While similar to The Eagles in many respects, including personnel at times, Poco did not share the same success on the charts. They never cracked the top 10, but are known for popular tunes like "Crazy Love" (#17), "Heart Of The Night" (#20), "Under The Gun" (#48), and a come-back hit of sorts from 1989, "Call It Love" (#18). Poco began with Rusty Young and members of Buffalo Springfield, including Jim Messina, who would later team up with Kenny Loggins to achieve a string of hits as Loggins and Messina. Two musicians in Poco who later joined The Eagles were Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmit. The height of the band's popularity has in the late 70s, largely thanks to their album called "Legend." "Little Darlin'" is one of the gems tucked away on that strong record, buried beneath the big singles. The band's last chart appearance was in 1990, when "Nothin' To Hide," penned by Richard Marx, peaked at #39.
Taking Journey to new heights in the 80s, the majestic voice of Steve Perry helped define the decade. He released his first solo record, "Street Talk," in 1984, two years after hitting #17 in a duet with Kenny Loggins, "Don't Fight It." "Street Talk" gave Perry his only top 10 hit as a solo artist: "Oh Sherrie" reached #3. Follow-up singles also did well, including "She's Mine" (#21), "Strung Out" (#40), and "Foolish Heart" (#18). After leaving Journey in 1987, Perry waited until 1994 to release his second solo effort, "For The Love of Strange Medicine." It produced his final top 40 appearance when "You Better Wait" peaked at #29. Perry's slick AOR sound no longer seemed suited to radio at the time. Perry then took a long break from music but made a surprising return in 2018 with a new album, "Traces." None of the singles charted, but "Traces" gave Perry his first top 10 record, reaching #6. "I Believe" is a cool throwback to the Motown sound that is often overlooked on "Street Talk."
Arizona born Stevie (Stephanie) Nicks got her start in the San Francisco group Fritz before meeting Lindsay Buckingham, which led to the duo making history with Fleetwood Mac. Nicks has released a number of solo records beginning with the classic "Bella Donna" in 1981, but she actually made her first appearance on the chart as a solo artist in 1978 when the duet with Kenny Loggins, "Whenever I Call You Friend" went to #5. Nicks wrote a considerable number of her own songs, but never shied away from a good duet. After success with Loggins, she scored big with Tom Petty. Their first duet, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" stayed at #3 for six weeks in 1981. She would chart again with Petty in 1986 when "Needles and Pins" hit #37. She also scored a hit with Don Henley of The Eagles in 1981 again with "Leather And Lace," which hit #6. One of her last chart appearances was in 1991, covering "Sometimes It's A Bitch," written by Bon Jovi and Billy Falcon. "Imperial Hotel" was co-written by Nicks and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) and appeared on her third solo effort, 1985's "Rock A Little." The record spawned chart hits "Talk To Me" (#4), "I Can't Wait" (#16), and "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" (#60), but the catchy "Imperial Hotel" did not chart. In 2018, Stevie Nicks made history as the first woman to be inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame twice, once as a member of a band and again as a solo artist.
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.
Singer and songwriter Richard Marx is well-known for his string of monster hits in the late 80s and early 90s (the first solo artist ever to have his first 7 singles land in the top 5). But he'd been long working in the music business before his debut hit "Don't Mean Nothing" reached #3 in 1987 and after his final chart appearance in 1997 (when "At The Beginning," a duet with Donna Lewis featured in the movie Anastasia, topped out at #45). Marx had been singing commercial jingles since the age of 5 and then found himself singing backup vocals for the likes of Lionel Richie. Richie got a demo tape of some of Marx's original songs to Kenny Rogers, who ended up recording some ("Crazy" and "What About Me?"). After a few more years of hustling, Marx finally got a record deal of his own and recruited musicians from The Tubes (Fee Waybill) and Eagles (Joe Walsh, Randy Meisner) to play on his self-titled debut, which would sell nearly 4 million copies. If you're looking for a lost gem from this record, check out "Lonely Heart." His sophomore record, "Repeat Offender," did not prove to be a jinx, yielding five more top 15 singles for Marx. Underrated tunes from this effort include "Nothin' You Can Do About It" and "Waiting For The Sunrise." While it performed well, his third effort ("Rush Street") met with mixed reviews. Shuffling music styles like a deck of cards, this record contains the trademark rock and pop fans grew to love, but mixed in some blue-eyed soul and sultry tunes that foreshadowed his transformation into an adult contemporary balladeer. I'm not a big fan of this record, but "Take This Heart" (which landed at #20) and "Big Boy Now" are worth a spin. Marx's fourth record, "Paid Vacation," is one of my favorites and possibly his most underrated. It felt like a strong return to form, although its lead single was yet another ballad. But what a beautiful ballad it was: "Now And Forever" had gorgeous acoustic guitar, a heartfelt vocal, and sweeping orchestration that remind me of Bread. The song reached #7 in 1994 (remarkable since grunge was in full swing) and marked Marx's final showing in the top 10. "Heaven's Waiting" is a more upbeat acoustic-based rocker from this terrific record. Marx continues to release records every now and then and has obtained huge success as a songwriter for other artists - everyone from NSYNC to Kenny Loggins to Luther Vandross ("Dance With My Father" won Marx a songwriting Grammy).
Kenny Loggins is best known as king of 80s film soundtracks. They helped earn him a #1 hit for 3 weeks in 1984 with "Footloose," but also gave him "I'm Alright" (#7, theme from Caddyshack), "I'm Free" (#22, another one from Footloose), "Danger Zone" (#2) and "Playing With The Boys" (#60, both from Top Gun), "Double Or Nothing" (a duet with Gladys Knight from Rocky IV), "Meet Me Half Way" (#11, from Over The Top), and "Nobody's Fool" (#8, from Caddyshack II). Loggins would have one more soundtrack hit in 1997 from the movie One Fine Day with "For The First Time," which reached #60, was nominated for an Oscar, and became his last chart appearance to date. But films are not the only reason why Loggins is ranked the 30th most successful artist of the 80s. Loggins has an amazing voice with stunning range. He is a diverse singer/songwriter, writing songs for Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (including "House At Pooh Corner," #53 in 1971) and earning more chart achievements as Loggins and Messina in the early 70s. Through the years, Loggins has done everything from rock, pop, adult contemporary, blue-eyed soul, country, children's music, holiday music, and more. Several of his songs were written for his children. After going solo, he made a habit of working with lots of different people. His first big solo hit was actually a duet with Stevie Nicks: "Whenever I Call You Friend," co-written with Melissa Manchester, hit #5 in 1978. His longtime collaborator, Michael McDonald, co-wrote the song "This Is It," which went to #11 and earned Loggins a Grammy for Pop Male Vocal. Eddie Money contributed backing vocals on "I'm Alright" and Mickey Thomas did so for his 1988 ballad, "I'm Gonna Miss You," which stalled at #82. Richard Marx and Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket) co-wrote and sang tunes on his 2003 release, "It's About Time." Finally, there is the famous anthem "Don't Fight It," his 1982 duet with Journey's Steve Perry, which hit #17. With his 13th album in 2007, Loggins seemed poised for a comeback. The title track to this excellent record, "How About Now" should have restored his presence on the charts, but it fell on deaf ears. Maybe if it were featured on a soundtrack...
Before Kenny Loggins became an undisputed superstar and soundtrack king, he struck gold as a duo with the great Jim Messina. Messina has also been in other bands, including Buffalo Springfield and Poco. Loggins and Messina's first big hit was the classic, "Your Mama Don't Dance," which soared to #4 in 1972. They would not achieve another top 10 hit, but scored top 20 hits with "Thinking Of You" (#18) and "My Music" (#16). Before dissolving in 1975, the boys made several albums mixing country, folk, and rock jams. Kenny started exploring his softer acoustic side with classics everyone knows and loves like "Danny's Song," "House At Pooh Corner," and "A Love Song." Surprisingly, none of these well-known favorites made an appearance on the charts. "Growin'" stalled on the charts at #52 in 1975, taken from their album "Mother Lode." It deserved better and could have breathed new life into the duo, but then again that might have stopped Kenny from embarking on his impressive solo career.
Crosby Loggins is the product of the union between 80s soundtrack hero Kenny Loggins and his first wife, Eva Ein. I'm guessing he was named after David Crosby and not Bing Crosby. It seems inevitable if you are the progeny of a superstar like Kenny Loggins that you might try your hand (voice) at singing, and Crosby is no slouch in this department. What is more surprising is that he's only released a single record, 2009's "Time To Move." Don't be fooled by the title, this isn't dance music, but a mix of mid-tempo rockers and soft ballads -- nothing that goes into the "Danger Zone." One of the standouts to my ears is "Radio Heart."
English pop band Chicory Tip, whose name was shortened to simply Chicory in the US, had a huge hit in their native country with their rendition of "Son Of My Father". Their version of the song went to #1 in the UK but only got to #91 in the US in March of 1972. Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, who co-wrote the song, released his version about the same time. Giorgio failed to make it a hit in the UK, but took the song to #46 in the US, also in March of 1972. It marks one of the rare times the same song was on the chart by two different artists. Moroder went on to produce a ton of hits and was recently mentioned in this article about "Danger Zone" (Kenny Loggins). In either case, I don't think the bubble-gum pop song got its due. The lyrics have a hint of angst or victory depending on how you look at them. I find the contrast intriguing and the Moog synthesizer on the Chicory Tip version makes it even more memorable.
