The Valentinos were a vocal R&B group composed of the Womack brothers who had a brush with fame in the early 60s. "Lookin' For A Love" only went to #72 in 1962, but deserved so much better. The group could not top that minor hit, barely cracking the Top 100 with follow-up singles "I'll Make It Alright" (#97) and "It's All Over Now" (#94). Bobby Womack would move on to a solo career that revived "Lookin' For A Love" in 1974, this time taking it to #10.
Ritchie Valens, whose life and career was portrayed in the 1987 movie La Bamba, seemed destined to be a superstar after he achieved out of the box hits in 1958 with "Come On, Let's Go" (#42), "Donna" (#2), and "La Bamba" (#22). Valens was on that tragic flight in 1959 that also took the lives of Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. He was only 17 years old. "Ooh! My Head" is another great tune performed by Valens that speaks to his love of rock and roll.
Todd Rundgren has too much talent for a single project, so in addition to his acclaimed solo work, he has led bands like Runt, Nazz, and Utopia. Utopia formed in 1973 as a prog rock outift, after Rundgren achieved his biggest hit as a solo artist when "Hello, It's Me" peaked at #5 that same year. Utopia soon shifted to power pop and rock, releasing acclaimed albums until 1985, but they did not enjoy the chart success they deserved. During their time together, Utopia landed only one minor Top 40 hit with "Set Me Free," which reached #27 in 1980. They followed this up with "The Very Last Time," which stalled at #76. The band's final chart appearance arrived 3 years later when "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" reached #82. Despite the attention radio denied them, their songs caught the ears of others like England Dan & John Ford Coley, who took "Love Is The Answer" to #10 in 1979. "Crybaby" is from the band's 1983 album "Oblivion," and features some of their trademark harmonies.
The Used are an alternative rock band from Utah that formed in 2001. They teamed up with My Chemical Romance in 2005 to score a chart hit with their cover of David Bowie's "Under Pressure," which peaked at #41. It remains their only Top 100 appearance, but the band has released eight studio albums to date that have sold very well. "The Taste Of Ink" is from the band's 2002 self-titled debut record and remains one of my favorites.
Unruly Child is a hard rock band that released a self-titled debut record in 1992, just after the hairband craze started to fizzle and give way to grunge. Led by powerhouse vocalist Marcie Free (formerly of King Kobra and Signal), Unruly Child's debut might have landed the band several charting signals if it had come out a few years earlier. While largely inactive for the next two decades, the band reunited and released a modern AOR effort in 2010 called "Worlds Collide," and continue to make records to this day. "Very First Time" is one of the highlights from this record, which has become a new favorite in the genre.
Uriah Heep is an English hard rock and heavy metal band that has cranked out 24 albums in their 50+ years together. They've undergone many lineup changes over the years, but still managed to maintain a telltale sound. The band's name comes from a character in the famed novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Uriah Heep scored only a single Top 40 hit in the US when "Easy Livin'" reached #39 in 1972. I'm surprised that a song like "Dreamer," which kicked off their follow-up album, "Sweet Freedom," failed to bring the band greater attention in the US.
The Uniques were a pop and rock group from Louisiana led by brothers Joe and Bobby Stampley. They managed to score two minor chart hits in the mid-60s with "Not Too Long Ago" and "All These Things," which reached #66 and #97, respectively. After the group split up, Joe Stampley made a move to country rock and became very successful. As a solo country artist, he took "All These Things" to the top of the country charts. He also had a single Top 100 hit with "Soul Song" in 1973, which reached #37. In addition to smooth and sunny pop, The Uniques could rock out and sound more like a garage band. "You Ain't Tuff" is one of the strongest in their collection.
