Getting his start in a blue-eyed soul group called The Q-Tips, English singer and songwriter Paul Young had a run of US chart hits in the 80s. His first arrived in 1983 when he took the Marvin Gaye song "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" to #70. In 1985, Young topped the chart with his #1 smash "Everytime You Go Away," written by Daryl Hall. He followed this up with "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down," which reached #13. In 1990, he was back in the Top 10 with his version of "Oh Girl" (a #1 hit by The Chi-Lites in 1972), which reached #8. Young's final chart appearance in the US occurred in 1992 when his rendition of "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted" peaked at #22 (it was used in the film Fried Green Tomatoes). The original was taken to #7 in 1966 by Jimmy Ruffin. While he is best known for his soulful ballads, Young tried to mix things up with an occasional upbeat track like "A Little Bit Of Love" from his 1990 record "Other Voices."
Few groups got off to such a successful start as Martha & The Vandellas. The Vandellas, fronted by the great Martha Reeves, sang backup on several tunes by Marvin Gaye. When they teamed up with the songwriting powerhouse Eddie Holland, magic happened and they became the 50th most successful act of the 60s. In 1963, they scored their first hit with "Come And Get These Memories," which went to #29. The rest is history with a string of impressive hits like "Heat Wave" (#4), "Quicksand" (#8), "Dancing In The Street" (#2), "Nowhere To Run" (#8), "I'm Ready For Love" (#9), "Jimmy Mack" (#10), and "Honey Chile" (#11). As the 60s turned into the 70s, the music scene was a-changing, and their malt shop style was losing fashion. Released in 1970, "I Gotta Let You Go" only reached #93 - it probably would have gone top 10 if released a decade earlier. The group scored one final chart hit when "Bless You" reached #53 in 1971. Martha Reeves then left to pursue a solo career, which didn't pan out.
The legendary Marvin Gaye needs no introduction. A man with so many hits across three decades, including #1 smashes like "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," "Let's Get It On," and "Got To Give It Up (Pt 1)," makes it easier for some of his lesser known songs to fall off the radar. Hailing from Washington DC, Marvin Gaye ranked #10 in the best artists of the 60s and #21 in the 70s. He ranks #19 of all-time. One of his most poignant classics, "What's Going On," hit #2 for 3 weeks in 1971. Among the scores of singles he's released, "Little Darling, I Need You" is a peppy feel good that deserved better than #47 in 1966.
