Inside the Rock Era

In Concert: Chicago Live at Tanglewood 1970: "Beginnings"

2026-04-01T20:55:00.002-06:00

Did you realize at the time how great, how truly great, this band was?

In 1970, Chicago gave a landmark concert at Tanglewood, with them at their peak musically, and their performance drew raves. Here they are live from that famous concert!

Is This Where Paul McCartney First Saw John Lennon?

2025-09-11T20:34:00.005-06:00

We've looked at this before, but the more we read the research, look at the available photographs and listen to eyewitness accounts, we believe that Paul McCartney is in fact in attendance at this Quarrymen gig at St. Peter's Church in Liverpool. We are sharing it so more can be aware of this famous photograph. In the video, we also see the exact place inside the church where John and Paul met for the first time. Amazing.

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited--The Complete Checklist!

2025-08-26T12:55:00.006-06:00

We've put together a handy checklist for you to make sure you catch all the songs. We'll expand the checklist to the full 500 when finished.

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part One

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part Two

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part Three

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part Four

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #500-491

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #490-481

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #480-471

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #470-461

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #460-451

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #440-431

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #430-421

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #420-411

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #410-401

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #400-391

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #390-381

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #380-371

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #370-361

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #360-351

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #350-341

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #330-321

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #320-311

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #310-301

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #300-291

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #290-281

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #280-271

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #270-261

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #260-251

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #250-241

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #240-231

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #230-221

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #220-211

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #210-201

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #200-191

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #190-181

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #180-171

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #170-161

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #150-141

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #130-121

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #120-111

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #110-101

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #100-91

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #90-81

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #80-71

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #70-61

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #60-51

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #50-41

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #40-31

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #30-21

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #20-11

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #10-1

2025-08-22T00:00:00.065-06:00

We've listened to 490 songs from the great One-Hit Wonders of all-time. Here, we believe, is the cream of the crop!

This heavy metal band gave us an epic masterpiece for the ages:

#10: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida--Iron Butterfly

Here's a group formed in San Diego, California in 1966. They rehearsed in the garage of the parents of tambourine player Darryl DeLoach on a near-nightly basis.

In 1968, Iron Butterfly released "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" on their album of the same name. At over 17 minutes, the song takes up the entire second side of their album. The lyrics are heard only at the beginning and end of the song. The song reached #30, itself not a huge hit at the time, but the song remains one of the most popular of the Rock Era, essentially discounting the ranking of the song by those not knowing how to gauge the popularity of songs.

As evidence of the above, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is among the world's 40 best-selling albums, selling more than 30 million copies.

"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is significant in that it was released at a time when psychedelic music began to form heavy metal. The song has been featured numerous times in pop culture, including the television shows Home Improvement and That 70's Show.

Iron Butterfly has released six albums and 13 singles but the highest they could get after "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" was with "Easy Rider" in 1970, which only made it to #66. Despite the complex musicianship obvious in the song, Iron Butterfly could never come close with subsequent efforts.

Up next is the German band whose worldwide hit featured some of the most poignant lyrics ever written:
#9. 99 Luftballons--Nena

Gabriele Susanne Kerner was born in Hagen, West Germany. She spent her early years in Breckerfield and later lived in Hagen. She acquired the nickname of "Nena" (little girl) while on a vacation to Spain. In 1979, guitarist Rainer Kitzmann offered Nena a position as lead singer in the Stripes. The group had a minor hit with "Ecstasy" but soon disbanded.

In 1981, Nena and then-boyfriend Rolf Brendel moved to West Berlin, where they met guitarist Carlo Karges, keyboardist Uwe-Fahrenkrog-Petersen and bassist Jürgen Dehmel. Together, they formed the band Nena in 1982, and their first single, "Nur getraumt" (Only dreamt") became an instant hit in Germany after the group performed on the German television show Muiskladen. "Nur getraumt" reached #2 in Germany, but success was contained to their home country.

In 1983, Nena released their self-titled album, which contained the singles "Leuchtturm" ("Lighthouse") and "99 Luftballons". Fahrenkrog-Petersen wrote the music while Karges wrote the original German lyrics. While attending a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin, Karges noticed that balloons were being released. As he watched them move towards the horizon, he noticed them shifting and changing shapes, where they looked like strange spacecraft. Karges thought about what might happen if they floated over the Berlin Wall to the Soviet sector, and featured that as the main focus of the composition.

Nena first recorded the song in German, then in English. "99 Luftballons" hit #1 in West Germany, Canada, Australia and Ireland and #2 in the United States. The English version was a #1 song in the U.K. and was a smash hit the world over.

Nena released five international singles and had 14 hits on the German charts but they were never heard outside of Germany again.

This innovative and hugely-talented band gave us this great song from 1967:

#8: Pictures Of Matchstick Men--Status Quo

The group had its origins in 1962 as Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster formed the Spectres. After several lineup changes, the band became the Status Quo in 1967.

In November, Status Quo released "Pictures of Matchstick Men" as their first single. It hit #7 in the U.K., #8 in Canada and #12 in the United States. The song was several in the 60's to feature audio effect phasing. The "matchstick men" in the song refers to paintings of L.S. Lowry.

"Pictures of Matchstick Men" was featured in a television ad for Target stores and in 2012, the original version was played in Men in Black 3.

Status Quo has released 29 albums, many of which have done very well in their home country of Great Britain. They had 76 hits in the U.K., but they found out that the United States is a tough nut to crack, even if you've already had a big hit like "Pictures of Matchstick Men". The best Status Quo could do after their debut was when "Ice In The Sun" reached #70 in 1968.

#7: Torn--Natalie Imbruglia

Scott Cutler, Anne Preven and Phil Tornalley wrote this song in 1991 as a solo song for Preven, who recorded and performed the song live but "Torn" was not released until Danish singer Lis Sørensen released it under the title "Brændt" ([pʁænˀt], meaning 'burnt') in 1993.

Cutler and Preven formed the group Ednaswap that year and released "Torn" in 1995. The best version, however, is from Australian singer and actress Natalie Imbruglia, who remade the song for her debut single in 1997, produced by Thornalley. Imbruglia's version was recorded in London with David Munday on lead guitar, Thornalley playing bass and rhythm guitars, Chuck Sabo on drums, Sam Hardaker on drum programming and Katrina Leskanich singing backing vocals.

Imbruglia was well-known in the early part of the decade as Beth Brennan in the television soap opera Neighbours. After leaving the show, Natalie moved to the U.K. to start her recording career.

"Torn" was a monster hit the world over, reaching #1 in Canada, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Belgium and Iceland, #2 in the U.K., Australia, the Netherlands, Scotland and Switzerland, and a Top 10 song everywhere in the world...except in the United States.

In the U.S., "Torn" reached #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart but because of a glitch in Billboard chart methodology, only made it to #42 on the Popular chart. Why do we describe it as a glitch? Because "Torn" was #1 for 11 weeks on Billboard's "Radio Songs" chart, essentially the top songs played by radio around the country.

The record company wanted to spur sales of the album and thus did not release "Torn" as a single initially. But because Billboard had foolishly from 1955-1998 required a song to be released as a single to make its charts, "Torn" was not even listed on the Popular chart for most of its run. Finally, after industry-wide criticism of Billboard's policy to not rank "Torn", the magazine relented and changed its rule, but by that time, "Torn" was on its way down and only peaked at #42.

The single sold four million copies globally and was Imbruglia was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards, losing to Celine Dion for "My Heart Will Go On".

Imbruglia released five more albums and the best she could do after "Torn" was #64, the highest-ranked of 16 subsequent singles.

At #6, the artist who had the what was at the time the fastest-selling song in the history of Warner Brothers Records:

#6: Vehicle--Ides of March

The Ides of March released their first single, "Like It Or Lump It", on their own Epitome record label in 1965. The group changed their name to the Ides of March in 1966, taken from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. They released "You Wouldn't Listen" on Parrot Records and reached #42 in the spring. The Ides of March released six singles prior to signing with Warner Brothers. Their third single on Warner, "Vehicle", was written by lead singer Jim Peterik, who would later form the group Survivor.

"Vehicle" went to #1 and sold a million copies, the fastest-selling single in Warner Brothers history in 1970. The Ides of March toured extensively that year, opening for many top acts including Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

The Ides of March released four more albums and a total of seven singles. "You Wouldn't Listen", their debut single, reached #42. Despite the huge success of "Vehicle", the Ides of March afterwards could only manage to get as high as #64 with "Superman" in 1970 and "L.A. Goodbye" (#73 in 1971).

"Vehicle" is featured in the movie Lock Up with Sylvester Stallone.

With a #1 song, immense songwriting ability, great vocals and harmonies, a Grammy for Best New Artist, and their own television show, this group seemed destined to be superstars:

#5: Afternoon Delight--Starland Vocal Band

Members of the group originally backed John Denver. Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert co-wrote "Take Me Home, Country Roads" with Denver. Denver subsequently signed them to his label Windsong Records. Danoff and Nivert began as a husband/wife duo called Fat City. Jon Carroll (keyboards and vocals) and Margot Chapman (vocals), also married, soon joined.

Starland Vocal Band began with one of the best debut albums in history. "Afternoon Delight" led the way, reaching #1 in the summer of 1976. The group was nominated for four Grammy Awards and won two of them--for Best New Artist and Best Arrangement (vocals). Starland Vocal Band was also nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Afternoon Delight".

The group was flying high, and hosted their own television variety show on CBS in the summer of 1977. David Letterman was a writer and regular on the show.

The group's follow-up album Rear View Mirror was a disappointment, and the band broke up in 1981 after a total of four studio albums, a Christmas album, and seven singles, unable to match the lofty success of "Afternoon Delight". The next-best song they had was "California Day", which peaked at #66. The members each pursued their own solo careers.

The wizardry of producers Chapman & Chinn helped this group score one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*:

#4: Kiss You All Over--Exile

They were originally known as the Exiles, founded in Richmond, Kentucky. They began playing local shows and then toured with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars in 1965, opening for major rock artists of the time. In 1973, the group shortened their name to Exile.

The group changed styles often throughout the late 60's and early 70's and had a few regional hits. Exile released their eponymous debut on Wooden Nickel Records in 1973. Singles were unsuccessful, and it would be five years before the group released a follow-up album. Exile shocked the world with their release of "Kiss You All Over", which was a smash #1, one of the top songs of 1978, and became one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*.

The group was helped immensely by emerging producer Mike Chapman, who took the group's sound and molded it into a classic. Chapman co-wrote the song with songwriting partner Nicky Chinn. "Kiss You All Over" was #1 for four weeks and was a best-seller for over six months. Exile was on top of the world, touring with Heart, Aerosmith, Boston, Seals & Crofts and other top acts throughout the United States, Europe and Africa.

Several follow-ups, however, brought little success, so in 1983, they aimed for the much smaller and easier country music market. The group did well in that genre, but never could come close to success with the mass audience as they had in 1978. Several of their songs were covered by other artists, including "The Closer You Get" and "Take Me Down", both recorded by Alabama. Pennington's songwriting talent was recognized as BMI Writer of the Year and he was named as one of BMI's Top 100 Writers of the Century.

"Kiss You All Over" was included in the movies Happy Gilmore and Employee of the Month. The song has been remade several times, including a 1997 version by No Mercy.

Exile released 12 albums and 38 singles in their career. But other than "You Thrill Me" (#40 in 1978), the group could never come close to their classic smash with the mass audience.

This group was the foundation for some of the greatest music of the Rock Era:

#3: For What It's Worth--Buffalo Springfield

Stephen Stills and Neil Young first met at the Fourth Dimension in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Young was the leader of the Squires from Winnipeg while Stills was on tour with the group the Company. Although they wouldn't hook up for another year, the two knew they wanted to work with each other.

After the Company broke up following the tour, Stills moved to California, where he worked as a studio musician and auditioned unsuccessfully for the Monkees. Producer Barry Friedman indicated to Stills that his prospects were good if he could assemble a band. Stills invited Richie Furay and former Squires bassist Ken Koblun to join him. Both agreed, though Koblun soon left for other opportunities.

Meanwhile in Toronto, Young met Bruce Palmer, whose band the Mynah Birds needed a lead guitarist. Young accepted, but just as the Mynah Birds were about record an album, lead singer Ricky James Matthews (later known as Rick James) was arrested by the United States Navy for being AWOL and the record company canceled the record deal. Young and Palmer decided to go to Los Angeles in hopes of meeting up with Stills.

A week later, disappointed at being unable to find Stills and ready to leave for San Francisco, they were stuck in traffic when Stills, Furay and Friedman recognized Young's black 1953 Pontiac hearse, which happened to be passing by in the opposite direction. Furay made a quick u-turn and after some shouting and much excitement, the four musicians connected. Drummer Dewey Martin, who had played with the Standells, was added to the lineup less than a week later, and Buffalo Springfield was born, with the name taken from the side of a steamroller, made by the Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company, that had been parked outside Friedman's house.

Buffalo Springfield made their live debut on April 11, 1966 at the Troubadour in Hollywood and a few days later, they began opening for the Byrds in concert. Following the tour, Chris Hillman of the Byrds urged the owners of the famous Whisky a Go Go to give Springfield an audition. The group became the house band for seven weeks from May to June. These performances caused a buzz with the group giving sensational live shows and several record companies became interested. The band signed with Atlantic Records and began recording in Hollywood.

Buffalo Springfield released the single "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing", but the song was essentially only a hit in L.A. The group was so dissatisfied that they reworked some of their early recordings for the rest of their self-titled album.

In November 1966, Stills composed "For What It's Worth" after witnessing police actions against young people who had gathered on the Sunset Strip to protest the closing of a nightclub. Springfield performed the song on Thanksgiving night at Whisky, recorded it in the next few days, and it was on the air at legendary L.A. station KHJ soon after. By March of '67, they had a #7 song, the popularity of which has grown immensely since then. Atco, which handled distribution, replaced the song "Baby Don't Scold Me" with "For What It's Worth" and re-released the album. "For What It's Worth" went on to sell over one million copies.

In 1967, Buffalo Springfield traveled to New York to perform, but Palmer was arrested for possession of marijuana and was deported back to Canada. The group moved between recording sessions and live appearances on both coasts, using several different bassists. Work on the next album was tense. Young and Stills distrusted their producers and argued amongst themselves, with each insisting on producing the songs that they had written.

By the time Palmer returned, Young had left before the group performed at the famous 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. The group used guitarist Doug Hastings and guest David Crosby in their performance. Young eventually returned in October and the group convinced their management to release their producers. The band continued to play live shows while putting the finishing touches on their second album, Buffalo Springfield Again.
The group released "Bluebird", which reached #58, and "Rock 'N' Roll Woman", which peaked at #44. The studio version of "Bluebird" wound down after the instrumental break, but in live performances, the opening verses served as a springboard for an extended jam session, during which Stills, Young and Furay intertwined guitars for minutes on end. It wasn't a hit, but it's the one you want to hear.

Strong reviews poured in all over the country, not only for the live shows but for their second album. But in 1968, Palmer was once again deported for drugs. This time, the group fired him and replaced him with Jim Messina. Young became disinterested, and often didn't appear for concerts, with Stills left to handle all the lead guitar parts by himself. The group finished recording material for a third album when Young, Furay, Messina and Eric Clapton were all arrested for drugs.

This was the final straw for the group. They gave their final concert in Long Beach, California on May 5, 1968. After playing their best songs, including a 20-minute version of "Bluebird", Buffalo Springfield officially broke up. Despite their popularity, the Springfield was never highly successful, other than their big hit. The group's legend grew stronger after their breakup, fueled by the later successes of its members.

Stills and Nash went on to solo careers as well as forming the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Furay and Messina were founding members of Poco, Furay joined J.D. Souther and Hillman in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, while Messina also teamed with future superstar Kenny Loggins in the duo Loggins & Messina.

Unfortunately, the group was plagued by infighting, drugs, arrests, and line-up changes that forced their breakup after just two years. What might have been.

Springfield was a springboard for the careers of Stills, Young and Furay. They combined rock, folk and country into their own unique sound, and "For What It's Worth" helped change the world. Buffalo Springfield spawned the supergroup of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, as well as Poco and Loggins and Messina--an immense array of high-quality music for the world to enjoy for generations. The group was recognized for its influence with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Buffalo Springfield released three albums and nine singles
in their career.

With prophetic lyrics and the amazing imagination it took to write one of the biggest songs in history, it seemed the sky was the limit for this duo:

#2: In The Year 2525-- Zager & Evans

Rick Evans wrote this song in 1964 and the duo Zager & Evans released the song on the small regional label Truth Records in 1968. One year later, a radio station in Odessa, Texas popularized the song, and RCA Records pounced on it for nationwide distribution.

"In the Year 2525" reached #1 for six weeks in the United States and also was #1 in the U.K. It was nominated for a Hugo Award that same year. By 1970, the song had sold over four million copies and the total sales of the song, the album and compilations are now over 10 million.

This classic, one of The Top 200 Songs of the Rock Era*, has been covered at least 60 times in 7 different languages. One key version is by the U.K. group Visage; another by Greek singer Takis Antoniadis in the 1970's.

The duo released two more albums and three more singles. Mr. Turnkey" (a song about a rapist who nails his own wrist to the wall as punishment for his crime), failed to hit the popular charts on either side of the Atlantic. And Zager and Evans' meteoric rise to the top of the charts was over without an encore.

This group’s #1 smash was so popular everyone wanted to record it:

#1: Venus--Shocking Blue

Robbie van Leeuwen, guitarist for the Shocking Blue, wrote both the music and lyrics of this great song. Van Leeuwen also played sitar, sang background vocals, and co-produced the record along with Jerry Ross. Mariska Veres sings lead on the song released in 1970. "Venus" was remixed and released in 1990 and gave the group a Top 10 hit in the U.K. and Australia 20 years after the original.

"Venus" hit #1 in the U.S. and in five other countries in 1970. Bananarama remade the song in 1986 and took it to #1 as well. The classic, another of The Top 200 Songs of the Rock Era*, has been featured in numerous films, television shows and commercials and covered dozens of times by artists around the globe. It has been featured in Remember the Titans, The Brady Bunch Movie and Grumpier Old Men just to name a few.

"Venus" was certified Gold shortly after release and has now sold over 7.5 million copies. And yet the group could never follow it up. They released 11 albums in their career and ended up selling over 13 million records. The Shocking Blue released 25 singles ("Venus" was the fifth single). "Mighty Joe" at #43 in 1970, however, was the highest they could get besides "Venus".

We hope you enjoyed The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*. Please feel free to catch up on episodes you may have missed, and to revisit the special often. We'll provide you with a handy link to do just that, and you can always find links to this and all other Inside The Rock Era specials by clicking on the "Charts and Lists" link at the top of the website. Have a great day!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited--#20-11

2025-08-21T00:00:00.004-06:00

This artist never gave up on her dream and it paid off with one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*:

#20: Black Velvet--Alannah Myles

Miles was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of famous Canadian broadcaster William Douglas Byles. After Alannah decided to pursue a career in music, she changed her last name to Myles. She spent ten years filled with numerous rejections from record companies, making ends meet by modeling and acting in television commercials.

Finally, Atlantic Records signed Myles to a recording contract in 1987. Alannah went to work co-writing and recording her first album with collaborator Christopher Ward and producer David Tyson. Miles released her self-titled debut album and toured around the world for 18 months. "Love Is" was released as a single and reached #12 in Australia, #16 in Canada and #36 in the United States. But it was the second single that made Myles a household name.

"Black Velvet" became a smash hit, reaching #1 in the United States, #2 in the U.K. and Canada, and #3 in Australia and The Netherlands. Myles earned the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, for the song. The album sold over one million copies in her native Canada, and eventually reached six million worldwide.

"Lover of Mine" reached #2 in Canada but the best she could do outside the country with the song was #47 in Australia. "Rockinghorse" was nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, in 1992 but few people knew about the song, since it was the flip side of the single "Song Instead of a Kiss". That song became a #1 song in Alannah's native Canada but was little played elsewhere.

Myles released a total of five albums and 16 singles in her career.

A friendship with the leaders of K.C. and the Sunshine Band paid off when this artist recorded what would become the #1-selling record of the 70's:

#19: Rock Your Baby--George McCrae

McCrae formed his own group, the Jivin' Jets, before joining the United States Navy in 1963. After his release from the Navy, McCrae teamed with his wife Gwen as a duo. Gwen then won a solo contract and George acted as her manager and did some session work. George was set to return to college to study law enforcement when Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of K.C. & the Sunshine Band invited him to sing the lyrics for a song they had written. The original intention was for Gwen to record the song, but when she was late for the session, George recorded it alone.

"Rock Your Baby" became a #1 smash and the top-selling worldwide song of the 1970's. It reached #1 in the U.S., U.K. and 80 other countries. McCrae was nominated for a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocalist for his performance. The classic has now sold an estimated 11 million copies, one of fewer than 30 all-time singles to have topped the 10-million mark. Clearly, one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

George had some success on the segmented Black chart and in the U.K., but the highest he got with the mass audience after "Rock Your Baby" was when he hit #37 with "I Get Lifted" in 1975. But after 14 albums and 14 singles, George could never continue the success born by "Rock Your Baby".

The #18 artist wrote this smash as an ode to runaways:

#18: Hot Child In The City--Nick Gilder

Nick Gilder first came to prominence as the frontman for the band Sweeney Todd.

Gilder's group, Sweeney Todd, scored a #1 song in Canada in 1975 ("Roxy Roller") but the success was confined to that country. Gilder and guitarist and songwriting partner James McCulloch left the band and signed a recording contract with Chrysalis. Gilder's single from his second album City Nights ("Hot Child in the City") was an ode to runaways and specifically the pain that Gilder felt watching young girls flee their home environments for something worse, child prostitution. It topped charts in both the U.S. and Canada. At the time, "Hot Child in the City" set a record for taking the longest time to reach #1. The song earned Gilder Juno Awards for Single of the Year and Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year and a People's Choice Award as well. Sex and the City named an episode after the song.

Gilder traveled throughout Europe, North America and the Orient, opening for Journey, Foreigner, the Cars, the Babys and Peter Gabriel.

Although Gilder has been successful as a songwriter, penning songs for Scandal ("The Warrior"), Pat Benatar, Bette Midler and Joe Cocker, he never could come close to the success he enjoyed with "Hot Child in the City". He released nine albums and 22 singles--"Hot Child in the City" was the fifth. Although he has had some success in his native Canada, the best Gilder could do outside his own country was "Here Comes the Night" (#44 in 1978).

Members of this group were on the verge of superstardom. Twice:

#17: Lady Marmalade--Labelle

Labelle formed when two Philadelphia girl groups, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, formed as a new version of the former group, first changing their name to the Blue Belles and then the Bluebelles. Sixteen-year-old Patti LaBelle (real name Patricia Holt), Sundray Tucker, Nona Hendryx (16 years old) and Sara Dash (14) were the original members, although Cindy Birdsong (20) replaced Tucker before the group cut their first record.

The group soon became known as Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, and they were successful with doo-wop songs, and landed at #15 with "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" in 1962. However, that song was actually recorded by the Starlets, who happened to be on tour and unable to promote it. So the record company billed it as the Bluebelles. The Bluebelles did have two Top 40 hits of their own in the early 60's, which, coupled with their big hit later technically would make them ineligible as a One-Hit Wonder. This, like many other situations, was a judgement call and it was decided that the group that recorded "Lady Marmalade" and recorded as Labelle was vastly different than the one that recorded "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" 13 years earlier.

Thanks to two well-received shows at The Apollo, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records. The group released the album Over the Rainbow, with the title song becoming a big R&B hit. The group began touring outside of the United States, opening for the Rolling Stones in the U.K. and touring with Reginald Dwight's (Elton John's) band Bluesology. The Bluebelles began singing backup for artists such as Wilson Pickett ("634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)").

The group seemed destined for stardom after the release of the album Dreamer, which gave them moderate success. However, promotion of the LP ceased when Birdsong, who had spent months as a fill-in for Florence Ballard in the Supremes, left the Bluebelles to become a full-time member of the Supremes. Tucker filled in briefly for Birdsong on tour, but girl groups began to fall out of favor with the dawn of psychedelic rock.

The group struggled in their recordings and concert offers became limited. In 1970, the Bluebelles were dropped from Atlantic.

The group then changed managers, deciding on Vicki Wickham, a woman recommended by Bluebelles fan Dusty Springfield. Wickham suggested not only a move to London, but a complete change in look, musical direction and style, and a name change to Labelle in 1971. Funk Rock replaced doo-wop in their repertoire, and the group became known for outlandish space-age and glam-rock costumes and phenomenal live performances.

After a year in London, Labelle returned to the U.S. and signed with Track Records and a distribution contract with Warner Brothers. They went out on the road as the opening act for the Who, then released their debut album in 1971. They also sang for Laura Nyro on her acclaimed album Gonna' Take a Miracle, and toured together into 1974.

Labelle released the album Moon Shadow in 1972, with Hendryx emerging as the primary songwriter. The album featured Labelle doing gospel-influenced versions of songs such as the title by Cat Stevens and "Won't Get Fooled Again" by the Who. But sales weren't there and Warner Brothers dropped Labelle.

The group was able to get a one-album contract with RCA for the album Pressure Cookin'. But despite Hendryx's development as a songwriter and the presence of Stevie Wonder on "Open Your Heart", the album was a failure.

Allen Toussaint offered to produce Labelle's next album in New Orleans, Louisiana. The group became reacquainted with Elton John, who had originally backed the former Bluebelles, and the group was influenced by both Elton and David Bowie. They had even wilder outfits designed with each member adapting their own flamboyant style. Labelle began to attract a cult following thanks to their performances as the opening act for the Rolling Stones. This new attention led to a record contract with Epic.

After the release of the album Nightbirds in 1974, Labelle went out on tour and became the first black group and the first popular group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. This concert drew rave reviews and the single "Lady Marmalade" took off. The song hit #1 on both the popular and R&B charts in the United States and #17 in the U.K., sold over one million copies, and has since become a classic. The record's success led to the album Nightbirds becoming Platinum and Labelle became the first black group to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The group was now a headline act.

Labelle had caused a sensation and once again, the group seemed on the verge of greatness--what would they do for a follow-up? "What Can I Do For You?" was released as a single, and although it was a Top 10 R&B song, it only reached #48 overall. The group recorded the albums Phoenix and Chameleon, but nothing came close to "Lady Marmalade".

Group members were not satisfied with their music, and gradually the group imploded as they couldn't agree on a musical sound. Hendryx and LaBelle both went out on solo careers, with LaBelle sporting another #1 in the duet with Michael McDonald ("On My Own"). LaBelle earned two Grammy Awards as a solo performer and eventually was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Dash collaborated with artists such as Keith Richards and released several dance songs.

All three members contributed to the solo projects of each member in the years to follow. They reunited several times, including an album and a triumphant return to the Apollo Theater in 2008. The group's legacy has been long-lasting, influencing other girl groups such as Destiny's Child, En Vogue and the Pussycat Dolls.

As Labelle, the group released eight albums and nine singles in their career.

Live performances were this group's forte':

#16: (Don't Fear The Reaper)--Blue Oyster Cult

This group began in Long Island, New York under the name Soft White Underbelly. The group's lineup has changed often, but originally, it included lead guitarist and vocalist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, lead singer and guitarist Les Braunstein, drummer Jules Radino, Richie Castellano on keyboards and guitar and bassist Kasim Sulton.

Sandy Pearlman, producer and songwriting contributor for the group, was instrumental in many ways for getting the group off the ground. He helped them get gigs in their early days, provided his poetry for use in their songs, and helped them get recording contracts with Elektra and Columbia. Writer Richard Meltzer also has provided lyrics for the group throughout their history.

Although the group didn't write much of their own lyrics, they were talented musicians. They recorded an album for Elektra, but the company cut the project when Braunstein left in 1969. Acoustic engineer Eric Bloom replaced him, but a bad review of the group's performance at Fillmore East led Pearlman to change the name of the group--first to Oaxaca, then to the Stalk-Forrest Group.

The band recorded another album, but Elektra released just a single ("What Is Quicksand?"). The album was eventually released as St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings in 2001. The band changed names a few more times before deciding in Blue Oyster Cult in 1971. They recorded a demo, and Columbia Records executive Clive Davis signed them to a contract. After recording material for their first album, Winters left and was replaced by Joe Bouchard.

Blue Oyster Cult released their self-titled album in 1972 and toured with artists such as the Byrds and Alice Cooper. The group then released Tyranny and Mutation in 1973, which included "Baby Ice Dog", the first of many collaborations with Patti Smith. Blue Oyster Cult then released Secret Treaties in 1974 which featured "Astronomy". They began to get positive reviews, but few people had heard of them.

The live album On Your Feet or on Your Knees attracted attention, and the album went gold. Then came the album Agents of Fortune in 1976. Finally, the group had a song good enough to be released as a single, and it gave Blue Oyster Cult the public awareness they needed to be successful.

"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" reached #7 in Canada, #12 in the United States and #16 in the U.K. but in reality, is one of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*. The group began to be known for their great laser shows in concert.

Spectres was the follow-up album, and although "Godzilla" received some airplay, the LP lacked a hit and thus sales were not as strong. The live album Some Enchanted Evening showcased the group's strength, which was not songwriting but rather live performances. The LP became the biggest of their career, selling over two million copies.

Pearlman left to manage Black Sabbath, with Tom Werman taking over. Blue Oyster Cult released two more albums before recording Fire of Unknown Origin in 1981. "Burnin' for You" became yet another Top Underrated Song, reaching #40 and helping the album go Platinum. After their one big hit, "Burnin' for You" would be the next-best song the group would do.

Blue Oyster Cult went through numerous lineup changes, and went one period of 11 years without recording an album, but doing what they did best, performing live. The group released a total of 14 albums and 9 singles in their career.

This French conductor came up with the #1 Instrumental of the Rock Era*:

#15: Love Is Blue--Paul Mauriat

Born in Marseille, France, Mauriat began playing music at the age of four and enrolled in the Conservatoire in Paris at the age of 10. By the time he was 17, Paul longed for a career in jazz and popular music. During World War II, Mauriat began his own dance band and toured concert halls throughout Europe. In the 1950's, he was the music director for French stars such as Maurice Chevalier and Charles Aznavour.

Mauriat released his first EP in 1957. Between 1959 and 1964, Paul released several albums on Bel-Air Records under the name Paul Mauriat et Son Orchestre, as well as using pseudonyms of Richard Audrey, Nico Papadopoulos, Eduardo Ruo and Willy Twist. He also recorded and did the vocal arrangements with Les Satellites. Mauriat wrote the music for several French movie soundtracks including Un Taxi Pour Tobrouk, Horace 62 and Faits Sauter La Banque.

Mauriat and Andre Pascal won the prize at the Coq d'or de la Chanson Francaise with "Rendez-vous au Lavendou". Mauriat scored an international hit when he co-wrote "Chariot". The song was recorded in the United States as "I Will Follow Him" by Little Peggy March and became a #1 song. Between 1967 and 1972, Mauriat wrote numerous songs for Mireille Mathieu, such as the million-selling "Mon Crédo", "Viens dans ma rue" and "Géant" to name a few, and 130 song arrangements for Charles Aznavour.

In 1965, Mauriat started his own orchestra, and released hundreds of recordings on Philips Records over the next 28 years. But it was his 1968 cover of "L'Amour Est Bleu" ("Love Is Blue") that made the world take notice. It was #1 for five weeks in the United States, #1 for 11 weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart and reached #12 in the U.K., sold over one million copies and became The #1 Instrumental of the Rock Era*.

After the huge success of "Love Is Blue", Mauriat and his Grand Orchestra toured the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and other Latin American countries. For many years, Mauriat's songs were the background tracks for television programs and short movies in the Soviet Union.

Mauriat retired from performing in 1998. He was awarded the Grand Prix (Grand Prize) from the French recording industry and won the prestigious Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres in 1997 from the French Ministry of Culture. Mauriat released 10 singles and 108 albums in his career.

The #14 Artist* owned the longest-running #1 song of the Rock Era for several years:

#14: You Light Up My Life--Debby Boone

Boone was the third of four daughters born to singer-actor Pat Boone. When Debby was 14, she began touring with her parents and her three sisters. The sisters first recorded with their parents as the Pat Boone Family and later as the Boones or the Boone Girls.

"You Light Up My Life" was written by Joe Brooks and originally recorded by Kasey Cisyk for the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Later, Boone recorded the single and it became a monumental success, becoming the most popular song in the United States for ten consecutive weeks. It was a Rock Era record at the time, although a few songs have since remained at #1 for longer periods. The single was certified platinum and also hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and even #4 on the Country chart. Brooks won Song of the Year honors at both the Grammys and Oscars. Boone captured Best New Artist at the Grammys and was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. She also won an American Music Award for Favorite Pop Single.

After "You Light Up My Life", Boone turned to country music and Christian music and won two Grammys for this segmented work. She released 12 albums and 20 singles but after her classic #1 song, the best Debby could do with mass audiences was #50 with "California".

The highly-talented artist at #13 was the lead singer of a great Canadian group before embarking on a solo career:

#13: Life Is A Highway--Tom Cochrane

Cochrane purchased his first guitar at age 11 in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada and attended Martingrove Collegiate Institute in the late 1960's. After graduating, Cochrane performed in coffee houses throughout Canada. He then moved to Los Angeles but after one job writing theme music for a movie, he moved to Toronto, Ontario, where he drove a taxi and then worked on a Caribbean cruise liner.

Cochrane met with members of the group Red Rider at the El Mocambo Tavern in Toronto and joined as lead singer and their main songwriter for more than ten years. Cochrane recorded six studio albums with the group, best known for their great song "White Hot" and "Lunatic Fringe".

In 1991, Cochrane began a solo career with the release of "Life is a Highway". The huge worldwide popularity of the song (#1 in Canada and #6 in the United States) led to the album Mad Mad World, which has topped six million in worldwide sales. Cochrane released seven albums and 23 singles in his career. He enjoyed seven Top 10 hits in his native Canada, but the best he did elsewhere was #88 with "Washed Away" in the United States.

Cochrane has won seven Juno Awards in Canada, is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, an Officer of the Order of Canada, has an Honorary Doctorate from Brandon University, is an Honorary Colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was inducted onto the Canadian Walk of Fame.

Cochrane reunited with Red Rider and still performs with them today. Tom is one of Canada's best-loved artists of all-time for his work and his energetic live shows.

This artist that scored a monumental worldwide smash:

#12: Missing--Everything but the Girl

Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt met while both attended the University of Hull in Great Britain, and both had contracts with Cherry Red Records as solo artists. Thorn had released the 1982 album A Distant Shore while Watt's album was called North Marine Drive.

They formed a duo and adopted their name from the slogan of Turner's Furniture in Hull. The store had originally built a window sign that read "for your bedroom needs, we sell everything but the girl."

Thorn and Watt wrote the song "Missing" and Watt co-produced it. It reached #1 in Germany, Canada and Italy and #2 in the United States, Australia, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Denmark. Prior to this One Hit Wonder, Everything But the Girl had released eight albums. They did have a #3 U.K. song in 1988 ("I Don't Want to Talk About It") but were virtually unknown in the United States. At the time, the duo scored a Rock Era record when "Missing" remained on the popular chart for 55 weeks. The song now stands 11th in longevity, but it still holds the record for spending an uninterrupted year on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

After the immense global success of "Missing", Everything But the Girl became more of an electronic group with their next albums. They released a total of eleven studio albums and 31 singles. The duo had four #1 songs on the much less relevant Dance Chart, but never could reach the #40 overall either before or after "Missing".

Several of this artist's uncles were professional jazz musicians and her grandmother Cynthia was a singer who dated famous saxophonist Ronnie Scott:

#11: Rehab--Amy Winehouse

Singer-Songwriter Amy Winehouse attended the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School in 1992 at the suggestion of her grandmother Cynthia referenced above. While there, she improved her vocal skills and learned to tap dance. Amy bought a guitar at age 14 and began writing music. She was a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and signed a management deal with Simon Fuller in 2002.

Soon, she was recording several songs before she inked a publishing deal with EMI. Her debut album, Frank, was released in 2003. wrote and recorded this song for her second album Back to Black in 2006. It's an autobiographical account of Winehouse's refusal to enter a rehabilitation facility for alcohol. "Rehab" reached #7 in the U.K. and #9 in the United States, becoming her only Top 10 hit in the U.S.

Winehouse won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best New Artist.

She may have taunted death with "Rehab", but alcohol beat her in the end, as Winehouse died in London of alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 27.

The Rock Era is filled with many great and joyous moments, but it is also characterized by many tragedies as well. We hope you've enjoyed these 10 artists and tomorrow, we reveal the all-time Top 10 One-Hit Wonders, exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #30-21

2025-08-20T00:00:00.003-06:00

Up next, this comedian who recorded one of the surprise hits of the Rock Era:

#30: The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia--Vicki Lawrence

Victoria Ann Axelrad was born in Inglewood, California. Lawrence graduated as the valedictorian of her class of 1967 at Morningside High School, and soon changed her stage name to Vicki Lawrence. Vicki co-starred on the popular television show The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1978, and was the only member of the cast other than Burnett herself that remained on the show for the entire eleven seasons. Vicki's portrayal of the "Mama" character was so popular that NBC created the sitcom Mama's Family, which aired from 1983-1990.

In 1972, songwriter Bobby Russell wrote "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia", but he didn't want to record it because he didn't like it. Lawrence, his wife at the time, believed in it and recorded a demo herself. The song's publisher wanted to pitch it to Liza Minnelli, but first offered it to Cher, who turned it down. Being as there was no artist to record the song, Lawrence went into the studio to record the song for release.

"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" became a #1 smash and was a multi-format hit in the United States, also charting on the Easy Listening chart as well as the Country chart. It also reached #1 in Canada.

Once Lawrence showed doubters what a great song it was, her hit has since been recorded by numerous artists, including Reba McEntire and Tanya Tucker.

Lawrence went on to release three albums and 13 singles, but her follow-up, "He Did With Me" in 1973, was the best Lawrence could do at #73 besides her classic hit.

Lawrence made appearances on other television shows such as Laverne & Shirley and Major Dad. She also was a panelist on several television game shows in the 1970's and 1980's.

A unique song gave this group their only hit:
#29: Reflections Of My Life--Marmalade

Marmalade came from the east end of Glasgow, Scotland and formed in 1961 as the Gaylords, then Dean Ford and the Gaylords and finally in 1966, the Marmalade. They played several dates in Germany before moving to London, where they built up a following by playing clubs.

After signing with CBS Records, their first singles did not chart in most countries although "I See the Rain" was #1 in the Netherlands. In 1967, the Marmalade made their debut at the famous Marquee Club in London, opening for Pink Floyd, and they also toured with the Who, Traffic, Joe Cocker, Gene Pitney and the Tremeloes. The group switched to Decca Records and in 1969, lead guitarist Junior Campbell and lead singer Dean Ford wrote "Reflections of My Life". The group finally had a big hit, reaching #3 in the U.K. and #10 in the U.s. "Reflections of My Life" went gold in November of 1971 and the single has now gone over two million in sales. In 1998, BMI certified that the song had gone over one million in airplay.

In 2008, the song was used as the closing to an American episode of the British television show Life on Mars.

The group released nine studio albums and 29 singles, but the best they could do otherwise was "Falling Apart at the Seams", which peaked at #49 in 1976. The Marmalade did have some success in Great Britain but could never achieve worldwide success after "Reflections of My Life".

The #28 artist went back in their compositions and reworked and recorded a song they'd written four years before the group started. It became their one and only hit:

#28: 96 Tears--? & the Mysterians

Question Mark and the Mysterians, most often rendered as ? and the Mysterians, formed in 1962 in Bay City, Michigan. The group played instrumental music inspired by surf music groups and artists such as Link Wray.

Rudy Martinez of the group wrote "96 Tears", which began as a poem called Too Many Teardrops, written four years before the band was formed. The song was released as a single on Pa-Go-Go Records, which was owned by group manager Lillian Gonzales. Martinez visited many local radio stations to promote the single, and it quickly became a regional hit in Detroit and Flint, Michigan. Cameo-Parkway Records picked up the song and released it nationally.

"96 Tears" sold over a million copies and reached #1. BMI has certified that the song has been played over three million times in the United States. It has become a staple of classic rock and has been covered many times by other artists.

? and the Mysterians released two albums and 14 singles. Two songs in particular received significant airplay, though neither made the Top 20. "I Need Somebody" was a #22 song and "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby" peaked at #56.

#27: Bang A Gong (Get It On)-- T. Rex

Singer-songwriter, guitarist and crazy man Marc Bolan formed T. Rex in 1967, or Tyrannosaurus Rex as they were originally known. The group released four folk albums under the latter name, before going electric and shortening their name. A key collaborator was producer Tony Visconti. The group was a modest success in their native England, with Bolan now writing dramatic songs with lush melodies and surreal lyrics.

By 1971, the group had gone electric, hence the album title Electric Warrior. "Get It On" was a song written by Bolan, but the song was retitled to "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" to avoid confusion with a song of the same name by a group called Chase. Elite keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who was desperate for work at the time, played a piano glissando on the record. Blue Weaver, who would later play keyboards for the Bee Gees, played the grand piano while Ian McDonald of King Crimson played saxophone.

The song hit #1 in the U.K. and Ireland, #3 in Switzerland, #6 in Norway and #10 in the United States. The Power Station covered the song in 1985 and became a Top 10 hit.

T. Rex released 12 albums and 28 singles. An additional five singles were released since the breakup. The group scored 11 Top 10 hits in their native Great Britain, including four #1's, but "Telegram Sam", which reached #67 in 1972, was the best the group could come up with besides "Bang a Gong".

You may have noticed several psychedelic rock artists in the special, and here's yet another at #26:

#26: Incense And Peppermints--Strawberry Alarm Clock

This group was originally called Thee Sixpence, but renamed itself in homage to the Beatles' hit "Strawberry Fields Forever". The group consisted of lead guitarist Ed King, lead singer Michael Luciano, Lee Freeman on rhythm guitar and harmonica, drummer Gene Gunnels, bassist Gary Lovetro and guitarist Steve Rabe. Randy Seol (drums and percussion) and keyboardist Mark Weitz replaced Gunnels, Rabe and Lovetro. The group signed with Uni Records.

Strawberry Alarm Clock released "Incense and Peppermints" as their first single in 1967. Songwriter John Carter did not impress the group with his singing, so Greg Munford, a 16-year-old friend of the band, stepped in to sing lead. "Incense and Peppermints" reached #1 and sold over one million copies.

Seol brought in songwriters George Bunnell (who also played bass and rhythm guitar) and Steve Bartek and the group recorded their first album Incense and Peppermints. The group toured with the Beach Boys and Buffalo Springfield in 1968. Strawberry Alarm Clock released the album Wake Up...It's Tomorrow and the single, "Tomorrow", was only a minor hit (#23). Two other singles--"Sit with the Guru" (#65) and "Barefoot in Baltimore" (#67) failed to make progress for the band.

Bunnell and Seol left the band in late 1968 as the band was finishing their third album, The World in a Seashell. Holmes was fired by the remaining members and he retaliated by putting together a fake Strawberry Alarm Clock with Bunnell & Seoul and beginning a tour. The group filed a lawsuit but the damage was done as promoters were afraid to hire either group.

Strawberry Alarm Clock toured in 1970 and 1971 with Lynyrd Skynyrd opening for them, but broke up shortly thereafter.

Bartek later joined Oingo Boingo while King was invited to join Lynyrd Skynyrd. Strawberry Alarm Clock has reunited several times and is still performing today.

Pretty special list of performers above. Only 25 artists remain who we feel had the best combination of talent, success of their hit, the highest quality of other songs, and the most potential of all the One-Hit Wonders in the history of the Rock Era. We'll salute those 25 tomorrow!

In constructing The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*, we looked at initial and current popularity of the song and the artist, complexity of the song, number and quality of future releases. Other factors taken into consideration include how much input the artist had into the One Hit Wonder: songwriting, instrumentation, production, etc. In other words, the more talented the artist, the more complex the song, the more popular the song, then and more importantly now, and the better their subsequent releases were, the higher the ranking.

To be eligible, an artist must have either had only one Top 100 hit or they scored a big hit and either never hit the Top 20 before or after that or never had more than one other Top 40 hit. Some organizations who construct similar One Hit Wonder lists eliminate an artist if they had two Top 40 or Top 100 hits. However, these songs are only minor "hits" that the majority of the people do not ever hear. By setting the bar at Top 20 hits, this list includes artists who essentially never tasted widespread success after their "One Hit Wonder".

This does exempt groups like EMF ("Unbelievable"), which is not eligible to be called a "One-Hit Wonder" because "Lies" was a hit in 1991, reaching #18. Similarly, A-Ha, which has enjoyed great worldwide success, landed the Top 20 hit "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." in addition to their smash "Take on Me". Michael Murphey ("Wildfire" in 1975) was headed for status as having one of The Top One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era* until he landed at #19 with "What's Forever For" in 1982.

Then you have an artist such as Berlin, which had the minor hit "No More Words" before their #1 "Take My Breath Away", and then nothing after that. They are a judgement call. In Berlin's case, "No More Words" was a big enough hit, in fact one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*, that they are classified as having two hits. Stephen Bishop never hit the Top 20 after his Top 15 song "On and On". But he had three other Top 40 hits, enough success to be excluded from One Hit Wonder status.

Some artists, while perhaps having only one "hit" as defined by the industry, are nonetheless recognized as major stars and contributors to the Rock Era or to music in general, and can hardly be defined as One Hit Wonders. One example would be Getz & Gilberto, who combined for one of the landmark albums of all-time, Getz/Gilberto. Stan Getz did hundreds of albums in his career and won multiple Grammys. Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez and Janis Joplin are others. The inability of an organization to gauge popularity of an artist or their music doesn't make them "One Hit Wonders".

Artists who were part of a successful group and only had one Top 20 solo hit are also a judgement call. Essentially, if the artist in question did an album occasionally away from the group, then continued on with the group does not fit the category. An example here is Ace Frehley of Kiss, who had the Top 20 hit "New York Groove". Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane and Starship only had one Top 10 hit, "Hearts". But obviously, his contributions to one of the best groups of the Rock Era are so great that he doesn't fit the category. Len Barry's only solo Top 20 hit was "1-2-3", but he scored a big hit as lead singer of the Dovells with "You Can't Sit Down".

An artist who only had one big hit in collaboration with another separate artist isn't eligible as a One Hit Wonder. Brooklyn Dreams comes to mind. They scored a Top 5 song with Donna Summer with "Heaven Knows" in 1979 and were never heard from again. The group reached the Top 5 largely because of Summer, and without her, they couldn't maintain that success. There are numerous other examples of artists whose only big hit was largely the result of collaboration with and major contributions made by an established star.

There are several cases where an artist would classify as a One Hit Wonder in the United States or Great Britain, Canada, or another country. But if they exhibited significant worldwide success, to include them as a One Hit Wonder would not only be incorrect; it would be offensive. Shirley Bassey only had one big hit in the U.S.--"Goldfinger", but certainly great success in England and with her exposure in other James Bond movies.

Similarly, Stanley Clarke & George Duke, teamed for three albums with one big hit--"Sweet Baby". But each is a significant success on their own in the field of jazz and cannot be called a One Hit Wonder.

If an artist that had only one big hit isn't here, it doesn't mean they're not a One Hit Wonder--just that their song wasn't good enough to rank among The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders*.

We've done our best to present clear, quality videos without any commercials. If one appears, please click on "Skip Ad" after 5 seconds... We've gone over the ground rules again. We've saluted artists from #500 to #26. Now let's get on with The Top 25*!

This group helped integrate American blues and gospel with modern psychedelic rock:

#25: Time (Has Come Today)--Chambers Brothers

This group got their start as members of the choir in their Baptist church. Brother George served in the United States Army before moving to Los Angeles, and soon the other siblings settled there as well. The brothers (George on washtub bass, Joe and Willie on guitar and Lester on harmonica) began performing folk and gospel songs throughout Southern California as early as 1954, but they didn't become well known until appearing in New York City in 1965.

Initially, the Chambers Brothers played at places like The Ash Grove in Los Angeles. It was there that they met people like Hoyt Axton and Barbara Dane. Dane took them on tour with her and introduced them to Pete Seeger, who helped get the Chambers Brothers into the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Festival goers went nuts upon hearing this unique sound. They loved it, and the Chambers Brothers were on their way. That was the year drummer Brian Keenan joined, and George swapped his washtub bass for a bass guitar, as the group went electric.

Shortly afterwards, the group recorded their debut album People Get Ready. But it was a song on their third album that drew widespread attention. "Time Has Come Today" reached #11; in fact it was one of The Top Songs Not To Reach the Top 10*, as it spent five consecutive weeks at #11.

Later incarnations of the group included session guitarist Steve Hunter, who had played for Alice Cooper. But dishonest promoters and managers ruined the group's reputation, and they split in 1972. The Brothers did get back together two years later to release two more studio albums and they have toured irregularly since.

They may have only one hit to their credit, but it was a huge one, and one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*:

#24: Get Together--Youngbloods

Jesse Colin Young (vocals and bass), guitarist Jerry Corbitt, Lowell Levinger on guitar and electric piano and Joe Bauer on drums made up the Youngbloods. Colin Young was a folk singer who had already recorded two albums when he met Corbitt. The two initially performed as a duo in Canada under the name the Youngbloods. Corbitt introduced Young to Levinger, and Lowell and drummer Bauer soon joined to make the group a quartet.

The group began playing clubs such as Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village and before long, the Youngbloods were the house band at the Cafe Au Go Go and had signed a recording contract with RCA Records. RCA, however, promoted the group as a bubblegum act, and this would severely limit their success.

The Youngbloods released the single "Grizzly Bear" in 1967, and it hit #52. The group released their self-titled album, later retitled Get Together, to critical praise. The single "Get Together" was released, but it only reached #62. The Youngbloods followed that later in the year with the album Earth Music and, after Corbitt left for a solo career, Elephant Mountain in 1969.

Then, Dan Ingram recorded a brotherhood promotion for WABC-AM using "Get Together". The National Council of Christians and Jews subsequently picked up the song as their theme on television and radio commercials. "Get Together" was re-released, and this time, it reached #5 in one of the most competitive times in the Rock Era. The single also sold over one million copies, by far the biggest success of the group's career.

Levinger took over at lead guitar and the group became known for lengthy improvisations in concert. In 1971, bassist Michael Kane came aboard and the Youngbloods released two more albums before splitting. The group produced an output of eight studio albums and nine singles.

At #23, the Spanish group who own one of the top foreign-language songs to ever chart in the United States. But it isn't the top one (stay tuned for that):

#23: Eres Tu--Mocedades

Mocedades is a Spanish singing group consisting of three sisters, Amaya, Izaskun and Estibaliz Uranga, from the Basque Country. Other brothers and sisters joined and before long, they were an eight-person group. They originally called themselves Voces y guitarras (Voices and Guitars) with folk and spiritual music and the Beatles as influences. The group sent a demo tape to producer Juan Carlos Calderon in Madrid, who was immediately interested and renamed them Mocedades. They represented Spain in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Eres Tu", written by Calderon.

"Eres Tu" took second place in the contest and was released as a single. In 1974, "Eres Tu" became one of five Spanish language songs to reach the Top 10 in the U.S., peaking at #9. It is the only Top 10 song sung entirely in Spanish in the Rock Era. An English version called "Touch The Wind", which featured a completely different set of lyrics, was released on the "B" side but programmers preferred the Spanish version.

The great song has been covered by over 100 artists; Eydie Gorme had a minor Adult Contemporary hit with it. Here are but a few of those who have recorded "Eres Tu": Mr. Acker Bilk, Bert Kaempfert, Bing Crosby, Charo, Floyd Cramer, Johnny Mathis, the Lettermen, the Mantovani Orchestra, Pandora, Percy Faith, Perry Como, Petula Clark, Ray Conniff and Sonny James.

The song has been sung in numerous languages, including Spanish, English, German, French, Italian, Basque, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Czech, Finnish, Vietnamese, Afrikaans, Brazilian Portuguese, German and Korean.

A guitar instrumental version of "Eres Tu" was used in an advertising campaign in the 1990's by the Bank of New Zealand. Chris Farley and David Spade sing the song in the movie Tommy Boy.

Mocedades released 22 albums and one other single, "Dime Senor", which failed to reach the Top 40.

At #22, a group that had to keep the accidental misspelling of their name because this song was so popular:

#22: Nobody But Me--Human Beinz

This group originally was known as the Premiers in 1964, forming in Youngstown, Ohio with John "Dick" Belley and Joe "Ting" Markulin on vocals and guitar, bassist Mel Pachuta and drummer Gary Coates. Mike Tatman later replaced Coates. In 1966, the group changed their name to the Human Beingz and recorded covers of songs by Bob Dylan, the Who, the Yardbirds and Them.

The group signed with Capitol Records in 1967, but the label misspelled their name, leaving out the "g". The understanding was that the name would be changed if the debut single was not successful. But it was. "Nobody but Me" reached #8 in the United States and the Human Beinz released an album of the same name.

The band only reached #1 in Japan with "Turn On Your Love Light", but the song only reached #80 in the United States. The Beinz released the album Evolutions in 1968, which contained another #1 Japanese song, "Hold on Baby". But once again, success did not spread worldwide and the group broke up in 1969.

We're up to the singer-songwriter from Texas whose song has only become more popular since its release:

#21: My Maria--B.W. Stevenson

Stevenson was born in Dallas, Texas and attended W.H. Adamson High School along with other future musicians such as Michael Martin Murphey. B.W. co-wrote this song with Daniel Moore.

"My Maria" became a big hit in 1973, reaching #9. The song was later recorded by the country duo of Brooks & Dunn and it became a hit in that much smaller genre. Stevenson had several other chart singles, including the original version of "Shambala", which Three Dog Night would turn into a classic. Stevenson released 13 albums and 11 singles in his career. However, Stevenson never again regained the success he had with the release of "My Maria".

Get ready for The Top 20*--join us tomorrow exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era: #40-31

2025-08-19T00:00:00.005-06:00

We're getting into some incredible songs. Enjoy this set!

Spain can be proud of this band at #40:

#40: Black Is Black--Los Bravos

This group was a combination of the groups Los Sonor and the Runaways. They formed in 1965 in Madrid, Spain with lead singer Michael Volker Kogel, guitarist Antonio Martinez, organist Manuel Fernandez, bassist Miguel Vicens Danus and drummer Pablo Gomez.

"Black Is Black" reached #2 in the United Kingdom and #4 in the United States and sold over one million copies. Los Bravos' follow-up, "I Don't Care" was a #16 song in the U.K. but unlike their big hit, success didn't spread worldwide. "Bring A Little Lovin'" was their next-biggest hit in the United States at #51.

Los Bravos released two albums and four singles in their career.

This group released a socially-conscious song that turned out to be their only big hit:

#39: Brother Louie--Stories

Lloyd Buonconsiglio had recorded songs released in the Seattle, Washington area and Michael Lookofsky was the leader of the Left Banke, which had hits with "Walk Away Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina". The two met and formed the Stories with Love and Madey and signed a recording contract with Kama Sutra Records. The group reached #42 with the title song from their debut album--"I'm Coming Home". Lookofsky left the band shortly afterwards.

In 1973, the Stories recorded the album About Us, which initially did not include "Brother Louie". Errol Brown and Tony Wilson of Hot Chocolate wrote the song, which was a hit for that group in the U.K. Six months after, the Stories recorded the song and reached #1 and sold over one million records.

Buonconsiglio, however, didn't believe the hit represented their work very well, and eventually left the group after their album Traveling Underground, also in 1973. Bassist Kenny Aaronson and keyboardist Ken Bichel joined the Stories and hit #50 with "Mammy Blue".

The Stories were never able to enjoy widespread success besides "Brother Louie", and broke up in 1974. Lloyd did session work with Foreigner and Peter Frampton, among others. Aaronson did session work for Bob Dylan, Hall & Oates, Foghat, Billy Squier and Rick Derringer.

At #38, the band who gave us one of the great songs from 1970:

#38: Ride Captain Ride--Blues Image

Singer-Guitarist Mike Pinera, drummer Manuel Bertematti, percussionist Joe lala, keyboardist Emilio Garcia and bassist Malcolm Jones formed this group in Tampa, Florida in 1966. Frank "Skip" Konte replaced Garcia when Emilio left the group to become a pilot. Blues Image relocated to Miami, Florida in 1968 and became the house band at the club Thee Image, one of the most innovative music venues in South Florida.

The group then moved to Los Angeles and signed a recording contract with Atco Records, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1969. Their second album Open in 1970 featured "Ride Captain Ride". Pinera and Konte co-wrote the song which rose to #4 in the United States and sold over one million copies.

In an interview with the magazine Melody Maker, elite guitarist Jimi Hendrix said that Blues Image was "one of the best up and coming bands around". Yet despite three albums and four singles, "Gas Lamps and Clay" (#81) was the best the group could do after "Ride Captain Ride".

It has been true for generations throughout history, and this band figured it out at an early age:

#37: I Fought The Law--Bobby Fuller Four

After recording a solo single, Fuller formed a band with his brother Randy on bass and drummer Gaylor Grimes. The group recorded songs at Fuller's home recording studio and went by several names, including Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics. Guitarist Jim Reese and drummer Dalton Powell came in when Grimes left.

In 1963, the group attempted to land a major recording contract but labels did not feel the band had hit material. So Fuller and his group continued to release regional hits in El Paso, Texas. They attracted a following with a remake of the Crickets song "I Fought the Law". But the group increasingly believed they needed a record contract. They eventually moved to California and signed with Del-Fi Records. Drummer DeWayne Quirico replaced Powell in the group at about this time.

The group's increasing local popularity led Del-Fi to create a label just for the band called Mustang Records. The group released the single "Thunder Reef" in 1965 as the Shindigs and their next single, "Take My Word", as the Bobby Fuller Four. Several other unsuccessful singles followed before the group re-recorded "I Fought the Law".

The song gained popularity nationally and rose to #9 in 1966. However, internal friction developed and Quirico left the band. Powell was brought back into the fold. But in July, Reese was drafted into the U.S. military and Powell announced he would leave the band. Fuller was not present at the band meeting when this all came down. Later that day, Fuller was discovered dead in the front seat of his car. Foul play was suspected, but the case remains unsolved.

After Fuller's death, the band abruptly disbanded.

Through a long series of bad choices, this artist ended her potential, her singing career and her life:

#36: Me And Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin

Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and as a teenager, befriended a group of outcasts, one of whom had albums by Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Lead Belly, whom Joplin later credited with influencing her decision to become a singer. Joplin joined the local choir and began listening to artists such as Billie Holliday and Big Mama Thornton.

Joplin focused on painting at Thomas Jefferson High School, then began singing blues and folk music with friends. Janis attended Lamar State College of Technology and the University of Texas before leaving for San Francisco, California. In 1964, Joplin and future Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen recorded several blues standards that were later released as the bootleg album The Typewriter Tape.

About this time, Joplin became heavily involved in drugs, succumbing to the temptation of speed and heroin, and she was a heavy drinker. In 1965, Janis's friends, aware of the physical effects of her amphetamine habit, paid for a bus fare so she could return home to Port Arthur. This great involvement by her friends helped Janis tremendously, as she avoided drugs and alcohol, wore modest dresses, and enrolled in Lamar University. But unfortunately, the change was temporary.

Joplin performed solo in Austin, accompanying herself on guitar. She recorded seven studio tracks in 1965 that were later issued as a new album in 1995 called This is Janis Joplin 1965.

Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, circa 1966–1967.

Joplin's bluesy vocal style attracted the attention of the group Big Brother and the Holding Company, which had become popular in the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco. Chet Helms, a promoter who had known Joplin in Texas and at the time was the manager of Big Brother, recruited her to be the group's lead singer. Joplin returned to San Francisco and joined Big Brother in June of 1966. Janis debuted with the group at the Avalon Ballroom. A photograph there, later published in a book by David Dalton, shows Joplin before her relapse into drugs.

The group moved to a house in Lagunitas, California, often partying with the Grateful Dead, who lived less than two miles away. The group signed a recording contract with Mainstream Records before Joplin relapsed into drinking and intravenous drug use. Big Brother began playing at the Fillmore West and Winterland in San Francisco, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and at several other venues along the West Coast.

In 1967, the group released their self-titled debut album shortly after their breakthrough performance at the famous 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. The attention given to Janis caused resentment within the band. But Joplin continued for a while, playing a key role in arranging and producing the album Cheap Thrills. "Piece of My Heart" on the album became Big Brother's one and only big hit.

Then in 1968, Joplin announced she was leaving the band for a solo career. She formed a new backup group, the Kozmic Blues Band, composed of session musicians as well as Big Brother guitarist Sam Andrew. By early 1969, Joplin was shooting at least $200 worth of heroin per day. While recording the album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, producer Gabriel Mekler kept Joplin in his house during the recording sessions so he could keep her away from drugs and her drug-using friends.

Joplin performed in Frankfurt, Germany, Stockholm, Sweden and at Royal Albert Hall in London, among others. She appeared on The Tom Jones Show and The Dick Cavett Show on television. Kozmic Blues went gold, but Ralph J. Gleason of the San Francisco Chronicle said that Joplin should "scrap her new band and go right back to being a member of Big Brother...(if they'll have her)."

The single "Kozmic Blues" reached #41 in the United States, and Joplin was invited to sing at the legendary Woodstock Festival in New York. Joplin was unaware of the festival's existence, and told her band they would be performing at the concert as if it were just another gig. Upon arriving by helicopter, Joplin was approached by numerous reporters, and she became nervous and excited.

Joplin was excited to perform and arrived backstage, but several other bands were scheduled before her. Over the next ten hours, Joplin shot heroin and drank alcohol. Finally, she took the stage in the late hours of Saturday, August 16, 1969, after superstars Creedence Clearwater Revival. Joplin's voice was hoarse and wheezy and she found it hard to dance. Joplin was unhappy with her performance (duh!) and her singing was not included by her own insistence in the documentary film or the soundtrack of Woodstock.

Joplin also had problems at Madison Square Garden. In a duet Joplin sang with Tina Turner during a Rolling Stones concert in 1969, Joplin was described as being "so drunk, so stoned, so out of control, that she could have been an institutionalized psychotic" by biographer Myra Friedman.

Andrew, the lead guitarist who had left Big Brother with Joplin to form her back-up band, quit in the summer of 1969 and returned to Big Brother and the Holding Company without her. Joplin traveled to Brazil in 1970, where she tried to kick her heroin habit, but she fell back into the dangerous road when she returned to the United States.

Around this time, Joplin formed the Full Tilt Boogie Band, which began touring in May of 1970. The group joined the all-star Festival Express train tour through Canada, performing alongside The Band, the Grateful Dead, and Ten Years After. Joplin jammed with other performers and these performances are considered to be among her greatest.

Among her last public appearances were two broadcasts of The Dick Cavett Show. Joplin's last concert was at the Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. In the fall of 1970, Joplin recorded tracks for a new album in Los Angeles with producer Paul Rothchild, who had produced albums for the Doors. At this time, Joplin still hadn't produced a major hit.

Joplin stayed at the Landmark Hotel while recording the album. Peggy Caserta, herself a heroin user whom Joplin had had a previous romantic relationship with, had become a dealer and had also checked into the Landmark because it attracted drug users. When Joplin learned of Caserta's presence, she begged her for heroin and within a few days became a regular customer.

After a recording session on October 3, Joplin and band member Ken Pearson went to Barney's Beanery for drinks. After midnight, Joplin drove him and a male fan who tagged along to the Landmark. The following morning, Rothchild became concerned when Joplin failed to show up at the studio. Road manager John Cooke drove to the Landmark to find her dead on the floor beside her bed, finally killed by heroin. Joplin's death came just 16 days after the death of Jimi Hendrix.

Although Joplin died before all the tracks were fully completed, there was enough usable material to compile an album. The result of the sessions was the posthumously released Pearl. It became the biggest-selling album of her career and contained a cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee", which became Joplin's only solo hit. The single went all the way to #1 in the United States. "Mercedes Benz" from the album also received some airplay.

Joplin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, like so many hundreds of other artists.

There is no doubt that Joplin had a unique style and her influence on female singers that followed her is unquestioned. And her potential was enormous. But the sad fact remains that Joplin didn't live long enough to capitalize on her popularity or utilize her talent.

This garage rock group never made it big, but they gave us this rocker:

#35: Pushin' Too Hard--the Seeds

Singer Sky Saxon recorded a few 45's under the name of Richie Marsh in the early 1960's. He responded to an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper in 1965 to join the Seeds, along with keyboardist Daryl Hooper, drummer Rick Andridge and guitarists Jan Savage and Jeremy Levine. Levine left shortly after the group completed its first recording sessions.

The Seeds released the single "Can't Seem to Make You Mine", which was a regional hit in 1965. But their breakthrough was the single "Pushin' Too Hard", which reached #36, making it without question one of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*. But the lack of respect from radio at the time resulted in the group having just the one major hit. Future singles were once again relegated to being merely regional hits.

The group continued well into the 1970's, releasing nine albums and eight singles. They are considered pioneers of what would become known as punk rock.

Up next, the one and only hit from the #34 artist:

#34: Bitch--Meredith Brooks

At age eleven, Brooks began playing guitar in Corvallis, Oregon. In 1997, she released her debut album Blurring the Edges. It contained a song co-written by her, "Bitch".

The song reached #2 in the United States and Australia, #4 in New Zealand and #6 in the U.K.

Brooks has released six albums and nine singles in her career. The next-best song she recorded was "What Would Happen" in 1998, which peaked at #46.

This act put on a great live show, and we get a sense of that from their #1 song:

#33: At This Moment--Billy Vera & the Beaters

Vera, from Riverside California, began his singing career in 1962 as a member of the Resolutions. He wrote several songs for artists such as Ricky Nelson, the Shirelles, Fats Domino and Barbara Lewis. Vera sang the duet "Storybook Children" with gospel singer Judy Clay and wrote "With Pen in Hand" for Bobby Goldsboro.

Throughout the 70's and 80's, Vera continued to write, penning "I Really Got the Feeling" for Dolly Parton. He also fronted the 1972 reunion concert of Dion & the Belmonts. Billy moved to Los Angeles in 1979, where he wrote songs for Warner Brothers Records. Bassist Chuck Fiore and Vera formed a band to play clubs in the area, a group they called the Beaters.

On the strength of their live performances, Vera & the Beaters signed a recording contract with Alfa Records. The group was recorded live, and in 1981 this led to the singles "I Can Take Care of Myself", which reached #39 in the United States, and "At This Moment", which charted at #79.

By 1982, Alfa was out of business, but Billy Vera & the Beaters continued to play in the clubs of Southern California. In 1985, a producer of the television show Family Ties heard the band play "At This Moment". The song was featured as a backdrop for romantic interludes between Alex (Michael J. Fox) and Ellen (Tracy Pollan). Viewers began requesting the song and in 1986, Rhino Records released By Request: The Best of Billy Vera & the Beaters. The single became a #1 song upon it's re-release.

Vera and the Beaters were featured in the movie Blind Date. Vera had several other roles on television shows such as Baywatch and Beverly Hills, 90210. Vera co-produced three albums for Lou Rawls and Rawls recorded seven of his songs.

Billy Vera & the Beaters released five albums and eight singles in their career.

This group with the great guitar player may have only had one big hit, but they will always have their legendary performance at Woodstock to brag about:

#32: I'd Love To Change The World--Ten Years After

Alvin Lee and Leo Lyons founded this group formed in late 1960 as Ivan Jay and the Jaycats; they were also known as the Jaybirds and Ivan Jay and the Jaymen. They were successful in the Nottingham/Mansfield area of England. Ivan Jay sang lead from 1960-1962 and was joined by Ric Lee in 1965, replacing drummer Dave Quickmire, who had replaced Pete Evans in 1962.

The Jaybirds moved to London, where Chick Churchill joined the group. The quartet signed manager Chris Wright and changed their name to Blues Trip, Blues Yard, and finally in 1966 to Ten Years After. Alvin Lee's idol was Elvis Presley, and the group took their name from the fact that it had been ten years since Elvis burst onto the scene in 1956.

Ten Years After landed a residency at the famous Marquee Club in London, and played at the Windsor Jazz Festival in 1967. That performance led to a contract with Deram Records. In 1967, Ten Years After released their debut album. After a tour of the United States and Scandinavia, the group released the live album Undead. The album contained the song "I'm Going Home", which received enough airplay to get them a following.

In 1969, Ten Years After released the album Stonedhenge and appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. On August 17, the group astonished fans with their famous performance at Woodstock that opened eyes throughout the music business. The band played at the Strawberry Fields Festival near Toronto and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970.

In 1971, Ten Years After signed with Columbia Records and released the album A Space in Time. "I'd Love to Change the World" was released as a single, and it became the group's only hit, reaching #40. The band released the album Rock & Roll Music to the World in 1972 and the live double album Ten Years After Recorded Live in 1973.

Ten Years After broke up in 1974 but reunited in 1983 to play the Reading Festival. Despite 13 albums and the potential revealed at Woodstock, they never recorded anything close to "I'd Love to Change the World".

One of the big hits of 1965 gave us the #31 artist:

#31: You Were On My Mind--We Five

We Five grew out of a band called the Ridgerunners in San Francisco, California, and included Michael Stewart (baritone-bass, banjo, acoustic and electric guitar), Beverly Bivens (low tenor to high soprano, rhythm guitar), tenor Jerry Burgan on acoustic guitar, tenor Peter Fullerton on acoustic and bass guitar and Bob Jones (baritone-tenor, electric guitar). Stewart was the brother of John Stewart of the Kingston Trio and a solo artist ("Gold" from 1978). Michael Stewart did all the arrangements of the group's songs.

The group signed a recording contract with A&M Records in 1965. We Five remade the Ian and Sylvia song "You Were on My Mind" and released it as a single. The song reached #1 on the Easy Listening chart and #3 overall in the United States and sold over one million copies. We Five was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group for their work on "You Were on My Mind".

We Five became one of the first commercial folk-rock artists to record music for Coca-Cola. They added drummer John Chambers so they could tour in support of their hit. After completing the second album Make Someone Happy, lead singer Bivens left the group and We Five split. Before that, however, the group had a #31 song with an arrangement of the Kingston Trio song "Let's Get Together". You know the song today because in 1969, it became a smash for the Youngbloods as "Get Together".

A re-formed We Five recorded three more albums from 1968-1977. Fullerton left the music business in 1970 to minister to the homeless and needy, and founded the organization Truck of Love. Stewart became a producer, most notably for Billy Joel, and was a pioneering developer of MIDI music software.

Only 30 songs remain in our special. Be sure to catch each episode!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #50-41

2025-08-18T00:00:00.082-06:00

Other outfits present "One-Hit Wonder" lists and use the occasion to make fun of these artists. That's not what we're here to do. We'll let you be the judge of who is more talented, the artist that pays their dues in dimly-lit nightclubs, earns a recording contract, and records a mass-appeal song or a person who makes fun of them!

We have 10 great artists and songs prepared in this segment--enjoy!

One of the finest instrumentals ever recorded is featured next in The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders*:

#50: Champs--"Tequila"

Studio executives at Gene Autry's Challenge Records formed this group to record a B-side for the single "Train To Nowhere" by Dave Burgess. However, the intended throwaway track became far more famous than its A-side.

"Tequila" was written and joyously hollered by saxophonist Danny Flores of the Champs. The other members of the group were saxophonist Chuck Rio, guitarists Dave Burgess, Paul C. Saenz and Dale Norris, bassists Bobby Morris, Dean McDaniel, Benjamin Van Norman and Dean McDaniel and drummer Gen Alden.

"Tequila" hit #1 for five weeks in the United States and #5 in the U.K. in 1958. It became not only one of The Top 10 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*, but one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

Later members of the Champs included Glen Campbell and both members of Seals and Crofts. The Champs released eight singles in their career, but they could never find another gem like "Tequila".

This singer-songwriter exhibited enormous talent and potential with his debut album:

#49: Marc Cohn--"Walking In Memphis"

Marc Cohn graduated from Beachwood High School in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. He then attended Oberlin College.

In 1991, Cohn released his self-titled album. "Walking In Memphis" is about a spiritual awakening, according to Cohn, who wrote the song. "Blue Suede Shoes" in the song is not about Elvis Presley, but about Carl Perkins, who recorded the song in Memphis at Sun Records. A serious car accident forced Perkins to stop touring to promote the record, thus allowing Elvis' cover version to become a big hit. When Cohn sings of "The ghost of Elvis on Union Avenue", it is a reference to the recording studio at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis.

The song peaked at #13 as one of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*. Despite that glaring chart ranking error, the song was properly recognized when Cohn was nominated for Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Pop Male Vocalist and for Favorite New Artist-Adult Contemporary at the American Music Awards.

Cohn is married to Elizabeth Vargas, journalist with ABC News. The pair met at the 1999 U.S. Open Tennis Championship after being introduced by Andre Agassi.

Cher and Lonestar are among the artists who have covered the song.

Cohn has released five studio albums and 14 singles but "Silver Thunderbird", the 1991 follow-up to "Walking In Memphis", was Cohn's next best hit at #63.

This artist turned an Eddie Floyd song into a smash:

#48: Amii Stewart--"Knock On Wood"

Amii Stewart signed up for singing and dancing lessons at the age of four. There was already an Amy Stewart registered with Actor's Equity, so she changed the spelling of her name to Amii. Stewart attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. but soon left to work with the D.C. repertory Dance Company. Stewart was in the touring company of the stage production Bubbling Brown Sugar in 1975, first in Miami, then Broadway, and eventually in London's West End, where she met producer Barry Leng.

This led to Stewart being signed by Ariola Records. In 1978, she recorded a version of "Knock On Wood", which was a hit for Eddie Floyd in 1966. Stewart rose to the top of the charts with one of The Top Songs of the Rock Era* and the song dominated dance floors throughout the year.

Session drummer Peter Boita developed drum sounds and syncing techniques on the song far ahead of anything else at the time.

Besides Stewart's version, the song has also been recorded by numerous artists, including Cher, Michael Bolton, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Seal, Buddy Guy, Archie Bell & the Drells, Carla Thomas and Harpers Bizarre.

Stewart has released 16 albums and 19 singles. Out of all that, the best Stewart could do was #63, on a duet with Johnny Bristol for the cover version of Mary Wells' "My Guy".

At #47, this talented band that barely made it under the wire, having the necessary 10 years after their one hit to qualify for this special:

#47: Incubus--"Drive"

Lead singer Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger and drummer Jose Pasillas formed this group in 1991 while at Calabasas High School in California. The three later invited bassist Alex Katunich and Gavin Koppell, who were each eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore, respectively.

The group played often on famous Sunset Strip clubs such as Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy and The Troubadour. Incubus produced many of their early recordings on Chillum Records in Santa Monica, mixing their music after school.

In 1995, Incubus released their debut album Fungus Amongus on their own label, Stopuglynailfungus Music.

The sound enabled Incubus to sign a recording contract, first with Immortal Records and then with the major label Epic. The six-track EP Enjoy Incubus represented the group's first major-label release, and the group set out on a tour of Europe with Korn.

Incubus continued to open for groups such as Korn and 311, and released the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. in 1997. Koppell was fired in 1998, replaced by Chris Kilmore, and Incubus toured with that lineup supporting System of a Down. But the group had not been able to land a popular song. They took a two-year break from touring to concentrate on assembling their third album, Make Yourself.

Incubus released that album in 1999 and toured with Primus and Buckethead. The album was praised by critics, and was certified Gold, but only reached #41, and "Pardon Me", a single from the album, reached #7 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The group was still far from mainstream status with the general public.

But they released videos and toured overseas, and "Stellar" received some airplay on MTV, which used to stand for Music Television. "Privilege" was released as a single but received little airplay.

Finally, the fourth single "Drive" was released, and it was that song that catapulted the album to sales of over two million. "Drive" was a #3 smash on the Mainstream Rock chart, remaining at that position for six weeks and gave Incubus their first and only Top 40 song at #9. The video for "Drive" was nominated for Best Group Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

With "Drive" giving them the success that had eluded them, Incubus went to Malibu, California to record their follow-up album, Morning View. The group toured Australia, Japan, and Europe, before returning to the United States as a headline act.

"Wish You Were Here" reached #2 on the segmented Modern Rock chart but couldn't climb higher than #60 overall. "Nice To Know You" was a #9 Modern Rock song and "Warning" was #3 on that chart, but neither even reached the Top 100 overall. "Megalomaniac", "Love Hurts" and "Anna-Molly" were #1 Modern Rock songs, but the former, at #55, was the best Incubus would ever do after "Drive".

Incubus released seven albums and 25 singles in their career.

There are various reasons why The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders* only had one hit, but this guy is among the most talented singer-songwriters in the special:

#46: Chris Isaak--"Wicked Game"

Stockton, California's Chris Isaak signed a recording contract in 1984 with Warner Brothers Records. He recorded two albums before being moved to Warner Brothers' Reprise Records.

Isaak included the song "Wicked Game" on his 1989 album Heart Shaped World. An instrumental version of the song was featured in the 1990 David Lynch movie Wild at Heart. Lee Chesnut, an Atlanta, Georgia music director obsessed with Lynch films, began playing the vocal version by Isaak. When it quickly became the station's most-requested song, word spread and Reprise released the single. "Wicked Game" reached #6 and became a huge multi-format hit.

In 1999, "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in the movie Eyes Wide Shut. Isaak wrote the theme song for the television show The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. In 2001, Isaak starred in his own television show, The Chris Isaak Show, which aired from 2001 to 2004.

Isaak has also appeared in several movies, including Little Buddha, Twin Peaks and That Thing You Do! Chris has released 11 albums and 34 singles in his career, but only one song ("Wicked Game") has been popular. Given Isaak's great songwriting and catalog of quality music, it is truly amazing that he only hit one time.

Prince contributed the songwriting for this artist's one and only hit:

#45: Sinead O'Connor--" Nothing Compares 2 (sic) U (sic)"

O'Connor was born in Gleneageary, Ireland. At age 15, her shoplifting and truancy led to her being placed in a Magdalene Asylum run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. O'Connor began writing songs, and Paul Byrne, drummer for the band In Tua Nua, heard Sinead singing "Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand. O'Connor recorded a song with In Tua Nua ("Take My Hand"), but she wasn't ready to join a band.

In 1983, O'Connor went to Newtown School in Waterford, where her language teacher helped her record a four-song demo. In 1984, Sinead began a band called Ton Ton Macoute. The band moved to Dublin, where O'Connor's performances attracted a following.

In 1985, O'Connor left the band and eventually signed a recording contract with Ensign Records. She co-wrote "Heroine" with The Edge of U2 and recorded it for the "Captive" Soundtrack.

Despite much difficulty in the studio, O'Connor recorded her debut album The Lion and the Cobra. The album achieved Gold status and earned O'Connor a Best Female Rock Vocal Performance nomination at the Grammy Awards. The single "Mandinka" received airplay but did not chart.

Prince had written "Nothing Compares 2 (sic) U (sic)" for a side project. O'Connor recorded the song for her album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. The song became a worldwide smash, hitting #1 in the United States (for four weeks), the U.K., Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria and Ireland and a Top 5 song in France. "Nothing Compares 2 (sic) U (sic)" finished the year as the third-best-selling single of 1990 and sold over two million copies.

O'Connor has released nine albums and 34 singles. But the best that she could do other than her One-Hit Wonder was #60 with "The Emperor's New Clothes" in 1990.

The artist at #44 essentially is featured in our special twice under different names and different lineups:

#44: Looking Glass--"Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)"

This group formed in 1969 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey with Elliot Lurie on lead guitar and vocals, drummer Jeff Grob, pianist Larry Gonsky and Pieter Sweval on bass.

In 1972, Looking Glass released the single "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)", written by Lurie. The song went to #1 and sold over one million copies.

Guitarist Brendan Harkin joined the group in 1974 and Michael Lee Smith replaced Lurie, who left to pursue a solo career. The group changed its name to Fallen Angels. Richie Ranno joined the band as a second guitarist in 1975, Gonsky left, and by the end of the year, the group changed their name to Starz.

This in itself is an amazing story for two reasons. First off, the sound of Starz was nowhere near that of Looking Glass; Starz was a hard rock outfit who could really rock and roll. But Looking Glass itself had a harder edge to them than one can detect from just listening to "Brandy". Both groups were One-Hit Wonders, although Starz was a highly underrated band and should have been, pardon the pun, but big stars.

Looking Glass recorded two albums and three singles in their career. "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne", which reached #33 in 1973, was their next-best song after "Brandy".

One of the great artists of the late 70's scores an entry here with his group from earlier in the decade:

#43: Stuck In The Middle With You--Stealer's Wheel

This act formed when Scottish classmates Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egand met and were joined by guitarist Roger Brown, Rab Noakes (guitar and vocals) and Iain Campbell (Bass). By the time A&M Records signed the group, lead guitarist Paul Pilnick, bassist Tony Williams and Drummer Rod Coombes had replaced Brown, Noakes and Campbell.

Stealer's Wheel recorded their debut album in 1972, which was produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, writers of many of Elvis Presley's biggest hits.

But Rafferty left shortly after the album's release and didn't tour with the group. However, when the album began selling, Gerry was persuaded to come back. "Stuck In The Middle With You" found its way to #6 in the U.S. and #8 in the U.K. and sold over one million copies.

The group (now a duo with Egan and Rafferty supported by nine backing musicians) released a second album in 1973, but that didn't sell well and the group broke up after their third album in 1975.

"Star" at #29 was the next-best they could do.

At #42, this versatile artist:

#42: Chris DeBurgh--"The Lady In Red"

Chris Davison was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina but as his father was a British diplomat, Chris spent his early years in Malta, Nigeria and Zaire. The family settled in Bargy Castle, Ireland in a twelfth-century castle bought by his maternal grandfather, General Sir Eric de Burgh. Chris performed for guests there and assumed de Burgh as his stage name.

De Burgh graduated from Trinity College in Dublin with a Master of Arts degree in French, English and History. Chris signed a recording contract with A&M Records in 1974 and opened for Supertramp on tour. His debut album was Far Beyond These Castle Walls, and de Burgh released the single "Turning Round", released outside the U.K. and Ireland as "Flying". The single stayed at #1 in Brazil for 17 weeks.

The rest of De Burgh's albums in the 1970's did not chart in larger countries, but did well in some European and South American countries. Chris enjoyed his biggest success to date with the album The Getaway in 1982, paced by the single "Don't Pay The Ferryman". But it was Chris's next single that made him famous.

"Lady In Red" was a multi-format smash. It hit #1 in the U.K., Canada, Norway, Ireland and Belgium and #3 in the United States. De Burgh's album Into the Light reached #2 in the U.K. However, despite releasing superb music, de Burgh never hit the U.S. charts and his albums faltered in the U.K.

A Zombie was responsible for putting this group together:

#41: Argent--"Hold Your Head Up"

Former Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent, Bassist Jim Rodford, and drummer Bob Henrit and guitarist/keyboardist Russ Ballard (both former members of the Roulettes and Unit 4 + 2), formed Argent in 1969. Argent and Ballard wrote the group's songs, while lead vocals were shared by Argent, Ballard and Rodford.

Argent and Chris White wrote "Hold Your Head Up", the lead single from the All Together Now album. The song reached #5 and sold over one million copies.

Ballard left the group in 1974, replaced by guitarist/vocalist John Verity and guitarist John Grimaldi. Argent recorded seven albums and 12 singles in their career.

Ballard has written songs for other artists, including "Liar" for Three Dog Night and "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You" for Kiss. Ballard recorded solo and is a One Hit Wonder himself with the song "On The Rebound". Rodford and Henrit later became members of the Kinks, while Rod Argent collaborated with Andrew Lloyd-Webber and recorded two solo albums.

We wrap up this segment of the special, but we're all ready for you tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #60-51

2025-08-17T00:00:00.101-06:00

Hard to believe these artists had just one big hit. Lots of talent in this segment!

You may be surprised at the list of songs this talented artist has written:

#60: Martin Page--"In The House Of Stone And Light"

Martin Page was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England and moved from military base to military base as his father was an aviation engineer. Page was an apprentice to the Southampton Saints, a professional soccer team. While playing, Martin devoted a good deal of time to learning how to play the bass guitar. Eventually, Page's love of soccer gave way to his desire to become a professional musician.

Page toured with several British bands as a session musician before forming the group Q-Feel with Brian Fairweather, who eventually became his songwriting partner. The pair moved to Los Angeles, where they met Diane Poncher, who became their manager. Page was soon working with superstars such as Earth, Wind, and Fire and the Commodores, and co-wrote songs with famous songwriter Bernie Taupin such as "We Built This City" for Starship and "These Dreams" for Heart. Page also wrote the hits "King of Wishful Thinking" and "Faithful" for Go West, as well as songs for Josh Groban, Tom Jones and Robbie Robertson. Martin also played keyboards on the Ray Parker, Jr. smash "Ghostbusters".

In 1994, Page recorded his debut album In the House of Stone and Light. The title track, which Page wrote while visiting the Grand Canyon in Arizona. "In The House Of Stone And Light" showcased Page's amazing songwriting ability and although Billboard only ranked the song at #14, it is without question one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

After that success, Page suffered huge blows when both his parents and some dear friends died. Martin took some time off for mourning and reflection, and didn't return to the studio until 2008 for the album In the Temple of the Muse. The album was released on the independent label Ironing Board Records, which Page and Poncher started to give Page greater control of his music. Page released his third album A Tempter of Peace in 2012.

Here's one of the newest entries in The One Hit Wonders*:

#59: Vanessa Carlton--"A Thousand Miles"

Carlton was born in Milford, Pennsylvania. She became interested in music and one day after returning from Disneyland at the age of two, she sat down and played "It's a Small World" on the piano. Vanessa began playing classical music, but by the age of 9, she became passionate about ballet. After graduating from the School of American Ballet, however, Carlton decided to pursue a singing career instead, performing in bars and clubs in New York City. Three months after recording a demo tape, Vanessa signed a recording contract with A&M Records.

Carlton released the single "A Thousand Miles" in 2002. The song became a worldwide smash, reaching #1 in Australia, #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #5 overall in the United States, #4 in New Zealand, #6 in the U.K. and #8 in Switzerland and France. "A Thousand Miles" finished the year as the sixth-most-played song of 2002, and it was nominated for Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist, and received nominations for the Billboard Music Award for New Artist of the Year and for an American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist. Clearly, the potential for Carlton was limitless.

The album Be Not Nobody followed and achieved Platinum status. Carlton released the singles "Ordinary Day" (#30) and "Pretty Baby", and opened for the Goo Goo Dolls and Third Eye Blind on tour. She provided backing vocals for the Counting Crows and played piano for Italian singer Zucchero. Vanessa was doing all the things necessary for success. However, the albums Harmonium in 2004 and Heroes & Thieves in 2007 did not continue the momentum. Carlton released the album Rabbits on the Run.

"A Thousand Miles" is one of the newest entries into the One Hit Wonders*, having just passed the minimum ten years without another mass appeal Top 20 song. Carlton has released four albums and nine singles in her career. Vanessa's uncle is the jazz artist Larry Carlton.

Up next, the Record of the Year in 2012 from an artist we never heard of again.

#58: Gotye--"Somebody That I Used To Know"

The story of Gotye is another oddity. Gotye (real name Wouter "Wally" DeBeacker) graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne in Australia and then pursued a music career. He released two albums prior to his breakthrough, the 2011 release Making Mirrors.

The first single, "Eyes Wide Open", got some airplay in Australia but little anywhere else. Then Gotye released a song he'd recorded with Kimbra, a singer from New Zealand. This one spread like wildfire, first topping the U.K. charts for five weeks. After an appearance on Saturday Night Live, "Somebody That I Used To Know" springboarded up the U.S. charts, latching onto the #1 position for 8 weeks. It was either #1 or #2 in 27 countries and finished 2012 as the top-selling song in the world. The single also broke a 47-year-old record by becoming the biggest hit of all-time in the Netherlands. It has sold over 14 million copies in the United States and over 21 million worldwide. The song earned Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Vocal Performance.

Gotye then took a hiatus, performing with his band the Basics and starting an independent record label. But he released no new material until 2024, when he tried to recreate the magic of 13 years before with Kimbra with the single "Somebody". But that went nowhere, leaving Gotye as one of the only artists in history to reach #1 and never score another Hot 100 song again!

#57: Donnie Iris--"Ah! Leah!"

Donnie Iris (real name Dominic Ierace) was encouraged by his mother (herself a singer) at an early age, singing along to artists such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. He began singing at weddings at the age of five and performed on television when he was eight.

Iris wrote the #2 smash "The Rapper" in 1970 while he was with Jaggerz (featured above) and was a member of Wild Cherry after their big hit "Play That Funky Music".

Donnie released his debut album, Back on the Streets in 1980, which contained the great song "Ah! Leah!". The single hit #6 in Canada but only #29 in the United States.

Iris was able to reach #37 with "Love Is Like A Rock" the following year, but despite 10 more studio albums, couldn't top "Ah! Leah!".

#56: Five Man Electrical Band--"Signs"

This Canadian Rock band (known as the Staccatos from 1963 to 1968) is from Ottawa. Lead singer Les Emmerson wrote this song while traveling back to Canada from Los Angeles. He noticed all the huge signs and billboards blocking the view of the natural scenery. Canada doesn't have such signs and many of the major cities are several miles from the freeway.

The group ventured to Los Angeles and recorded an album called Good-Byes and Butterflies on MGM Records. But MGM dumped them and the group headed back to Ottawa. Meanwhile, Clive Fox, who had connections to Lionel, makers of the famous model railroading equipment which was forming Lionel Records, helped the band sign with Lionel.

"Signs" was originally the B-side to the unsuccessful "Hello Melinda Goodbye", but when re-released the following year on Lionel as the single, "Signs" shot up to #3 in the United States and #4 in Canada.

"Absolutely Right" stalled at #26, and the Five Man Electrical Band was never able to reach the Top 20 again.

Here's another artist who barely qualified for this special:

#55: John Parr--"St. Elmo's Fire"

John Parr has written and recorded 10 theme songs from motion pictures, including songs for Three Men and a Baby and The Running Man. None have come close to this song at #55*.

"St. Elmo's Fire" hit #1 in the U.S. and Canada, #3 in Norway, #4 in Australia, Sweden and Switzerland and #6 in the U.K. Members of Toto, REO Speedwagon and Mr. Mister helped on the song.

John almost didn't qualify for the special as his "Naughty, Naughty" reached #23. But Parr never hit the Top 40 again after "St. Elmo's Fire" and it was his only career Top 20 song.

The #54 artist wrote down these prophetic words in 1967:

#54: Barry McGuire--"Eve Of Destruction"

McGuire was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but moved to California soon afterwards. He joined the United States Navy, but was discharged ten months later after it was discovered that he was only 16 years old. Barry became a commercial fisherman, then was a journeyman pipe fitter. At age 25, McGuire got a job singing in a bar.

In 1961, Barry released the single "The Tree", then formed a duo with Barry Kane called Barry & Barry. The pair performed folk songs at The Ice House in Pasadena, California, then got a boost when the famous Troubadour in Hollywood signed them in 1962. Barry & Barry joined the New Christy Minstrels, which were performing at the club, but also maintained their separate act, releasing the album Here and Now.

McGuire co-wrote and sang lead vocal on the Christy's hit "Green, Green", but left the group in 1965 after the group recorded the album Cowboys and Indians.

Barry began a solo career with a bang with the single "Eve of Destruction", written by P.F. Sloan. The song was originally written for the Byrds, but that great group rejected it. Sloan was also an accomplished guitarist, and top session men Hal Blaine on drums and Larry Knechtel on bass accompanied Barry on the recording. The song went all the way to #1 and became one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*. "Eve Of Destruction" was also recorded by the Turtles and the Grass Roots, among others, and was referenced in the Temptations' smash "Ball Of Confusion".

McGuire released the album This Precious Time in 1966, which included a version of "California Dream'" with the Mamas & the Papas singing backing vocals. McGuire was mentioned several times in the Mamas & the Papas hit "Creeque Alley". McGuire appeared in the movie The President's Analyst with James Coburn in 1967 and also starred for a year in the Broadway production of the musical Hair.

McGuire became a born-again Christian in 1971 and has released several albums of Christian music. In 1978, Barry toured England, Scotland and Wales with the musical The Witness, in which he played the part of the apostle Peter.

McGuire has released 23 albums in his career, but was never able to match the brilliance of "Eve Of Destruction". The next-best song he did was "Cloudy Summer Afternoon (Raindrops)" in 1966, which reached #62.

Our #53 artist turned in a performance for the ages on her #1 song:

#53: Thelma Houston--"Don't Leave Me This Way"

Houston grew up in Long Beach, California and joined the Art Reynolds Singers gospel group. Thelma signed a recording contract with Dunhill Records and released her debut album Sunshower in 1969. She switched to Motown in 1971 but did not enjoy much initial success. In all, Houston had released 13 singles at this point in her career.

Then in 1977, a song that Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert wrote was given to Houston. She recorded "Don't Leave Me This Way" and released it as a single. It became a massive worldwide hit, topping the chart in the United States and South Africa and reaching #4 in Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands, #5 in Germany, #6 in Australia, #11 in Spain, #13 in the U.K. and France, #15 in Italy, #17 in New Zealand and #18 in Austria The song earned Houston a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Later in the year, the song was included on the soundtrack album for the movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar. It is widely regarded as one of the top disco songs of all-time as well as one of the top dance songs of all-time and one of the top vocal performances of the Rock Era.

"Don't Leave Me This Way" was also recorded by the Temptations, Sheena Easton, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and the Communards.

Houston has released 17 albums and 49 singles in her career. She has enjoyed some success on the Dance chart, but could never come close to her amazing performance on "Don't Leave Me This Way".

At #52, The Top One-Hit Wonder of the 90's*:

#52: the Calling--"Wherever You Will Go"

Vocalist Alex Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin began jamming and writing songs in 1996 and began performing under the name Generation Gap with a drummer that was twice their age. They began recording demo tapes and finally in 1999, the group switched their name to the Calling and signed a recording contract with RCA Records.

The Calling recorded their debut album Camino Palmero in 2001 largely with studio musicians. Later in the year, guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme, bassist Billy Mohler and drummer Nate Wood joined the group. The Calling released the single "Wherever You Will Go", which was featured in the television show Smallville and the movie Coyote Ugly. The song reached #5, helping the album sell over five million copies.

But the next year, Woolstenhulme left the group, replaced by Dino Meneghin. Mohler and Wood left in the fall and legal problems resulted. In 2004, the group returned with new musicians and the album Two. Three singles were released but none did well. In 2005, the Calling split for good.

#51: Gnarls Barkley--"Crazy"

Cee-Lo Green left the group Goodie Mob after their third album in 1999 and started his solo career. That year he sang on "Do You Like The Way" with Lauryn Hill. Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, produced for several artists and achieved fame with his mixing of The Grey Album for Jay-Z, which blended the a cappella voices of Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentation from the Beatles' The White Album.

Green and Mouse met while Green was performing at the University of Georgia. The two paired up and worked on songs that would be released on their debut album St. Elsewhere. The duo chose their name while in a cafe in Silver Lake, California. Burton and some friends began playing a game of creating fake celebrity names such as Prince Gnarls and Bob Gnarly. When the name Gnarls Barkley was invented, Burton wrote it down.

The duo released the single "Crazy" in 2006, which went to #1 in the U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Ireland and #2 in the U.S. "Crazy" was the top-selling song of the year in the U.K. and was nominated for Record of the Year while St. Elsewhere earned a nomination for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards and "Crazy" won the Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

Six subsequent singles failed to chart and the duo broke up after their next album.

That leaves us just five installments and 50 artists away from the conclusion of this special. Be sure to look for our "checklists" that help you enjoy the One-Hit Wonders* in their entirety!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #70-61

2025-08-16T00:00:00.053-06:00

Inside The Rock Era is proud to bring back this favorite, updated in 2025!

The artist who recorded one of the all-time biggest sellers of the Rock Era is next:

#70: Mungo Jerry--"In The Summertime"

Mungo Jerry got their name from the poem Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The group made their debut at the Hollywood Festival at Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England the week that "In the Summertime" was released in 1970.

The song topped the U.K. charts for seven weeks and reached #1 in 26 countries; it peaked at #3 in the United States. The trade publication Melody Maker named Mungo Jerry the Best New Band in 1970 and group member Ray Dorset, who wrote the song, received three Ivor Novello Awards for his songwriting.

The song has now sold over 30 million copies worldwide. "In The Summertime" has been covered several times, including a 1995 version by Shaggy.

Mungo Jerry has released 19 albums and 21 singles. They followed up "In the Summertime" with success in their native England and have had spot success in other countries, but never did anything close to their smash of 1971.

This group took an Ann Peebles song and remade it into a classic:

#69: Eruption--"I Can't Stand The Rain"

This disco group began as Silent Eruption in 1974 in Great Britain. The following year, they won the RCA Soul Search Contest and released their debut single "Let Me Take You Back in Time".

But as further success eluded them, lead singer Lindel Leslie left the group, and backing singer Precious Wilson became the new lead vocalist. Eruption began touring in Germany, where they were discovered by Frank Farian, the producer of Boney M. Eruption signed with Hansa Records and opened for Boney M. on tour.

"Party Party" became a minor hit, leading to the release of Eruption's remake of the Ann Peebles song "I Can't Stand The Rain" from the group's debut album. "I Can't Stand The Rain" was a worldwide smash, reaching #1 in Australia and Belgium, #2 in Norway, #3 in Italy, #4 in New Zealand, Austria and the Netherlands, #5 in France and the U.K., #6 in Ireland, #7 in Germany, #18 in the United States, and becoming one of the biggest hits of the year in many areas.

Eruption followed with the album Leave a Light in 1978. "One Way Ticket" became a #9 song in the U.K. but Eruption was not able to generate further worldwide interest. Wilson left the band in 1979 to begin a solo career and was replaced by Kim Davis. Eruption scored a Top 10 song in Germany with "Go Johnnie Go" from the album Fight Fight Fight.

Tragedy struck when Davis suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage. She was replaced by Jane Jochen, and Eruption signed with Jupiter Records in 1981. However, the group had not been the same since the departure of Wilson, and Eruption's fourth album Our Way received little attention. In 1985, the group broke up.

The group that gave us this worldwide hit in 1968 is next:

#68: John Fred and the Playboys--"Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)"

This group formed in 1956 with lead singer John Fred, guitarist Jimmy O'Rourke, bassist Harold Cowart, Joe Miceli on percussion, Tommy Degeneres on organ, trumpet players Ronnie Goodson and Charlie Spinosa and bari-sax player Andrew Bernard. The group released their first single "Shirley" in 1958. In 1967, Fred, poet Jack Royerton and Bernard co-wrote "Judy In Disguise", a play on the title of the Beatles' hit "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds".

John Fred & His Playboy Band released "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" on Paula Records. The song hit #1 in the United States, Germany and Switzerland and #3 in Great Britain.early 1968 and sold over one million copies. Although the group was a talented road act, they suffered the fate of being branded a novelty act and were never able to enjoy further success.

John Fred and His Playboy Band released four albums and 10 singles.

Here's another of a handful of #1 songs that One-Hit Wonders have collected in the Rock Era:

#67: Jaggerz--"The Rapper"

While at Slippery Rock University, Donnie Iris started a band called the Trivells, which became Donnie and the Donnelles. Iris left college when he joined Jimmie Ross in a band called Gary and the Jewel Tones. This band resulted in the Jaggers, which formed in 1965 and began playing night clubs.

In 1968, the Jaggers signed a recording contract with Gamble Records and began recording their debut album. As their was another band with their name, manager Joe Rock suggested the group alter their name slightly to the Jaggerz. In 1969, the group released the album Introducing the Jaggerz with moderate success.

In 1970, the group switched to Kama Sutra Records and released the album We Went to Different Schools Together. "The Rapper", written by Iris, was released as a single. It became a smash hit, reaching #2 and selling over one million copies.

The group would never again come close to the success achieved by "The Rapper". They released four albums and 11 singles through 1973, when they were dropped from the label. Iris, however, enjoyed two Top 30 hits with "Ah! Leah!" in 1981 and "My Girl" in 1982.

The number 13 was lucky for this unique English group:

#66: Chumbawamba--"Tubthumping"

Allan Whalley, Danbert Nobacon, Midge and Tomi were in the band Chimp Eats Banana, and formed this group in Burnley, England in 1982. Lou Watts joined shortly afterwards. Chumbawamba recorded the song "Three Years Later" on Crass Records. Alice Nutter, Dunstan Bruce, Harry Hamer and Dave Dillon soon joined. The group released the cassettes Be Happy Despite It All and Raising Heck With Chumbawamba and were featured on many compilations. The group had released several songs to only moderate success.

Then in 1997, the group released their 13th single "Tubthumping" on Universal Records and EMI Electrola. The song reached #1 in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Italy, #2 in the U.K. and Norway and was #1 on the Modern Rock chart and #6 overall in the United States. "Tubthumping" was played as a wake-up call on the final Space Shuttle mission and was used in the series premiere of the television show Dawson's Creek.

Chumbawamba has released 19 albums and 22 singles in their career, with "Tubthumping" being their only popular song.

A talented act that gave us a million seller in 1967 is at #64:

#65: Music Explosion--"Little Bit O' Soul"

James Lyons (singer and percussion), guitarists Donald Atkins and Richard Nesta, bassist Burton Stahl and drummer Robert Avery formed this group in Galion, Ohio. Ronald Bretone later replaced Stahl. Producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz discovered the group and signed them to a recording contract.

The group released the single "Little Bit O' Soul" in 1967, which reached #2 and sold over one million copies. The song, written by John Carter and Ken Lewis, became the group's only big hit.

Music Explosion released one album and 13 singles in their career, with "Sunshine Games" being their next biggest hit at #63.

Sound straight out of the psychedelic 60's is next:

#64: Electric Prunes--"I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)"

This group was formed in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles by guitarist Ken Williams, lead singer James Lowe, Michael Weakley on drums and bassist Mark Tulin. They first called themselves the Sanctions and then Jim and the Lords. Joe Dooley replaced Weakley on drums; in fact, their lineup changed several times, and at one time included Kenny Loggins.

Lowe, Tulin, Williams and Weakley met RCA engineer David Hassinger, who arranged for the group to record demos at Leon Russell's home recording studio. Hassinger suggested that the band change their name, and they settled on the Electric Prunes. The group released the single "Ain't It Hard" from these sessions, but it was not successful.

The Electric Prunes' follow-up was "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" in 1966, written by Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz. The song climbed to #11 in the United States and #49 in the U.K. The group's lineup included Lowe, Williams and James Spagnola on guitar and drummer Preston Ritter.

The band released "Get Me To The World On Time", which only reached #27 in the United States and #42 in the U.K. That was the next-best song in the group's catalog that included eight albums and 16 singles.

Looking back, it's shocking that this band didn't become big stars:

#63: Smith--"Baby It's You"

This group formed from the band the Smiths, which featured two of the same members, Rich Cliburn and Jerry Carter. Gayle McCormick, who began her career singing songs by Tina Turner and others, was added as the lead singer. They were performing in a Los Angeles nightclub when Del Shannon discovered them.

Shannon got Smith a recording contract with ABC-Dunhill Records and also arranged their first single "Baby It's You". The song was written by Burt Bacharach, Luther Dixon and Mack David. The Shirelles and Beatles had originally recorded the song, but Smith had the biggest hit with it at #5. Smith released the album A Group Called Smith. The group released their second album Minus-Plus, which was not as successful. The were able to include their cover of "The Weight" on the "Easy Rider" Soundtrack.

Smith broke up after just two albums and two singles, "What Am I Gonna' Do" and "Take a Look Around", which only made the middle of the chart.

The Carpenters remade the song just a few years later. Numerous other artists, including Cliff Richard, Ace Frehley, Chrissie Hynde and Shakespear's Sister have covered "Baby It's You".

The group that recorded one of the biggest hits of the Rock Era is next:

#62: Los del Rio--"Macarena"

Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruíz Perdigones formed Los del Rio in 1992. The duo became a popular live act and was invited to tour South America. While attending a private party held by Venezuelan impresario Gustavo Cisneros, the duo witnessed a performance by a local flamenco teacher, Diana Patricia Cubillán Herrera. The members of Los del Rio were quite surprised by her dance skills. Antonio Romero Monge recited the chorus of what would become an international sensation on the spot, as an accolade to Cubillán, but naming her Ma'dalena. Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Ma'dalena, que tu cuerpo e' pa' darle alegría y cosa' güena'" ("Give your body some joy, Magdalene, 'cause your body is for giving joy and good things to").

After the night was over, Monge finished the song, and Los del Rio recorded it in 1992 as a rumba, the first of six versions of the song attributed to the duo. Another version, a new flamenco rumba pop fusion with Spanish lyrics, became successful in Spain and Mexico. That version was also used as the unofficial campaign theme song for the reelection campaign of then-governor Pedro Rosselló in Puerto Rico. As Puerto Rico was a base for many cruise ships, visitors to the island were constantly exposed to the song while staying there. Thus, the song spread to, and became a hit in, cities with significant Latino communities in the United States, such as Miami and New York City.

After the Bayside Boys remixed the song and English lyrics were written and added by producers Carlos de Yarza and Mike Triay, Los del Rio recorded the album A mi me gusta. On that album is one of the surprise hits of the Rock Era. "Macarena" was released as a single in 1995, and it became a huge international hit. The song reached was #1 for 14 weeks in the United States. It reached #1 in Australia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Finland, Denmark, Spain and Belgium and was #2 in the U.K., New Zealand, Sweden and Norway. By 1997, the single had sold 11 million copies.

"Macarena" includes the laughter of Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet. The female singer on the remix was hired by the Bayside Boys, and at her request was uncredited. A dance was designed around the song, and it got to be where you weren't "hip" if you didn't know the dance. A crowd of over 50,000 people danced the Macarena in Yankee Stadium in New York City in 1996. The song stayed on the chart for 60 weeks, the longest reign among number one songs.

You will read and hear some people call "Macarena" one of "the greatest songs of all-time". While it was a huge #1 hit, to be sure, the song had little competition when judged against other songs of the Rock Era. #1 for 14 weeks in 1996 is not automatically better than #1 for 7 weeks in 1964. You see, competition is the key. And it is one of the key components used in my exclusive formula which is able to calculate The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*. When you consider the competition vying for #1 in the days of "Macarena", the song gets knocked down considerably. We will update The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* at some point, and you will see where the song truly ranks.

Los del Rio released six albums and five singles in their career--five of the albums contained different styles and remixes of "Macarena". "Macarena Christmas" at #57 was their highest-ranking single after "Macarena". The duo may not have been able to capitalize on their One-Hit Wonder, but they certainly gave us an international success at the time.

A song about a river in Boston gave this group its one big hit:

#61: Standells--"Dirty Water"

In 1961, bass guitarist Jody Rich and guitarist Tony Valentino were in a band called the Starlights, who recorded a demo of "Let's Go (Pony)". Vocalist and keyboardist Larry Tamblyn joined the group, followed shortly afterwards by drummer Benny King, and the group changed their name to the Standells.

The group gave their first major performance at the Oasis Club in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Rich and King left the group, eventually replaced by Gary Lane and Gary Leeds (later known as Gary Walker of the Walker Brothers). The Standells signed a recording contract with Liberty Records in 1964. Leeds then left the band, replaced by vocalist and drummer Dick Dodd.

The group released the album The Standells In Person At P.J.'s, which was later re-issued as The Standells Live and Out of Sight. The group appeared on The Munsters television show performing "I Want to Hold Your Hand". They released two singles on Vee-Jay Records before signing with MGM.

Producer Ed Cobb wrote "Dirty Water", which the Standells recorded in 1965 on Tower Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records. The song peaked at #8 and is considered a staple of garage rock. The group released an album of the same name in 1966.

In 1997, the Boston Red Sox adopted "Dirty Water" as their official victory anthem, played after every home victory. The Standells played "Dirty Water" before the second game of the 2004 World Series at Fenway Park. Also that year, two Boston area music stores assembled over 1,500 guitarists to perform "Dirty Water" for over 76 minutes adjacent to the Charles River.

"Dirty Water" is listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." The Inmates remade the song in the 1980's and reached #51. The Standells released five albums and four singles, with their next-best song being "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White", which peaked at #43.

Tamblyn's niece is Amber Tamblyn, star of the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

We've got great dance songs, great story songs, great melodies and more, all wrapped up in this Summer Spectacular in 2025. Join us tomorrow!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: The FIrst 400

2025-08-15T07:54:00.003-06:00

We've put together a handy checklist for you to make sure you catch all the songs. We'll expand the checklist to the full 500 when finished.

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part One

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part Two

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part Three

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part Four

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #500-491

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #490-481

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #480-471

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #470-461

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #460-451

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #440-431

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #430-421

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #420-411

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #410-401

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #400-391

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #390-381

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #380-371

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #370-361

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #360-351

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #350-341

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #330-321

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #320-311

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #310-301

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #300-291

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #290-281

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #280-271

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #270-261

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #260-251

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #250-241

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #240-231

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #230-221

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #220-211

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #210-201

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #200-191

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #190-181

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #180-171

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #170-161

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #150-141

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #130-121

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #120-111

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #110-101

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #80-71

2025-08-15T00:00:00.044-06:00

Here are 10 more artists who should have had at least one more hit...(Recommended to play at Maximum Volume)

Since hitting #1, this song has taken a life of its own, played repeatedly at sporting events by those with poor sportsmanship:

#80: Steam--"(Na Na Hey Hey) Kiss Him Goodbye"

Garrett DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer and Paul Leka were in a Bridgeport, Connecticut band called the Chateaus. The trio separated but kept in touch. Leka took a job as a songwriter with Circle Five Productions and produced the #1 song "Green Tambourine" for the Lemon Pipers. In 1969, Leka was working at Mercury Records and convinced the label to sign DeCarlo. DeCarlo recorded four singles and to fill up the B-side of the first single, DeCarlo and Leka were asked to record a throwaway flip side.

Frashuer stopped by and inspired Leka to find a song "Kiss Him Goodbye" the three had written in 1961 but never recorded. The trio recorded the song without any help from studio musicians. Leka used the drum track from one of DeCarlo's singles and played the keyboard himself. Since neither Leka or DeCarlo wanted to have their names on it, the song was attributed to a non-existent band named Steam.

What followed surprised everyone. A Georgia disc jockey flipped the single over and played ("Na Na Hey Hey) Kiss Him Goodbye" on the radio. Requests poured in and other stations soon picked it up. Soon, the song appeared on the Billboard chart, sparking further interest, and popularity snowballed. The single reached #1 for two weeks in 1969 and worldwide sales have now topped 6.5 million.

An album was recorded by studio musicians and released as Steam, but the "group" never released anything further.

We remember one of the greatest acts from Switzerland:

#79: Double--"Captain Of Her Heart"

Kurt Maloo (vocals and guitar) and Felix Haug (drums and keyboards) were in the trio Ping Pong when they formed Double (pronounced Doo-blay) in 1983 in Zurich, Switzerland. The duo enjoyed some success with singles and music festival dates around Europe.

In 1985, Double released their debut album Blue, which contained "The Captain of Her Heart". The single, also produced by Maloo and Haug, hit #3 in Italy, #4 in Canada, #8 in the U.K., and was a #4 Adult Contemporary hit in the United States (the dominant musical format) and #16 overall. Boz Scaggs is one of several artists to cover "The Captain Of Her Heart".

Double released the album Dou3le in 1987, which failed to emulate the success of their debut and the duo split shortly afterwards. Maloo released four solo albums before dying of a heart attack in 2004.

Other than that one hit in 1975, this group will be best known as the one that kick-started the career of Paul Carrack:

#78: Ace--"How Long"

The members of Ace were assembled from several other bands as Ace Flash and the Dynamos, but the name was quickly abbreviated to Ace. Lead singer and keyboardist Paul Carrack and Terry "Tex" Comer were in the band Warm Dust while lead guitarist Alan "Bam" King played with Mighty Baby. Drummer Steve Witherington and guitarist Phil Harris. Ace became popular on the pub rock circuit. Drummer Fran Byrne replaced Witherington on drums prior to recording.

Ace recorded their debut album Five-A-Side in 1975 and released the single "How Long". The song hit #3 in the United States and Canada and the Top 20 in the U.K. Ace moved to the United States and Jon Woodhead replaced Harris in 1976. The group released the album No Strings in 1977 before disbanding. "Rock & Roll Runaway" (#71) in 1975 was their next biggest song.

Carrack became one of The Top Vocalists of the Rock Era*, first joining Eric Clapton's band, then Roger Waters's the Bleeding Heart Band. He became the lead singer for Squeeze in the early 1980s and was the frontman for Mike + the Mechanics as well as achieving moderate success as a solo artist.

This group was all too happy to record a song originally written for the Temptations:

#77: Contours--"Do You Love Me"

In 1959, Joe Billingslea and Billy Gordon founded the group the Blenders in Detroit, Michigan. After adding Billy Hoggs, Leroy Fair and Hubert Johnson, the group changed their name to the Contours and in 1960, auditioned for Motown Records. Motown turned them down, but after a visit from Jackie Wilson (Johnson's cousin), the group signed a recording contract with Motown.

The Contours' single "Whole Lotta' Woman" did not chart in 1961 and Fair was replaced by Benny Reeves, brother of Martha Reeves. Reeves left to serve in the United States Navy and was replaced by Sylvester Potts. In 1961, the single "The Stretch" did not chart, so the next year, the Contours recorded "Do You Love Me", a song originally meant for the Temptations, that was written by Motown CEO Berry Gordy, Jr.

With Gordon singing lead, the song reached #1 on the R&B chart, was #2 overall in 1962 and sold over one million copies. The group reached the chart with "Can You Do It" (#41), "Shake Sherry" and "Can You Jerk Like Me", although they paled in comparison with their big hit. Despite several lineup changes and further recordings, the Contours could not match the magic of "Do You Love Me".

"Do You Love Me" was featured on the "Dirty Dancing" Soundtrack in 1987 and became a #11 hit 26 years after its initial release. The Hollies, the Dave Clark Five and the Tremeloes all recorded versions of the Contours hit.

Garage Rock at its finest:

#76: Knickerbockers--"Lies"

The Knickerbockers formed in 1962 in Bergenfield, New Jersey with brothers Beau (guitar) and John (bass) Charles. The two brothers were joined by an ever-changing group of musicians until 1964, when Buddy Randell (vocals and sax) joined the group. Randell was with the Royal Teens, who had the hit "Short Shorts" in 1958. Drummer Jimmy Walker completed the band.

Singer-songwriter Jerry Fuller spotted the group playing at the University Twist Palace and signed them to Challenge Records. For the first three years, the Knickerbockers worked hard without much to show for it. Finally in 1966, they released "Lies", which hit #20.

The follow-up single was "One Track Mind" might have been a hit, but Challenge couldn't handle the distribution, and the single peaked at #45. But the Knickerbockers continued to work hard, appearing in the movie Out of Sight and as regulars on Dick Clark's Where the Action Is on television.

The Knickerbockers were kept down by the problems of their label, and Walker left in 1967 and Randell soon after. The Charles brothers continued to record under the group's name, then forming the group Lodi in 1971.

This act gave us a worldwide smash in 1991:

#75: Shakespeare's Sister--"Stay"

Siobhan Fahey left Bananarama in 1988 and conceived Shakespeare's Sister as a solo project. Marcella Detroit joined her, initially as another songwriter, then as a member of the group. Shakespeare's Sister released their debut album Sacred Heart, which contained a Top 10 song in the U.K.--"You're History", but it was largely undiscovered by most of the world.

In 1991, the duo released Hormonally Yours. The second single from that album, was a worldwide smash, hitting #1 in the U.K. for eight weeks and #4 in the United States. Further singles from the album continued to do well in the U.K., but they didn't share worldwide mass success with "Stay".

Detroit left the group in 1993, leaving Fahey as the sole member of the project until 1996. The group has released five albums and 18 singles in their career.

Indeed one of the classical instrumentals of the Rock Era is next:

#74: Mason Williams--"Classical Gas"

Williams was born in Abilene, Texas, and graduated from Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mason went to Oklahoma City University and North Texas State University before serving in the United States Navy.

In 1968, Williams released the single "Classical Gas", which rose to #1, sold over one million copies and won three Grammy Awards (Best Instrumental Composition, Best Instrumental Performance and Best Instrumental Orchestra Arrangement. He also wrote "Cindarella Rockefella", a big hit in the U.K. for Esther and Abi Ofarim, and songs for the Kingston Trio. Mason's "Concert for Bluegrass Band And Orchestra", also titled "Symphonic Bluegrass", has been performed by over 40 symphonies.

Williams went on to record over a dozen albums, but never could match the success of "Classical Gas". The song has now been played over six million times on radio stations.

Williams was also a stand-up comedian. He wrote over 175 hours of music and comedy for network television programming and was a key force behind The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Williams created the 1968 political satire "Pat Paulsen for President" campaign. Williams won an Emmy Award in 1968 for his work as a comedy writer.

Williams also wrote material used on television for Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Dinah Shore, Roger Miller and Petula Clark. In 1980, Williams briefly worked as head writer for Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV.

This 1967 smash places this One-Hit Wonder at #72*:

#73: Blues Magoos--"(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet"

The group formed in The Bronx, New York in 1964 as the Trenchcoats. They played at various clubs in Greenwich Village and by 1966, the band changed its name to Bloos Magoos and then Blues Magoos. They were at the forefront of the psychedelic music trend sweeping popular culture.

They released two singles on Verve Records but did not get anywhere. Mercury Records then signed Blues Magoos to a contract and their debut album, Psychedelic Lollipop was released. The group toured the United States in 1967, opening for the Who and Herman's Hermits. "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" was released in 1967 and reached #5 in the United States. It was included in the movie Easy Rider in 1968.

The follow-up single, "There's a Chance We Can Make It" did not make the Top 40 and subsequent singles were ignored by most music fans. By 1968, after six albums, the group became discouraged and broke up.

We go back to the 90's for this next act:

#72: Verve Pipe --"The Freshmen"

Brian and Brad Vander Ark, Brian Stout and Donny Brown formed this group in East Lansing, Michigan in 1992. The Verve Pipe released their first album I've Suffered a Head Injury later that year. In 1993, A.J. Dunning replaced Stout on guitar and the group released the album Pop Smear, which led to a recording contract with RCA Records in 1995.

The Verve Pipe's first single on RCA was "Photograph", with "The Freshmen" next. There had been an acoustic version of the latter on their 1992 album, and the new version became their one and only hit, reaching #6. The group's self-titled album was released in 1999, but failed to continue the momentum.

The Verve Pipe released five albums and five singles in their career.

Legendary words put to music by this Canadian group:

#71: Original Caste--"One Tin Soldier"

Songwriter and guitarist Bruce Innes formed this group in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1966 under the name the North Country Singers. Innes, Graham Bruce and Bliss Mackie started out as a trio before Dixie Lee (Stone) Innes joined the band in 1967. In 1968, Peter Brown became the first drummer in the group.

The group changed their name to Original Caste and moved to Los Angeles. They recorded the single "I Can't Make It Anymore" for Dot Records but it got nowhere. In 1969, the band signed with TA Records, a division of Bell Records. Although the group wrote much of their own material, Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter wrote "One Tin Soldier" for the band's self-titled debut album.

"One Tin Soldier" was a big hit in their native Canada and reached #34 in the United States. The follow-up, "Mr. Monday", was a hit in Japan and Canada but success was limited there. The Original Caste toured in Canada, the United States and Japan and appeared on television shows. The opened for B.B. King and Glen Campbell in concert and recorded live albums in Japan, where they were very popular.

The members of the group broke up in 1972 after releasing two albums and seven singles, but Bruce and Dixie Innes continued to perform as the Original Caste for several years. A cover version of "One Tin Soldier" by Coven was featured on the "Billy Jack" Soundtrack in 1971.

Glad you're with us as we work our way up the rankings. Join us tomorrow, exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #90-81

2025-08-14T00:00:00.044-06:00

You may love some of these songs more than ones by established artists--that's how good they are.

This song hit #1 four years after the group had split up:

#90: Sheriff--"When I'm With You"

Vocalist Freddy Curci, guitarist Steve DeMarchi, keyboardist Arnold Lanni, bassist Wolf Hassel and drummer Rob Elliott formed the group Sheriff in 1979 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The group released their self-titled debut album in 1982, which featured a hit in Canada, "You Remind Me", as well as "When I'm with You".

The single reached #8 in Canada and #61 in the United States. Frustrated by their lack of success and internal tensions, the band split up in 1985, having never released another record.

Six years after "When I'm with You" had been a hit in Canada, disc jockeys in the United States began playing the song. When they reported strong listener response, Capitol Records re-released the song. Amazingly, Sheriff had a hit six years after its release and four years after they had broken up! It became a #1 song in both Canada and the United States. Curci continues to be listed in the Guinness Book of Records for holding the longest note in a popular song for the last note in "When I'm with You".

The success led Curci and DeMarchi to attempt to reunite Sheriff, but the other members were not interested. So, the pair hooked up with former members of Heart to form the group Alias, who enjoyed a #2 song with "More Than Words Can Say".

When this group came out, people didn't quite know what to make of them. We do--they are ranked #89 in The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*:

#89: Crazy World of Arthur Brown--"Fire"

In their prime, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown consisted of Brown on lead vocals, bassist Sean Nicholas Greenwood, keyboardist Vincent Crane, Carl Palmer and Jeff Cutler on drums and Dick Heninghem and Pete Solley on organ.

"Fire" was released as a single in 1968 and reached #1 in the United Kingdom and Canada and #2 in the U.S. "Fire" sold over one million copies.

The song has been covered several times by artists such as Pete Townshend, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and the Ventures.

It isn't just the song that is ranked, but the talent and level of musicianship of the artist, and this group scores high in the latter category:

#88: Malo--"Suavecito"

Guitarist Jorge Santana, Arcelio Garcia, Pablo Tellez and Richard Bean played in the group the Malibus while guitarist Abel Zarate, Roy Murray and Richard Spremich played in the band Naked Lunch. The seven musicians formed Malo in San Francisco.

Bean played timbales and wrote "Suavecito" as a poem for a girl in his high school algebra class. Malo recruited some of the top musicians in the Bay Area, including trumpet players Forrest Buchtel, Jr., Ron Smith, Paul C. Saenz, Luis Gasca and Tom Harrell.

Why Malo didn't have a smash hit with "Suavecito" (it peaked at #18) and why they didn't have further hits are both great mysteries. Following the release of their debut album, many of Malo's original members left. Buchtel went on to play with Blood, Sweat and Tears while Harrell became one of the top lyrical trumpet soloists of all-time.

Malo released eight studio albums and seven singles.

These talented artists gave us plenty to think about with this one:

#87: Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians--"What I Am"

Brickell graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas. While attending Southern Methodist University, Brickell joined the local Folk Rock group the New Bohemians as their lead singer.

When the group signed a recording contract, they changed their name to Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians. In 1988, the band recorded the highly underrated album Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars. The song "What I Am" was one of many worthy tracks on the album, but became the group's only hit. It was co-written by Brickell and Kenny Withrow of the group and peaked at #1 in Canada, #7 in the United States and #31 in the U.K. Brickell played a Folk singer in the 1989 movie Born on the Fourth of July. The group's follow-up album Ghost of a Dog in 1990 did not fare as well.

Brickell married Paul Simon in 1992. She released two solo albums and in 2008, released an album as part of the group the Heavy Circles that included Sean Lennon.

We're saluting the top artists of the Rock Era who enjoyed one big hit, and we're up to #85:

#86: Crow--"Evil Woman Don't Play Your Games With Me"

Crow formed in 1967 with lead singer David Wagner, guitarist Dick Wiegand, Larry Wiegand on bass, keyboardist Kink Middlemist and drummer Harry Nehls forming as South 40. The group used the name until "Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me)" was recorded, when Denny Craswell replaced Nehls. Crow signed a recording contract with Amaret Records.

Crow wrote their one hit that appeared on their debut album album Crow Music in 1969. The single hit #19 and Black Sabbath covered it their next year. Crow then recorded the albums Crow and Mosaic in successive years, but those albums didn't contain songs of the caliber of "Evil Woman".

Crow longed to record for Elektra Records, but Amaret would not release them from their contract and the group disbanded in 1972. Crow reformed in 1980 with a different lineup and recorded one album. All told, the group released five albums and nine singles in their career.

One of the big hits from 1971 is next:

#85: Undisputed Truth--"Smiling Faces Sometimes"

The Undisputed Truth shared many singles with the Temptations, for whom they shared producer Norman Whitfield. Among them: "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone", which the Undisputed Truth took to #63.

"Smiling Faces Sometimes", in fact, was originally recorded by the Temps, but in this case, the Undisputed Truth had the bigger hit, with "Smiling Faces" hitting #3 in 1971. Lead and backing vocals were handled by Joe Harris, Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce. Rare Earth and Joan Osbourne are among the artists to cover the song.

When Whitfield left Motown to set up his own record company in 1975, the Undisputed Truth followed him. But they had little success, and faded from view after two more albums. They did receive some R&B airplay and hit #43 in the U.K. with "You + Me = Love". In all, the Undisputed Truth recorded eight albums and 15 singles.

This artist once took over as one of the primary songwriters for the Supremes:

#84: R. Dean Taylor--"Indiana Wants Me"

Taylor, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was hired by Motown Records in 1964 as a songwriter and recording artist. He released his debut single "Let's Go Somewhere" in 1965. The song was written by Taylor and Brian Holland and produced by Holland and Dozier, fresh off five #1 songs by the Supremes.

Taylor wrote "All I Need" for the Temptations and "I'll Turn To Stone" for the Four Tops. In 1968, Taylor's "Gotta' See Jane" became a Top 20 hit, but only in the U.K. After the famous team of Holland/Dozier/Holland left Motown, Taylor became part of the prime creative team for Diana Ross & the Supremes. Taylor co-wrote "Love Child" and "I'm Livin' In Shame" for the supergroup.

Taylor became one of the first artists to be assigned to Motown's new subsidiary Rare Earth Records. His first single on that label was "Indiana Wants Me", which reached #1 in his native Canada, became #2 in the #2 and hit #5 in the United States. Taylor appeared on American Bandstand to promote the song.

"Gotta' See Jane" was re-released, and peaked at #2 in the U.K. but was not a worldwide hit. Taylor released three albums and 34 singles in his career. "Ain't It A Sad Thing" at #66 was the best R. Dean could do after a big hit. But Taylor is recognized as a very successful songwriter. In addition to the above mentioned songs, he also wrote for Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Marvelettes, Jackie DeShannon, Golden Earring and Brenda Holloway.

Sweden produced this entry in our special at #82:

#83: Cardigans--"Lovefool"

Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson formed this group in October of 1992 in Jonkoping, Sweden with lead singer Nina Persson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg and keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson. The group began living together in a small apartment and recorded a demo tape.

Ola Hermanson heard the demo and signed the Cardigans to Trampolene Records. In 1994, the group released their debut album Emmerdale, which was re-released internationally in 1997. The album contained the single "Rise & Shine". Emmerdale attracted a loyal base of fans in Sweden.

The Cardigans toured Europe, then recorded the album Life in 1995, which sold over one million copies worldwide. Still, most people around the world had not heard of the Cardigans, but it did get the group the exposure they needed to sign a major recording contract with Mercury Records.

Armed with the Mercury deal, the Cardigans released the album First Band on the Moon in 1996. "Lovefool", written by Svensson and Persson, was a worldwide hit (#2 in the U.K., #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart and #1 in New Zealand), leading the album to Platinum status in just three weeks in Japan. The song was featured in the movie Romeo + Juliet, which gave it great exposure, as did videos on MTV, which used to stand for Music Television.

Yet despite six albums and 17 singles, the Cardigans could never match "Lovefool" with mass audiences. They did find success in the U.K., their native Sweden and Australia, and "My Favorite Game" reached #16 among the much smaller Alternative Rock audience.

One of the biggest worldwide hits of the 90's gave this group their only hit:

#82: 4 Non Blondes--"What's Up"

Bassist Christa Hillhouse and guitarist Shaunna Hall, who were roommates, met drummer Wanda Day when they joined a group Day was already a part of. Soon the three left that band and began playing as a three-piece. Lead singer Linda Perry was invited to join the group shortly afterwards and the group became 4 Non Blondes.

The band signed with Interscope Records in 1991 after 4 Non Blondes opened for Primus. As they prepared for their debut album, Day was fired and Richardson replaced her. Producer David Tickle also didn't feel Hall's guitar playing was what the group needed and she was fired as well. Other guitarists such as Cara Crash and Louis Metoyer were brought in to finish the album. Roger Rocha eventually joined after the album was completed and stayed with the group until 1994.

The album was called Bigger, Better, Faster, More! "What's Up?", a song written by Perry, was released as the album's second single. It was a worldwide smash, hitting #1 in Austria, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland and Sweden, #2 in the U.K. and Australia and reaching #14 and selling over one million copies in the United States. "What's Up?" was the #1 song of the year in Austria and the Netherlands.

Despite the huge success, 4 Non Blondes broke up after just one album.

Perry went on to begin two record labels and has become a major songwriter and producer. She has written and produced for several artists, including Pink ("Get the Party Started"), Christina Aguilera ("Beautiful") and Gwen Stefani "What You Waiting For?"). Perry won two ASCAP Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year for "Beautiful". Perry also discovered and signed James Blunt to a recording contract and worked with Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, Cheap Trick, Faith Hill, Jewel, Melissa Etheridge, Enrique Iglesias, Vanessa Carlton and Joan Osbourne, among others.

Here we have a rock band that played this disco song and others only with reluctance:

#81: Wild Cherry--"Play That Funky Music"

Rob Parissi (lead vocals and guitar) formed the band Wild Cherry in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio. The original lineup included Ben Difabbio (drums), Louie Osso (guitar, lead and background vocals), bassist Larry Brown and keyboardist Larry Mader. Wild Cherry played clubs in the Ohio Valley region, West Virginia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Parissi's cousin, Coogie Stoddart (guitar) and bassists Joe Buchmelter and Buckie Lusk joined later, replacing Osso, Brown and Mader. Wild Cherry released several songs in the early 1970's, including "You Can Be High (But Lay Low)" and "Something Special On Your Mind". The group signed a recording contract with Brown Bag Records and released several more singles.

But Parissi became disillusioned and left the music business to become the manager of a local steakhouse, only to realize he wanted to give the band one more try. Parissi re-formed the band with Bryan Bassett (guitar), drummer Ron Beitle and bassist Allen Wentz.

The new quartet performed at a feverish pace and built a devoted following in the Pittsburgh area. Their fans wanted them to play disco music, with one specific table of fans coming up to tease the group by asking "Are you gonna' play some funky music?".

One night between sets, Beitle said the phrase "Play That Funky Music, White Boy". Parissi was inspired to write a song around the phrase on a drink order pad. It took a total of five minutes to write. When the group went into the studio to record the song, engineer Ken Hamann was so impressed he brought the band to the attention of Epic subsidiary Sweet City Records, who immediately signed the band.

Keyboardist Mark Avsec, who was hired to play on two of the album's tracks, was asked to become a permanent member of the band on tour. "Play That Funky Music" became a #1 smash for three weeks and a Platinum single. Billboard named Wild Cherry Best Pop Group of the Year. The group also won an American Music Award for Top R&B Single of the Year, and they also were nominated for Grammys for Best New Vocal Group and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo.

Wild Cherry released four albums and 11 singles, but "Baby Don't You Know" at #43 in 1977 was the next-best they could do.

Inside The Rock Era has all the great One-Hit Wonders. Join us tomorrow!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #100-91

2025-08-13T00:00:00.038-06:00

If you've been waiting for The Top 100*, you've missed a lot of great artists and songs! Plus, this is a subjective ranking, so you missed the point--just enjoy the music, and realize how great these "One-Hit Wonders" are...

This singer-songwriter turned down an offer to join the Mamas & Papas, then wrote what would become the anthem for a generation:

#100: San Francisco--Scott McKenzie

Philip Blondheim was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but grew up in North Carolina and Virginia, where he became friends with John Phillips. In the mid-1950's, Blondheim sang in a group known as the Singing Strings, then later in a doo wop band the Abstracts. The Abstracts became the Smoothies and recorded two singles with Decca Records. It was during this time that Blondheim changed his stage name to Scott McKenzie.

In 1961, Phillips and McKenzie met Dick Weissman and formed the folk group, the Journeymen. That act recorded three albums and seven singles for Capitol Records. The Journeymen split in 1964, with Phillips forming the group the Mamas & the Papas. McKenzie had declined an offer to join the Mamas & Papas, but instead set out on a solo career.

Scott signed a recording contract with Ode Records. Phillips wrote, played guitar and co-produced a song he had written for McKenzie called "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)". Esteemed session musicians Joe Osborn on bass and drummer Hal Blaine also played on the song, which was released in 1967. The song became a smash for McKenzie, reaching #1 in the U.K. and several other countries and #4 in the United States. It went on to become an anthem for a generation and has now sold over seven million copies.

McKenzie's follow-up, "Like An Old Time Movie", was a minor hit. He recorded his debut album, The Voice of Scott McKenzie. In 1968, he wrote "Hey! What About Me" that helped launch the career of Anne Murray. McKenzie released his only other album, Stained Glass Morning, in 1970.

In 1986, McKenzie began singing with a new version of the Mamas & the Papas and in 1988, co-wrote "Kokomo", the first #1 hit for the Beach Boys in 22 years. Despite recording the great song "San Francisco", McKenzie never did reach the Top 40 again.

This rock standard gave our next artist his only hit:

#99: Rock On--David Essex

Essex took his name from his birthplace of Plaistow, which was in Essex, England at the time. David went to Shipman County Secondary School and dreamed of being a professional football (soccer) player. But he also loved music, and played drums in a local band.

Essex recorded his first single "And the Tears Came Tumblin' Down" on Fontana Records in 1963, and then toured under the name David Essex and the Mood Indigo. He got his first break in the entertainment business when he earned the lead role in the stage musical Godspell in 1971. In 1973, he starred in the movie That'll Be The Day, then recorded his only worldwide hit, "Rock On".

"Rock On", which David wrote, hit #5 in the United States but was a bigger hit than that for the stations who played it. The song landed at #1 in Canada. Def Leppard, the Smashing Pumpkins and Toni Basil are among the artists who have remade the song.

Essex's single "Lamplight" was a Top 10 hit in the U.K. but airplay was not universal; it only reached #71 in the United States. He tasted bigger success in his native country with "Gonna' Make You A Star" and "Hold Me Close", but once again, worldwide airplay was limited. Overall, Essex released 28 albums and 31 singles, an incredible output for an artist who was only able to achieve one major worldwide hit.

It's shocking that this artist could come up with one of the biggest hits of 1986 and not be bigger stars:

#98: Shattered Dreams--Johnny Hates Jazz

Clark Datchler (vocals, keyboards and guitar), Mike Nocito (bass and guitar) and Calvin Hayes (keyboards and drums) met in the early 1980's while working on various projects at RAK Studios in London. Datchler was the lead singer of Hot Club, a group that Hayes founded while Nocito had worked with the Police, Pink Floyd, Duran Duran and the Cure as a recording engineer. The trio formed Johnny Hates Jazz in 1986.

Johnny Hates Jazz released their first single "Me And My Foolish Heart". It flopped, but Datchler wrote "Shattered Dreams" and the group performed it at Ronnie Scott's famous Jazz club in London. Their performance earned them a recording contract with Virgin Records. Johnny Hates Jazz released "Shattered Dreams" as a single, and it was a worldwide smash, hitting #2 overall and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States, # 2 in Japan and was a Top 5 song in the U.K. and Australia. The song was one of the biggest hits of 1986 and one of The Top #2 Songs of the Rock Era*.

In 1987, the group released the single "I Don't Want To Be A Hero", which reached #11 in the U.K. but only #31 in the United States. "Turn Back The Clock", with Kim Wilde singing background vocals, was #12 in the U.K. and reached #5 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States but only #31 overall.

Johnny Hates Jazz released the album Turn Back the Clock, helped tremendously by "Shattered Dreams". The song was played over three million times in the United States.

The group released two albums and nine singles, but could never capitalize on their huge hit.

When she burst onto the scene, she looked like a superstar, but she would have just one big crossover:

#97: Rose Garden--Lynn Anderson

Anderson was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota but her family soon moved to Fair Oaks, California. She became interested in music at age six, but she was racking up huge successes in the horse show arenas, where she eventually won over 700 trophies.

In 1965, Anderson accompanied her mother, who had just signed a recording contract with RCA Victor, to Nashville, Tennessee. Lynn joined in an informal sing-along at a local hotel room with Merle Haggard and Freddie Hart. Slim Williamson, owner of Chart Records, was in the room and recognized Anderson's singing ability, which led to Anderson signing a recording contract at age 19.

Anderson debuted in 1966 with the single "For Better Or For Worse", which did not chart. "Ride, Ride, Ride" became her first single to chart at all, and that was just on the Country chart. She scored some Top 10 Country hits, but still wasn't known outside that small but loyal group. In 1967, Anderson performed regularly on The Lawrence Welk Show. She signed with Columbia Records in 1970.

Anderson recorded "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden", written by Joe South, but something was different this time. Famous record executive Clive Davis heard it and believed this one could become a Popular hit, so the song was released as a single worldwide. "Rose Garden" became huge, hitting #1 in Germany for four weeks, #1 in Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland and Norway and reaching #3 in both the United States and the U.K. "Rose Garden" won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and helped the album of the same name go Platinum.

Numerous artists, including Glen Campbell, Andy Williams, Loretta Lynn, Ray Conniff, Martina McBride, Percy Faith, k.d. Lang, Dottie West, Jim Nabors and Dinah Shore, have recorded the song since. "Rose Garden" remains one of the biggest Country crossover hits of all-time and ranked #83 on Country Music Television's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music*.

In 1971, Anderson released "You're My Man" and "How Can I Unlove You", but neither song could get past #63. She continued to have success on the segmented country chart with three Top 5 hits there, and "Cry" made it to #16 on the Easy Listening chart. Although most people had only heard "Rose Garden", Anderson did win the American Music Award for Favorite Female Country Artist.

Lynn was the first female Country artist to headline and sell out Madison Square Garden, playing before a packed house in 1974.

Anderson was one of the most popular female Country singers of the 1970's, but despite 34 albums and 62 singles, she could never translate that popularity into mass appeal success after "Rose Garden".

This late singer with the great voice may have only had one solo hit, but she sang backup for some pretty big stars:

#96: Lovin' You--Minnie Riperton

Riperton grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and studied music, drama and dance at the Lincoln Center. She was taught there to use her full vocal range, which eventually became five-and-a-half octaves. Minnie graduated from Hyde Park High School, now Hyde Park Career Academy. She was the lead singer in the Chicago-based girl group the Gems as a teenager.

Soon, Minnie was singing backup at Chess Records for artists such as Chuck Berry, Etta James, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Ramsey Lewis and Fontella Bass (on "Rescue Me"). Riperton also sang lead for the group Rotary Connection from 1967-1971, which released five albums.

Riperton released her solo debut album Come to My Garden in 1970. Three years later, Steve Slutzah of Epic Records found Riperton in semi-retirement. After hearing a demo from her, Slutzah took the song to his label and helped sign Riperton to a recording contract.

In 1975, Riperton recorded the album Perfect Angel, co-produced by Stevie Wonder. Sales of the album were slow despite three single releases. "Lovin' You" was released as a fourth single, and it went all the way to #1 in the United States and 24 other countries, was #2 in the U.K, and sold over one million copies.

Riperton recorded the album Adventures in Paradise later in the year. "Inside My Love" was a Top 5 hit on R&B stations but wasn't a Popular hit (#76). She then released the album Stay in Love and sang backup for Wonder on his classic album Songs in the Key of Life.

Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976. She continued performing and became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. In 1978, she received the Cancer Society's Courage Award, presented to her at the White House by U.S. president Jimmy Carter. Riperton died on July 12, 1979 at the age of 31 after releasing six albums and 14 singles.

This group scored their one and only hit after they were dropped from Capitol Records:

#95: The Middle--Jimmy Eat World

Lead singer and guitarist Jim Adkins and drummer Zach Lind, who had been friends since preschool, joined with guitarist Tom Linton and bass player Mitch Porter to form Jimmy Eat World in Mesa, Arizona in 1993. The group released their demo tape and signed with an independent company. In 1994, they released the EP One, Two, Three Four in 1994.

Jimmy Eat World released their self-titled debut album in 1994 with Linton handling most of the lead vocals. The group began attracting attention in the indie underground, which led to a major recording contract with Capitol Records. Prior to recording their first major album, Rick Burch replaced Porter on bass. "Rockstar" from their 1996 album Static Prevails

was their first single release.

The group's 1999 album Clarity, which contained the single "Lucky Denver Mint", gained a following. However, Capitol dropped the group and Jimmy Eat World had to self-finance their next album, Bleed American, in 2001. The album became their breakthrough, as four singles became hits on the Modern Rock chart. "The Middle" hit #1 in that genre and reached #5 overall, helping Bleed American go Platinum.

Jimmy Eat World followed that album up with Futures, which featured "Pain", another #1 Modern Rock song. But "Pain" paled by comparison to "The Middle" overall, only reaching #93. Although the album Chase This Light in 2007 helped the group continue their Modern Rock success, they would never again come up with another worldwide hit.

Jimmy Eat World released eight albums and 16 singles in their career, with "Sweetness" in 2002 being their next-biggest song.

This group recorded a song in 1972 that became their big hit as well as the standard for future love songs:

#94: Precious And Few--Climax

When the 1960's group the Outsiders split up, this band was formed in 1970 by lead singer Sonny Geraci, songwriter and guitarist Walter Nims, keyboardist and songwriter Nick D'Amico and drummer Jon Jon Guttman. The group released their first singles under the Outsiders name, but changed their name to Climax after legal action was threatened.

The first album released following the name change was Climax Featuring Sonny Geraci. "Precious And Few", which was originally recorded in 1970, was stored in the archives of Bell Records for two years before an executive at Bell heard it on a Santa Barbara, California radio station. Bell subsidiary Carousel Records released the song in Hawai'i as a test market. After more tests in Buffalo, New York and Boston, Massachusetts in 1972, the song took off and "Precious And Few" made it all the way to #3 and sold over one million copies.

Climax released "Life And Breath" as the follow-up, but only reached #52 with it. Bell did not have a powerful marketing arm and this hurt the song. Further, Bell did not release Climax's debut album while "Precious And Few" was hot, failing to capitalize on the moment. Of note, Climax was the first group to record "Rock And Roll Heaven", a song co-written by new keyboardist Johnny Stevenson that later became a comeback hit for the Righteous Brothers.

Climax released seven other singles before breaking up.

The woman with the amazing voice is at #93:

#93: And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going--Jennifer Holliday

Jennifer was born in Riverside, Texas, and began her career at age 19, when she earned a part the same day she auditioned for the Broadway production of Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. Two years later, Holliday landed the role she would become famous in, that of Effie Melody White in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls.

Holliday's performance in Dreamgirls was widely acclaimed, especially her show-stopping performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going". Jennifer became famous for the song, which reached #22 in the United States and #1 on the R&B chart, and she won the Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance, Rhythm and Blues.

Holliday won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical and remained with the musical for four years. She then toured in the musical Sing, Mahalia, Sing in 1985.

Holliday continued to record, and had success on the R&B chart, but amazingly, the success in that genre didn't carry over to mainstream success. She did, however, lend her amazing vocals to Foreigner's #1 song "I Want To Know What Love Is" in 1985. Holliday sang gospel songs, including those the 1995 album On & On. In 2011, she released the Christian CD Goodness and Mercy.

Holliday has also appeared on television, including performances on Touched by an Angel and Ally McBeal.

Jennifer received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music. She has released seven albums and 14 singles in her career.

#92: Bad Day--Daniel Powter

Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Powter grew up in Coldstsream, outside of Vernon, in British Columbia. He was with a group in Victoria, BC that recorded a CD and Powter played keyboards on The Chris Isaak Show. Daniel wrote this monster hit in 2001 and recorded it in 2002 but, as is typical of corporate record labels, couldn't find a company that wanted to release it. (Nearly all of them have very bad ears!) Finally, someone at Warner Brothers Records was good at their job and signed Powter to a recording contract and the song was released in 2005.

By the time it's run was finished, "Bad Day", the song only one record label thought was good enough, was a Top Five song in 10 countries, including #1 on both the Adult contemporary and Popular charts in the U.S. and #1 in Ireland, had sold over six million copies and finished as the #1 song of the year. "Bad Day" was nominated for Male Pop Vocal Performance of the Year at the Grammy Awards and won Billboard Music Awards for Hot 100 Song of the Year and Digital Song of the Year.

Powter recorded three more albums and 16 singles, and although he did enjoy further success in his native Canada and some in Europe and Asia, he never enjoyed another worldwide Top 40 hit again.

This veteran musician landed a big solo hit in 1970:

#91: I Hear You Knockin'--Dave Edmunds

Edmunds hails from Cardiff, Glamorgan, South Wales. He played in the piano duo the Edmunds Brothers Duo with older brother Geoff. The two then joined the Stompers, which later was known as the Heartbeats. Dave and Geoff then joined the 99'ers. Edmunds was the leader of the Raiders of 1961, not the Paul Revere & the Raiders from Boise, Idaho that became superstars.

Edmunds recorded with the Image in 1965 and 1966 before forming the short-lived Human Beans. That group evolved into the band Love Sculpture, which scored a Top 5 hit in England--"Sabre Dance".

In 1970, Edmunds released the solo single "I Hear You Knocking" on MAM Records. The song reached #1 in the U.K., #3 in Australia and #4 in the United States and Australia and sold over three million copies.

Edmunds appeared in the film Stardust, then began producing for other artists, working with Brinsley Schwarz among others. He worked well into the night at Rockfield Studios near Rockfield, Monmouth.

The work with Brinsley Schwarz led to a collaboration with Nick Lowe and they formed the group Rockpile. Edmunds had hits in the U.K. with songs such as "Girl's Talk", but those never became worldwide hits.

Edmunds worked with Paul McCartney, the Stray Cats, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Status Quo during the 1980's. In 1983, Edmunds collaborated with Jeff Lynne on two songs--one of which, "Slipping Away", reached #39 in the United States. "Slipping Away" became his only other hit in the western part of the world.

Edmunds joined Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band for tours in 1992 and 2000. Edmunds released 12 albums and 25 singles in his career.

We don't do these type of productions that often; that's what makes them "special". We have just three days remaining, so be sure to catch up on any installments you've missed.

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #110-101

2025-08-12T00:00:00.043-06:00

These 10 artists will take us up to The Top 100, which begins tomorrow. First, let's enjoy these!

This act just barely made the One-Hit Wonders:

#110: Ozark Mountain Daredevils--"Jackie Blue"

This group formed in Springfield, Missouri in 1972. The Ozarks sent a demo tape to Paul Peterson and Stan Plesser, who managed another Missouri act--Brewer and Shipley. Peterson and Plesser liked what they heard and agreed to manage the Ozarks as well.

The demo tape found its way to A&M Records, and in 1973, the group signed a recording contract. Their debut album yielded "If You Wanna' Get To Heaven", which peaked at #25. You recall in the ground rules for this special that a one-hit wonder can only have one Top 20 hit and a maximum of two Top 40 hits. The Ozarks just made that criteria on both counts.

Drummer Larry Lee wrote this for the group's album It'll Shine When It Shines, though in the beginning, it was in very raw form. Lee sang the song for the band as "Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh Jackie Blue/He was dada, and dada doo/He did this, he did that/He went there, he went there. Despite being in rough form, the group performed it as is at live shows before recording most of the album in the barn at Ruedi Valley Ranch near Bolivar, Missouri.

"Jackie Blue" soared to #2 in Canada and #3 in the U.S. in 1975.

The group has released six more albums, including one as recent as 2018. No other song has come close to the Top 40 besides the #3 "Jackie Blue" and the #25 "If You Wanna' Get To Heaven".

This artist opened for artists as diverse as B.B. King and the Allman Brothers:

#109: Jonathan Edwards--"Sunshine"

Edwards began his career in high school, putting a band together, writing songs and learning all the contemporary folk songs of the time. He studied art at Ohio University, but left to pursue music in Boston, Massachusetts. His band played all over New England under various names, including the Headstone Circus, St. James Doorknob and the Finite Minds. They recorded an album for Metromedia Records as Sugar Creek.

Soon, Edwards began opening for B.B. King and the Allman Brothers, and he signed a recording contract with Capricorn Records. After a year spent recording his self-titled debut album, the engineer accidentally erased the song "Please Find Me". The engineer was fired and the war protest song "Sunshine" was put in its place.

"Sunshine" was released as the single and it rose to #4 and sold over one million copies. Other artists, such as Juice Newton, Susanna Hoffs and the Isley Brothers, have recorded their versions.

Edwards released 10 albums in his career, but his initial time of songwriting inspiration resulted in his only hit.

#108: Sixpence None the Richer--"Kiss Me"

This act formed in New Braunfels, Texas, getting their name from a passage in the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which points out that children buying gifts for their parents with the parents' money means the parents are "none the richer" monetarily. Sixpence None the Richer was staying in a Dutch hotel when this smash was written. Lead singer Leigh Nash said the group had been in their rooms for about an hour when Matt Slocum called to tell her he had written a new song.

"Kiss Me" jumped to #2 and finished 1999 as the #6-selling song of the year in the U.S., #1 in Canada and Australia and the Top 10 in 16 countries.

This is another song recognized by the Grammy Awards, as you might expect higher-ranked songs to be. Sixpence None the Richer was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and won the award for Best Gospel Rock Album.

The group did reach #32 with "There She Goes", but no other Top 20 hits besides "Kiss Me".

One of the elite guitarists of the Rock Era comes in next:

#107: Rick Derringer--"Rock & Roll, Hoochie Koo"

When he was seventeen, Derringer started the group the McCoys. The band changed its name to The Rick Z Combo and then Rick and the Raiders before going back to the original name of the McCoys. The McCoys recorded "Hang On Sloopy", which was the #1 song in the U.S. until "Yesterday" by the Beatles topped it. The McCoys opened for the Rolling Stones for their entire 1966 American Tour. Derringer adopted his stage name from the Bang Records logo which featured a derringer pistol.

After leaving the McCoys, Derringer ventured into blues rock, hitting #23 with "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" in 1974. Derringer also played and recorded with the Edgar Winter Group and Johnny Winter's band and recorded on several songs for Steely Dan, Alice Cooper and Todd Rundgren.

Derringer opened for Led Zeppelin on their final American tour in 1979. In the 1980's, Derringer produced for "Weird Al" Yankovic and played guitar and mandolin on the track "Eat It" and played guitar for Silver Condor. In 1983, Derringer played on the Kiss album Lick It Up.

Derringer released 18 albums in his career.

This artist recorded a #1 song that reflected the spiritual awakening of a generation:

#106: Norman Greenbaum--"Spirit In The Sky"

Greenbaum performed in several high school bands before he studied music at Boston University. He performed at local coffeehouses in Boston, then moved to Los Angeles in 1965.

Greenbaum wrote and recorded "Spirit In The Sky" in 1969 and it reached #1 and sold two million copies. Norman recorded four albums in his career but "Spirit In The Sky" was his one breakthrough.

Up next, the artist who recorded a song so popular that countless artists have covered it:

#105: Bobby Hebb--"Sunny"

Robert Von Hebb and his brother Harold performed as a song-and-dance team in Nashville, Tennessee when Bobby was three. Bobby performed on a television show hosted by producer Owen Bradley, which earned him a job in Roy Acuff's band.

Hebb played with Johnny Bragg and the Marigolds, sang backup for Bo Diddley and replaced Mickey Baker in another One-Hit Wonder, Mickey and Sylvia. After his father was killed in 1963, Hebb turned to songwriting.

Bobby recorded "Sunny" and sent demos to producer Jerry Ross. The song was released as a single and reached #2 in the United States and #12 in the U.K. and sold over one million copies. Hebb toured with the Beatles in 1966 to promote his song.

Many of the greatest, including Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington, the Four Seasons, the Four Tops, Cher, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Rivers, Dusty Springfield, the Classics IV and Wilson Pickett, have all recorded "Sunny".

Hebb's next-best song was "A Satisfied Mind" in 1966 (#39). He wrote many other songs, including "A Natural Man" for Lou Rawls.

We're up to the artist who gave us one of The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 70's*:

#104: Jean Knight--"Mr. Big Stuff"

After graduating from high school, Jean Caliste began singing at the bar Laura's Place. In 1965, she recorded a demo of the Jackie Wilson song "Stop Doggin' Me Around". Huey Meaux liked what he heard, and signed Jean to a recording contract at Jet Star/Tribe Records.

Caliste changed her stage name to Jean Knight and recorded four singles which attracted only local attention. As he singing career was not taking off, she went to work at a cafeteria in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In 1970, songwriter Ralph Williams discovered Knight and asked her to record some songs. Through the help of producer Wardell Quezergue, Knight recorded several songs, including "Mr. Big Stuff". But the big national labels all rejected the song.

Stax Records, however, saw the potential and released the single, and it was a smash, hitting #2 overall and #1 on the R&B chart. The song sold over two million copies and earned Knight a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female.

Knight recorded an album which did well, but disagreements with her producer and label terminated her contract with Stax. Jean released four albums and six singles, with her next-best song being "My Toot Toot" at #50.

This successful songwriter kept one for himself in 1974:

#103: Dave Loggins--"Please Come To Boston"

Loggins, a cousin of superstar Kenny Loggins, is best remembered as a successful songwriter. He notably wrote "Pieces Of April" for Three Dog Night, a huge hit in 1973, and wrote the Kenny Rogers hit "Morning Desire". He has also written songs for Alabama, Reba McEntire, Restless Heart and Don Williams.

But he landed the Top 5 song "Please Come To Boston" in 1974, which also reached #1 on the Easy Listening chart. Dave was able to have a #1 country song with Anne Murray in 1984 with "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do", but could never duplicate his solo success with a mass appeal audience. Loggins did write the theme song "Augusta" that is used on broadcasts of The Masters Golf Tournament.

Here's one of the New Wave acts that helped revitalize rock and roll in the 1980's:

#102: Soft Cell--"Tainted Love"

Soft Cell consisted of lead singer Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball, who met at Leeds Polytechnic School in England and began the group in 1978. The duo recorded the EP Mutant Moments, which generated interest from and ultimately resulted in a recording contract with Some Bizzare Records.

Soft Cell released "Memorabilia" as their first single, but when it flopped, they were given one last chance. They decided to record a remake of "Tainted Love", a 1964 soul song by Gloria Jones (the girlfriend of T. Rex's Marc Bolan at the time of his death).

"Tainted Love" hit #1 in 17 countries and reached #8 in the United States. At the time, it set the Rock Era record for the most consecutive weeks (43) on the chart.

The duo enjoyed five Top 10 hits in their native England and some success in Ireland, but could never match their worldwide appeal gained with "Tainted Love". They broke up in 1984 after releasing five albums and 18 singles.

An opportunity to sing with Whitney Houston opened doors for this next artist, and he soon had a #1 song himself:

#101: Gregory Abbott--"Shake You Down"

In his early years, Abbott began singing and playing the piano. He studied psychology at the University of California and creative writing at Stanford. He began session work in the recording studio; one of his first opportunities was a duet with Whitney Houston on an independent label. Abbott then produced the group EQ on Atlantic Records.

"Shake You Down" was the first single and title track from Gregory's debut album in 1986. It reached #1 in the United States and #6 in the U.K. and sold over two million copies.

"I Got The Feeling" at #56 was the next-best that Abbott could do. He was able to win first prize at the Tokyo Music Festival and he performed with Princess Stephanie of Monaco in Belgium. Abbott released 7 albums and 15 singles in his career.

Again, the last few days should show the reason why 500 was the number chosen for this special, rather than 100. With 100, you would have missed all the songs of the last 40 days! But 100 is the number we are down to, and you'll hear those beginning tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #120-111

2025-08-11T00:00:00.054-06:00

The artists keep getting better with each passing day. Let's see what today has in store for us.

We go down under for our next act:

#120: Easybeats--"Friday On My Mind"

This group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1964 at the Villawood Migrant Hostel (now the Villawood Detention Centre). All five founding members were from families who had migrated to Australia: lead singer Steve Wright, drummer Gordon Fleet, rhythm guitarist George Young, lead guitarist Harry Vanda and bassist Dick Diamonde. The group were inspired by the British Invasion, led by the Beatles, and the Easybeats quickly became one of the most popular bands in the city.

The group signed a production contract with Albert Productions, and then signed a recording contract with Parlophone Records. By 1965, the Easybeats were the most popular band in Australia, and their concerts were marked with fan hysteria. The Easybeats released several songs, all written by Young and Wright, that became hits in Australia, including "She's So Fine", "Women (Make You Feel Alright)", Come And See Her" and "I'll Make You Happy", all #1 songs in that country.

But popularity of the group was confined Down Under, until manager Mike Vaughan flew to New York City and secured a recording contract with United Artists Records. The Easybeats relocated to London in 1966 and recorded several songs at Abbey Road Studios. Since UA did not like any of the recordings, they enlisted the help of producer Shel Talmy, who had produced for the Who and the Kinks.

One of the tracks recorded with Talmy, "Friday On My Mind", was released as a single. It reached #1 in Australia, #6 in the U.K. and #16 in the United States, was a Top 10 song in Germany, Holland, France and Italy and sold over one million copies.

The Easybeats toured Europe and the United States with the Rolling Stones, but Fleet left the band. Tony Cahill replaced him, and the group released the singles "Good Times" and "Falling Off The Edge Of The World", which were minor hits. A follow-up album was recorded but never released because of financial and contractual problems.

In 1968, the Easybeats split up due to drugs and the independence of the Vanda-Young songwriting team. Vanda and Young returned to Australia, where they wrote and produced hits for John Paul Young including "Love Is In The Air". They then produced the first six albums for AC/DC, which featured George's younger brothers Angus and Malcolm Young.

The Easybeats released seven albums in their career, with "Friday On My Mind" being their only major success.

When this artist began, she was hailed as 'the next big superstar"...

#119: Rickie Lee Jones--"Chuck E's In Love"

Jones was born in Chicago, Illinois; her family moved to Arizona in 1959 and then to Olympia, Washington. Rickie Lee moved to Venice, California and studied music and anthropology at Santa Monica College. At age 21, Jones began playing in clubs in Venice. When Jones moved to Hollywood, she was discovered by Dr. John and Little Feat's Lowell George.

Jones performed original material at the Ala Carte club in Hollywood. In 1978, Jones met producers Lenny Woronker and Tommy LaPuma and signed a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records. In 1979, Jones released her self-titled debut album and promoted it with a sparkling performance on Saturday Night Live. The album included performances by Michael McDonald, Randy Newman and Dr. John.

Jones released the single "Chuck E.'s In Love", which reached #4 in the United States. The follow-up "Young Blood", however, only reached #40. So it was her first single that was largely responsible for her five Grammy nominations: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female and Best New Artist. Jones won the Grammy for Best New Artist and, of course, the curse that goes with it.

After moving to New York City, Jones worked on her next album. Pirates was released in 1981, a full two years after her debut--a definite no-no in the music business. The most popular of the songs on Pirates was "A Lucky Guy", with a disappointing peak of #64, though it's a good track.

Jones did another tour, then moved again, first to San Francisco, then to France. She began performing more Jazz music and getting away from the songs that made her first album so popular. Jones and Walter Becker of Steely Dan wrote "The Horses", which was featured in the movie Jerry Maguire. In 1989, she released the album Flying Cowboys, co-written with Becker. "Satellites" became a minor hit on the Modern Rock chart. A cover of "Makin' Whoopee" done with Dr. John earned Jones a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Collaboration.

But after that, even Jones admitted she battled writer's block, and she never again produced the magic of her first album, nor her one hit, "Chuck E.'s In Love".

At #118, one of the key members of Sly & the Family Stone:

#118: Larry Graham--"One In A Million You"

Graham was born in Beaumont, Texas. From 1966 to 1972, he played bass in Sly and the Family Stone. He is credited with inventing the "slap-pop technique" on the bass, in part to provide percussive and rhythmic elements in addition to the notes of the bass line. To play slap-pop, the player uses a percussive thumb-slapping technique of the lower strings with an aggressive finger-snap of the higher strings.

After leaving Sly and the Family Stone, Graham formed his own band, Graham Central Station, and released seven albums under that name. He had a following, but no songs were popular with the masses.

In 1980, Graham recorded the song "One In A Million You", the title song from his album that he released that year under his own name. The song was an across-the-board hit, reaching #9 overall, #1 on the R&B chart, and Top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Graham released four other solo albums, with "Just Be My Lady" at #67 being his next-best song. Larry reformed Graham Central Station in the early 1990's and performed with the band for several years. Graham played bass on tour with Prince from 1997-2000. Graham is the uncle of rapper Aubrey Graham (Drake).

This act from the City of Brotherly Love enjoyed a big R&B hit in 1974 that crossed over to the mainstream:

#117: Blue Magic--"Sideshow"

This group was founded in 1972 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by lead singer Ted Mills, Vernon Sawyer, Wendell Sawyer, Keith Beaton and Richard Pratt. Blue Magic signed a recording contract with Atco Records.

The singles from Blue Magic's debut album in 1973 were mostly confined to the R&B chart. But on 1974, "Sideshow" became a big hit, rising to #8 and selling over one million copies. The group performed on television shows including Soul Train and The Mike Douglas Show. "Three Ring Circus" reached #36 overall and #5 on the R&B chart.

Blue Magic was able to land further R&B hits, but they would never enjoy another popular song. They released 9 albums and 22 singles in their career.

This group unfortunately didn't record anything for three years following this smash, and it doomed them:

#116: Love and Rockets--"So Alive"

Daniel Ash (vocals, guitar and saxophone), bassist David J and Kevin Haskins (drums and synthesizers) formed Love and Rockets in 1985 in England after the group Bauhaus split in 1983. Love and Rockets enjoyed a minor hit with a remake of the classic "Ball Of Confusion" by the Temptations.

Love and Rockets released their first studio album Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven in 1985. They followed this with Express in 1986, which included the dance hit "Yin And Yang (The Flowerpot Man)". In 1987, the group released the album Earth, Sun, Moon, which received some airplay on Modern Rock radio stations.

In 1989, Love and Rockets released their self-titled album, and the second single, "So Alive", caught on, reaching #3 in the United States. The success of "So Alive" led to a major touring schedule, and the group took a few years off afterwards before returning to the studio. Music pros will tell you this is a cardinal sin in the music business.

And history bears this out. RCA Records dropped the group, and they had to sign with the small label American Records. Love and Rockets released Hot Trip to Heaven in 1994, five years after their last album, and American struggled to promote it. The group released two more albums before breaking up in 1999.

This artist achieved his big hit after his musician father died.

#115: Eagle-Eye Cherry--"Save Tonight"

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Cherry and his sister Neneh spent several months on the road with their father, Jazz artist Don Cherry, each year. At the age of 12, Cherry was sent to school in New York. Upon graduation, he stayed in New York City to work as an actor and a drummer in several bands. Eagle-Eye appeared in the 1988 movie Arthur 2: On the Rocks and in 1993, he starred in the television show South Beach.

In 1995, his father died and Cherry moved back to Stockholm to focus on music. He began writing songs and recording his debut album Desireless in his bedroom studio. The album contained "Save Tonight", which was released as the first single. The song reached #2 in Sweden, #3 in Ireland, #5 in the United States, #6 in the U.K., #7 in Switzerland and #9 in The Netherlands and helped the album sell four million copies worldwide.

In 1998, Cherry reached #8 in the U.K. with the single "Falling In Love Again", but the success there did not spread to other countries. Cherry co-wrote and sang on "Wishing It Was" on Santana's blockbuster 1999 album Supernatural as well as in several movies.

Cherry has released six albums and 11 singles in his career.

Here's one of the top songs of the early 60's:

#114: Bruce Channel--"Hey! Baby"

Channel got his start on the Louisiana Hayride radio show before teaming up with Delbert McClinton. Channel co-wrote "Hey! Baby" with Margaret Cobb in 1959 and performed the song for two years before recording it.

The single was originally released on the small LeCam label, but when it caught fire, Smash Records picked it up and distributed it. "Hey! Baby" reached #1 for three weeks in 1962 in the United States, hit #2 in the U.K. and sold over one million copies. Bruce toured Europe and at one gig the Beatles, who were still unknown, opened for him.

Channel did reach the Top 100 with four other singles, but his next best was "Number One Man" at #52. He then concentrated on songwriting, writing songs for T.J. Sheppard, John Conlee, Janie Fricke and Mel McDaniel.

"Hey! Baby" is now part of football tradition for Louisiana State and Penn State, with the entire student section singing the song during the third quarter of games.

#113: Hoobastank--"The Reason"

Lead singer Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse and bassist Markku Lappalainen formed this act in Agoura Hills, California. They released their first album in 1998 and signed a recording contract with Island Records in 2000.

Early on, you could catch Hoobastank at Cobalt Cafe, where up-and-coming groups such as Incubus and Linkin Park could be heard at the same time. Hoobastank made it to #68 with "Crawling In The Dark" and #44 with "Running Away".

"The Reason" topped the Modern Rock chart and made it all the way to #2 overall in the United States, reached #1 in Canada and Italy and hit the Top 10 in 16 other countries. The song also led to two prestigious Grammy Award nominations: Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals as well as Best Rock Album. The band was also nominated for Top Duo/Group of the Year, Hot 100 Artist Duo/Group of the Year, Modern Rock Artist of the Year, Mainstream Top 40 Single of the Year and Top Digital Song at the Billboard Music Awards "The Reason" has sold over five million copies worldwide, helping the album sell over two million units.

Hoobastank was off and running. But despite that huge success and enormous potential, the group never enjoyed another Platinum album and 16 subsequent singles failed to make the Hot 100.

We're up to the #1 smash that included Phil Spector:

#112: Teddy Bears--"To Know Him Is To Love Him"

After graduating from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, Phil Spector was convinced his song, "To Know Him Is To Love Him" should be recorded by his group, the Teddy Bears. Spector, Marshall Leib, Harvey Goldstein and Annette Kleinbard went into Gold Star Studios and recorded the session. Spector also arranged and produced the song.

The single was released on Dore Records in 1958, and it rose to #1 for three weeks. It became one of the biggest songs of the year.

But subsequent releases by the Teddy Bears did not sell and after a year, Spector broke up the group. Of course, Spector went on to much fame as creator of "The Wall of Sound" production. Kleinbard changed her name to Carol Connors, and wrote "Hey Little Cobra" for the Rip Chords and co-wrote "Gonna' Fly Now" for the "Rocky" Soundtrack.

This duo landed one of the biggest hits of the new millennium:

#111: Crazy Town--"Butterfly"

Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer formed this group in 1995 in Los Angeles, California, although they didn't get serious with recording until much later. By 1999, the group added guitarist Rust Epique, James Bradley, Jr., Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein and Antonio Lorenzo Valli.

Crazy Town released their debut album The Gift of Game in 1999 and opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers on tour. Kraig Tyler replaced Epique while the album was being mixed. "Toxic" and "Darkside" were released as singles but neither one caught on.

Two years later, the group released the single "Butterfly" and the third time was the charm. It became a smash #1 song in the United States, Switzerland and Austria, #2 in Finland, #3 in the U.K., #4 in Australia and #8 in the Netherlands and gave the album 1.5 million in sales. A fourth single, "Revolving Door" was not successful.

In 2002, Crazy Town released the album Darkhorse with new drummer James Bradley. "Drowning" was only a minor hit and the album did not sell well. Shortly after the album's release, the group broke up.

Hard to believe these artists didn't score a second major hit. We've got 10 more winners tomorrow!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #130-121

2025-08-10T00:00:00.053-06:00

These artists provided some of the great songs of our lifetimes. Let's hear 10 more!

This great vocal group gave us one of the early rock standards:

#130: Penguins--"Earth Angel"

Cleveland Duncan and Curtis Williams were classmates at Fremont High School in Los Angeles and after graduation, the two added Dexter Tisby and Bruce Tate and formed the Penguins in 1953. The group blended rhythm and blues and rock and roll.

Williams had co-written "Earth Angel" with Gaynel Hodge when those two were in the group the Hollywood Flames. The song was included on the "B" side of the Penguins' first single "Hey Senorita" in late 1954. But, as is often the case, radio makes up for mistakes made by record companies, and a DJ flipped the 45 over to play "Earth Angel" instead. And it is that song that made the Penguins famous, as it reached #1 for three weeks in 1955.

Technically, that was before the Rock Era was born (famously when "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley & the Comets reached #1), but the doo-wop sound of the record transcended into the Rock Era and helped define its infancy.

"Earth Angel" was simultaneously recorded by the Crew-Cuts, which reached #3 and became their biggest hit. Most people feel the version by the Penguins is better, however.

The group's story is ironic in that, after "Earth Angel", Buck Ram agreed to manage them. Ram of course was the manager of the Platters, which at that time had no hit singles but were a popular touring group. With the Penguins, Ram was able to get Mercury Records to agree to a 2-for-1 deal, in which the company agreed to sign the Platters as long as they could have the Penguins. The Platters became the label's most successful act, and the Penguins never found the chart again!

The Penguins were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, which speaks volumes of potential that was never realized.

This artist achieved success after she built her own home recording studio:

#129: Donna Lewis--"I Love You Always Forever"

Lewis began playing piano at age six and began composing original songs as a teenager. She majored in classical composition for piano and flute at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales. Donna taught music for a year in Sussex, England before moving to Birmingham to sing in a bar band.

Lewis set up a home studio and began recording demos. She began attracting attention as a live performer and in 1993 began sending her demos to record labels. Atlantic Records signed her to a recording contract and released the single "I Love You Always Forever". The song became one of The Top #2 Songs of the Rock Era*, reaching the bridesmaid's spot for nine weeks in the United States and #5 in the U.K. The single propelled her debut album Now in a Minute to Platinum status.

Lewis then recorded "At the Beginning" with Richard Marx for the animated movie Anastasia. The song was a #2 Adult Contemporary song but only #45 overall. Her second album, Blue Planet in 1998, was well received by critics, but not by the public. Lewis then left Atlantic and independently produced her own albums.

This big Adult Contemporary song caught on with the mainstream in 1979:

#128: Randy VanWarmer--"Just When I Needed You Most"

Randy VanWarmer was born in Indian Hills, Colorado but at age 15, three years after the death of his father in an automobile accident, Randy and his mother moved to Cornwall, England.

Soon VanWarmer was writing songs and performing in folk music clubs in England. Then, a girlfriend from the United States came to see him for several months before returning home. The experience prompted VanWarmer to write "Just When I Needed You Most".

In 1979, Bearsville Records released the single "Gotta' Get Out Of Here" with "Just When I Needed You Most" as the B-side. But when a DJ flipped the single, "Just When I Needed You Most" caught fire. The song reached #4 in the United States (#1 Adult Contemporary) and #8 in the U.K. Dolly Parton and Smokie are among those who have remade the song.

VanWarmer's follow-up album Terraform was dark in lyrical content. It achieved some airplay in Manhattan, New York, where VanWarmer had moved by that time. The album sold moderately in Japan and the Australia but little elsewhere.

VanWarmer recorded two more albums for Bearsville Records and reached #55 with "Suzi Found a Weapon" in 1981. VanWarmer released 10 albums and 11 singles in his career. He went on to write several songs for the Oak Ridge Boys. Charley Pride, Alabama and Michael Johnson also recorded his songs.

At #127, one of a handful of One-Hit Wonders to score a #1 song with their only hit:

#127: Lemon Pipers--"Green Tambourine"

The members of this Oxford, Ohio group had previously played in college bars with different groups before forming the Lemon Pipers. Keyboardist Robert "Reg" Nave was with the Wombats while guitarist William Bartlett, drummer William Albaugh and bassist Ron Dudek were part of Tony and the Bandits. Steve Walmsley soon replaced Dudek.

The Lemon Pipers played covers of songs by the Who and the Byrds. They played regularly in the Oxford bar called The Boar's Head, and in underground rock venues in Cincinnati such as The Mug Club and The Ludlow Garage. They released their debut single "Quiet Please" on Carol Records.

In 1967, the group went all the way to the finals of the Ohio Battle of the Bands before losing to the James Gang. The Lemon Pipers then recruited Ivan Browne, who was the lead singer for Ivan and the Sabres in Miami, Ohio. Noted music industry entrepreneur Mark Bargar was instrumental in getting the group signed to Buddah Records (later renamed Buddha Records).

The Lemon Pipers began playing larger concert hall venues around the U.S., including an appearance at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. Their first single on Buddah was the Bartlett song, "Turn Around and Take a Look". However, Buddah saw the Lemon Pipers as a bubblegum group rather than the rock group they actually were.

The label turned to the Brill Building songwriting team of Leka and Shelley Pinz to write a song for the Lemon Pipers. The result was "Green Tambourine", which the band reluctantly recorded. The song reached #1 in 1968 in the United States, #7 in the U.K. and was a hit all over the world. "Green Tambourine" sold over two million copies.

That success led to pressure by Buddha for the group to stay in the bubblegum genre. They released another Leka/Pinz song, "Rice Is Nice", which reached #46. The Lemon Pipers only recorded the song because they knew they would be dropped from the record company if they refused.

The Pipers' debut album, Green Tambourine, contained five Leka/Pinz songs, and two extended tracks written by the band. The contrast could not be more obvious. The differences between Buddah and the group continued on the album Jungle Marmalade, which contained another Leka/Pinz song called "Jelly Jungle", which reached #51, as well as the 11-minute, 43-second song "Dead End Street"/"Half Light".

The Lemon Pipers left Buddah in 1969 and later broke up. Bartlett, Walmsley and Nave formed Starstruck, whose recording of "Black Betty" was remixed and released in 1977 under the name of Ram Jam.

The music in this set, like most other music featured on Inside The Rock Era, is best heard at high volume...

An association with Mike Post helped this aspiring artist get off the ground:

#126: Joey Scarbury--"Theme From The Greatest American Hero (Believe It Or Not)"

At age 14, Joey Scarbury was discovered by songwriter Jimmy Webb's father and was signed to a recording contract with Dunhill Records. However, his first single, "She Never Smiles Anymore" didn't find an audience and he was dropped from the label.

Scarbury persisted, however, working as a backup singer for Loretta Lynn and continuing to record. In the late 1970's, Joey worked for producer and composer Mike Post. Post and Stephen Geyer were hired to write the theme song for the new television series The Greatest American Hero and Scarbury was called on to record it.

The full-length version was edited to one minute for broadcast but the show's success prompted Elektra Records to release it as a single. "Theme From Greatest American Hero (Believe It Or Not)" reached #2 in 1981. However, after the follow-up "When She Dances" peaked at #49, Scarbury again disappeared from the charts.

He did record "Back To Back" for the television show Hardcastle and McCormick and recorded the theme to the television show Jennifer Slept Here. Scarbury also wrote songs for the Oak Ridge Boys and other artists, but only recorded one career album and had just one career hit.

What's even more unbelievable that this artist never scored another Top 20 hit is that this great song was only the third single released from his debut album:

#125: James Blunt--"You're Beautiful"

James Blunt was a captain in the British Army in the aftermath of the Kosovo War. After leaving the army, Blunt recorded the album Back to Bedlam, which contained "You're Beautiful".

"You're Beautiful" was a monster hit, #1 in the United States, Canada and the U.K. with worldwide sales over three million.

Of the song, Blunt told Oprah Winfrey in 2006:

It's kind of miserable. It was about seeing my ex-girlfriend on the Underground in London with her new man, who I didn't know existed. She and I caught eyes and lived a lifetime in that moment, but didn't do anything about it and haven't seen each other since.

Blunt's follow-up album, All the Lost Souls, reached #1 in 12 countries. But that and subsequent albums, with dozens of singles released, weren't enough to crack the Top 40 again.

We hope you're enjoying The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*. This act scored their big hit in 1977:

#124: Hot--"Angel In Your Arms"

Gwen Owens began singing in church in Detroit, Michigan, and wound up recording for local labels in the mid-1960's. Her single "Keep On Living" in 1969 reached #40 on the Soul chart. Owens opened in local concerts for artists such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Al Green.

Owens moved to Los Angeles and began a session career, working for Billy Preston, Al Wilson and Stanley Clarke and singing in live performances with the O'Jays, Lou Rawls, Nancy Sinatra and Jose Feliciano. Owens and Cathy Carson began performing and touring under the name Sweet Talk. In 1976, Owens, Carson, and the newly-recruited Juanita Curiel began work on an album as Hot.

"Angel In Your Arms" was recorded and picked up by Big Tree Records for release. The single reached #3 in Canada, #6 in the United States and #7 in New Zealand, was a multi-format smash and sold over one million copies.

Two other singles: "Right Feeling At The Wrong Time" and "You Brought The Woman Out Of Me" were only minor hits in the group's attempt to keep the ball rolling. Hot recorded two more albums before Big Tree Records was shut down.

This act was one of the promising newcomers of 1976:

#123: Jigsaw--"Sky High"

Tony Campbell formed Jigsaw in 1966 with musicians from Coventry and Rugby, England. The original lineup of Jigsaw was Dave Beech on vocals and drums, Clive Scott on keyboards and vocals, bassist Barrie Bernard, Campbell on guitar and Tony Britnell and Kevin Mahon on saxophone. Des Dyer replaced Beech after the first year and took over lead vocals for the group.

In 1970, Jigsaw opened for Arthur Conley for his European tour. Scott and Dyer wrote "Who Do You Think You Are?", which was a hit for Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, and the song was included on Jigsaw's 1974 album I've Seen the Film, I've Read the Book. But soon the group was dropped from their recording label, BASF.

But Jigsaw carried on, signing with Splash Records, and recording the single "Sky High" for the movie The Man from Hong Kong. The song became a worldwide hit, reaching #3 in the United States, the Top 10 in the U.K. and #1 in Japan.

Jigsaw recorded five career albums and released 15 singles, but they couldn't continue the success they achieved with "Sky High".

Here's yet another act whose songwriting and musicianship is behind some other popular songs that you know:

#122: Boy Meets Girl--"Waiting For A Star To Fall"

Singer Shannon Rubicam and vocalist and keyboardist George Merrill sang backup on Deniece Williams' 1984 smash, "Let's Hear It For The Boy". They also wrote two #1 hits for Whitney Houston, "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna' Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", as well as songs for Williams and Bette Midler.

Boy Meets Girl released their debut album in 1985, which include the minor hit "Oh Girl". In 1988, the duo released the follow-up album, Reel Life, which contained "Waiting For A Star To Fall". The single peaked at #5 overall and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States and #9 in the U.K.

"Bring Down The Moon" was the next-best song after their One Hit Wonder, peaking at #49. Boy Meets Girl recorded four albums in their career, and, although they were a One-Hit Wonder as an duo, Rubicam and Merrill made significant contributions beyond the group.

This next artist may have had one big hit but he had a hand in some of Motown's greatest successes:

#121: Johnny Bristol--"Hang On In There, Baby"

Johnny Bristol was a native of Morganton, North Carolina, and after serving in the United States Air Force, joined the duo Johnny & Jackey in the Detroit area. The two recorded two singles in 1959 for Anna Records and four for Tri-Phi Records but none spread beyond being regional hits.

By the mid-1960's, Motown had absorbed Tri-Phi and Bristol began working as a songwriter and producer. Among the singles Bristol produced at Motown were Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love" and "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" and Edwin Starr's "Twenty-Five Miles". Bristol wrote for Gladys Knight & the Pips, Jr. Walker & the All Stars and Jermaine Jackson. The final single released by the Supremes with Diana Ross, "Someday We'll Be Together" in 1969, was a remake of a song Bristol wrote in 1961 while with Johnny & Jackey.

Bristol left Motown in 1973 and joined CBS as a producer, working with artists such as Johnny Mathis and Boz Scaggs. But when CBS showed little interest in Bristol's recording career, Johnny signed a recording contract with MGM Records.

Bristol recorded "Hang On In There Baby" in 1974, and the single reached #3 in the U.K. and #8 in the United States. Following the huge hit, Bristol released a string of singles that unfortunately were only successful on the much-smaller R&B chart. He reached #5 in that genre with "Do It To My Mind". Bristol was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Johnny then recorded two albums on Atlantic Records, and continued to produce for Scaggs, Tom Jones and Tavares. Bristol's lack of mainstream success led him to focus on Europe, but his duet with Amii Stewart on "My Guy - My Girl" only reached #39 in 1980. Bristol recorded "Man Up In The Sky" and a remake of "What Does it Take to Win Your Love" by the Jr. Walker & the All Stars, which Bristol had written years before.

Bristol released six albums and eight singles in his career, with "Hang on in There Baby" being his only big worldwide hit.

We're nearly up to the 100 artists we've chosen that essentially surprised us the most by not having another big hit. But before we get to that, there's 20 more artists, and we'll hear from them the next two days on Inside The Rock Era!

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

2025-08-09T00:00:00.045-06:00

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!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #150-141

2025-08-08T00:00:00.056-06:00

We've been celebrating the music and story of The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era* for 35 days now, and we've heard from 350 artists thus far.

If you were a Deadhead, you likely saw these two musicians:

#150: Brewer and Shipley--"One Toke Over The Line"

Singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley formed this duo, known for their great guitar work, harmonies and socially conscious lyrics. Both from the Midwestern United States, Brewer and Shipley met several times at various coffeehouses, before moving to Los Angeles to write music together.

The duo recorded two albums, Down in L.A. and Weeds, before moving to Kansas City, Missouri. They subsisted on gigs in college towns in 1969, then recorded the album Tarkio, named for a gig they had in Tarkio, Missouri.

Tarkio included "One Toke Over The Line", the only hit Brewer and Shipley would have. The two released seven albums in their career. Though their music was much deeper than this song would indicate, this was the song that most people would remember them by.

Brewer and Shipley have performed with Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Stills, Black Sabbath and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Brewer and Shipley continue to perform together.

This group showed great promise with a song in 1977 that has stood the test of time very well:

#149: Sanford Townsend Band--"Smoke From A Distant Fire"

Keyboardists Ed Sanford and Johnny Townsend originally formed this group in Alabama. After reuniting in Los Angeles, Sanford and Townsend signed a publishing contract with Chappell Music and began writing songs. Loggins and Messina recorded "Peacemaker", a song that Sanford and Townsend co-wrote with Kenny Loggins.

In 1976, the Sanford Townsend band recorded their self-titled album, that took off when the single "Smoke from A Distant Fire" reached #9 in the United States. The group opened for Fleetwood Mac on their Rumours Tour, as well as concerts with Foreigner, Heart, Jimmy Buffett, Charlie Daniels and the Marshall Tucker Band.

The group's albums that followed were not near as successful, so Sanford and Townsend resumed their careers as songwriters and session musicians. Sanford co-wrote "I Keep Forgettin'" with Michael McDonald, while Townsend formed the Toler/Townsend Band with Dan Toler.

The one hit which this group recorded caused many a phone number to be cancelled:

#148: Tommy Tutone--"867-5309"

Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tommy Heath and lead guitarist Jim Keller founded the band in 1978 as Tommy and the Tu-Tones. The rest of the group has been a revolving door of musicians that originally included Terry Nails on bass and Mickey Shine on drums. Shortly after forming, the group changed the name to Tommy Tutone and released "Angel Say No" in 1980, which reached #38.

In 1982, the group hit paydirt with "867-5309/Jenny", which landed at #4. John Cowsill of the Cowsills played drums and sang on the song. Various lineups have recorded five albums, but nothing else caught on like "867-5309/Jenny".

This Hard Rock group achieved their big success with a song that has become an anthem of the anti-establishment:

#147: Brownsville Station--"Smokin' In The Boy's Room"

This act formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1969 with Cub Koda (guitarist and vocalist), Mike Lutz (guitarist and vocalist), drummer T.J. Cronley and bassist Tony Driggins. The group's first albums included covers from groups that inspired them.

In 1970, Brownsville Station released their debut album No BS on a label owned by Warner Brothers Records.

In 1973, the group released the album Yeah! "Smokin' In The Boys Room", written by Lutz and Koda, reached #3 in the United States and #27 in the U.K. and sold over two million copies.

Henry Weck replaced Cronley on drums. Brownsville Station became a popular live act featuring Koda's onstage antics. The group's second-best song was "Kings Of The Party", which peaked at #31 in 1974.

In 1977, Brownsville station recorded the novelty song "Martian Boogie", which was played on Dr. Demento's radio show. The group released the album Air Special in 1978 and broke up the following year. Lutz went on to produce many artists, including Ted Nugent. Weck engineered and co-produced the Blackfoot album Strikes.

Brownsville Station released eight albums and 13 singles in their career.

This gifted singer-songwriter is featured next in The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*:

#146: Brenda Russell--"Piano In The Dark"

Brenda Gordon and her family moved from Brooklyn, New York to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada at age 12. She began performing in local groups and joined a girl group called the Tiaras. The act released the single "Where Does All The Time Go" in 1968.

Later in her teens, Brenda married musician Bryan Russell and the two, as Brian & Brenda, released two albums on Elton John's Rocket Records. The pair also performed on two tracks on Robert Palmer's album Double Fun. By the late 1970's, the two divorced, and Brenda moved to Los Angeles to begin a solo career.

Russell signed a recording contract with Horizon Records and released the solo single "So Good, So Right" in 1979. The song reached the Top 30. A&M Records took over Russell's contract and released Russell's self-titled debut album. The albums Love Life and Two Eyes followed; Russell then moved to Sweden and began working on her third album.

Brenda released the album Get Here in 1988, the biggest success so far. "Piano In The Dark" was released as a single and became a multi-format smash, earning two Grammy Award nominations including the prestigious Song of the Year nomination. The song peaked at #6 in the United States, #3 on the influential Adult Contemporary chart, and #23 in the U.K. The title song from the album later became a huge hit for Oleta Adams.

After releasing the album Kiss Me with the Wind in 1990, Russell moved to EMI Records and released the album Soul Talkin' in 1993. Brenda wrote the score for the movie How Stella Got Her Groove Back and appeared in the 1999 movie Liberty Heights.

Russell continued to record albums, then co-wrote the score for the Broadway version of the movie The Color Purple. Russell and her co-writers were nominated for a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album and a Tony Award for Best Score.

Russell's songs have been performed by Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Herb Alpert, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Roberta Flack, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dionne Warwick, Anne Murray, Sting, Rita Coolidge, Johnny Mathis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Luther Vandross, Al Jarreau, Babyface, Peabo Bryson, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Patti Austin, Paul Carrack and Regina Belle, among others.

This talented Australia band checks in next at #145:

#145: Split Enz--"I Got You"

After finishing primary school in New Zealand, Brian Timothy Finn met Jonathan Chunn at Sacred Heart High School. The two wrote songs and played music together over the next five years. In 1971, Finn and Chunn went to Auckland University, where they met Phillip Judd. The following year, they added classically-trained violinist Miles Golding and reed player Mike Howard and formed a group.

Originally, the group was known as Split Ends, but they eventually changed it to Split Enz to incorporate the common abbreviation for New Zealand (NZ). Finn and Judd wrote the songs and with financial backing from friend Barry Coburn, who became the group's manager, Split Ends released their first single "For You/Split Ends" in 1973.

Golding and Howard quit soon after. Chunn's brother Geoff was brought in to play drums, while lead guitarist Paul Wilkinson and Robert Gillies (saxophone and trumpet) were also brought in. The group toured New Zealand opening for John Mayall.

Late in 1973, the group landed a 30-minute concert special for Television New Zealand and released a couple of other singles. In 1974, the group added Anthony "Eddie" Rayner on keyboards and switched the spelling of their name. The members developed elaborate sets, costumes, hairstyles and makeup. Geoff Chunn and Gillies both left the group, with Paul Crowther joining on drums.

In 1974, Geoffrey Crombie joined full-time on percussion and directed the band's music videos. The group set out to capture fans in Australia, then signed a management and publishing deal and recording contract with Mushroom Records.

The band released their debut album Mental Notes in 1975, which sold moderately in Australia. Wilkinson was fired and Gillies was brought back in as a permanent member. While on tour in Australia, Split Enz caught the attention of Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera, who offered to produce their next album in London. The group relocated there, and signed with Chrysalis Records.

The group's bizarre appearance and crazy onstage antics initially threw the U.K. fans for a loop, but eventually, their musical skills won them a cult following. Crowther was fired and replaced by drummer Malcolm Green. Split Enz toured the United States in 1977, but it would be the final tour with founding members Phil Judd and Mike Chunn.

Since the group was about to begin a tour of the U.K., Tim reorganized the group, adding bassist Nigel Griggs and his younger brother Neil Finn on lead guitar. Neil eventually began writing songs and became the group's second lead singer.

In 1977, the group released Dizrythmia, which yielded a #18 song in Australia--"My Mistake". The group toured throughout the U.K. and Europe and began to draw large crowds. But in 1978, Split Enz lost their contract with Chrysalis. Debts mounted, but the group continued to write new songs and rehearse constantly.

Split Enz soon got financial help from the New Zealand Arts Council, but then in 1979, two days before a scheduled appearance at the Nambassa Festival in New Zealand, all of the group's equipment was destroyed in a fire. But the group honored their agreement and performed at the festival, in which Split Enz impressed audiences with a great performance.

The one album in which Split Enz enjoyed international attention was True Colours. A single from that album, "I Got You", emerged and the video was popular on MTV, which in that day stood for Music Television. The song, written by Neil Finn, rose to #1 in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and reached #53 in the United States. It was #1 for eight weeks in Australia and became the second-highest selling single of the year.

Ten albums and 32 singles after they began, Split Enz is still mostly known for their one big hit, "I Got You". The nucleus of the group went on to form Crowded House, who gave us the great song "Don't Dream It's Over".

Radio prevented this group from ever achieving success with a highly underrated song, so they picked up, moved on, and became one of the top hard rock groups of the 80's:

#144: Rubicon--"I'm Gonna' Take Care Of Everything"

Jerry Martini, an original member of Sly & the Family Stone, formed Rubicon in San Francisco with Greg Eckler (vocals and drums), guitarist Brad Gillis, Max Haskett on lead vocals and horns, Dennis Marcellino on sax and vocals, keyboardist Jim Pugh and bassist Jack Blades.

Rubicon released "I'm Gonna' Take Care Of Everything" in 1978, which peaked at #28, but in fact was highly underrated. Because of the oversight by radio, Rubicon was not successful enough to continue. They released a second album, America Dreams, before breaking up.

Gillis and Blades further proved the greatness of this group when they went on to form Night Ranger, one of the great acts of the 1980's.

The mystery of this One-Hit Wonder is even deeper when one considers that he was the songwriter and lead singer of one of the top groups of the 60's:

#143: John Sebastian--"Welcome Back"

Sebastian was born in Greenwich Village in New York City and was surrounded by musicians in his neighborhood, including Woody Guthrie and Burl Ives. Sebastian played guitar and harmonica for Billy Faier in 1964, and also recorded with Fred Neil and Tom Rush. John then joined the Even Dozen Jug Band and the Mugwumps, which split to form the Lovin' Spoonful and the Mamas & the Papas.

Sebastian was a songwriter, lead singer and guitarist with Lovin' Spoonful, a group that was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Spoonful was responsible for the classic "Summer In The City" and hits such as "Do You Believe In Magic", "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?", "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" and "Daydream".

Sebastian left the group in 1968 to pursue a solo career. He wrote the music and lyrics for Jimmy Shine, a Broadway play starring Dustin Hoffman in the title role. He made an unscheduled appearance at Woodstock in 1969, appearing after Country Joe McDonald's set. In 1970, Sebastian released the album John B. Sebastian, accompanied by Los Angeles musicians.

Sebastian played harmonica on "Roadhouse Blues" for the Doors under the pseudonym G. Pugliese to avoid problems with his recording contract. John also played harmonica on "Deja Vu" for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Despite his overwhelming success in Lovin' Spoonful and his credibility, both as a songwriter and as a musician, Sebastian released three albums and seven singles with little to no success.

Then in 1976, Sebastian recorded the song "Welcome Back" for the television show Welcome Back, Kotter. The song was released as a single and it became Sebastian's only Top 40 solo hit, reaching #1.

Sebastian did not release any more solo recordings after his One Hit. He did play as John Sebastian and the J-Band. In 1978, John wrote the music for the animated special The Devil and Daniel Mouse. In the next decade, he continued to write and perform for several animated productions, including the Care Bear trilogy. Sebastian's songs have been recorded by Tom Petty, the Everly Brothers, Helen Reddy, Brenda Lee, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Bobby Darin, Jimmy Buffett, Slade and Joe Cocker. Sebastian was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008.

It is amazing that given his talent, and especially considering his exposure as lead singer of the Lovin' Spoonful, Sebastian never came close to the Top 20 again as a solo artist. His next-best effort other than "Welcome Back" was "She's A Lady" in 1968.

Sebastian is the godson of Vivian Vance, who so famously performed as Ethel Mertz of the television classic I Love Lucy.

A second try at this group paid off when they scored their one massive hit in 1981:

#142: Manhattan Transfer--"The Boy From New York City"

The Manhattan Transfer has had two manifestations, originally formed in 1969 by Tim Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson and Pat Rosalia. Gene Pistilli, who had become known for his work with Gene Cashman and Tommy West, soon wrote for and sang with the group. The Transfer signed with Capitol Records and released their debut album Jukin' in 1971. But the group broke up in 1973 and went their separate directions.

Hauser joined with singers Alan Paul, Janis Siegel and Laurel Masse for a second lineup of Manhattan Transfer. After several performances at Max's Kansas City, the group developed a cult following. Ahmet Ertegun, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records, saw their show at Reno Sweeney and signed them to a recording contract.

Manhattan Transfer released their self-titled album in 1975 and that summer, was signed to their own hour-long television variety series on CBS-TV. The group also became popular in Europe, and their cover of "Chanson D'Amour" became a #1 hit in the U.K. and Australia in 1977.

In 1978, shortly after a live album was recorded, Masse was seriously injured in a car accident and was replaced by Cheryl Bentyne. Transfer released the album Extensions in 1979, which featured a tribute to Rod Serling's groundbreaking Twilight Zone television series with a single of the same name and a cover of Weather Report's "Birdland". "Birdland" earned Manhattan Transfer a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance and another for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices.

The group had a loyal following, critical acclaim and spotty success. The one thing that was missing was worldwide attention. They achieved that in 1981 with their remake of "Boy From New York City". The group became the first act to win Grammy Awards in Popular and Jazz categories in the same year. Their album Boy from New York City and Other Hits received the award for Best Pop performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, while "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)" won the Grammy for Best Jazz Performance, Duo or Group.

The Transfer won another Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, for their remake of "Route 66", featured in the movie Sharky's Machine, which was an Adult Contemporary hit in the United States but found little success elsewhere. In 1983, they landed two R&B hits, "Spice Of Life" (#40 on the United States Popular chart) and "Mystery", which Anita Baker did so magnificently on her 1986 album Rapture.

On 1985, Manhattan Transfer released Vocalese, which earned twelve Grammy nominations, second only to Michael Jackson's Thriller at the time. The group walked home with two awards: Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, and Best Arrangement for Voices. Despite the high honors that night, few people outside the music industry were aware of the album.

The album Brasil in 1987 captured another Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Again, few outside the music industry seemed to care. The Transfer went on to release 18 albums and 7 singles in their career. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

Some of the One-Hit Wonders* in this spectacular recorded one big hit but nothing else. In the case of Manhattan Transfer, however, the fact that they only enjoyed one big hit is all the more unusual because of their obvious talent and acceptance within the industry.

We're up to the amazing story behind the song that gave this next pair of talented musicians their one big hit as recording artists:

#141: Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr.--"Nadia's Theme"

Barry De Vorzon was born in New York City. He began writing songs, and one of them, "Dreamin'", was recorded by Johnny Burnette in 1960. De Vorzon wrote "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" for the Cascades originally. They did not record it, but DeVorzon recorded it himself with his group Barry and the Tamerlanes, and the song became a huge hit for Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, another One Hit Wonder. DeVorzon also co-wrote several minor hits for Dorsey Burnette.

De Vorzon founded Valiant Records later in the 1960's, one of the most successful independent recording and publishing companies of the time, that was later sold to Warner Brothers. Perry discovered the Association, one of The Top 100 Artists of the Rock Era*, signing them to his label and producing their first single.

DeVorzon composed the music for many soundtracks. One song he and Perry Botkin, Jr. had written for the movie Bless the Beasts and the Children, "Cotton's Dream", was rearranged in 1973 as the instrumental theme for the television soap opera The Young and the Restless. In 1976, ABC used "Cotton's Dream" as background music for a montage of Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci's spellbinding routines during the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Viewer inquiries to ABC regarding the beautiful song prompted the release by A&M Records of the single retitled "Nadia's Theme". The song hit #8 in the United States and won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement. The title song to Bless the Beasts and Children became one in a long line of smash hits for the Carpenters and earned DeVorzon and Botkin, Jr. another Grammy nomination.

DeVorzon also wrote the "Theme From S.W.A.T.", a #1 hit for Rhythm Heritage, and co-wrote "In The City" for Joe Walsh for the movie The Warriors.

DeVorzon has won six Emmy Awards, but never recorded another hit song. He founded MasterWriter software with fellow songwriter Michael Towers and Perry's son Matthew. The program was designed for songwriters and contains all the tools and reference that are essential for the modern songwriter.

Botkin, Jr. was also born in New York City. He worked in the music business for over forty years as a songwriter, arranger, musician and producer, collaborating with artists such as Harry Nilsson, Bobby Darin, the Lettermen, Ed Ames, and Harpers Bizarre, among others. Botkin, Jr. arranged "Rhythm OF The Rain" for the Cascades and "Feliz Navidad" for Jose Feliciano and albums by Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon and Maureen McGovern.

Botkin, Jr. also worked with DeVorzon on the movie R.P.M., and arranged music for several movies including Goin' South in 1978 and Tarzan, the Ape Man in 1981. He also arranged music for the ABC Movie of the Week, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Happy Days, The Smothers Brothers Show, Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley.

For some One Hit Wonders, they recorded that one big hit and you never hear of them again. DeVorzon and Botkin, Jr. have both made tremendous contributions to the music industry far beyond their recording efforts.

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*, a summer spectacular in 2025. Join us tomorrow exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

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

2025-08-07T10:58:00.002-06:00

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!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #170-161

2025-08-06T00:00:00.048-06:00

You'll find many of your favorite songs in these 500--we have 10 more lined up for you now!

The sound produced by this group made them one of the most promising newcomers of their time:

#170: Dream Academy--"Life In A Northern Town"

Singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel met in the late 1970's while Laird-Clowes was in a group called the Act. The two sought to create a sound by emphasizing strings, woodwinds, percussion and synthesizers, instruments which had not figured prominently in the Rock Era before. Originally, they called the project the Politics of Pop.

Multi-instrumentalist Kate St. John was asked to join and the trio were known as the Dream Academy. Demos were sent out, but every record label rejected the group until Warner Brothers signed them in 1985. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, a friend of Laird-Clowes, produced their first two albums.

"Life In A Northern Town" was a hit around the world, reaching #7 in the United States and #15 in the U.K. The Dream Academy went on a worldwide tour and appeared on the television shows Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, Top of the Pops and American Bandstand.

But soon after, Gabriel and St. John left the group to pursue solo interests. Laird-Clowes eventually did the same, helping Gilmour with lyrics for the Pink Floyd album The Division Bell before recording a solo album.

The Dream Academy released three albums and 11 singles, with "Life In A Northern Town" being their one claim to fame.

You won't find too many better love songs that the one which this act recorded:

#169: Mercy--"Love (Can Make You Happy)"

Jack Sigler, Jr. started Mercy with former members of his high school, Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida. The group performed from Tampa to Miami, and after some lineup changes, consisted of Sigler, Brenda McNish, Debbie Lewis, Ronnie Caudill, Ann Sigler, John Hudson, Roy Schultz and Lou Vasenda.

Jack's father provided the cash so Mercy could record their songs, and "Love (Will Make You Happy)" was released as a single on Sundi Records. Jack Sigler joined the Navy, but the song was released. It took off in Florida, with Jamie/Guyden Records distributing it nationally. The song was a huge hit, reaching #2 overall and also #2 on the Easy Listening charts, and selling over one million copies.

But without Sigler, there was no group for promoter Gil Cabot to schedule for live appearances, and no group to record an album. Cabot thus found a trio of background vocalists to perform as "Mercy". Sigler returned from the military to find this trio performing under the name of his group. He filed suit against Cabot, but Cabot countered by renaming the group "the Mercy". The trio not only toured North America, but also recorded all the tracks on the Mercy album except "Love (Can Make You Happy)".

But Mercy went to Warner Brothers Records, which signed them, and produced their own album. It clearly outsold that of the fake "Mercy", yet Mercy was never able to enjoy another big hit after their One Hit Wonder.

At #168, one of Ireland's biggest musical exports:

#168: Thin Lizzy--"The Boys Are Back In Town"

Guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon, who had played with the group Them, went to see the group Orphanage, which included drummer Brian Downey and lead singer/bassist Phil Lynott. The four decided to form Thin Lizzy in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. The following year, the group signed a recording contract with Decca Records, though Wrixon had left the band by then.

Thin Lizzy recorded their self-titled debut album, which sold a few copies but did not chart. The group moved to London in 1971 and began recording their second album Shades of a Blue Orphanage. A third album followed in 1973--Funky Junction Play a Tribute to Deep Purple, though no credit was given to Thin Lizzy.

The group toured the U.K. with Slade and Suzi Quatro and released their remake of "Whiskey In The Jar" as a single. The song went to #1 in Ireland and #6 in the U.K., but was not a worldwide hit. Bell left the band in 1973 after the group released the album Vagabonds of the Western World. Ex-Skid Row guitarist Gary Moore was brought in to replace him, though Moore only played on one album (Nightlife) and stayed until the next year.

Guitarists Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham joined the band, and Thin Lizzy negotiated a new deal with Phonogram Records. In 1975, the group toured the United States, opening for Bob Seger and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Thin Lizzy then opened for BTO on their tour of Europe that year.

Thin Lizzy returned from their successful tour to record Jailbreak, which was their breakthrough. The album finally gave the group their first worldwide hit, "The Boys Are Back In Town". The song hit #8 in the U.K. and #12 in the U.S. The title song received some airplay but it wasn't popular with the general public. Thin Lizzy opened for acts such as Aerosmith, REO Speedwagon and Rush on a U.S. tour.

The group recorded the album Johnny the Fox in 1976, but tensions flared between Lynott and Robertson. After Robertson got into a ruckus at a London pub, Lynott replaced him with Moore for a tour of the United States. Moore left the group again and eventually Robertson got back in good graces to help record the album Bad Reputation in 1977.

But Robertson's time was short, and after a live album, Moore once again joined Thin Lizzy. The group toured the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, before recording Black Rose: A Rock Legend. The sessions were dragged down by the drug use of Lynott and Gorham. The album sold well in the U.K. but Thin Lizzy was never able to sustain success in North America.

After Lynott's death in 1986, the group has endured through various lineups.

The next featured artist recorded this unique song:

#167: Thomas Dolby--"She Blinded Me With Science"

Thomas Robertson was born in London but since his family moved often, he also lived or worked in France, Italy and Greece. Robertson attended Abingdon School in 1975-76. He sang in choir at age 11 and played folk songs on guitar. He then began playing piano, bought a synthesizer in the mid-70's and never looked back.

Thomas acquired the nickname of Dolby when he was a teenager, because he was always occupied with keyboards and tapes. When he was 18 or 19, he adopted the stage name so as to avoid confusion with British singer Tom Robinson.

Dolby got his start as a session musician, playing keyboards on the debut album of Bruce Wooley and the Camera Club. Thomas played synthesizer on the album Set by the Thompson Twins and played keyboards on Robyn Hitchcock's first solo album. Dolby's most significant contribution, however, was the synthesizer sound on Foreigner's "Urgent", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*. Dolby also played the synthesizer intro on "Waiting For A Girl Like You" for Foreigner on that same 4 album.

In 1982, Dolby released the album The Golden Age of Wireless. It didn't include his One Hit Wonder until the release of the five-song EP Blinded By Science; in fact, "She Blinded Me With Science" was the fifth single released. After "She Blinded Me With Science" reached #1 in Canada, #5 in the United States, and #7 in New Zealand, the album was re-released to include the hit.

In 1983, Dolby worked with other artists including George Clinton in the studio project Dolby's Cube, which allowed Dolby to release more dance-oriented material. Dolby released his album The Flat Earth in 1984. "Hyperactive!" became his next-biggest song, placing at #17 in the U.K. but only #62 in the United States.

Up next, this talented songwriter, arranger and producer:

#166: Deodato--"Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme From 2001)"

Eumir Deodato de Almeida began playing the accordion at age 12 and recorded his first session at age 17. He began playing piano and arranging in Rio de Janeiro before moving to New York City.

Deodato released his first album Prelude in 1972. In 1973, his version of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" hit #2 in the United States, #3 in Canada and #7 in the U.K. and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

The album Deodato 2 did not sell well, while its lead single "Rhapsody In Blue" peaked at #41. Deodato released 23 albums and 9 singles, but could never match his early success. He did achieve dance hits in 1985 with "S.O.S., Fire In The Sky" and "Are You For Real".

Deodato has arranged music on more than 500 albums, ranging from Kool and the Gang to Bjork and including Frank Sinatra.

At #165, a group assembled by the famous duo of Kennny Gamble and Leon Huff:

#165: MFSB--"TSOP"

MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother) was actually a pool of over thirty studio musicians based at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The project was the work of famed producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. The lineup included Karl Chambers and Earl Young on drums, guitarists Norman Harris, Roland Chambers, Bobby Eli and T.J. Tindall, Winnie Wilford and Ronnie Baker on bass, Vincent Montana, Jr. and Larry Washington on vibes and percussion, Harold Ivory Williams on keyboards, Huff and Thom Bell on keyboards and Don Renaldo on strings and horns featuring Rocco Bene on trumpet.

MFSB became the house band for Philadelphia International Records. Over their career, they sang backing vocals for the Spinners, the Stylistics, the O'Jays, Wilson Pickett, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and Billy Paul.

In 1972, they released the single "TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia)", which was also the theme to the popular television show Soul Train. The song hit #1, sold over one million copies and became one of The Top 500 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*.

MFSB also gained exposure with the inclusion of "K-Jee" on the all-time successful "Saturday Night Fever" Soundtrack. After a disagreement with Gamble & Huff, however, several members left to form the Salsoul Orchestra. MFSB was through, but they left us with that one great #1 song.

Had "Coming Up Close" been the hit it should have been (It is one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*), this group would not be a One-Hit Wonder* but instead may have gone on to become superstars

#164: 'Til Tuesday--"Voices Carry"

This talented act won Boston's WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble in 1983, just six months after they formed. The fame led to a recording contract with Epic Records.

"Voices Carry", backed by a tremendous video which was nominated for several awards, reached #8.

Lead singer Aimee Mann was beginning to take over the songwriting, but the title song from their follow-up album, What About Love, stalled at #26 and the aforementioned "Coming Up Close" shockingly peaked at only #59. Mann left to pursue a solo career and the group was finished.

At #163, only the second song that this artist wrote:

#163: Phoebe Snow--"Poetry Man"

While she was a student, Phoebe Snow (real name Phoebe Laub) took her treasured Martin 000-18 acoustic guitar with her from club to club in legendary Greenwich Village, New York, performing on amateur night at clubs such as The Bitter End. Phoebe said that she wrote the framework for this song in about 5 or 10 minutes, and completed it in about an hour. She recorded it on a demo and on the strength of that demo, was signed to Shelter Records. Phoebe composed more songs to put on her debut album, released late in 1974.

"Poetry Man" rose to #4 in Canada and #1 on the Easy Listening chart and #5 overall in the United States. Phoebe was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards for her debut effort.

Snow opened on tour for Paul Simon and Jackson Browne, and lent her great voice to Simon for his Top 500* hit "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover".

Snow sang several commercial jingles in the 1980's and 90's, including General Foods International Coffees and Stouffer's. She released eight more studio albums, but despite the promise of her first release, would get no higher than #23 with "Gone At Last", a duet with Simon.

Snow suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on January 19, 2010 and slipped into a coma, battling blood clots, pneumonia and congestive heart failure. Phoebe died on April 26, 2011.

His song contributed greatly to the musical magic of Flashdance. Here is #162:

#162: Michael Sembello--"Maniac"

Michael Sembello played on Stevie Wonder's classic album Fulfillingness' First Finale. He also played on the landmark Songs in the Key of Life album for Wonder, playing lead and rhythm and lead guitar and co-writing "Saturn" with Stevie. Sembello also worked with Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, the Temptations, George Benson, Chaka Khan, Stanley Clarke and David Samborn, among others.

Sembello released his debut album Bossa Nova Hotel in 1983. One of the tracks on that album, "Maniac", was selected to be in the movie Flashdance. "Maniac" was released as a single, rose to #1 and became the third highest-grossing song from a soundtrack. The "Flashdance" Soundtrack won the Grammy for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special.

Afterwards, Sembello spent most of his time writing and producing for other artists. He has scored numerous soundtracks for movies, including those for Independence Day, Cocoon and Gremlins, among others.

In 2008, Sembello's work with saxophonist Michael Lington on the album Heat was nominated as Jazztrax Album of the Year.

Despite his enormous talent and recognition, the best Sembello could do other than "Maniac" was #34 with "Automatic Man".

This artist gave us one of the biggest sellers of the Rock Era:

#161: Carl Douglas--"Kung Fu FIghting"

Born in Kingston, Jamaica and based in the United Kingdom, Douglas released "Kung Fu Fighting" in 1974. It rocketed to #1 in the United States and the U.K. and sold over one million copies. "Kung Fu Fighting" has now sold over 11 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all-time.

Douglas released two other singles, but the success of "Kung Fu Fighting" overshadowed the rest of his career.

160 One-Hit Wonders will be in there fighting for position. See how it all shakes out tomorrow on Inside The Rock Era!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #180-171

2025-08-05T00:00:00.045-06:00

The artists keep getting better and better each day. This is a fabulous group of 10!

A close association with Tommy James helped this group:

#180: Alive and Kicking--"Tighter, Tighter"

This group was formed in 1968 in the basement of original bass guitarist Rich Luisi. They were led by singers Pepe Cardona and Sandy Toder and included Bruce Sudano, eventual bassist Woody Wilson, guitarist John Parisio and drummer Ron Pell.

Alive and Kicking signed a recording contract with Roulette Records, the same label as Tommy James & the Shondells. James originally considered having Alive and Kicking record "Crystal Blue Persuasion", but he liked it so much he kept that one for his group, so James co-wrote "Tighter, Tighter" for them.

"Tighter, Tighter" was released in 1970, reached #7 and sold over one million copies. After their next two singles could not continue the success, the group broke up in 1971. They did reunite in 1976 and still play at parties and weddings.

Up next, one of several groups that Glen Campbell worked with in his early years:

#179: Rip Chords--"Hey Little Cobra"

In 1957, Ernie Bringas and Phil Stewart began singing together following their graduation from high school and founded the Rip Chords. With the help of Doris Day's recording company, Daywin, the group auditioned for Melcher (Day's son) at Columbia Records and Melcher agreed to work with the group.

The Rip Chords released "Here I Stand" in 1963, with lead and falsetto vocals by Bringas and baritone from Stewart. The single, which reached #51, was produced by Melcher while Glen Campbell contributed lead guitar. Bruce Johnston, a friend of Melcher, joined the Rip Chords and contributed falsetto vocals on the single "Gone" with Bringas singing lead. "Gone" did well in several regional markets but did not chart nationally. The group appeared on television and performed around the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.

Bringas, who was studying to be a minister, graduated from California State University, Long Beach and was ready to begin studies at United Theological Seminary. This made live appearances difficult since essentially, Stewart was the only other member of the group. Also, conservative officials of Bringas's church, the Evangelical United Brethren, demanded that Bringas should give up music. Reluctantly, he did.

Stewart hired Rich Rotkin and Arnie Marcus to join him for the purpose of touring as the Rip Chords, but the two did not appear on any recordings. Without Bringas, Melcher and Johnston officially joined the group. Melcher and Carol Conners co-wrote "Hey Little Cobra" and the Rip Chords recorded it. Melcher sang lead for the first time and Johnston contributed the falsetto.

"Hey Little Cobra" reached #4 nationally and was one of the highlights of the drag-racing theme that had become popular in the Rock scene. Meanwhile, the Bishop of the Evangelical United Brethren overturned the former ruling of church officials and Bringas returned to the Rip Chords to record the album Hey Little Cobra.

The follow-up single was "Three Window Coupe", which reached #28. The group released one other single before eventually disbanding.

Melcher became one of Columbia's most innovative and successful producers, working with Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Byrds, and producing "Kokomo" for the Beach Boys. Johnston later joined the Beach Boys.

Up next, the act that would serve as the launching pad for Bad Company:

#178: Free--"All Right Now"

This English rock band formed in London in 1968. They came together for their first rehearsal, then played a show that same night at the Nag's Head pub in London. At the time, bassist Andy Fraser was 15 years old, lead guitarist Paul Kossoff was 17, and lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke were 18. Later that year, Free signed a recording contract with Island Records in the U.K. and A&M in North America and recorded their debut album Tons of Sobs.

The group's self-titled release was next, but it was Fire and Water in 1970 that made them famous. As is nearly always the case, it was a huge hit that did the trick. "All Right Now" was a #1 song in over 20 countries, hit #2 in the U.K. and #4 in the United States. The song has now been played on the radio over three million times.

Free released the album Highway later in 1970, marking an output of four albums in less than three years. Unlike Fire and Water, Highway performed poorly on the charts.

Free was famous for their spectacular live performances. "All Right Now" helped Free land a spot at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, where they played before 600,000 people.

In 1971, due to the drug problems of Kossoff and differences between Rodgers and Fraser, along with inconsistent record sales, Free broke up. The next year, however, the group reformed in an attempt to save Kossoff from his growing drug addiction, and released the album Free at Last.

The group broke up in 1973 but its members have made great contributions to the Rock Era since. Rodgers became the famous voice behind Bad Company and the Firm while Kirke was Bad Company's drummer. Andy Fraser continued his career with several bands and also wrote "Every Kinda' People", which Robert Palmer turned into a huge hit in 1978, while Kossoff became a demanded session musician.

This artist split from House of Pain to enjoy a big solo hit:

#177: Everlast--"What It's Like"

Erik Francis Schrody took on the stage name of Everlast and released his first solo album, Forever Everlasting in 1990, which was a commercial disappointment. He then joined with DJ Lethal and high school friend Danny Boy to form the group House of Pain.

The group signed a recording contract with Tommy Boy Records and released their self-titled debut in 1992. Thanks to the hit "Jump Around", the album went multi-platinum. House of Pain toured with the Ramones, the Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine.

But in 1996, House of Pain broke up, and once again Everlast set out on a solo career. He recorded the album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, which contained the track "What It's Like". The single was a Mainstream Rock smash and reached #13 overall in the United States. It was a hit in six other countries, including reaching #6 in Canada, leading the album to achieve three million in sales, and the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Male Performance. The single "Ends" was also a Mainstream Rock hit, it did not reach the Top 100 overall.

Although Everlast never again achieved a major worldwide hit by himself, he did collaborate with Santana on the highly-acclaimed "Put Your Lights On" on the album Supernatural. That track reached #8 on the Mainstream Rock chart and won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Everlast has released six albums and 19 singles in his career.

This promising artist burst on the scene in 1996:

#176: Shawn Colvin--"Sunny Came Home"

Shawn Colvin learned how to play guitar at the age of 10. She moved to Austin, Texas and joined a swing band known as the Dixie Diesels. She played on the Folk-Rock circuit in Illinois and San Francisco before forming the Shawn Colvin Band.

Colvin later moved to New York City and thrived in Greenwich Village. Shawn appeared in three off-Broadway shows and in 1987, sang backing vocals on the hit "Luka" for Suzanne Vega.

After touring with Vega, Colvin signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. She released her debut album Steady On in 1989, which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Fat City in 1992 was nominated at the Grammys for Best Contemporary Folk Recording and the song "I Don't Know Why" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal. In 1993, Colvin moved back to Austin and released Cover Girl, a collection of remakes.

In 1996, Colvin released the album A Few Small Repairs. The single "Sunny Came Home" became one of the year's biggest hits, reaching #7 overall and landing at number one for four weeks on the influential Adult Contemporary chart. The song won Grammys for both Song and Record of the Year and A Few Small Repairs was nominated for Best Pop Album.

Since 2000, Colvin has collaborated with several other artists including James Taylor, Sting, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Edwin McCain and Shawn Mullins. Colvin has released 8 albums and 15 singles in her career. But despite much critical recognition, "Sunny Came Home" represented her only major success.

Sun Records may have had Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, but it was this artist who gave the label its first million-seller:

#175: Carl Perkins--"Blue Suede Shoes"

Perkins worked in the cotton fields of Tennessee after school and 12-14 hours in the summer for 50 cents a day. He became interested in music, so his father made a guitar from a cigar box and a broomstick, since they could not purchase a real one. Carl taught himself how to play, then got some help from a fellow field worker named John Westbrook, who played Blues and Gospel.

Perkins and his family moved to Madison County, Tennessee in 1947 and at age 14, Carl wrote the song "Let Me Take You To The Movie, Magg", which later convinced Sam Phillips to sign Perkins to his Sun Records label. Carl and his brother Jay entertained at the Cotton Boll tavern on Wednesday nights in 1946. Soon, the brothers became well known around Jackson, Mississippi and Carl persuaded his brother Clayton to play bass fiddle.

Perkins began performing on WTJS-AM in Jackson in the late 1940's as a member of the Tennessee Ramblers and the Perkins Brothers received overwhelming positive response. Perkins continued to pick cotton and worked at a dairy, a mattress factory and a battery plant.

In 1954, Perkins heard "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" by Elvis Presley. Presley was already signed to Sun Records, and Perkins traveled to Memphis and successfully auditioned for Phillips. "Movie Magg" and "Turn Around" were released as singles with regional success. Perkins was booked to open for Presley at theaters in Arkansas.

After a couple more singles, Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes". Several weeks later, Perkins recorded the song, which reached #2 in the United States and the Top 10 in the U.K. in 1956. It was the first song on the Sun label to sell a million copies.

After a show in Norfolk, Virginia on March 21, the Perkins Brothers were heading to New York City for an appearance on The Perry Como Show. Shortly before sunrise on March 22, the driver hit the back of a pickup truck, sending the car into a ditch of water. Perkins was lying face down in the water when one of the passengers rolled him over, saving him from drowning. But, he had suffered three fractured vertebrae in his neck, a severe concussion, a broken collar bone, and lacerations all over his body. Carl's brother Jay died later from a fractured neck and severe internal injuries suffered in the accident.

"Blue Suede Shoes", meanwhile, had sold over one million copies and Perkins received a Gold record for his huge hit. Perkins returned to live shows on April 21 and he recorded songs at Sun Studios. He played a tour of the "Top Stars of '56" along with Chuck Berry and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

Sun released more Perkins singles, with "Boppin' The Blues" doing the best at #70. One day when Perkins was recording, Presley visited the studio. Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis were also there and the four spent over an hour signing R&B, Gospel and Country songs while the tape was rolling. The casual session was dubbed "The Million Dollar Quartet" the next day, and it was eventually released on CD in 1990.

In 1957, Perkins starred in the movie Jamboree before moving to Columbia Records. But no songs were able to capture worldwide attention there either. Perkins performed at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1962 and 1963, as well as going on a tour of Germany. In 1964, Perkins toured England and afterwards, the Beatles asked him if they could record one of his songs, "Matchbox". Perkins gave permission and the Beatles did just that.

Perkins' songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Cash. Perkins released 17 singles in his career.

Perkins has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and he earned a Hall of Fame award from the Grammys.

Songwriting prowess led to a big hit for this artist:

#174: Tony Rich Project--"Nobody Knows"

After Tony Rich attracted the attention of the production team of Tim & Bob, the two arranged for Rich to become a staff writer at LaFace Records. While at LaFace, Tony wrote songs for artists stuch as Boyz II Men, TLC and Toni Braxton.

Rich's songwriting work led to a recording contract with LaFace. In 1996, he released the single "Nobody Knows" under the moniker The Tony Rich Project. The single was an across-the-board smash, reaching #2 and the debut album Words was released. Both single and album went Platinum and Rich won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.

The follow-up album Birdseye won critical praise, but as many artists have found before, critics don't buy a whole lot of albums. Rich has released five albums and five singles in his career, but could never match the success of his first release.

It was all in the family for this next artist:

#173: Roseanne Cash--"Seven Year Ache"

Roseanne Cash, the oldest daughter of Johnny Cash, achieved her breakthrough single in 1981 with "Seven Year Ache", which reached #22 overall and was #1 on the much-smaller Country chart.

Cash never did cross over with a hit the size of "Seven Year Ache". Her closest attempt was her 1985 song "I Don' Know Why You Don't Want Me", which was a minor Adult Contemporary hit.

Cash has written fiction and essays that have been published in The New York Times, New York Magazine, and other periodicals and collections.

This talented singer/songwriter came out with her worldwide breakthrough in 1993:

#172: Jann Arden--"Insensitive"

Jann Arden graduated from Springbank Community High School in Springbank, Alberta, Canada. She released Time for Mercy, her debut album, in 1993. "Insensitive" was released as a single and included on the "Bed of Roses" Soundtrack and Arden's second album, Living Under June. "Insensitive" rose to #12 in the United States.

Arden has released 10 career albums and 24 singles, and has enjoyed great success in her native Canada (17 Top 10 songs in Canada, eight Juno Awards and 19 Juno nominations). Unfortunately, "Insensitive" has been the only song to break out of Canada to worldwide success.

This artist stunned listeners with this amazing song, then stunned them again when it was his only big hit:

#171: Timmy T--"One More Try"

Timmy T (Torres) was in a few Rap groups in the Fresno, California area but decided he preferred dance music. He bought a Moog synthesizer and a Roland TR-808 drum machine at a local pawn shop and recorded his first single, "Time After Time", in his garage. That song reached #40.

Torres wrote this song after breaking up with his girlfriend.

"One More Try" was a #1 smash in the U.S. and was a global hit.

Timmy T. released several more singles but was unable to reach the Top 40 again.

We hope you'll be right here for the next segment, #170-161, tomorrow exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: The First 300

2025-08-04T10:02:00.004-06:00

We've put together a handy checklist for you to make sure you catch all the songs. We'll expand the checklist to the full 500 when finished.

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part One

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part Two

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part Three

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: Prelude, Part Four

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #500-491

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #490-481

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #480-471

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #470-461

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #460-451

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #440-431

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #430-421

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #420-411

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #410-401

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #400-391

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #390-381

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #380-371

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #370-361

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #360-351

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #350-341

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

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #330-321

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #320-311

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #310-301

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #300-291

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #290-281

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #280-271

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #270-261

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #260-251

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #250-241

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #240-231

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #230-221

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #220-211

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #210-201

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #190-181

2025-08-04T00:00:00.062-06:00

There are some very talented acts in this segment--enjoy!

Despite recording this great song, this group could not come close to the success of their one big hit:

#190: Flamingos--"I Only Have Eyes For You"

Jacob and Ezekial Carey and cousins Paul Wilson and John E. Carter formed the Flamingos in Chicago, Illinois. Earl Lewis soon joined, and after several name changes (from the Swallows, El Flamingos and the Five Flamingos) the group became known as the Flamingos. Sollie McElroy replaced Lewis, and the group's first single on Chance Records was "If I Can't Have You".

That song and "That's My Desire" were local successes, and Carter's song "Golden Teardrops" helped the Flamingos spread their fame regionally. The group switched to Parrot Records in 1954, then, after Nate Nelson replaced McElroy, the group signed with Checker Records. The group scored a #5 song on the segmented R&B chart in 1955 with "I'll Be Home". The Flamingos appeared in the 1956 movie Rock, Rock Rock. Zeke Carey and Carter were drafted into the United States Army later that year.

Nelson, Jake Carey and Wilson continued the group with new member Tommy Hunt joining. Tenor, lead guitarist and arranger Terry Johnson also joined and the Flamingos began recording for Decca Records. Zeke Carey returned to the group in 1958, and the group switched labels once again to End Records. Johnson wrote "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" and the group recorded their first album Flamingo Serenade.
The next single, "I Only Have Eyes for You", was a remake of a 1934 song that put the Flamingos on the map. The song reached #11 overall in the United States and was a #3 R&B hit. The group appeared in the movie Go, Johnny, Go, and became known for their stage show and choreography.

But the group began falling apart by the end of the decade. Hunt left for a solo career, and Nelson and Johnson split to form the Modern Flamingos in 1961. Nelson eventually joined the Platters in 1966. New members were brought in, but the best the group could do after that was #26 in the U.K. with "The Boogaloo Party".

The Flamingos received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award in 1996 and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame in 2004. "I Only Have Eyes for You" was inducted into the Grammy Award Hall of Fame.

This group rode the car song craze of the 60's:

#189: Ronny & the Daytonas--"G.T.O."

This group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1964 and secured the services of Bill Justis ("Raunchy") as their manager. Paul Jensen (vocals and guitar), Thomas Ramey (bass, guitar), Lynn Williams (drums), Lee Kraft (songwriting, guitar) and John "Bucky" Wilkin (songwriting, guitar, vocals) were the original members.

Ronny & the Daytonas signed to Mala Records and released "G.T.O." as their debut single. It hit #4 and sold over one million copies. A follow-up, "Bucket T" reached #54.

But out of 15 singles, "G.T.O." was their only big hit.

Although this song talks of a "return", this artist had never had a hit before...nor since:

#188: Mark Morrison--"Return Of The Mack"

Here's the third single from the 1995 debut album for British R&B singer Mark Morrison. It rocketed up to #1 in the U.K., then spread around the world, reaching #2 in the United States and selling over two million copies.

Morrison was constantly in trouble with the law and was imprisoned in 1997. He attempted a comeback in 2006 but was not successful.

Here's one of those songs that almost everyone recognizes instantly:

#187: Mike Oldfield--"Tubular Bells"

Oldfield attended St. Edward's preparatory school and Presentation College in Reading, Berkshire, England. He began playing acoustic guitar in local folk clubs. Mike and his sister formed the folk duo the Sallyangie in 1967 and signed a recording contract with Transatlantic Records. The two released the album Children of the Sun in 1968.

Oldfield then joined a duo called Barefoot before playing bass and lead guitar for Kevin Ayers' backup group, the Whole World. Bandmate David Bedford encouraged Oldfield to develop a song he was working on called "Tubular Bells". Oldfield shopped the song to several record labels without luck.

Then, when Oldfield went to record his bass guitar part for the Arthur Louis Band, engineers Tom Newman and Simon Heyworth heard Oldfield's song and took it to Richard Branson, who was about to start Virgin Records. Oldfield signed a recording contract and recorded "Part One" of "Tubular Bells" in one week.

The Tubular Bells album was released as the inaugural album of Virgin Records. Oldfield played more than twenty different instruments on the project. The album sold over 2.6 million copies in the U.K. alone. The title track got significant exposure when it was included as music for the classic movie The Exorcist. The single reached #7 and won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition and is considered to be a forerunner of the New Age movement.

Oldfield's music was used as the musical score for The Space Movie that celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. Mike's follow-up album, Hergest Ridge, reached #1 in the U.K. but, unlike its predecessor, success did not spread worldwide.

Oldfield made a transition to popular music and wrote songs for other artists, the best of these being "Family Man" in 1982 for Hall & Oates. Oldfield wrote the score for the movie The Killing Fields. Mike continued to explore new musical styles with The Songs of Distant Earth. In 1994, the asteroid 5656 Oldfield, was named after him.

Oldfield has released 27 albums and 47 singles in his career.

This artist sounds a lot like the Beach Boys. And interestingly enough, there's a Beach Boy tie-in involved:

#186: Henry Gross--"Shannon"

By the age of 14, this artist was performing regularly in New York clubs. While at Brooklyn College, Henry Gross co-founded the great 50's music revival group, Sha Na Na. The 18-year-old Gross was the youngest musician to perform at the legendary Woodstock Festival.

This song was written about the death of the dog of Beach Boys member Carl Wilson. While touring with the Beach Boys, Henry Gross visited Wilson's home and mentioned that he had an Irish Setter named Shannon. Wilson said that he too had an Irish Setter with that name who had recently been killed by a car.

"Shannon" hit #6 in the U.S. and was a #1 song in Canada and New Zealand.

Gross was able to bring "Springtime Mama" into position #37, but he could never reach the Top 20 again.

This artist sadly was never properly paid for his work 66 years ago and passed away in 2020:

#185: Phil Phillips--"Sea Of Love"

After performing the song "Sweet Slumber" at his school, Philip Baptiste was encouraged to pursue a singing career. He performed with his brothers in a gospel group known as the Gateway Quartet before recording "Sea Of Love" in 1959.

Baptiste changed his name to Phil Phillips and released the song on Khoury Records. But after the song began receiving heavy airplay, the song was leased to Mercury Records. "Sea of Love" reached #2 overall and #1 on the R&B chart and sold over one million copies.

But Phillips was only paid $6,800 and still has not received any further royalties for his huge hit. Because he fought for what was rightfully his, an album that Phillips recorded was not released. Del Shannon and the Honeydrippers both recorded cover versions of the song.

An association with the Beatles will forever keep this artist in the public mind:

#184: Terry Stafford--"Suspicion"

Stafford grew up in Amarillo, Texas, graduating from Palo Duro High School. After high school, Stafford moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.

Stafford released the single "Suspicion", which had been previously recorded by Elvis Presley, in 1964 and it reached #3 in the United States and #31 in the U.K. The song holds the distinction of being #6 on April 4 when the Beatles made history by holding down the entire top five. "Suspicion" sold over one million copies.

Stafford's follow-up single, "I'll Touch A Star" made it to #24, just shy of the Top 20 benchmark which defines a major hit. His 1973 composition "Amarillo by Morning" later became a huge hit in 1982 for country superstar George Strait.

Friendship with 2/5's of Fleetwood Mac helped this artist break through:

#183: Walter Egan--"Magnet & Steel"

In 1977, Egan signed a recording contract and recorded his first album, Fundamental Roll, produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The following year, Egan released the album Not Shy, produced by Buckingham and Richard Dashut. Egan performed at the first Texas Jam in Dallas in front of 100,000 people along with acts such as Journey, Aerosmith, Van Halen, and friends Heart and Eddie Money.

Magnet And Steel", which featured backing vocals by Nicks, was released as a single and reached #8 in the United States and #32 in Australia.

Egan wrote the song "Hot Summer Nights" for the group Night and had a minor hit with it himself that is worth checking out. Walter released eight albums in his solo career. He later became a touring member in a later version of the group Spirit.

This artist recorded one of the big hits of 1967:

#182: Five Americans--"Western Union"

This group formed as the Mutineers in Durant, Oklahoma with lead singer Mike Rabon, John Durrill, Norm Ezell, bassist Jim Grant and Jimmy Wright on drums. Guitarist Robert Rambo, keyboardist Leonard Goldsmith later joined the Five Americans. They released "I See the Light" in 1966, which reached #26. "Evol-Not Love" reached #52 later that year.

Then in 1967, the group recorded "Western Union", which became a #5 song. Though they also had minor hits with "Sound Of Love" and "Zip Code" in 1967, "Western Union" was their only Top 20 hit out of 21 singles.

The Five Americans broke up in 1969. Rabon went on to sing lead and play guitar for Gladstone ("A Piece Of Paper" in 1972). Durrill wrote "Dark Lady" for Cher and also was a member of the touring group the Ventures.

Contributions of the members of this band went far beyond the group:

#181: Pilot--"Magic"

Pilot was formed in 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland by David Paton and Billy Lyall, members of an early version of the Bay City Rollers. Stuart Tosh and Ian Bairnson joined the group and Pilot recorded several demos in 1973 and 1974.

The group signed a management deal with Nick and Tim Heath and John Cavanaugh and eventually inked a recording contract with EMI Records. In 1974, Pilot released the single "Magic" from their first album, a song written by Paton and produced by Alan Parsons. "Magic" reached #5 in the United States and #11 in the U.K.

A follow-up single, "January", reached #1 in the U.K. and Australia, but was only #87 in the U.S., and nothing further reached the Top 30. Paton, Tosh and Bairnson were members of the Alan Parsons Project, and Paton was a noted session musician, playing for Elton John and Rick Wakeman, among others.

Hope you enjoyed those 10. We'll be right here tomorrow with another great segment!

The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era Revisited: #200-191

2025-08-03T00:00:00.058-06:00

We're all set to present the best 200 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*, based on the popularity of the song, both then and now, the talent, experience and level of musicianship of the artist, and in short, the "surprise factor" that the artist never had another hit. We started July 1, and we're now about to dive into The Top 200*...

We're up to one of the legendary songwriters of the Rock Era:

#200: Barry Mann--"Who Put The Bomp"

Mann signed on with Don Kirshner's and Al Nevin's Aldon Music, where he was a staff songwriter. Mann's first songwriting success was "She Say (Oom Dooby Doom)", a Top 20 hit for the Diamonds in 1959. In 1961, he co-wrote "I Love How You Love Me", a #5 song for the Paris Sisters.

Later that year, Mann recorded "Who Put The Bomp", which reached #7 in the United States. But rather than concentrate on becoming a solo artist, Mann continued to focus on his songwriting. He formed a partnership with Cynthia Weil, another of the songwriters at Aldon Music. The two married in 1961, and became one of The Top Songwriting Teams of the Rock Era*.

Together, Mann and Weil wrote "We Gotta' Get Out Of This Place" for the Animals", "Kicks" and "Hungry" for Boise, Idaho's Paul Revere & the Raiders, "On Broadway" for the Drifters, "Blame It On The Bossa Nova" for Eydie Gorme, "Walking In The Rain" by the Ronettes, "Uptown" for the Crystals" and "Magic Town" for the Vogues in their early years. Mann and Weil teamed with Phil Spector to write the #1 classic "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" for the Righteous Brothers, which became the most-played song of the 20th century. Mann and Weil also wrote another huge hit for the Righteous Brothers--"(You're My) Soul And Inspiration".

Mann and Weil also wrote "Somewhere Out There" for Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram. The song reached #2, sold over one million copies and won two Grammy Awards. Ronstadt and Aaron Neville turned Mann and Weil's "Don't Know Much" into another huge hit. The two also wrote "You Take My Breath Away" for Berlin for the movie Top Gun.

Other Mann-Weil hits include "Just Once" by James Ingram & Quincy Jones, "Never Gonna' Let You Go" by Sergio Mendes, "I Just Can't Help Believing" and "Rock And Roll Lullabye" by B.J. Thomas, "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton and "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" by Mama Cass Elliott.

Mann has now written over 635 songs. He has received 56 awards from BMI and 46 of his compositions have gone over one million airplays. In 1987, Mann and Weil were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2011, the two received the Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor from that organization. In 2010, Mann and Weil received the Ahmet Ertegun Award from the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. Today, Mann and Weil own their own publishing company called Dyad Music.

While Mann may have been a One-Hit Wonder as a recording artist, he has made monumental contributions to the Rock Era as one of its top songwriters.

At #199, yet another award-winner featured in our special:

#199: H-Town--"Knockin' Da Boots"

Twins Kevin "Dino" Conner and Solomon "Shazam" Conner sang in talent shows and plays before a local producer sent a demo tape to Luther Campbell. The brothers joined Adrian Washington and Darryl Jackson and formed H-Town in 1992. The group named themselves from the local nickname for the city of Houston, Texas in which they grew up. After an audition, Campbell signed the group to the label Luke Records.

H-Town's debut album Fever for Da Flavor was released in 1993 and featured the single "Knockin' Da Boots". The song hit #1 on the R&B chart and was #3 overall and helped the group win the Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist. They performed on the Coca-Cola Summerfest tour, which also included SWV, LL Cool J, Shai, Jade and Silk.

But the best track on their second album Beggin' After Dark was "Emotions", which reached #51. H-Town did not hit the Top 20 again, with the best attempt being the remake of the Persuaders' "A Thin Line Between Love And Hate", which reached #37.

H-Town released six albums and 10 singles in their career.

He could have been a lawyer but his fate was entwined with rock and roll history:

#198: Big Bopper--"Chantilly Lace"

J.P. Richardson graduated from Beaumont High School in 1947. He studied pre-law at Lamar College and was a member of the band and chorus. Richardson also played with the Johnny Lampson Combo.

Richardson worked part-time at KTRM radio in Beaumont before being hired full-time in 1949. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1955, and served as a radar instructor in El Paso, Texas.

After his discharge in 1957, Richardson returned to KTRM, where he did the afternoon shift from 3 to 6 and began to call himself "The Big Bopper".

Richardson played guitar and began his career as a songwriter, writing "White Lightning" for George Jones and "Running Bear", a song that became #1 for Johnny Preston. Harold "Pappy" Daily of Mercury Records signed Richardson to a recording contract buJ.P.'s first single, "Beggar To A King" flopped. He then recorded "Chantilly Lace" as the Big Bopper, which was released in 1958 and reached #6.

Through the success of "Chantilly Lace", Richardson was invited to join Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Dion and the Belmonts for the Winter Dance Party, a tour that took the artists all over the Midwest.

Richardson died on the 11th night of that tour on February 3, 1959, a day that we know as The Day the Music Died, killed in a plane crash in Iowa along with Holly and Valens.

Another Tony Burrows project is up next:

#197: Edison Lighthouse--" Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"

Edison Lighthouse originally consisted of lead singer Tony Burrows, Stuart Edwards on lead guitar, David Taylor on bass, drummer George Weyman and guitarist Ray Dorey. Burrows had the distinction of singing lead on four songs that were out nearly at the same time: "My Baby Loves Lovin'" by White Plains, "Gimme Dat Ding" by the Pipkins and "United We Stand" from Brotherhood of Man, in addition to this one.

"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) was #1 for five weeks in the U.K. and #5 in the United States, selling over one million copies.

Burrows left to pursue other projects and the rest of the group could not play live. Another group of musicians was assembled to record using the name, but the best this second edition could do was the Top 50 in the U.K. with "It's Up to You, Petula".

Burrows also sang lead on "Beach Baby" in 1974, a hit for the First Class.

They may call it "Alternative Rock", but this group hit the Mainstream with this song:

#196: Semisonic--"Closing Time"

After the breakup of the group Trip Shakespeare, lead singer and guitarist Dan Wilson and bassist John Munson joined with drummer Jacob Slichter to form Semisonic in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1995. The group released the EP Pleasure that year on CherryDisc Records and then released their debut album Great Divide on MCA.

Two years later, Semisonic's second album, Feeling Strangely Fine, contained the single "Closing Time". The song reached #11 overall and #1 on the Alternative Rock chart in the United States and #25 in the U.K. The album Secret Smile reached #13 in the U.K. but did not even make the Top 100 in the United States. Future efforts were not as successful despite extensive tours.

There are two "Show Me Love"'s by a Robin (one is spelled Robyn) and both are great. That one enjoyed several other hits so is not a One-Hit Wonder but this one is one of the best!

#195: Robin S.--"Show Me Love"

Robin S. signed a recording contract with Big Beat Records in 1994. Her debut single "Show Me Love", the title track on her album, was a #1 Dance song, #7 R&B and #5 overall in the United States and #6 in the U.K.

After taking time off to write songs, Robin began working on her album From Now On. "It Must Be Love" was another #1 Dance song but only #91 overall. "Midnight" was yet another #1 in the dance music genre but failed to make the Top 20, only reaching #35.

Robin S. released nine singles in her career.

This group formed the foundation for one of The Top Soul Groups of the 1970's*:

#194: American Breed--"Bend Me, Shape Me"

This group first formed as Gary & the Nite Lites in Cicero, Illinois. The original members were lead singer Gary Loizzo, bassist Charles Colbert, Jr., Al Ciner on guitar and Lee Graziano on drums. Gary & the Nite Lites released one single and built a local following.

The group underwent several changes, signing with Acta Records and changing their name to the American Breed.

Their single "Bend Me, Shape Me" in 1967 was a remake of a song done by the Outsiders the previous year. The American Breed reached #5 in the United States and #24 in the U.K. with the song and promoted it by appearing on American Bandstand. "Bend Me, Shape Me" sold over one million copies.

The group charted four other singles besides their One-Hit Wonder, but nothing that approached it in success. In years to come, they shortened their name to the Breed, then Smoke, before evolving into the group Ask Rufus. They then added singer Paulette McWilliams, who was later replaced by Chaka Khan, and the group became Rufus.

This song not only led to our next group signing a recording contract but gave them their one big hit:

#193: When in Rome--"The Promise"

When some members of the Manchester, England group Beau Leisure left, vocalist Clive Farrington recruited keyboardist Michael Floreale and vocalist Andy O'Connell. Floreale and Farrington began writing songs and later invited singer Andrew Mann to join the group. When O'Connell left the group, the remaining trio began recording demos.

The band signed with 10 Records, a subsidiary of Virgin. Ben Rogan (Sade's producer) and Richard James Burgess were interested in a song called "The Promise". When the 12" single hit #1 on the Dance chart, Virgin ordered an album. "The Promise" was released as the first single from When In Rome's debut album and reached #11.

However, #95 was the best the group could do after that with "Heaven Knows" and subsequent singles were not successful. In 1990, When In Rome broke up over musical differences.

By listening to this song, you'd think the outlook was miles ahead of other groups out right now, and you'd be right:

#192: New Radicals--"You Always Get What You Give"

Lead singer Gregg Alexander organized the New Radicals in Los Angeles in 1997 after releasing two unsuccessful solo albums. The following year, the group signed with MCA Records. Alexander wrote and produced all of the group's music. The New Radicals was essentially Alexander and a revolving door of musicians. Former child actress Danielle Briseboi (All in the Family) was the background singer and percussionist on their album and at live performances. The New Radicals released just one album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too, in 1998 that went platinum as a result of their one hit.

The single "You Get What You Give" reached #1 in Canada and New Zealand, the Top 5 in the U.K., and #36 in the United States. The group toured extensively in the United States until Alexander broke up the group in 1999 to focus on writing and producing songs for other artists. Alexander worked with Rod Stewart and Enrique Iglesias and wrote and produced "The Game of Love" for Santana and Michelle Branch.

This duo wrote this song as an expression of the deep love they had for their city:

#191: Cashman & West--"American City Suite"

Terry Cashman was lead singer for the Chevrons in the late 1950's, and also played minor league baseball in the Detroit Tigers organization. In 1967, he joined Gene Pistilli and Tommy West to form the group Cashman, Pistilli and West. Cashman and Pistilli wrote "Sunday Will Never Be the Same", a hit for Spanky and Our Gang.

Pistilli left and the group was changed to the duo Cashman & West. They recorded six albums, with "American City Suite" being their only big success. It was highly underrated at #27 in the United States and #25 in Canada.

Cashman and Pistilli also had a #22 song "Medicine Man" as the Buchanan Brothers. Cashman and West produced Jim Croce's songs in the early 1970's. In 1975, the pair began Lifesong Records, which would lead to songs like "Shannon" from Henry Gross.

These artists we're saluting: you hear their songs and just shake your head--"why didn't they make it?" That really goes for Cashman and West--what a composition; great lyrics, great music, great instrumentation--it really is a mystery how they didn't do more! We've got 190 more of those, exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!