Andrew Gold--Lonely Boy (1977)/Thank You For Being a Friend (1978)

     It's not often that we have a blog that deals with two songs, but thought it was a great example of how two songs take wildly diverting paths to success. "Lonely Boy" was the highest charting song of Gold's career, but one could argue that "Thank You For Being a Friend" is by far the most popular....
     Andrew came from very successful parents. His Mother, Marni Nixon, was a singer who provided the voices for many actresses in the movies, most notably Natalie Wood in "West Side Story" and Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady". His Dad was Ernest Gold who won an Oscar for composing the music to the movie, "Exodus". Not surprisingly, the eldest child Andrew, began writing songs by the time he was a teenager.
     Throughout the 70's Gold became one of the most in demand musicians/songwriters/producers in pop music. He was a major cog in the success of Linda Ronstadt beginning with her breakthrough album, "Heart Like a Wheel" and the rest of her albums that decade as an musician and arranger. His credits reads like a who's who of mid to late 70's pop; 10cc, Art Garfunkel, Eric Carmen, Carly Simon, John Lennon, Maria Muldaur, Karla Bonoff, Stephen Bishop, and many others.
     He began his career as a solo artist in 1975 and recorded four albums in the 70s. His first major hit was, "Lonely Boy", which although containing some autobiographical material, is not about him at all, a fact that had haunted him a bit over the years, and something that he admits wasn't a great idea, but was convenient at the time. It went to number 7 on the Hot 100. But it was his next single, that he probably best remembered for.
     "Thank You For Being A Friend", Gold's ode to friendship was released in 1978 and although not doing as well as "Lonely Boy", charted quite respectively at number 25, and although it was his last top 40 hit, he continued write, record, and work with other musicians. It was 1984, that a new sitcom on NBC called "The Golden Girls" was developed by writer Susan Harris. "Thank You For Being A Friend" was chosen as the theme, and although not sung by Gold on the show, (it was sung by Cynthia Fee), it brought him back into the spotlight once again. Due to the show being a hit for six seasons (it was on a total of seven), it is probably much better known song, even if many don't recognize it's author.
     Gold continued working continually until his death in 2011 at the age of 59.

    

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Crystal Gayle--Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue (1977)

     Crystal Gayle was born Brenda Gail Webb in November of 1951 in Paintsville, Kentucky, although was moved to Indiana when she was four, and it was here she was raised. She was the youngest of eight siblings. with Loretta Lynn being the second of that group (Lynn was 19 when Brenda was born). By the time Brenda was in high school, her older sister was starting to spend major time on the US country charts. This inspired the younger sister to take up the guitar and sing backup in her brother's folk band. During the summers Loretta would invite her to join her on tour for a couple of weeks.
     By the time graduation, she had devoted herself to music full time, and was soon signed by Decca Records. There was a bit of a question however about her name. Decca already had a popular artist by the name of Brenda Lee, the company didn't want confusion about the name, so they asked her if she would change her name. While on tour, Loretta was riding through a town and saw the name of the hamburger chain, Krystal's. She phoned Brenda and suggested she changed the spelling and call herself Crystal. So Brenda changed her first name, changed the spelling of her middle name to become her surname, and Crystal Gayle was born.
     Her first single came out in 1970, which reached the top 40 in country, but subsequent singles didn't do quite as well. Gayle felt frustrated feeling that the record company was marketing her more as Loretta Lynn's sister, and she wanted her own sound and style in 1973 she was let out of her contract. At this point she was signed by United Artists and was teamed up with producer Allan Reynolds. They began to work on changing her phrasing and vocal flair, while also pushing the music to a more crossover sound.
     There was almost an immediate change in her fortunes as the song, "Wrong Road Again" reached to number 6 on the country charts in late 1974. The next year brought the first of a string of top five hits, but Reynolds and Gayle both thought she could cross over to a wider audience. They turned to Richard Leigh who had already written to hits for her and found, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". It became a number four hit for her and her third number one on the country top 40. It also began a string of pop hits which lasted to the end of the decade. Her country success went strong into the late 80's, and today Crystal continues to tour and record.

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David Gates--The Goodbye Girl (1977)

     Before forming Bread in 1967,  David Gates was a well known studio musician and producer. His credits ran from Elvis to Merle Haggard, to Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. During this time he had also recorded a number of unsuccessful singles, but his pairing with Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin produced soft rock magic as the group had a number of top ten singles.
     The fact that record label Elektra always chose Gates' songs as singles was a source of antagonism for Griffin who was a fine composer in his own right. Of course one couldn't argue with the fact that all eleven singles were hits, but it entered into the group breaking up in 1973 much to the surprise of fans and record company alike.
     Gates immediately went off and recorded, "First" in 1973, which sounded (not surprisingly) like a Bread album. If you ever find this, give it a listen as several songs equaled what he wrote with his former group. They reunited again in 1975 for one more album, which provided another Gates' penned hit, "Lost Without Your Love" before breaking up once again.
     1977 brought him his biggest hit as a solo artist with this song, the theme from the movie, "The Goodbye Girl" starring Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss who won an Oscar that year for the role. The song itself reached number fifteen. A follow up ("Took The Last Train") reached the top 40, but with the exception of the occasional single and a Bread reunion tour in 1996/97, Gates has enjoyed life on his cattle ranch in Northern California.

    

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Peter Gabriel--Solsbury Hill (1977)

     In the village of Batheaston, Somerset England, there is a small flat top hill known as little Solsbury Hill. It was here that a young Peter Gabriel came to a decision that would influence the rest of his life. He felt the need to separate himself from the band he helped create in 1967 at the age of 17.  Now, 8 years later, the band had become a success but it had come at a cost. Having begun more or less as a musical collective, the press began to focus more on Gabriel as the star, which caused tensions within the band. Secondly, he found himself a bit of a prisoner of his own success by helping create elaborate stage productions to go along with the music. Fans and media both became increasingly expectant of this, and Peter began to become concerned that the focus was getting off the music. Finally, when his then wife Jill was dealing with a difficult pregnancy and childbirth, he chose to stay at home with his ill wife and child rather than going on tour. The subsequent tension caused by all involved led him to the conclusion that it was time to part ways.
     The song itself has been the cause of a lot of speculation over the years. Gabriel himself admits that it was about a spiritual experience while on that hill. As with all of his material, the lyrics give just enough to concede this, but not enough to spell it out. If you are a fan of his (which I am), then you're aware that he is an obviously spiritual man and it is many times reflected in his music. Being a clever songwriter, he also allows you to fit your own version of spiritual things inside the music.
     No matter how you interpret things, this was a time and place which gave him a peace and will to make the break with the band. He made the decision and announced to the group prior to the tour to promote, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." As it turned out, both Gabriel and his former band went on to new heights. It became his first single in 1977 and a hit in the UK. The first solo album was also a hit in the US, and began a string of well received albums that achieves the rarity of garnering critical acclaim and commercial success.

    

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Hall of Fame Nominee--Chic

     I know every one of you who went down the list of nominees at some point (for some of you many points) went, "Huh?" My moment was Chic. I know them for two songs, but their influence went much deeper than that...
     Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards met as studio musicians in 1970, and formed a rock band called, "The Boys", and later, "The Big Apple Band" up to 1976. The band disbanded after a second album failed to chart. In 1977, they recruited drummer Tony Thompson and as a trio did some club work. Thompson suggested keyboardist Raymond Jones, and to round out the group, singer Norma Jean Wright was brought in. They went in to the studio and recorded, "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah,Yowsah, Yowsah). To add more depth, the group chose to bring in a second singer. Norma suggested Luci Martin. Wright had to leave early in 78, because of an issue with her contract. Alfa Anderson was brought in as they entered into their classic phase.
    In 1978 and 79 they had three big hits, "La Freak", "I Want Your Love", and "Good Times". History points to "La Freak" as the most popular, but it was "Good Times" which became the template for many songs of that era. More importantly, the Sugarhill Gang using it on their breakthrough rap single, "Rapper's Delight". Edwards and Rodgers always contended that their music was the rock side of disco. Considering everyone from Duran, Duran, to David Bowie, to Queen were influenced directly by Edwards' bass lines, and Rodgers production values, there is a strong case to make here.
     With the end of the disco era, Edwards and Rodgers left to work together and separately on many albums. Their fingerprints could be heard all over the early and mid-80's. Madonna, Bowie, Cindi Lauper, Howard Jones, Steve Winwood, Sheena Easton, Thompson Twins and others had music produced by Rodgers. One has to wonder if this nomination is as much for the Rodgers/Edwards duo and their contributions to a decade of music rather than what they did with Chic. One never knows about the Hall of Fame voters. We report...you decide.

  
     

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Paul Davis--I Go Crazy (1977)

     Paul Davis was born in, and died in his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi in 2008. In between was two decades of steady, if not underrated work.
     He began in the mid 60's with a couple of local groups before getting a gig as a writer for Malaco Records out of Jackson, Mississippi in 1968. Just a year later he was signed to a recording contract with Bang Records, where he would spend all of the 70's.
     His first time on the charts was in April of 1970 with a remake of The Jamels' hit, "A Little Bit of Soap". He had two more songs that found mild success until his first top 40 hit, "Ride 'Em Cowboy" in 1974. The big hit for him that decade though was, "I Go Crazy". The song he is probably best known for was, "65' Love Affair", which gets a lot of airplay today. But this "I Go Crazy" sneaks up on you with his underrated (but excellent) keyboard work, just like it did in August of 1977 when it was released. In fact, the song held a record, at the time, of being on the top 100 the most weeks (non-consecutive) with 40!
     He had other top 20 hits with, "Sweet Life", "Do Right", and "Cool Night" beside the others mentioned. In the mid-80's he switched focus to country music and had a couple of number 1 songs with Tanya Tucker, and Marie Osmond. He also wrote a couple of number 1's for his friend Dan Seals. He continued to write, and produce over the two decades before his death, the day after his 60th birthday.

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Reflections on Donna Summer by her former music director.

Scott Hallgren is a friend of mine who had the privilege of working with Donna Summer for seven years. Since her death, I had been hoping to get some thoughts and stories. Hope you enjoy reading them as well. His website is:  http://scootmanmusic.com/

I had the pleasure of working with Donna 1998 - 2005; all of it on keyboards, 4 of them as her pianist, 3 as her musical director. If I'd only known as an 8 year old, driving around in my Mom's Chevette, listening to Donna on AM radio...

Ahh, the stories - WAY too many to tell, whether it was:

- the Rod Stewart impersonator we sent onstage with flowers in El Paso during "Dim All The Lights" (she'd originally written the song for Rod and talked about that every show) that made her freak out and fall off her stool laughing during our 'acoustic' segment,

- performing as the 'house band' at the reception following Sony label prez Tommy Mottola's 3rd wedding (before he was legally divorced from Mariah), and having my rig directly in front of a table - at which were seated Joe Pesci, Rhea Perlman, Rosie O'Donnell, Danny DeVito, and Michael Jackson (who planned THAT table?),

- me getting to perform with my hero Elton John's band, play his piano, and accompany him and Donna on "Enough Is Enough" for the AIDS Foundation's 2003 benefit at Elton's home, then Barry Manilow get up to join them and say, "I can't believe I'm up here with Donna & Elton - this is fuckin' great! Isn't this fuckin' great?" to the horror of many glitterati,

- or the number of times something went awry during "On The Radio", where Donna would invite 3 audience members (females, for reasons you might expect) up to sing background vocals; once, in Columbus, a girl took the mic and walked out front and sang the second verse with an astonished Donna looking on; another time, at a Sony PGA Open, only 2 females were willing to come up, so the audience begged Donna to take the guy 'in the red windbreaker'... he promptly flew up the stairs, grabbed the mic, and said, "Donna, I'm not a girl, but I do have a very small penis", just as she had taken a sip of Dr. Pepper from the cup on my piano. ***It was Adam Sandler.*** (You can imagine how long it took her to stop laughing, and us to clean off the piano!)

Donna never wanted to be an 'oldies' act, and struggled with the box that many tried to put her in. She could sing ANYTHING. We used to do 'Someone To Watch Over Me' as a duet, Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams', 'Nights In White Satin', 'New York, New York'. She sounded INCREDIBLE on the 2010 David Foster & Friends show (with Seal).

None of us had any idea she was sick, and I only hope that I'll be able to attend the memorial here in Nashville - she had so many real friends I don't know where they'd put everyone. The fact that she's gone too soon makes it that much harder.

She never stopped creating, was always musical, and my life is so much better and richer for having known her.

- S

Scott Hallgren
Composer/producer/pianist

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Rita Coolidge--(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher (1977)

     Rita Coolidge was attempting to break through as a solo artist in 1977. She had made her mark as a backup singer with Delaney & Bonnie, then a succession of top name artists through the early to mid-70's. Her natural beauty was also the focus of more than a few musicians (Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Kris Kristofferson, to whom she was married most of that decade).
     She charted with a couple of songs in the 72-73, but had been out of the public eye since early 1974. It was this song however, that brought her back to the spotlight in a big way. A cover of Jackie Wilson's 1966 hit was streamlined into more of a 70's pop/dance groove, and gave her a number 2 hit as well. This started a string of four straight top 40 hits through 1977/78. The hits stopped coming after 1983's, "All Time High" from the James Bond movie "Octopussy", however it was far from the end of her career.
     After she left A&M records, she recorded for a series of small label, and went back to backup singing through much of the 80's, but in 1994 she joined her sister Priscilla and neice Laura Satterfield on an album put together by Robbie Robertson called, "Music for Native Americans". The song, "Cherokee Morning Song" inspired the women to return to the music of their childhood (Rita & Priscilla's dad was full blooded Cherokee, and a Baptist minister.  Their mother was half Cherokee/Scot) and formed the group Walela  which recorded three albums from 1997-2004.
     Her last recording is an album of Jazz standards which can be found here: http://www.ritacoolidge.com/

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Bill Conti--Gonna Fly Now (1977)

     Just like many men who's teenaged years spanned the 70's, I have a thing for Rocky. The story is probably as old as professional sports, the guy who had a rough life, who strove for greatness and achieved it (and got the girl too..). However, the only two of the movies that really stuck out for me was Rocky III which had one of the great villains of the 1980's in Mr. T, and the first one.
      Some of the scenes in the first movie were inspiring and downright moving. Most of not all of that was due to the soundtrack which perfectly meshed with movie. The scene where you first hear, "Gonna Fly Now" with it's climax on top of the steps overlooking the city almost made you ready for the ring yourself. Of course, like many movie soundtracks, the song is totally encased in the amber of it's 70's kitschey-ness with the chorus and all, but in it's day, it worked, and really that's all that's necessary.
     Bill Conti already had some success as a writer of soundtracks, but Rocky put him on the map. He wrote for many movies and TV shows throughout the 80's and 90's.

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Climax Blues Band--Couldn't Get it Right (1977)

     Have you ever heard a song on the radio and said, "I remember that song", but could never think of the band's name? Of course, most of us have. Sometimes it's because our memories are fading, but other times, it's just the group never stood out enough to be remembered. You would think this would happen to one hit wonders, and it does many times. For me however, the fact that they only hit the charts once makes it easier to remember....since the name is so identified with the song.
     The Climax Blues Band had two major hits in the US. This song, which was released in 1977 and went all the way to #3, with it's catchy,  loping groove. The next top 20 was four years later and a sticky sweet ballad called, "I Love You". I thought at the time it was a great song (maybe being in love with wife #1 had something to do with it).
     Part of the problem in my mind was that the group had no real identity. Quick...how many of you can name the lead singer of the group? It was Colin Cooper. Yes...I had to look it up, and no, I didn't even remember the name at the time. Another problem was it's name. For some reason as a kid, I kept confusing it with the Kosmic Blues Band, which was another band that was essentially faceless...except for the engulfing personality that was Janis Joplin. Part of this was totally my fault...but sometimes we just link two things together for no good reason. (have YOU ever seen Gary Busey and Nick Nolte in a room together?? I rest my case)
     The band that is on the road now has none of it's original member with death of Cooper in 2008.

   

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The Babys--Isn't It Time (1977)

     There are certain groups in rock history that are known by their songs, but are not terribly identifiable. The Babys came along at a time when the ground of popular music was undergoing seismic shifts due to the growing popularity of disco and the influence of punk. The group's lineup at it's height, vocalist/bassist John Waite, drummer Tony Brock, keyboardist/guitarist Michael Corby, and guitarist Wally Stocker, all went on (except for Corby) to successful careers elsewhere.

     Listening now, the music had a quality that allowed for it to be very catchy in any era, which I am sure is why their two big hits (and Waite's "Missing You') are still played a great deal on oldies radio....and has aged very well. Even if no one is sure the name of the band...

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Bonnie Raitt--Runaway (1977)

     Bonnie Raitt was one of those folks who never had breakthrough success until much later in her career. She had developed her bluesy chops into a viable commercial sound, but it took 20 years for that to happen. Back in the 70's however, she was a very respected artist who was a staple on FM rock stations.

     The daughter of Broadway actor John Raitt and his first wife, pianist Marjorie Haydock and raised Quaker, Bonnie had no intention at all to perform, much less to play the blues. It wasn't until she was in college at Harvard's Radcliffe College that her ideas began to change. She had met blues promoter Dick Waterman doing a radio interview while in school, and soon afterward moved to Philadelphia to immerse herself in the blues scene there. Through Waterman she soon found herself jamming with the likes of Howlin' Wolf and Mississippi Fred McDowell.  

     Her career began with a blues/rock hybrid, with the emphasis on the blues. Her early work reflected the development to more of a mainstream sound, which produced several fine albums throughout the period and easily found a home with the newer FM rock format. "Runaway" which is a cover of the Del Shannon hit of the early 60's was her only single of the 1970's era, reaching #44 in 1977.

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Leo Sayer--You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (1977)

    I'd like to say there was a real good reason for posting this song. Except for the fact that the dammed thing has gotten stuck in my head and by hearing it maybe it will go away.....

    Leo was born in England although just a few years back became an Australian citizen, and spent time on the US charts from 1974-81, quite a bit longer in Britain.

 

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Fleetwood Mac: You Make Lovin Fun (1977)

     Today is Christine McVie's 68th birthday.....

      I became aware of Fleetwood Mac during their "lost" period when Bob Welch was with them (72-74), and of course like many, followed their meteoric rise to the top of the pop world with the additions of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks in 1975. The voice however that always caught my attention and was such a warm counterpoint to the Buckingham/Nicks axis belonged to Christine McVie...

      McVie was born Christine Anne Perfect in 1943. Her father was a concert violin player and music professor at St. Peter's College. Her mother was a medium, psychic and faith healer. She studied piano as a teenager, and went to college to study sculpture with an eye on becoming a teacher herself. Christine played in her first band during those years but upon graduating split from the group and moved to London.

     She joined the band Chicken Shack in 1968 and stayed there for two albums until meeting John McVie in 1969. They married a year later.

     Christine had already established herself as a top notch singer before her arrival in the Fleetwood Mac camp, having won two Melody Maker awards in 69 and 70 for best female vocalist. With the departure of Peter Green in 1970, the group being adrift and McVie's knowledge of the groups songs already committed to memory, she seemed a natural to join the band on the road. Although it would be another 5 years for them to break through to a world wide audience, one of the major songwriting components for the future success was in place.

      Things didn't go smoothly between her and John, and by the time the "Rumours" album was released, they had separated. The song, "You Make Lovin Fun" was written about an ongoing affair she was having with Mac's lighting director, and was the last single released off of that album in September of 1977. That along with the gorgeous song "Songbird" are two of the many highlights of that record breaking album.

        She is now enjoying her retirement having stopped touring for the first time after the death of her father, however she was on the 1995 album,. "Time" and of course was a part of the 97' album, "The Dance". She went on tour to promote that album, but then went back into retirement after it was over.

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Automatic Man--My Pearl (1977)

     Automatic Man was a progressive/funk/rock/ band from San Fransisco led by former Santana drummer Michael Shrieve beginning in 1975. They came out with two albums, both gaining a bit of notice and one single that scrapped the bottom of the top 100 in 1977. The first album was fairly progressive in sound with some real jazz overtones. Shrieve left after that first album and their second album, "Visitors" went into a more straightforward funk direction. The band folded shortly afterward, but left us with this tasty single....enjoy!

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Little River Band--Help is on it's Way (1977)

     The guys who made up the Little River Band had already achieved success with other bands in their native Australia. From the start the band became known for tight harmonies, and a sound that was as mature on the singles as the album cuts. I imagine that because one of their big hits ("Reminiscing" in 1978) was their sappiest, they have been given the tag of lightweight, which is far from the truth.   If you have not spent much time with the band, I suggest that you do so...you'll find a lot of treasures awaiting.  

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David Soul: Don't Give Up On Us Baby (1977)

On this date in 1977, David Soul hit #1 with "Don't Give Up On Us Baby"....

Born David Solberg in 1973,  his mother was a teacher and his father was a Lutheran minister and Professor of History and Political Science.  At the age of 19, he turned down a contract to play for the Chicago White Sox to study Political Science. While at college in Mexico, he learned how to play guitar which changed everything for him. Interestingly enough however what initially garnered him success was his acting. His first big TV role was playing Joshua Bolt in the ABC series "Here Comes the Brides", then in 1972 he co-stared with Arthur Hill's law partner in  "Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law". He was in several notable roles after that including the film, "Magnum Force" with Clint Eastwood. However, it was his role as Det. Ken Hutchinson on the show, "Starsky and Hutch" that put him on the map....

In the middle 70's, he formed the group, "Band of Friends" and began dabbling in music again. This leads us to the featured song today. There were two other songs that charted as well in 77, and since has recorded sporadically, the latest one being in 1997. He continues to perform on stage and screen as well.

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Sunday Morning Vault: Angel--That Magic Touch (1977)

Angel is a glam metal band based out of Washington D.C. They were discovered back in the mid-70's by Gene Simmons of KISS and signed to their label, Casablanca. The main output of the band was over a four year period (75-79) and broke up in 1981. However, they reformed in 1998 and is still active. You can find them at http://www.myspace.com/AngelOfficialSite. This song was from 1977....

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The Eagles: New Kid In Town (1977)

On this day in 1977, The Eagles hit No. 1 with this song. It was the first single off of the massive selling, "Hotel California"....enjoy your Saturday!

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