Back to the 1970s

  August 4, 1979 - 42 Years Ago Today: Electric Light Orchestra had the Hot Shot Debut at No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with their single, "Don't Bring Me Down." This was their 17th chart entry on the Hot 100 and it became their highest ranking single when it peaked at No. 4 on September 8, 1979 and their second of three Gold singles. Between 1972-86, ELO scored 27 singles on the Hot 100 which included 20 Top 40's and 7 Top Tens. Vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Jeff Lynne wrote all of their hit singles. 

  August 4, 1973 - 48 Years Ago Today: Paul Simon (with The Dixie Hummingbirds) had the Hot Shot Debut at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with his single, "Loves Me Like A Rock." This self-penned song was Simon's 7th solo chart entry on the Hot 100 and it became his 3rd Top Ten and 2nd consecutive single to peak at No. 2 on October 6, 1973. The single also became his first of 3 No. 1's on the Billboard AC Chart. As a solo artist, Simon scored 21 Hot 100 singles which included 13 Top 40's, 6 Top Tens and one No. 1. Paul Simon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice - in 1990 as one-half of Simon & Garfunkel and in 2001 as a solo artist. 

August 5, 1978 - 43 Years Ago Today: Captain & Tennille debuted at No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with their single, "You Never Done It Like That." The Howard Greenfield/Neil Sedaka-penned song became the husband & wife's 10th chart entry on the Hot 100. It peaked at No. 10 on November 18, 1978 becoming their 7th Top 40 and 6th Top Ten. Between 1975-80, the duo scored 14 singles on the Hot 100 which included 9 Top 40's, 7 Top Tens and 2 No. 1's. 5 of their singles also topped the Billboard AC Chart and six were certified Gold. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsUioN2pFd0

  August 5, 1972 - 49 Years Ago Today: Chicago had the Hot Shot Debut at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with their single, "Saturday In The Park." This Robert Lamm-penned song was the group's 11th chart entry and the leadoff single from their album, "Chicago V," which was their first of five consecutive No. 1 albums. The single peaked at No. 3 on September 23, 1972 and became their 8th Top 40 and 5th highest ranking Top Ten hit to date and was certified Gold. It was followed by the single, "Dialogue (Part I & II)," which peaked at No. 24. Chicago's string of 12 Top Ten hits continued throughout the end of the 1970s making them the No. 5 recording act of the decade and one of the greatest recording acts of all time, ranked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. Chicago were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. 

August 7, 1976 - 45 Years Ago Today: Olivia Newton-John debuted at No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her single, "Don't Stop Believin'." This John Farrar-penned single was her twelfth chart entry on the Hot 100 and became her tenth Top 40 single which included five Top Tens and two No. 1's to date. The single peaked at No. 33 on September 18, 1976 and also enjoyed one week atop the Billboard AC Chart which was her eighth of ten AC No. 1's. In total, Newton-John scored forty singles on the Hot 100 chart which included twenty-seven Top 40's, fifteen Top Tens and five No. 1's. Her 1996 single, "The Grease Megamix," with John Travolta reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Chart which was published between October 20, 1984-November 28, 1998. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zts-JA1m2gA

  August 12, 1978 - 43 Years Ago Today: Meat Loaf (with Ellen Foley and Phil Rizzuto) debuted at No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with the single, "Paradise By The Dashboard Light." This iconic single was the follow-up to the hit, "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad," both lifted from the multi-Platinum album, "Bat Out Of Hell." The single just cracked the Top 40 and peaked at No. 39 on September 23, 1978. The single was written by Jim Steinman.

August 14, 1971 - 50 Years Ago Today: Joan Baez debuted at No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her single, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." This was the folk singer's fourth chart entry on the Hot 100 and her first single to crack the Top 40 and Top Ten when it peaked at No. 3 on October 2, 1971 and was certified Gold. The single also enjoyed a five-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard AC Chart. It was written by Robbie Robertson. Baez was the recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. She will also be the recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors on December 5, 2021. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad5aZifeLIc

August 14, 1976 - 45 Years Ago Today: Chicago had the Hot Shot Debut at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with their single, "If You Leave Me Now." This Peter Cetera-penned song was the group's 22nd chart entry and their 11th Top Ten and first of three No. 1's. It began a 2-week run at the top of the chart on October 23, 1976 and was certified Platinum. The single also enjoyed one week atop the Billboard AC Chart which was their 4th of eight AC chart-toppers. This single also earned Chicago a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Group. Between 1969-97, Chicago scored 49 consecutive singles on the Hot 100 which includes 34 Top 40's, 20 Top Tens and 3 No. 1's. Their 50th and final charted single, Here In My Heart," was Airplay Only and only peaked at No. 59 but managed to reach No. 1 on the Billboard AC Chart. Chicago were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/w

August 13, 1977 - 44 Years Ago Today: Crystal Gayle debuted at No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her single, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." This Richard Leigh-penned song was the country singer's second Hot 100 single and her first hit on the Top 40 taking the song all the way to No. 2 for 3 weeks beginning November 26, 1977. It was prevented from hitting the pinnacle which was occupied by Debby Boone's 10-week reign with "You Light Up My Life." Crystal Gayle is the younger sister of country legend Loretta Lynn and Gayle has scored 52 hits on the Country Singles Chart between 1970-90, which includes 18 No. 1's. "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue," also enjoyed a four-week run at No. 1 on the Country Singles Chart and was certified Gold. The single won Grammys for Best Country Song awarded to its songwriter, Richard Leigh, and for Best Country Female Vocal. It also earned a CMA for Song of the Year. Please click the followin

August 11, 1979 - 41 Years Ago Today: M had the Hot Shot Debut at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with his single, "Pop Muzik." M born Robin Scott was a male British New Wave singer and songwriter. The self-penned single went all the way to No. 1 on November 3, 1979 with no additional singles on the Hot 100 branding M a true One Hit Wonder. On the Billboard Disco Top 100, the single peaked at No. 4. The album, "New York-London-Paris-Munich" (all tracks) peaked at No. 38 on the Dance chart in February 1980. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPoiv0sZ4s4

August 10, 1974 - 47 Years Ago Today: Cher debuted at No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her single, "I Saw A Man And He Danced With His Wife." This John Durrill-penned song was her 15th solo single to debut on the Hot 100 and it just missed the Top 40 by peaking at No. 42 on September 14, 1974. This was Cher's last charted single for three years until 1977's "Pirate," which petered out at No. 93. It would take 5 years for Cher to land another solid hit and she did so with her smash disco hit, "Take Me Home," written by Bob Esty and Michele Aller which peaked at No. 8 and was certified Gold in 1979. It was also her first Top Ten hit since "Dark Lady" topped the chart five years earlier on March 23, 1974. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xedcm1xJVcs

August 8, 1970 - 51 Years Ago Today: Diana Ross had the Hot Shot Debut at No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her single, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." This dramatic power ballad version of the Top 20 1967 hit by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell was an instant smash at radio and retail and was Ross's 2nd solo chart entry and first solo No. 1 when it began a 3-week run at the top of the Hot 100 on September 19, 1970. The Nick Ashford/Valerie Simpson-penned song also enjoyed a single week atop the Billboard R&B Chart and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard AC Chart. The single almost didn't happen due to Motown president, Berry Gordy, Jr., dislike of the spoken intro and felt the song wasn't commercial enough to release. The original album version had a running time of over six minutes. After radio DJ's began playing the long version of the song and creating their own edits, Ashford & Simpson were able to convince Gordy to release an edited ver

August 5, 1978 - 43 Years Ago Today: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John & Cast had the Hot Shot Debut at No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with their single, "Summer Nights." The Warren Casey/Jim Jacobs-penned single was lifted from the motion picture, "Grease," starring Travolta and Newton-John. The title track written by Barry Gibb (fresh off of his "Saturday Night Fever" success) and was recorded by Frankie Valli and went to No. 1 three weeks following this release, "Hopelessly Devoted To You," which was still on the ascent on this date peaked at No. 3 on September 23, 1978, and finally this single peaked at No. 5 on September 30, 1978. All four singles were certified Gold. "You're The One That I Want" and "Grease" were certified Platinum. The soundtrack album spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart and was certified 8X Platinum. Please click the following link to view the accompanying

August 4, 1973 - 48 Years Ago Today: Maureen McGovern began a two-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her single, "The Morning After." The song was McGovern's chart debut and the first of 6 Hot 100 singles which was the first of only two Top 40's for the pop/AC singer. The other was 1979's "Different Worlds." "The Morning After" was the love theme from the motion picture, "The Poseidon Adventure," which won the Oscar for Best Song awarded to songwriters Joel Hirschhorn and Al Kasha. Between 1973-81, McGovern scored 11 singles on the Billboard AC Chart including 3 Top Tens. Her aforementioned single, "Different Worlds," from the TV sitcom "Angie" was her only No. 1 on the AC Chart. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcLazPauA1c