We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
It’s another day to take a look at some of the singles that cracked the airwaves and the pop charts in 1972….back when all kinds of music could become a hit on the radio.
Motorcycle Mama-Sailcat….a classic one-hit wonder….produced by southern rock studio legend Pete Carr…went to #12 on the US charts. Sailcat had some pedigree. John Wyker was a Muscle Shoals vet who played in a band with John Townsend( later Sanford-Townsend Band). Court Pickett, who sang the song, played in a Macon band called Sundown that featured Chuck Leavell. The cover art was from John Davis. The hit earned them tv spots on American Bandstand and they also played Carnegie Hall!
Speak To The Sky-Rick Springfield…..Recorded and released in London and Australia first, Springfield’s solo debut…years before he sang about Jesses’s Girl…went to #14 on the US charts. Springfield played guitar, banjo and keyboards and wrote and sang the song too..
I Can See Clearly Now-Johnny Nash….a number 1 smash in the US, Canada and South Africa. He was an acolyte of Bob Marley and helped popularize reggae music in the US.
Join Together-The Who…. a non album single for the band. Roger Daltry says that Pete Townsend wrote it the night before they recorded it. Daltry also said he was skeptical about using a synthesizer on the song. It was going to be part of the Lifehouse Project that eventually became the album ‘Who’s Next”…produced by Glyn Johns. It made it to #9 in Britian but only #17 in the US
The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA-Donna Fargo….a crossover hit that went #1 on the country charts and also made it to #11 on the pop charts. Fargo won the Grammy for best Country Vocal Performance in March of 1973.
The Candy Man-Sammy Davis Jr…..The song originally appeared in the movie ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” sung poorly by actor Aubrey Woods. Davis didn’t like the song (considered it to sacharine) but it did become his only #1 hit spending three weeks at the top of the Hot 100 in June. That’s the Mike Curb Congregation singing background.
Comments