The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era: #475-451

We've barely begun in our salute to the great One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era...

Here's another actor who dabbled in the recording studio:

#475:  Heaven on the Seventh Floor--Paul Nicholas

Paul Oscar Beuselinck was born in Peterborough, England.  He began his career as a musician, using the stage name of Paul Dean in the group Paul Dean & the Dreamers.  That group backed the Savages, who soon hired Nicholas (Dean) to be lead singer and pianist.  Dean released two solo singles in 1965-66, then, using the stage name Oscar, signed with Robert Stigwood's Reaction Records.

Paul released a single "Club of Lights" on Reaction, which was a minor hit.  He released two other singles before settling on the stage name Paul Nicholas.  Paul starred in the musicals Hair and the original London production of Jesus Christ Superstar.  He also starred in the British production of Grease and several other musicals.  Nicholas began a movie career in 1970.  

In 1976, Nicholas returned to music and had three Top 20 hits in the U.K., but none attracted worldwide airplay.  Then in 1977, he released the single "Heaven on the 7th Floor", which hit #1 in New Zealand and #6 in the United States and sold over one million copies.  His follow-up, "On The Strip" only reached #67.  Nicholas then returned to movies, starring in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Jazz Singer, among others.   

Nicholas later starred in the BBC sitcom Just Good Friends, then returned to musical theatre and also produced and directed shows.

The next featured One Hit Wonder launched their career on a British talent show:

#474:  Sad Sweet Dreamer--Sweet Sensation

Sweet Sensation formed in Manchester, England in 1973 and became popular after appearing on the ITV talent show New Faces.  Panelist Tony Hatch helped the group land a recording contract with Pye Records.  Sweet Sensation's debut single "Snow Fire" was not successful, but the follow-up was #1 in the U.K. and #14 in the United States.  

"Purely by Coincidence" reached #11 in the U.K. but the group was unable to match their worldwide success of "Sad Sweet Dreamer".  In 1977, the group competed to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest but their song--"You're My Sweet Sensation" placed eighth and the group disbanded shortly after.

This singer-songwriter enjoyed one big hit. His talent was greater than either the peak of his song or the fact that he only had one big song:

#473: Goin' Down--Greg Guidry

Guidry sang in a band with Michael McDonald as a teenager. He signed a publishing deal with CBS Records in 1977, and wrote songs for the Climax Blues Band, Exile, Johnny Taylor, Robbie Dupree and Reba McEntire. In 1981, Guidry sang backing vocals for the Allman Brothers. This led to a recording contract with Columbia in 1982 and the release of the album Over the Line.
The LP produced the minor but underrated hit "Goin' Down" (#17 in 1982). Guidry continued to write songs, but did not release a follow-up until 2000. Guidry died in a fire on July 28, 2003 in a death that was ruled a suicide.

This country star crossed over for one big song in 1967:

#472:  For The Good Times--Ray Price

Price was born in Perryville, Texas and served in the United States Marines from 1944-1946.  He began singing for KRBC Radio in Abilene in 1948 and joined the Big D Jamboree in Dallas in 1949.  Ray then moved to Nashville, Tennessee in the early 1950's, rooming for a while with Hank Williams.  When Williams died, Price managed his band, the Drifting Cowboys.  

Price recorded the song "Release Me" in 1954, which became a big hit for Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967.  Price formed his own band, the Cherokee Cowboys, which included at some time Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, and Johnny Paycheck, among others.  Price became one of the chief components of honky tonk music in the 1950's, enjoying several successes in the small but loyal genre of country music.    

In the 1960's, Price began singing slow ballads that featured lush arrangements of strings and backing singers.  In 1967, Price recorded a Kris Kristofferson song called "For The Good Times", which became his only major mass appeal success.  It reached #11 overall, was a #1 country song, and won the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.  Although he would never reach the Top 40 again, he did enjoy three more #1 country songs, including "I Won't Mention It Again", which peaked at #42 overall.  

Price was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996.  Despite battling pancreatic cancer, Ray is still performing in his 80's.   "For The Good Times" is now the official song of Company A-1 of the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets.  The seniors of A-1 sing the song before every A&M home football game. 

This talented group gave us one of the last of the great surfing instrumentals:

#471:  Penetration--Pyramids

Lead guitarist Skip Mercier, rhythm guitarist Willie Glover, bassist Steve Leonard, drummer Ron McMullen and saxophonist Steve Leonard formed this group in Long Beach, California in 1961.  They released "Penetration" in 1964, which peaked at #18; in fact, it was the last major instrumental surfing song.  

In July, the group appeared in the movie Bikini Beach, walking onstage with Beatle wigs, which were then lifted to reveal their shaved heads. 

But that was the last we heard of the Pyramids.  They released just one album and five singles in their career. 

This talented act was able to score a hit in the 1980's:

#470:  Breaking Away--Balance

This group formed in New York City when lead singer Peppy Castro, formerly of Blues Magoos ("We Ain't Got Nothing Yet") joined guitarist Bob Kulick, arranger and keyboardist Doug Katsaros, drummer Chuck Burgi and bassist Dennis Feldman.

In 1981, Balance released their debut album that included "Breaking Away".  The song reached #22 and the band toured in support of the album.  But the follow-up single, "Falling in Love", only reached #58 and the group was unable to chart again.

Castro, Katsaros, Burgi and Feldman reunited briefly when they backed up Michael Bolton on his 1985 album Everybody's Crazy.

A favor for a friend led to this singer enjoying a huge hit:
#469: Bobby's Girl--Marcie Blane

This singer from Brooklyn recorded a demo as a high school student and Seville Records released the song as a favor for a friend of the label.  The song was "Bobby's Girl", and it became a #3 song in 1962 and sold over one million copies.  The single became popular in Europe and was later recorded in German for that market.  

Blane's follow-up "What Does A Girl Do?" only hit #82 and was her only other appearance on the Top 100.  In 1965, Blane retired from the music business and became a music and arts educator in New York City.

Up next in this exclusive feature, a group credited as an influence with the development of heavy metal music in the 70's:

#468:  Mississippi Queen--Mountain

Vocalist and guitarist Leslie West formed this Long Island, New York band in 1969 that also included Norman Landsberg on keyboards and bass and drummer Ken Janick.  The group began playing concerts when Cream collaborator Felix Pappalardi (producer of Disraeli Gears, Goodbye and Wheels of Fire for the group) expressed a desire to produce an album for Mountain.  

The subsequent album, Leslie West Mountain, featured Landsberg, Pappalardi on bass and drummer N.D. Smart.  Pappalardi suggested the group go on the road, adding keyboardist Steve Knight when Landsberg left to form another group.  Naming themselves after the album, Mountain played shows on the West Coast before playing their fourth concert together on the stage at Woodstock in 1969.   

The group brought Woodstock fans to their feet with their performance there.  The group promptly recorded the 1970 album Climbing! which contained "Mississippi Queen".  The song reached #21 and led the album to the #17 spot.  Smart was replaced by Laurence "Corky" Laing shortly after the album was recorded.  

Mountain toured heavily in support of the album, while recording the follow-up, Nantucket Sleighride, in 1971.  Although that album didn't include a song the quality of "Mississippi Queen", the title song was used as the theme to the ITV Sunday political show Weekend World.  

After this, Mountain continued to get critical kudos but never enjoyed widespread success again.  Mountain broke up in 1972, but they have reunited often since 1973 and are still active today.  The group has released eight studio albums and three singles in their career.

An association with Van Halen helped this group get off the ground:

#467:  Turn Up the Radio--Autograph

This group formed in 1983, originally as a solo project for singer, songwriter and guitarist Steve Plunkett, who had just left the group Silver Condor.  Plunkett began playing and recording songs with several musician friends who had played with him previously in other groups.  Steve Lynch was the lead guitarist, Randy Rand played bass, Steve Isham was on keyboards and Keni Richards played drums. 

The camaraderie of the musicians began to take them in the form of an actual band, and Plunkett named them Autograph.  They began recording demos in 1983, and played them for producer Andy Johns, who Plunkett had met while with Silver Condor.  Johns invited the group to upgrade the demos at the world-famous Record Plant Studios for free under his guidance.  

Richards' friendship with David Lee Roth of Van Halen helped Autograph get a big break the following year.  Roth heard the demos and invited Autograph to open for Van Halen on their 1984 tour.  Although they had no recording contract, Autograph played 48 shows with Van Halen and attracted a following.  This led to a contract with RCA Records following Autograph's show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.   

Autograph recorded the album Sign in Please, but it didn't receive any attention until the single "Turn Up the Radio" was released the following year.  The song reached #29 and all of a sudden the album was selling, to the tune of one million copies.  "Turn Up the Radio" was featured in an episode of the television show Miami Vice.  Lynch's guitar work on the song won him "Guitar Solo of the Year" from Guitar Player magazine. 

"Send Her to Me" was also released as a single, but it went nowhere.  The group quickly recorded the album That's the Stuff in the fall of 1985, and Autograph toured in support of groups such as Heart and Motley Crue.  Lacking a song the caliber of "Turn Up the Radio" to promote, however, the second album did not reach Gold status.  "Blondes in Black Cars" and the title song were released as singles, but the album only reached #92. 

In 1987, Autograph recorded Loud and Clear and made three appearances on "Headbangers Ball" to support the album.  But nothing approached the success of "Turn Up the Radio" and Autograph left RCA in 1988.  Isham and Richards left the band, but with the addition of drummer Eddie Cross, the group continued to tour, opening for Aerosmith, Van Halen, Bryan Adams and Whitesnake.  But the group could not sustain their own career and broke up in 1989.    

Plunkett became a staff writer and producer for artists such as Cyndi Lauper, the Go-Go's, Graham Nash, En Vogue, Marc Anthony, Edgar Winter and Vixen.  Plunkett also wrote and performed the theme for the television show Kojak, and has had his songs included in hundreds of shows such as Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, The Simpsons and Sex and the City.  Lynch has been a guitar teacher for several years and has published several books on his guitar styles.

Autograph produced a total of six albums and seven singles in their career.  

This British duo landed a big hit in 1963:

  #466:  You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry--Caravelles

This British duo of Lois Wilkinson and Andrea Simpson named themselves after the French airliner.  "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry" was first recorded by Moon Mullican, then Tennessee Ernie Ford put it on the flip side of the single "Sixteen Tons".  

The Caravelles recorded it in 1963 and it hit #3 in the United States and #6 in the U.K.  But the duo were unable to sustain their success, and Wilkinson left for a solo career.  Simpson kept the group going into the 1990's with a series of replacements.  The Caravelles released a total of 10 singles in their career.  

The leaders of Midnight Star hit it big later as a duo:

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465:  I Wanna' Be Rich--Calloway

Reginald and Vincent Calloway grew up in a family of musicians in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Their father played trumpet, their uncle played keyboards and their aunt was an opera singer.  As teenagers, the brothers began writing songs and forming bands at Kentucky State University. 

They then formed Midnight Star, which scored a huge Multi-Platinum album in 1983 with No Parking on the Dance Floor.  After the group split, Reginald and Vincent both did solo work, produced other artists, and wrote songs.  They had penned "Meeting in the Ladies Room" for Klymaxx and "Contagious" for the Whispers while in Midnight Star, and afterwards,  the brothers wrote "Casanova" for Levert, "Love Overboard" for Gladys Knight & the Pips, and also wrote songs for Natalie Cole and Teddy Pendergrass.

In the late 80's, the duo formed Calloway and recorded the album All the Way in 1989.  The title song and "Sir Lancelot" both reached the Top 20 on the R&B chart, but a third single--"I Wanna' Be Rich" finally gave them a mainstream hit.  "I Wanna' Be Rich" reached #2, but that would be the last major hit Calloway would have.  The brothers continued to produce other artists, but they were unable to match the magic of their big hit together.

This artist contained some great musicians that gave us this garage rock favorite:

 
#464:  Gimme Gimme Good Loving--Crazy Elephant

Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz of Super K Productions formed this studio group in the 1960's. Robert Spencer, former lead singer of the Cadillacs, was featured, while Kevin Godley, future member of 10cc, also handled lead vocals. 

In 1969, Crazy Elephant recorded "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" with bassist Gary Gaynor, Kenny Cohen (flute, saxophone), who later performed with the Eagles, Rod Stewart, Santana and B.B. King, drummer Bob Avery, keyboardist Larry Laufer and vocalist Hal King.  The single reached #12 in both the United States and the U.K.

But several follow-up singles failed to chart and the project dried up.

This artist began as a folk singer, then went on to a successful career working for Walt Disney:

#463:  Marianne--Teri Gilkyson

Gilkyson (real first name Hamilton) was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and graduated from St. George High School in 1935.  He was a rancher in his early twenties, then served in the United States military in World War II.  In 1947, Gilkyson moved to California to pursue a career as a folk singer.

Gilkyson wrote "The Cry Of the Wild Goose", which Frankie Laine recorded in 1950.  In 1951, Gilkyson starred in and wrote songs for the movie Slaughter Trail and was the featured singer on the Weavers song "On Top Of Old Smokey".  

In 1956, Gilkyson formed the group the Easy Riders with Richard Dehr and Frank Miller.  The trio wrote "Marianne", which reached #4 in 1956.  Their follow-up, "Tina", however, only hit #96.  However, the trio wrote "Memories Are Made of This", which became a #1 smash for Dean Martin backed by the Easy Riders.

Afterwards, Gilkyson went to work for Walt Disney Studios, writing music for movies and the television series The Wonderful World of Disney.  In 1968, Teri was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture for "The Bare Necessities" from the animated classic The Jungle Book.

Son Tony played in the band X, daughter Eliza is a singer-songwriter, and daughter Nancy has been vice president at Warner Brothers Records for over 20 years.  

The one big song of this artist became a huge hit for the Dave Clark Five:

 
#462:  I Like It Like That--Chris Kenner

This artist from Kenner, Louisiana sang gospel music in his church choir, before moving to new Orleans in his teenage years.  He recorded a few songs for Baton Records in 1955 without success.  In 1957, Kenner recorded "Sick and Tired" for Imperial Records, a song Fats Domino later turned into a hit.

When Kenner began working with pianist and arranger Allen Toussaint, his fortunes improved.  Kenner signed with Instant Records and recorded "I Like It Like That", a #2 song in 1961 that sold over one million copies.  The song was famously recorded in 1965 by the Dave Clark Five.  Kenner also recorded "Something You Got", which wasn't a hit for him, but was covered by artists such as Ramsey Lewis, Fairport Convention and Bruce Springsteen. 

In 1962, Kenner recorded "Land of a Thousand Dances", which Wilson Pickett turned into a big hit.  Kenner continued to record, released an album in 1966.  In 1968, Kenner was convicted of statutory rape of a minor and spent three years in prison.  Eight years later, he died of a heart attack at age 46.

The One-Hit Wonder of this artist quickly became a Halloween favorite:

#461:  Monster Mash--Bobby "Boris" Pickett

Pickett was born in Somerville, Massachusetts.  He watched many horror films as a child and would later incorporate his impressions of them into his nightclub act in Hollywood, California in 1959.  Pickett served in Korea in the United States Army, then began writing songs after his discharge.

Pickett co-wrote "Monster Mash" with Leonard Capizzi in 1962, a spoof on the popular dance crazes at the time.  The song included Pickett's impersonations of horror stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.  Every major label passed on the song, but Gary Paxton agreed to produce and engineer it.  Leon Russell played piano on "Monster Mash" and it was issued on Paxton's Garpax Records. 

The single went to #1 in the United States, and re-entered the charts twice--in 1970 and again in 1973, when it climbed to #10.  The song peaked in the U.K. at #3 in 1973 and this led to a Rock Era record.  "Monster Mash" sold one million copies in the year of its initial release (1962) and sold another one million copies 11 years later in 1973.

A Christmas-themed follow-up, "Monster's Holiday", was released in 1962 and hit #30.  Further songs were released with this theme such as "Werewolf Watusi" and "The Monster Swim".  Pickett's "Graduation Day" peaked at #80 in 1963.

You may find yourself dancing to the music of this next artist:

 
#460:  Rhythm of the Night--Corona

Francesco Bontempi and Olga Souza formed this group and Corona released their debut single "The Rhythm of the Night" in Italy in 1993 on DWA Records.  The song reached #1 there for eight weeks, but success was confined to Italy.  Then, a remixed version of the song caught on in the U.K. in 1994, where it reached #2.  "The Rhythm of the Night" then spread to Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain, where it peaked at #3 in each of those countries. The song also hit #4 in Switzerland, #5 in France and #8 in Australia. 

"The Rhythm of the Night" finally spread worldwide in 1995, two years after its initial release, as Corona took it to #11 in the United States.  This led to the release of the album of the same name.  "Baby Baby" was a #1 hit in Italy and #5 in the U.K., but only #57 in the U.S.  "Try Me Out" reached #2 in Italy and #6 in the U.K. but this time, no luck at all in other parts of the world.  "I Don't Wanna' Be a Star" (#2) gave Corona four Top 2 songs in Italy, was #22 in the U.K., and again did not chart in the United States.  

Corona's released their second album, Walking On Music, in 1998.  The album didn't yield any successful singles and a third release, And Me U met with similar results.  Souza kept the group alive and released songs well into the new millennium, having some success in Italy, Spain and Brazil, her native country.

Up next, one of the early singer-songwriters of the Rock Era:

 
#459:  Since I Met You, Baby--Ivory Joe Hunter

Hunter was born in Kirbyville, Texas and developed an early interest in music from his father, who played guitar, and his gospel-singing mother.  Hunter was a talented pianist by the age of 13, and made his first recording for Alan Lomax in 1933.  

In the early 1940's, Hunter had his own radio show on KDFM in Beaumont, Texas, where he went on to become program manager.  In 1942, Ivory Joe moved to Los Angeles and joined Johnny Moore's Three Blazers.  Hunter wrote and recorded "Blues At Sunrise" with the Three Blazers for his own label, Ivory Records.  The song became a nationwide R&B hit in 1945.  In 1949, Hunter recorded two more R&B hits, backed by members of Duke Ellington's band.

Hunter then signed with MGM Records and recorded "I Almost Lost My Mind", which was a #1 R&B song and would later be turned into a #1 popular smash by Pat Boone.  Hunter made his network television debut on the show You Asked For It.  By 1954, Hunter had moved to Atlantic Records, and recorded the song "Since I Met You Baby".  The single would be his only Top 40 popular song, reaching #12 in 1956.

While visiting Memphis, Tennessee in 1957, Hunter was invited by Elvis Presley to visit Graceland.  The pair sang several songs together, and Presley later recorded several of Hunter's songs, including "I Need You So" and "Ain't That Lovin' You, Baby".  

Hunter released 20 singles in his career, many of which were big R&B hits but failed to cross over.  Ivory Joe died in 1974.

This promising singer scored a big hit in 1997, and then was never heard from again:

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  #458:  I Don't Ever Want to See You Again--Uncle Sam

Sam Turner of Detroit, Michigan, signed with Stonecreek Records, the label owned by Boyz II Men, and used the stage name of Uncle Sam.  He recorded the album Uncle Sam in 1997, which included  "I Don't Ever Want to See You Again".  The single became a #6 song, #2 on the R&B chart, and sold over one million copies.

Uncle Sam also recorded a cover of the Bad English song "When I See You Smile" for the television show Touched by an Angel.  But mysteriously, he never recorded again. 

So popular was this group in their native country that their song was named one of the tops of all-time in New Zealand:

#457:  How Bizarre--OMC

Phil Fuemana, previously in the bands Houseparty and Fuemana, formed OMC, or the Otara Millionaires Club, in 1993 in Otara, New Zealand.  The group name was as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Otara's status as one of the poorest suburbs of Auckland.  Fuemana and younger brother Pauly recorded two tracks for producer Alan Jansson's Urban Pacifica collection Proud.  Pauley suggested that they shorten the band's name to OMC and he and Jansson became the only members of the group.  Pauley was the frontman and played several instruments while Jansson co-wrote all the tracks and also was the arranger and producer. 

OMC signed with huh! Records and released the single "How Bizarre", which became a #1 smash in New Zealand, selling over 35,000 copies, still a record number in their native country.  The song then spread across the globe like wildfire.  It hit #1 in Australia for five weeks, spread across Europe, then finally was popular in North America.  Although it wasn't released as a single in the United States, it was #6 on the U.S. Airplay chart, was #2 on the R&B chart, and reached #1 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.  The song was a BMI-certified million airplay song two years in a row, a feat almost unheard of.  

The duo then recorded the album How Bizarre, and the third single, "On the Run", reached #56 in the U.K.  The album sold over one million copies in the United States.   "Land of Plenty" was a Top 5 song in New Zealand, but unlike "How Bizarre", it's popularity did not spread. 

Pauley and Jansson had a subsequent falling out over royalties, which ended up in court, and they split up.

This group saw its end when it was ruled that its big hit copied one of their own songs:

 
#456:  Daddy's Home--Shep and the Limelites

James "Shep" Sheppard, Clarence Bassett and Charles Baskerville formed Shane Sheppard and the Limelites in Queens, New York in 1960, which quickly became Shep and the Limelites.

The group recorded "Daddy's Home", which Sheppard wrote, in 1961 for Hull Records.  The single hit #2 for the group in May.  Later releases did not approach the level of "Daddy's Home".  

Kahl Music, publisher of "A Thousand Miles Away" (written by Sheppard) sued Keel Music, publisher of "Daddy's Home" for copyright violation.  Keel Music lost the lawsuit, resulting in the end of both the Limelites and Hull Records in 1966.  Basset joined the Flamingos while Baskerville ended up being a member of the Drifters.  Sheppard re-formed the Limelites in the late 1960's but was murdered on January 24, 1970, found dead in his car on the Long Island Expressway. 

"Daddy's Home has been recorded by several artists since, including Cliff Richard and Jermaine Jackson.

This artist scored a big hit in 1961:

  #455:  I Know--Barbara George

George was born in Smithridge, Louisiana and raised in New Orleans.  She began singing in a church choir and was discovered by singer Jessie Hill, who recommended George to producer Harold Battiste.  

George wrote "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More" and released it as a single in 1961.  The song hit #3 overall and was a #1 R&B hit.  George released two singles the following year, "You Talk About Love" and "Send For Me (If You Need Some Lovin"), but both were only minor hits, and George largely retired from the music industry by the end of the decade.

Several artists, including Ike and Tina Turner, Bonnie Raitt, and Freddie King, have recorded George's hit song.

A lot of people had a hand in the success of this group:

#454:  Sally Go 'Round the Roses--Jaynetts

This group from The Bronx, New York began as the Hearts.  They recorded "Lonely Nights", which was released on a small independent label.  It became an R&B hit, allowing producer Zell Sanders to found her own label, J&S.  

The Jaynetts name came about by adding the "J" in "J&S" to "Anetta", the middle name of vocalist Lezli Valentine.  Justine Washington sang lead for the group before going solo in 1957.  Abner Spector of Chess Records told Sanders to assemble a lineup of female singers and Lona Stevens, Spector's wife, wrote "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" with Sanders for this purpose.

The vocalists were Yvonne Bushnell, Ethel Davis, Ada Ray Kelly, Johnnie Louise Richardson and Mary Sue Wells.  Many J&S session singers also lent vocals to the song.  "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" reached #2 in 1963, so the group recorded an album of the same name.  "Keep an Eye on Her" was released as a single but did not chart, nor did two further singles.  

At #453, this great-sounding doo-wop group:

#4543  Silhouettes--Rays

Lead singer Harold Miller, tenors Walter Ford and David Jones and baritone Harry James formed the Rays in New York City in 1955. 

The Rays originally signed a recording contract with Chess Records and recorded "Silhouettes", a song written by Bob Crewe and Frank Slay, Jr.  The group released "Silhouettes" on XYZ Records in 1957, but it soon became so popular that Cameo Records  picked it up for national distribution since XYZ couldn't handle the demand.  "Silhouettes" peaked at #3 and sold over one million copies, becoming one of The Top Songs of the 1950's*.

The Rays had minor hits with "Mediterranean Moon" and "Magic Moon".  "Silhouettes" was covered by the Diamonds in 1957 (#10) and Herman's Hermits (#5) in 1965.  

This artist worked behind the scenes on some great albums of the 1960's before enjoying a big solo hit in 1972:

#452: Oh, Babe What Would You Say--Hurricane Smith

This artist from Edmonton, England was a RAF glider pilot in World War II.  He began as a jazz musician, but when that didn't turn out, he joined EMI Records as an apprentice sound engineer in 1959.  Smith was the engineer on all of the EMI studio recordings by the Beatles until after the 1965 album Rubber Soul, when he was promoted to producer at EMI.  Smith recorded nearly 100 Beatles songs all told.

In 1967, Smith began working with a new group, Pink Floyd, producing their first four studio albums.  The following year, he produced one of the first rock concept albums, S.F. Sorrow by the Pretty Things. 

Still, Smith yearned to record songs himself.  In 1971, using the pseudonym of Hurricane Smith, he recorded "Don't Let It Die".  He had written the song originally in hopes that John Lennon would record it, but released the song himself as a single.  It reached #2 in the U.K. but the song didn't find a worldwide audience.

In 1972, Smith released "Oh Babe What Would You Say?", and this time, his success spread around the world.  It was #3 in the United States and #4 in the U.K.  Smith released his self-titled debut album, and another single, "Who Was It?" peaked at #23 in the U.K.

Further efforts were not successful, but he did tour for two years with a band and record a second album, Razzmahtazz Shall Inherit The Earth, in 1973.  

Although he only had one hit, this artist wrote his own Broadway musical:

#451:  Barely Breathing--Duncan Sheik

This artist was raised in Montclair, New Jersey.  His Julliard-trained grandmother taught him how to play piano.  Duncan graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, then studied semiotics at Brown University.

Sheik moved to Daly City and began playing for other artists, including Liz and Lisa (with Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell).  In 1996, Sheik released his self-titled debut album, which included "Barely Breathing".  Although the song only reached #17, making it one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*, it set a Rock Era record by charting for 55 consecutive weeks, hitting the Top 20 on Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 and earned Sheik a Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance.

The follow-up single, "She Runs Away", reached #24 on the Adult chart but was largely ignored by a mass audience.  In 1998, Sheik released the album Humming, which featured complex string arrangements.  He released two albums in the 2000's which were critically acclaimed but not big-sellers.

In 2002, Sheik wrote original music for the New York Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night.  He composed the score for the movies A Home at the End of the World and Through the Fire.  In 2006, Sheik wrote the music for the play Spring Awakening, a project eight years in the making.  The musical found its way to Broadway in the fall and won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Orchestration and Best Original Score.  The original cast recording received the Grammy in 2008 for Best Musical Show Album. 

In 2012, Sheik wrote Alice By Heart, an adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.   Currently, he is writing music for the musical adaptation of American Psycho and working on the feature film of Spring Awakening.

Sheik has released seven albums and 13 singles in his career.

We've heard just 50 One-Hit Wonders*, and it's amazing how many great songs and talented artists there are who enjoyed just one big song.  Visit us tomorrow for the third installment!