"The One You Left Behind" by Silver Condor

Silver Condor was a rock band that scored a lone Top 40 hit in 1981 with "You Could Take My Heart Away." The pleasant single went to #32 but the band could not leverage this success with a follow-up from their self-titled album and thus became a one-hit wonder.

Which is strange, given how many radio-friendly cuts there were on this record. "We're In Love" was popular but didn't hit the charts, nor did the excellent mid-tempo piece, "The One You Left Behind."

"All I Wanna Do" by Silver

Silver was a soft rock band formed by the expansion of the duo known as Batdorf & Rodney, who scored two minor chart hits in 1975 with "You Are A Song" (#87) and "Somewhere In The Night" (#69). The latter would become a big #9 hit for Barry Manilow a few years later.

In 1976, Silver had their one and only chart appearance when "Wham Bam (Shang-A-Lang)" reached #16. It came from their self-titled record, which contained a number of other radio-friendly tunes that seemed to have chart potential as well, like the upbeat "All I Wanna Do."

Afterwards, the keyboardist (Brent Mydland) joined The Grateful Dead until he passed away from a drug overdose in 1990 at the age of 37.

"Shiver And Shake" by The Silencers

There's been a couple of charting bands that used the name, The Silencers. This one refers to the rock band from Pittsburgh led by Frank Czuri, who was also the keyboardist in Diamond Reo. 

The Silencers arrived on the scene in 1980 with their album, "Rock & Roll Enforcers." It generated a lone Top 100 hit with "Shiver And Shake," a solid mid-tempo rocker with great harmonies that somehow only reached #81.

"Arms Of A Stranger" by Signal

Signal is just one of three AOR bands led by vocal powerhouse Marcie Free (the other two being King Kobra and Unruly Child). Signal released a single studio record in 1989 called "Loud and Clear" that surprisingly went nowhere.

Why "Arms Of A Stranger" didn't find its way onto radio or the charts back in the late 80s is a mystery.

"Girl Don't Make Me Wait" by Bunny Sigler

Bunny Sigler was a master of Philly soul doing a style a music that may have been a little too late. His breakout regional hit was "Girl Don't Make Me Wait," a fantastic number that should have been a classic. It didn't chart on the Top 100, but paved the way for the single he is best known for, "Let The Good Times Roll & Feel So Good," which hit #22 in 1967. 

Unfortunately, he wouldn't see Top 40 action again, although he came close to a comeback in 1978 when "Let Me Party With You (Party Party Party) (Part 1)" landed at #43.

"Think About Soul" by The Sighs

It was probably all about timing. The Sighs were a post-grunge band that tried to hit it big just as grunge was getting started. Bridging bands like The Smithereens and Gin Blossoms, The Sighs stood next to no chance landing on the charts in 1992.

The band's debut album, "What Goes On," is one of the most criminally overlooked alternative rock records of the decade. "Think About Soul" should have been huge, and if released a little earlier or a little later, probably would have made The Sighs a household name. Sigh.

"There's No Going Back" by Sick Puppies

Sick Puppies are a modern hard rock trio from Australia that formed in the late 90s. Their knack for blending gritty, crushing guitar with memorable choruses earned them a strong fan base, but it took about a decade for them to get some deserved airplay in the US. The band finally made a showing on the US charts in 2011 when "Maybe" reached #56. The song comes from their 2010 record, "Tri-Polar," which remains one of their best from start to finish and probably one of the most underrated albums in the genre.

The band dramatically shifted their sound with their follow-up album, 2013's "Connect." Personally, I think their infusion of more radio-friendly pop and acoustic guitars into the usual thunderous sound worked well, but it got the band mixed reviews. "There's No Going Back" is just one of many highlights from this terrific effort.

The lead singer and the rest of the band parted ways after "Connect." The band recruited a new singer for 2016's release, "Fury."

"When You're Young" by Shooting Star

If you listen to them today, you'd probably wonder as I do why the Kansas City band Shooting Star wasn't more of a force on the charts in the 80s. They managed a handful of minor hits throughout the decade, but nothing that reached the Top 40 to make them a household name.

Shooting Star first appeared on the charts in 1980 when "You've Got What I Need" peaked at #76. A good start, but their next charting single, "Hollywood," only reached #70 in 1982. The band was quiet until 1989, when "Touch Me Tonight" topped out at #67.

"When You're Young" is a typical 80s anthem lifted from their acclaimed 1985 album, "Silent Scream." 

"Last Minute Miracle" by The Shirelles

The Shirelles were one of the biggest girl groups of the 60s, scoring hit after hit with classics like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (#1 for 2 weeks), "Dedicated To The One I Love" (#3), "Mama Said" (#4), "Baby It's You" (#8), "Soldier Boy" (#1 for 3 weeks), and "Foolish Little Girl" (#4). Their achievements left them as the 35th most successful chart artist of the 60s.

But all good things must come to an end, and the group was struggling to stay on the charts by the late 60s. "Last Minute Miracle" is a great tune released in 1967 and deserved much better than stalling at #99. It would become the group's final chart appearance.

"Monsters" by Shinedown

Shinedown is a modern hard rock band out of Jacksonville, Florida, led by powerhouse vocalist Brent Smith. One of the more cerebral and prolific bands in the genre today, Shinedown continues to impress me with their growth each new release.

While they haven't seen chart action lately, Shinedown scored a Top 10 hit in 2009 when "Second Chance" soared to #7. It came from their landmark album "The Sound Of Madness," which also yielded chart appearances with the title track (#85), "If You Only Knew" (#42), and "The Crow And Butterfly" (#97).

"Monsters" is a haunting track about our personal demons from their latest record, "ATTENTION ATTENTION," from 2018. Seriously, give the band just that.

"Pop Pop Pop-Pie" by Sherrys

Despite scoring a Top 40 hit, The Sherrys were an underrated Philly soul group from the 60s. They were led by two sisters and their cousin.

"Pop Pop Pop-Pie" was their strongest chart performance, obtaining minor hit status by peaking at #35 in 1962. In 1963 they barely got back onto the chart with "Slop Time," which stalled at #97.

Apparently The Popeye was a dance fad at the time, which helped lift their single onto the charts.

"Back To Zero" by Sherbs

Originally known as Sherbet, this Australian pop rock group first hit the US charts in 1976 when "Howzat" reached #61. Interestingly, their only other chart appearance in the US also landed them at #61 - that happened with "I Have The Skill" from 1981. By that time, they had tweaked their name to Sherbs.

"Back To Zero" is another track from their 1980 record, "The Skill." Not sure why this one didn't help keep this Aussie band on the US charts.

"Something's Missing" by Sheppard

Sheppard is a large band from Australia that is just bursting with talent. The mix of male and female harmonies mesh together beautifully with their shimmering blend of pop, dance, and rock. It is hard to listen to their music and not catapult into a better mood.

Remarkably, this band has only scored a single chart hit in the US so far when "Geronimo" peaked at #53 in 2015. It comes from their debut record "Bombs Away." There are plenty other great tunes in their growing catalogue, so I hope they see more success in the US.

"It's Only Make Believe (Doctor Doctor)" by Sheila

Hailing from France, Annie Chancel took the stage name of Sheila and managed to score a single minor chart hit in the US in 1982 when "Little Darlin'" peaked at #49. Not sure why she became only a one-hit wonder as there seemed to be plenty of radio-friendly material to mine on her album of the same name.

"It's Only Make Believe (Doctor Doctor)" for example was certainly competitive enough for 1982 radio.

"America" by Bree Sharp

Bree Sharp is a talented indie singer and songwriter from Philly best known for her love song to X-Files actor David Duchovny and her cover of Don Henley's "Boys Of Summer." She released two albums in 1999 and 2002, respectively. These days, she is the lead singer for the band Beautiful Small Machines.

"America" was the second single from her debut record, "A Cheap And Evil Girl." Astonishing that this tune didn't help make her a star. I guess people don't like to hear criticism about their country's culture in a catchy pop song?