You'd never know of the legendary influence of Neil Young just by looking at his track record on the Top 100. Young has had an interesting career over the decades, beginning in 1965 with his time in the Mynah Birds, which featured Rick James on vocals. From 1966-1969 he was in Buffalo Springfield. Outside of adventures as a part of Crosby, Stills & Nash, he's been primarily a solo artist (sometimes with his band, Crazy Horse), earning him adoration from more recent acts like Pearl Jam, who christened Young as the "Godfather of Grunge." Young first hit the charts as a solo artist in 1970 when "Cinnamon Girl" went to #55. His breakthrough hit arrived in 1972 when the classic "Heart Of Gold," which features Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor on backing vocals, soared to #1. He followed this up with what would become his last Top 40 hit to date: "Old Man," which got to #31 later that year. His last chart appearance was when "Little Thing Called Love" stalled at #71 in 1983. Despite not breaking onto the charts, many of Young's rockers and ballads have become familiar classics, including "Down By The River," "The Needle And The Damage Done," "Southern Man," "Rockin' In The Free World," and "Harvest Moon." "Philadelphia" showcases Young's softer side and may just be one of the most beautiful songs ever written that most people have forgotten about or never heard. It can be found on the soundtrack to the 1993 movie of the same name.
Everyone knows English singer, songwriter, and guitarist Graham Nash from the band he formed in 1968: Crosby, Stills & Nash. But before that, he was a member of The Hollies, singing on classics such as "Carrie Anne" and "On A Carousel." Among music's greatest blunders, The Hollies rejected a number of his songs that became monster hits for Crosby, Stills & Nash, including "Teach Your Children," "Marrakesh Express," and "Our House." Nash released a string of solo records in the 70s, including several with his longtime collaborator David Crosby. I think most people would agree that his 1971 debut album, "Songs For Beginners," remains among his best work. It gave him his first two charting singles, "Chicago" (#35) and "Military Madness" (#73). His last chart appearance was in 1986 when "Innocent Eyes," a rather excellent tune that features Kenny Loggins on backing vocals, peaked at #84. Sounding more like The Beatles here, Nash shines on "Be Yourself," a tune from his debut record that did not chart...but should have.
You could not have been alive in the 90s and not heard of Hootie & The Blowfish, the pop rock band from South Carolina that burst onto the scene in 1994 to offer an alternative to alternative. "Hold My Hand," which featured David Crosby on backing vocals, soared to #10 and was followed by three more successful singles: "Let Her Cry" (#9 and a Grammy winner), "Only Wanna Be With You" (#6, their biggest hit), and "Time" (#14). I've no doubt part of band's phenomenal success is due to the fact that people loved saying their name. The band quickly followed up their hit debut record in 1996, before they had a chance to cool off. "Fairweather Johnson" was a clunker, but still gave the band two additional top 40 hits. If this were a stronger record, the band might have stayed on everyone's radar for a longer period of time. But by 1998's "Musical Chairs," which was a much better album, people had become a little disenchanted. The lead off single, "I Will Wait," performed respectively at #18, but it would be their last chart hit. "Musical Chairs" has several other tunes that got lost in the mix. "Only Lonely" is very much in the vein of "Let Her Cry" and remains one of my favorite Hootie non-hits. Also worthy of mention is "Home Again" and "Wishing." The band released a couple more albums before Darius Rucker embarked on a successful solo career in country music.
