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1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
1971 1972
1973 1974
1975 1976
1977
MIKE SMITH’S HOT HUNDRED UK HITS 1971 Whilst 1970 saw the demise of the Beatles, 1971 witnessed the first solo hits for all four members of the band. First up, in January, was George Harrison with his classic "My Sweet Lord". A month later it was the turn of Paul McCartney with "Another Day", followed in March by John Lennon with "Power To The People" (John had enjoyed earlier hits under the Plastic Ono Band moniker). Not to be outdone, Ringo Starr had his debut solo hit (in April) with "It Don't Come Easy". All those songs were written by the performers. Elton John began his long chart career in this year, although his second hit did not come until 1972. Rod Stewart also began his long and successful solo career in 1971, and vocal group the New Seekers came to prominence in 1971 with a Top 10 and a Number One. Glam Rock bands Slade and Sweet both began very successful chart runs in this year, joining T Rex who had two Number Ones and a further Top 10 hit in 1971. UK born, but Australia-raised Olivia Newton-John also enjoyed her first hits in the UK , although she ultimately found her greatest success in the USA. From America, vocal group Dawn, which featured Tony Orlando, had three big hits in 1971. Other Americans who had much UK success included the Carpenters, the Supremes, Neil Diamond, Diana Ross, and the unstoppable Elvis Presley. These are my personal favourite recordings from this particular year, listed in the order in which they entered the UK hit singles chart. You may not agree with my choices, but these were UK chart hits* that had plenty of air play on the music radio stations of the day, such as BBC Radio 1 and Radio Luxembourg. |
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1 Title: You Don't Have To Say You Love Me The King of Rock 'n' Roll (8 Jan 1935 - 16 Aug 1977) was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA. He and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was 13 years old. Soon afterwards he acquired his first guitar and began playing and singing. He started his recording career at Sun Records in Memphis, USA. It took several attempts to get Sun owner Sam Phillips to let Presley record, but eventually a session was arranged with guitarist Scotty Moore and upright bass player Bill Black providing backing. The resultant track "That's Alright" was soon on local radio in Memphis, and it became a local hit. Public performances followed, including numerous appearances on the "Louisiana Hayride" radio show which was broadcast to half the USA. Eventually he became famous enough for RCA records to buy out his Sun contract and take him to Nashville, in 1956. He rose to be arguably the biggest music star of the 20th century, with world-wide record sales of over one billion. Also in 1956 Elvis made his movie debut in the film "Love Me Tender". By the end of 1969 he had completed 31 films. He made no more movies after that, instead concentrating on live concert performances, including many in Las Vegas. His home in Memphis, "Graceland", is now a museum and major tourist attraction, and his recordings continue to be heard throughout the world. |
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2 Title: No Matter What Badfinger was a Welsh rock band formed in Swansea,
Wales during 1961 under a different group name. The lineup at the time of this hit was Pete Ham, Mike
Gibbins, Tom Evans, and Joey Molland. They changed the band's name to Badfinger when they signed
with the Beatles' Apple record label in 1968. They had some early success in Europe, but it was not
until the release of "Come And Get It" late in 1969 that they took off in the UK as well. The
song was written and produced by Paul McCartney. The song was included in the soundtrack of the
film "The Magic Christian", released in December 1969 and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr.
The band had two other Top 10 hits in the UK, one each in the years 1971 and 1972. However in 1970, Pete Ham
and Tom Evans wrote the song "Without You" for the band's new album. The song was recorded by
Harry Nilsson in 1972, becoming a Number One hit in the UK and USA. Then in 1994, the song was recorded by
American vocalist Mariah Carey, and her version also reached Number One. Sadly, by that time, the composers
Ham and Evans had both committed suicide. |
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3 Title: We've Only Just Begun The
Carpenters were a brother and sister duo from Connecticut,
USA. The act comprised Richard Carpenter (born 15 Oct 1946)
and Karen Carpenter (2 Mar 1950 - 4 Feb 1983). Karen provided
the vocals and sometimes drums, while Richard provided the
arrangements, instrumentation (mostly piano), and sometimes
backing vocals. During the 1970s they were an extremely
popular easy-listening act with numerous hit singles and albums throughout
the world. Their compilation album "The Singles
1969-1973" reached Number One in the UK and remained on the
album chart for well over two years, with seven other albums
reaching the Top 10. They toured the world extensively for a
decade, but Karen began to suffer from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa,
although she always denied the suggestion. However, in early
February 1983 she collapsed and died from a heart attack brought on
by anorexia nervosa. Richard Carpenter then began producing a
new album of unreleased Carpenters recordings which was issued later
in 1983. Since then he has produced several compilation
albums, and in 2018 an album of the duo's hits with orchestration
from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was issued, reaching number
eight in the UK album chart. |
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4 Title: The Resurrection Shuffle Ashton, Gardner & Dyke was a British Rock band founded by Tony Ashton (1 Mar 1946 - 28 May 2001), Kim Gardner (27 Jan 1948 - 24 Oct 2001) and Roy Dyke (born 13 Feb 1945). They had been in groups based in the north-west of England, but came together in 1968. Their first single release failed to chart, but the second, "The Resurrection Shuffle" became a major hit. Unfortunately, no further hits came their way, although they did record three albums. The group split in 1972, and Ashton joined Medicine Head which had a few hits, including a Top 10 entry, during the early 1970s. The other two joined a new Rock band called Badger, although no hits came from that project. |
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5 Title: The Pushbike Song The Mixtures was an Australian band that was formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1965. In 1970 the band recorded a version of Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime", the new rendition reaching Number One in Australia. The band's next release was "The Pushbike Song" which reached number two in both Australia and the UK. Although they had two more hits in their homeland, no more came for them in the UK. The band broke up in 1979. |
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6 Title: Candida Dawn is a vocal trio, led by Tony Orlando (born on 3 Apr 1944 in New York
City), who
had been a modest hit maker in the 1960s (see year 1961, song 76),
with two female singers, Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson.
However, this recording was made before the group was properly
formed. Orlando had recorded the track with session singers,
including Toni Wine who co-wrote the song. Following the
success of the single, which also reached the Top 10 in the USA, a
touring group was put together with Orlando and the two singers
mentioned above. They went on to enjoy considerable success,
achieving two Number Ones in the UK and USA. Their final
British chart entry came in 1974, but they have continued to perform
live shows, with some prolonged breaks, up to the present
time. Orlando has often performed solo in the 21st century. |
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7 Title: Stoned Love Founding member of the Supremes, Diana Ross, had left the group
in 1970. She had been replaced by Jean Terrell, with Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong continuing with their
roles in the trio. This new lineup enjoyed great success in the UK with five Top 10 hits by 1972.
They had two Top 10 hits in the USA. With some more personnel changes, the trio continued recording,
after 1972, but with little
chart success. They remained a popular live act, however, continuing to 1977, when they performed their
farewell concert (in London), and then disbanded. For more info about the group see year 1965,
song 10. |
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8 Title: She's A Lady Tom Jones was born on 7 Jun 1940 in
Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales. For over six decades he has been an international star with TV series in the UK
and USA, and seasons in Las Vegas. In his seventies he continues to perform and act as a judge on a TV talent
contest. He began singing with a group called Tommy Scott & the Senators in the early 1960s. They
performed in local venues and even made a couple of records. Then in 1964 Jones was spotted by artist manager
Gordon Mills. He took Jones to London and arranged a contract with Decca Records. Jones' first
hit, "It's Not Unusual", started a life-long career in showbiz. 1967 saw him jet off for his
first of many seasons in Las Vegas. The big hits continued through the 1960s, but chart entries were thinner
after that. Nevertheless he remained immensely popular on both sides of the Atlantic, and in 1999 he released
an album of duets, "Reload", which went to Number One in the UK album chart. Several singles were
released from the album, including "Sex Bomb" which peaked at number three on the singles chart in May 2000
when he was almost 60 years old. He continues to perform on TV, issue albums, and since 2012 has been a
judge/coach on the UK version of the talent show "The Voice". |
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9 Title: Sunny Honey Girl
Cliff Richard was born on 14 Oct 1940 in Lucknow, India, whilst his parents were working in that
country. He returned to England with his family in 1948. He formed a band in 1957 and a year
later he was chosen as a singer for the TV Rock 'n' Roll show "Oh Boy!". His first
hit came in 1958, which started a career that continued into the 21st century, with more than 130 hit singles
and over 50 original albums, spanning 50 years plus. In the early 1960s he also starred in several musical
films, notably "The Young Ones" and "Summer Holiday". He also achieved a number one
single in five different decades, and is the most successful British recording artist of all time. He continues
in the 21st century and issued a new album in 2018 ("Rise Up"), which reached number four in the
album chart. |
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10 Title: My Sweet Lord George
Harrison (25 Feb 1943 - 29 Nov 2001) was born in Liverpool, and
found fame as a member of the Beatles group. After the breakup
of the band, Harrison and the others pursued a solo career.
Harrison was the first of the four to reach the charts, and it was
with a song that has become a classic. It went to Number One
in the UK, USA, and several other countries around the world.
It was featured on his debut triple album "All Things Must
Pass", which topped the album charts of the UK and USA, and
again numerous countries around the world. He went on to have
considerable success, and in the 1980s collaborated with other
musicians, notably in the super group the Traveling Wilburys.
He succumbed to cancer in 2001 at the age of 58. |
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11 Title: Your Song Elton John was born on 25 Mar 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex (north-west London). He learned to play piano at an early age, and by 1962 had formed Bluesology, an R&B band with whom he played until 1967. He met his longtime musical partner Bernie Taupin in 1967, after they both answered an advert for songwriters. For two years, they wrote songs for artists including Lulu, and John worked as a session musician for artists including the Hollies and the Scaffold. Elton John was also one of several singers in the late 1960s and early 1970s who recorded covers of hit songs for sale as budget-priced albums in shops like Woolworths. In 1971, his first hit single, "Your Song", taken from his second album, "Elton John", reached the top ten in the UK and the USA. From that point he gradually became a star and by the end of the 20th century he had achieved over seventy hit singles in the UK charts and some 36 albums in the album chart. In the USA he has had more than 50 Top 40 hits and seven consecutive number-one albums. His tribute single "Candle in the Wind 1997", rewritten in dedication to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single in the history of the UK and USA singles charts. He has also composed music for the musical film and stage presentation "The Lion King", as well as for several other musicals. Elton John owned Watford Football Club from 1976 to 1987 and from 1997 to 2002, and is an honorary Life President of the club. In 2019 a biographical film tilted "Rocket Man", about Elton John's life from childhood to the 1980s, was released. |
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12 Title: It's Impossible Perry Como (18 May 1912 - 12 May 2001) was born in Pennsylvania,
USA to Italian immigrants. In 1933 he took part in a dance band's talent spot, and was immediately offered a
job. By 1943 he had his own radio show, and a recording contract with RCA. The 1950s and early 1960s saw him with
numerous hit records and his popular TV show that was broadcast in the UK as well. His first run of
UK hits went from 1953 to 1962, during which time he scored 20
entries on the singles charts, including two Number Ones.
Unexpectedly, he returned to the charts in 1971, when he was nearly 60 years of age!
He enjoyed a further six hits, including three Top 10 entries until
1974. He continued as a popular live performer into the 1990s,
including a performance in Dublin before an audience of 4,500 in
1994. Como died in his sleep at his home in Florida, USA, six days before his eighty-ninth birthday. |
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13 Title: Sweet Caroline Singer-songwriter
Neil Diamond was born 24 Jan 1941 in New York City, USA. He
received a guitar for his 16th birthday and began writing
songs. Some of his songs were taken up by other acts, and his
first big success came when the Monkees recorded two of his songs
during 1967. "I'm A Believer" and "A Little Bit
Me, A Little Bit You" were huge hits for the Monkees in the
USA, UK and elsewhere. Diamond also recorded some of his own
songs which became American hits during the late 1960s. His first success in the UK
was "Cracklin' Rosie" which reached number three in late
1970. He enjoyed many hit singles and albums through to the
1990s, and it is estimated that he has sold more than 100 million
records worldwide. He has continued to record, and new albums
were released in 2010 ("Dreams") and 2014 ("Melody
Road"). However in January 2018, Diamond announced that
he was retiring from touring as he had been diagnosed with
Parkinson's Disease, but he would continue writing and recording. |
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14 Title: Rose Garden Lynn Anderson (26 Sep 1947 - 30 Jul 2015)
was an America Country music star. She was born in North
Dakota, USA but grew up in California. Her parents were
Country music songwriters Casey and Liz Anderson. So from a
young age, Lynn was surrounded by music, and by 1966 she had issued
her first recording. By the end of the 1960s, she had scored
several hits on the USA Country music charts. Her
international success came in the early 1970s when she recorded the
song "Rose Garden". Played on BBC Radio 1, it
climbed to number three in the UK, whilst also reaching the same
position on the USA pop charts. No further hits came her way
in the UK, but she went on to have considerable chart success in the
USA until the end of the 1980s. However, she continued to
perform and occasionally record into the 21st century. She had
a serious drinking problem in later life, and had a few run-ins with
the law as a result, mostly for drink-driving. She died at the
age of 67 from a heart attack. |
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15 Title: Hot Love T
Rex was a British Glam Rock band formed in 1967 by vocalist and
guitarist Marc Bolan (30 Sep 1947 - 16 Sep 1977). The band was
originally called Tyrannosaurus Rex, and they released a few Psychedelic
tracks in 1968-9. They changed their style to a more mainstream
sound and shortened the name in 1970 which resulted in their first
Top 10 hit, "Ride A White Swan" in the autumn of that
year. They went on to enjoy enormous success in the first half
of the 1970s, and became one of the biggest bands in the UK during
that time. From 1970 to 1973 they had a run of eleven Top 10
singles, with four of those reaching Number One. They also had
three consecutive Number One albums in the early seventies.
However, their popularity began to wane after about 1975, and sadly,
Marc Bolan will killed in a car crash in 1977, just before his 30th
birthday, which brought the band to an end. |
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16 Title: Another Day Paul McCartney was born on 18 Jun 1942 in Liverpool, England, and found fame as a member of the Beatles group. After the breakup of the band, McCartney and the others pursued a solo career. His first solo hit was "Another Day", which just missed reaching the top spot of the charts. Despite this success, in 1972 he formed the band Wings, with his wife Linda on keyboards and former member of the Moody Blues, Denny Laine, on guitar. This group enjoyed considerable success (sometimes billed as Paul McCartney & Wings) until the end of the 1970s. In 1981 Denny Laine left the group, which McCartney then decided to dissolve, and all following hits and albums were credited to McCartney as a solo artist. He also had much success on the album chart, with his most successful being "Band On The Run" which peaked at Number One, and remained on the UK album chart for 124 weeks. He has been very successful too on the USA charts where he has scored seven Number One albums. He has continued concert performances throughout the 21st century, and performed at the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games in 2012. His most recent album was released in 2018. |
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17 Title: (Where Do I Begin) Love Story Andy Williams (3 Dec 1927 - 25 Sep 2012) was an easy-listening
crooner, who issued several songs during the 1960s and 1970s that entered the UK charts, three of them making the
Top 10 during the sixties. He was born in Iowa, USA, but he and his family moved to Los Angeles while he was
at high school in 1943. He and his three brothers formed a vocal quartet in the 1940s, and they soon found
themselves in demand from record producers and film makers. They had parts in several musical films, and in
1947 they made their debut in Las Vegas. However, in 1953 the brothers went their separate ways and this gave
Williams the opportunity to start a solo career. He began appearing on TV, and by 1957 he was at the top of the
UK charts with his recording of "Butterfly". He hosted his own TV variety show, The Andy Williams Show,
from 1962 to 1971, and recorded over forty albums. He continued recording and performing until he was diagnosed
with cancer in 2011, and he died from the disease in 2012 at the age of 84. |
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18 Title: Jack In The Box Clodagh Rodgers
was born on 5 Mar 1947 at Warrenpoint, County Down, Northern Ireland.
She began singing professionally when only 13 years of age, and she
had a recording deal with Decca in 1962. She moved to EMI in
1965, but no hits came from either contract. Despite that she
appeared on TV numerous times and became a very popular
performer. Her breakthrough in the UK charts came in 1969,
after she was seen on TV by songwriter Kenny Young who offered to
write her a song. That song was "Come Back And Shake
Me" (see year 1969, song 26), which was a Top 5 hit. She had two further Top 5
hits by 1971, but faded from the charts after that.
Nevertheless she continued with TV and live performance appearances
for the rest of the decade. |
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19 Title: If Not For You Olivia
Newton-John (26 Sep 1948 - 8 Aug 2022) was born in Cambridge, England. Her
family moved to Australia in 1954, where she grew up. She was
a member of a short-lived group when she was 14, but after appearing
at a few talents contests, she was soon appearing on Australian TV
and radio. She went to the UK after winning the trip as a
prize, and was performing there in the late 1960s. In 1971 she
recorded her first album, and the track "If Not For You"
was issued as a single. It rose to number seven in the UK and
number 25 in the USA. Further hits followed in the UK, and in
1974 she represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest. In
the mid-1970s she moved to the USA to live and work. She had
much success there, culminating in her role in the musical film
"Grease" in 1978. Two of her songs from the movie
become Number One hits in the UK. Hits continued on both sides
of the Atlantic, and she made more films as well during the 1980s
and 1990s. She continued performing in concerts in to the
2010s. She was honoured with a Damehood at New Year 2020, but
died from breast cancer in 2022 at the age of 73. |
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20 Title: Have You Ever Seen The Rain Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American four-piece band comprising John
Fogerty, his brother Tom Fogarty, Stu Cook, and Doug Clifford. They got together in 1959 under a
different name, and became Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. Although they originated from
California, they performed in a musical style reminiscent of the Mississippi delta region. Some
commentators referred to this as Swamp Rock. They became very successful, enjoying nine Top 10 hits
in the USA from 1969 to 1971. Oddly, five of those hits peaked at number two, and they never had a
Number One in their homeland. In the UK they scored four Top 10 hits, including a Number One, plus
five others. They toured extensively, and appeared at the Woodstock music festival. However,
disagreements within the band led to Tom Fogerty resigning in late 1970. John assumed total control of
the group which continued as a trio for another year or so, but the frictions remained, and the band formally
broke up in 1972. |
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21 Title: Power To The People John Lennon (9 Oct 1940 - 8 Dec 1980) was born in Liverpool, England, and found fame as a member of the Beatles group. After the breakup of the band, Lennon and the others pursued a solo career. His first hit after the break up was "Power To The People", although he had enjoyed three hits over 1969-1970 as a member of the Plastic Ono Band. He had also released albums from 1968 with Yoko Ono, although the first to chart was not until 1971. His first major album was "Imagine" later in 1971, which not only reached Number One in the album chart, but eventually remained on the chart for 101 weeks. He had success with both singles and albums until 1975. He had been fighting deportation from the USA for a couple of years, and having finally been given permanent residency of the USA, he took off the next five years from any recording. However, in 1980, he and Yoko released their "Double Fantasy" album which hit the top of the album charts in the UK and USA. From the album came the single "(Just Like) Starting Over", which went to Number One on both sides of the Atlantic. However in December that year he was shot dead outside his New York apartment by Mark Chapman. He remains in prison in December 2019. In the aftermath of Lennon's murder, several of his past recordings re-entered the charts, with the song "Imagine" climbing to Number One, following on directly from "(Just Like) Starting Over". "Imagine" was re-issued in December 1999, when it reached number three in the UK charts. |
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22 Title: Something Old Something New American vocal group, The Fantastics began in the late 1950s as The Velours. They formed in New York City, and were recording and performing until 1961 when they broke up. In 1966, three original members decided to reform the Velours, and in 1967 agreed to undertake a tour in England. When they arrived in Britain, they discovered that they were to be billed as The Fabulous Temptations, and were expected to perform Motown songs. However, they toured successfully and were invited to return in 1968. This time they were billed as The Fantastics, and made some recordings as well as performing in the UK. They then signed with Bell Records in the UK, and recorded "Something Old Something New", written and produced by the British songwriters Macaulay, Cook and Greenaway. The recording reached the Top 10 in the UK, but peaked just outside the Top 100 in the USA. Further recordings had no success in the UK although they remained popular performers into the 1980s. |
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23 Title: Indiana Wants Me R Dean Taylor (11 May 1939 - 7 Jan 2022) was born in Toronto, Canada. He began a professional career in Toronto during 1961, where he performed and made a few recordings with modest success in the Canadian charts. After a couple of years he relocated to Detroit, USA - the home of Tamla Motown records. He was hired by that record company as a songwriter, but had the opportunity to make some recordings as well. The first releases were not successful in the USA, but the song "There's A Ghost In My House", recorded in 1967, eventually entered the UK charts in 1974. His first UK hit came in the summer of 1968 when "Gotta See Jane" reached number 17 in the charts. His big breakthrough came in 1971 when "Indiana Wants Me" peaked at number two in the UK, number five in the USA, and Number One in his Canadian homeland. He enjoyed further modest success until the end of the 1970s. He died in 2022 at the age of 82. |
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24 Title: Remember Me Diana Ross was born on 26 Mar 1944 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She first found fame
as the lead singer with the group the Supremes, which was one of the most successful female groups of the second
half of the 1960s (see year 1964, song 75). Ross had decided to leave the group for a solo career early
in 1970.
Her first UK solo release "Reach Out And Touch" (year
1970, song 61) performed disappointingly in the UK, and it only reached number 20 in the USA.
Nevertheless it is one of her best-known songs, and she
has performed it in concert numerous times. However, in September
1970 she was in the UK Top 10 with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" which was an American Number
One. She went on to have a highly successful career with numerous hit singles and albums, and was
recording into the 2000s. |
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25 Title: Rosetta Georgie Fame was
born on 26 Jun 1943 in Lancashire, UK. He is a keyboard player
and vocalist, mainly in the R&B genre of music. He went to
London at just 16 and was able to get a contract with impresario
Larry Parnes, who put him on tour with Marty Wilde, Joe Brown and
others, playing in the backing band. He then played piano in Billy
Fury's backing band which was called The Blue Flames. They were
sacked by Fury in 1961, so Fame took the lead and the band toured
the UK as Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames. They played mostly
American R&B material and became big enough to get a recording
contract with EMI. His first successful recording was "Yeh!
Yeh!", and this was followed by a series of hits through to
1971. He continued performing, but also played organ on all
Van Morrison albums from 1989 to 1997. His two sons now play
with him on concert tours, and he most recently toured in 2017. |
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26 Title: Mozart 40 Waldo De Los Rios (7 Sep 1934 - 28 Mar 1977) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His parents were both musicians, and Waldo quickly took an interest in music himself. He relocated to Spain in 1962, and during the 1960s he was writing scores for film soundtracks. In the later 1960s he began to take in interest in transforming European classical music into pop recordings. He issued several albums of such music during the 1970s, and one track, his arrangement of Mozart's Symphony Number 40 was released as a single. It was a great success, reaching the charts of several European countries. De Los Rios recorded similar arrangements of other classical composer's works, but suffering from depression, he took his own life in Madrid, Spain, at the age of 42. |
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27 Title: Knock Three Times This was the
group's follow-up to their January hit "Candida" (song
6). "Knock Three Times" became a major international
hit, reaching Number One in the USA, Canada and Australia, as well
as entering the Top 10 of numerous other countries. It has
become a classic hit recording which is frequently played on oldies
radio stations. |
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28 Title: Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) The Delphonics were an R&B/Soul vocal trio from Philadelphia, USA, founded by William Hart, with two others in 1966. Hart and the others had been in other groups, and the Delfonics had begun under different names. Their first USA hit, "La-La (Means I Love You)", came in 1968, although that recording did not reach the UK charts until the summer of 1971. This recording was an American Top 10 hit for the group in 1970. They had several hits in the USA during the first few years of the 1970s, but in the UK they were restricted to just three - all during 1971. In 1975 the group split into two, and with new members, the two trios toured as the Delfonics well into the 21st century, with members coming and going, and even switching between the two groups. |
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29 Title: It Don't Come Easy Ringo
Starr was born on 7 Jul 1940 in Liverpool, England, and
found fame as a member of the Beatles group. After the breakup
of the band, Starr and the others pursued a solo career. This
was Starr's first solo hit, and he was the last of the 'Fab Four' to
enter the charts with a solo offering. He had four Top 10
entries on the UK singles charts, one each in the years from 1971 to
1974. Two of those reached Number One in the USA. He
also enjoyed two Top 10 albums in the British album chart. As
well as performing and recording music, Starr also
narrated the first two series of the children's television programme
"Thomas &
Friends" and portrayed "Mr. Conductor" during the first season of the PBS children's
television series "Shining Time Station". Since 1989, he has
frequently toured with his All-Starr Band.
He has continued recording from time to time, and issued his
twentieth album in 2019. |
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30 Title: Brown Sugar The Rolling Stones debuted on the British charts in 1963, and started a
career which challenged the Beatles for the "top band" accolade during the 1960s. The band comprised lead
singer Mick Jagger (born 26 Jul 1943), guitarists Keith Richards (born 18 Dec 1943) and Brian Jones (28 Feb 1942 - 3 Jul 1969),
bassist Bill Wyman (born 24 Oct 1936) and drummer Charlie Watts (2
Jun 1941 - 24 Aug 2021).
The Stones clocked up 15 hits during
the 1960s, including eight number ones. Hits continued in the singles and album charts through the following
decades up to the present time. They still embark on world tours in the 21st century,
and toured the UK in 2018. For more details see year 1968,
song 47. |
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31 Title: Heaven Must Have Sent You The Elgins comprised one female and four male vocalists from the Detroit area of the USA. They began in the late 1950s, using a variety of group names, as an all-male quartet. They made a few recordings for a local company, but were signed to Motown in 1962 who suggested that they added a female voice to the lineup. The first hit for the five-piece was "Put Yourself In My Place" which reached number four on the USA R&B chart in 1966. Their follow-up "Heaven Must Have Sent You" peaked at number nine on the R&B chart in the same year. However, further singles did not do so well, and the group broke up in 1967. In the UK, older Soul and Motown records were becoming very popular in the early 1970s. particularly in the north of England clubs, where the recordings were named Northern Soul. Motown in the UK realised this interest was happening, and re-released several older recordings, including those by the Elgins. Thus in 1971 "Heaven Must Have Sent You" became a big hit in the UK. "Put Yourself In My Place" (song 80) became a hit in late 1971, although it peaked at a modest number 28. With this success, the group reformed and toured the UK. They also made some new recordings into the 1990s. |
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32 Title: My Brother Jake Free was an English rock band formed in London in 1968, best known
for their 1970 signature song "All Right Now". The founding members were lead singer Paul
Rodgers, Simon Kirke on drums, Paul Kossoff on lead guitar and Andy Fraser on bass.
They found fame when their single "All Right Now" reached number two in the UK and number four in the
USA. The track was taken from their album "Fire And Water" which peaked at number two on the
UK album chart. They toured extensively following this hit, and had two more Top 10 hits and four more
Top 10 albums by 1974. However, problems within the band led to some personnel changes and a break up in
1974. Rodgers went on to form the band Bad Company which had four Top 10 albums in the 1970s. |
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33 Title: Malt And Barley Blues This
group was formed in early 1970 by Tom McGuinness,
former bassist and guitarist with Manfred Mann, and Hughie Flint, former drummer with John
Mayall's Blues Breakers, plus Dennis Coulson, and multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters Benny Gallagher and Graham
Lyle. Their first hit was "When I'm Dead And Gone",
written by Gallagher & Lyle, with Benny Gallagher taking the
lead vocal on the recording. A second Top 10 hit came in May
1971, but the group did not get on well together, and some illnesses
led to cancelled concerts in 1971. Gallagher & Lyle
decided to leave near the end of 1971 to work as a duo, and new
members were recruited. The revised band continued with
recording and concerts but with little success. The group
finally broke up in 1975. McGuinness continued in the music
business, collaborating with other artists from time to time, and
has been a member of The Blues Band, together with Flint, since
1979. He has also been a part of The Manfreds which is the
revival group of the former Manfred Mann band, since 1992. |
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34 Title: Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling
Again The Fortunes
were established in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It
was a five-piece band led by Rod Allen (1944-2008), and they were
signed by Decca records in 1963. Their early releases were not
hits, although one of those, "Caroline", was used as a
theme song by the pirate radio ship Radio Caroline. The first
hit, "You've Got Your Troubles", came in summer 1965,
which reached the Top 10 in both the UK and USA. Their next
two releases were hits, but no more came in the 1960s. They
spent time in the USA during the late 1960s, and recorded some radio
and TV commercial jingles there, including one for Coca-Cola titled
"It's The Real Thing". They returned to the UK in
the early 1970s and enjoyed two more hits in 1971-1972, both
reaching the Top 10. With members coming and going they
continued to perform on the nostalgia circuits into the 21st
century. Even after the death of Rod Allen in 2008, the others
recruited a new lead singer, and they still tour the UK theatres up
to the present time. |
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35 Title: I Am... I Said This was the follow-up to his February hit "Sweet Caroline" (song 13). It was the last in a run of three Top 10 hits that began in November 1970. Nevertheless, he was in the UK Top 20 in May 1972 with another classic recording, "Song Sung Blue". Meanwhile he was on a concert tour of the USA, but came to the UK for a one-off concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London on 29th May 1971. |
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36 Title: Rags To Riches This followed Presley's previous Top 10 hit, "There Goes My Everything", which had reached number six in March this year. That song had been a number two hit for Engelbert Humperdinck back in 1967. This time, Elvis revived another old song which had been a Number One hit in the USA for American vocalist Tony Bennett in 1953. Presley was next in the UK Top 10 in July with a re-release of his 1956 hits "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Hound Dog", issued as a double A-side. He was in the UK Top 10 again in December 1971 with the song "I Just Can't Help Believing" (song 96). For more Elvis Presley info, see song 1. |
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37 Title: Just My Imagination The Temptations were one of Tamla Motown's most popular and successful groups. It was a five-piece vocal band which originally included David Ruffin (18 Jan 1941 - 1 Jun 1991) and Eddie Kendricks (17 Dec 1939 - 5 Oct 1992). They were in the American Top 10 from 1965 with the song "My Girl" which reached Number One in the USA and a lowly number 43 in the UK. Their first appearance in the British Top 10 was the collaboration with Diana Ross & The Supremes on the song "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" in January 1969. This was followed by a series of UK hits until the end of the 1980s. There were a number of personnel changes during their hit-making period which saw David Ruffin leave in June 1968, and Kendricks leave the group in November 1970. With new members they continued making hit singles and albums, with a new album released in 2018, albeit with a different lineup to the mid-1960s. |
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38 Title: I'm Gonna Run Away From You Tami Lynn (25 Jan 1939 - 26 Jun 2020) was born in New Orleans, USA. She began singing in church choirs, and performed Gospel songs on radio in the early 1960s. Turning to Soul and R&B music, she recorded the song "I'm Gonna Run Away From You" in 1965, although it was not a hit at the time. However, in the UK during the early 1970s, early Soul music was becoming popular, particularly in the north of England clubs, where the recordings were named Northern Soul. This recording was re-released, and climbed to number four in the UK charts. It entered the British charts again in 1975, peaking at number 36 on that occasion. Following that success she toured the UK with other Soul performers. She mostly worked as a backing singer for the next several years, recording with many major acts. She moved to Florida in the early 2000s and performed in concert from time to time, most recently in 2014. She died in Florida in 2020 at the age of 81. |
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39 Title: Rainy Days And Mondays This was the duo's follow-up to their hit of January - "We've Only Just Begun" (song 3). It was written by the same composers as the earlier hit, but did not enter the UK charts despite reaching number two in the USA. However, the album from which it was taken, "Carpenters", reached number 12 in the UK album chart. Their next release in September was a Top 20 hit in the UK (song 74), but again it reached number two in America. |
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40 Title: Banner Man Blue Mink was a British six-piece group formed in
autumn 1969. The band comprised vocalist and songwriter Roger Cook, American-born Madeline Bell
(vocalist), Alan Parker (guitarist), Herbie Flowers (bassist), Barry Morgan (drummer) and Roger Coulam
(keyboards). Most of the songs were written by Cook and Roger
Greenaway. The members were session musicians or songwriters, and they continued in that role
despite the success of the band. They first hit the charts in November 1969 with "Melting
Pot" (year 1969, song 88). They went on to have a total of seven hits by 1973, four of which
reached the Top 10. Singles and an album failed during 1974, and the band broke up in autumn that
year, all members returning to their 'day jobs'. |
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41 Title: Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep Middle Of The
Road was a Scottish four-piece band, formed in Glasgow in 1970, and
featuring the lead voice of Sally Carr (born 28 March 1945).
They had been working under different band names during the 1960s,
and finding success hard to come by in the UK, they moved to Italy,
and met an Italian record producer who gave them their new sound and
produced the first hits. They went on to record similar songs
(with nonsense titles) which were also Top 10 hits in the UK.
The group also had considerable success elsewhere in Europe,
especially in Germany. The band continues but with mostly new
members, including the lead female vocalist. |
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42 Title: I Don't Blame You At All # This was Robinson's last substantial hit in the UK until 1981 when he hit Number One with the recording "Being With You". |
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43 Title: Don't Let It Die |
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44 Title: Co-Co The Sweet was a British Glam Rock band that
found fame in the early 1970s. The original lineup comprised lead vocalist Brian
Connolly (5 Oct 1945 - 10 Feb 1997), bass player Steve Priest (23 Feb
1948 - 4 Jun 2020), guitarist Andy Scott (born 30 Jun 1949), and drummer Mick
Tucker (17 Jul 1947 - 14 Feb 2002). The band was formed in London in 1968 and achieved their first hit, "Funny Funny", in
early 1971 after teaming up with songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman.
They went on to have considerable chart success, achieving ten Top
10 hits by 1978, including a Number One and no less than five number
twos in the UK charts. They also had success in other parts of
Europe, and in the USA where they enjoyed four Top 10 hits. Sweet had their last international success in
1978 with "Love Is Like Oxygen".
Connolly left the group in 1979 to start a solo career and the remaining members continued as a trio until
disbanding in 1981.
From the mid-1980s, Scott, Connolly and Priest each played with their own versions of Sweet at different
times.
Connolly died in 1997, Tucker in 2002 and Priest in 2020.
Andy Scott, with a new line up, still tours the UK and the rest of
Europe. |
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45 Title: Me And You And A Dog Named Boo Lobo, real name Kent LaVoie, is an American
singer-songwriter, born 31 Jul 1943 in Tallahassee, Florida,
USA. He formed a local group in 1961 which included Gram
Parsons (who later joined the Byrds) and Jim Stafford (who had a
couple of Top 20 hits in the mid-1970s). He joined various
other bands during the 1960s, but eventually began recording as a
solo artist. His first hit was "You And Me And A Dog
Named Boo" which reached the Top 10 in both the UK and
USA. He enjoyed a series of modest hits in America during the
1970s, but successfully moved into Country music in the 1980s.
As his popularity waned in the USA during the late 1980s, he found
fame in Asia, and even made records in Taiwan and Singapore for the
local markets during the 1990s. He was touring Asia in the
early 2000s. |
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46 Title: Black And White British Reggae band Greyhound began as the
Rudies in the late 1960s, led by Danny Smith and Freddie
Notes. They made several records, one of which, "Montego
Bay", reached number 45 in the UK charts during October
1970. Notes then left the band, and the name was changed to
Greyhound in late 1970. Under the new name they had the Top 10
hit "Black And White" in the summer of 1971, followed by
two Top 20 hits in 1972. Their popularity waned after that and
the members went their separate ways. |
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47 Title: River Deep Mountain High The Motown record company put these two
high-profile groups together to record an album titled "The
Magnificent 7", which included the old Ike & Tina Turner
song "River Deep Mountain High". The recording was
issued as a single which reached number eleven in the UK and number
14 in the USA. Both groups were enjoying considerable success
at this time, and both had more hit singles. The next hit for
the Supremes came in August (song 61), and the next for the Four
Tops came in September (song 75). For more info about the
Supremes, see song 7. For more info about the Four Tops, see
song 75. |
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48 Title: If You Could Read My Mind Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian singer-songwriter (17 Nov 1938 - 1 May 2023), born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. His songs fall into the Folk, Folk-Pop genre of musical styles. He began performing locally in the 1950s, but moved to California in 1958 to study jazz. He supported himself by singing in bars, but moved back to Canada in 1960. Although he frequently recorded and performed in the USA, he remained based in Canada. His songs tend to reflect his own emotions or otherwise relate stories of real events. He achieved much more success in North America than in the UK and other parts of Europe, although he toured throughout much of Europe over the years. Despite his age and health problems, he continued to perform, touring the USA and Canada during 2017 and 2018. He issued a new album in 2020. He died on 1st May 2023 at the age of 84 in Toronto, Canada. |
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49 Title: Tom Tom Turnaround New World was an Australian band which had enjoyed success in their homeland before going to the UK. They came together in Brisbane in 1965, and had a few hits before they were brought to the UK by songwriters Chapman and Chinn. They were signed to Mickie Most's RAK record label, and their first British hit was a cover of Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden" (see song 14), which reached number 15. Their second release, "Tom Tom Turnaround" was their first of just two Top 10 hits that they achieved. Their last hit came in 1973, and they then began to fade away, although they released records until 1976. |
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50 Title: Never Ending Song Of Love The New Seekers was a British five-piece vocal
group, formed by Australian musician Keith Potger, after the break up of his group the
Seekers. The New Seekers comprised female lead singers Eve Graham
(born in Auchterarder, Scotland on 19 Apr 1943) and Lyn Paul (born
in Manchester, England on 16 Feb 1949), plus three males. The
first version of the group, formed in 1969, did not include Lyn
Paul, but after the first album release, several personnel changes
were made, including the addition of Paul. They had a minor
hit in late 1970, but made the big time in the summer of 1971 with
their first Top 10 entry "Never Ending Song Of
Love". This was followed later in the year by "I'd
Like To Teach The World To Sing", which was their first Number
One chart hit. They enjoyed considerable success through to
the mid-1970s, but broke up in the second half of 1974.
However, they reformed in 1976, but without Lyn Paul. They had
three smallish hits until 1978, when Eve Graham left. With new
personnel, the group has continued to tour and perform. |
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51 Title: Get It On This was the band's follow up to their hit of
February "Hot Love" (song 15), and was their second of
four Number Ones in the UK charts. The recording was on their
album "Electric Warrior" which was in the album chart from
autumn 1970, reaching Number One in that listing. In the USA
the recording was titled "Bang a Gong (Get It On)", to avoid
confusion with another record on release, also called "Get It
On". The T Rex recording reached number 10 in the USA and
was their only Top 10 hit in that country. They were next in
the UK charts in November (song 87). |
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52 Title: Won't Get Fooled Again The Who are a
four-piece Rock band originally comprising lead singer Roger Daltrey
(born 1 Mar 1944), guitarist and singer Pete Townshend (born 19 May
1945), bass guitarist John Entwistle (9 Oct 1944 - 27 Jun 2002), and
drummer Keith Moon (23 Aug 1946 - 7 Sep 1978). The band was
formed in the early 1960s in west London, England under a different
group name, but settled on the name The Who in 1964. They
began performing in local pubs and other venues in west London
They gained a recording contract in late 1964, and their first hit
came in early 1965, "I Can't Explain", which reached the
UK Top 10, followed by another Top 10 hit in spring 1965.
"My Generation" reached number two and became their joint
highest-placed hit with "I'm A Boy" in 1966. They
never managed to reach Number One. During the 1960s they
achieved nine Top 10 hits out of 14. The hits continued into
the 1980s with another four original Top 10 hits. Although
personnel deaths have forced changes to the line up, the band have
continued to perform up to and including a tour in 2017.
Daltry and Townshend remain, and in recent years drums have been
played by Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr's son. |
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53 Title: We Will Gilbert
O'Sullivan was born on 1 Dec 1946 in Waterford, Ireland. When
he was just seven years old his family moved to England where he
grew up. He began playing when at art college in the
1960s. He signed a recording contract in 1967, but no hit
recordings came from that. It was not until 1970 when he came
under the management of Gordon Mills that things took off. To
gain publicity, he went for an unusual appearance comprising a pudding basin haircut, cloth cap and short trousers.
This did attract attention, and by late 1970 he was in the UK charts
with his debut hit "Nothing Rhymed". His style and
songs were certainly unique, and he enjoyed enormous success for the
first half of the 1970s. He changed his appearance to a
college boy look after a year or so, and the hits continued.
He had eleven Top 20 hits up to the end of 1974, two of which were
Number Ones, and he achieved four Top 10 albums during that period
as well. He also enjoyed three Top 10 hits in the USA
including a Number One. Later in the 1970s however, he
realised that he had not received a fair proportion of his earnings
from his management company. He sued them, but it was not
until 1982 that the courts found in his favour and awarded him seven
million pounds. His career had been on hold for most of the
second half of the 1970s, but he had another Top 20 hit in
1980. He has continued to record and perform, issuing four new
albums between 2007 and 2018. He has also toured the UK and
Ireland in recent years. |
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54 Title: Move On Up Curtis Mayfield (3 Jun 1942 - 26 Dec 1999) was born in Chicago, USA. He began his music career in a Gospel choir, but when just 14, he joined a vocal group called the Impressions. He was concerned with social awareness issues, and brought such themes into the Soul music of the group, in particular the song "People Get Ready", which reached number 14 on the USA charts. Mayfield left the group in 1970 to go solo. In 1972, he wrote the soundtrack for the film "Superfly", the songs for which again explored social conscious themes and the inner city poverty, crime etc. He continued performing until his death at age 57, despite serious injuries sustained in a theatre accident. |
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55 Title: Let Your Yeah Be Yeah The Pioneers were a Reggae trio from Jamaica. The three founding members began performing and recording in Jamaica in the early 1960s, but with no success forthcoming, they broke up in 1967. However, one member, Sydney Crooks, revived the group, with two new members, in the following year, and this time they had some chart success in Jamaica. Their recordings became popular in the UK as well, and they had their first British hit in 1969. They toured the UK in 1969-1970 and decided to take up residence there. In 1971 they enjoyed their biggest hit "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah", written by Jamaican singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff. The hits dried up in the mid-1970s, and the band split up. However, there have been several reunions and splits subsequently, but the group have continued performing into the 21st century. |
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56 Title: What Are You Doing Sunday This was the trio's third hit, and third Top 10 entry of the year, and following "Knock Three Times" (song 27). With this release, the act was billed as Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, to emphasise the importance of the lead singer. There were no hits in 1972, but they returned in 1973 with the classic Number One hit "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree". For more info, see song 6. |
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57 Title: Hey Girl Don't Bother Me The Tams are a vocal group formed in Atlanta, Georgia, USA during 1960. Their name comes from the tam o'shanters (Scottish caps) that they wear on stage. They began with some modest success in the American charts from 1962. Their biggest success came in 1964 when "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" reached the USA Top 10. In the early 1970s in the UK, the so-called Northern Soul sound became very popular, and as a result, the recording made in 1964 "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" went all the way to Number One on the British charts. They continued to perform over the next few decades and into the 2000s. Nowadays two separate lineups of the group continue to perform and record. One lineup, called 'The Original Tams with R. L. Smith', features original member Robert Lee Smith, and the other lineup is under the leadership of Charles Pope, the brother of co-founder Joe Pope, who died in 2013. |
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58 Title: I'm Still Waiting This followed
her earlier hit "Remember Me" (song 24). This
recording was an album track and was not scheduled to be released as
a single. However, the track was played on British radio, and
the record company decided to issue it as a single. They were rewarded
with a Number One hit. In the USA the recording was only a
minor hit, peaking at number 63. She was next in the UK Top 10
in the summer of 1973. |
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59 Title: It's Too Late Carole King was born on 9 Feb 1942 in New York City, USA. Music was her passion and she formed a band in high school. She then attended college where she met Gerry Goffin who would become her songwriting partner. They married in 1959, but divorced in 1969. Together they wrote dozens of chart hits for many singers, especially for Bobby Vee, and many of the hits were covered by British singers such as Billy Fury. Whilst she was primarily a songwriter, she made a handful of records herself including "It Might As Well Rain Until September" (see year 1962, song 75), which reached number three in the UK charts during 1962. Follow-up recordings did not do so well, and she concentrated on composing, until she recorded her acclaimed album "Tapestry" in 1971, from which this track is taken. The "Tapestry" album reached number four in the UK, but Number One in the USA, as did this single. Since that time she has continued recording and performing, appearing at a London, England outdoor concert in the summer of 2016. |
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60 Title: Did You Ever Nancy Sinatra
is the daughter of singing legend Frank Sinatra. Nancy was
born on 8 Jun 1940 in New Jersey, USA, but mostly grew up in Los
Angeles. She began music and singing lessons at a young age in
Hollywood. She started appearing on TV in her early twenties,
mostly on her father's shows. She signed with Sinatra's
Reprise records in 1961, but early releases did not fare very
well. However, in 1965 she began a collaboration with
songwriter and producer Lee Hazlewood, who had crafted most of
guitarist Duane
Eddy's hit records in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He wrote
"These Boots Are Made For Walking", and produced Nancy's
recording of the song. It was an immediate hit, climbing to
Number One on both sides of the Atlantic in early 1966. A year later she
reached number two in the UK with "Sugar Town", and
in the same year recorded the James Bond film theme "You Only
Live Twice". She also recorded several duets with
Hazlewood, which were hits in both countries, including the 1971
release "Did You Ever" which reached number two in the UK.
She has continued recording and performing on and off up to the
present time. |
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61 Title: Nathan Jones This was the
group's follow-up to their remake of the hit "River Deep
Mountain High" (song 47), which they performed together with
the Four Tops. This entry put them back in the UK Top 10, with
two more of those coming in 1972. This recording features
phasing or phase shifting in the instrumentation, which was mostly
used in the late 1960s to create a 'psychedelic' sound. |
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62 Title: For All We Know Shirley Bassey was born on 8 Jan 1937 in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Wales. She went on to become an international star with
countless hit singles and albums throughout the world. She began singing professionally in 1953, and performed up
and down the UK. She signed a recording contract in 1956, and had her first Top 10 hit in 1957 ("Banana Boat
Song"). She enjoyed a string of hits during the 1960s, and recorded three James Bond movie themes. She had
her own TV series during the 1970s, and continued performing into the 21st century. By 2015 she had scored 33 hit
singles and 39 hit albums. She was honoured with a Damehood in 2000, and was back in the recording studios in 2014. |
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63 Title: Moonshadow Cat Stevens was born on 21 Jul 1948 in central London, England.
His father was Greek-Cypriot and his mother Swedish. They ran a restaurant in the West End of
London, and the family lived above it. Cat developed an interest in music at a young age and at 15
had his first guitar. Once he had left school he began performing in local pubs and coffee
bars. When only 18 he was spotted by a record producer who arranged a recording contract.
His first hit came in the autumn of 1966, "I Love My Dog", which he had written himself, and
which reached number 28 in the UK charts. His next release, "Matthew And Son", taken from
his debut album of the same title, climbed to number two in the charts. He enjoyed considerable
success though to the late 1970s, but in 1979 converted to the Muslim faith and went into musical
retirement. At that time he changed his name to Yusuf Islam. He returned to some
recording again in the 2000s under his new name. |
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64 Title: I Believe (In Love) Hot
Chocolate is a five-piece Soul band from London, England which
became one of the most successful acts during the 1970s and
1980s. It was formed by
Errol Brown (12 Nov 1943 - 6 May
2015, born in Jamaica) and Tony Wilson (born in Trinidad on 8 Oct
1947). They started in 1968 as a Reggae band, but from 1970,
under the guidance of producer Mickie Most, they moved to a Soul/Pop
style. Their first hit was "Love Is Life" in 1970,
and this began a run of 25 UK Top 40 singles (12 Top 10) until
1984. Later in the 1980s, reissues returned them to the
charts. There were some personnel changes from time to time,
with Wilson leaving in 1976 and Errol Brown departing in 1986.
The band broke up after Brown's departure for a solo career, but it
was reformed with a new vocalist in 1992, with another new vocalist
in 2010, and it continues to perform in Britain and Europe until the
present. |
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65 Title: You've Got A Friend James Taylor is
an American singer-songwriter in the Folk/Pop-Folk genre of
music. He was born on 12 Mar 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
His family moved to North Carolina when Taylor was a child, and
after some classical music training, took up the guitar in
1960. In 1966 he moved to New York City to play in a band, and
they made a number of performances in the clubs of that city,
playing many of the songs that Taylor had written. He became
addicted to heroine at that time. but was 'rescued' by his father
who paid for his treatment. In 1967 he went solo and moved to
London where, through contacts he began recording for the Beatles'
Apple record label, and had Peter Asher as manager. An album
was recorded, which included the track "Carolina In My
Mind", which was not a hit, although Taylor has performed it
live many times. In the early 1970s he relocated to California
with Asher still as his manager. A second album was recorded
which included his song "Fire And Rain" which became a Top
50 hit for Taylor in the UK, but reached number three in the USA
charts. His third album in 1971 included Carole King's
"You've Got A Friend" which became his only Top 10 hit in
the UK, and his only Number One in America. He has continued
to record and perform up to the present time, with modest success in
the UK album chart. He has also performed along with Carole
King in recent times. |
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66 Title: Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum This was the group's second of three Top 10 hits that they enjoyed in 1971. The melody was written by the Italian composers shown above, with English lyrics by Lally Stott, who wrote their first hit "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" (song 41). Their next hit came in December (song 97). |
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67 Title: Reason To Believe Rod Stewart was born 10 Jan 1945 in north London, England. His father was Scottish, and Stewart has always celebrated his Scottish roots. He came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the Jeff Beck Group, and then the Faces, but he recorded solo in addition to his group duties. Stewart's 1971 solo album "Every Picture Tells a Story" made him a household name, reaching Number One in the UK and USA. The album contained the Tim Harding song "Reason To Believe", which was issued as a single. The B-side of that record was "Maggie May" which soon became the dominant side, reaching Number One on both sides of the Atlantic (see song 72). His fame grew to worldwide proportions, and he has sold over 120 million records throughout the world. He has had nine Number One albums in the UK Album chart, and his tally of 62 UK hit singles includes 31 that reached the Top 10, six of which were chart toppers. Stewart has had 16 Top 10 singles in the USA. From 2002 to 2010 he issued five albums in his "Great American Songbook" series, which were all successful in the charts. He was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to music and charity. His most recent original album, "Blood Red Roses", was issued in 2018. |
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68 Title: Cousin Norman # This was the band's first Top 10 hit since the summer of 1970 (see year 1970, song 62). It was written by Hugh Nicholson who only joined the group in this year (replacing Junior Campbell), and left in 1973. # They were next in the UK Top 10 in spring 1972. |
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69 Title: Freedom Come Freedom Go |
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70 Title: Another Time Another Place # This was Humperdinck's first Top 20 hit since 1969. His UK singles chart career was coming to an end. Only one more Top 20 hit came, and that was in 1972, followed by a minor hit in 1973. This recording did reach the Top 10 of the American Adult Contemporary chart, on which he continued to score throughout the 1970s. However, he has maintained a presence on the UK album chart. In addition to the 2017 release mentioned above, he issued a Christmas album in 2018 which reached number five. |
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71 Title: Keep On Dancing # The song was written in 1963 and recorded by American R&B act, the Avantis. In 1965 it was recorded by another American group, the Gentrys. Their version reached number four in the USA charts. |
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72 Title: Maggie May # This recording has become a pop music classic, and it frequently crops up on oldies radio stations. |
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73 Title: Ain't No Sunshine # In 1972, this song appeared as a track on Michael Jackson's first solo album. The track was issued as a single in the UK, where it climbed to number eight in August of that year. |
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74 Title: Superstar |
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75 Title: Simple Game # This was the group's follow-up to their hit with the Supremes, "River Deep Mountain High", which reached number eleven in June this year (song 47). This was the last UK Top 10 hit that the group enjoyed until 1981, although they did have a few smaller hits during that time. They also had a couple of USA Top 10s in the mid-1970s. # The song was written in 1968 by Mike Pinder of the British band the Moody Blues. It was recorded by the Moody Blues and released as a B-side of a single in 1968. The Four Tops version was recorded in the UK whilst they were on a concert tour there. The instrumental backing was provided by the Moody Blues, although uncredited on the record. |
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76 Title: Sultana |
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77 Title: Witch Queen Of New Orleans # New Orleans is a city in Louisiana, USA, on the Mississippi River, close to the Gulf of Mexico. It is noted for its Cajun and Creole foods, and is regarded as the birth place of Jazz. |
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78 Title: The Night They Drove Old Dixey Down # Baez had enjoyed a handful of hits in the UK before this, which was her final appearance in the UK singles charts. She had four Top 10 albums in the British album chart during the 1960s. # The song was written by Robbie Robertson from the American group The Band (see year 1970, song 29), who recorded it first for their second album in 1969. The song refers to the American Civil War (1861-1865), and the defeat of the Confederate Army by the Union Army. |
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79 Title: Tired Of Being Alone # In 1992 British band Texas recorded the song, and their version reached number 19 in the UK charts. |
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80 Title: Put Yourself In My Place |
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81 Title: Riders On The Storm Morrison died in unexplained circumstances during 1971, in Paris, France, where he is buried. The band continued as a trio until disbanding in 1973. They released three more albums in the 1970s, two of which featured earlier recordings by Morrison, and over the decades reunited on stage in various configurations. In 2002, Manzarek, Krieger and Ian Astbury of band the Cult on vocals started performing as the Doors of the 21st Century. Densmore and the Morrison estate successfully sued them over the use of the band's name. After a short time as Riders on the Storm, they settled on the name Manzarek–Krieger and toured until Manzarek's death in 2013. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. # Although most of the band's singles reached only modest positions in the UK charts, "Light My Fire" was reissued in 1991, when it reached number seven. |
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82 Title: Banks Of The Ohio # The song was written in the 19th century but the author is unknown. The song has long been regarded as American Country material, and the earliest recordings in that genre date from 1927. Newton-John's version also has a Country music feel. # The Ohio River is in north-eastern USA, and is 981 miles (1,579 km) long. It flows from western Pennsylvania to the city of Cairo, Illinois, where it meets the Mississippi. |
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83 Title: Till # The song was written in 1956 by Charles Danvers, with French lyrics. The English words were provided by Carl Sigman, after which several English-language versions were recorded, the first in 1957. American singer Tony Bennett recorded the song in 1961, his version reaching number 35 in the UK charts. In 1970 it was recorded by Welsh singer Dorothy Squires, and her rendition reached number 25 in the British charts. |
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84 Title: Surrender |
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85 Title: Coz I Luv You |
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86 Title: Gypsys, Tramps And Thieves |
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87 Title: Jeepster |
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88 Title: Sing A Song Of Freedom |
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89 Title: Is This The Way To Amarillo # The song was composed by 1960s hit maker Neil Sedaka, whose version was a modest hit in the USA. Sedaka would return to the UK charts in 1973. |
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90 Title: Something Tells Me # This was Cilla's first hit since late 1969, and her first Top 10 entry since the summer of 1969. This was also her last ever Top 10 hit. A Top 40 hit came in 1974, and that was her final chart entry until 1993 when a couple of newly-made singles reached the Top 75. From 1963 to 1974 she had 19 hit singles, including nine Top 10 entries and two Number Ones. |
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91 Title: Softly Whispering I Love You # In 1990, British singer Paul Young recorded the song, and the single reached number 21 on the UK charts that year. |
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92 Title: No Matter How I Try |
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93 Title: It Must Be Love # In 1981 British band Madness recorded "It Must Be Love", and their version reached number four in the UK charts over Christmas that year. |
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94 Title: When You Get Right Down To It # This song was first recorded by American vocal group the Delfonics in 1970. See song 28 for Delfonics info. |
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95 Title: Theme from "Shaft" # He was next in the UK charts in 1976 with "Disco Connection" which reached number ten. |
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96 Title: I Just Can't Help Believing # Presley's next hit, "Until It's Time For You To Go", came in April 1972. |
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97 Title: Soley Soley |
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98 Title: I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing # This song began life as a jingle for a Coca Cola TV commercial which was shown throughout the world. It was the New Seekers that recorded the jingle, in London. The opening line in the commercial was "I'd like to buy the world a Coke". This was replaced by "I'd like to teach the world to sing" on the issued record. # The band was next in the UK charts in March 1972 with their Eurovision Song Contest entry. |
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99 Title: Stay With Me |
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100 Title: A Horse With No Name |
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Acts with most appearances in this list:
Carpenters:
3 Composers with most appearances in this list:
Roger Cook & Roger Greenaway: 8 (1 with John Goodison & Tony
Hiller; 2 with Tony Macaulay; 1 with Herbie Flowers; 1 with Albert Hammond & Mike
Hazlewood; 1 with Bill Backer & Billy Davis)
The Composers, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, have got eight of their songs in the listing for 1971. This is a great achievement. Cook and Greenaway are also singers. They first came to public attention when they covered the Bealtes' song "Michelle", using the pseudonyms David & Jonathan, with that version reaching number eleven in the UK charts in early 1966. They were then in the Top 10 in the summer of 1966 with their own song "Lovers of the World Unite" (see year 1966, song 64). That, however was their final hit as David & Jonathan. In 1969 Cook joined with others to form Blue Mink, which enjoyed a series of hits, mostly co-written by Cook. The pair continued to write hit songs for numerous acts, the best-known, perhaps, being "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" by the New Seekers, in 1971. Prior to that, in 1970, Greenaway joined with session singer Tony Burrows to record as the Pipkins. Their novelty recording of "Gimme Dat Ding" reached number six in spring 1970. In 1975 Cook decided to relocate to Nashville, USA, where he took on the role of record producer, as well as continuing to write songs. In 1997, Cook became the first British songwriter to be elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Following Cook's departure, Greenaway collaborated with Geoff Stephens, and together they wrote Dana's seasonal hit "It's Gonna Be a Cold Cold Christmas" in 1975. As time went on, Greenaway took an increasing role in business administration, becoming Chairman of the Performing Right Society in 1983, and in 1995 he took charge of the European ASCAP (American copyright) office. He also wrote advertising jingles for Allied Carpets, Asda and British Gas. In 1998 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the music industry. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York, in 2009.
New Names in
1971 Bay City
Rollers * Previously had hits with the Beatles. Lennon also had hits with the Plastic Ono Band. |
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1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970
1971 1972
1973 1974
1975 1976
1977
Comments and corrections to: mjs@onlineweb.com Compiled March
2020
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