The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #160-151

The artists keep getting better with each day.  For most of these, you should be saying, "I can't believe they never had more than one big hit!

Collectively, the efforts of Joey Levine are considerable.  But he participated in so many one-off projects that he could be called the One-Hit Wonder King:

   
#160:  Reunion--"Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)"           

Joey Levine founded Crushing Enterprises in New York City in 1969.  In the 1970's, Joey Levine began working on jingles for television commercials, with one of his most memorable being "Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut" for Mounds and Almond Joy chocolate bars.  Other popular campaigns were "Pepsi - The Joy of Cola", "Gentlemen Prefer Hanes", "Just For the Taste of It - Diet Coke", "Come See the Softer Side of Sears", "Heartbeat of America - Chevy", "You Asked For It, You Got It, Toyota" and "This Bud's For You" for Anheuser-Busch.

Levine sang for and participated in many bubblegum groups, including the Ohio Express.  Reunion was an ad hoc group of studio musicians.  "Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" is a fast patter of disc jockeys, musicians, songwriters, record labels, song titles and lyrics, broken only by the chorus.

"Life is a Rock" rolled to #8 in the United States and #33 in the U.K.  But the was the last we heard of the "group" Reunion.

You can't keep a good man down, nor a good song.  When many had given up on the song, it finally took off and gave this next artist his one big hit:

   
#159:  Tony Joe White--"Polk Salad Annie"

White grew up in Oak Grove, Louisiana and at age 16, began learning how to play the blues on guitar.  Tony Joe began performing at school dances, then after graduation, at nightclubs in Louisiana and Texas.  He formed the band Tony White & His Combo in his teens.  The group performed six nights a week for eight consecutive months at a nightclub in Kingsville, Texas.

White continued to perform at the small clubs of the South with various groups over the next seven years.  In 1967, he signed with Monument Records and released four singles.  None caught on with a worldwide audience, but "Soul Francisco" was a hit in France.  

"Polk Salad Annie" had been released for ninth months and written off as a failure until it entered the charts in the United States in 1969.  It finally climbed to #8 and White opened for acts such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sly & the Family Stone and Steppenwolf in England, Germany, France, Sweden and Belgium to promote the album Black and White.  In 1970, White penned "Rainy Night in Georgia", which became a huge hit for Brook Benton. 

In 1973, White appeared in the movie Catch My Soul.  Later in the year, White sat in on the Memphis sessions for Jerry Lee Lewis's Southern Roots album.  Between 1976 and 1983, White released three albums, each on a different label, with little success.  At this point, he gave up on singing and concentrated on writing songs. 

In 1989, White played several instruments and produced Tina Turner's Foreign Affair album.  He also wrote the hit "Steamy Windows" for the album.  White recorded three more albums after the fame gained from working with Turner.  He toured with Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton, and played the Montreux Festival in 1992.  

White released 21 albums and 21 singles in his career. 

This group's light sound made them a most promising newcomer in 1976:

  

#158:  Starbuck--"Moonlight Feels Right"  

Starbuck formed in Atlanta, Georgia with keyboardist/vocalist/producer Bruce Blackman, marimba player Bo Wagner and guitarist Johnny Walker.  All three had previous success in the group Eternity's Children ("Mrs. Bluebird" in 1968).

Starbuck struck gold in 1976 with the single "Moonlight Feels Right", which hit #3.  They toured with groups such as ELO, Hall & Oates, Boston and K.C. & the Sunshine Band and appeared on The Midnight Special, American Bandstand, The Merv Griffin Show, Dinah!, The Mike Douglas Show and Solid Gold.

Subsequent singles "I Got To Know" (#43) and Everybody Be Dancin' (#38) were minor hits but the group could never capitalize on their smash One Hit Wonder.

At #157, this Native American group which formed with encouragement from Jimi Hendrix:

#157:  Redbone--"Come And Get Your Love"

Brothers Patrick (bass and vocals) and Lolly (guitar and vocals) Vasquez moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and formed the group Redbone with drummer Peter DePoe and guitarist Tony Bellamy.  Jimi Hendrix, himself part Native American, talked Patrick into forming an all-Native American rock band.  The brothers had been performing under the stage surname Vegas.

Redbone signed with Epic Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1970.  Their first taste of success came with the single "Maggie" from their second album Potlach.  "The Witch Queen of New Orleans" (#21 in 1971) just missed giving the group their first Top 20 hit in 1971.

Butch Rillera replaced DePoe in 1972.  Redbone released "Come and Get Your Love", written by Lolly, in 1974, and the single rose to #5 in the United States and sold over one million copies.  The group released "We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee", telling the story of the massacre of Lakota Sioux Indians by the Seventh Cavalry in 1890.  The song reached #1 in The Netherlands and charted in several other European countries.  But it was not a worldwide success as it was initially withheld from release in the United States and was banned by several politically conservative radio stations.

At #156, the group named after a famous Canadian rodeo:

  
#156:  Stampeders--"Sweet City Woman"  

Rich Dodson, Len Roemer, Brendan Lyttle, Kim Berly and Race Holiday formed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1964 as the Rebounds.  Ronnie King and Van Louis replaced Roemer and the band renamed themselves the Stampeders in 1964.  In 1966, the group moved to Toronto, Ontario, and then became a trio in 1968 when Lyttle, Louis and Holiday left.  

The group released the single "Sweet City Woman" (written by Dodson) in 1971. It reached #8 and sold over one million copies in the United States and won Juno Awards for Best Single, Best Group and Best Composer. 

The Stampeders broke up in 1977, but reunited at the Calgary Stampede in 1992.  They enjoyed two other Top 5 hits in Canada ("Carry Me" and "Wild Eyes"), but "Sweet City Woman" was their only worldwide hit.   

This group at #155 is going to warm things up:

#155:  Rivieras--"California Sun"  

Marty "Bo" Fortson (vocals and guitar), bassist Doug Gean, guitarist Joe Pennell, organist Otto Nuss and drummer Paul Dennert formed this band while they were teenagers at South Bend Central High School in Indiana.  They originally were known as the Playmates, but since there was already a group with that name, they changed to the Rivieras.

The group released the single "California Sun" in 1964, and it became a #5 song.  The Rivieras released three more songs in 1964, but "Little Donna" at #93 was the next-best they could do.  Fortson and Pennell left the group for the United States Marine Corps shortly after recording "California Sun".  Other members left the group to focus on education, which led to the breakup of the band in 1966 after they had released three albums and seven singles.

At #154, we celebrate the success of the common man, who went from being the chauffeur of the Who to achieving an international success:

    

#154:  Thunderclap Newman--"Something In The Air"  

Pete Townshend of the Who and Kit Lambert formed Thunderclap Newman in 1968 to showcase the songwriting talent of John "Speedy" Keen (vocals, drums and guitar), then the chauffeur for the Who.  Pianist Andy "Thunderclap" Newman and 15-year-old guitarist Jimmy McCulloch joined Keen in forming the nucleus for Thunderclap Newman.  

The group released the album Hollywood Dream and three other singles.  Townshend played bass on the album under the pseudonym Bijou Drains.  Keen, Newman and McCulloch met for the first time when they gathered in Townshend's home studio to record "Something in the Air".

Keen had written the song "Revolution" for the movie The Magic Christian, but the Beatles had already released a song of that name, so the title was changed to "Something in the Air".  The single rose to #1 in the U.K. for three weeks, holding off releases by the Beatles and Elvis Presley,  and it peaked at #37 and sold over one million copies in the United States.    

The group recruited bassist James Pitman-Avery and drummer Jack McCulloch on a tour of England and Scotland to open for Deep Purple, before folding in 1971.  The single "Accidents" was the next-best song by the group in 1970, reaching #44 in the U.K. but failing to chart in the United States.  

McCulloch went on to join John Mayall and Paul McCartney & Wings before dying at the age of 26 because of heroin.  Keen recorded briefly before producing, credited with Motorhead's first album among others.   

This group originally included a singer/guitarist by the name of Jon Bon Jovi:

#153:  Scandal--"The Warrior"

Guitarist Zack Smith formed Scandal in New York City in 1981.  The other original members included guitarist Jon Bon Jovi, bassist Ivan Elias, guitarist Keith Mack, keyboardist Benjy King, drummer Frankie LaRocka and vocalist Patty Smyth.  Bon Jovi quit shortly after the group was formed and of course achieved superstar status in the band that bears his name.

Scandal scored a huge hit when "The Warrior" took off in 1984, reaching #7 in the United States, and #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart.  

The group released two albums and seven singles.  Although "Goodbye to You" remains one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era* (#65), its failure represented the group's next best effort.  Scandal also released the minor hits "Beat of A Heart" (#41) and "Love's Got A Line On You (#59).  Obviously, the group had great potential.  But because of internal struggles and arguments with their record company, the members of Scandal split one by one until by the time their tour arrived, Smyth and Mack were the only two remaining original members.  Scandal broke up shortly after the tour ended.

Just ahead of Scandal, the story of two accomplished musicians who met and recorded one of The Top Instrumentals of the Rock Era*:

   
#152:  Hugo Winterhalter and Eddie Heywood--"Canadian Sunset"

Winterhalter graduated from Mount St. Mary's near Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he played saxophone in the orchestra and sang in two choirs.  He then studied violin and reed instruments at the New England Conservatory of Music.  Winterhalter taught school for several years before becoming a backing musician and arranger for Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey and others.

Winterhalter also arranged for singers including Dinah Shore and in 1948, he became musical director at MGM Records.  In 1950, Winterhalter signed with RCA Victor, arranging for artists such as Perry Como, Eddie Fisher and the Ames Brothers.  Winterhalter recorded several instrumental albums, and, with pianist Eddie Heywood, reached #2 with "Canadian Sunset" in 1956.

Heywood was popular in the 1940's, playing with several jazz musicians such as Wayman Carver and Clarence Love before moving to New York City.  Heywood backed up Billie Holiday in 1941 before putting together his own sextet that became popular. 

But in 1947, Heywood suffered partial paralysis of his hands and could not play at all.  Gradually, he regained the use of his hands and made a comeback in the 1950's, achieving his widest fame with Winterhalter on "Canadian Sunset".  Heywood earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Winterhalter recorded several other albums, but never enjoyed another big hit.

We're up to the artist who achieved his big hit with a retelling of David Bowie's "Space Oddity":

   
#151:  Peter Schilling--"Major Tom (Coming Home)"    

Peter Schilling was born in Stuttgart, Germany.  A track from his 1983 album, Error in the System, was originally recorded in German (reaching #1 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and then re-recorded in English when it caught fire worldwide.  "Major Tom (Coming Home)"  flew to #1 in Canada, #4 in South Africa and #14 in the United States.

Schilling achieved his only major worldwide success with "Major Tom (Coming Home)".  Schilling recorded 17 albums and released 30 singles, with his next-best effort being "Die Wuste Lebt" in 1983.  That song peaked at #5 in Austria, #7 in Germany and #10 in Switzerland.

From 1986 to 1988, Peter released a few non-album singles that got some airplay in Germany but did not generate the excitement that "Major Tom" did.  Schilling started a band called Space Pilots in the late 1990's, then later formed a new band that still plays live shows in Europe.

We are just 15 days from the conclusion of The Top One-Hit Wonders*.  We remind you that the rankings are highly subjective, although we did do our level best given the criteria we outlined at the beginning.  The Top 10, we believe, stand out as the ten artists who had the best chance of having another hit or showed the best potential with their one hit.  Tune in tomorrow for #150-141!