The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #430-421

We first produced this great music special in 2013.  We thought it was time for an update.  Let's enjoy 10 more!

Together, we know this group from their one hit.  But The Sound of Philadelphia would not have been as bright without them:

  
#430:  Assembled Multitude--" Overture From 'Tommy'"     

Producer Tom Sellers organized this instrumental ensemble of studio musicians in 1970.  Many of the musicians were regulars at Sigma Sound Studios.  The Assembled Multitude released a self-titled album which included "Overture", "MacArthur Park", "Ohio", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Woodstock" and others.  "Overture from 'Tommy'" reached #16.  

Members of the group became the backbone of Philadelphia Soul, working with artists such as the O'Jays, the Stylistics and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.

Like many successful singers, this artist began at an early age:

  
#429:  Debelah Morgan--"Dance With Me"  

Morgan was born in Detroit, Michigan, and she began singing at the age of eight.  Gospel singer Claire Lucket Moore began working with Morgan, and was instrumental in developing her voice.  At age 11, Debelah began taking classical voice lessons and discovering opera.  When she was 15, Morgan received a scholarship to study with opera singer Faye Robinson at the University of Arizona.

Morgan graduated in performing arts from Tucson High Magnet School, then studied voice with Sarah McFerrin (mother of Bobby McFerrin) at Fullerton College in California.  

In 1993, Morgan was discovered by Dedra Tate, who became her manager.  Morgan released the album Debelah in 1994 on Atlantic records and released the singles "Take it Easy" and "Free", which were moderately successful on the segmented R&B chart.  In 1997, Morgan released the album It's Not Over on VAZ Records, a division of Motown.  Raoul Roach became her manager, and Roach arranged for Brian McKnight to sing a duet with Debelah on the album.

Morgan toured several European countries and Southeast Asia, and in 1998, she recorded songs for soundtrack albums including Stuart Little.  In 1999, Debelah signed a music management contract with David Sonenberg, and a publishing deal with EMI Music.  In 2000, Morgan signed a new contract with DAS/Atlantic Records and released the album Dance with Me.  The title song was a worldwide hit, reaching #8 in the United States and #10 in the U.K., and Morgan performed on the British television show Top of the Pops.  

In 2001, Debelah performed at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia and in the fall, she sang on an ABC television special honoring the victims of 9/11.  Morgan recorded two songs on the "Road Kings" Soundtrack.

Morgan has released four albums and seven singles, but nothing else in her catalog has approached the success of "Dance with Me".

Friends of Rick James check in next in The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*:
  
#428:  Mary Jane Girls--"In My House" 

Jojo McDuffie, Candice Ghant, Kimberly Wuletich, Cheryl Bailey, Yvette Marine and Maxine and Julia Water formed the Mary Jane Girls.  Originally, the project was to be a solo debut for JoJo, who had sung background vocals for Rick James.  James put together tracks with Jojo and the Water Sisters.  But when Motown Records expected there to be a group, James hastily added the other members.

The Mary Jane Girls released their self-titled debut album in 1983, which yielded the minor R&B hits "Candy Man" and "All Night Long".  But it was "In My House" in 1985 that became their only big overall hit, reaching #7.  The closest the group would come to that was #41 with "Walk Like a Man", their remake of the Four Seasons' classic.  The Mary Jane Girls broke up in 1987.

McDuffie continued to sing backing vocals for James while Marine appeared in the video "Mercedes Boy" by Pebbles.

The artist just ahead worked for 15 years before she finally landed her big hit:

  
#427:  Sonique--"It Feels So Good"

Sonia Clarke was born in Crouch End, England.  Clarke formed the reggae band Fari as a teenager, in which she wrote all the music.  After the group split up, Sonia set out to obtain a recording contract.  

Sonique released the single "Let Me Hold You" in 1985, which was a minor dance hit.  In 1990, she teamed with DJ Mark Moore in S'Express, and the duo had a minor hit with "Nothing to Lose".  Moore gave Sonique a set of turntables and a mixer and she began experimenting.  For three years, Sonique accompanied Moore and friend Judge Jules in their live shows.  

Sonique finally signed a contract with Serious Records and released the single "I Put A Spell On You".  Sonique was the DJ-in-residence at Club Manumission in Ibiza from 1997-1999.  She mixed a track on the album Fantazia British Anthems Summertime.  

In 2000, Sonique released the single "It Feels So Good", which reached #1 in the U.K. and Norway, #2 in Germany, Austria and Ireland and #8 in the United States.  She released the album Born to Be Free, which contained her big hit.

However, Sonique went three years until her next album, On Kosmo, was released, a cardinal sin in the music business.  Once again, the old adage proved true as the public had forgotten about her.  Nothing on the album received any airplay of note.

Sonique has released four albums and 13 singles in her career.

We're up to one of a handful of artists in the Rock Era who had a #1 song only to never be able to follow it up:

   

#426:  Silk--"Freak Me

Keith Sweat discovered this group, which began as a quintet consisting of Tim Cameron, Jimmy Gates, Gary Glenn, Gary Jenkins and Jonathen Rasboro.  Silk released their debut album Lose Control in 1992.  "Freak Me" was released as a single, which topped the charts in the United States and was a worldwide hit.  

But after four unsuccessful albums and airplay limited to R&B stations, Elektra Records dropped Silk from the label in 2002.  Jenkins left the group but Silk tried to continue and started the Silk Music Group recording label.  They released the album Silktime, but that met with poor sales as well.  

This group scored their big hit when they broke from the person who had formed them and went out on their own:

  
#425:  Dream-- "He Loves U (sic) Not"

Talent scout Judith Fontaine formed this group in 1988 when she selected Holly Blake-Arnstein, Melissa Schuman, Ashley Poole and Alex Chester to make up a new girl group.  They were originally known as First Warning before changing their name to Dream.  The group then separated from Fontaine and signed with Bad Boy Records.  Diana Ortiz replaced Chester in 1999.

Dream released the single "He Loves U (sic) Not" in 2000 and their debut album It Was All a Dream in January of 2001.  The single reached #2 in the United States and #17 in the U.K.  The follow-up single "This Is Me" did not fare as well.

Dream opened for Destiny's Child, Eve and Nelly on tour and appeared on television shows such as The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Live With Regis and Kelly and Good Morning America.  The group was fairly quiet until 2002 when Schuman left the group.  Kasey Sheridan replaced her, and Dream set out to record songs for a second album. 

The single "Krazy" (sic) did not sell, and a planned second single and ultimately the album were never released.  Dream was subsequently dropped from the label and they broke up.

   

This One-Hit Wonder* enjoyed much influence on other groups that far outlived them:

 

#424:  MARRS--" Pump Up The Volume"

Formed by the group A.R. Kane and Colourbox, this act only released one single in their career.  But it was a big one, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands and reaching the Top 10 in several other countries.  It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Although the group never released any other material, this one song influenced technomusic for years afterward.

Up next, the long-time music director of The Red Skelton Show:

  #423:  David Rose--"The Stripper"

Rose was born in London and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  He worked with Ted Fio Rito's band at age 16, and gained a reputation as a pianist, arranger and bandleader at WGN in Chicago.  Rose was invited to Hollywood to do a twice-weekly radio show called California Melodies, for which he wrote all of the arrangements.  David soon became music director of the Mutual Broadcasting network.

During World War II, Rose served in the Army, where he met Red Skelton.  Rose joined the cast of Skelton's television show in 1948 and served as music director for over 20 years.  In 1958, Rose recorded "The Stripper".  It sold over a million copies and went to #1.

Rose wrote music for numerous television series, including Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven and It's a Great Life.  He won four Emmy Awards in his career.

This British R&B group is up next:

 

422.  Eternal--"Stay"

Sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett were singing in a London nightclub when music manager Oliver Smallman discovered them.  Louise Nurding joined them and the trio began performing together when Nurding's friend Kéllé Bryan joined them.

Eternal was quickly signed to EMI Records and released their debut single, "Stay", in 1993, a #4 hit in the U.K. and #19 in the United States.  

They released several subsequent singles, many popular in their native U.K. and elsewhere in Europe, but "Stay" was their only worldwide hit.

This group may never have scored their big hit if fate hadn't intervened:

#421:  Brothers Four--"Greenfields" 

Bob Flick, Dick Foley, Mike Kirkland and John Paine met at the University of Washington.  The four were members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity on campus.  The Brothers Four landed their first gig as a result of a prank played on them in 1958 by a rival fraternity, who had arranged for someone to call them, pretend to be from the Colony Club in Seattle, and invite them to audition.  Although the club did not expect them, they were allowed to sing a few songs anyway, and they were hired.

In 1959, the group moved to San Francisco, California, where they met Mort Lewis, the manager of Dave Brubeck.  Lewis became their manager as well and helped them land a contract with Columbia Records.  With their second single, "Greenfields", the Brothers Four hit it big, landing a #2 song.  Their second album, BMOC/Best Music On/Off Campus, reached the Top 10, and they recorded the theme song for the ABC television show Hootenanny.

But the group would never enjoy widespread success again because of the Beatles, who dominated the charts in such a way that there wasn't room on the playlist for much else.  The Brothers Four attempted a comeback by recording Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", but they couldn't release it due to licensing problems, and the Byrds released their own version, which became a classic. 

We've presented 80 songs so far in this great special, and if you haven't done so, be sure to go back and catch what you've missed!