#47: I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton
City: Toronto, ON
Radio Station: CFTR
Peak Month: September-October 1982
Peak Position in Toronto ~ #3
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #53
YouTube: “I Will Always Love You”
Lyrics: “I Will Always Love You”
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in 1946, the fourth of twelve children, in Pitman Center, Tennessee. Parton said her family was “dirt poor”. Her father paid missionary Dr. Robert F. Thomas with a sack of cornmeal for delivering her. Dolly’s mother, Avie Lee, was just 35 by the time the she gave birth to her twelfth child. The family lived in a one-room cabin on Little Pigeon River. Her father “Lee” Parton Sr., was a sharecropper who also worked in construction and later started a small tobacco farm. Dolly Parton began performing as a child, singing on local radio and television programs in the East Tennessee area. By ten, she was appearing on The Cas Walker Show on both WIVK Radio and WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee. Parton made her first professional recording at age 13 when she recorded “Puppy Love” for Goldband Records. The lyrics were distinct from the Paul Anka hit single with the same title in the winter of 1959-60. After making musical connections while performing on The Cas Walker Show, Parton and her uncle, Bill Owens, managed to get a guest spot on the Grand Ole Opry on July 25, 1959. Jimmy C. Newman agreed to give up one of his regular Saturday night spots to allow Parton to perform. Parton was introduced by Johnny Cash before she performed a cover of George Jones’ “You Gotta Be My Baby” and received three encores.
Continue reading →
#4: Strange Way by Firefall
City: Smithers, BC
Radio Station: CFBV
Peak Month: January 1979
Peak Position in Smithers ~ #1
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #10
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #11
YouTube: “Strange Way”
Lyrics: “Strange Way”
Firefall was a soft rock band from Boulder, Colorado. They were founded by Rick Roberts and formed in 1974. Roberts was born in 1949 in Clearwater, Florida. He was a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and on their self-titled 1971 album and 1972 album Last of the Red Hot Burritos. Roberts dissolved the Flying Burrito Brothers in 1973. Concurrently, Roberts released two solo albums in 1972 and 1973. He got the name for the band from the Yosemite Firefall, a summertime event in which burning embers were pushed from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park to the valley 3,000 feet below. Roberts co-founder was Jock Bartley, who was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, in 1950. His family moved to Colorado Springs in 1959. Later, he began guitar lessons there (notably with jazz legend Johnny Smith), and later became deeply involved in the music scene when he moved to Boulder. When the pair met in 1973, Bartley was in a band with Gram Parsons called Fallen Angels.
Continue reading →
#24: Outside The Gates Of Heaven by Lou Christie
City: St. John’s, NL
Radio Station: VOCM
Peak Month: April 1966
Peak Position in St. John’s ~ #6
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #45
YouTube: “Outside The Gates Of Heaven”
Lyrics: “Outside The Gates Of Heaven”
Lou Christie was born in 1943 with the birth name Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco. He was born in Glenwillard, a suburb of Pittsburgh. His first public performance was a first-grade Christmas pageant, in which he sang “Away in a Manger.” While in high school, he studied music and voice, served as student conductor of the choir and sang solos at holiday concerts. His teacher, Frank Cummings, wanted him to pursue a career in classical music, but Sacco wanted to cut a record to get on American Bandstand. At age 15 he met and befriended Twyla Herbert, a classically trained musician 20 years his senior, who became his regular songwriting partner. Lugee Sacco performed with several vocal groups and between 1959 and 1962 released several records on small Pittsburgh labels, achieving a local hit with “The Jury” by Lugee & The Lions (a group consisting of Sacco, Twyla Herbert’s daughter Shirley, and two others) released on the Robbee label. After graduating from high school in 1961, Sacco traveled to New York City and worked as a session vocalist.
Continue reading →
#5: Superman by Celi Bee and the Buzzy Bunch
City: Sept-Iles, PQ
Radio Station: CKCN
Peak Month: June 1977
Peak Position in Sept-Iles ~ #6
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #41
YouTube: “Superman”
Lyrics: “Superman”
Celida Ines Camacho was born in 1950 in Brooklyn, New York, of Puerto Rican parents. She spent part of her childhood back in Puerto Rico. There she met Pepe Luis Soto in Puerto Rico in the 1960s and they began making music together. Not only did they make music together, they made love and were married around 1968. They also formed the duo Celinés y Pepe Luis, releasing several singles and performing around Puerto Rico. In 1972, Celida won a festival called Festival De La Voz y La Cancion, with the song, “Yo Quiero Un Pincel. She was initially popular in Spain, and Puerto Rico where her single, “Half A Love”, became successful.
Continue reading →
#134: Rhapsody In The Rain by Lou Christie
City: Montreal, PQ
Radio Station: CFCF
Peak Month: April 1966
Peak Position in Montreal ~ #3
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #8
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #16
Peak Position on Cash Box Top 100 Singles ~ #20
YouTube: “Rhapsody In The Rain”
Lyrics: “Rhapsody In The Rain”
Lou Christie was born in 1943 with the birth name Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco. He was born in Glenwillard, a suburb of Pittsburgh. His first public performance was a first-grade Christmas pageant, in which he sang “Away in a Manger.” While in high school, he studied music and voice, served as student conductor of the choir and sang solos at holiday concerts. His teacher, Frank Cummings, wanted him to pursue a career in classical music, but Sacco wanted to cut a record to get on American Bandstand. At age 15 he met and befriended Twyla Herbert, a classically trained musician 20 years his senior, who became his regular songwriting partner. Lugee Sacco performed with several vocal groups and between 1959 and 1962 released several records on small Pittsburgh labels, achieving a local hit with “The Jury” by Lugee & The Lions (a group consisting of Sacco, Twyla Herbert’s daughter Shirley, and two others) released on the Robbee label. After graduating from high school in 1961, Sacco traveled to New York City and worked as a session vocalist.
Continue reading →
#153: When You’re Young And In Love by the Marvelettes
City: Montreal, PQ
Radio Station: CJMS
Peak Month: July 1967
Peak Position in Montreal ~ #4
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #20
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #23
YouTube: “When You’re Young And In Love”
Lyrics: “When You’re Young And In Love”
The Marvelettes were a girl group formed in Inkster, Michigan, in 1960. Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgianna Tillman, Juanita Cowart, Georgia Dobbins, were classmates at Inkster High School. Gladys Horton was born in 1945 in Gainesville (FL). Horton never knew her biological parents throughout her life, and lived with several foster families after being put up for adoption at nine months old. By the time of her high school years at Inkster High School, Horton had taken a strong interest in singing, joining the high school glee club. At age 14, she formed a group called the Del–Rhythmetts with three friends, recording under a small record label called JVB Records. Katherine Anderson was born in Inkster in 1944. While Anderson was not able to afford records growing up, she performed in gospel groups and the high school. She co-founded with Horton the girl group which was initially called the Casinyets. Georgianna Tillman was born in 1944 in Inkster.
Continue reading →
#2: Seven Bridges Road by the Eagles
City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CKOM
Peak Month: March 1981
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #2
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #21
YouTube: “Seven Bridges Road”
Lyrics: “Seven Bridges Road”
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards. The band was founded by co-lead vocalist and guitarist Glen Frey, co-lead vocalist Don Henley, guitar and banjo player Bernie Leadon, and bass guitarist Randy Meisner. Glenn Frey was born in Detroit in 1948. Frey studied piano at age five, later switched to guitar, and became part of the mid-1960s Detroit rock scene. One of his earliest bands was called the Subterraneans, named after the 1958 Jack Kerouac novel The Subterraneans. In 1968, Frey played acoustic guitar and provided backing vocals on the Bob Seger System’s “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man”. The song reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 in Windsor, Ontario. In 1969, Frey teamed up with J.D. Souther to form Longbranch Pennywhistle and the country-rock duo released an album. In 1971, Frey was one of four musicians hired as a backing band to tour with Linda Ronstadt. The other three were Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner.
Continue reading →
#11: Living In A Fantasy by Leo Sayer
City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CKOM
Peak Month: April 1981
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #3
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #7
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #23
YouTube: “Living In A Fantasy”
Lyrics: “Living In A Fantasy”
Gerard Hugh “Leo” Sayer was born in 1948 in Sussex, England. He left school in 1964 and went to an art college. Sayer also learned to play the harmonica and joined several bands. He moved to London and worked as an illustrator for several magazines and designed record covers. In 1970, he was still known to his friends as Gerry. Sayer was brought to the attention of former English pop star Adam Faith, who by the 70’s was a manager in the music business. He cowrote “Giving It All Away”, which became at Top 5 UK hit for Roger Daltrey in 1973. The song was credited to Leo Sayer. In late 1973, Leo Sayer appeared on stage dressed in a Pierrot costume – recalling the sad clown of 17th century Comédie-Italienne. Such was the reaction to his performance, the entire UK music business noted that a new star was born. Leo went on a British and European tour supporting Roxy Music, now appearing on stage dressed as the Pierrot. The following year, his song “The Show Must Go On”, climbed to #2 in the UK, #3 in Ireland, #10 in Australia and #11 in South Africa. “The Show Must Go On” was successfully covered by Three Dog Night, peaking in the Top Ten in Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the USA.
Continue reading →
#15: Day By Day by Godspell
City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CFQC
Peak Month: June 1972
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #1
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #18
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #13
YouTube: “Day By Day”
Lyrics: “Day By Day”
Godspell is the name of an Off-Broadway musical created in 1970, that began its run in 1971. The show features eight non-Biblical characters, who sing and act out the parables: Gilmer (silly, a great storyteller); Robin (a tomboy); Herb (goofy and entertaining); Jeffrey (happy and excited); Joanne (eager and enthusiastic); Lamar (clumsy and unintentionally funny); Peggy (shy and loyal); and Sonia (dramatic with a put-on sensuality). In the original script, licensed through Theatre Maximus, the “Christ” character and the “John” and “Judas” role are assigned the names of the original performers, Stephen and David. All ten actors are on stage throughout the entirety of the production. The score was based loosely on themes in the Gospel of Matthew.
Continue reading →
#22: Jackson by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood
City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CKOM
Peak Month: August 1967
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #2
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #10
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #14
YouTube: “Jackson”
Lyrics: “Jackson”
Nancy Sinatra is the daughter of crooner Frank Sinatra and was born in New Jersey in 1940. When she was 5 years old he recorded a song about her titled “Nancy, With the Laughing Face”. At the age of twenty she began her career appearing on The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis. This was a television special on the occasion of Elvis Presley’s discharge from the U.S. Army after being drafted to into the services in 1958. Nancy was sent by her father to meet Elvis at the airport in front of a pack of photographers. In 1960, she also got married to singer and actor, Tommy Sands.
Continue reading →
