#38: Still by the Sunrays
City: London, ON
Radio Station: CFPL
Peak Month: May 1966
Peak Position in London ~ #9
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #42
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #93
YouTube: “Still”
Lyrics: “Still”
Eddy Medora was born in Los Angeles in 1945. He writes about the backstory to the Sunrays. “We were called the Renegades. We were a garage band rehearsing in my parents home in Pacific Palisades. We were in 7th and 8th grade. I saw a band perform called the Riptides – they had a local hit called Machine Gun….After I saw the response from the crowd, I knew I wanted to start a band. We played all over West L.A. There were five of us – Marty, Darrol, Mike, Ricky, and myself. We were doing pretty well when Mike moved away. Darrol also left. In the first year of high school, I met Steve and Vince. These guys did not have a band. They were both good musicians. They asked if they could join our band. We auditioned them. After we heard them play, I knew they had all of our votes.”
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#3: You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) by Sylvester
City: Quebec City (Levis), PQ
Radio Station: CFLS
Peak Month: April 1979
Peak Position in Quebec City ~ #4
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #36
Peak Position on Israeli Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on Swiss Singles chart ~ #6
Peak Position on Italian Singles chart ~ #7
Peak Position on UK Singles chart ~ #8
Peak Position on Irish Singles chart ~ #11
YouTube: “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”
Lyrics: “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”
Sylvester James Jr. was born in 1947 in Los Angeles. His father had numerous affairs and left Sylvester’s mother and children when he was a young child. He began singing at the age of three, and sang the Al Jolson 1922 hit, “My Buddy”, at a neighborhood child’s funeral a few years later. Biographer, Joshua Gamson in his book The fabulous Sylvester: the legend, the music, the seventies in San Francisco, describes a view of Sylvester as a boy. The women at his church described him as “feminine” and as “pretty as he could be, just like his mother. He wasn’t rough like the other boys. He was prim and proper. We were always hugging on him and kissing on him, because he was so cute.” Family members also described him as “his own kind of boy — ‘born funny'” — preferring the company of girls and women like his grandmother to that of other boys. “He stayed inside a lot, reading encyclopedias, listening to music, and playing his grandmother’s piano.” When Sylvester would turn down the boys’ invitations to play with them, they would say things like, “He act like a girl!” or “He’s going to be a girl.” But his mother would defend him, including his joy at dressing up in her and his grandmother’s clothes, saying that he was not a girl, just a different kind of boy, and a valued part of their family.
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#21: Caught Up In The Rapture by Anita Baker
City: Burnaby, BC
Radio Station: CFML
Peak Month: January-February 1987
Peak Position in Burnaby ~ #6
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #48
YouTube: “Caught Up In The Rapture”
Lyrics: “Caught Up In The Rapture”
Anita Baker was born in 1958 in Toledo, Ohio. She was raised by foster parents. By the age of sixteen she was singing in R&B nightclubs in Detroit. Baker joined Chapter 8 in 1975 and the group toured until they got a record deal in 1979. Chapter 8’s first album, Chapter 8, was released that year and featured the singles “Ready For Your Love”, a duet between Baker and bandmate Gerald Lyles, which cracked the Top 40 on the R&B charts. Chapter 8 was dropped by the label who were convinced that Baker, as the group’s lead singer, did not have “star potential.” Anita Baker returned to Detroit, working as a waitress and a receptionist until, in 1982, Otis Smith, a former associate of Ariola Records, convinced Baker to start a solo career under his Beverly Glen label.
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#6: The Windmills Of Your Mind by Dusty Springfield
City: Pointe Claire, PQ
Radio Station: CFOX
Peak Month: July 1969
Peak Position in Pointe Claire ~ #3
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #9
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #31
Peak Position on Philippine Singles chart ~ #34
Peak Position on Australian Singles chart ~ #40
YouTube: “The Windmills Of Your Mind”
Lyrics: “The Windmills Of Your Mind”
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien was born in West Hampstead in north London, in 1939. Along with her oldest brother, Dion, she recorded her first tape of a song they sang while still children. Her dad was an unhappy accountant who dreamed of becoming a concert pianist, but never became one. While Mary’s mother, according to the Karen Bartlett autobiography, Dusty: An Intimate Portrait, “was continuously drunk and sat all day in cinemas.”As she grew up, Mary went to school at a Roman Catholic Convent. At the age of 18 she became a member of a female group named the Lana Sisters. The group sang backup to pop singer Al Saxton who had several Top 30 hits in the late 50’s in the UK, including a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Only Sixteen” and “You’re The Top Cha.” While Saxton enjoyed his moments of fame, Mary teamed up with her brother, Dion, and a friend of theirs named Tim Field. By the end of 1959 she had taken the stage name of Dusty Springfield. The trio, now known as The Springfields, got a record deal with Philips Records in 1961.
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#20: Your Move by Yes
City: London, ON
Radio Station: CJOE
Peak Month: December 1971
Peak Position in London ~ #6
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #40
YouTube: “Your Move”
Lyrics: “Your Move”
Yes is a band formed in the UK in 1968. The founding members comprised of Jon Anderson on lead and backing vocals, and percussion. He was born in Lancashire, England, in 1944. Chris Squire was born in London, England, and born in 1948. He was on bass guitar, backing and lead vocals. Bill Bruford was born in Kent, England, in 1949, and played on drums and percussion. On organ, piano and keyboards was Tony Kaye, born in 1946, from Leicester, England. A few other members who started with the band soon left. The band released the self-titled Yes album in 1969. It received positive reviews and was followed by Time and a Word in 1970. After the album, Peter Banks left the band and was replaced by guitarist Steve Howe, who was born in London in 1947.
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#7: Casanova (You’re Playing Days Are Over) by Ruby Andrews
City: Pointe Claire, PQ
Radio Station: CFOX
Peak Month: October 1967
Peak Position in Pointe Claire ~ #4
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #51
YouTube: “Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over)”
Lyrics: “Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over)”
Ruby Stackhouse was born in 1947 in rural western Mississippi. She moved with her family to Chicago in 1953. Near the end of high school, Ruby started singing with a vocal group called the Vondells. She made her debut on the Kelmac label, recording with the Vondells although the record was released as by Ruby Stackhouse. She was signed to the Zodiac label and released “Let’s Get A Groove Going On”, credited to Ruby Andrews. This was followed by “I Just Can’t Get Enough”. Her third release for the Zodiac label was her biggest seller, “Casonova [sic] (Your Playing Days Are Over)”.
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#1: Fernando by ABBA
City: Peterborough, ON
Radio Station: CKPT
Peak Month: October 1976
Peak Position in Peterborough ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #8
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #13
Peak Position on Australian Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on Austrian Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on Belgian Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on Irish Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on Dutch Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on Portuguese Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on South African Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on Swiss Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on UK Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on West German Singles chart ~ #1
Peak Position on Norwegian Singles chart ~ #2
Peak Position on Rhodesian Singles chart ~ #2
Peak Position on Swedish Singles chart ~ #2
Peak Position on Italian Singles chart ~ #3
Peak Position on Danish Singles chart ~ #4
Peak Position on Spanish Singles chart ~ #4
Peak Position on Finnish Singles chart ~ #5
Peak Position on New Zealand Singles chart ~ #5
Peak Position on Brazilian Singles chart ~ #9
YouTube: “Fernando”
Lyrics: “Fernando”
ABBA is a pop band from Sweden. Agneta Fältskog was born in 1950 in the lakeside city of Jönköping in southern Sweden. Fältskog wrote her first song at the age of six, which she named “Två små troll” (“Two Small Trolls”). In 1958, she began taking piano lessons, and also sang in a local church choir. In early 1960, Fältskog formed a musical trio, the Cambers. At age 15 she left school to pursue a career in music. She considers Connie Francis, Lesley Gore, Aretha Franklin and Marianne Faithfull as her prime influences on her musical style. Fältskog worked on reception for a car firm while performing with the Bernt Enghardt band. In 1967 she wrote “Jag var så kär” (“I Was So in Love”), after a dating relationship ended. The single topped the Swedish pop charts in early 1968. That year she met Björn Ulvaeus, a member of the Hootenanny Singers. Ulvaeus was born in the western coast city of Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1945. In the early Sixties, Ulvaeus joined the Hootenanny Singers. They had a #5 hit in Sweden in 1964 with “Gabrielle”, based on the Russian folksong “May Here Always Be Sunshine”. The folk group had many Top Ten hits in Sweden into the early 70s, including a cover of “Green, Green Grass of Home” (“En sång en gång för längese’n”).
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#2: Julie Ann by Peter Foldy
City: Peterborough, ON
Radio Station: CKPT
Peak Month: January 1977
Peak Position in Peterborough ~ #5
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Julie Ann”
Lyrics: “Julie Ann”
Peter Foldy was born in Budapest, Hungary, in the late 40s. His family fled Hungary in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution and landed as refugees in Sydney, Australia. Once he arrived in Australia Foldy became a childhood friend of the Bee Gees who inspired him toward a career in music and film. He was the poster boy for Nestles Crunch chocolates as a teenager in Australia. After a family move to Canada, Foldy enrolled in film school but supported himself by playing guitar in a rock band. He studied film at York University. He also formed a rock band that performed in various bars and lounges throughout the city.
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#241: Gloria’s Theme by Adam Wade
City: Montreal, PQ
Radio Station: CJAD
Peak Month: December 1960
Peak Position in Montreal ~ #9
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #49
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #74
YouTube: “Gloria’s Theme”
Lyrics: “Gloria’s Theme”
Patrick Henry “Adam” Wade was born in 1935 in Pittsburgh (PA). After high school he worked as a lab assistant with Dr. Jonas Salk on a polio research team. Wade began to pursue a recording career, signing with Coed Records in 1959. His first single release was “Tell Her for Me” which climbed to #66 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album, And Then Came Adam, was released late that year. The liner notes exclaim:
From the world of science to the glittering world of entertainment, from test tubes to records, from guinea-pigs to real live audiences – this is the unorthodox and exciting saga of Adam Wade thus far. Although he has been a member of the entertainment fraternity for no more than a few months, his achievements in such a short space of time have given us an indiction that Adam is a talent to be reckoned with – one who will be a leading personality in popular music for many years to come.
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#3: Love Me To Pieces by Jill Corey
City: Ottawa, ON
Radio Station: CKOY
Peak Months: July-August and October 1957
Peak Position in Ottawa ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #6
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #18
YouTube: “Love Me To Pieces”
Lyrics: “Love Me To Pieces”
Jill Corey (born Norma Jean Speranza) was born in 1935 in Avonmore, Pennsylvania. Her father was a coal miner in this western Pennsylvanian coal mining town. Her mother died when she was four-years-old. She began singing as an imitator of Carmen Miranda at family gatherings, on amateur shows in grade school, and contralto in the local church choir. At the age of 13, she began to develop her own style. She won first prize at a talent contest sponsored by the Lions Club, which entitled her to sing a song on WAVL in Apollo, Pennsylvania. This got her an offer to have her own program. By the age of 14 she was working seven nights a week, earning $5-$6 a night, with a local orchestra led by Johnny Murphy. From 1950 to 1956 she was a regular on the television variety program Robert Q’s Matinee. By the age of 17 she was a local celebrity talent.
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