Celebrating the music that shaped our lives. The 50's. The 60's. The 70's. We give you the latest news from your favorite artists & track down those in obscurity!
The leaders of a 70's R&B group known for several novelty hits has died
What's In A Name?
Many of the folks who made the music heard on Golden Hits Radio over the years did NOT perform under the name on their birth certificate. This week, let's play another game and see how well you know the real names of your favorite 50's, 60's, and 70's hitmakers. We'll give you the birth name and you drop us your answer in the Comment box below. ***HINT: EACH ARTIST WILL PLAY SOMETIME TODAY ON GOLDEN HITS RADIO*** Here we go!
In a 1971 press conference, which superstar declared, "I don't go along with music advocating drugs and desecration of the flag. I think an entertainer is for entertaining and to make people happy."?
Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess!
Wednesday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
Today in 1964, Billboard published its first Country & Western album chart. Which album was the first to top that chart?
It was hard to avoid disco during the second half of the 70's. It propelled established stars into the stratosphere (The Bee Gees), it made new superstars (Donna Summer), and, in the case of Thelma Houston, it gave an artist who had yet to have a hit a moment in the sun.
Born Thelma Jackson in Leland, Mississippi, Thelma Houston's family eventually moved to Long Beach, California. Like many stars, she became interested in music at a young age and became a member of the gospel group The Art Reynolds Singers. This led to a solo recording deal with Dunhill Records. In 1971, she landed at the crown jewel of record labels, singing with Motown. Having Berry Gordy's producing, writing, and marketing muscle failed to produce success for Houston. She added acting to her resume, and by 1975 she had a few near misses musically. Just as Motown was about to release Houston's single "Do You Know Where You're Going To", a last minute decision to shelve Houston's version and have Diana Ross record it as the theme song for her film Mahogany cost Houston a potential breakthrough hit. She remained a valuable utility player for Motown, however, as she provided backing vocals for several albums including Jermaine Jackson's debut solo effort. In 1977, as disco was becoming the dominant genre on the charts, Thelma Houston would have her hit. And it would be one for the ages.
The first single off Houston's third Motown album "Any Way You Like It" was a cover of a song originally done by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, who had a Disco hit with it in 1975. Thelma Houston would make it a classic. "Don't Leave Me This Way" was a multi-chart smash, hitting #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 AND R&B charts as well as the Club Play charts. On the radio or on the dance floor, it was hard to escape "Don't Leave Me This Way" in early 1977. It looked like Thelma Houston might soon be stealing the songs from Diana Ross.
A combination of the lack of a follow up hit and the pending backlash against disco doomed further chart success for Thelma Houston. For the remainder of her recording career, she has only had minor R&B chart hits. Undaunted, she continued to record throughout the 80's and 90's and also turned to acting, making guest appearances on several TV shows and movies. The 90's saw her perform at some of the most prestigious and massive events of the decades, including an audience with the Pope and Woodstock '94 as part of the Sisters of Glory (also featuring Phoebe Snow, CeCe Peniston, and Mavis Staples).
The past decade has seen Thelma Houston remain busy while reliving her "Don't Leave Me This Way" heyday touring with various disco acts on the state fair and amphitheater circuit. Her last studio album, "A Woman's Touch", was released in 2007 and featured covers of some of her favorite songs originally performed by male artists. She has also performed her signature song on two of America's biggest prime time TV shows in 2009, American Idol and America's Got Talent.
If you're gonna be a one hit wonder, you might as well be able to make it last for over thirty years! Here is Thelma Houston's moment in the spotlight......
If you can say one thing about Gerry Rafferty, it is that he certainly has one of the more interesting "Where Are They Now?" stories in recent memory. In fact, for a period of several weeks in 2008, no one (including Everything Oldies) could have answered the question "Where In The World Is......Gerry Rafferty?" Fortunately, the ending appears to be happy.
Gerry Rafferty was born in Paisley, Scotland, and began his music career in London performing around the London Underground. After some time in a band called The Humblebums (which also featured Scottish actor and comedian Billy Connolly), he released his first solo album, "Can I Have My Money Back", in 1972. His first taste of chart success came when he formed Stealer's Wheel with pal Joe Egan. Despite various legal issues during their time as a group, they scored a major hit both in the U.S. and across the pond in Britain with "Stuck In The Middle With You". It was a Top 10 hit both countries in 1973, and became a classic all over again in Quentin Tarantino's 1992 cult classic film Reservoir Dogs.
Following the 1975 breakup of Stealer's Wheel, Gerry Rafferty resumed his solo career, and he did it in a big way. His 1978 album "City To City" kept the hits coming. "Baker Street" was the first, and it was a bona fide smash, hitting #2 in the U.S., #3 in the UK, and fueling sales of the album to the tune of 5.5 million copies! The song remains a staple of Oldies radio stations today. How big was "City To City" in its heyday? How about big enough to knock one of the biggest selling albums of all time, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, out of the #1 slot? "City To City" also generated several more Top 40 hits, including "Home and Dry" and "Right Down The Line" (which hit #1 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary singles chart in 1978). His next album, 1979's "Night Owl", also sold well and produced several hits, including "Days Gone Down" and "Get It Right Next Time".
While Gerry Rafferty was omnipresent on radio and in record stores, one place you rarely found him in those days was the concert stage. He was reluctant to perform live, and as a result, subsequent albums in the 80's made little impact in record stores and on the radio. He did remain successful in the UK, however, and continued to make music throughout the new millenium.
Sadly, Rafferty's personal life began to bottom out over the past few years. Alcoholism had him living alone at London's Westbury Hotel. While we may never know the facts, various newspaper reports gave varying accounts of what happened next. Scotland On Sunday's account indicated Rafferty was asked to leave the Westbury at some point in July 2008 following reports that his unit had become unihabitable and complaints from other residents that he frequently urinated in the hallways. The same report claimed he had disappeared August 1, 2008 following a short hospital stay for a liver condition. Subsequent police reports refute that, claiming no missing persons report was ever issued. Yet another early 2009 newspaper report had him living in seclusion in the south of England. Eventually, however, he was accounted for, with a statement from someone associated with Rafferty saying he was alive and well and living in Tuscany with plans for an album. That album, "Life Goes On", emerged in November 2009. Here's hoping Gerry Rafferty has overcome his demons and plans to keep making great music for years to come!
Before he bottomed out at the Westbury, the street Gerry Rafferty called home took him to the top of the charts........
***This week, each question will pertain to artists who did not appear at Woodstock and the reasons they weren't there***
Which band turned down Woodstock, because, according to one member, "......we were stupid. We thought it would be a second class repeat of (the) Monterey Pop Festival"?
Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a Comment here with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
Which music superstar provided a guest voice on The Simpsons under the pseudonym John Jay Smith?
