The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #340-331

We're happy to bring this updated version to you in 2025--we now have artists through 2020!

Bad relations with their record company seemed to doom this group after their one big hit:

#340:  The Music Machine--"Talk Talk"

This garage rock group started out as the Ragamuffins in 1965 before changing their name to The Music Machine.  Singer-songwriter Sean Bonniwell led the group, which included Ron Edgar on drums, bassist Keith Olsen, Mark Landon on guitar and Doug Rhodes on organ.  Their sound used distortion and their onstage performances featured the group in dyed all-black clothing, black moptop hairstyles and a single black glove.

In 1966, The Music Machine released their debut album on Original Sound Records.  Seven of the 12 songs were written by Bonniwell.  "Talk Talk" hit the Top 20 in the United States.  But a follow-up, "The People In Me" reached #66.  Bonniwell blamed the record's weak performance on what he says was a feud between the band's manager and a record company executive.  

After a concert tour, the group split up, although Bonniwell released two more albums under the name The Bonniwell Music Machine.

At #339, this magical song from 1997:

#339:  the Verve--"Bitter Sweet Symphony"

Lead singer Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury formed the Verve in 1989 in Wigan, England after meeting at Winstanley Sixth Form College.  They created most of their early material via extensive jam sessions.  

The Verve signed a recording contract with Hut Records in 1991 and released their self-titled EP.  They were critically praised, but we all know what critical reviews mean for an artist, either good or bad--essentially nothing.  "She's a Superstar" was the best they could do with an entry into the U.K. Top 75.  The group's debut album A Storm in Heaven in 1993 was produced by John Leckie, who had produced Radiohead and the Stone Roses among others.  They continued to pick up fans and played concerts with Oasis, who were relatively unknown at the time.

The Verve's main exposure to American audiences came at the 1994 Lollapalooza Festival.  But they destroyed a Kansas hotel room and suffered other setbacks due to drugs and alcohol.  In 1995, the Verve released the album A Northern Soul, which contained a couple of minor U.K. hits. 

But Ashcroft broke the band up three months later, only to reunite with Jones and Salisbury a few weeks afterwards.  The group hired first Bernard Butler then Simon Tong to replace McCabe on guitar.  They did not play a live show, choosing to spend their time playing and recording songs for a new album.  Meanwhile, the group invited McCabe back into the fold, keeping Tong as a second guitarist.

In 1997, the group released the album Urban Hymns, which became one of the best-selling albums in U.K. history, spurred by the worldwide smash "Bitter Sweet Symphony".  The single hit #2 in the U.K. and Italy, #3 in Ireland, #5 in Canada, #6 in Finland, #9 in Norway, #10 in Sweden and #12 in the United States.  The Verve won two Brit Awards including Best British Group and "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

But after their only worldwide success, the Verve broke up in 1999.  They have reunited two times but broke up for the final time in 2009.  The group released four albums and 14 singles in their career.

This next artist gave us a #2 smash but was never heard from again:

#338:  Clint Holmes--" Playground In My Mind"

You can't keep a good song down.  "Playground in My Mind" was released in July of 1972 but didn't chart until March of 1973.  It eventually reached #2 in the United States and #1 in Canada and sold over a million records.

Holmes, originally from Bournemouth, England, was a vocal music student at Fredonia State College before serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.  After the war, Holmes sang in nightclubs up and down the East Coast.  

Holmes performed in Las Vegas from the early 1970's until 2006.  

An R&B smash gave this group its one big hit in 1980:

#337:  S.O.S. Band--"Take Your Time (Do It Right)" 

This act formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977.  They were originally known as Santa Monica, before changing their name to the S.O.S. Band (which stands for Sounds of Success).  

The group released the single "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" in 1980, and it promptly hit #3 overall and #1 on the R&B chart.  It sold over two million copies and was featured on the group's self-titled debut album.  

Mary Davis sang lead for the group until 1987, when she left for a solo career.  Despite teaming up with talented producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the group was unable to continue their level of success.  Davis reunited with the group in 1994 and the S.O.S. Band still performs.

A novelty record gave this artist his one big hit in 1961:

#336: Ernie K. Doe--" Mother-In-Law"

Ernie K. Doe recorded as part of the group the Blue Diamonds in 1954 before recording solo the next year.  "Mother-in-Law" became a #1 song in 1961 and topped the R&B chart as well.

Ernie never reached the Top 40 again, but he did enjoy two other minor hits on the R&B chart ("Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta" in 1961 and "Later For Tomorrow" in 1967).  K-Doe later did radio shows on WWOZ and WTUL in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This group reunited to pay tribute to their fallen co-founder, and the experience was so successful that they got back together, leading to their one big hit:

#335:  Quiet Riot--"Cum On Feel The Noise"

Elite guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni formed the band Mach 1 in 1973, before changing the name to Little Women and finally Quiet Riot in 1975. The group's original lineup was: Rhoads, Garni, lead singer Kevin DuBrow and Drew Forsyth on drums.

Quiet Riot opened for Van Halen in several clubs in Los Angeles including the Starwood and KROQ's Cabaret nightclub before either band had a recording contract. Quiet Riot reached a deal with Sony Records, but only for distribution in Japan.

The group recorded their self-titled debut in 1977 and Quiet Riot II in 1978, after which, Rudy Sarzo replaced Garni. In 1979, Rhoads and Sarzo left to join Ozzy Osbourne's band.  DuBrow and Forsyth tried to keep the group together with various combinations.

Then, when Rhoads died in a plane crash in 1982, Sarzo quit Osbourne's band. DuBrow asked Sarzo to play on a track called "Thunderbird", a tribute to Rhoads. The group had so much fun that they recorded half an album. In 1982, Quiet Riot signed with CBS Records and completed work on the album, which was called Metal Health.
Metal Health represented Quiet Riot's debut in the United States and in 1983, the single "Cum On Feel the Noize" was released, a cover of a minor hit by Slade. The song reached #5 and helped Metal Health reach #1 on the album chart. The album eventually sold six million copies. Quiet Riot opened for Black Sabbath on their North American tour in 1983 and 1984.

Quiet Riot released Condition Critical in 1984, and sold three million copies despite not having any popular songs.  But DuBrow began telling the media that many groups owed their success to Quiet Riot, even comparing his band to the Beatles. This alienated fans and music contemporaries and Sarzo left the group. Quiet Riot was never the same afterward.

This Country artist scored his one big hit when a song he recorded was featured in the blockbuster movie Urban Cowboy:

#334: Johnny Lee--"Lookin' For Love"

Johnny Lee (real name John Ham) formed a rock band in high school known as Johnny Lee and the Roadrunners.  After high school, Lee served in the United States Navy, then played cover tunes in bars and nightclubs in Texas throughout the 1960's.

Lee worked with Mickey Gilley for ten years, both on tour and at Gilley's Club in Pasadena, Texas.  The blockbuster movie Urban Cowboy was shot mostly at Gilley's club, and Lee recorded "Lookin' for Love" for the soundtrack album.  The song reached #5 in the United States and sold over one million copies.

Lee has released 14 albums and 30 singles in his career, with country success, but "Lookin' for Love" is his only song that had wide appeal.



This artist gave us one of the memorable songs from 1996:

#333:  Joan Osborne--"One Of Us"

Osborne moved to New York City in the late 1980's, forming her own record label, Womanly Hips.  She released a few independent records, then signed with Mercury Records.  Her first studio album was Relish in 1995, which contained "One of Us".  The song reached #4 in 1996 and sold over one million copies.

Osborne was featured in the 2002 documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, and opened for the Dixie Chicks on a 2003 national tour.  She has released seven albums and seven singles.  "St. Teresa", also from the Relish album,  was underrated and did not chart, her next-best effort to "One of Us".

 This artist scored his big hit when Gary U.S. Bonds passed on the song:

#332:  Jimmy Soul--"If You Wanna' Be Happy" 

Soul performed gospel music as a teenager before being discovered by Frank Guida. Guida recruited Jimmy to sing songs that were handpicked for one of Guida's other artists, Gary U.S. Bonds. 

Jimmy's first single, "Twistin' Matilda" just missed the top 20 at #22.  Soul's big hit was based on the calypso, "Ugly Woman" by Roaring Lion. Bonds didn't want to do it, so Soul had next dibs on the song.  The song hit #1 in 1963.  Subsequent singles failed and Soul joined the United States Army before dying of a heart attack at age 45.

This artist gave us one of the great songs of 1969:

#331:  Christie--"Yellow River"

This British group consisted of singer/songwriter and bassist Jeff Christie, guitarist Vic Elmes and drummer Mike Blakley. In 1969, Christie wrote the song "Yellow River" and offered it to the Tremeloes. They recorded the song and planned to release it as a single but changed their mind and gave permission for Christie to use the backing track.  

"Yellow River" reached #1 in the U.K. and #23 in the United States; in fact it was #1 in 26 countries with worldwide sales of over 3 million copies.  Christie's follow-up "San Bernadino" was #7 in the U.K. but success was contained in Europe.  Further efforts were popular in Mexico and South America but not worldwide.

That's a great song to end with, another example of a talented group who gave us one great tune and even though we expected more from them, it was the last we heard.  Join us tomorrow for another 10!