Gallery--Nice To Be With You (1972)

     There used to be a major divide in the early 70's between those who listened to "FM" or album rock, and "AM" top 40 . It seems silly in a way, but there has always been divisions in musical taste like this. For many music fans (and unfortunately those who write about music as well), there is a territorial view of their genre, no matter what it is. Because of all of the different types of music I was exposed to as a child, there has always been a wide range of taste. To me, if it sounds good, I don't care who made it. This did mean however that most of my family didn't know that I have always had a love affair with hard rock music since about the age of 11. On the other hand, most of my peers would not be aware of my favoritism towards John Denver and Barry Manilow.
     Anyway, getting back to the subject at hand, the early 70's had a load of groups that would have a very tuneful hit which would come and then go. The Detroit based group, Gallery, not only had one, but had three top 40 hits in 1972 and 73. Singer/guitarist/songwriter Jim Gold, was the man behind the group and the song "Nice to Be With You. It has become a staple of oldies radio, not only because it's tuneful, but it's simple, pleasant sentiment crosses over generations. It's follow up, "I Believe in Music" was another hit written by Mac Davis, who, at the time was still one of the hottest songwriters of the day.
     By 1976, the touring group known as Gallery had folded, but Gold released a couple of solo albums in 76 and 78. He continues to write music today. 

    

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The Four Tops--Keeper of the Castle/Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got (1972)

     It had been a common refrain from those artists who had a proud legacy with Motown. The late 60's saw major shifts in what was a hit making machine out of Detroit. As with any musical style it is subject to the whims of the buying public, and much of the formula that churned out hit after hit had begun to break down as the Holland/Dozer/Holland songwriting team left to form their own label.
     Several groups like the Temptations and The Four Tops began to experiment with more psychedelic forms that fit with the late 60's. New songwriters such as Ashford & Simpson, Norman Whitfield, and Johnny Bristol began to emerge with a new pop/soul sound.  Artists with more clout such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder began to bring new forms of the black experience and it's expression  to the Motown label. which although popular with the public, did not impress Label president Berry Gordy who had become fixated on newer groups like The Jackson Five, Rare Earth, and a newly solo Diana Ross. With this began a slow shift from Detroit to Los Angeles which culminated in an announcement in 1972 that all operations were to move there, as was the artists. 
     The Four Tops were not interested in moving. Having felt neglected by the label for the past several years, they chose to break away from Motown and signed with ABC-Dunhill. This sparked a renaissance within the group and 1972 became one of the best years they had since their salad days in Detroit. The first hit was "Keeper of the Castle" which although neglected by oldies radio was a breath of fresh music air in 1972, with singer Levi Stubbs showing once again why his voice was a distinctive one through-out the previous decade. The second hit of the year was, "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got" which Stubbs was joined in co-lead spots by the rest of the Tops. "Ain't No Woman" was their last top five hit. Although never having another big hit, they continued to record throughout the 70's and from the 80's until the middle of this past decade toured the country with The Temptations in a very successful partnership.

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The Fortunes--You've Got Your Troubles (1965)/ Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again (1971)

     During the mid-60's there were a host of British bands who took advantage of the walls knocked down by the Beatles' breakthrough in the states in 1964. These bands (and songs) were many times catchy tunes but  they might not have had a proper hearing except for the fact that by 1965 the popular US listeners were clamoring for anything from the UK.
     The Fortunes began their history as the Cliftones in 1963. They were signed to British Decca records that year and released a series of singles over the next two years that went nowhere. The first breakthrough for the group was also their charting song: "You've Got Your Troubles"

    The song reached #2 in the UK and #7 in the states. The two follow-ups "Here It Comes Again" (UK-#4, US #27) and "This Golden Ring" (UK #14, US#82) showed the band not able to continue it's successes, at least here in the state. A label change from Decca to United Artists in 1967 didn't help from the group's downhill slide.
     They spend the next couple of years floundering with different formulas, attempting to recapture past glories. It was a move to Capitol records in the early 70's that began to change things. Although not charting in the UK at all, "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling" was released in 1971 and reached #15 on the charts making them more than a one hit wonder, although because of the 6 years between hits, many don't realize that both songs are by the same group.
     The group continues to tour although it's lead singer Rod Allen, who was the only remaining original member of the band died in 2008. You can find more on them here:   http://www.thefortunes.co.uk/

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Steve Forbert--Romeo's Tune (1979)

      If you were to define Steve Forbert today, it would probably be listed under the all-encompassing tent that is Americana music. He has been called a folk singer, or even earlier just categorized as a singer-songwriter. No matter what genre you put him in, Steve has had a long and successful career, even if this song defines him to most listeners.
     He has been nominated for a Grammy in 2004 for a tribute to Jimmie Rodgers, and has written music in support of the Occupy Wall St. movement, as well as a song ("Sandy") to raise awareness of the devastating hurricane and it's aftermath. Many of his albums since going in a pop rock/folk/country vein in 1985, has been very influential to other singers and songwriters, if not the general public.
     But it's always been that way with Steve as his strong poetic lyrics were evident from his first album release, "Alive on Arrival" in 1978. It was the second disc though that put him on the map. "Jackrabbit Slim" (1979) and the single from that album was a distinctive sound on the charts as opposed to the disco/punk/new wave that was being heard at that time. It was one of those moments that I've written about before where an artist's song crosses paths for just a moment with public tastes, before they continue on their paths, never to cross again.
     The song reached #11 on the charts, and a follow up barely cracked the top 100. Other than a role (as her boyfriend) in Cindi Lauper's video for  "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", most top 40 listeners never heard of him again. However, 14 years later, Forbert continues to craft strong albums and influence a generation of songwriters and performers.
     You can read more about him and his latest album here:  http://www.steveforbert.com/

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Weekend Vault: AFO Executives With Tammy Lynn (Pt.2)

     When we left off, many of the members of AFO, including Tammy Lynn went to the west coast seeking work. After some difficulty getting regular work in LA she went to New York long enough to play some gigs at the Birdland and to hook up on a recording session with producer Bert Berns. However, there wasn't enough to keep her busy so she moved back to California and reunited with Harold Battiste who had made a foothold for himself by producing early sides for Sonny and Cher, and reuniting with other New Orleans musicians such as Dr. John. She got quite a bit of work doing commercials, and backing vocals including the artists just mentioned. Over the years she has contributed her voice to many projects including the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street.
     In 1971, she was approached by Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records to re-record one of the songs off of the AFO Executives album called, "Mojo Hannah". She agreed and it was released on Cotillion Records to little fanfare, but it was a fantastic recording and felt the need to include it in our retrospective.

     While this is going on, just based in a hunch, Atlantic released the song which Tammy had recorded back in New York in the mid-60's. "I'm Gonna Run Away From You" became a big hit for her in the UK and it looked as if she was finally going to make it big. Here is an old video from the "Top of the Pops" show in England.

     On the success of the single, she went to the studio and recorded a number of cuts, which Atlantic pasted together with, "I'm Gonna Run Away From You" and "Mojo Hannah" with a group of songs that were haphazardly put together. The resulting album, "Love Is Here and Now Your Gone" went nowhere. Looking back, it was easy to see what happened. The cuts that were recorded in the states were quite inconsistent and she didn't even have a foothold in the US that would warrant an album in the first place. Secondly, the hit in the UK was a straight up piece of pop, and Mojo Hannah and much of the album were blues and jazz inflected. Not exactly the intended market who bought the single.
     As mentioned before, she probably best known in the states for her work on the album, "Exile on Main Street" and also on the single, "Would I Lie To You" by Eurythmics in 1985. She has kept busy over the years and released a new CD in 1992 called, "Tamiya Lynn". After 30 years of success in LA as a producer, Harold Battiste returned home to New Orleans and restarted AFO Foundation to recognize and document the musical history of his home. 

    
    

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Roberta Flack--The First Tiime Ever I Saw Your Face (1972)

     Roberta Flack had spent the entirety of the sixties as a music teacher in the Washington DC area.She had graduated from Howard University in late 50's as one of the youngest to ever graduate from that establishment (she was 19 at the time) and had planned to continue on to graduate studies in classical piano and voice. However, the death of her father put her in a position to help with the family finances, so she went into teaching in Farmville, North Carolina then to Washington.
     During the 60's she began to shape her career as a singer by performing in clubs on weekends in the area. At first she accompanied other singers, while she would sing on her own during intermissions, then as a performer on her own. In one of those clubs, she was heard by jazz pianist Les McCann, who arranged an audition for her with Atlantic Records. She recorded her first album, "First Take" in late 1968 and was released the next year. At first, not many heard the album, but one person who did was Clint Eastwood.
     The actor was in the process of making plans for his directorial debut on a film called, "Play Misty For Me" and was taken by one of the songs off of Flack's first album. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was written by folk singer Ewan MacColl back in 1957 and had been covered dozens of times. Flack had taken the song and slowed it down considerably for her recording, and Eastwood thought it would be a perfect fit in his new movie.
      During 1971, she had begun to make some headway on the charts, mostly on the strength of two duets with Donny Hathaway, but when the movie and the song became hits, it propelled her to stardom. The song was nominated for a Grammy and was the first of four top five hits for Roberta during the 70's.

     

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The Five Stairsteps--Ooh Child (1970)

     Several years before The Jackson Five took the soul/pop world by storm, another family of siblings were making an impact on the charts. Five of the nine Burke children out of Chicago (Alohe Jean, Clarence Jr., James, Dennis, and Keni) were discovered after winning a talent contest at the Regal Theater. They were offered several recording contracts, but a close family friend was Fred Cash of The Impressions who introduced them to Curtis Mayfield who signed them to his Windy City label.
     Beginning in 1966 they had a streak of songs which would do well on the r&b top 20, but never was able to make a dent on the top 40. In fact for all of the songs they placed on the charts, "Ooh Child" was not only the only song to make it to the Top 10, but it was the only song that made it to the Top 40 (pop charts).After disbanding in the mid-70's, Clarence Jr. and Keni continued in writing, producing, and studio work.

    

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Five Man Electrical Band--Signs (1971)

     The Five Man Electrical Band began their existence as The Staccatos in 1963. The Ottawa, Canada-based band began charting in their home country by 1965. They were frequently in the Canadian top 20 over the next few years except for 1967's, "Half Past Midnight" which crept into the top 10. There was never a hit followup, and by the end of 1968 the group was seeking a new direction musically. With that change to a more rock sound, came a new name. the Five Man Electrical Band.
     Even with a new name, the band continued their struggles and in early 1970 they left Capitol records and signed with MGM. Nothing much of not initially happened there either until the release of the single, "Hello Melinda, Goodbye". The A side did nothing, however, some DJ's in Canada and the US began to play the B side, "Signs". It immediately caught fire and before long became the #2 hit in the US. It's follow up, "Absolutely Right" cracked the top 40 here and did even better than "Signs" in their home country.
     There some minor chart action here in the states, but their success continued until running out of steam in 1975....

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The First Class--Beach Baby (1974)

   Only the mish mash of styles that defined the top 40 charts during the early/middle 70's could have given us one of the best summertime hits about the beach from London. Not only that, but they evoked the sound of the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson better than Wilson himself could at the time.
      The First Class was a studio group which consisted of songwriter/producer John Carter, studio singer Tony Burrows, and Chas Mills, primarily to promote the music of Carter and his songwriter wife, Jill Shakespeare.
     We have had done a blog on Burrows before and this would be the last of an incredible run as a lead singer in a band. "Beach Baby" itself was written and recorded in the summer of 1974. After it's release in subsequent success in the US, there was a clamoring for a tour. None of the participants were interested in this, so a band was put together which consisted of, Del John (lead singer), Spencer James (guitar), Robin Shaw (bass), Clive Barrett (keys), and Eddie Richards (drums). If you actually own the copy of their one and only album, you will see this group with the trio who actually recorded it.
     The version here on the blog is the album version of the song which is longer, but much superior to the single.

     

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Fleetwood Mac--Tusk (1979)

     Tracing the history of Fleetwood Mac, one might be surprised at the musical twists and turns they've taken. Starting out as a straight blues band, they slowly morphed into a blues/rock/pop sound then dropping all pretensions of the blues as Bob Welch and Christine McVie directed them into California rock. As Welch left the band to be joined by Lindsay Buckingham and his girl friend Stephanie (Stevie) Nicks, the freshness brought to be band was felt and heard immediately on the album "Fleetwood Mac" (1975). That album and it's massive follow-up "Rumors" (1977) defined the late 70's California sound, and also set the template for a generation of musicians in pop, rock and country (any question about the latter...check out any CD by Little Big Town).
     The huge success of Rumors allowed the group to go into the studio with a blank check on creating the follow-up. Buckingham, who had provided not only songwriting and production skills, also brought an energy to the group that spread to all of it's members. However, by 1978, all in the group were physically and emotionally spent. Most who are fans of the Mac are well aware of all of the relationship disasters and drugs that went into the making of the most successful album of it's era. So when it came time to go back into the studio, no one was particularly interested. It's with this back story that frames the album that was to become "Tusk". Buckingham had inspired the group before, at this point, at least for this album, he takes over.
     The result was a double album that was nothing like anything done by the group before or after. The guitarist, who was admittedly a disciple of Brian Wilson's adventuresome nature in the studio, created an album that was brilliant in it's fractured nature as "Rumors" was in it's cohesiveness. That album was a picture of a group that was cracking, "Tusk" was a snapshot of a group that was broken. It's centerpiece was the title track. The major theme of the song was based on a riff that was used during sound checks before a show, and Mick Fleetwood suggested that a song be built around it. Buckingham took it and added lyrics, and an overall sound that perfectly mirrored the cocaine fueled paranoia that still pervaded the band.
     The sound, provided by the USC Band added a quirkiness that became a hallmark of a lot of Buckingham's solo work in the 80's. The album sold close to 4 million copies, but compared to it's predecessor it was considered a failure. Three decades on, it is considered as brilliant in it's own way as "Rumors". By the way...on the video...you'll notice that John McVie was represented by a cardboard cut out carried around by Fleetwood. Turns out that the bassist was pissed at Buckingham over something and refused to take part....

 

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James Taylor Sings James Taylor (1970)

    I usually don't put long videos on the blog, but a lazy Friday morning seemed a great time to share this.
    In November 1970, the BBC did a special with James Taylor. Most of the time it's just him and his guitar (with a little piano) telling stories and singing. If anyone questions what the big deal was about JT, I direct you to this video where it's plain to see the connection he makes with an audience. There are not just songs sung by a shy dreamer, but one who by the age of 22 seen a lifetime of experience. He had spent 9 months in a psychiatric hospital, taken up and quit heroin (although he would fight that battle for the rest of the decade), had six months in recovery, had vocal chord surgery, and a motorcycle accident which broke both of his hands and his feet. There has been a host of singer/songwriters over the last 40+ years, some good, some not so good...but the genre (at least in the male category) begins here.

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Jay Ferguson--Thunder Island (1978)

     Jay Ferguson had his first and only hit with this song in 1977, but had been a long respected vocalist/keyboardist in rock circles for quite a long time  before then.
      Born in California, he grew up having taken piano and banjo, and in fact was in a bluegrass duo with his brother Tom (fiddle), called, The Oak Hill Stompers. Along with others however, he was inspired by the Beatles, and along with Randy California, Mark Andes, and Ed Cassidy formed The Red Roosters in 1965, but broke up later that year as Cassidy and California (who was still a young teen at the time). A couple of years later, both men were back on the west coast and ran into Ferguson and invited him to join a new band called, "Spirits Rebellious", later shortened to "Spirit". He became their lead vocalist and percussionist.
     They released a series of albums which, although not very successful commercially, were critically acclaimed and their mix of rock with jazz leanings has held up very well over the years. This failure to make it in a commercial way (and some band in-fighting) led Ferguson to leave the band in 1971 and form Jo Jo Gunne, taking Andes along with him. The group's self titled album in 1972 produced a top 40 hit, "Run Run Run", but spent the next few years spinning their wheels before breaking up in 1975. Andes went on to join Firefall and then Heart in later years.
     Ferguson's debut album, "All Along in the End Zone" had a heavy contribution from Joe Walsh, but showed the singer moving away from the straight ahead rock of Jo Jo Gunne and into a more Southern California pop/rock vein. It was a couple of years later that he hit big with the top 5 single, "Thunder Island". He had a successful follow-up with, "Shakedown Cruse" in 1979, but by the early 80's began to gravitate towards film and television music. His credits can be found in many places over the last 30 years as he continues to work in this field today.

    

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Freddy Fender--Before the Next Teardrop Falls (1975)

     By 1975 Freddy Fender (originally Baldemar Huerta) was a Texas legend. Known to many in the late 50's as the "Mexican Elvis Presley" for his covers of "Don't Be Cruel" and other rockabilly songs, his early adulthood sounded like a country song. Busted for possession of marijuana, he spent two and a half years in a prison camp in Louisiana. On being released, he played beer joints and continued to record on local labels. There are many from that area that would quickly tell you that his best material were the 45's recorded BEFORE he hit it big. If you are fan of his, you would be well served to track down those discs, recorded on the regional labels, Falcon, Ideal, and Duncan.
     In 1974, he was approached by producer Huey Meaux to put vocals to an instrumental. The song was, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", written by Vivian Keith and Ben Peters, and had already been a country hit by Linda Martell in 1969 and covered by many others. Fender recorded a verse in English and one in Spanish and thought nothing more about the gig. Meaux was impressed enough with the result that it was released first on the local Crazy Cajun label, then on nationwide distribution with ABC-Dot. It became Fender's hit and his first number 1 as well.

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Fanny--Butter Boy (1975)

     It has been said that the all female rock band, Fanny was the first group of it's kind to be signed to a major label. This isn't quite true with the first two being UK's, Goldie and the Gingerbreads, and Detroit's The Pleasure Seekers (featuring very young sisters Suzi and Patti Quatro). However it IS true that Fanny was the first to release an album on a major label.
     The group began as a duo. June and Jean Millington were born in the Philippines to an American Naval officer and his native wife. They moved to California in 1961 and to help relieve their homesickness began playing music together. In high school they formed a band with June on guitar, Jean on bass, and Brie Brandt (later replaced by Alice de Buhr) called The Svelts. When this group disbanded de Buhr formed a group called Wild Honey in which the Millington sisters joined.
     They moved to LA to try to make it there but after the constant struggle to get past the many barriers in a male-dominated scene, they decided to pack it in after a last open mic night at the Troubadour Club in 1969.
     It just happened that evening that producer Richard Perry was in the crowd and liked what he heard. He was looking for a female rock band to promote and produce and this filled the bill. Before going into the studio however, keyboardist Nicky Barclay was recruited and the name changed from Wild Honey to Fanny.
     Over the course of the next five years, the band released six albums and four charting singles. They band never broke through in a big way, but they were a constant presence on the charts. They did world tours opening for Slade, Jethro Tull, and Humble Pie gaining a greater popularity in the UK than at home.
    Ironically enough, the highest charting single for the band was happening as they were in the process of breaking up. "Butter Boy" was also a lot less rocking than earlier material. The remaining members of the group has continued to influence as studio musicians and producers. The real ground work for women who rock today can be found here.....

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Remembering Sammy Johns (1946-2013)

This has been reprinted with alterations from The Charlotte Observer:

Sammy Johns remembered as writer of hit songs 

 by Joe DePriest

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/01/09/3773186/sammy-johns-remembered-as-composer.html#storylink=cpy

      Playing a string of gigs at Charlotte clubs, singer Sammy Johns had never made more than $175 a week when he tried his hand at songwriting in the early 1970s. For years, he’d admired a friend’s Chevrolet van and imagined a man riding around in it, picking up beautiful women and making love in the back.
        Johns, who died Jan. 4 at age 66, used that theme in his first song, “Chevy Van.” When the record was finally released in January 1975, it sold 3.5 million copies and made him an instant celebrity. Although Johns never wrote another blockbuster for himself, he penned No. 1 hits for such country stars as Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty and John Conlee.
      Family and friends will remember Johns’ remarkable career Wednesday at a funeral service.
“He always planned to make music his life,” said Ray Finchum, who will officiate at his uncle’s funeral. “Music was his life. Everything revolved around it.” Finchum said that on Jan. 3, family members found Johns lying on the floor of his Gastonia home, and that he may have suffered a stroke or been electrocuted while working on an old lamp. Johns died the following day at Gaston Memorial Hospital.
      Finchum said that in recent years Johns, an avid golfer, had continued writing songs while playing with local bands. Johns also performed at the Grand Ole Opry with singer John Conlee, who had a number No. 1 hit with Johns’ composition “Common Man.” “Sammy considered himself a common man,” Finchum said. “He didn’t feel like he was special.”

      Around the age of 8, Johns began doing Elvis imitations at clubhouses and schools all over Gaston County. While he was a student at Belmont High School, he joined a rock band called the Devilles, named after the Cadillac model After graduating in 1962, he made music full time, playing with the band at Charlotte clubs and lounges like the Bamboo Lounge and Pecan Grove – a venue that featured gyrating go-go girls.
     A friend suggested Johns start writing songs. “Chevy Van” took shape while he sat on the bed of his northwest Charlotte apartment: Johns recorded the song in 1973 for an Atlanta company, but it sat on the shelf until 1975 when it climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard chart. “Rolling Stone” magazine dubbed it “The Song of the Seventies.”
      In a 1991 Observer interview, Johns said that while the first record made him rich and famous, he blew the money on alcohol, drugs, houses and cars. His four marriages failed. In 1977, he spent two weeks in an Atlanta rehab center and then moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he wrote and recorded songs. His composition “Desperado Love” was a No. 1 hit for Conway Twitty and “America” went gold for Waylon Jennings.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/01/09/3773186/sammy-johns-remembered-as-composer.html#storylink=cpy

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The Eagles--Take It Easy (1972)

    In the spring of 1971, singer Linda Ronstadt was preparing for a summer/fall tour and her manager, John Boylan was looking to put together a backing band. Glenn Frey was from Detroit and had moved to LA back in 69, Don Henley had come to the city from Texas the next year. Both were recruited for the band. A few months later a couple of relative veterans came into the fold. Bernie Leadon had just finished a stint with the Flying Burrito Brothers after recording a couple of albums with the group. Randy Meisner had begun doing session work on a full time basis again after spending some time with Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band.
     The four actually only played one gig with Ronstadt together, but quickly began to work among themselves on material written by Frey and Henley. By the end of the summer, their work with her had finished, and their work as the Eagles had begun.
     Although much of the first album was written in house, it was a friendship that Frey had with Jackson Browne that produced their first big hit. According to Browne, he had a bit of the song written and was in the studio fooling with it a bit, Frey asked about it and Jackson had replied that it wasn't ready yet. Glenn then suggested that it be completed there in the studio because he liked it. When Browne declined to do so, Frey then suggested that he help complete the song. "...after a couple of times when I declined to have him finish my song, I said, 'alright.' I finally thought, 'this is ridiculous. Go ahead and finish it. Do it.' And he finished it in spectacular fashion. And, what's more, arranged it in a way that was far superior to what I had written." (Taken from 'The Jackson Browne Fan Page')
     The result was a great song which became their first release, and first hit in the Spring in 1972 going to number 12. The debut album in which Browne was working on became a hit as well, with the debut single, "Doctor My Eyes" reaching the top ten.

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Carl Douglas--Kung Fu Fighting (1974)

     In the history of popular music, there are many examples of songs that make you scratch your head, laugh out loud, or both. Even better when said music can make you move. The 70's for some reason was full of stuff like this....and so we come to the story of Carl Douglas.
     He spent his youth in his native Jamaica and California, then moving to England to study sound engineering. While there, he formed the group Big Stampede and even issued a couple of singles. From the mid-60's to early 70's he spent time with several groups in England and Spain, but it was a meeting with Indian-born producer Biddu which would lead to his biggest hit.
     Biddu worked with Carl on a movie soundtrack in 1972, and it was that experience that led the producer to call for help with vocals a couple of years later. The song, "I Want To Give You My Everything" was the supposed "A" side. He needed a song for the flip side, so Biddu wrote music to some lyrics that Douglas had written about the martial arts craze happening in the US at the time. The song was recorded in 10 minutes.  
     The supposed "A" side was forgotten immediately as the song was a meeting of a great tune with "expert timing". It reached number 1 in the states in late 1974. The follow-up, "Dance the Kung Fu" made the top 50, and top 20 in Britain, but he was not seen in the US again. Douglas settled in Germany and owns a production company. 

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The Doobie Brothers--Listen to the Music (1972)

     The beginning of the group came about as drummer John Hartman arrived in California to work with former Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape artist Skip Spence. Things didn't work out musically between the two, but Spence introduced Hartman to singer/guitarist Tom Johnston. The duo began working together with a rotating crew of musicians under the name, "Pud" for about a year until teaming up with bassist Dave Shogren and Patrick Simmons. They changed their name to "The Doobie Brothers" and began to tour through Northern California, being especially popular with the Hell's Angels.
     They were signed to Warner Brothers and released their first album in 1971. "The Doobie Brothers" didn't make a dent on the charts, but from a listen you could see all of the elements that would come to fruition just a year later. Shogren was replaced with Tiran Porter and added a second drummer, Michael Hossack.  The addition of Porter's voice completed a three part harmony which became vital to the Doobie's sound. Pianist Bill Payne (from the group, Little Feet) contributed on the follow up recording as well.
     "Toulouse Street" added a glossier production, but not so much that it would be considered slick and that suited the sound of the band perfectly. It is a classic album of the early 70's California sound much like the Eagles, but with more jazz and r&b underpinnings. The first single, "Listen to the Music" became their first top 20 hit and would lay the foundation for the Doobie's sound for the next three years. 

     
     

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Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods--Billy, Don't Be A Hero (1974)

    Listening to the bubblegum pop of "Billy, Don't Be A Hero", one would think that Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods would have been a studio group. One just put together to record the song without any intention of touring. That could not have been further from the truth....
     The Heywoods were formed in 1965 by keyboard player, Robert "Bo" Donaldson in Cincinnati.  The name came from one of the members at the time,  Corky Pickering. The group spent the second half of the decade opening for several big names of the day; The Rascals, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and Herman's Hermits.
     It was while opening for The Osmonds things began to break for them. After signing with Family Productions, the released their first single in 1972. "Special Someone" didn't make a dent on the charts, it did garner the attention of ABC Records. This led to the release of, "Billy, Don't Be A Hero".
     The song, written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander,  had been a hit by the group Paper Lace in the UK and was being prepared for release in the US. However ABC got Donaldson's version out first....so for a time there were two versions of the song out. Donaldson's version reached number 1 here, it made no impact in the UK.
     The follow up single, "Who Do You Think You Are" also did well on the charts. After breaking up in the 80's, the group reformed in 1996 and still tours. You can find them here: http://www.bodonaldson.net/

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Dr. John--Right Place, Wrong Time (1973)

     There are times in the history of the singles chart where the mix of different genres will cross with artists who's music is eclectic as well and the paths will cross and an off the wall hit is born. Such is the way this song made it to the top ten.
     Dr. John, (who's real name is Mac Rebennack Jr.) began his professional career in his native New Orleans as a guitar player and producer. An incident where he was defending the keyboard player in his band ended with a shooting where Mac ended up with an injured ring finger. His interest in music began as a young teen after meeting Professor Longhair for the first time so his change from guitar to piano seemed to be a natural one.
     Having moved to LA in the early 60's, he quickly caught on with other artists and soon became on of the top session players on the scene. It's also where he developed the persona of "Dr. John" and mixed the jazz and R&B of his home with psychedelic rock of the day. The result, "Gris-Gris" was totally different than anything going on at the time. One of the songs, "I Walk On Guilded Splinters", was as good an example of psychedelic rock than anything done by the Dead or Jefferson Airplane.
     Four more albums were released, and he developed a solid cult following. Although not necessarily making  music for the singles chart, Atco released, "Iko Iko" off of his album, "Dr. John's Gumbo" in 1972, and primed the market for the album, "In The Right Place". Produced by Alan Toussaint and backed by The  Meters and propelled by the single, "Right Place, Wrong Time", the album went into the top 30. He has continued to tour and record top flight records. You can check out more about this stellar American legend at http://www.nitetripper.com/ 
     The video was from New Orleans in 1973...

     

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