This Date in Rock Music History: April 14

1956:  Bobby Helms ("Jingle Bell Rock") signed with Decca Records.
1958:  The Champs celebrated a third week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Tequila".

1960:  Berry Gordy merged Tamla Records and Motown Records to form the famous Motown Record corporation.  (Note:  some websites claim Motown was founded on April 14, 1959.  Gordy founded Tamla on January 12, 1959 with an $800 loan from his family, according to the official website for the Motown Museum.  He started Motown records in September of 1959, according to many sources, including the book 'African-American Business Leaders:  A Biographical Dictionary' by John N. Ingham and Lynne B. Feldman, then merged the two together on this date in 1960, according to many sources, including the book 'Michael Jackson King of Pop' by Jean-Pierre Hombach.) 1962:  "Johnny Angel" spent a second week at #1 on this date; it was the big hit for Shelley Fabares.

1963:  The Beatles met the Rolling Stones for the first time after the latter gave a concert at the Crawdaddy Club at the Station Hotel (1 Kew Road) in Richmond, Surrey, England.










1965:  Millie Small sang her hit "My Boy Lollipop" on the television show Shindig!.  Other performers included Neil Sedaka, Jerry Lee Lewis and April & Nino.
1965:  The movie Girl Happy starring Elvis Presley opened in theaters.
1966:  The Beatles finished recording "Paperback Writer", a song they had started the previous night without rehearsal.
1966:  The Spencer Davis Group was at #1 in the U.K. with "Somebody Help Me".

1966:  Roy Orbison, the Walker Brothers and Lulu performed at the Colston Hall in Bristol, England.










1967:  The Bee Gees released the single "New York Mining Disaster 1941".










1967:  The final episode of Where the Action Is starring Paul Revere & the Raiders aired on ABC-TV.
1969:  The 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee special aired on NBC-TV.
1969:  The Beatles, or more specifically just John Lennon and Paul McCartney, recorded "The Ballad Of John And Yoko".
1969:  Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl) tied Katherine Hepburn (The Lion In Winter) for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.

1970:  CCR made their live debut in the U.K. at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

1970:  Stephen Stills broke his wrist in a car accident.




1973:  The man had a style all his own, and we loved him for it.  On this date, we were introduced to Barry White, as his first career single, "I'm Gonna' Love You Just A Little More, Baby", debuted on the chart.
1973:  Led Zeppelin moved into #1 on the U.K. Album chart with Houses of the Holy.
1973:  Diana Ross had the #1 album with the Soundtrack to "Lady Sings the Blues".






                          War had themselves a Top 10 with "The Cisco Kid"...


1973:  "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence was #1 for the second week in a row.  Gladys Knight & the Pips once again were at #2 with "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)".  The rest of the Top Ten as long titles were the order of the day--#3 "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Dawn, #4 was "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" by the Four Tops, the Carpenters moved into position #5 with "Sing", War had #6 with "The Cisco Kid", Anne Murray was at 7 with "Danny's Song", the Stylistics slipped to #8 with "Break Up to Make Up", Roberta Flack's former #1 "Killing Me Softly With His Song" was at #9 and Al Green cracked the top Ten with "Call Me (Come Back Home)". 
1973:  "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Tony Orlando & Dawn was #1 for the second week in a row on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1974:  Ladies and Gentlemen:  The Rolling Stones premiered at Ziegfeld Theater in New York City for invited guests.  The movie opened to the general public the following day at the Ziegfeld.  It was the first concert movie to feature quadrophonic sound.  (Note:  some websites claim the premiere was April 6, but it was the 14th for special guests and the 15th for the general public, according to 'New York Magazine'.)






1975:  Chicago released their single "Old Days".







 


1975:  Van McCoy released the single "The Hustle".  (Note:  one website shows the date of release as April 18, while another says the single was released in August.  "The Hustle" debuted on the Singles chart on April 19, 1975.  It is physically impossible for a song to be released by the record company, listened to and added to radio station playlists, reported to the trade papers, and printed and published by the trade papers, all in just two days, not to mention impossible to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)








1975:  Art Garfunkel began a six-week run at #1 in the U.K. with his beautiful song "Bright Eyes" from the movie Watership Down.  It would go on to become the biggest selling single of the year.  In the U.S., it has to settle for being one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era.
1975:  The Rolling Stones announced that singer/guitarist Ron Wood would join them for their upcoming tour.  Wood joined the group as a full-time member later in the year.















1979:  Newcomer Rickie Lee Jones released the single "Chuck E's In Love".










          
                                         "Surrender" helped introduce us to Cheap Trick...

1979:  The Doobie Brothers had the top album with Minute By Minute.  The self-titled Dire Straits was second, switching places with Spirits Having Flown from the Bee Gees.  2 Hot!  from a new Peaches & Herb was fourth.  The rest of the Top 10:  Blondes Have More Fun from Rod Stewart, Gloria Gaynor with Love Tracks, Bad Company moved up to #7 with Desolation Angels, George Benson with Livin' Inside Your Love, the Allman Brothers Band were back with Enlightened Rouges and Cheap Trick found the Top 10 with their breakthrough album, Cheap Trick Live At Budokan.
1979:  "Crazy Love" by Poco spent a sixth of seven weeks it would reign as #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.  It was one of the top AC hits of the decade.






1979:  The Doobie Brothers took over at #1 on the Hot 100 with their first career #1--"What A Fool Believes".  Gloria Gaynor's former #1 "I Will Survive" was at 2, Amii Stewart moved up to #3 with "Knock On Wood", the debut from Dire Straits, "Sultans Of Swing", was at #4 and Frank Mills' catchy instrumental "Music Box Dancer" moved into the top five.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Bee Gees were at #6 with their former #1 "Tragedy", Peaches & Herb were headed that way, going from 15-7 with "Reunited", Blondie had song #8 with "Heart Of Glass", Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman had a top Ten record with "Stumblin' In" and the Little River Band was at #10 with "Lady".
1980:  Iron Maiden released their debut album.  (Note:  several websites claim the album was released on April 11.  While no credible sources exist for either date, our best research indicates that the album was released April 14.)
1980:  Gary Numan released The Touring Principle, the first rock videocassette available for purchase.




1980:  A bill was introduced in the New Jersey state assembly to make "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen the official state song.











1981:  Neil Diamond released the single "America" on the day the U.S. first Space Shuttle, Columbia, landed.
1983:  Pete Farndon of the Pretenders died from drugs in London at the age of 29.  Farndon had been fired from the group one year earlier because of his addiction.  Yet he hadn't learned.










1984:  Billy Idol released the single "Eyes Without A Face".  (Note:  some websites naively say the single was released May 29.  "Eyes Without A Face" debuted on the charts on May 5.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)
1984:  "Hello" by Lionel Richie led the way on the Adult Contemporary chart for the second out of an eventual six weeks at #1.









1984:  Thriller by Michael Jackson topped the Album chart for the 37th week, a record that still stands.  The "Footloose" Soundtrack was second with 1984 from Van Halen and Can't Slow Down from Lionel Richie right behind.  Huey Lewis & the News completed a great Top Five with Sports.  The rest of the Top 10:  Culture Club with Colour By Numbers, the Eurythmics' album Touch, the Scorpions crawled in at #8 with Love At First Sting, the Pretenders' amazing album Learning to Crawl at #9 and Cyndi Lauper remained 10th with She's So Unusual.

1985:  Phil Collins released the song "Sussudio".











1989:  The Fine Young Cannibals released the single "Good Thing".

1990:  Thurston Harris ("Little Bitty Pretty One" from 1957) died of a heart attack in Pomona, California at the age of 58.
1990:  Madonna had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Vogue".
1990:  Tommy Page had his first and only #1 with "I'll Be Your Everything".  Jane Child was at 2 with "Don't Wanna' Fall In Love", Lisa Stansfield remained at #3 with "All Around The World", Sinead O'Connor was headed for the top with "Nothing Compares 2 (sic) U (sic)" and Taylor Dayne fell from #1 to #5 with "Love Will Lead You Back".









                       Dayne ruled the AC chart...


1990:  Taylor Dayne spent a fourth week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Love Will Lead You Back".
1993:  Paul McCartney began a 24-date tour of North America at the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1995:  Burl Ives ("Holly Jolly Christmas") died of cancer of the mouth in Anacortes, Washington at the age of 85.
2002:  Phil Selway of Radiohead ran in the London Marathon, raising $26,628 for the Samaritans.
2004:  Sophie B. Hawkins ("As I Lay Me Down") won a lawsuit against a man selling pirated copies of her new album Wilderness.
2004:  Usher was on top of the Album chart for the third week in a row with Confessions.
2006:  The Beatles announced they would digitally remaster their back catalog and sell the music online.
2008:  Brian May, elite guitarist for Queen, was named chancellor of John Moore University in Liverpool, England.

2009:  George Harrison was recognized with a posthumous star (Why don't they ever do these things on time?) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.  Sir Paul McCartney was there to witness the event, joining Olivia Harrison and son Dhani.  Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and Tom Petty also were on hand.

2013:  George Jackson, singer and songwriter who wrote "Old Time Rock & Roll" for Bob Seger and "One Bad Apple" for the Osmonds; died April 14, 2013 in Ridgeland, Mississippi at age 68.  Jackson also wrote songs recorded by Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, Johnnie Taylor, and many others.  (Note:  the oft-wrong 'Allmusic.com' states that Jackson died in Jackson, Mississippi.  The correct place of death is Ridgeland, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)
Born This Day:
1942:  Tony Burrows, who sang lead for Edison Lighthouse, White Plains, the Pipkins and Brotherhood of Man (all four groups were in the British Top Ten at once in 1970), was born in Exeter, Devon, England.
1944:  Michael Brewer of Brewer & Shipley ("One Toke Over The Line") was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

1945:  Ritchie Blackmore, elite guitarist of Deep Purple, Rainbow and Blackmore's Night, was born in Weston-super Mare, Somerset, England.  
1946:  Patrick Fairley of Marmalade ("Reflections Of My Life") was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1948:  Larry Ferguson, keyboardist of Hot Chocolate, was born in Nassau, the Bahamas.
1949:  Dennis Bryon of Amen Corner, who worked with the Bee Gees in the 70's and 80's, was born in Cardiff, Wales.
1949:  June Millington of the group Fanny ("Butter Boy" from 1975) was born in Manilla, the Phillipines.
1962:  Joey Pesce, keyboardist of 'Til Tuesday ("Voices Carry")

1974:  Shawntae Harris (Da Brat) was born in Joliet, Illinois.  (Note:  some websites report Harris was born in Chicago, Illinois.  Although no credible sources exist for either city, our best information is that Harris was born in Joliet.)

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era: #200-176

We're all set to present the best 200 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*, based on the popularity of the song, both then and now, the talent, experience and level of musicianship of the artist, and in short, the "surprise factor" that the artist never had another hit.  We started April 1, and we're now about to dive into The Top 200*...

They may call it "Alternative Rock", but this group hit the Mainstream with this song:

#200:  Closing Time--Semisonic 

After the breakup of the group Trip Shakespeare, lead singer and guitarist Dan Wilson and bassist John Munson joined with drummer Jacob Slichter to form Semisonic in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1995.  The group released the EP Pleasure that year on CherryDisc Records and then released their debut album Great Divide on MCA.

Two years later, Semisonic's second album, Feeling Strangely Fine, contained the single "Closing Time".  The song reached #11 overall and #1 on the Alternative Rock chart in the United States and #25 in the U.K.  The album Secret Smile reached #13 in the U.K. but did not even make the Top 100 in the United States.  Future efforts were not as successful despite extensive tours.  

There are two "Show Me Love"'s by a Robin (one is spelled Robyn) and both are great.  That one enjoyed several other hits so is not a One-Hit Wonder but this one is one of the best!

#199:  Show Me Love--Robin S.  

Robin S. signed a recording contract with Big Beat Records in 1994.  Her debut single "Show Me Love", the title track on her album, was a #1 Dance song, #7 R&B and #5 overall in the United States and #6 in the U.K.

After taking time off to write songs, Robin began working on her album From Now On.  "It Must Be Love" was another #1 Dance song but only #91 overall.  "Midnight" was yet another #1 in the dance music genre but failed to make the Top 20, only reaching #35.  

Robin S. released nine singles in her career.

This group formed the foundation for one of The Top Soul Groups of the 1970's*:

#198:  Bend Me, Shape Me--American Breed 

This group first formed as Gary & the Nite Lites in Cicero, Illinois.  The original members were lead singer Gary Loizzo, bassist Charles Colbert, Jr., Al Ciner on guitar and Lee Graziano on drums.  Gary & the Nite Lites released one single and built a local following.

The group underwent several changes, signing with Acta Records and changing their name to the American Breed.  

Their single "Bend Me, Shape Me" in 1967 was a remake of a song done by the Outsiders the previous year.  The American Breed reached #5 in the United States and #24 in the U.K. with the song and promoted it by appearing on American Bandstand.  "Bend Me, Shape Me" sold over one million copies.

The group charted four other singles besides their One-Hit Wonder, but nothing that approached it in success.  In years to come, they shortened their name to the Breed, then Smoke, before evolving into the group Ask Rufus.  They then added singer Paulette McWilliams, who was later replaced by Chaka Khan, and the group became Rufus.

This song not only led to our next group signing a recording contract but gave them their one big hit:

#197:  The Promise--When in Rome              

When some members of the Manchester, England group Beau Leisure left, vocalist Clive Farrington recruited keyboardist Michael Floreale and vocalist Andy O'Connell.  Floreale and Farrington began writing songs and later invited singer Andrew Mann to join the group.  When O'Connell left the group, the remaining trio began recording demos.

The band signed with 10 Records, a subsidiary of Virgin.  Ben Rogan (Sade's producer) and Richard James Burgess were interested in a song called "The Promise".  When the 12" single hit #1 on the Dance chart, Virgin ordered an album.  "The Promise" was released as the first single from When In Rome's debut album and reached #11.  

However, #95 was the best the group could do after that with "Heaven Knows" and subsequent singles were not successful.  In 1990, When In Rome broke up over musical differences.  

By listening to this song, you'd think the outlook was miles ahead of other groups out right now, and you'd be right:

#196:  You Always Get What You Give--New Radicals 

Lead singer Gregg Alexander organized the New Radicals in Los Angeles in 1997 after releasing two unsuccessful solo albums.  The following year, the group signed with MCA Records.  wrote and produced all of the group's music.  The New Radicals was essentially Alexander and a revolving door of musicians.  Former child actress Danielle Briseboi (All in the Family) was the background singer and percussionist on their album and at live performances.  The New Radicals released just one album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too, in 1998 that went platinum as a result of their one hit.

The single "You Get What You Give" reached #1 in Canada and New Zealand, the Top 5 in the U.K., and #36 in the United States.  The group toured extensively in the United States until Alexander broke up the group in 1999 to focus on writing and producing songs for other artists.  Alexander worked with Rod Stewart and Enrique Iglesias and wrote and produced "The Game of Love" for Santana and Michelle Branch. 

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

 

#195:  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:

 

#194:  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:

 

#193:  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.

#192:  Return Of The Mack--Mark Morrison

 #191:  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.

#190--Shannon--Henry Groce

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

 

#189:  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:

 

#188:  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:         

  #187: 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:

 

#186:  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:

 

#185:  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:

 

#184:  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:
 

#183:  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:

 

#182:  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:

 

#181:  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:

 #180:  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:

 

#179:  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:

 

#178: 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:

 

#177: 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:

 #176:  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.

And if you think these 25 artists are pretty good, wait until to see tomorrow's edition!