"One Hit Wonders" Daily Trivia

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Oldies trivia guy, Sep 15, 2018.

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  1. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    It has always puzzled me how an artist or group could sometimes have a megahit and we never hear from them again. Especially if they wrote it. As a final authority I'll use the Billboard Top 40 charts because that should narrow the field to songs most everyone is familiar with. In some cases, an artist could have had another minor regional hit that no one ever heard of. I know of a One Hit Wonder where the group had two other hits in the South but people on the west coast would have never heard them. I will try to make the questions somewhat difficult to attract multiple answers or guesses. Each day I will update this thread with the previous day's answer and a new question. Correct answers should contain the correct title and artist as it appeared on the record or chart. Give yourself a gold star if you know it and a silver star if you want to take the time to research it. Good luck and have fun!


    9/15/18

    This song is from 1965. The artist was first married to Donna Rankin and had a daughter named Christy. He started trying to write songs at night while working day jobs like a waiter, assembly line worker and truck driver. He got into the "biz" as an assistant to the A&R man at Specialty Records. His first solo effort "Wearing Black" was released on Specialty in 1959 under the name Don Christy. In 1962 he co-wrote a song that would be a #13 hit for an English group in 1964. His first solo hit reached #10 as a One Hit Wonder.
     
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  2. mavisgold

    mavisgold Senior Member

    Location:
    bellingham wa
    you're gonna laugh at me but this thread is keeping me on needles and pins
    :D
     
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  3. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    :yikes:
     
  4. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    Interesting answer...will not confirm or deny until tomorrow.
     
  5. downer

    downer Senior Member

    My very first thought was Sonny Bono... then I wondered if it was him or Jack Nitzsche... so then I researched... so I’ll take their silver star for not having enough faith in myself...

    (And I don’t wants to start an argument, but while having only one solo hit, considering the rest of his career, is Sonny Bono really what would be termed a ‘one hit wonder’ - cue THAT discussion again...)
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2018
  6. Damiano54

    Damiano54 Senior Member

    Mavisgold's hint gave at least the 1964 hit away, so I'm guessing Sonny Bono.
     
  7. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    Since no one has fulfilled Doug's entire criteria for an answer, I will: "Laugh at Me," credited to Sonny. (Not Sonny Bono, but of course, that's who it is.)
     
  8. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    It has always puzzled me how an artist or group could sometimes have a megahit and we never hear from them again. Especially if they wrote it. As a final authority I'll use the Billboard Top 40 charts because that should narrow the field to songs most everyone is familiar with. In some cases, an artist could have had another minor regional hit that no one ever heard of. I know of a One Hit Wonder where the group had two other hits in the South but people on the west coast would have never heard them. I will try to make the questions somewhat difficult to attract multiple answers or guesses. Each day I will update this thread with the previous day's answer and a new question. Correct answers should contain the correct title and artist as it appeared on the record or chart. Give yourself a gold star if you know it and a silver star if you want to take the time to research it. Good luck and have fun!


    Answer from yesterday.....

    "Laugh At Me"/Sonny (Sonny Bono)
    Atco Records

    This partially autobiographical song was also covered by Mott the Hoople on their debut album.



    9/16/18

    This songwriting guitarist from Washington D.C. recorded this song at a small studio in Philly for $900 in response to an ad. The producer has stated that the song was "done real quick and cheap and not mixed properly". It was picked up by a small independent label and sold over 2 million copies. By the time the song reached #4 the artist lost interest after becoming a Jehovah's Witness.
     
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  9. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    I guess it's too hard, huh?
     
  10. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    Not even a guess? I'll make tomorrows a little easier.
     
  11. tim_neely

    tim_neely Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Central VA
    My first thought was Timmy Thomas and "Why Can't We Live Together," as that was, I'm pretty sure, recorded equally on the cheap -- except in Florida.

    So I'll grab the silver star on this one, with a diamond in the back, sun-roofed top, diggin' the scene with a gangster lean...

    I remember seeing him lip-sync a medley of his hit on American Bandstand in 1974 -- William DeVaughn with "Be Thankful for What You Got."
     
  12. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    I like the "spin" of this trivia thread, staying with "one hit wonders" as the sole answers and with that, I will guess ...

    "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman
     
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  13. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Wait, wait ... my above answer CAN'T be correct, as I was going by my knowing that Eddie Holman had "some" sort of religion in his life, but looking on his wiki page, he is a "Baptist Minister", which is clearly not a J.W.
     
  14. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    Also, Timmy Thomas was a keyboard player, not a guitarist. IIRC, the music backing track of "Why Can't We Live Together" consisted entirely of his Hammond organ, including the built-in percussion module.
     
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  15. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    Just as a side note, of all the many Oldies revival shows that T.J. Lubinsky has done for PBS over the years, the most memorable moment came when Eddie Holman performed "Hey There Lonely Girl" on one of the early ones.

    This may no longer be the case, but all of the original shows of this nature were recorded in Pittsburgh. In my experience, music fans there really take certain songs to heart there in a way I'm not sure is seen elsewhere.

    When Eddie performed this song, he had people hanging from the rafters. The reaction from the audience was overwhelming, not only at the end of his performance but during it. And deservedly so, as he had lost absolutely nothing in terms of vocal prowess over the many years.

    He was interviewed later and came across as extremely humble, and just overwhelmed at the response his performance received.
     
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  16. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    I loved those shows, especially how he hired full orchestras to completely recreate the original recording. Dave Sommerville and the Diamonds was another awesome performance.
     
  17. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    It has always puzzled me how an artist or group could sometimes have a megahit and we never hear from them again. Especially if they wrote it. As a final authority I'll use the Billboard Top 40 charts because that should narrow the field to songs most everyone is familiar with. In some cases, an artist could have had another minor regional hit that no one ever heard of. I know of a One Hit Wonder where the group had two other hits in the South but people on the west coast would have never heard them. I will try to make the questions somewhat difficult to attract multiple answers or guesses. Each day I will update this thread with the previous day's answer and a new question. Correct answers should contain the correct title and artist as it appeared on the record or chart. Give yourself a gold star if you know it and a silver star if you want to take the time to research it. Good luck and have fun!


    Answer from yesterday....

    "Be Thankful For What You've Got" / William DeVaughn
    Roxbury Records #4 1974




    9/17/18

    This #14 song from 1959 was a staple on radio station turntables in springtime and written and recorded by a guy who came to New York by way of Arkansas and Oklahoma. He met Pat Boone on the steps of a church who put him in touch with a manager. He later wrote hits for Andy Williams and the only American group managed by Brian Epstein.
     
  18. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    P. S. Please indicate if you deserve a gold star, silver star, you guessed or don't know....thanks.
     
  19. mavisgold

    mavisgold Senior Member

    Location:
    bellingham wa
    well,
    summer's going away and it's kind of a turn-down day
    I've been going in circles (sic) researching this one and almost gave up but I saw what you did:D
     
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  20. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    I love your "abstractness"
     
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  21. Uncle Meat

    Uncle Meat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, Tx, US
    Love that song.. have the 45 behind me somewhere....
     
  22. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    "Here Comes Summer," Jerry Keller.

    I get a silver star because I had to look up all #14 songs from 1959 to get it. I extrapolated from there and then looked Keller up to confirm the details.

    I know Keller's hit, and got the Cyrkle reference in your clue, but I was quite unaware that he was the composer of "Turn Down Day." I always appreciate learning something new, so thanks, Doug.
     
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  23. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    I'll reveal the Andy Williams song when I post the answer and new question this evening.
     
  24. Oldies trivia guy

    Oldies trivia guy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Lakeland, Florida
    It has always puzzled me how an artist or group could sometimes have a megahit and we never hear from them again. Especially if they wrote it. As a final authority I'll use the Billboard Top 40 charts because that should narrow the field to songs most everyone is familiar with. In some cases, an artist could have had another minor regional hit that no one ever heard of. I know of a One Hit Wonder where the group had two other hits in the South but people on the west coast would have never heard them. I will try to make the questions somewhat difficult to attract multiple answers or guesses. Each day I will update this thread with the previous day's answer and a new question. Correct answers should contain the correct title and artist as it appeared on the record or chart. Give yourself a gold star if you know it and a silver star if you want to take the time to research it. Good luck and have fun!
    P. S. Please indicate if you deserve a gold star, silver star, you guessed or don't know....thanks.


    Answer from yesterday.......

    This #14 song from 1959 was a staple on radio station turntables in springtime and written and recorded by a guy who came to New York by way of Arkansas and Oklahoma. He met Pat Boone on the steps of a church who put him in touch with a manager. He later wrote hits for Andy Williams and the only American group managed by Brian Epstein.

    "Here Comes Summer"/Jerry Keller
    Kapp Records #14 1959

    The 2 later hits he wrote....."Almost There"/ Andy Williams and "Turn Down Day"/The Cyrkle





    New question for 9/18/18

    This #5 group from North Carolina, started out playing Gospel as the Kays. They switched to Country and played throughout the coastal towns of their home state.
    In the later 60's, they pooled their money and recorded their future hit for a tiny local label called Northstate. Local DJ's picked up the song and soon sales were overwhelming for the label so it was picked up by ABC Records. Since this was at a time when music was changing rapidly, no one in the group could come up with an agreeable vision for the group and they broke up within months of their success.....
     
  25. Glenpwood

    Glenpwood Hyperactive!

    Gotta be Girl Watcher by the O'Kaysions... Great tune
     
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