Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies......scouring the globe so you don't have to for Oldies news!
- American Idol auditions are underway! How is Steven Tyler enjoying the new gig?
- The onslaught of music autobiographies continues.........
- Several artists will celebrate the legacy of John F. Kennedy at (where else?) the Kennedy Center
- A (musical) dream comes true for one of the rescued Chilean miners
- How's this for irony.....Paul McCartney keeping together the marriage involving the woman who broke up the band?!?!?!
- One of Phil Spector's finest has released a new album
Where In The World Is.........Lobo?
Roland Kent Lavoie was born in Tallahassee, Florida on July 31, 1943. He was a veteran of numerous bands in and around central and south Florida beginning in 1961, one of which (The Rumours) included both Jim Stafford and country/rock legend Gram Parsons. Working with producer Phil Gernhard, he went solo in 1969 and changed his name. That's when success came calling.
Lavoie changed his stage name to Lobo in 1971. Working with Gernhard, who had become an executive at Big Tree Records, his first single sent him into the stratosphere. "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" was a Top 5 hit on both sides of the Atlantic, becoming Big Tree's first major national hit. His debut album, "Introducing Lobo", soon followed. After a brief flirtation with concept albums that produced no hits, Lobo went back to the well that made him a star. He made a triumphant return to the charts in 1972 with "I'd Love You To Want Me", which narrowly missed reaching the top in the U.S., hitting #2 and becoming his second domestic million seller. It fared even better in Europe, hitting #1 in both Germany and the UK. The winter of 1973 brought another Top 10 hit with "Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend". Later that year, he scored three more Top 40 hits from his album "Calumet", most notably "It Sure Took A Long, Long Time" and "How Can I Tell Her". For a two year span, Lobo had become a tried and true hitmaker with the help of Phil Gernhard.
Lobo parted ways with Big Tree Records in 1976. He put out several albums in Europe only, then signed with MCA Records in 1979. His first U.S. album release in four years, "Lobo", produced his last U.S. Top 40 hit, "Where Were You When I Was Falling In Love". So what did Lobo do when the pop chart was no longer his friend?
What he did was the same thing many pop stars who fall out of favor do. He took a shot at country stardom. Unhappy with the production values on his albums for MCA, he formed his own label, Lobo Records, and moved to Nashville. The move didn't prove as successful for Lobo as it had for many others over the years. By the late 80's, he had abandoned country music and Nashville.
While his success in the U.S. was finished, his popularity abroad began to explode in the 90's. He spent the decade recording for various Asian record labels and toured Europe extensively. In 2000, he signed with a German label, recording several new tracks for greatest hits compilations and two Christmas songs. He still tours occasionally in Europe, and his latest album, "Propinquity", was released online September 7th on Stoney Records.
And now, a man whose name translates as "wolf" singing about a dog.....with karaoke lyrics if you feel inclined to sing along......
Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day
"Jessie's Girl" was a #1 smash for Rick Springfield in 1981, but the central character's boyfriend in the song was NOT named "Jessie" in real life. According to Rick, what WAS the boyfriend's real life name?
Check back @ Everything Oldies tomorrow for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
Which R&B legend did the sax solo on Foreigner's 1981 hit "Urgent"?
Answer: Jr. Walker
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