Larry Williams was one of the great pioneers of rock and soul. His songs were covered by the likes of The Beatles, but he also scored a handful of hits himself. His biggest single was "Short Fat Fannie," which soared to #5 in 1957. That same year, "Bony Moronie" and "You Bug Me, Baby" reached #14 and #45, respectively. Williams then fell into trouble with drugs, landing him in jail and disrupting his hot streak. Outside of a minor blip back on the charts in 1967 when "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" peaked at #96, he was never heard from again. Tragically, he took his own life in 1980 at the age of 44. "Slow Down" is another classic by Williams that should have charted when it first came out in 1958. The tune was later covered by The Beatles, who took it to #25.
You would think that combining the talents of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne (ELO), and George Harrison (The Beatles) would produce a supergroup that crushed the charts. But this collection of musical superstars, who called themselves The Traveling Wilburys, never even cracked the Top 40. The Traveling Wilburys managed to score two chart appearances in 1988-89, when "Handle With Care" and "End of The Line" reached #45 and #63, respectively. They came from their debut album, "Vol. 1." Despite a lackluster performance on the chart, the record was critically acclaimed and won a Grammy. Shortly after the record's release, the band endured the sad and untimely passing of Orbison, who died of a heart attack at 52. The Wilburys decided to soldier on as a foursome. In keeping with their quirky nature, their sophomore effort was entitled, "Vol. 3," but it failed to yield any charting singles. That was the end of the line for the band. "She's My Baby" was from "Vol. 3" and should have given The Wilburys a much-needed boost.
After the breakup of the Beatles, each member went on to a successful solo career. Ringo Starr was the voice behind hits such as "Yellow Submarine," "With A Little Help From My Friends," and "Act Naturally," and he soon demonstrated to the world that he could be a hitmaker on his own. Ringo scored his first big hit with "It Don't Come Easy," which reached #4 in 1971. The next year he was back in the Top 10 with "Back Off Boogaloo," which peaked at #9. Then he scored two back-to-back #1 hits with "Photograph" and "You're Sixteen." Ringo cracked the Top 10 three more times but the steam began to run out in 1975. By 1981, Ringo would have his final chart appearance when "Wrack My Brain" stalled at #38. Ringo has continued to make music through the decades, and released his latest album, "What's My Name," in 2019. I was surprised he didn't have a bigger career revival back in 1992 with the release of his comeback record, "Time Takes Time." It was his first LP since 1983 and featured many superstar guests and noted songwriters, including a cover of "Golden Blunders," done by The Posies. "Weight Of The World" seemed a perfect fit for radio at the time, sounding very much like a Traveling Wilburys tune.
Bobby Parker hailed from Lafayette, Louisiana and was at the forefront of rock and soul. This terrific little tune stalled at #51 in 1961, probably because it was a little ahead of its time. Parker did not crack the chart again and passed away in 2013 at the age of 76. The guitar riff was later tweaked by the Beatles for their 1964 classic, "I Feel Fine." The Beatles also played "Watch Your Step" during their early concerts.
How do you top being a member of one of the greatest bands in history? You don't. But you can come real close. Paul McCartney has had a phenomenal run after his time in The Beatles, and with a new record out this month, he doesn't show signs of stopping even at the age of 76. (By the way, his new single "Come On To Me" proves he still has the magic.) The Beatles were the #1 artist of the 60s, and McCartney came close to being the #1 artist of the 70s (he landed at #2 since Elton John claimed #1). McCartney currently ranks as the 18th most successful artist of all-time, and this does not include his time with The Beatles. McCartney came out of The Beatles strong, with the #5 hit "Another Day" quickly followed by the #1 smash, "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey." He'd hit the #1 spot five more times in the 70s and three times in the 80s. Some of his biggest hits of the 80s included duets: "Ebony and Ivory" with Stevie Wonder was #1 for 7 weeks in 1982, and he scored two hits with Michael Jackson: "The Girl Is Mine" hit #2 and "Say, Say, Say" was #1 for 6 weeks. McCartney fever began to fade in the 90s as silly love songs and catchy pop riffs fell out of fashion, but his 2005 record, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" was widely acclaimed to be a significant comeback album. "Promise To You Girl" is just one of the many fine tracks gracing this record. Nothing from this terrific record charted, nor has any of his subsequent work. However, an unlikely hit sung with Rihanna and Kayne West surfaced in 2015 that took McCartney back to #4 on the charts (his first top 10 hit in 30 years, since "Spies Like Us" reached #7 in 1985).
Julian Lennon was born to Cynthia and John Lennon in 1963, the first child to be born to any of The Beatles. As a child, Julian provided the inspiration behind the massive Beatles hit, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," Lucy being a nursery school friend featured in one of his paintings. Following in his father's footsteps, Julian had immediate success on the charts with his 1984 debut album, "Valotte." In addition to the title track, which hit #9, the album yielded the #5 smash, "Too Late For Goodbyes," and the lesser-known but excellent #21 hit "Say You're Wrong." But the flame died out quickly, with Julian's only other top 40 appearance coming in 1986 when "Stick Around" topped out at #32. In 1991, Julian Lennon released an underrated effort called "Help Yourself," a snarky rebuttal to his father's band's mantra, "Help!" Despite Julian's well-documented beefs with his father, the single "Saltwater" proves he is John Lennon's son. "Saltwater" extends the message his father championed and would have made John proud. Despite achieving success in other countries, the single was a flop in the US.
Yes, I know it ain't Christmastime. But it is virtually impossible to find a John Lennon song that hasn't done well on the music charts. The genius of John Lennon goes back to his tenure in the legendary Beatles, but his solo work took on a somewhat different direction. A man all about peace and justice, many will be surprised to hear that "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" never made a chart appearance, despite its omnipresence on every radio station each December. Many other artists have covered this terrific song, but only one group managed to get the song on the charts: The Fray took it to #50 in 2006. Ironically, this beloved pacifist was taken from us too early when he was shot in December, 1980 at the height of a successful comeback.
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.
