Butch Walker got his start playing lead guitar for a glam band called SouthGang before forming his own alternative rock outfit (and one of the most underrated bands of the 90s), The Marvelous 3. After their demise, he struck out on a prolific solo career as a singer, songwriter, and producer. Despite churning out tons of hit songs for a wide variety of other artists, Walker has yet to break onto the charts and remains an unsung hero in the music biz. His albums are as diverse as the acts he works with, but each one is a cohesive effort. If you're in the mood for arena rock, check out 2002's "Left Of Self-Centered." If you're in the mood for T. Rex-inspired 70s rock, check out 2006's "The Rise And Fall Of...Butch Walker And The Let's-Go-Out-Tonights." If it's a rainy Sunday and you need some acoustic tunes, check out 2015's "Afraid Of Ghosts." You get the idea. "Summer Of 89" is Walker doing what he does best - combining punk lyrics with a bold, bombastic chorus that begs you to sing along. The track comes from his excellent 2011 album, "The Spade."
Through the 70s, Wendy Waldman alternated between folk, pop, and soft rock to release a number of albums that didn't get much attention. Even an endorsement from Rolling Stone in 1973, which named her record the singer/songwriter debut of the year, failed to help. Her lone Top 100 appearance arrived in 1978 when "Long Hot Summer Nights" peaked at #76. "Hard Times" comes from her 1978 LP, "Strange Company," on of her most consistent and radio-friendly efforts. Since then, Waldman largely focused on writing songs for a wide variety of other artists.
English singer and songwriter John Waite has seen the upper echelons of the Top 100 in three different capacities: as a member of The Babys in the late 70s and early 80s, as a solo artist in the 80s, and as a member of the supergroup Bad English as the 80s turned into the 90s. Waite returned to making solo records, but his final chart appearance was back in 1995 when "How Did I Get By Without You?" stalled at #89. Waite's biggest hit as a solo artist is the 80s classic, "Missing You," which spent one week at #1 in 1984. Strangely, Waite never saw the Top 10 again as a solo artist and in fact only breached the Top 40 twice more: "Tears" went to #37 in 1984 and "Every Step Of The Way" went to #25 in 1985. "Change" is one of several tunes Waite performed that graced movie soundtracks. This great song only reached #54 in 1985, thanks to being featured in the movie Vision Quest. The song, penned by Holly Knight, originally appeared on his debut solo record, 1982's "Ignition."
On the acting side, Jack Wagner is best known for his stints on several soap operas in the 80s, and the prime time soap opera Melrose Place in the 90s. On the music side, he is largely considered a one-hit wonder thanks to "All I Need," which went to #2 in 1985. Wagner achieved a handful of other Top 100 entries, including "Lady Of My Heart" (#76), "Too Young" (#52), and "Weatherman Says" (#67). All told, he's released six albums to date. "Easy Way Out" is from his 1987 effort, "Don't Give Up Your Day Job," which turned out to be good self-advice for this actor. Although, with cuts like "Easy Way Out," Wagner might have been able to reinvent himself as a rocker instead of a crooner.
The Wackers were a quirky garage rock and pop band from Canada that managed to score a single chart entry in the US when "Day And Night" peaked at #65 in 1972. The band was probably a bit too unusual for American radio in the early 70s, but "It's My Life" is great and worth a spin. Hard to imagine a song like this not doing better in the US.
Roger Voudouris was a singer and songwriter from California who made a brief chart appearance in 1979 when "Get Used To It" reached #21. Surprisingly, he was not able to leverage this minor hit into a sustainable chart career to make himself a hard-to-pronounce household name. The single came from his sophomore record, "Radio Dreams," which also contains one of his more upbeat rockers, "Just What It Takes." He followed this LP with 1981's "On The Heels Of Love," a record full of ballads in the style of Christopher Cross or Michael McDonald but without the memorable hooks. Strangely, he won over bigger audiences in Japan. Voudouris passed away in 2003 from liver disease at the age of 48.
The Volcanoes are an indie pop punk band that released their self-titled album in 2016. It didn't set the world on fire, but "Hanging On" is a great rocker worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre.
