"Got My Mojo Working" by Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield in Mississippi) was one of those musical legends who was hugely influential, garnering boatloads of critical acclaim and awards, yet never saw a single entry make its way onto the Top 100. Granted, he was a blues artist, but some of his songs are classics that mostly everyone knows, so how come none of them were able to crossover?

Some of his best known tracks include "Mannish Boy," "I'm A King Bee," "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man," "Rollin' Stone," and this one, "Got My Mojo Working."

Muddy Waters passed away in 1983 at the age of 70.

"Broken Arrow" by Waterfront

Most people in the US probably don't remember the duo from Wales calling themselves Waterfront, but they scored a Top 10 hit in 1989 with "Cry" (#10). Their follow-up single, "Nature Of Love," stalled at #70 and they were all but forgotten.

"Broken Arrow" is another track from their self-titled record that should have done better. Waterfront is not remembered as much as their counterparts like Breathe and Johnny Hates Jazz, but if you liked late 80s pop, check them out.

"Knocked Down, Made Small" by Was (Not Was)

Most people remember Was (Not Was) as a one-hit wonder that started a minor dance craze in the late 80s with their classic, "Walk The Dinosaur," which strutted to #7 in 1989. The group is essentially a duo of Don Fagenson (Don Was) and David Weiss (David Was) with multiple vocalists.

Was (Not Was) had two additional chart appearances before and after "Dinosaur." In 1988, they took "Spy In The House Of Love" to #16, and "Anything Can Happen" stalled at #75 in 1989, their final chart appearance.

The versatile and often quirky group had a few additional radio-friendly cuts scattered across their records. "Knocked Down, Made Small" is an awesome song that kicks off their debut 1983 album, "Born To Laugh At Tornadoes."

"Soulville" by Dinah Washington

Born Ruth Lee Jones, Dinah Washington is one of the legends of jazz and blues. Her stunning voice sang a ton of material during her all-too-brief life, which came to a tragic end in 1963 at the age of 39 following an overdose.

Washington was singing in various outlets since the 40s, but had an impressive run on the pop charts starting in 1958 when "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes" peaked at #8 and won a Grammy for R&B Record. She followed it up with her version of "Unforgettable," which landed at #17. Both singles are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Washington landed two additional Top 10 hits, both with Brook Benton. "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" and "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall In Love)," which reached #5 and #7, respectively. During her hey day, Washington racked up additional Grammy winners and R&R Hall of Famers that didn't chart, like "Am I Asking Too Much," "TV Is The Thing (This Year)," and "Teach Me Tonight." She herself was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1993.

The brilliant "Soulville" has the distinction of being her final chart appearance, only reaching #92 in 1963, the year Washington's voice left us mortals.

"I've Got A Feeling" by Baby Washington

Born in South Carolina and raised in Harlem, Baby Washington got her start as a member of a vocal group called The Hearts. The Hearts landed a single minor chart appearance in 1963 when "Dear Abby" reached #94. In parallel, Baby Washington was trying to jumpstart a solo career that never quite took off for reasons that defy all logic.

Washington only managed a single Top 40 appearance when the ballad "That's How Heartaches Are Made" landed at #40 in 1963. She scored a few other Top 100 entries but nothing that delivered the attention she deserved. Her short chart career ended in 1965 when "Only Those In Love" stalled at #73.

"I've Got A Feeling" is a taste of what the world has missed.

"Get Rid Of Him" by Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick is one of the most popular vocalists of all-time, ranking #34. She was also the 23rd most successful chart artist of the 60s. Her long-running chart career spans 4 decades and began when "Don't Make Me Over" peaked at #21 in 1963. The song has since earned an entry into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Warwick herself was awarded the Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in 2019.

Dionne Warwick is the older sister of Dee Dee Warwick and Whitney Houston's cousin. The bulk of her extensive catalogue was written by the epic songwriting duo of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The biggest hits Warwick had each decade include "(Theme From) Valley Of The Dolls" (#2 in 1968), "Then Came You" (#1 in 1974, a team effort with The Spinners), and "That's What Friends Are For" (#1 for four weeks in 1986, a group effort with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight). Warwick scored one lone chart appearance in the 90s when a new superstar version of "What The World Needs Now Is Love" crawled up to #87 in 1998.

Going all the way back to the beginnings of her stellar career, Warwick was churning out so many great tunes that the chart couldn't hold them all. "Get Rid Of Him" from 1964 is a fine example.

"You're No Good" by Dee Dee Warwick

Dee Dee Warwick is the younger sister of Dionne Warwick, both of whom are cousins of Whitney Houston. Lots of vocal prowess in this family!

Dee Dee did not have the illustrious career of Dionne, but it's not for lack of talent. Dee Dee did a ton of backup vocals for others, and nearly cracked the Top 40 in 1966 when "I Want To Be With You" landed at #41.

Her version of "You're No Good" is also worth a spin. The version of the song most people are familiar with is Linda Ronstadt's, which went to #1 in 1975. Dee Dee's version was released in 1963 and it's stunning that it didn't claim the top spot first.

Dee Dee passed away in 2008 at the age of 66.

"Ultraphobic" by Warrant

Warrant quickly rose to fame during the hairband craze of the late 80s and just as quickly fell out of fashion with the advent of grunge. But during that brief period this California band led by Jani Lane racked up some 80s classics like "Down Boys" (#27), "Heaven" (#2), "Cherry Pie" (#10), and "I Saw Red" (#10).

Jani Lane was a terribly under-appreciated songwriter, pigeon-holed for cock rock. But some lesser known tunes like "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "Bed Of Roses," and "Quicksand" showcased his talent.

The band started on its downward spiral with their third album, an overly ambitious and confused effort called "Dog Eat Dog." Nothing from this record found its way onto the Top 100, but their cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" for the Gladiator soundtrack landed at #83 in 1992, giving them one final entry.

The band tried to give a nod to grunge with 1995's "Ultraphobic" and it's follow-up, "Belly To Belly, Vol. 1," alienating old fans and failing to win new ones. Lane would soon leave the band to attempt a solo career and work with other musicians, notably in Saints of the Underground. Warrant soldiered on and has endured tons of personnel changes over the years. Lane passed away from acute alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 47.

While "Ultraphobic" catered to the grunge fad, it contained some tracks reminiscent of the classic melodic rock that made Warrant famous. In addition to the excellent title track, check out "Undertow," "Crawl Space," and the acoustic ballad "Stronger Now."

"Tear Jerker" by Warpipes

If the music of the band Warpipes sounds familiar, that's because you've heard them before. The group is a mix of musicians best known for playing in Elton John's band, including Nigel Olsson, Guy Babylon, Bob Birch, and Davey Johnstone. Billy Trudel was brought on as the lead vocalist for this project.

The group released only one album, 1991's "Holes In The Heavens." Despite favorable reviews, the music label collapsed at the time of its release, no doubt hurting its chances of breaking through to the mainstream. A real shame, since the record is bursting with talent and contains several strong rockers and ballads in the epic Elton John tradition.

"Tear Jerker" is one of the ballads to give you a sample of what the world has missed.

"It Goes Like It Goes" by Jennifer Warnes

Actress and vocalist Jennifer Warnes enjoyed several notable appearances on the Top 100, beginning with "Right Time Of The Night,' which went to #6 in 1977. She was back in the Top 20 in 1979 when "I Know A Heartache When I See One" reached #19.

In the 80s, Warnes shared some big soundtrack hits as a duet partner, including "Up Where We Belong" with Joe Cocker from the film An Officer and A Gentlemen, and "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" with Bill Medley from the film Dirty Dancing. Both of those hit #1 and won the Oscar the Best Song.

"It Goes Like It Goes" is a bittersweet ballad from the 1979 film Norma Rae. It didn't chart, but did win Warnes her first Oscar for Best Song.

"You Can't Keep A Good Man Down" by Billy Ward

Billy Ward was a songwriter and pianist backed by "His Dominoes," which included several different lead singers. He and his musicians scored a handful of minor hits in the 50s including "Sixty Minute Man" (#17 and a Grammy Hall of Famer), "St. Therese Of The Rose" (#13), and "Star Dust" (#12). He passed away in 2002 at the age of 80.

"You Can't Keep A Good Man Down" is one highlight among many from this underrated project led by Ward.

"Magic Mountain" by War

Funk rock all-stars War rode a wave of popularity through the 70s that made them the 33rd most successful artist of the decade. They racked up 7 Top 10 hits including classics like "Spill The Wine" (#3), "The Cisco Kid" (#2), "Low Rider" (#7), and "Why Can't We Be Friends?" (#6).

"Magic Mountain" is one of those infectious jams with a terrific vocal that fell through the cracks among all the other material released by this illustrious outfit. Their final chart appearance was in 1982 when "Outlaw" stalled at #94.

"Fire In The Twilight" by Wang Chung

Wang Chung was originally called Huang Chung, which means "yellow bell," and refers to the first note on the Chinese classical music scale.

This English new wave band started making waves on the chart in 1984 when "Don't Let Go" landed at #38. Their follow-up single, "Dance Hall Days," reached #16 and has become an 80s staple.

Wang Chung then delved into soundtrack work, including this underrated track for The Breakfast Club (which failed to chart), and a full soundtrack for To Live And Die In L.A., whose song of the same name peaked at #41 in 1985.

The band came back in a big way in 1986 with their album "Mosaic." The lead single, "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" spent 2 weeks at #2 and had everybody wondering what it meant to "Wang Chung Tonight." "Let's Go" gave the band their final Top 10 hit, peaking at #9. "Hypnotize Me," which was also featured on the soundtrack for Innerspace, landed at #36 and would become the band's final Top 40 appearance.

The band's final album of the 80s was "The Warmer Side of Cool," and only produced a minor hit with "Praying To A New God," which stalled at #63 in 1989. It's puzzling since I consider this record to be one of their stronger efforts. Wang Chung has released sporadic tunes since, including a reworked version of their biggest hit, "Everybody Stay Safe Tonight," to wish everyone well during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I Walked" by Wanderlust

There was a lot of buzz surrounding the Philly power pop band Wanderlust in the mid-90s. With two extremely talented songwriters with knacks for big juicy hooks (Scot Sax and Rob Bonfiglio), Wanderlust seemed poised for a breakthrough.

Of course that didn't happen, despite the popularity of the song "I Walked," the lead single from their 1995 debut record, "Prize." The band wrote material for a second album that did not happen before their breakup in 1997 (that material found its way to release on a double record from 2004 called "Lust And Found.")

Sax went on to a solo career, plus other projects like the amazing band Feel and Bachelor Number One, which landed a song called "Summertime" on the soundtrack to American Pie. Sax also has some impressive co-writing credits for artists like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. Bonfiglio, who married Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips, also embarked on a solo career that included other projects like The Skies of America. 

The band got together for an unexpected reunion that produced a new album in 2012 called "Record Time."