A teenage heartthrob from North Dakota, Bobby Vee was omnipresent on the radio and big screen throughout the 60s, ranking as the 20th most successful artist of the decade. His first big hit arrived in 1960 when "Devil Or Angel" soared to #6. Vee would rack up an impressive list of Top 40 hits, notably "Rubber Ball" (#6), "Run To Him" (#2), "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" (#3), and "Come Back When You Grow Up" (#3). He also landed at the top spot once: "Take Good Care Of My Baby" stayed at #1 for three weeks in 1961. Many of his songs were covers, and a large number written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. By the end of the decade, Vee was struggling to adapt to the shifting musical landscape. His last chart appearance was in 1970 when "Sweet Sweetheart" stalled at #88. Vee collaborated with many others during his hey day, and "Someday (When I'm Gone From You)" is from a 1962 album he did with The Crickets. It was featured on the "Punish Her" single that went to #20. "Someday" only reached #99. Vee passed away in 2016 at the age of 73.
James Taylor is an acclaimed singer/songwriter from Boston who ranks as the 32nd most successful chart artist of the 70s. He maintained a chart presence across three decades, until 1997's "Little More Time With You" stalled at #70. Taylor had two brothers (Alex and Livingston) and a sister (Kate), all of whom were musically inclined, with some also tasting chart success. Kate Taylor scored a minor hit with her cover of "It's In His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)," which reached #49 in 1977. Livingston Taylor pulled out two Top 40 hits: "I Will Be In Love With You" reached #30 in 1979 and "First Time Love" reached #38 in 1980. But no one could match the impressive roster of chart hit James managed to collect, beginning in 1970 when the classic "Fire and Rain" soared to #3. He topped the chart once in 1971 with the Carole King song, "You've Got A Friend." Taylor also scored hits with Carly Simon, his wife from 1972-1983, most memorably "Mockingbird," which hit #5 in 1974. "Blossom" is a sweet, yet overlooked, song from his masterful 1970 record, "Sweet Baby James."
Freddie Scott was an outstanding vocalist who rose to fame in the 60s with a lone Top 10 hit: his rendition of Carole King's "Hey Girl." He managed to hit the Top 40 once more in 1967 when "Are You Lonely For Me" reached #39. "(You) Got What I Need" came out in 1968 but didn't enter most people's ears until Biz Markie famously sampled the song in his smash hit "Just A Friend," which went to #9 in 1989.
The Righteous Brothers consisted of a duo of blue-eyed soul singers: Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They soared to fame with their breakthrough classic, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," which remains one of the biggest selling singles of all-time. It spent two weeks at #1 in 1964 and paved the way for additional hits such as "Just Once In My Life" (#9), "(You're My) Soul And Inspiration" (#1 for 3 weeks), and "Ebb Tide" (#5). "Unchained Melody" is unique in that it first peaked at #4 in 1965, but reappeared to reach #13 in 1990 thanks to its use in the hit movie Ghost. Also in 1990, a new version was released that hit #19. Bill Medley left the group in 1968, but returned in 1974 to give the boys a big comeback hit with "Rock And Roll Heaven," which reached #3. They'd have two more Top 40 singles with "Give It To The People" (#20) and "Dream On" (#32) in 1974 before disappearing from the charts until 1990. Medley would also have chart success as a solo artist, most notably with his duet with Jennifer Warnes, "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life." The song was featured in the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing and spent one week at #1. So that makes two Patrick Swayze movies Medley has to thank for lifting his songs on the charts. "On This Side Of Goodbye" seemed to have all the ingredients of another hit. A soaring melody written by Carole King, wonderfully sung, but it only made it to #47 in 1966.
The Monkees were a pop group formed in 1965 whose members were handpicked from youngsters applying to be on a new television show. Led by Davy Jones (who died in 2012), the band would be hugely successful performing covers of songs written by the likes of Neil Diamond ("I'm A Believer," which was #1 for 7 weeks and "A Little Bit Of Me, A Little Bit Of You," which went to #2), Carole King ("Pleasant Valley Sunday," which went to #3 and "Porpoise Song," which went to #62), and John Stewart ("Daydream Believer," which was #1 for 4 weeks). They were ranked as the most successful artist on the charts in 1967. By 1970, however, no one was going ape for The Monkees anymore so they disbanded. The Monkees staged a comeback in 1986 when "That Was Then, This Is Now" hit #20. Their final chart appearance was one year later when "Heart And Soul" stalled at #87. "Randy Scouse Git" goes back to that magical year of 1967 when everything the band touched turned to gold. It was not a chart hit, but one of the edgier pieces this pop band would perform.
Dave Mason is a singer and songwriter from England originally known for his work in the band Traffic. He struck out on a moderately successful solo career in the 70s. His best known hit was "We Just Disagree," which peaked at #12 in 1977. Mason's only other appearance in the top 40 arrived in 1978 when his version of the Carole King hit "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" peaked at #39. While reaching a respectable #45 in 1978, I always thought "Let It Go, Let It Flow" was a winner that deserved better. Mason resurfaced in 1993 as a short-lived member of Fleetwood Mac.
Hailing from North Carolina, Little Eva was discovered by the great Carole King while babysitting her daughter - talk about a lucky gig! With her husband, Gerry Goffin, King ended up co-writing many of Little Eva's hits. It all began with the iconic smash, "The Loco-Motion," which topped the charts in 1962 and became a Grammy Hall of Famer. Little Eva scored a few more notable hits including "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" (#12) and that Thanksgiving favorite, "Let's Turkey Trot" (#20). It is puzzling why Little Eva didn't score more big hits - "Takin' Back What I Said" surely has all the right stuff. Little Eva passed away in 2003 from cancer at the age of 59.
With a string of soft rock hits in the 70s, Carole King was the piano girl. She topped the charts for 5 weeks in 1971 with "It's Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move" from her landmark album, "Tapestry." She sustained her success through the better part of the decade with "Sweet Seasons" (#9), "Jazzman" (#2), and "Nightingale" (#9). The 80s started off promising for King, with "One Fine Day" reaching #12, but "One To One" stalled at #45 in 1982, marking her final chart appearance. Like many artists, King's music evolved to change with the times. But adapting to the 80s styles made her sound almost unrecognizable to fans of her piano-based music from the 70s. But digging through her 80s material, you'll find some true gems like "Sweet Life" from her 1989 album "City Streets."
