winterhalter recorded several other albums, but never enjoyed another big hit.

We're up to the artist who achieved his big hit with a retelling of David Bowie's "Space Oddity":

 
#139:  Major Tom (Coming Home)--Peter Schilling    

Schilling was born in Stuttgart, Germany.  He recorded the album Error in the System in 1983, which contained "Major Tom (Coming Home)".  He recorded the song originally in German, then re-recorded it in English to release it internationally. 

Schilling achieved his only major worldwide success with "Major Tom (Coming Home)".  The German version reached #1 in Germany, Switzerland and Austria in Netherlands, while the English version hit #1 in Canada, #4 in South Africa, #14 in the United States and #42 in the U.K.  Schilling recorded 17 albums and released 30 singles, with his next-best effort being "Die Wuste Lebt" in 1983.  That song peaked at #5 in Austria, #7 in Germany and #10 in Switzerland.



If you were a Deadhead, you likely saw these two musicians:

 
#138:  One Toke Over the Line--Brewer and Shipley 

Singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley formed this duo, known for their great guitar work, harmonies and socially conscious lyrics.  Both from the Midwestern United States, Brewer and Shipley met several times at various coffeehouses, before moving to Los Angeles to write music together.

The duo recorded two albums, Down in L.A. and Weeds before moving to Kansas City, Missouri.  They subsisted on gigs in college towns in 1969, then recorded the album Tarkio, named for a gig they had in Tarkio, Missouri. 

Tarkio included "One Toke Over the Line", the only hit Brewer and Shipley would have.  The two released seven albums in their career.  Though their music was much deeper than this song would indicate, this was the song that most people would remember them by.

Brewer and Shipley have performed with Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Stills, Black Sabbath and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead.  Brewer and Shipley continue to perform together. 

This group showed great promise with a song in 1977 that has stood the test of time very well:

 
#137:  Smoke from a Distant Fire--Sanford Townsend Band  

Keyboardists Ed Sanford and Johnny Townsend originally formed this group in Alabama. After reuniting in Los Angeles, Sanford and Townsend signed a publishing contract with Chappell Music and began writing songs. Loggins and Messina recorded "Peacemaker", a son that Sanford and Townsend co-wrote with Kenny Loggins.

In 1976, the Sanford Townsend band recorded their self-titled album, that took off when the single "Smoke from a Distant Fire" reached #9 in the United States.  The group opened for Fleetwood Mac on their Rumours Tour, as well as concerts with Foreigner, Heart, Jimmy Buffett, Charlie Daniels and the Marshall Tucker Band.

The group's albums that followed were not near as successful, so Sanford and Townsend resumed their careers as songwriters and session musicians.  Sanford co-wrote "I Keep Forgettin'" with Michael McDonald, while Townsend formed the Toler/Townsend Band with Dan Toler.

The one hit which this group recorded caused many a phone number to be cancelled:

 
#136:  867-5309--Tommy Tutone

Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tommy Heath and lead guitarist Jim Keller founded the band in 1978 as Tommy and the Tu-Tones.  The rest of the group has been a revolving door of musicians that originally included Terry Nails on bass and Mickey Shine on drums.  Shortly after forming, the group changed the name to Tommy Tutone and released "Angel Say No" in 1980, which reached #38.  

In 1982, the group hit paydirt with "867-5309/Jenny", which landed at #4.  John Cowsill of the Cowsills played drums and sang on the song.  Various lineups have recorded five albums, but nothing else caught on like "867-5309/Jenny".

This hard rock group achieved their big success with a song that has become an anthem of the anti-establishment:

 
#135:  Smokin' in the Boy's Room--Brownsville Station  

This group formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1969 with Cub Koda (guitarist and vocalist), Mike Lutz (guitarist and vocalist), drummer T.J. Cronley and bassist Tony Driggins.  The group's first albums included covers from groups that inspired them.  

In 1970, Brownsville Station released their debut album No BS on a label owned by Warner Brothers Records.  

In 1973, the group released the album Yeah!  "Smokin' In the Boys Room", written by Lutz and Koda, reached #3 in the United States and #27 in the U.K. and sold over two million copies.

Henry Weck replaced Cronley on drums.  Brownsville Station became a popular live act featuring Koda's onstage antics.  The group's second-best song was "Kings of the Party", which peaked at #31 in 1974.  

In 1977, Brownsville station recorded the novelty song "Martian Boogie", which was played on Dr. Demento's radio show.  The group released the album Air Special in 1978 and broke up the following year.  Lutz went on to produce many artists, including Ted Nugent.  Weck engineered and co-produced the Blackfoot album Strikes. 

Brownsville Station released eight albums and 13 singles in their career. 

This gifted singer-songwriter is featured next in The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*:

 
#134:  Piano in the Dark--Brenda Russell

Brenda Gordon and her family moved from Brooklyn, New York to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada at age 12.  She began performing in local groups and joined a girl group called the Tiaras.  The group released the single "Where Does All the Time Go" in 1968.  

Later in her teens, Brenda married musician Bryan Russell and the two, as Brian & Brenda, released two albums on Elton John's Rocket Records.  The pair also performed on two tracks on Robert Palmer's album Double Fun.  By the late 1970's, the two divorced, and Brenda moved to Los Angeles to begin a solo career.

Russell signed a recording contract with Horizon Records and released the solo single "So Good, So Right" in 1979.  The song reached the Top 30.  A&M Records took over Russell's contract and released Russell's self-titled debut album.  The albums Love Life and Two Eyes followed; Russell then moved to Sweden and began working on her third album.

Brenda released the album Get Here in 1988, the biggest success so far.  "Piano in the Dark" was released as a single and became a smash multi-format hit, earning two Grammy Award nominations including the prestigious Song of the Year nomination.  The song peaked at #6 in the United States, #3 on the influential Adult Contemporary chart, and #23 in the U.K.  The title song from the album later became a huge hit for Oleta Adams. 

After releasing the album Kiss Me with the Wind in 1990, Russell moved to EMI Records and released the album Soul Talkin' in 1993.  Brenda wrote the score for the movie How Stella Got Her Groove Back and appeared in the 1999 movie Liberty Heights.

Russell continued to record albums, then co-wrote the score for the Broadway version of the movie The Color Purple.  Russell and her co-writers were nominated for a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album and a Tony Award for Best Score.  

Russell's songs have been performed by Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Herb Alpert, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Roberta Flack, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dionne Warwick, Anne Murray, Sting, Rita Coolidge, Johnny Mathis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Luther Vandross, Al Jarreau, Babyface, Peabo Bryson, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Patti Austin, Paul Carrack and Regina Belle, among others.

This talented Australia band checks in next at #133:

 
#133:  I Got You--Split Enz

After finishing primary school in New Zealand, Brian Timothy Finn met Jonathan Chunn at Sacred Heart High School.  The two wrote songs and played music together over the next five years.  In 1971, Finn and Chunn went to Auckland University, where they met Phillip Judd.  The following year, they added classical trained violinist Miles Golding and reed player Mike Howard and formed a group.

Originally, the group was known as Split Ends, but they eventually changed it to Split Enz to incorporate the common abbreviation for New Zealand (NZ).  Finn and Judd wrote the songs and with financial backing from friend Barry Coburn, who became the group's manager, Split Ends released their first single "For You/Split Ends" in 1973.

Golding and Howard quit soon after.  Chunn's brother Geoff was brought in to play drums, while lead guitarist Paul Wilkinson and Robert Gillies (saxophone and trumpet) were also brought in.  The group toured New Zealand opening for John Mayall.

Late in 1973, the group landed a 30-minute concert special for Television New Zealand and released a couple of other singles.  In 1974, the group added Anthony "Eddie" Rayner on keyboards and switched the spelling of their name.  The members developed elaborate sets, costumes, hairstyles and makeup.  Geoff Chunn and Gillies both left the group, with Paul Crowther joining on drums.

In 1974, Geoffrey Crombie joined full-time on percussion and directed the band's music videos.  The group set out to capture fans in Australia, then signed a management and publishing deal and recording contract with Mushroom Records.  

The group released their debut album Mental Notes in 1975, which sold moderately in Australia.  Wilkinson was fired and Gillies was brought back in as a permanent member.  While on tour in Australia, Split Enz caught the attention of Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera, who offered to produce their next album in London.  The group relocated there, and signed with Chrysalis Records.

The group's bizarre appearance and crazy onstage antics initially threw the U.K. fans for a loop, but eventually, their musical skills won them a cult following.  Crowther was fired and replaced by drummer Malcolm Green.  Split Enz toured the United States in 1977, but it would be the final tour with founding members Phil Judd and Mike Chunn.

Since the group was about to begin a tour of the U.K., Tim reorganized the group, adding bassist Nigel Griggs and his younger brother Neil Finn on lead guitar.  Neil eventually began songwriting and became the group's second lead singer.  

In 1977, the group released Dizrythmia, which yielded a #18 song in Australia--"My Mistake".  The group toured throughout the U.K. and Europe and began to draw large crowds.  But in 1978, Split Enz lost their contract with Chrysalis.  Debts mounted, but the group continued to write new songs and rehearse constantly.

Split Enz soon got financial help from the New Zealand Arts Council, but then in 1979, two days before a scheduled appearance at the Nambassa Festival in New Zealand, all of the group's equipment was destroyed in a fire.  But the group honored their agreement and performed at the festival, in which the group impressed audiences with a great performance.

The one album in which Split Enz enjoyed international attention was True Colours.  A single from that album, "I Got You" emerged and the video was popular on MTV, which in that day stood for Music Television.  The song, written by Neil Finn, rose to #1 in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and reached #53 in the United States.  It was #1 for eight weeks in Australia and became the second-highest selling single of the year.

Ten albums and 32 singles after they began, Split Enz is still mostly known for their one big hit, "I Got You".  The nucleus of the group went on to form Crowded House, who gave us the great song "Don't Dream It's Over".

Radio prevented this group from ever achieving success with a highly underrated song, so they picked up, moved on, and became one of the top hard rock groups of the 80's:

 
#132:  I'm Gonna' Take Care of Everything--Rubicon  

Jerry Martini, an original member of Sly & the Family Stone, formed Rubicon in San Francisco with Greg Eckler (vocals and drums), guitarist Brad Gillis, Max Haskett on lead vocals and horns, Dennis Marcellino on sax and vocals, keyboardist Jim Pugh and bassist Jack Blades. 

Rubicon released "I'm Gonna' Take Care of Everything" in 1978, which peaked at #28, but in fact was highly underrated.  Because of the oversight by radio, Rubicon was not successful enough to continue.  They released a second album, America Dreams, before breaking up. 

Gillis and Blades further proved the greatness of this group when they went on to form Night Ranger, one of the great acts of the 1980's.

The mystery of this One-Hit Wonder is even deeper when one considers that he was the songwriter and lead singer of one of the top groups of the 60's:

 
#131:  Welcome Back--John Sebastian  

Sebastian was born in Greenwich Village in New York City and was surrounded by musicians, including Woody Guthrie and Burl Ives in his neighborhood.  Sebastian played guitar and harmonica for Billy Faier in 1964, and also recorded with Fred Neil and Tom Rush.  John then joined the Even Dozen Jug Band and the Mugwumps, which split to form the Lovin' Spoonful and the Mamas & the Papas.  Sebastian was a songwriter, lead singer and guitarist with Lovin' Spoonful, a group that was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Spoonful was responsible for the classic "Summer in the City" and hits such as "Do You Believe in Magic", "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?", "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" and "Daydream".

Sebastian left the group in 1968 to pursue a solo career.  He wrote the music and lyrics for Jimmy Shine, a Broadway play starring Dustin Hoffman in the title role.  He made an unscheduled appearance at Woodstock in 1969, appearing after Country Joe McDonald's set.  In 1970, Sebastian released the album John B. Sebastian, accompanied by Los Angeles musicians.

Sebastian played harmonica on "Roadhouse Blues" for the Doors under the pseudonym G. Pugliese to avoid problems with his recording contract.  John also played harmonica on "Deja Vu" for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.  Despite his overwhelming success in Lovin' Spoonful and his credibility, both as a songwriter and as a musician, Sebastian released three albums and seven singles with little to no success.  

Then in 1976, Sebastian recorded the song "Welcome Back" for the television show Welcome Back, Kotter.  The song was released as a single and it became Sebastian's only Top 40 solo hit, reaching #1.

Sebastian did not release any more solo recordings after his One Hit.  He did play as John Sebastian and the J-Band.  In 1978, John wrote the music for the animated special The Devil and Daniel Mouse.  In the next decade, he continued to write and perform for several animated productions, including the Care Bear trilogy.  Sebastian's songs have been recorded by Tom Petty, the Everly Brothers, Helen Reddy, Brenda Lee, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Bobby Darin, Jimmy Buffett, Slade and Joe Cocker.  Sebastian was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008.

It is amazing that given his talent, and especially considering his exposure as lead singer of the Lovin' Spoonful, Sebastian never came close to the Top 20 again as a solo artist.  His next-best effort other than "Welcome Back" was "She's A Lady" in 1968.

Sebastian is the godson of Vivian Vance, who so famously performed as Ethel Mertz of the television classic I Love Lucy.    

A second try at this group paid off when they scored their one massive hit in 1981:

 
#130:  The Boy From New York City--Manhattan Transfer  

The Manhattan Transfer has had two manifestations, originally formed in 1969 by Tim Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson and Pat Rosalia.  Gene Pistilli, who had become known for his work with Gene Cashman and Tommy West, soon wrote for and sang with the group.  The Transfer signed with Capitol Records and released their debut album Jukin' in 1971.  But the group broke up in 1973 and went their separate directions.  

Hauser joined with singers Alan Paul, Janis Siegel and Laurel Masse for a second lineup of Manhattan Transfer.  After several performances at Max's Kansas City, the group developed a cult following.  Ahmet Ertegun, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records, saw their show at Reno Sweeney and signed them to a recording contract.  

Manhattan Transfer released their self-titled album in 1975 and that summer, was signed to their own hour-long television variety series on CBS-TV.  The group also became popular in Europe, and their cover of "Chanson D'Amour" became a #1 hit in the U.K. and Australia in 1977.  

In 1978, shortly after a live album was recorded, Masse was seriously injured in a car accident and was replaced by Cheryl Bentyne.    Transfer released the album Extensions in 1979, which featured a tribute to Rod Serling's groundbreaking Twilight Zone television series with a single of the same name and a cover of Weather Report's "Birdland".  "Birdland" earned Manhattan Transfer a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance and another for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices.

The group had a loyal following, critical acclaim and spotty success.  The one thing that was missing was worldwide attention.  They achieved that in 1981 with their remake of "Boy from New York City".  The group became the first act to win Grammy Awards in popular and jazz categories in the same year.  Their album Boy from New York City and Other Hits received the award for Best Pop performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, while "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)" won the Grammy for Best Jazz Performance, Duo or Group. 

The Transfer won another Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, for their remake of "Route 66", featured in the movie Sharky's Machine, which was an Adult Contemporary hit in the United States but found little success elsewhere.  In 1983, they landed two R&B hits, "Spice of Life" (#40 in the United States popular chart) and "Mystery", which Anita Baker did so magnificently on her 1986 album Rapture. 

On 1985, Manhattan Transfer released Vocalese, which earned twelve Grammy nominations, second only to Michael Jackson's Thriller at the time.  The group walked home with two awards:  Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, and Best Arrangement for Voices.  Despite the high honors that night, few people outside the music industry were aware of the album.

The album Brasil in 1987 captured another Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.  Again, few outside the music industry seemed to care.  The Transfer went on to release 18 albums and 7 singles in their career.  They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

Some of the One-Hit Wonders* in this spectacular recorded one big hit but nothing else.  In the case of Manhattan Transfer, however, the fact that they only enjoyed one big hit is all the more unusual because of their obvious talent and acceptance within the industry. 

We're up to the amazing story behind the song that gave this next pair of talented musicians their one big hit as recording artists:

 
#129:  Nadia's Theme--Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr.  

De Vorzon was born in New York City.  He began writing songs, and one of them, "Dreamin'", was recorded by Johnny Burnette in 1960.  De Vorzon wrote "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" for the Cascades originally.  They did not record it, but DeVorzon recorded it himself with his group Barry and the Tamerlanes, and the song became a huge hit for Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, another One Hit Wonder.  DeVorzon also co-wrote several minor hits for Dorsey Burnette.

De Vorzon founded Valiant Records later in the 1960's, one of the most successful independent recording and publishing companies of the time, that was later sold to Warner Brothers.  Perry discovered the Association, one of The Top 100 Artists of the Rock Era*, signing them to his label and producing their first single.

DeVorzon composed the music for many soundtracks.  One song he and Perry Botkin, Jr. had written for the movie Bless the Beasts and the Children, "Cotton's Dream", was rearranged in 1973 as the instrumental theme for the television soap opera The Young and the Restless.  In 1976, ABC used "Cotton's Dream" as background music for a montage of Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci's spellbinding routines during the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Viewer inquiries to ABC regarding the beautiful song prompted the release by A&M Records of the single retitled "Nadia's Theme".  The song hit #8 in the United States and won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement.  The title song "Bless the Beasts and Children" became one in a long line of smash hits for the Carpenters and earned DeVorzon and Botkin, Jr. another Grammy nomination.  

DeVorzon also wrote the "Theme from S.W.A.T.", a #1 hit for Rhythm Heritage, and co-wrote "In the City" for Joe Walsh for the movie The Warriors.  

DeVorzon has won six Emmy Awards, but never recorded another hit song.  He founded MasterWriter software with fellow songwriter Michael Towers and Perry's son Matthew.  The program was designed for songwriters and contains all the tools and reference that are essential for the modern songwriter.    

Botkin, Jr. was also born in New York City.  He worked in the music business for over forty years as a songwriter, arranger, musician and producer, collaborating with artists such as Harry Nilsson, Bobby Darin, the Lettermen, Ed Ames, and Harpers Bizarre, among others.  Botkin, Jr. arranged "Rhythm of the Rain" for the Cascades and "Feliz Navidad" for Jose Feliciano and albums by Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon and Maureen McGovern. 

Botkin, Jr. also worked with DeVorzon on the movie R.P.M., and arranged music for several movies including Goin' South in 1978 and Tarzan, the Ape Man in 1981.  He also arranged music for the ABC Movie of the Week, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Happy Days, The Smothers Brothers Show, Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley.

For some One Hit Wonders, they record that one big hit and you never hear of them again.  DeVorzon and Botkin, Jr. have both made tremendous contributions to the music industry far beyond their recording efforts.

This hard rock group scored their big hit when they recorded a song originally done by the Everly Brothers:

 
#128:  Love Hurts--Nazareth  

This group formed in Dunfermline, Scotland, from the remaining members of the Shadettes by lead singer Dan McCafferty, guitarist Manny Charlton, bassist Pete Agnew and drummer Darrell Sweet.  Nazareth moved to London in 1970 and released their eponymous debut album in 1971.

The group began to attract a following with their album Exercises in 1972 and opened for Deep Purple on tour.  Roger Glover of Deep Purple produced Nazareth's third album, Razamanaz in 1973.  The album contained two singles, "Broken Down Angel" and Bad Bad Boy", that reached the Top 10 in the U.K. but still worldwide success eluded them.  Nazareth released the albums Loud 'N' Proud in 1973 and Rampant in 1974, with success again contained within Europe.  

In 1975, the group released the album Hair of the Dog.  The title song received airplay, but it was a song originally recorded by the Everly Brothers that finally gave Nazareth their breakthrough.  "Love Hurts" was included on the American version of the album and was released as a single.  The song reached #1 in six countries, including Canada and South Africa, #8 in the United States with over two million copies sold, and #15 in the U.K.  "Love Hurts" broke the existing record in Norway with 60 weeks on that chart.

"Love Hurts" had finally introduced Nazareth to the mainstream.  In 1979, guitarist Zal Cleminson was added to the group, which recorded the albums No Mean City and Malice in Wonderland.  Various lineups continued to record for the next ten years, but they would never enjoy another massive worldwide hit.  Nazareth released 22 albums and 19 singles in their career.

This team of great songwriters kept one for themselves, and it became their only massive hit:

#127:  Solid--Ashford & Simpson  

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson met at the White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, New York in 1964.  They began a duo but were unsuccessful, so they took jobs at Scepter/Wand Records where they could utilize their songwriting talents.  The two wrote songs for Ray Charles ("Let's Go Get Stoned"), the Fifth Dimension, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Shirelles, the Marvelettes, Ronnie Milsap, Chuck Jackson and others.  Ashford & Simpson then joined Motown, writing such R&B classics as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "I'm Every Woman".  

Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced most of the songs on three solo albums for Diana Ross in the early 1970's.  Meanwhile, Ashford sang on two Quincy Jones albums while Simpson released two solo albums on Motown.  When Motown refused to release an album of the duo recording a collection of their most famous songs they had written, Ashford & Simpson left the label.

The pair married in 1974 and signed with Warner Brothers Records, releasing the album Gimme' Something Real.  In 1978, they sang vocals on the Quincy Jones album Stuff Like That.  Ashford and Simpson released numerous albums, yet despite their great songwriting talent, nothing became a hit.  That changed in 1984, when the title cut from their album Solid was released as a single.

"Solid (As A Rock)" hit #1 on the R&B chart and was #12 overall in the United States.  It peaked at #2 in Germany, #3 in the U.K., the Netherlands and Switzerland and reached #4 in Austria.      

The duo continued to write songs for other artists, including Amy Winehouse. The fact that Ashford & Simpson were such gifted songwriters made it even more unbelievable that they scored just one big hit as performers despite releasing 16 albums and 46 singles.

Here we have a heavy metal group which  landed their one big massive hit with a ballad:

#126:  Silent Lucidity--Queensryche  

This group consists of musicians from Bellevue, Washington.  Guitarist Michael Wilton started the group Joker in 1978, and was soon joined by guitarist Chris DeGarmo.  In 1980, Wilton met drummer Scott Rockenfield and they formed the group Cross+Fire.  DeGarmo and bassist Eddie Jackson joined that group and they changed their name to the Mob.  The group recruited lead singer Geoff Tate, but he left after a few shows because he wasn't interested in performing heavy metal covers.  The Mob recorded a demo tape, enlisting Tate to sing the vocals.  The group was rejected by all record companies over the next year.  

The Mob signed a management contract with Kim and Diana Harris, who urged them to choose a different name.  They finally settled on Queensryche and the Harrises released the group's demo tape as their self-titled EP on the label 206 Records in 1982.  In June of 1983, Queensryche's performance caught the attention of EMI, which offered the group a major recording contract.

Queensryche opened for Quiet Riot and Twisted Sister on a subsequent tour to promote the re-release of their EP.  They then travelled to London to record their debut album The Warning in 1984.  "Take Hold of the Flame" was a hit in some countries, most notably in Japan.  Queensryche then toured the United States as the opening act for Kiss.

Queensryche's next album was Rage for Order in 1986, which was followed by another tour.  In 1988, the group released Operation:  Mindcrime, a narrative concept album.  The band toured with several groups, including Def Leppard, Metallica and Guns N' Roses.

In 1990, the album Empire finally gave the group mainstream worldwide success, thanks to the power ballad "Silent Lucidity", a #9 song that helped the album reach #7 and sell over three million copies in the United States.  The song reached #18 in the U.K.  "Jet City Woman" and "Another Rainy Night (Without You)" were hits on the segmented Mainstream Rock chart but weren't wildly popular with the general public.  The group headlined concerts for the first time.

In 1994, Queensryche released the album Promised Land, which went Platinum, but lacked the great song that Empire had.  "Real World", "Bridge" and "I Am I" were all Mainstream Rock hits, but the best they could do was #40 in the U.K. and none charted in the United States.  In 1997, Queensryche released the album Hear in the Now Frontier to mixed reception.

DeGarmo became seriously ill and left the band, forcing the group to cancel concert dates.  Their record label, EMI, went bankrupt and Queensryche was forced to use its own money to finance the remaining two months of the tour.

The group soldiered on, producing a career output of 13 albums and 32 singles before breaking up in 2012.  



We're nearly up to the 100 artists we've chosen that essentially surprised us the most by not having another big hit.  But before we get to that, there's 25 more artists, and we'll hear from them tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!