The Top 100 Guitarists of the Rock Era--Less Than a Week Away!

Inside the Rock Era is all set to bring you the Top 100 Axe Men, as they are called.  Every guitarist from 1955 through the present is eligible, but only the best 100 make our list.

Starting Wednesday, February 1!

The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 70's--#60-#51

Remember that this countdown is all about the R&B chart.  There are songs that did quite well on that chart but not well on the popular chart then others that were huge hits that might have you wondering why they weren't ranked higher.  Some were popular overall but not so much on the R&B chart.  So keep that in mind as we continue to work our way upward.

#60--"One of a Kind (Love Affair)" by the Spinners

This great Detroit, Michigan group makes its first appearance in our countdown of The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 70's*.  They were originally known as the Domingoes.  

The Spinners were one of the top R&B acts of the decade with six #1 songs in the genre.  This one reached #1 on June 9, 1973 and remained there for four weeks.  It spent a limited 14 weeks on the chart so not good longevity, but it did sell a million copies.  Another factor against it was competition, with Barry White's "I'm Gonna' Love You Just A Little More Baby" being the only other strong R&B song out at the time.

#59--"The Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

The Miracles were one of the great R&B acts of the 60's, and they continued into 1970 with this all-time classic.  Keep in mind that this song was far stronger overall than it was on the R&B chart.  It did reach #1 on the R&B chart for three weeks in December, keeping "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5 and "Super Bad" from James Brown from stronger chart runs.

Overall, the group's last big hit with Robinson on lead vocal spent 14 weeks on the chart but did not go gold. 

  
 #58--"Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna' Holler)" by Marvin Gaye

Although Marvin did his greatest work in the 60's, the superstar still had six #1's in the 70's so rest assured we'll be hearing more of his great music.  He drew attention to the problems of African-Americans with this song and others far better than 100 rap so-called "songs" could ever do. 

It only spent 12 weeks on the chart and did not go gold or it would likely rank higher.  But no one can deny this great song a spot in The Top 100*.  It was nominated for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards in 1972.  "Inner City Blues" was a #1 song for two weeks in November, 1971, holding off "Have You Seen Her" from the Chi-Lites and Sly & the Family Stone's "Family Affair". 

#57--"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead

This duo helped define "The Sound of Philadelphia", writing and producing for many Philadelphia acts.  As teenagers, McFadden & Whitehead were members of the Epsilons, who toured with and were managed by Otis Redding until his death in 1967.

This song was their debut release and what a song to pick for your first single.  The single only spent one week at the top, reaching #1 in June, 1979, but it has plenty more going for it.  "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb, Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" and "Ring My Bell" from Anita Ward were all out at the time.  It spent 22 weeks on the chart and sold over two million copies.  The song also was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1980 for Best R&B Song of the Year.


 

#56--"Ladies Night" by Kool and the Gang

This great group for Jersey City, New Jersey had no less than 47 hits on the R&B chart. 

"Ladies Night" was their biggest of four #1's in the 70's, with three weeks at #1 in November, 1979.  It spent 21 weeks on the R&B chart and sold over a million copies.  Kool & the Gang took over the number one position from "(not just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic, which we've already heard in this special countdown.  It also kept Michael Jackson from more weeks at #1 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". 


 

#55--"If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)" by Luther Ingram

This singer/songwriter from Jackson, Tennessee sang in a gospel group with his brothers, which is an oddity for a singer singing "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right").  Some disconnect there. 

In any case, this is far and away Ingram's biggest hit, hitting #1 on the R&B chart for four weeks in July, 1972.  It spent 15 weeks on the chart and did not go gold.  "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers was out at the same time but not great competition other than that song.



 

#54--"This Will Be" by Natalie Cole

This daughter of Nat King Cole was a star from the beginning, hitting #1 on the R&B chart for two weeks in October, 1975 with this, her first release.

"This Will Be" spent 19 weeks on the chart but did not sell a million.  Cole was nominated for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards in 1976.  There wasn't great competition out at the time and that keeps this from being ranked higher.  


 

#53--"If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
 

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania have three great #1's that make The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 70's*.  That gives lead singer Teddy Pendergrass five entries, two solo and three with the group.  The first from the group is "If You Don't Know Me By Now".

The song reached #1 for two weeks in November, 1972, spent 16 total weeks and sold a million copies.  "If You Don't Know Me By Now" was nominated for Best R&B Group Vocal Performance at the Grammy wards in 1973.  Three solid smashes--"Get On the Good Foot" by James Brown, "I'll Be Around" by the Spinners and "Me and Mrs. Jones" from Billy Paul were all out at the same time, giving this great song the strength it needed to place at #53.



 

#52--"I'm Still In Love With You" by Al Green

Here's another of the great soul singers of the 70's.  He enjoyed 32 hits in the R&B genre in his career and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

This one reached #1.  It only spent 12 weeks on the chart but did sell a million copies.  "Where Is the Love" by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway and the Luther Ingram song we just heard were both out at the same time. 

#51--"The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

We just heard from this group a few spots ago.  Just outside of The Top 50* is this great song from 1973.  "The Love I Lost" took over from Billy Preston's "Space Race" and held on to #1 for two weeks in November, 1973.  It spent 17 weeks on the chart and sold over a million copies. 

 

Other songs out at the time were "Midnight Train To Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips, "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" by the Staple Singers and "Living for the City" by Stevie Wonder so excellent competition for a song to still reach #1 for two weeks.

This Date in Rock Music History: January 26

1956:  Buddy Holly recorded at Decca Records for the first time, using the name Buddy and the Two Tones, laying down "Blue Days, Black Nights", "Don't Come Back Knockin'", "Love Me" and "Midnight Shift" at Owen Bradley's Barn Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

1957:  "Blue Monday" by Fats Domino was #1 on the R&B chart.
1960:  Frankie Avalon appeared on The Arthur Murray Party on NBC-TV as a dancer.

1961:  Elvis Presley had his sixth #1 song in the U.K. with "Are You Lonesome Tonight".

1963:  The hard-working Beatles performed two concerts, one at the El Rio Club and Dance Hall in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England with Wayne Fontana and the Jets opening.  The group then drove 20 miles to King's Hall, Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire for a night concert.
1963:  The Rooftop Singers moved to #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "Walk Right In".

1963:  "Walk Right In" made the fifth-biggest leap to #1 (11-1) of the Rock Era.  "Hey Paula" by Paul & Paula also had a nice move (10-2) and those two outdistanced previous #1 "Go Away Little Girl" from Steve Lawrence.  "Tell Him" by the Exciters came in fourth and Bobby Vee ranked #5 with "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes".











1964:  Barbra Streisand released the single "People".
1966:  Eric Burdon sang lead vocals for Manfred Mann at a concert in London.











1969:  When creative genius appears, get out of the way.  On this day, while recording "Let It Be" and "The Long And WInding Road" for their album Let It Be at Apple Studios in London, the Beatles also recorded several covers, including "Shake Rattle And Roll", "Kansas City", "Miss Ann", "Blue Suede Shoes", "Tracks Of My Tears", "You Really Got A Hold On Me" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy".  Drummer Ringo Starr wrote the song "Octopus's Garden" and the group came up with the idea of performing live on the roof of their headquarters.  Not bad for a day's work.
















1970:  Simon & Garfunkel released the single "Bridge Over Troubled Water".












1970:  Three Dog Night released the single "Celebrate".
1970:  Chicago released their second album, ironically called Chicago II.
1970:  Australia's first rock festival, the Ourimbah Rock Festival, drew a crowd of 11,000.
1970:  Elvis Presley played two shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.










1974:  Dolly Parton first appeared on the charts as her first single, "Jolene" debuted.
1974:  The Doobie Brothers opened their first tour of England at the Rainbow Theatre in London.










1974:  "Love's Theme", one of The Top 10 Instrumentals of the Rock Era* from Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra, was #1 on the Adult chart.
1974:  Ringo Starr officially achieved his first #1 solo song with "You're Sixteen", although many radio stations had "It Don't Come Easy" at #1 in 1971.  That sent previous #1 "Show And Tell" from Al Wilson down, while Barbra Streisand's hot song "The Way We Were" was up to #3. 

      
        One of Wings' finest albums yielded "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five"...

1974:  The late Jim Croce was 1-2 on the Album chart with You Don't Mess Around with Jim #1 for a third week and I Got A Name second.  The Singles 1969-1973 from the Carpenters was next, followed by Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and The Joker by Steve Miller Band.  The rest of the Top 10:  John Denver's Greatest Hits, Bette Midler at #7 with her self-titled release, Paul McCartney & Wings were up to #8 with Band on the Run, the Soundtrack to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" from Neil Diamond and Charlie Rich had #10--Behind Closed Doors. 
1975:  BBC television aired the David Bowie documentary Cracked Actor.
















1976:  Maxine Nightingale released the single "Right Back Where We Started From".
1977:  Peter Green, the first lead guitarist of Fleetwood Mac, and founder of the group was committed to a mental hospital in England.  Green, who left the group in May, 1970, had threatened accountant Clifford Adams with an air rifle when Adams attempted to deliver a $51,000 royalty check to Green.
1980:  The Clash appeared at the Deeside Leisure Centre in Queensferry, Flintshire, Wales.  
1980:  Prince made his television debut on Dick Clark's American Bandstand on ABC.  






1980:  Teri Desario with K.C. (of the Sunshine Band) took the Barbara Mason song "Yes I'm Ready" to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1980:  Michael Jackson ruled on the R&B chart for a fourth week with "Rock With You".
1980:  The great album Phoenix by Dan Fogelberg entered the Top 10.







1980:  Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" couldn't be beaten for a second week as the Captain & Tennille stayed at  2 with "Do That To Me One More Time".  Kenny Rogers advanced with "Coward Of The County" while former #1 "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes was fourth and Smokey Robinson had a big solo hit with "Cruisin'".  The rest of the Top 10:  Stevie Wonder's "Send One Your Love", Cliff Richard and "We Don't Talk Anymore", Queen commanded an 18-8 move for "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", the Eagles advanced into the Top 10 with "The Long Run" and the great song "Sara" from Fleetwood Mac moved from 15-10. 
1985:  Foreigner had the #1 album in the U.K. with Agent Provocateur. 

Foreigner came up with such an incredible song that Madonna would have to step aside soon...

1985:  Madonna had the #1 song for a fifth week with "Like A Virgin" but the fast-closing "I Want To Know What Love Is" from Foreigner was up to #2.  Chicago's "You're The Inspiration" trailed those two, with "Easy Lover" from Phil Collins & Phillip Bailey fourth and Wham! moved from 10-5 with "Careless Whisper".  The rest of the Top 10:  "All I Need" from Jack Wagner, Bryan Adams slipped with "Run To You", Don Henley with "The Boys Of Summer", Billy Ocean moved from 16 to 9 with "Loverboy" and Prince scored his ninth career hit and fourth consecutive Top 10 from Purple Rain--"I Would Die 4 (sic) U (sic)".





1986:  Allen Collins, guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, crashed his car in Jacksonville, Florida, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend Debra Jean Watts.
1989:  Bon Jovi performed at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.









1989:  Donnie Elbert ("Where Did Our Love Go" from 1971) died of a stroke at age 52 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1989:  Rolf Harris ("Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport") was made a member of the Order of Australia.  The honor was stripped in 2014 when Harris was found guilty of having sex with underage girls.
1991:  Cher filmed a video for the troops of Desert Storm during the Gulf War, with assistance from Paul Simon, Janet Jackson, Van Halen and Bonnie Raitt.
1991:  Queen rose to #1 in the U.K. with "Innuendo".
1991:  Enigma had the top U.K. album with MCMXC.





1991:  Surface had themselves a #1 song with "The First Time". 
1991:  "Because I Love You" by Stevie B was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a second week.
1993:  Rage Against the Machine performed at the Underworld in Camden, London.







1995:  Joni Mitchell appeared at the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum theater in Los Angeles.
1997:  James Brown, ZZ Top and the Blues Brothers performed during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
2003:  Billy Joel was admitted to a hospital after crashing his car into a tree in Sag Harbor, New York.
2005:  In today's edition of Inmates Run Rap Music, Irv Gotti, boss of The Inc. Record Company, surrendered to the FBI, which accused the label of funneling drug money and using their company as part of a criminal empire.

2010:  Lady Antebellum released the album Need You Now.











2011:  Gladys Horton of the Marvelettes died from complications of a stroke in Los Angeles at age 65.  (Note:  some websites claim Gladys died on January 27, but the correct date is January 26, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times', 'NPR', and 'Billboard'.  Further, some websites show she died in Sherman Oaks.  Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, not a city.  Neighborhoods are not nor never have been official "places of death".)
2014:  Daft Punk captured five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year (Random Access Memories) and Song of the Year ("Get Lucky") at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Born This Day:
1939:  Marshall Lieb of the Teddy Bears ("To Know Him Is To Love Him") was born in Los Angeles; died of a heart attack  March 15, 2002 in Northridge, California.

1943:  Jean Knight ("Mr. Big Stuff") was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1944:  Merrilee Rush ("Angel Of The Morning" from 1968) was born in Seattle, Washington.
1945:  Ashley Hutchings, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and bassist of Fairport Convention, and later a producer, was born in Southgate, Middlesex, England.  
1946:  Deon Jackson ("Love Makes the World Go Round" was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan; died April 18, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois.
1948:  Corky Laing, drummer of Mountain ("Mississippi Queen"), was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1949:  Derek Holt, bassist of Climax Blues Band ("Couldn't Get It Right") was born in Stafford, England.
1950:  Paul Pena, who wrote "Jet Airliner" for Steve Miller, was born in Hyannis, Massachusetts; died October 1, 2005 in San Francisco, California from complications of diabetes and pancreatitis.
1951:  David Briggs, guitarist of the Little River Band and later an engineer and producer, was born in Melbourne, Australia.

1957:  Eddie Van Halen, elite guitarist and songwriter of Van Halen, was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.  (Note:  some websites claim Van Halen was born in Nijmegan, the Netherlands.  According to the New Netherland Institute, the book 'Eddie Van Halen:  Know the Man, Play the Music' by Malcolm Dome and Rod Fogg, and 'Billboard', Eddie was born in Amsterdam; the family later moved to Nijmegan.)1958:  Norman Hassan, vocalist and conga player of UB40, was born in Birmingham, England.)






1958:  Anita Baker was born in Toledo, Ohio.









1963:  Andrew Ridgeley, singer-songwriter and guitarist of Wham!  was born in Windlesham, Surrey, England.
1963:  Jazzie B (real name Beresford Romeo) of Soul II Soul ("Back To Life") was born in Hornsey, London.  (Note:  'AllMusic.com' lists his birthplace as Finsbury Park, but it was in Hornsey, London, according to the newspaper 'The Telegraph'.)
1964:  Susannah Melvoin, vocalist with Prince, Eric Clapton, Roger Waters and Mike Oldfield and songwriter for Madonna, Clapton and Prince, was born in Los Angeles.