The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #450-441

Get set for 10 more of the best One-Hit Wonders!

This artist came up with one of the top songs of 1956 but it would be her last big hit: 

  
#450:  Cathy Carr--"Ivory Tower"

Carr appeared on a local New York City television show called The Children's Hour.  She later became a singer and dancer with the USO and joined big band orchestras led by Sammy Kaye, Johnny Dee and Larry Fontaine.

In 1953, Cathy signed with Coral Records, but was unsuccessful.  She switched to Fraternity Records in 1955.  Carr released five singles before the sixth, "Ivory Tower" caught on, becoming a #2 song in 1956.  It would be her first and last hit.  Carr went on to record five albums and release 29 singles.

This talented act from the San Francisco Bay area performed their One Hit Wonder on American Bandstand and opened for Styx on a national tour in 1980:

#449:  Snail--"The Joker"

Bob O'Neill and Ron Fillmore began playing together in 1967 in the band Talon Wedge.  That group evolved into one of Santa Cruz's most-loved bands.  Snail released two albums, Snail and Flow, and played the club circuit around San Francisco until 1981.  Then, legal issues brought on by the bankrupt record label that controlled them forced the group to retire, just one step away from that big break they deservedly earned.  

Since then, the group members have been in contact and several reunions of Snail have sold out San Jose and Santa Cruz venues.  

Up next, a group that disbanded soon after lead singer Robbie Williams put drug abuse above his career:

 

#448:  Take That:  "Back For Good"

Nigel Martin-Smith began a campaign in 1990 to audition young men who could sing and dance and held auditions in and around the Manchester, England area.  They were modeled after New Kids on the Block and the campaign was not much different than the Monkees of the 1960's, except Take That was nowhere near as successful as either.  

This universal smash hit of 1995 #1 in 13 countries, with a stop at #7 in the United States.  Lead singer Robbie Williams became jealous of leader Gary Barlow and his increasing drug use forced Williams's exit in 1995, right after the group's only hit.

Take That released 46 career singles, but "Back For Good" was the only one which caught on worldwide.

The artist at #447 was helped along by another Southern act, .38 Special:

#447:  Flirtin' With Disaster--Molly Hatchet  

This group was based in Jacksonville, Florida. Another Southern act, .38 Special, is credited with helping them on their way.  .38 Special recommended Molly Hatchet to manager Pat Armstrong, which led to a recording contract with Epic Records.

Combining hard rock with boogie and blues, the band had a unique sound compared to other Southern rock and roll bands. Molly Hatchet released their self-titled debut album in 1978, followed by Flirtin' with Disaster.  The title song reached #42 in the United States.  The next-best song they had was "Satisfied Man", which reached #81 in 1984. 

The group toured and developed a loyal fan base. There have been several reincarnations of the group, notable by the absence of any original members. Molly Hatchet still performs worldwide and has built a good following in Germany, the U.K., Sweden, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and other markets in Australia and the Pacific Rim.  

The group has released 13 albums in their career, but nothing else caught on besides "Flirtin' with Disaster".

This studio group enjoyed a smash in 1974:

  

#446:  Beach Baby--First Class

Most of the One Hit Wonders are artists who record and tour, but we have a few like this one.  The First Class was a studio group created by singer-songwriter John Carter and singers Tony Burrows and Chas Mills.  Carter wanted a vehicle for his songs and the First Class filled the need.

Carter had appeared as a backing vocalist for artists such as the Who ("I Can't Explain"), Tom Jones ("It's Not Unusual") and Jeff Beck prior to forming the group.  Burrows worked extensively as the lead singer for a succession of studio-only groups, including fellow One-Hit Wonders Edison Lighthouse and White Plains and also the Brotherhood of Man and the Pipkins.  Carter and his wife wrote "Beach Baby" in London, far from a beach.  

The song hit #4 in the United States and #13 in the U.K. in 1974.  There was a demand for live performances by the group, but neither Carter nor Burrows had the interest.  So a group formed to fill that need, even though none of them played on "Beach Baby" or any of the album's tracks.

Four singles failed to chart and a second album was unsuccessful, so Burrows and Carter declared the First Class over.

The dance craze of the 60's enabled this group to make the One-Hit Wonder spectacular:

  
#445:  Capitols--"Cool Jerk"  

This group formed in 1962 as the Caps with lead singer and drummer Samuel George, Ralph Julius Jones as vocalist, Don Storball on guitar and backing vocals and keyboardist and backing vocalist Richard Mitchell.  The group performed at a dance in Ann Arbor, Michigan headlined by Barbara Lewis, which led to a recording contract with Karen Records.  They recorded a single in 1963 which did not catch on, and the group dissolved.

Storball and Jones then wrote a song about a popular dance of the mid-60's called "the jerk".  Realizing the song was a hit, the group re-formed and recorded the song as "Cool Jerk".  The song reached #7 for the group and #2 on the R&B chart.  The Capitols then released two albums of mostly covers of Motown and other popular soul songs.  The albums failed, and out of eight additional singles, the best they could do was #65.  In 1969, the group broke up for good.

"Cool Jerk" has been used in Cool Whip commercials and has appeared on many soundtrack albums, including More American Graffiti and Home Alone 2:  Lost in New York.

Another English recording artist is cued up next in the One-Hit Wonder special:

  #444:  Crispian St. Peters--"Pied Piper"  

Crispian St. Peters (real name Robin Smith) went to Swanley Secondary Modern School in Kent, England.  He performed in several groups in England before EMI publicist David Nicholson heard him and eventually became his manager.  Nicholson suggested the stage name of Crispin Blacke and then subsequently Crispian St. Peters.  

In 1965, St. Peters signed a recording contract with Decca.  He released two unsuccessful singles and made appearances on U.K. television, including Ready Steady Go!  In 1966, St. Peters recorded his version of the We Five smash "You Were on My Mind", which was a Top 10 hit in Britain.  Finally, his fourth single, "The Pied Piper", became a worldwide hit, reaching #4 in the United States.  After this success, "You Were On my Mind" was re-released, and it reached #36.  But St. Peter's would never again hit the Top 20.

This group's sound may be familiar to you if you're a fan of Nickolodeon:

  
#443: Jive Five--"My True Story"

This group formed in Brooklyn, New York with Eugene Pitt, Jerome Hanna, Richard Harris, Thurmon Prophet and Norman Johnson.  The Jive Five signed a deal with Beltone Records and hit #3 with their One Hit Wonder in 1961.

After the death of Hanna in 1962, the group reorganized and recorded four other singles, but they couldn't follow up with other great songs, but they did have a nearly ten-year relationship providing the sound of the children's television network Nickolodeon. 

This group got a big break when DJ Alan Freed got behind them:

  
#442:  Impalas--"Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)"

The Impalas formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1958 with lead singer Joe "Speedo" Frazier, Richard Wagner, Lenny Renda and Tony Carlucci.  The group landed a contract with a small label called Hamilton before being discovered by songwriters Artie Zwirn and Aristides Giosasi, who had written "Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)".  

In 1959, disc jockey Alan Freed heard the group, added his name to the writing credits for the song, and helped them get a deal with Cub Records, a subsidiary of MGM Records.  Cub released the single to huge success--it became a #2 song and sold over a million copies.  The Impalas recorded an album and released two other singles before breaking up in 1961.

This doo-wop group gave us a memorable song from 1965:

  
#441:  Ad Libs --"Boy From New York City" 

The Ad Libs originated in Bayonne, New Jersey in 1964 as the Creators with Hugh Harris, Danny Austin, Dave Watt, Norman Donegan and Mary Ann Thomas. Shortly after, the group changed their name to the Ad Libs. "The Boy from New York City" reached #8 in 1965.

The group released a follow-up, "He Ain't No Angel", which only got to #100. When their next two singles did not chart, Red Bird Records dropped their contract. The group continued to record into the 1980's, but could never match their initial success. 

We hope you enjoyed these 10, but tomorrow's should be even better!