The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #240-231

We're happy to bring back one of our most popular music specials, and Inside The Rock Era has 24 more segments for you!

The arranger behind many famous musicians, this artist scored a big instrumental hit of his own:

    

#240:  Bill Doggett--"Honky Tonk"

Doggett was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and joined an area combo at the age of 15, playing in local theaters and clubs.  Doggett sold his band to Lucky Millinder and worked in the 1930's and 40's for Millinder and arranger Jimmy Mundy.  In 1947, he landed a job as the pianist and arranger for the Ink Spots.  Later that year, Doggett played piano and the Hammond organ for Louis Jordan's Tympany Five.

In 151, Doggett formed his own trio and began recording for King Records.  Bill co-wrote "Honky Tonk" in 1956, which reached #2 and sold over four million copies.  It was a #1 R&B hit for over two months.  Doggett also arranged for many bandleaders and other performers, including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Lionel Hampton.

Although "Honky Tonk" remained his only hit, Doggett continued to play and arrange until his death at the age of 80.

This next artist certainly had talent, but was never given much of a chance by the radio industry:

  

  #239:  Moon Martin--"Rolene"  

John Martin (he was nicknamed "Moon" because he wrote so many songs with the moon in the lyrics) was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Altus.  While in high school Martin joined a group called the Disciples.  After graduation, the group moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and changed their name to Southwind.  Southwind released two unsuccessful albums before breaking up in 1971.

Meanwhile, Martin had gotten into studio work and played guitar and sang backing vocals for Linda Ronstadt's self-titled album.  He chose to pursue a solo career, mixing songwriting with regular jobs such as working as a lorry driver and in a flower shop.  Mink DeVille recorded Moon's "Cadillac Walk" in 1977 and producer Craig Leon had used three Martin songs on Lisa Burns' debut album.  Leon agreed to produce Martin's debut album Shots From A Cold Nightmare.

Martin played guitar, did backup vocals and wrote three songs for Michelle Phillips' solo album Victim of Romance.  He wrote "Bad Case Of Loving You", which became a big hit for Robert Palmer in 1979.

Meanwhile, Martin recorded the album Escape From Domination and this time, he received airplay for "Rolene", which reached #30 in the United States and received significant attention in Sweden and France.   His next-best effort from the album was "No Chance", which peaked at #50.

Martin released the album Street Fever in 1980, but no songs received widespread airplay.  The 1982 album Mystery Ticket became his weakest album to date.  Martin has recorded albums for smaller labels that were largely ignored.

One of The Top Instrumentals of the Rock Era* by the group which provided the foundation for the early 1960's sound at Stax Records checks in next:

 

 #238:  Mar-Keys--"Last Night"

This group formed in 1958 and were the session band at legendary Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee.  Three years later, they recorded this song on their own, a #3 smash in 1961 that sold over one million records.

Guitarist Steve Cropper instead played keyboard on the track, with Packy Axton on tenor sax, Wayne Jackson playing trumpet and Jerry Lee "Smoochy" Smith on main keyboards, with horn players Floyd Newman and Gilbert Caple also helping out.

These musicians also served as the backing band on dozens of R&B hits, including those by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and others.

Cropper, and other musicians in the Mar-Keys--Lewie Steinberg, Booker T. Jones and Al Jackson Jr.--began recording as Booker T. & the M.G.'s the following year.  From 1962-1966, instrumentals featuring a horn section were credited to the Mar-Keys, while those without horns were credited to Booker T. & the M.G.'s.  As that latter group grew in fame, the Mar-Keys' role was diminished.

Here's another act to land one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*:

   

  #237:  Sniff 'N' the Tears--"Driver's Seat"  

This group began playing together under the name Ashes of Moon in 1973.  They couldn't get a recording contract, so singer/songwriter Paul Roberts dissolved the group and moved to France.  

A few years later, Luigi Salvoni, drummer for Ashes of Moon, listened to some demos that Roberts had recorded in 1975.  He was inspired again about getting back together with Roberts and Sniff 'n' the Tears was born.  Guitarists Mick Dyche and Loz Netto joined Chris Birkin on bass, Alan Fealdman on keyboards and Salvoni and Roberts.  That lineup recorded the group's debut album Fickle Heart.

The album was unreleased until executives at Chiswick Records expressed interest.  They released the album and the lead single "Driver's Seat" became an international hit, peaking at #15 in the United States.  But within a few months, the group broke apart as Birkin, Fealdman and Salvoni all left.

Sniff 'n' the Tears has released seven albums under various lineups but nothing clicked except "Driver's Seat".

The artist at #236 has talent that goes far beyond singing:

   

#236:  Toni Basil--"Mickey"  

Antonio Christina Basilotta was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began dancing professionally in her childhood. Her career blossomed when she was a dancer and assistant choreographer on Shindig!, the famous music variety television show which began in 1964.

Basilotta was the assistant choreographer for the movie The T.A.M.I. Show.  She also was responsible for the choreography on the movies American Graffiti, The Rose, Peggy Sue Got Married, Village of the Giants, The Cool Ones and the Monkees' film Head and later My Best Friend's Wedding and Charlie Wilson's War, among others..  She also devised the choreography for several music videos by the Talking Heads and choreographed two of David Bowie's tours.  

Basil began her recording career in 1966 with the title song from the short film Breakaway.  She sold out solo performances at The Roxy in Los Angeles.  She sang on the first season of Saturday Night Live.

The multi-talented Basil was also a noted actress, appearing in movies such as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces and Mother, Jugs & Speed and on the television shows Laverne and Shirley and Baywatch Nights.

In 1982, Basil released the single "Mickey", which was a smash all over the world.  It reached #1 in the United States and was certified Platinum for sales over 2 million.  The music video was one of the most popular in the infancy of MTV, which used to stand for Music Television before it deteriorated.  "Mickey" has since been included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of the groundbreaking songs of the 1980's.

Basil's career consists of just two albums.  She did enjoy success on the Dance chart with "Over My Head" in 1983 but nothing before or since has approached the worldwide appeal of "Mickey".  

Basil is recognized as a seminal influence in bringing street dance to the attention of the American public.  An article in a 2012 edition of Dance Magazine cited Basil as "the pioneer in merging ballet with street dance" for a piece she choreographed for Saturday Night Live called "Swan Lake" in 1978.

She won an Emmy Award in 2007 for her choreography in the commercial "MC Hammer:  My Braves" and was nominated for a Grammy for Long Form Video for "Word Of Mouth" in 1983.  Basil won Hip Hop International's Living Legend Award and won another Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for The Smothers Brothers 1988.  Basil was nominated for four American Choreography Awards, and won the Lifetime Achievement Innovator Award.  

This next artist took an Animals song and remade it into a disco hit:

   #235:  Santa Esmeralda--"Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"

French producers Nicolas Skorsky and Jean Manuel de Scarano formed their own recording label with the goal of producing artists who would record the duo's songs. After meeting singer Leroy Gomez in Paris, Skorsky and de Scarano invited Gomez to front the group Santa Esmeralda.

Santa Esmeralda recorded their disco remake of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and released it on the Fauves Puma label.  When the song became a huge success in Europe, Casablanca Records agreed to distribute and promote the song worldwide.  The single became a #1 Disco hit and matched the #15 overall ranking that the Animals had reached in 1964.  The song's success led to a Gold certification for Santa Esmeralda's album.  

Despite the success of the song, Gomez did not record with Santa Esmeralda's production team again.  Singer Jimmy Goings was brought in to replace Gomez, and Santa Esmeralda had another disco hit with another Animals remake--"The House Of The Rising Sun".  They recorded "Sevila Nights" for the "Thank God It's Friday" Soundtrack before disbanding in 1983.

Santa Esmeralda recorded nine albums in their career, but nothing approached "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" in popularity or success.

We have a One-Hit Wonder who remade a Beethoven song into a big hit.  Here's another who tried his hand at Bach:

  

  #234:  Apollo 100--"Joy"

Tom Parker played keyboards, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and several other instruments from an early age.  He was a successful arranger for Don Fardon among others.  Parker played in a number of Jazz clubs around Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Parker was associated with several groups, including Eric Burdon and the New Animals.  Parker formed the group Apollo 100 in 1972 with drummer Clem Cattini, guitarist Vic Flick, guitarist Zed Jenkins, percussionist Jim Lawless and bassist Brian Odgers.  The group released their first single "Joy", based on Bach's "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring", which was originally recorded by the group Jigsaw, another One-Hit Wonder.  "Joy" was a big hit, rising to #6 in the U.S.

But further efforts were not as successful and Apollo 100 broke up the following year.

This group gave us one of the great songs in the early years
of Rock:

#233: Monotones--"Book Of Love"  

The Monotones formed in 1955 when seven singers from Newark, New Jersey began performing covers of popular hits.  Lead singer Charles Patrick was joined by tenors Warren Davis and George Malone, bass singers John Smith  and John Ryanes and baritone Warren Ryanes.  Patrick's brother James was an original member but he left shortly after the group formed.

The Monotones began singing with the New Hop Baptist Choir, directed by Cissy Houston.  Then, they won first prize for their version of the Cadillacs' "Zoom" on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour.  

After hearing a Pepsodent toothpaste commercial for the line "wonder where the yellow went", Patrick got the idea for the line "I wonder, wonder, wonder who!, who wrote the book of love".  Patrick, Davis and Malone wrote the song "Book Of Love" and recorded it in 1957.  The single was released on Mascot Records, but the small label could not handle the song's popularity, and it was reissued on Argo Records. 

"Book Of Love" hit #5 in the United States and Australia and sold over one million copies.  But after that, a series of novelty songs were not successful and the Monotones broke up in 1962.   

At #232, this talented performer who gave much to the entertainment industry:

    

#232:  Vicki Sue Robinson--"Turn The Beat Around"  

Vicki Sue performed in public for the first time at the age of six, when she accompanied her mother onstage at the Philadelphia Folk Festival.  Robinson and her family moved to New York City when she was ten.  She made her professional debut while a student at New Lincoln High School, appearing in the Broadway cast of the musical Hair.

Robinson was with the cast of Hair for six weeks before performing in another Broadway show, Soon, co-starring Richard Gere.  After that, she and Gere teamed up again for the Off-Broadway play Long Time Coming, Long Time Gone.  After small parts in the movies Going Home and To Find A Man, Robinson joined the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway.

Robinson sang background for Todd Rundgren's 1972 album Something, Anything and she did session work with Itsuro Shimoda in Japan in 1973.  In 1975, Robinson was recording vocals for Scott Fagan when producer Warren Schatz heard her.  

Schatz invited Vicki Sue to record a remake of "Baby Now That I've Found You" by the Foundations, which became her first single.  This led to Robinson's debut album Never Gonna' Let You Go.  The title song was a #10 Disco hit but another song on the album, "Turn The Beat Around" was generating so much buzz that it was released as a single.

The song topped the Disco chart and hit #10 overall in the United States, #14 in Canada, #11 in the Netherlands and #12 in South Africa.  "Turn The Beat Around" garnered Robinson a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Vicki Sue toured the United States and performed on The Midnight Special, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, The Merv Griffin Show, American Bandstand, Soul Train and The Mike Douglas Show.  

Robinson released her self-titled second album in 1976, but it's lead single, "Daylight", only reached #61.  "Hold Tight" in 1977 peaked at #67.  After leaving RCA Records for Ariola, she was dropped after one single release.  A dance version of "To Sir With Love" became a Top Ten hit in Australia in 1983 but not elsewhere.

Robinson sang background on Irene Cara's "Fame" and returned to session work, backing Cher and Michael Bolton. She also became a noted jingle singer for such products as Wrigley's Doublemint gum, Maybelline Cosmetics, Downy fabric softener, Hanes underwear and Folger's coffee.

People were reminded, however, of the greatness of her One-Hit Wonder when Gloria Estefan remade "Turn The Beat Around" in 1994.  The renewed interest in Disco music in the mid-1990's led Robinson to join K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Thelma Houston and Gloria Gaynor on a successful world tour.  In 1999, Robinson released her final single "Move On", which reached #18 on the Dance Chart.  

 A great trumpeter graces our special next:

    

#231:  Maynard Ferguson--"Gonna' Fly Now"  

Ferguson began playing piano and violin at age four.  When he was nine, he heard a cornet and wanted to play one.  By the time he was 13, Ferguson soloed with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra.  Ferguson won a scholarship to the Conservatoire de musique du Quebec a Montreal, where he studied from 1943 to 1948.

Maynard performed in dance bands led by Stan Wood, Roland David and Johnny Holmes.  He soon had his own dance band and served as the opening act for touring bands from Canada and the United States.

Ferguson moved to the U.S. and played in several bands including that of Jimmy Dorsey before joining Stan Kenton's band.  For three years in a row (1950-1952), Ferguson won the Down Beat Reader's Poll as best trumpeter.  

In 1953, Ferguson became a first-call trumpeter for Paramount Pictures.  He appeared on 46 soundtracks including The Ten Commandments.  As his Paramount contract prevented him from giving live performances, however, Maynard was discontent and left in 1956. 

He became the leader of the Birdland Dream Band and guested with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein in 1959.

Ferguson disbanded his group in 1966 and moved the following year to India.  Maynard founded the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning's Boys Brass Band and helped teach it for several years.

In 1969, Ferguson moved just outside Windsor, England and signed with CBS Records to form a British big band.  His band appeared on The Simon Dee Show on BBC.  With his career taking off again, Ferguson relocated to New York City and replaced his musicians with American performers.  In 1976, Ferguson performed a trumpet solo for the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Ferguson then began working with producer Bob James on several albums, the second of which was Conquistador in 1977.  Conquistador yielded a version of the Rocky theme (and by far the best one)--"Gonna' Fly Now".  Ferguson began a hectic touring schedule, performing before crowds far larger than any he had played for before.  Ferguson's contract with Columbia Records expired after his 1982 album Hollywood.

Ferguson recorded three big band albums with smaller labels in the mid '80s before forming the electronica-fusion group High Voltage in 1986.  In 1992, Maynard was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.

Ferguson has released 60 albums in his career, and his contributions to the trumpet and to music in general are considerable, but he never had a big hit other than the one hit song, "Gonna' Fly Now".

That was a great segment.  Be sure to tune in tomorrow, exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!