Sadly the first version of this post got deleted 😦 so all my research – dates of release etc was lost – check these groups out on wiki for more info on them. The bulk of this is one of my mp3 collections of 60s hit-parade mostly one-hit wonders plus a few groups rolled by famous parents. A couple of performers never really crossed over from the r’n’b charts.
Royal Teens: Lets Rock – remembered for their mega hit Short Shorts.
Best of The Jayettes: who might be remembered for ‘Sally Go Round’ – they lacked the glamour of The Supremes.
Dino, Desi & Billy- famous parents produced somewhat talented kids who managed some tolerable radio-fodder & even played their own instruments.
The same is true for Gary Lewis & The Playboys – expect their hits were bigger & better & more memorable than Dino, Desi & Billy. They also played their own instruments.
Keith: 98.6 was his one hit. He was a victim of a label that didn’t know how to package him or how to compete with the likes of Neil Diamond, BJ Thomas etc.
Brenton Wood: 18 hits – Gimme A Little Sign was a cross over hit from the r’n’b charts but he couldn’t compete with white singer covers of his songs. Sweetly soulful but not as bluesy as Otis Redding.
Finally on this mp3 collection are The Turtles. Their songs frequently turn up in movies to establish a time era & a psychological mood. The band’s need to do ‘deeper’ material ended up with them leaving their label & the lead singers joined Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention.
A couple of stand-alones on the shelf: a double cd of Ruby and the Romantics: their one hit was Our Day Will Come – a brilliant romantic song. Ruby has a warm inviting voice but the band’s success was mainly on the r’n’b charts. Finally another stand alone that jumps us into 1990’s Rude Luck, out of PQ. Fun, soulful pop with a dash of hiphop. Bought in Montreal in 1993 as a part of my attempt to improve my French.
TOpoet 