#1: More To Love by Jim Photoglo

City: Edmonton, AB
Radio Station: CFRN
Peak Month: October 1981
Peak Position in Edmonton: #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “More To Love”
Lyrics: “More To Love”

Jim Photoglo grew up in Los Angeles. He began playing in bands as a teenager but never considered music as a “career” until he was in his early 20’s. Photoglo reminisces, “I wanted to get out of L.A., so I took to the highway ‘James Taylor’ style with an acoustic guitar, a sleeping bag and a lot of time to think…and all I thought about was music.” Returning to Los Angeles with music as a career goal, Photoglo began paying the usual dues. He took every kind of gig from playing in a funeral band to putting together a group to back John Belushi’s “Joe Cocker” imitation at a party for Paul McCartney. His solo career took off when he was signed to the Twentieth Century Fox label in 1979.

In 1980 he released his debut album, Photoglo, in 1980. It included the hit single “We Were Meant To Be Lovers”, which peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year. In 1981, Jim Photoglo released a second solo album titled Fool in Love With You. It was his most successful album, climbing to #119 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. The title track reached #25 later that year on the Billboard Hot 100, and #7 in Sherbrooke (PQ). “Fool In Love With You” was also a Top Ten hit in Augusta (GA), Dallas, Bangor (ME), Boston, Philadelphia, and Honolulu.

A second single release from the album was “More To Love”.

“More To Love” was cowritten by Jim Photoglo, Steve Diamond and Brian Neary. Steve Diamond started his first band at the age of 13 and signed a record deal because of his original material at the age of 17. Diamond studied music at UCLA, after which he began playing on sessions and touring with other artists. His first worldwide hit as a songwriter was in 1983 with “I’ve Got A Rock N’Roll Heart,” recorded by Eric Clapton. The song climbed to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1995, his song “I Can Love You Like That” which was recorded by All 4 One and John Michael Montgomery was #1 for three weeks for each of these artists. The song was also nominated for four Grammy Awards. Diamond has had songs he’s composed end up on the soundtracks of over twenty films. These include Princess Diaries, 102 Dalmatians, and Pokemon 2000. Among the recording acts to take his songs to the studio are Joe Cocker, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Starship, David Cassidy, Pussycat Dolls, Lee Greenwood, John Farnham, Greg Allman, Willie Nelson, Backstreet Boys, N’Synch, Britney Spears, Faith Hill, Reba McIntyre, Miley Cyrus, and Eric Clapton.

“More To Love” is a song about someone who has found a companion who offers them more than just a fun night in bed. In the daytime, this new love is satisfying to be around, and has him thinking about them all the time.

“More To Love” climbed to #1 in Edmonton on October 1, 1981. It remained in the number-one spot for six weeks through to the week of November 5, 1981. It also made the Top 30 on the pop radio charts in Elizabethville, Kentucky.

In the early 80s, Jim Photoglo was a frequent guest on TV talk shows. He toured in Asia twice, and opened for the Beach Boys 1982 North American tour. When his third album, The Thin Man, was released in 1983, Fox Records was in financial difficulty and didn’t give it a proper launch.

Photoglo spent most of 1983 to 1985 singing back-up for Andy Gibb on concert tours, as well as writing songs. Photoglo wrote songs recorded by James Ingram and the Everly Brothers. He was a session musician for recordings by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Crystal Gayle, Roseanne Cash, Lobo, Kenny Rogers, Dan Fogelberg, B.J. Thomas, Jimmy Buffett, Clint Black, Tom Paxton, Marty Balin, and a live recording with Jonathan Edwards.

Jim Photoglo moved to Nashville in 1984 to pursue a full-time career as a songwriter. He took the occasional tour as a bassist for Carole King, Vince Gill, Dan Fogelberg, and others. In the mid-90s, Photoglo was part of a band called Run C&W. The band took classic soul songs of the 60’s and 70’s, which they rearranged and performed as bluegrass songs with comedic undertones. In addition, Photoglo co-founded a band called the Vinyl Kings made from a group of Nashville studio all-stars. The Vinyl Kings recorded several albums.

Into the 2000s, Jim Photoglo performed regularly at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe. In 2014, he released his ninth studio album Halls of My Heart. His last concert was in the April 2016. Later in 2016, Photoglo joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as they toured across America. He continues to be a member of the band which has a half dozen upcoming concerts scheduled.

January 5, 2024
Ray McGinnis

References:
“Jim Photoglo bio,” jimphotoglo.com.
“Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,” Wikipedia.org.
Frank Goodman, “A Conversation with Jim Photoglo of the Vinyl Kings,” Puremusic.com, September 2002.
Dave Paulson, “Story Behind the Song: ‘Fishin’ in the Dark’,” Tennessean, March 3, 2015.
“About Steve Diamond,” Stevediamondsongwriter.weebly.com.

CFRN 1260-AM, Edmonton (AB) Top Ten | October 1, 1981

CFRN 1260-AM, Edmonton (AB) Top Ten | November 5, 1981