Forever #1 - Tito Jackson (Jackson 5)

[Gary]

[Gary]

[rockgolf]

Kenny's 30 biggest hits on the Hot 100:

Rank	Song	Credit	(Year, HP)
1	Lady	Kenny Rogers	(1980, #1)
2	Islands In The Stream	Kenny Rogers Duet with Dolly Parton	(1983, #1)
3	Coward Of The County	Kenny Rogers	(1980, #3)
4	I Don't Need You	Kenny Rogers	(1981, #3)
5	We've Got Tonight	Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton	(1983, #6)
6	She Believes In Me	Kenny Rogers	(1979, #5)
7	Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer	Kenny Rogers with Kim Carnes	(1980, #4)
8	Lucille	Kenny Rogers	(1977, #5)
9	You Decorated My Life	Kenny Rogers	(1979, #7)
10	Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)	First Edition	(1968, #5)
11	Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town	Kenny Rogers and the First Edition	(1969, #6)
12	What Are We Doin' In Love	Dottie West (with Kenny Rogers)	(1981, #14)
13	The Gambler	Kenny Rogers	(1979, #16)
14	Love Will Turn You Around	Kenny Rogers	(1982, #13)
15	Something's Burning	Kenny Rogers and the First Edition	(1970, #11)
16	Share Your Love With Me	Kenny Rogers	(1981, #14)
17	Through The Years	Kenny Rogers	(1982, #13)
18	What About Me?	Kenny Rogers , Kim Carnes & James Ingram	(1984, #15)
19	Love The World Away	Kenny Rogers	(1980, #14)
20	But You Know I Love You	First Edition	(1969, #19)
21	Tell It All Brother	Kenny Rogers and the First Edition	(1970, #17)
22	This Woman	Kenny Rogers	(1984, #23)
23	Ruben James	Kenny Rogers and the First Edition	(1969, #26)
24	Daytime Friends	Kenny Rogers	(1977, #28)
25	Heed The Call	Kenny Rogers and the First Edition	(1970, #33)
26	Love Or Something Like It	Kenny Rogers	(1978, #32)
27	All My Life	Kenny Rogers	(1983, #37)
28	Buy Me A Rose	Kenny Rogers , Alison Krauss & Billy Dean	(2000, #40)
29	A Love Song	Kenny Rogers	(1982, #47)
30	Sweet Music Man	Kenny Rogers	(1978, #44)

[renaboss]

"Coward of the County" hit #1 on both Cash Box and Record World - any idea as to why it stalled at #3 on Billboard? Was it radio?

[Gary]

Bill Withers who died on Monday was #1 for 3 weeks in July 1972 with 'Lean On Me'

[Gary]

Forever No. 1: Bill Withers' 'Lean on Me'
by Gail Mitchell April 03, 2020, 9:55pm EDT

Forever No. 1 is a Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer -- a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single -- by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor the late Bill Withers by diving into his only No. 1 hit, the timeless anthem "Lean on Me."

On Bill Withers’ groundbreaking debut album Just as I Am, there’s a short whimsical track called “Do It Good.” Halfway through, Withers recalls -- in melodic spoken word -- the advice that producer Booker T. Jones gave the factory man-turned-recording artist. “When I came in here to try and/ Do this, something/ I've never done before/ Mr. Jones looked at me, said to me/ Don't worry about it/ Just do what you do/ And do it good.”

Withers did just that for the next 14 years. And in those years -- too short of a span for his legion of fans -- the singer-songwriter born in the coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia reeled off a string of unforgettable hits and deep album cuts that continue to endure 45 years later. Love, betrayal, human nature, society’s ills and more provided the creative fodder for gems such as “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Harlem,” “Lovely Day,” “Use Me,” “Just the Two of Us” and “I Can’t Write Left-Handed.”




He scored his first and only No. 1 hit on both the R&B and pop charts with the 1972 anthem “Lean on Me.” The inspirational anthem was the first single from Withers’ second studio album, Still Bill. And its chart-topping ascent delivered on the promise hinted at the year before on the ex-Navy man’s aforementioned debut album. That album showcased his refreshing, folksy vocals and simple yet resonant lyrics by way of “Ain’s No Sunshine” (No. 3 on the Hot 100) and “Grandma’s Hands.”

“My favorite Bill Withers song is ‘Grandma’s Hands,’ says music industry pioneer Clarence Avant, who signed the newcomer to his Los Angeles-based label Sussex Records. “When Bill came to me, he said, ‘I guess you’ll be like everybody else, and turn me down.’ I said, ‘You’ll have to wait and see. I haven’t heard your music yet.’ But when I heard ‘Grandma’s Hands,’ I figured if anybody could write about their grandmother like that, he was worth a shot.”

After signing Withers, Avant called Stax chief Al Bell to arrange for Booker T. Jones to produce the neophyte recording artist’s first album. “After that,” says Avant, “Bill did everything himself: writing, singing and producing. He was one of the most talented artists I’ve ever met period. Just a brilliant writer.” (Fellow all-time great Stevie Wonder agrees about Withers' writing gifts, telling Billboard that he "was a great writer who painted pictures with lyrics, the same way that a great artist would do a painting or drawing.”)

Like “Grandma’s Hands” before it, “Lean on Me” was built around the hometown tenets that Withers was raised on: love of God, family and friends. And he didn’t need a big stick to deliver the song’s powerful message. That was subtly driven home by the song’s simplicity and gospel-rooted, sing-along cadence: “You just call on me brother, when you need a hand / We all need somebody to lean on.”

Rolling out the welcome mat for the inspirational “Lean on Me” were several immensely popular predecessors in the early ‘70s that carried equally strong messaging, such as the Beatles’ “Let It Be,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and James Taylor’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” Withers’ arrival on the soul scene in the early ‘70s also coincided with that of such fellow practitioners as Al Green, Roberta Flack, The Staples Singers and a solo Michael Jackson -- all of whom in turn exploded their way into the mainstream with No. 1 hits of their own in 1972. Withers joined their ranks on the Hot 100 dated July 8, replacing Neil Diamond's "Song Sung Blue" atop the chart, and reigning for three weeks.

Still Bill also spun off another popular Withers’ classic in “Use Me," which came one spot away from his "Lean" peak, hitting No. 2. Like its predecessor, "Use Me" was recorded and produced by Withers and musicians from the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (“Express Yourself”) including well-known session drummer James Gadson. After “Lean on Me” and “Use Me,” Withers added more classics to his repertoire throughout the rest of the ‘70s, including “Kissing My Love,” “The Same Love That Made Me Laugh” and “Lovely Day.” His teaming with saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. in 1981 took him back into the top five on the pop and R&B charts once more, with his last major hit, “Just the Two of Us.”

Patti LaBelle Remembers Bill Withers as a 'Musical Genius and Trailblazer': Exclusive
Withers would reach the top of the charts one more time, though not with one of his own recordings. R&B crew Club Nouveau claimed a No. 1 on the Hot 100 for two weeks with their cover of "Lean on Me" in 1987, putting a unique stamp on it with the catchy reggae-esque refrain “we be jammin’.” And Withers went on to win one of his record-setting three Grammys as the writer of the song, which won in the best R&B song category in 1988.

Beyond that, sightings of Withers were few and far between, until he took center stage for the illuminating 2009 documentary Still Bill. An ever-candid Withers not only talked about his creative process but also frankly about the stuttering problem he grew up with. Six years later, Wonder and John Legend helped induct Withers into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he performed publicly for the last time. “Bill hadn’t sung in public for a long time,” recalls Legend, “and we didn’t know if we could convince him to come up and sing with us. But he did come up and sing a little bit of ‘Lean on Me’ with us. It was nice; I’ll never forget that moment.”




Over the years since its release, “Lean on Me” has underscored numerous charitable events and other occasions. Having been performed or covered by a diverse range of artists from Mary J. Blige and Glen Campbell to Al Jarreau, Michael Bolton and The Winans. The latter group remade the song in 1989 for the movie of the same name starring Morgan Freeman. The song’s uplifting message played a pivotal role in the film, based on the life of high school principal Joe Louis Clark. And as COVID-19 continues to ravage the world, “Lean on Me” carries even more urgency now.

"Who doesn’t like ‘Lean on Me'?" asks Wonder, rhetorically. "It’s just a classic song for all times, for all genres. It can be sung at happy occasions and even some that are bad when you need a lift. Just a wonderful song."

[Gary]

Bobby Lewis, ‘Tossin’ and Turnin” Singer, Dead at 95
1961 hit spent seven weeks atop Hot 100 and sold over 3 million copies
By Daniel Kreps
June 13, 2020 4:11PM ET

Bobby Lewis, the R&B singer behind “Tossin’ and Turnin’” — one of the biggest hits of the early Sixties — died in late April at the age of 95.
Billboard confirmed Lewis’ death Saturday, nearly two months after the singer died after a bout with pneumonia.

The Indianapolis-born singer is best known for the original version of “Tossin’ and Turnin’,” which he recorded in the fall of 1960; in the summer of 1961, the single began a seven-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100. “Tossin’ and Turnin’” was also named Billboard’s Number One single of 1961, besting songs like Dion’s “Runaround Sue,” Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” the Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and Elvis Presley’s “Surrender.”

In 2019, Rolling Stone placed “Tossin’ and Turnin’” at Number One on our list celebrating the 20 Biggest Songs of the Summer: The 1960s, acknowledging its lengthy reign atop the Hot 100 and its 3 million copies sold.

“Tossin’ and Turnin’” would later be covered by artists like the Supremes, the Kingsmen, the Marvelettes and Kiss’ Peter Criss and feature in early Sixties paeans like National Lampoon’s Animal House and American Graffiti.

[garrettlen]

"I couldn't sleep at all last night..."

RIP Bobby Lewis

[Gary]

'Game of Love' Singer Wayne Fontana Dies at 74
8/7/2020 by Gil Kaufman


Wayne Fontana, the 1960s singer who scored a hit with his Manchester group the Mindbenders with 1965's "The Game of Love" has died at age 74.

Fontana's passing was confirmed by management agency Chimes Int'l on behalf of the singer's family in a tweet on Thursday (Aug. 6), which read: "Chimes Int'l on behalf of the family of Wayne Fontana regret to announce he passed away this afternoon at Steppinghill Hospital, Stockport. His long term partner was by his side. known for his 1965 hit 'Game of Love.' Family asks for privacy at this time."

Chimes' Robert Pratt added that Fontana died after "long illness," though the illness was not specified; his is survived by a daughter and two sons.

"He will be sadly missed," Pratt tells Billboard. "Great hits, great entertainer, and a really nice man."

Fontana, born Glyn Geoffrey Ellis on Oct. 28, 1945, in Manchester, England, and derived his stage name from Elvis' legendary drummer, D.J. Fontana. He formed the backing group the Mindbenders in 1963 and after priming the pump with a series of R&B covers, the band scored their biggest hit two years later with "Game." It would be a short-lived affair, though, as Fontana left the group that same year and tried his hand as a solo act.

His only notable chart success was with the 1967 song "Pamela, Pamela," one of several songs written for him by iconic British songwriter and 10cc member Graham Gouldman.

He released a few more singles in 1968 and 1969 -- including "Never an Everyday Thing," "Dayton Ohio 1903," "We're Building a Love and "Charlie Cass," with one of his final single, "The Last Bus Home," released by UK Polydor in 1976, after which he mostly walked away from the music business.

[Gary]

Game of Love - #1 April 24, 1965

[garrettlen]

The Beatles' late manager Brian Epstein can be seen briefly in the above video listening to Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders as they perform.

[Gary]

Ronald 'Khalis' Bell, Co-Founder of Kool & the Gang, Dies at 68
9/9/2020 by Heran Mamo

Ronald Bell, also known as Khalis Bayyan and the co-founder of Kool & the Gang with his brother Robert "Kool" Bell, died suddenly Wednesday morning (Sept. 9) at his home in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to a statement from his publicist. He was 68.

No cause of death has been announced at this time.

Ronald Bell and his older brother Robert joined forces with their Jersey City neighborhood friends Dennis "D.T." Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown and Ricky West in 1964 to whip up a unique blend of jazz, soul and funk. Their infamous band recycled many monikers -- Jazziacs, The New Dimensions, The Soul Town Band, Kool & the Flames – before cementing themselves as Kool & the Gang in 1969.

Born on Nov. 1, 1951, Ronald Bell acted as Kool & the Gang's chief composer and arranger on top of mastering the saxophone and keyboard. He eventually penned the group's first and only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Celebration." He told Billboard in a 2018 interview about the lyrical and religious inspirations for the song. "At the end of 'Ladies Night,' we are singing, 'Come on let’s all celebrate' so 'Celebration' comes from the end of 'Ladies Night,' but I actually saw that in a scripture I was reading where the creator of the universe that created man and the angels were all celebrating for doing so, and from that idea it sparked writing 'Celebration.'"

He also wrote their top 10 Hot 100 hits "Jungle Boogie," "Hollywood Swinging" and "Get Down On It." Kool & the Gang has notched a total of 25 top 10 hits on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The funk, soul and R&B legends have earned a Grammy award for album of the year with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, five American Music Awards and took home the BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. They've sold 70 million albums worldwide and earned 17 gold- and platinum-certified singles by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The Bell brothers, Brown and Kool & the Gang vocalist James "J.T." Taylor were all inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

In an interview with Billboard last year to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary, Ronald Bell laughed when he said he felt grateful just to have the career he did. "And for it to be this long," he added. "For me, I'm most grateful for that, to still be relevant since [we were] 19."

[Gary]

Forever No. 1: Kool & the Gang's 'Celebration'
by Andrew Unterberger September 10, 2020, 3:16pm EDT

Forever No. 1 is a Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer -- a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single -- by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor the late Khalis Bayyan of Kool & the Gang by diving into his group's only Hot 100 No. 1, the eternal party anthem "Celebration."

Think of the definitive hitmaking bands of the '80s, and your mind likely goes either to new wave-era pop groups like Duran Duran, Culture Club and The Cars or hair metal-era arena-rockers like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Guns N' Roses. But a group of funk veterans had more top 40 hits in the period than all of 'em: Kool & the Gang, the New Jersey fusionists who'd first broke out in the early '70s, notched a stunning 16 top 40 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 over the course of the '80s, tied with AOR mavens Journey for the most of any band that decade. (Duo Hall & Oates had the most of any artist with their 22.)



Still, of those 16 top 40 hits blanketing the Greed Decade, only one topped the Hot 100: "Celebration," penned primarily by group co-founder Ronald Bell (who later adopted the name Khalis Bayyan), who died on Wednesday (Sept. 9) at age 68. "Celebration" reached No. 1 the week of February 7, 1981, taking over from Blondie's calypso cover "The Tide Is High," and lasted for two weeks at the chart's apex.

Though the song has come to be synonymous with nearly every type of private and public celebration in the four decades since its release, the idea for the enduring and immediately recognizable party perennial first came to Bayyan when he was reading the Qu'ran. "I was reading the passage, where God was creating Adam, and the angels were celebrating and singing praises," he told Al Jazeera in 2014. "That inspired me to write the basic chords, the line, 'Everyone around the world, come on, celebration.'"

It also helped the song's overall spirit that it was the first time in a while that Kool & the Gang had much to celebrate. Started by Bayyan and brother Robert "Kool" Bell as teens in 1964, the group first hit the Hot 100 in 1969 with their self-titled debut single, reaching No. 59. They grew that success in the mid '70s, with the consecutive smashes "Funky Stuff" (No. 29, 1973), "Jungle Boogie" (No. 4, 1974) and "Hollywood Swinging" (No. 6, 1974). But as their brand of fire-starting funk fell out of favor in the latter half of the '70s as disco rose to ubiquity, the hits dried up, and neither 1977's The Force or 1978's Everybody Dancin' LPs spawned a single that even managed to crack the Hot 100.

By the time of "Celebration," the group had been re-established as pop stars -- Kool even told the Los Angeles Herald Examiner that the idea for the song "came from our celebration of our return to the music business" -- and indeed, the single sounds like a victory lap from its opening drum fill. Subsequent instruments (guitar, horns, bass) each take turns strutting in from there, as background voices subtly chatter and whoop in the background, before affirming their presence with one gigantic "WA-HOO!" And then, the immortal chant-along chorus -- "Celebrate good times, come on!" -- which serves as both an invitation and demand, unequivocal enough to be unignorable, but also open-ended enough in its phrasing to be universally applicable.

However, the group's comeback began in earnest with 1979's Ladies Night, produced by Brazilian studio whiz Eumir Deodato (who'd scored a surprise No. 2 hit earlier in the decade with a jazz-funked rendition of the classical piece "Also Sprach Zarathustra") and fronted by James "J.T." Taylor, hired to be the group's lead vocalist. Together with their new singer and producer, the band more fully embraced disco's pulse, and Ladies' Night spawned a pair of top 10 hits in 1980 with "Too Hot" (No. 5) and the title track (No. 8). The latter in particular helped set the table for "Celebration," not just with its handclap-assisted energy and generally convivial spirit, but with its outro, in which the backing vocalists proclaim, "Come on dance and celebrate." ("That was the key to finishing 'Celebration,'" Bayyan told Adam White and Fred Bronson for The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits.)



By the time of "Celebration," the group had been re-established as pop stars -- Kool even told the Los Angeles Herald Examiner that the idea for the song "came from our celebration of our return to the music business" -- and indeed, the single sounds like a victory lap from its opening drum fill. Subsequent instruments (guitar, horns, bass) each take turns strutting in from there, as background voices subtly chatter and whoop in the background, before affirming their presence with one gigantic "WA-HOO!" And then, the immortal chant-along chorus -- "Celebrate good times, come on!" -- which serves as both an invitation and demand, unequivocal enough to be unignorable, but also open-ended enough in its phrasing to be universally applicable.

[rockgolf]

Every Kool & the Gang hits on the Hot 100 ranked (using the Billboard all-time algorithm):

Rank	Year	High	Total score	Artist	Track
1	1981	1	675776	Kool & The Gang	Celebration
2	1985	2	642040	Kool & The Gang	Cherish
3	1974	4	583000	Kool & The Gang	Jungle Boogie
4	1984	2	470976	Kool & The Gang	Joanna
5	1980	5	375264	Kool & The Gang	Too Hot
6	1980	8	368800	Kool & The Gang	Ladies Night
7	1974	6	322960	Kool & The Gang	Hollywood Swinging
8	1985	9	284920	Kool & The Gang	Fresh
9	1985	10	262400	Kool & The Gang	Misled
10	1987	10	254200	Kool & The Gang	Victory
11	1987	10	212320	Kool & The Gang	Stone Love
12	1982	10	204864	Kool & The Gang	Get Down On It
13	1981	17	155552	Kool & The Gang	Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)
14	1985	18	152320	Kool & The Gang	Emergency
15	1984	13	149856	Kool & The Gang	Tonight
16	1982	21	83904	Kool & The Gang	Big Fun
17	1973	29	81440	Kool & The Gang	Funky Stuff
18	1983	30	76000	Kool & The Gang	Let's Go Dancin' (Ooh La, La, La)
19	1975	35	72360	Kool & The Gang	Spirit Of The Boogie
20	1981	39	39552	Kool & The Gang	Jones Vs. Jones
21	1974	37	38960	Kool & The Gang	Higher Plane
22	1969	59	28356	Kool & The Gang	Kool And The Gang
23	1977	55	28264	Kool & The Gang	Open Sesame Part 1
24	1987	72	27200	Kool & The Gang	Special Way
25	1975	55	22200	Kool & The Gang	Caribbean Festival
26	1975	63	20480	Kool & The Gang	Rhyme Tyme People
27	1987	66	15280	Kool & The Gang	Holiday
28	1976	77	13640	Kool & The Gang	Love And Understanding (Come Together)
29	1970	78	8576	Kool & The Gang	Let The Music Take Your Mind
30	1970	85	6240	Kool & The Gang	The Gang's Back Again
31	1970	87	4736	Kool & The Gang	Funky Man
32	1982	89	2624	Kool & The Gang	Steppin' Out

[Gary]

Edna Wright, Honey Cone Singer and Sister of Darlene Love, Dies
9/12/2020 by Ashley Iasimone


Edna Wright, best known as the lead singer of The Honey Cone, the girl group that went to No. 1 on the Hot 100 with the song "Want Ads" in 1971, has died.

Wright's sister, singer Darlene Love, confirmed the news of her passing with a statement posted on social media Saturday night (Sept. 12).

"I’m in complete shock and so heartbroken by the sudden loss of my beautiful baby sister," Love wrote on Facebook. "Please keep me and my family in your prayers during this very sad time for us."

"I didn't just fall into The Honey Cone," Wright said in an interview in 2019, speaking of her group with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark, formed in the late '60s. "I dreamed of that. I watched Diana Ross. I watched Martha Reeves, and I said, 'Oh, that's phenomenal.'"

"It was very positive," she said of "Want Ads," reflecting on the hit. "It was a girl that was just really tired of stupid. She was the kind of girl who knew how to say no, and knew how to reach for what she wanted."

Wright added, "I always try to put out positive songs that reflect, that I can watch through this life and say, 'Yeah, that was me. I'm proud of that.'"

"We have something that everybody should know. We have one mouth, and we have two ears. We should learn to hear and listen better and speak less, and then we'll win what we're going after," she said.

The Honey Cone's chart highlights also included 1971's "Stick Up," as well as 1972's "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" and "The Day I Found Myself."

[Gary]

Forever No. 1: The Honey Cone's 'Want Ads'
by Andrew Unterberger September 14, 2020, 1:48pm EDT

Girl groups ruled the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1960s. The Crystals, The Shangri-Las, The Shirelles and several other all-female vocal groups reached the chart's pinnacle in the chart's first full decade of existence -- led, of course, by The Supremes, from Detroit's powerhouse Motown label, who topped the Hot 100 a staggering 12 times, more than any other '60s artist outside of The Beatles.

But by the end of the decade, most of those early-'60s groups had seen their chart runs wind to a halt, and late in 1969, Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross announced her plans to leave the group for a solo career -- which she did, to great success, in early 1970. The question of which act, if any, would be able to pick up the mantle for the girl group at the top of the Hot 100 in the new decade was not one easily answered. Certainly, few would have predicted that it would be The Honey Cone -- the L.A. trio of record-biz journeywomen who did in fact plant the '70s girl-group flag atop the Hot 100 the week of June 12, 1971, supplanting The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar."

The vocal group, led by veteran backing singer Edna Wright -- who died on Saturday (Sept. 12) at 76 -- had scored just two minor hits in 1969, "While You're Out Looking For Sugar" (No. 62) and "Girls It Ain't Easy" (No. 68). But while the act was not signed to Motown or any similarly major label, they did have hitmaker pedigree behind them: Wright had backed chart-topping artists like Ray Charles and the Righteous Brothers, before forming Honey Cone with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark after the three backed Andy Williams on a TV special. Meanwhile, the group's Hot Wax label was formed by the famed Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting/production team, who'd helmed countless hits for Motown artists (including The Supremes) before falling out with label head Berry Gordy late in the decade. (Wright was also sister of pop/soul great Darlene Love, who'd recorded the holiday classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and also sang lead on The Crystals' Hot 100-topping "He's a Rebel.")

In 1971, the Honey Cone also got a hand from the Chairmen of the Board, a group that had scored one of the biggest soul hits of the young decade for Holland-Dozier-Holland's other newly founded label, Invictus, with the No. 3-peaking "Give Me Just a Little More Time." While that smash was scribed by the H-D-H team (under the pseudonym "Edythe Wayne") along with Ron Dunbar, Chairmen singer General Johnson also wanted to prove himself as a songwriter, and found success in late 1970 with the Hot 100 No. 8 hit "Somebody's Been Sleeping (In My Bed)," co-written with Greg Perry for the Hot Wax group 100 Proof (Aged in Soul). Perry and Johnson also linked up for another song, the heartbroken but jaunty "Stick Up," which used robbery as an extended metaphor for a jilted lover.


Before that song was recorded, though, Perry and Johnson used a suggestion from recording engineer Barney Perkins, and wrote another spin on the extended-metaphor song with "Want Ads" -- about an unsatisfied woman describing her plan to literally recruit a new man through the newspaper as an open job position. The song was first given to Hot Wax act Glass House -- led by Scherrie Payne, who then recorded a new version of it with her sister Freda, of "Band of Gold" fame. Neither version came out to the satisfaction of its writers or performers, so it was then given to Wright and her new group. This time, it connected, and was released in March 1971 as the lead single from the group's Soulful Tapestry album, out later that year.

"Want Ads" thrives on the sharpness of both its writing and its performance. With just a single measure of musical introduction, it kicks off with the full group's commanding "Wanted -- young man single and free!" proclamation, followed by a couple delectable guitar hits (courtesy of a then-unknown Ray Parker Jr.), and then Wright's own pointed follow-up: "Experience in love preferred, but will accept a young trainee." In the song's first 12 seconds, everything that works about "Want Ads" is established: the litheness of its pop-funk groove, the clever conceit and chuckle-worthy detail of Perry and Johnson's love-as-job-listing lyric, and Wright's pitch-perfect delivery, piercing but syrupy, soaring but controlled.

[Gary]

The Emotions star Pamela Hutchinson, who sang Best Of My Love, dies
By Mark Savage

Pamela Hutchinson, a member of the Grammy-winning R&B group The Emotions, has died at the age of 61.

She was the youngest sister of the band's core members Sheila, Wanda and Jeanette Hutchinson, and sang on their biggest hit single Best Of My Love.

News of her death was confirmed on The Emotions' Facebook page.

"In loving memory, we are saddened to announce the passing of our sister, Pamela Rose Hutchinson, on Friday, September 18, 2020," a statement read.

"Pam succumbed to health challenges that she'd been battling for several years. Now our beautiful sister will sing amongst the angels in heaven in perfect peace.

"Thank you and as always, You Got The Best of Our Love. The Emotions."

The band emerged from Chicago in the 1960s, where the sisters had been gospel singers as children.

After achieving local success, they signed with the legendary R&B label Stax, working with the likes of Isaac Hayes and David Porter.

When Stax folded, the group were taken under the wing of Maurice White from Earth, Wind & Fire, who produced two of their albums and co-wrote Best Of My Love.

The Emotions returned the favour by lending their harmonies to Earth, Wind & Fire's disco anthem Boogie Wonderland in 1979.

Pamela joined her sisters just in time for their crossover pop success - although she only appeared on one album, before becoming a permanent member in the early 2000s.

That incarnation of the band collaborated with rapper Snoop Dogg on a song called Life, from the 2006 album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment.

In their statement, The Emotions added: "We appreciate all kind words, photos, and videos you may want to post for our beloved Pamela and of course your loving prayers.

"A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered. We love you, Pamela!"

[Gary]

[Gary]

TODAY
'I Am Woman' singer Helen Reddy dies at 78 in Los Angeles
Associated Press 8 hrs ago
s

Helen Reddy, who shot to stardom in the 1970s with her feminist anthem “I Am Woman” and recorded a string of other hits, has died. She was 78.


Reddy’s children Traci and Jordan announced that the actress-singer died Tuesday in Los Angeles. “She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman,” they said in a statement. “Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever.”

The Australian-born singer enjoyed a prolific career, appearing in “Airport 1975” as a singing nun and scoring several hits, including “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” from “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Ain’t No Way To Treat a Lady,” “Delta Dawn,” “Angie Baby” and “You and Me Against the World.”

Reddy’s version of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” in 1971 launched a decade-long string of Top 40 hits, three of which reached No. 1.

Two years later she won the best female vocal pop performance Grammy Award for “I Am Woman,” quickly thanking her then-husband and others in her acceptance speech.

“I only have 10 seconds so I would like to thank everyone from Sony Capitol Records, I would like to think Jeff Wald because he makes my success possible and I would like to thank God because she makes everything possible,” Reddy said, hoisting her Grammy in the air and leaving the stage to loud applause.

“I Am Woman” would become her biggest hit, used in films and television series.

In a 2012 interview with The Associated Press, Reddy cited the gigantic success of “I Am Woman” as one of the reasons she stepped out of public life.

“That was one of the reasons that I stopped singing, was when I was shown a modern American history high-school textbook, and a whole chapter on feminism and my name and my lyrics (were) in the book,” she told the AP. “And I thought, `Well, I’m part of history now. And how do I top that? I can’t top that.′ So, it was an easy withdrawal.”

Reddy’s death comes less than three weeks after the release of a biopic about her life called “I Am Woman.”


A performer since childhood, Reddy was part of a show-business family in Melbourne. She won a contest that brought her to the United States and launched her recording career, although she first had to overcome ideas about her sound.

“In my earlier days in Australia, I was considered to be more of a jazz singer. When I won the contest that brought me to this country, one person said, ‘The judges didn’t feel you could have a recording career because you don’t have a commercial sound.’”

Reddy retired from performing in the 1990s and returned to Australia, getting her degree in clinical hypnotherapy.

[Gary]

Mac Davis: In The Ghetto songwriter dies aged 78
By Mark Savage
BBC music reporter

Mac Davis, the country songwriter who penned In The Ghetto and A Little Less Conversation for Elvis Presley, has died at the age of 78.

A household name in the US, he had his own TV show in the 1970s and a string of solo hits, including the number one single Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me.

He also appeared on TV shows like Fargo and Murder, She Wrote; and in his later years, he made a club hit with Avicii.

Davis died on Tuesday following heart surgery, said his manager Jim Morey.

"Mac Davis has been my client for over 40 years, and, more importantly, my best friend," said Morey in a statement.

"He was a music legend, but his most important work was that as a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. I will miss laughing about our misadventures on the road and his insightful sense of humour.

"When there was a tough decision to be made, he often told me, 'You decide.. I'm going to the golf course!'"

Born Scott Davis on 21 January, 1942, the singer-songwriter grew up in Buddy Holly's hometown of Lubbock, Texas.

He began performing in local rock bands in his teens, but didn't achieve success until he moved to Los Angeles and signed to Nancy Sinatra's publishing company.

There, he wrote songs for artists including Glen Campbell, Bobby Goldsboro, and Kenny Rogers. In 1968, Elvis Presley recorded Davis's composition A Little Less Conversation and, liking what he heard, asked the writer to contribute a song to his comeback special.

"They had asked for a song about looking back over the years, and oddly enough, I had to write it in one night," he later recalled. "I stayed up all night at Billy Strange's house in Los Angeles. He had a little office set up in his garage. I wrote it right there."

The song was Memories, which became Davis' first top 40 hit. He and Presley followed it up with In The Ghetto, a haunting track about racial inequality, which Elvis took into the top five in 1969.

Davis recounted the writing of the song in 2009, saying it was inspired by his childhood friend, Smitty Junior - the son of a black labourer who worked for his father.




"Smitty Junior, was my age and he and I used to play together," he told American Songwriter. "Our daddies would be working, and in the summertime, Smitty would hang out with me. They lived in a really funky dirt street ghetto.

"They had dirt streets and broken glass everywhere. I couldn't understand how these kids could run around barefoot on all that broken glass; I was wondering why they had to live that way and I lived another way."

Davis said the song was about the cycle of poverty, and "being born into a situation where you have no hope".

"If you listen to the song, it's more poignant now than it was then. Instead of getting better it's gotten worse. Back then we had gangs and violence in a few cities, now we have it in almost every American city."

In The Ghetto became a pop standard, and has since been covered by more than 150 artists, including Dolly Parton, Sammy Davis Jr and Nick Cave.

Its success also enabled Davis to sign his own recording contract, and he scored several hits during the 1970s - including Whoever Finds This, I Love You; Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me; and Stop and Smell the Roses.

Hall of Fame
His signature song was I Believe in Music - a spiritual ode to the unifying power of melody, which he wrote at a party thrown by British singer Lulu and her then-husband Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees.

"I went to the kitchen and fixed myself a drink at the party, and there were a bunch of hippie types and they were gonna have a séance," he later recalled.

"They asked me if I would like to join them. And I said, 'No man, I don't think so.' It wasn't my thing.

"Then someone asked, 'Don't you believe in the occult?' I said, 'No man, I believe in music.' And the second I said it... I looked around [and] I saw one of Maurice Gibb's guitars sitting on a stand, and I picked it up and started strumming it. I had the hook before I left."

Skip Youtube post by realpocobyrds


With his songs hitting both the pop and the country charts, Davis became one of America's most popular entertainers. Between 1974 and 1976, he hosted a musical variety show for NBC television, followed by a string of TV specials and a stint on The Muppet Show.

In 1979, he also starred in the film North Dallas Forty with Nick Nolte; but his role in the notoriously dreadful The Sting II (made without the involvement of original stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford) effectively ended his Hollywood career four years later.

He later appeared on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies, and worked as a songwriter into his twilight years, writing hits with Dolly Parton, Bruno Mars and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer.

At the age of 73, Davis scored a global hit after co-writing Addicted To You with Swedish dance producer Avicii; to whom he had been introduced by his golf partner - who also happened to be head of repertoire at Interscope Records.

The veteran was full of praise for the young DJ, who died in 2018, calling him a "genius".

"He was great to work with," Davis told Songwriter Universe. "He sits down with a little laptop computer, and he makes noise come out of there that's just unbelievable to me. I wish I could do it. He can make a whole orchestra from out of his computer…it's pretty amazing."


Davis continued to work into his late 70s, and filmed his last acting role in 2019, playing a preacher in Dolly Parton's Netflix series, Heartstrings.

In 2000, Davis was admitted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame; and he entered the national Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.

Morey said the musician had died "surrounded by the love of his life and wife of 38 years, Lise, and his sons Scott, Noah and Cody".

He will be buried in his home town, wearing denim - fulfilling a promise he made in his 1974 hit single Texas in My Rearview Mirror: "And when I die, you can bury me in Lubbock, Texas in my jeans."

[Gary]

[rockgolf]

Helen Reddy was also for at least a couple of years the host of The Midnight Special, a weekly late night live music show in the mid 70s. It started at 12:30 (either Friday night or Saturday morning if you're being literal) after Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, and featured an amazing assortment of talent from Ohio Players to David Bowie.

You can always recognize clips from the show by the iconic 6-ft red neon letters spelling out band names behind the performances.

Here's all her charted tracks, as they'd appear on the all-time Hot 100 list.

#	All-time	Year	High	Total score	Artist	Track
1	557	1973	1	707440	Helen Reddy	Delta Dawn
2	1054	1972	1	601848	Helen Reddy	I Am Woman
3	1204	1974	1	571080	Helen Reddy	Angie Baby
4	1886	1973	3	467200	Helen Reddy	Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)
5	3213	1974	9	319200	Helen Reddy	You And Me Against The World
6	3378	1975	8	301280	Helen Reddy	Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady
7	4841	1973	12	174640	Helen Reddy	Peaceful
8	5197	1977	18	158624	Helen Reddy	You're My World
9	5455	1971	13	146528	Helen Reddy	I Don't Know How To Love Him (the B-side of this, Reddy's first charted hit, was "I Believe In Music", written by Mac Davis)
10	5548	1976	19	142440	Helen Reddy	Somewhere In The Night
11	5778	1974	15	134560	Helen Reddy	Keep On Singing
12	8647	1975	22	73440	Helen Reddy	Emotion
13	9486	1976	29	62920	Helen Reddy	I Can't Hear You No More
14	13418	1975	35	33200	Helen Reddy	Bluebird
15	14265	1971	51	29024	Helen Reddy	Crazy Love
16	16675	1972	62	18848	Helen Reddy	No Sad Song
17	17019	1979	60	17728	Helen Reddy	Make Love To Me
18	17439	1977	57	16384	Helen Reddy	The Happy Girls
19	20600	1978	73	9056	Helen Reddy	Ready Or Not
20	24454	1981	88	3712	Helen Reddy	I Can't Say Goodbye To You

Ironically, I Am Woman never appeared on a year-end top 100. It was a #1 caught between 1971 & 1972.

[rockgolf]

I'll post Mac Davis too, but I want to also include his compositions.

[Gary]

CHART BEAT
Helen Reddy's History on Billboard Charts, From 'I Am Woman' to 'Delta Dawn' & More
9/30/2020 by Xander Zellner

Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
Helen Reddy (Photo by Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)


She earned three No. 1s on the Hot 100.
Helen Reddy had quite the life before 1972 sent her career into overdrive. She performed vaudeville with her parents in her native Australia, singing and dancing throughout her teenage years, and then immigrated to the U.S. in the 1960s to make it as a solo star.

It didn't take long before she signed to Capitol Records, the label which helped her achieve stardom, along with a trio of No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, most notably her feminist anthem "I Am Woman."

The singer, songwriter and activist died Tuesday (Sept. 30) in Los Angeles at age 78, according to a statement from her family.

Reddy notched 20 career entries on the Hot 100, between 1971 and 1981. She first appeared on the chart dated Feb. 20, 1971, with "I Don't Know How to Love Him," a cover of Yvonne Elliman's single from the 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar that was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Reddy's version went on to reach No. 13 nearly four months later, cementing her status as an up-and-comer and resulting in a long-term deal with Capitol.


The following year, her career reached even higher levels, as "I Am Woman" topped the Hot 100 dated Dec. 9, 1972. (Partly reflecting the song's legacy, its message would resurface in Katy Perry's 2013 No. 1 "Roar," which approximates the "I am woman / hear me roar" lyric in Reddy's composition, which she wrote with Ray Burton).

Reddy hit No. 1 again with "Delta Dawn" for a week in September 1973 and with "Angie Baby" for a week in December 1974. Upon the latter's coronation, she tied the then-record for most No. 1s among solo women, sharing the honor with Cher, Roberta Flack and Connie Francis. At the time, the only soloists with more No. 1s were Elvis Presley, Bobby Vinton and Stevie Wonder.

billboard-hot-100-chart-1972-a-billboard-1240-1601481001
Among Reddy's 20 total Hot 100 entries, six reached the top 10. Here's a look at her biggest Hot 100 hits:

Rank, Title, Peak Position, Peak Date
1. "Delta Dawn," No. 1, Sept. 15, 1973
2. "I Am Woman," No. 1, Dec. 9, 1972
3. "Angie Baby," No. 1, Dec. 28, 1974
4. "Leave Me Alone (Rudy Red Dress)," No. 3, Dec. 29, 1973
5. "You and Me Against the World," No. 9, Sept. 7, 1974
6. "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady," No. 8, Oct. 11, 1975
7. "Peaceful," No. 12, May 5, 1973
8. "You're My World," No. 18, July 23, 1977
9. "I Don't Know How to Love Him," No. 13, June 5, 1971
10. "Somewhere in the Night," No. 19, Feb. 14, 1976

Helen Reddy's biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits are based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 through the chart dated Oct. 3, 2020. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, certain eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.


Reddy was also successful on Billboard's Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart, scoring eight No. 1s among 15 top 10s and 24 total entries. As she earned all her No. 1s between 1973 and 1976, she was to that point tied for the most leaders among soloists, with John Denver and Olivia Newton-John.

Looking at Reddy's album history, she charted 10 titles on the Billboard 200, including three top 10s: 1973's Long Hard Climb (No. 8), 1974's Free and Easy (No. 8) and 1975's Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits (No. 5). Her albums have earned a combined 862,000 equivalent album units in the Nielsen Music/MRC Data era (1991-present).

[rockgolf]

Sept 30, 2020 11:58:49 GMT -5 Gary said:

CHART BEAT
Helen Reddy's History on Billboard Charts, From 'I Am Woman' to 'Delta Dawn' & More
9/30/2020 by Xander Zellner

Rank, Title, Peak Position, Peak Date
1. "Delta Dawn," No. 1, Sept. 15, 1973
2. "I Am Woman," No. 1, Dec. 9, 1972
3. "Angie Baby," No. 1, Dec. 28, 1974
4. "Leave Me Alone (Rudy Red Dress)," No. 3, Dec. 29, 1973
5. "You and Me Against the World," No. 9, Sept. 7, 1974
6. "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady," No. 8, Oct. 11, 1975
7. "Peaceful," No. 12, May 5, 1973
8. "You're My World," No. 18, July 23, 1977
9. "I Don't Know How to Love Him," No. 13, June 5, 1971
10. "Somewhere in the Night," No. 19, Feb. 14, 1976

Always nice to see that Billboard agrees with me.

[Nick]

Sept 30, 2020 9:51:47 GMT -5 rockgolf said:

Helen Reddy was also for at least a couple of years the host of The Midnight Special, a weekly late night live music show in the mid 70s.

Until you said that I didn't realize that was Helen. Here she introduces FM in 1976.

[rockgolf]

As promised, the Mac Davis rankdown. All songs except the two in italics were written or co-written by Davis:

Rank	Year	High	Artist	Track	Adjusted score
1	1972	1	Mac Davis	Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me	663,744
2	1969	3	Elvis Presley	In The Ghetto	377,808
3	1974	11	Mac Davis	One Hell Of A Woman	264,960
4	1974	9	Mac Davis	Stop And Smell The Roses	241,760
5	1970	11	Kenny Rogers	Something's Burning	167,328
6	1971	11	Bobby Goldsboro	Watching Scotty Grow	141,024
7	1975	15	Mac Davis	Rock N' Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)*	134,320
8	1972	22	Gallery	I Believe In Music	102,976
9	1969	35	Elvis Presley	Clean Up Your Own Back Yard	44,030
10	1969	35	Elvis Presley	Memories (Live)	41,446
11	1969	34	O.C. Smith	Daddy's Little Man	41,208
12	1972	48	Candi Staton	In The Ghetto	41,184
13	1969	47	O.C. Smith	Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife	35,156
14	1980	43	Mac Davis	It's Hard To Be Humble	33,120
15	1970	47	Lettermen, The	Traces/Memories "Medley"	31,892
16	1980	51	Mac Davis	Texas In My Rear View Mirror	25,952
17	1970	52	Glen Campbell	Everything A Man Could Ever Need	25,632
18	1970	53	Mac Davis	Whoever Finds This, I Love You	24,640
19	1975	53	Mac Davis	Burning Thing	23,080
20	2002	50	Elvis Presley vs JXL	A Little Less Conversation	19,100
21	1972	63	Mac Davis	Everybody Loves A Love Song	16,576
22	1975	54	Mac Davis	(If You Add) All The Love In The World*	15,320
23	1973	73	Mac Davis	Dream Me Home	14,920
24	1973	88	Mac Davis	Your Side Of The Bed	9,360
25	1968	65	Nancy Sinatra	Good Time Girl	9,010
26	1968	69	Elvis Presley	A Little Less Conversation	8,466
27	1971	80	Mark Lindsay	Problem Child	5,856
28	1969	97	Nancy Sinatra	God Knows I Love You	3,162

As I added as a note to the Helen Reddy thread, the B-side of Reddy's first hit (I Don't Know How To Love Him) was "I Believe In Music", written by Mac Davis. It didn't chart but the version by Gallery did.

If you combine the original and remix of Elvis' "A Little Less Conversation" it would rank #16 on this list. But I bet more of you know that song than almost any other on the list.

[rockgolf]

Sept 30, 2020 12:07:30 GMT -5 Nick said:

Sept 30, 2020 9:51:47 GMT -5 rockgolf said:

Helen Reddy was also for at least a couple of years the host of The Midnight Special, a weekly late night live music show in the mid 70s.

Until you said that I didn't realize that was Helen. Here she introduces FM in 1976.

Wow! There's a whole verse performed here that I've never heard before (and isn't on Rumours), except perhaps back when the show was on.

[Nick]

Sept 30, 2020 12:13:23 GMT -5 rockgolf said:

Sept 30, 2020 12:07:30 GMT -5 Nick said:

Until you said that I didn't realize that was Helen. Here she introduces FM in 1976.

Wow! There's a whole verse performed here that I've never heard before (and isn't on Rumours), except perhaps back when the show was on.

Yes, the part where she sings "once in a million years a lady like her rises". I wish that was on the studio version.

[Nick]

I didn't know Delta Dawn by Helen Reddy, but I remember hearing the Tanya Tucker version before.