Johnny Rivers seems like a name I should know based on his chart performance. He had 17 Top 40 hits, with nine reaching the Top 10, between 1963 and 1977.
Some of those titles I definitely know, such as ‘Secret Agent Man,’ his theme song for the TV show Danger Man. He also had a bigger hit than the Four Tops with a cover of ‘Baby I Need You Lovin’,’ one I’m sure I’ve heard before.
The top of the Hot 100 was pretty stacked the week of June 29, 1965. At #1 was ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)’ by Four Tops, followed by The Rolling Stones’ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.’ Then came The Byrds ‘Mr. Tambourine Man.’
And if that grouping isn’t eclectic (and great) enough for you, there was Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs with their biggest hit, ‘Wooly Bully.’
Throwing back to the week of June 28, 1955, we find two repeats atop the Billboard pop chart: Perez Prado’s ‘Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)’ (enjoying quite a run), and Bill Haley & His Comets’ ‘Rock Around the Clock,’ which I posted a couple of months back to recognize The Comets’ inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
In third place is a ballad by Nat King Cole titled ‘A Blossom Fell.’ This song spent 20 weeks on the chart and peaked at #2 in late July.
Our next “forgotten” artist is a product of my own home state of Florida. Johnny Tillotson was born in Jacksonville, spent his childhood in Palatka, and attended the University of Florida in Gainesville.
While at UF, a local DJ entered the aspiring singer-songwriter into a contest. As a finalist, he captured the attention of a Nashville publisher and was signed to a record deal. He left Florida for New York, but not before graduating with a degree in journalism (good for him!).
Today’s “forgotten” artist is another Hall of Fame inductee. Gene Pitney entered the Rock Hall in 2002, which feels like a bit of a reach given that he had fewer hits and less influence than some of the others acts I’ve featured.
Pitney’s best-known single is ‘(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance,’ a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David that was not included in the movie of the same name (despite Paramount paying for the recording session).
Meet Me In Montauk 