Artists w/ 1 or 2 BIG hits who should have risen to stardom but somehow never made it

Do you know this? When I browse through my LP collection, I often find a debut LP or even 2nd LP by an artist who showed very promising at the time - he or she may even have had one or two smash hits. Everyone thought "Wow! He's gonna be the next John Lennon" or "20 years from now she will be mentioned in the same breath with Judy Garland." But somehow, you never heard from them again. Just one golden moment...

Here are three of them:

Past:

Peter Sarstedt ("Where Do You Go To My Lovely", a hauntingly beautiful ballad about a girl who grew up in poverty and made her way into the society but forgot where she came from). Sarstedt's music had a very personal intimacy and was a perfect cross-breed of Leonard Cohen, Don McLean and Cat Stevens, all at the same time. He disappeared without any traces.

More Recent:

Tanita Tikaram ("Twist In My Sobriety" was even covered by Liza Minnelli a year later). Veeery promising. What happened?

Jazz:

Mark Murphy. Although he is still active and has some dedicated fans, there was no follow-up to his 1960s hit-rendition extraordinaire of "The Lady Is A Tramp". He is perhaps more "underrated" than "forgotten", but...I just don't get it. A beautiful voice that cannot be confused with other singers, a technique that starts off where Sinatra leaves, carefully selected material, the finest possible arrangements - Why?

Arne

 

Okay, I realize this topic is also covered by the "Coulda-Shoulda"-thread, but not quite. I shouldn't have mentioned Mark Murphy...I was not talking about those who went on and are rather unsuccessful today and/or left their band to continue on their own, but about those who just...disappeared.

Arne

 

In the U.S. I always thought T.Rex should have been bigger. Huge in the U.K. but not here except for Bang A Gong and Jeepster.

 

How about,

The Firm. They really should have been able to put out some decent quality songs with their combined talents, but I guess it's over when it's over.

Nick Gilder. Sad but only one hit.

Street Heart. Kenny Sheilds was both a great drummer and vocalist and surprisingly with at least half a dozen hits never quite took off.