The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #140-131

We're inside the Top 150* now, and we have ten more great entries lined up for you!

This hard rock group scored their big hit when they recorded a song originally done by the Everly Brothers:

  
#140:  Nazareth--"Love Hurts"  

This group formed in Dunfermline, Scotland, from the remaining members of the Shadettes by lead singer Dan McCafferty, guitarist Manny Charlton, bassist Pete Agnew and drummer Darrell Sweet.  Nazareth moved to London in 1970 and released their eponymous debut album in 1971.

The group began to attract a following with their album Exercises in 1972 and opened for Deep Purple on tour.  Roger Glover of Deep Purple produced Nazareth's third album, Razamanaz in 1973.  The album contained two singles, "Broken Down Angel" and Bad Bad Boy", that reached the Top 10 in the U.K. but still worldwide success eluded them.  Nazareth released the albums Loud 'N' Proud in 1973 and Rampant in 1974, with success again contained within Europe.  

In 1975, the group released the album Hair of the Dog.  The title song received airplay, but it was a song originally recorded by the Everly Brothers that finally gave Nazareth their breakthrough.  "Love Hurts" was included on the American version of the album and was released as a single.  The song reached #1 in six countries, including Canada and South Africa, #8 in the United States with over two million copies sold, and #15 in the U.K.  "Love Hurts" broke the existing record in Norway with 60 weeks on that chart.

"Love Hurts" had finally introduced Nazareth to the mainstream.  In 1979, guitarist Zal Cleminson was added to the group, which recorded the albums No Mean City and Malice in Wonderland.  Various lineups continued to record for the next ten years, but they would never enjoy another massive worldwide hit.  Nazareth released 22 albums and 19 singles in their career.

This team of great songwriters kept one for themselves, and it became their only massive hit:

#139:  Ashford & Simpson--"Solid"  

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson met at the White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, New York in 1964.  They began a duo but were unsuccessful, so they took jobs at Scepter/Wand Records where they could utilize their songwriting talents.  The two wrote songs for Ray Charles ("Let's Go Get Stoned"), the Fifth Dimension, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Shirelles, the Marvelettes, Ronnie Milsap, Chuck Jackson and others.  Ashford & Simpson then joined Motown, writing such R&B classics as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing" and "I'm Every Woman".  

Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced most of the songs on three solo albums for Diana Ross in the early 1970's.  Meanwhile, Ashford sang on two Quincy Jones albums while Simpson released two solo albums on Motown.  When Motown refused to release an album of the duo recording a collection of their most famous songs they had written, Ashford & Simpson left the label.

The pair married in 1974 and signed with Warner Brothers Records, releasing the album Gimme' Something Real.  In 1978, they sang vocals on the Quincy Jones album Stuff Like That.  Ashford and Simpson released numerous albums, yet despite their great songwriting talent, nothing became a hit.  That changed in 1984, when the title cut from their album Solid was released as a single.

"Solid (As A Rock)" hit #1 on the R&B chart and was #12 overall in the United States.  It peaked at #2 in Germany, #3 in the U.K., the Netherlands and Switzerland and reached #4 in Austria.     

The duo continued to write songs for other artists, including Amy Winehouse. The fact that Ashford & Simpson were such gifted songwriters made it even more unbelievable that they scored just one big hit as performers despite releasing 16 albums and 46 singles.

Here we have a heavy metal group which  landed their one big massive hit with a ballad:

#138:  Queensryche--"Silent Lucidity"  

This group consists of musicians from Bellevue, Washington.  Guitarist Michael Wilton started the group Joker in 1978, and was soon joined by guitarist Chris DeGarmo.  In 1980, Wilton met drummer Scott Rockenfield and they formed the group Cross+Fire.  DeGarmo and bassist Eddie Jackson joined that group and they changed their name to the Mob.  The group recruited lead singer Geoff Tate, but he left after a few shows because he wasn't interested in performing heavy metal covers.  The Mob recorded a demo tape, enlisting Tate to sing the vocals.  The group was rejected by all record companies over the next year.  

The Mob signed a management contract with Kim and Diana Harris, who urged them to choose a different name.  They finally settled on Queensryche and the Harrises released the group's demo tape as their self-titled EP on the label 206 Records in 1982.  In June of 1983, Queensryche's performance caught the attention of EMI, which offered the group a major recording contract.

Queensryche opened for Quiet Riot and Twisted Sister on a subsequent tour to promote the re-release of their EP.  They then travelled to London to record their debut album The Warning in 1984.  "Take Hold Of The Flame" was a hit in some countries, most notably in Japan.  Queensryche then toured the United States as the opening act for Kiss.

Queensryche's next album was Rage for Order in 1986, which was followed by another tour.  In 1988, the group released Operation:  Mindcrime, a narrative concept album.  The band toured with several groups, including Def Leppard, Metallica and Guns N' Roses.

In 1990, the album Empire finally gave the group mainstream worldwide success, thanks to the power ballad "Silent Lucidity", a #9 song that helped the album reach #7 and sell over three million copies in the United States.  The song reached #18 in the U.K.  "Jet City Woman" and "Another Rainy Night (Without You)" were hits on the segmented Mainstream Rock chart but weren't wildly popular with the general public.  The group headlined concerts for the first time.

In 1994, Queensryche released the album Promised Land, which went Platinum, but lacked the great song that Empire had.  "Real World", "Bridge" and "I Am I" were all Mainstream Rock hits, but the best they could do was #40 in the U.K. and none charted in the United States.  In 1997, Queensryche released the album Hear in the Now Frontier to mixed reception.

DeGarmo became seriously ill and left the band, forcing the group to cancel concert dates.  Their record label, EMI, went bankrupt and Queensryche was forced to use its own money to finance the remaining two months of the tour.

The group soldiered on, producing a career output of 13 albums and 32 singles before breaking up in 2012.  

This next hard-rocking group put out one of The Top Underrated Albums of the Rock Era*:

#137:  Starz--"Cherry Baby"

This group from New Jersey had its beginnings in the group Looking Glass, which had the smash #1 song "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" in 1972. After lead singer Elliot Lurie left, the three remaining members (keyboardist Larry Gonsky, bassist Pieter Sweval and drummer Jeff Grob), invited vocalist Michael Lee Smith and guitarist Brendan Harkin to join the group, which soon changed their named to Fallen Angels.

In 1975, Richie Ranno, former guitarist for the Stories, joined. After Gonsky was dropped, the group changed their name once again to Starz and also changed musical direction towards more heavy metal. Kiss manager Bill Aucoin became Starz's manager as well, and helped them sign a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1976.

The following year, the group recorded the album Violation, the first side of which still is one of the best sides of the Rock Era. It contains "Cherry Baby", their first single, which reached #33. Although "Cherry Baby" certainly shouldn't have been their only hit, even on this album, and Starz was a highly underrated group, they nonetheless could never reach the Top 40 again.

Starz split up in 1999, and even though they never had huge commercial success, artists such as Poison and Motley Crue cite Starz as a major influence.

This artist took a song written by the duo that helped make Elvis Presley famous and made it into one of the 50's biggest hits:

#136:  Wilbert Harrison--"Kansas City"

Harrison learned to play piano, guitar and harmonica and signed a recording contract with both Fire and Fury Records. Both were owned by Bobby Robinson.

"Kansas City" was one of the first songs written by the famous duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The song hit #1 and sold over one million copies.

Harrison continued to record for ten years before "Let's Stick Together" reached #32, but he would never again venture into the Top 20. Meanwhile, "Kansas City" was given the Hall of Fame Award by the Grammys, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes it in its "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" display.

They called them spaghetti westerns, and our next artist recorded the theme song for one of the best of them:

#135:  Hugo Montenegro--"The Good, The Bad & The Ugly"

Montenegro was born in New York City in 1925. He served in the United States Navy for two years. After World War II, Montenegro attended Manhattan College while studying composition and leading his own band for school dances.

In the mid-1950's, Montenegro directed, conducted and arranged the orchestra for Eliot Glen and Irving Spice on their Dragon and Caprice labels. Hugo directed the orchestra on Dion DiMucci's first release.

Montenegro then accepted a job as musical director for Time Records and produced a series of albums for the label, before moving to Los Angeles in the early 1960's to work for RCA Records. Hugo produced albums and soundtracks for motion pictures and television themes, such as Music From "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.".

Montenegro began scoring motion pictures with Advance to the Rear in 1964. He wrote the musical score and conducted the recording sessions for the 1969 Elvis Presley Western movie Charro! Montenegro also worked for Columbia's television production company Screen Gem, where he composed the theme to the second season of the television show I Dream of Jeannie.

Montenegro began producing electronic albums, influential for future generations of electronic musicians, in that he used the Moog synthesizer. Montenegro took a song by Ennio Morricone and recorded it as the theme to the movie The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The song was released as a single, and it climbed to #1 for four weeks in the U.K., reached #2 in the United States, #3 in Canada, sold over one million copies, and became one of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*.

In the late 1970's, severe emphysema forced an end to Montenegro's career, and he died in 1981.

This artist proved that every once in a while, it pays to be a nuisance:

#134:  Keith--"98.6"

James Keefer earned his first recording contract with Columbia Records after camping out on the doorstep of A&R executive Jerry Ross. His first single, "Caravan of Lonely Men" in 1966, was credited to Keith and the Admirations.

When Ross moved to Mercury Records, he took Keith with him, and Keith reached the Top 100 with "Ain't Gonna' Lie". In 1967, Keith released the single "98.6", which reached #7 in the United States and #24 in the U.K. and sold over one million copies. Reportedly, when Keith was in London, he was approached by John Lennon who told him "...what a great record his "98.6" was."

But Keith's second Mercury album, Out of Crank, failed to capitalize. He was then arrested for draft evasion in the middle of a concert tour. Keith was then stationed for a year in New Jersey. When he got out, he joined Frank Zappa's touring band in 1974.

Keith recorded one final album and then left the music industry for a while before resuming live performances.

This artist worked several years largely unnoticed until one of his songs caught on:

#133:  Lee Michaels--"Do You Know What I Mean"

Michaels began his music career with the Sentinels that included John Barbata, later to join the Turtles and Jefferson Airplane/Starship. Michaels and Barbata then joined the Strangers before moving to San Francisco.

In 1967, Michaels signed a recording contract with A&M Records and released his debut album Carnival of Life. He also played keyboards and guitar as a session musician, notably for Jimi Hendrix. Michaels' stage sound consisted of his Hammond organ and a drummer. This unorthodox lineup attracted a following in San Francisco and critical acclaim.

But it wasn't until Michaels' fifth album (Fifth) that most people noticed him. He released "Do You Know What I Mean" as a single, which reached #6 in 1971. A follow-up, "Can I Get A Witness" reached #39.

Michaels recorded two more albums for A&M before signing with Columbia in 1973. Those recordings did not get much attention, and Michaels went into semi-retirement by the end of the decade.

A member of the Poppy Family enjoyed a huge solo hit in 1974:

#132:  Terry Jacks--"Seasons In The Sun"

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Jacks and his family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in the early 1960's. Jacks began playing guitar in his teenage years and formed the band the Chessmen. The group had four regional Top 10 hits between 1964 and 1966.

After the Chessmen broke up, Susan Pesklevits asked Terry to accompany her on guitar and soon, Craig McCaw was added to the mix to form the group the Poppy Family. Susan and Terry were married in 1967 and the group later added Satwant Singh. The Poppy Family enjoyed huge hits with "Where Evil Grows" and "Which Way You Goin' Billy?", both written by Jacks.

In the early 1970's, Terry and Susan traveled to Los Angeles where Terry was set to record "Seasons In The Sun" with the Beach Boys. Jacks modified the lyrics to Rod McKuen's 1965 adaption of "Le moribond", a 1962 song by Belgian singer Jacques Brel. The project with the Beach Boys, however, was never finished and the couple returned to Vancouver. Susan and Terry both recorded solo albums in 1973, with Terry releasing the single for "Seasons In The Sun" on his own record label, Goldfish Records. The song hit #1 in the United States, became the top-selling international single by a Canadian artist at the time and earned Jacks two Juno Awards in Canada.

Jacks had a hit in Great Britain with "If You Go Away" and had a minor hit in the United States with his version of "Rock 'N' Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)". His career output as a solo artist totaled four albums and 14 singles, but nothing approached the success of "Seasons in the Sun". He later wrote and produced songs for Buddy Knox, Chilliwack and other artists.

 This artist scored their one big hit in which its leader doesn't perform on:

#131:  Cliff Nobles & Company--"The Horse"

Nobles grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and began singing in high school as a member of the Delroys. He recorded three singles for Atlantic Records, none of which charted.

While living in a commune in Norristown, Pennsylvania, he formed a group, Cliff Nobles & Co., with bassist Benny Williams, guitarist Bobby Tucker and drummer Tommy Soul. The group recorded demos and were awarded a recording contract with Phil-L.A. of Soul Records. Their second single was "Love Is All Right" with "The Horse" on the "B" side, the latter featuring the horn section of what would later be known as MFSB. "The Horse" was an instrumental version of the "A" side in which Nobles does not play on the track at all.

It was that instrumental that caught on, peaking at #2 for three weeks in 1968. "The Horse" sold over one million copies in just three months. The record company continued to release instrumental singles on which Nobles himself did not play on, but a single with Nobles' vocal just missed the Top 40 on the R&B chart.

But "The Horse" remains as the only substantial hit ever credited to Cliff Nobles & Co.

You won't hear all these great One-Hit Wonders* in one place anywhere else.  We're glad you're on Inside The Rock Era!