"You Can't Make Love" by Don Henley

Drummer and vocalist for the Eagles, Don Henley has also enjoyed a successful solo career. His first charting single as a "lone eagle" wasn't completely solo, as it was a duet with the great Stevie Nicks. "Leather and Lace" went all the way to #6 in 1981. Henley would have another massive duet with Patty Smyth in 1992 when "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" spent 6 weeks at #2 - the biggest hit of his solo career.

After scoring with "Leather and Lace," Henley put out his first proper single from his debut solo record, "I Can't Stand Still." The peppy "Johnny Can't Read" stalled at #42, but Henley's next single, "Dirty Laundry," made out much better, spending 3 weeks at #3 in 1982. When the title track stalled at #48, we heard nothing more from this album make its way onto the chart.

Henley's second record was more successful, yielding four top 40 hits including one of his most well-known classics, "The Boys of Summer," which peaked at #5. Henley's third album continued a hot streak, producing the landmark song co-written with Bruce Hornsby, "The End of the Innocence" (#8). Four more charting singles would follow from the album of the same name.

After taking time out for most of the 90s to enjoy a hugely successful reunion with the Eagles, Henley's last appearance as a solo artist came in 2000, when "Taking You Home" reached #58.

"You Can't Make Love" is yet another terrific cut from his sophomore effort, "Building The Perfect Beast." Arguably his best record, this one also contains the underrated song "Not Enough Love In The World," which surprisingly only reached #34.

"The Wind Cries Mary" by Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is a legend, but you might not know that just by looking at his chart performance. His only top 40 hit was the raging cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower," which topped out at #20 in 1968. Some of his best known tunes like "Purple Haze" and "Foxey Lady" only reached #65 and #67, respectively.

One of my favorites, his beautifully melancholy ballad, "The Wind Cries Mary," didn't even chart. The song was written after he and his girlfriend at the time got into a huge fight...over lumpy mashed potatoes. Sadly, Hendrix's career was cut short when he died of asphyxiation in 1970 at the age of 27. He remains one of the most influential guitarists of all-time.

"Itchy Twitchy Feeling" by Bobby Hendricks

If you didn't know better, you might mistake this tune for one done by The Coasters. Couldn't blame you, as The Coasters do the backing vocals on this biggest hit for R&B singer Bobby Hendricks. Prior to "Itchy Twitchy Feeling," which went to #25 in 1958, Hendricks sang lead for a group called The Swallows and also spent some time with the Drifters. Hendricks sand on their song, "Drip Drop."

Hendricks had one more charting single, "Psycho," in 1960. The tune went to #73 and featured the New York DJ Dr. Jive as the man speaking as the psychiatrist.

"Love, Love, Love" by Bobby Hebb

Nashville native Bobby Hebb got his first taste of fame in the Grand Ole Opry at the of 12. He shifted from country to pop with a hint of R&B and landed a huge hit in 1966 with "Sunny," which stayed at #2 for 2 weeks. He scored another minor hit with the follow-up single, "A Satisfied Mind," which peaked at #39. At the end of 1966, "Love Me" became his last charting hit, stalling at #84.

The wonderfully peppy tune, "Love, Love, Love," never charted, which seems surreal to me. Why wasn't this terrific song from the "Sunny" album released?

"Nobody Home" by Heart

Hailing from Seattle, the Wilson sisters Ann and Nancy brought their band Heart into the limelight in 1976 with "Crazy On You," which went to #35. "Magic Man" proved to be an even bigger follow-up hit, reaching #9 and becoming one of many top ten hits for the band, a region of the chart they would not see again until 1980 with their cover of "Tell It Like It Is" (#8).

The band's self-titled record in 1985 marked a new era for Heart. With a big and bold sound that incorporated many keyboards typical of the 80s, the band achieved great success with more radio-friendly singles. Kicking off their remarkable run was "What About Love?" peaking at #10. The album would produce 4 more charting singles, including the band's first #1 hit, "These Dreams." The band would hit #1 again in 1987 with "Alone."

Their 1985 record remains a favorite among fans because the songs that weren't released were also of high caliber. "Nobody Home" is an example, a cautionary tale about dissing people who care about you.

Times started to get tough for Heart in the early 90s as other types of bands from Seattle dismantled the melodic rock scene. The band hasn't seen the chart since 1993, when "Will You be There (In The Morning)" struggled to reach #39.

"Just One More Time" by Headpins

The Headpins were a Canadian hard rock band that started as a side project for a couple members of the yacht rock band Chilliwack. Fronted by the powerhouse vocals of Darby Mills, the Headpins were pioneering and proved that ladies could rock with the best of them.

In the US, the Headpins only scored a single charting hit. Despite being one of the band's most radio-friendly songs, "Just One More Time" only rose to #70 in 1983. Someone should remake this tune and see if it can't chart "just one more time!"

"You Can't Do Any Better Than That" by The Hawks

The Hawks were a power pop band from Iowa that were poised to be superstars in the early 80s, yet somehow that didn't happen. After the band gained some traction in 1981 with their one and only charting single (the brilliant and breezy "Right Away," which went to #63), they just dropped off the radar.

The band released two outstanding albums in the early 80s but a collection of unreleased material was unearthed and brought back to life in 2007 as a third record called "Perfect World Radio." Unlike most compilations of leftovers, "Perfect World Radio" sounds like a proper masterpiece of an album. Highlights include a cover of the Hollies's song "I'm Alive," "Cold Gray Part of the World," and this catchy little ABBA-like tune called "You Can't Do Any Better Than That."

"Universal Heart-Beat" by Juliana Hatfield

I've often thought of 90s darling Juliana Hatfield as the female Paul Westerberg, which is strangely predictive of her recent 2016 collaboration album with him under the moniker The I Don't Cares.

But back in the 90s this singer/songwriter from Maine played with The Lemonheads and in her own outfit, The Juliana Hatfield Three. She went solo in 1994, scoring two minor hits with "Spin The Bottle" (#97), which was featured in the movie Reality Bites, and "Universal Heart-Beat" (#84). I've never quite figured out why songs like these didn't fare better. Perhaps her sugary voice was too sweet for grungy guitars?

"Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Danger

Not all bands coming out of Seattle in the 90s played grunge. Indie rockers Harvey Danger formed in 1993 and achieved some modest, unlikely success in 1998 with their catchy as hell anthem, "Flagpole Sitta." The band was started by a couple student journalists at the University of Washington who spotted the name "Harvey Danger" on a wall of graffiti in the office where they worked.

The song is their only one to have flown up the chart, topping out at #38. The band's follow up record, "King James Version" fell through the cracks as their record company got reshuffled and didn't see the light of day until late 2000. Most people had moved on by then and the band fell into obscurity.

"Hidin' From Love" by Lisa Hartman

Most people remember Lisa Hartman from her days as an actress on the show Knots Landing and perhaps from a long string of B-movies. But she also had a singing career that produced five albums between 1976 and 1987. Hartman played two different singers on Knots Landing, but she was not acting when it came to her vocal chops. Songs on her records span rock, pop, ballads, and a bit of country.

Her final record in 1987, "'Til My Heart Stops," is among her most popular, thanks to the excellent song "The Dress." However, her 1982 album, "Letterock" is perhaps her strongest and most consistent effort. Her version of the Bryan Adams song "Hidin' From Love" kicks this record off, and makes you wonder why Hartman wasn't competing with Pat Benatar on the battlefield for chart positions.

In 1991, she married country superstar Clint Black and pretty much stopped making records. 

"Hear My Song" by Dan Hartman

Dan Hartman is often characterized as a one-hit wonder because of his top 10 smash, "I Can Dream About You," which reached #6 in 1984. The song was included on the soundtrack to the film Streets of Fire, and also used as the title for Hartman's 1984 record. Hartman had a couple other songs from this effort break into the charts: "We Are The Young" landed at #25 and the bouncy "Second Nature" hit #39. 1985's "Second Nature" would be his last charting single.

You'd think that after such a successful album, a follow-up would yield at least one more hit. Interestingly, his follow-up record was never released. It was completed in 1986 and entitled "White Boy," but the record company did not feel the songs suited Hartman's image. So it went unheard. Hartman wrote songs for others until he died of a brain tumor in 1994 at 43 years of age.

Few realize that Hartman's success in the 80s was actually a career revival. He first hit the chart in 1978 when "Instant Replay" went to #29. He had some lesser charting singles in the interim such as "This Is It" (#91), "Heaven In Your Arms" (#86), and "It Hurts To Be In Love" (#72).

Before that, Hartman was a member of The Edgar Winter Group. He usually played bass, but co-wrote and sang their smash hit, "Free Ride," which hit #14 in 1973. 

"Hear My Song" is a stubbornly happy pop tune from his 1976 album called "Images."

"A Little Love" by Corey Hart

A massive superstar in his native Canada, I am surprised that most Americans think of Corey Hart as a one-hit wonder. Hart is the voice behind one of the most iconic songs of the 80s, "Sunglasses At Night," which hit #7 in 1984. People seem to forget that Hart had a bigger hit with this don't-give-up anthem, "Never Surrender," which went to #3 in 1985.

Hart also scored a number of lesser hits like "It Ain't Enough" (#17), "Boy In The Box" (#26), "I Am By Your Side" (#18), and his cover of the Elvis Presley hit, "Can't Help Falling In Love" (#24).

Staying true to his own songwriting craft, Hart arguably missed out on some huge opportunities, including an audition to play Marty McFly in Back To The Future (which ultimately went to Michael J. Fox - another Canadian!) and recording the song "Danger Zone" (which ultimately went to Kenny Loggins - not a Canadian!) for the movie Top Gun.

Hart closed out the 80s with one of his most rocking albums called "Bang!" It featured Kenny Aronoff on drums and yielded the minor hit, "A Little Love," which managed to get to #37 in 1990. It proved to be his last chart appearance in the US, largely because Hart decided to take a break from music and focus on other things, including his family. He has sporadically released some adult contemporary efforts since then.

"Get Your Shit Together" by Beth Hart

California native Beth Hart sure has a set of pipes. She's been belting out blues and rock since the age of 15, and by 1993 she won top female vocalist for the singing talent show called Star Search. This led to her first album in 1996, which featured the bluesy favorite, "Am I The One."

Hart scored her one and only chart appearance with her 1999 sophomore record with the seemingly autobiographical title, "Screaming For Your Supper." The beautiful ballad "L.A. Song" went to #90 that year. "Get Your Shit Together" is another standout track from that album and exemplifies the raw talent Hart has behind the mic.

"Devil's Radio" by George Harrison

George Harrison, the "quiet Beatle," made a rather big noise as a solo performer after the band broke up. Right out of the gate, Harrison scored his first #1 hit with "My Sweet Lord," which spent 4 weeks on top of the chart in 1970. Harrison would top the charts twice more: in 1973 with "Give Me Love" and in 1987 with his cover of "Got My Mind Set On You," originally done by James Ray.

The album that spawned his "comeback" hit in 1987 was "Cloud 9." Produced by Jeff Lynne (ELO), it was a prelude to the sound of their 1988 supergroup, The Traveling Wilburys. "Cloud 9" gave Harrison one last top 40 hit with a nostalgic look back on his time in the Beatles with "When We Was Fab" (#23). "Cloud 9" boasts many other great cuts, like "Devil's Radio," which really sounds like the mold in which Traveling Wilburys was cast.

Sadly, the music world lost this music legend in 2001 when Harrison succumbed to cancer at the age of 58.

"For All The Wrong Reasons" by Jimmy Harnen

Jimmy Harnen released his one and only album in 1989 entitled, "Can't Fight The Midnight." The story of this record goes back to 1986 with a pop rock outfit from Pennsylvania called Synch. Harnen was their drummer, but decided to sing vocals on one of their ballads, a song called "Where Are You Now?" It became the band's only charting single, hitting #77 in 1986.

The song resurfaced in 1989 thanks to heavy repeated airplay by a number of DJs and it shot all the way to #10. Its success scored Harnen a record deal, but as we all know, it flopped. The record, which features Randy Jackson (Journey, American Idol) on bass, Steve Lukather (Toto) on guitar, and a guest spot from Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon), remains an underground favorite in AOR circles.

Harnen had more in him than just high school prom themes, and quite a few of these tracks rock a bit. Such is the way with "For All The Wrong Reasons," a song I predict could have been a hit for Twisted Sister.