MB Civic

ONE HIT WONDERS OF THE 60‘s

J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers
J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers were an American 1960s group, best remembered for their 1965 million selling record, “Last Kiss While driving in Ohio later that year, Roush fell asleep at the wheel, and they collided head-on with another vehicle. Roush was killed and Wilson injured to the extent that he was on crutches for the American Bandstand performance a short time later. While J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers recorded more songs, and “Last Kiss” was subsequently covered successfully by Wednesday and Pearl Jam, the band charted with only one other song, “Hey, Little One”, which reached #85.
Last Kiss 1964

The Honeycombs
The Honeycombs were an English beat/pop group, founded in 1963 in North London. The group had one chart-topping hit, the million selling “Have I the Right?”, in 1964. After that song the interest in the group ebbed away, and they split up in late 1966. The group’s most distinguishing mark was their female drummer, Honey Lantree
Have I the Right 1964

Swinging Blue Jeans
The Swinging Blue Jeans were a four piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the HMV label; “Hippy Hippy Shake”, the follow-up, Little Richard’s “Good Golly Miss Molly”, and “You’re No Good”, a Clint Ballard song that provided a change of pace and furnished the group’s most enduring achievement. But subsequent singles released that year and the next made no impression. In 1966 their version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Don’t Make Me Over” peaked at #31 in the UK Singles Chart, but the group never charted again
Hippy Hippy Shake 1964

The Jelly Beans
The Jelly Beans were an rhythm and blues vocal group from Jersey City, New Jersey. Formed in 1962 by five high schoolers, the group signed with Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller’s label, Red Bird Records, in 1963. Working with songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, the group released its debut single, “I Wanna Love Him So Bad”, in 1964; the song became a hit in the United States, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up, “Baby Be Mine”, peaked at #51 later that year, and while the group recorded copiously, a full-length album was never issued. Red Bird dropped the group at the end of 1964; one final single was released on Eskee Records, but it fizzled and the group broke up in 1965.

I wanna love him so Bad 1964

The Devotions
The group was formed in 1960 and is proud to have recorded;Sentimental Reasons,
Sunday Kind of Love,Snow White,Zindy Lu,Tears From A Broken Heart
and Rip Van Winkle[#3 Bill Board, 1964] as well as other notable songs.
AL VIECO [baritone] NEIL KEEFFE [2nd tenor] originally from Astoria, as well as
JOHN WILLIAMS [1st tenor] from Ridgewood, Queens and JOE SPANO [prin. lead] from the Bronx, round out the group today.

Rip Van Winkle 1964

Horst Jankowski
Horst Jankowski (January 30, 1936 – June 29, 1998) was a classically trained German pianist, most famous for his internationally successful easy listening music Born in Berlin, Jankowski studied at the Berlin Music Conservatory and played jazz in Germany in the 1950s, serving as bandleader for singer Caterina Valente. Jankowski’s fame as a composer of easy listening pop peaked in 1965 with his tune “Eine Schwarzwaldfahrt”, released in English as “A Walk in the Black Forest”. The tune became a pop hit, reaching #1 on the US easy listening chart #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and #3 on the UK Singles Chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The track was featured on the BBC’s review of the 1960s music scene, Pop Go The Sixties, broadcast on BBC One and ZDF, on January 1, 1970.

A Walk In The Black Forest

1965
Mike Douglas
Douglas was born Michael Delaney Dowd, Jr. in Chicago, Illinois, and began singing as a choirboy. By his teens he was working as a singer on a Lake Michigan dinner cruise ship. After serving briefly in the United States Navy near the end of World War II and as a “staff singer” for WMAQ-TV in Chicago, he moved to Los Angeles. He was on the Ginny Simms radio show. Then, he became a vocalist in the big band of Kay Kyser, with whom he was featured on two notable hits, “Ole [or Old] Buttermilk Sky” in 1946 and “The Old Lamplighter” the following year. Kyser was responsible for giving him his show business name, and he remained part of Kyser’s band until Kyser retired from show business in 1951 The Men in My Little Girl’s Life 1965
The Gentrys
The Gentrys were an American band of the 1960s and early 1970s best known for their 1965 hit “Keep on Dancing” (in 1971 also a #9 hit for the Bay City Rollers). Follow-up singles charted outside of the top 40: “Every Day I Have to Cry” (1966), “Spread It On Thick” (1966), “Cinnamon Girl” (1970), “Why Should I Cry” (1970), “Wild World” (1971), and a ‘Bubbling Under’ Billboard chart entry “Brown Paper Sack” (#101, 1966).
Keep On Dancing 1965

Glenn Yarbrough
Glenn Yarbrough (born January 12, 1930) is an American folk singer. He was the lead singer with The Limeliters between 1959 and 1963, and had a prolific solo career, recording on various labels. His most popular single, and the one for which he is most well-known today is “Baby the Rain Must Fall” (the theme tune from the film of the same name), which reached #12 pop and #2 easy listening in 1965.

Baby The Rain Must Fall

1965
Silkie
The Silkie were an English folk music group. Their name derived from an Orcadian song The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry, which they sometimes performed They were briefly considered to be the English equivalent of Peter, Paul and Mary, with their common repertoire of Bob Dylan songs, and the original Australian folk group, The Seekers
You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away 1965
Shades Of Blue
The Shades of Blue was an American blue-eyed soul vocal group from Livonia, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Their biggest hit was their 1966 song “Oh How Happy”, written by Edwin Starr, which reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #7 on the US Billboard R&B chart, and the Top 10 in Canada.
Oh How Happy 1966
David & Jonathan
David and Jonathan (after the Biblical characters) was the name used by the British pop music duo Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook.They began working together in 1965 in Bristol, England, and wrote the songs “This Golden Ring” and “You’ve Got Your Troubles” for the group The Fortunes. They teamed with George Martin to do a cover of The Beatles’ “Michelle”, which was a hit single in 1966 in both the UK (#11 UK Singles Chart) and the U.S. (U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #18, U.S. AC #3). They had another hit in the UK in 1966 with “Lovers of the World Unite”
Michelle 1966
Swingin’ Medallions
The Swingin’ Medallions are an American beach music group from Greenwood, South Carolina. After a few years of touring colleges from the Carolinas to the Louisiana Bayou, John McElrath took the group to Arthur Smith’s Studio in Charlotte North Carolina, to record “Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)”. The song became a million seller in 1966, and has been a party classic for college students for decades. “She Drives Me Out Of My Mind” and “Hey, Hey, Baby” were top 40 hits in 1966 and 1967, but “Double Shot” remains the signature song of the Swingin’ Medallions
Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love) 1966
Norma Tanega
30 January 1939, Vallejo, California, USA. Her Filipino parents actively encouraged their daughter’s interest in music and art, both of which she studied. Although classically trained, Tanega quickly showed a preference for guitar. She moved to New York to work as a graphic artist, but quickly became immersed in the city’s folk enclave. She drew encouragement from Bob Dylan and Tom Paxton and her prolific songwriting resulted in a recording deal. Tanega’s debut single, ‘Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog’ (1966), reached number 22 both in the US and UK charts Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog 1966
The Music Machine
The Music Machine (1965–1969) was an American garage rock and psychedelic (sometimes referred to as garage punk) band from the late 1960s, headed by singer-songwriter Sean Bonniwell and based in Los Angeles. The band sound was often defined by fuzzy guitars and a Farfisa organ. Their original look consisted of all-black clothing, (dyed) black moptop hairstyles and a single black glove.
Talk Talk 1966
Verdelle Smith
Verdelle Smith is a female pop singer from America who was a one-hit wonder with the song “Tar and Cement” in 1966. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York Tar and Cement”: Verdelle Smith recorded “Tar and Cement”, an English language version of the 1966 Italian song “Il ragazzo della via Gluck” by singer Adriano Celentano. Her English version was written by Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance. “Tar and Cement” made it to #1 in Australia and to #38 in the U.S. It was also #6 on “Keener 13”, the legendary Detroit radio station WKNR for the week ending Monday June 27, 1966. Tar and Cement 1966
Viscounts
The Viscounts were an American pop group from New Jersey, formed in 1958. They had one hit single, with Earle Hagen’s instrumental classic “Harlem Nocturne”, which peaked at #52 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1959; it was re-released in 1966 and hit #39 the second time around. Harlem Nocturne 1966
Bob Kuban and the In-Men
Bob Kuban is an American musician and bandleader. Best known for his 1966 #12 pop hit, “The Cheater,” Kuban is honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s permanent exhibit on one-hit wonders.Kuban was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was graduated from the St. Louis Institute of Music. In 1964, he formed the group Bob Kuban and The In-Men. Kuban was both drummer and bandleader. The group was an eight-piece band with horns, somewhat of a throwback for the time, considering that the British Invasion was taking place during that period.
The Cheater 1966
The Standells
The Standells are a garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, USA, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as the “Godfathers of Punk Rock”,and are best known for their 1966 hit “Dirty Water”, now the anthem of several Boston sports teams.
Dirty Water 1966

Bob Lind
Bob Lind (born Robert Neale Lind, November 25, 1942, Baltimore, Maryland) is an American folk music singer-songwriter who helped define the 1960s folk rock movement in America and England. Lind is best known for his transatlantic chart hit single, “Elusive Butterfly”, which reached #5 on both the US and UK charts in 1966, but continues to write, record and perform throughout America and Europe.More than 200 artists – including Cher, Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Eric Clapton, Nancy Sinatra, The Four Tops, Richie Havens, Hoyt Axton, The Kingston Trio, Johnny Mathis, and Petula Clark – have recorded songs written by Lind.

Elusive Butterfly

1966
Count Five
The Count Five was a 1960s garage rock band from San Jose, California, best known for their Top 10 single “Psychotic Reaction”.
The band was founded in 1964 by John “Mouse” Michalski (born 1948, Cleveland, Ohio) (lead guitar) and Roy Chaney (born 1948, Indianapolis, Indiana) took over bass duties, two high school friends who had previously played in several short-lived outfits. After going shortly under the name The Squires, and several line-up changes later, the Count Five were born. John “Sean” Byrne (1947-2008, born Dublin, Ireland) played rhythm guitar and lead vocals, and Craig “Butch” Atkinson (1947-2008, born San Jose, California) played drums. The Count Five gained distinction for their habit of wearing Count Dracula-style capes when playing live.
Psychotic Reaction 1966
Napolean XIV
Napoleon XIV was the pseudonym of the American singer-songwriter and record producer Jerry Samuels (born 3 May 1938, New York), who achieved one-hit wonder status with the Top 5 hit novelty song “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” in 1966. Samuels also wrote The Shelter of Your Arms, a top 20 hit for Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1964.
They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Ha 1966
Jerry Jaye
Jerry Jaye (born October 19, 1937 in Manila, Arkansas) is an American country/rockabilly singer. Jaye grew up on a sharecropper’s farm and did a stint in the Navy from 1954 to 1958. After his return he started a band with bassist Tommy Baker and drummer Carl Fry, who began playing the local Arkansas circuits. In 1966, the group traveled to Memphis, Tennessee and recorded a single, “My Girl Josephine” (a hit for Fats Domino the previous decade). The single was initially released in a press run of 500;
My Girl Josephine 1967
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 10 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist.
In the 1960s she was the first artist from Africa to popularize African music in the U.S. and around the world. She is best known for the song “Pata Pata”, first recorded in 1957 and released in the U.S. in 1967. She recorded and toured with many popular artists, such as Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, and her former husband Hugh Masekela.
Pata Pata 1967
Jon & Robin and The In Crowd
In the early 60s, John Howard Abdnor Sr. an insurance/business mogul turned record baron started Abnak Records in Dallas. Abdnor’s son, John Abdnor Jr. was the primary vehicle for the musical venture, as an outlet for the young adult’s creative interests. Abdnor Sr. quickly realized the monetary value to a successful record label when he signed The Five Americans and became their manager. Abdnor also started up the subsidiary label, Jetstar. Abdnor Jr. recorded a few uncharting singles on his fathers label, in 63’ and 64’ only gaining airplay in his hometown of Dallas. Because of his father’s connections, scored a single on ATCO to reach a national audience. After this failure, Abdnor was paired with female vocalist Javonne Braga, forming the duo Jon & Robin. Javonne’s name was changed professionally to Robin, being a replacement of Jon’s original partner Robin Beavers, who wouldn’t work with Abdnor and quit before the group recorded any material. As Jon & Robin, Abdnor finally reached a national audience charting nationally in the top 20’s in 1967 with their hit “Do It Again A Little Bit Slower.” The duo’s backing band was a five piece known as The In Crowd. Do It Again A Little Bit Slower 1967
The Sunshine Company
The Sunshine Company was an American pop group from Los Angeles, California. Originally the duo of Mary Nance and Maury Manseau, the group signed to Imperial Records and released their debut album in 1967. They scored three hit singles on the U.S. singles chart over the next two years before disbanding after their third album, 1968’s self-titled effort. Bassist Sims and drummer Brigante later backed Loggins and Messina. They were the first group to record “Up, Up and Away”, the Jimmy Webb song made famous by The 5th Dimension.
Back On The Street Again 1967
The Hombres
The Hombres were a Memphis, Tennessee, band best known for the 1967 single “Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)”.Formed in 1966, The Hombres comprised Gary Wayne McEwen on guitar, B.B. Cunningham (brother of Bill Cunningham of The Box Tops) on lead vocals and electric organ, Jerry Lee Masters on bass and John Will Hunter (died 1976) on drums. Written by McEwen and Cunningham and released on Verve Forecast, “Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)” hit No. 12 in 1967 and was revived on the soundtrack of the 2005 Cameron Crowe film Elizabethtown. It has also been used in a U.S. advertising campaign for Foster’s Lager and included on the compilation album Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era.
Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out) 1967
The Yellow Balloon
The Yellow Balloon was an American sunshine pop band, produced by Gary Zekley. The group is notable for featuring Don Grady (sometimes billed as “Luke R. Yoo”) of Mouseketeers and My Three Sons fame. Other band members hailed from Oregon and Arizona. They were led by Alex Valdez (lead singer), and included Frosty Green (keyboards), Don Braught (bass guitar), and Paul Canella (lead guitar).[2] The band at one time also included Daryl Dragon, later the male half of Captain & Tennille.
Yellow Balloon 1967
The Casinos
The Casinos was a nine-member doo-wop group from Cincinnati, Ohio, led by Gene Hughes. They are best-known for their John D. Loudermilk-penned song “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye,” which hit number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1967, well after the end of the doo-wop era.
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye 1967
The Soul Survivors
The Soul Survivors were a Philadelphia based R&B group founded by New York natives Richie and Charlie Ingui and Kenny Jeremiah, known for their 1967 hit single, “Expressway to Your Heart”; which was the first hit by Philadelphia soul record producers and songwriters, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff
Expressway to Your Heart 1967
The Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes are an American rock band who first achieved international attention as an experimental psychedelic group in the late 1960s. Their song “Kyrie Eleison” was featured on the soundtrack of Easy Rider. After a period in which they had little control over their music, they disappeared for thirty years, reformed in 1999, then resumed as a recording and touring band in 2001.
I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night 1967
Blues Magoos
The Blues Magoos are a rock music group from the The Bronx, New York. They were at the forefront of the psychedelic music trend, beginning as early as 1966.
(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet 1967
The Rose Garden
The Rose Garden was an American folk rock musical group from Los Angeles, California which was active in 1967 and 1968.
The members were Diana DeRose on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, John Noreen on 12-string guitar and backup vocal, James Groshong on lead vocal and guitar, William Fleming on bass and Bruce Bowdin on drums. In 1967, they signed with Atco Records and had enjoyed a hit record with “Next Plane To London” which reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the end of that year. They released their eponymous album in April 1968, which included the hit song. Subsequent releases were unsuccessful, and dissension within the group led to its break-up by the end of 1968.
Next Plane to London 1967
Every Mothers’ Son
Every Mother’s Son was a rock band formed in New York City in 1967. In early 1967, the group was signed to the MGM Records label (supposedly because management saw the band’s clean-cut image as an antidote to the hippie influx). They recorded a self-titled, eleven-song LP containing a selection of Wes Farrell’s and Jerry Goldstein’s songs, “clean summer rock (with almost imperceptible echoes of The Beach Boys”) The album included “Come On Down To My Boat” (listed on the album as “Come And Take A Ride In My Boat”) which shot to #6 on the Billboard charts in July 1967. The song had first been recorded by another group, The Rare Breed, with the same music producer Come On Down To My Boat 1967
John Fred & His Playboy Band
John Fred (born as John Fred Gourrier; May 8, 1941 – April 14, 2005) was a blue-eyed soul, Cajun swamp pop and bubble-gum pop performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the song, “Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)”.
Judy In Disguise (With Glasses) 1967
Lemon Pipers
The Lemon Pipers were a 1960s psychedelic pop band from Oxford, Ohio, known chiefly for their song “Green Tambourine”, which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum pop chart-topper. The Lemon Pipers comprised singer Dale “Ivan” Browne (born 1947), guitarist William Bartlett (born 1946, South Harrow, Middlesex, England), keyboardist Robert G. “Reg” Nave (born 1945), drummer William E. Albaugh (1948–1999), and bassist Steve Walmsley (born 1948, Cleveland, Ohio ) who replaced the original bass guitarist Ron “Dude” Dudek
Green Tambourine 1967
Victor Lundberg
Victor Lundberg (2 September 1923 – 14 February 1990) was an American radio personality. He is best known for a spoken-word record called to “An Open Letter To My Teenage Son”, which became an unlikely Top 10 hit in 1967.Lundberg was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and was a newscaster at Grand Rapids radio station WMAX when he released “An Open Letter” in September 1967. The record, written by Lundberg and produced by Jack Tracy, imagines Lundberg talking to his teenage son (in real life, Lundberg had at least one male teenager in his household at the time). Lundberg touches on hippies, the Vietnam War, and patriotism. The voice-over, spoken over “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, memorably ends with Lundberg telling his son that, if the teen burns his draft card, then he should “burn (his) birth certificate at the same time. From that moment on, I have no son.”
An Open Letter To My Teenage Son 1967

Friend and Lover (I loved this song-Still Do)
Friend and Lover were an American folk-singing duo composed of husband-and-wife team, Jim and Cathy Post. They are best known for their hit single “Reach Out of the Darkness”, which reached number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1968. Jim, inspired by a New York love-in, wrote the duo’s only significant hit single, “Reach Out Of The Darkness”.The song was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with Ray Stevens and Joe South on the session, and released on the Verve Forecast label. The song made the U.S. Top 10 chart in June 1968 and was adopted as a kind of anthem by the protest movement against American politics of the time

Reach Out of the Darkness

1968
Barbara Acklin
Barbara Jean Acklin (February 28, 1943– November 27, 1998) was an American soul singer and songwriter who was most successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her biggest hit as a singer was “Love Makes a Woman” in 1968. As a songwriter, she is best known for co-writing “Have You Seen Her” with Eugene Record, lead singer of the Chi-Lites.
Love Makes A Woman 1968
Leapy Lee
Leapy Lee (born Graham Pulleyblank, but later changed his name to Lee Graham, 2 July 1939, Eastbourne, England) is an English singer, best known for his 1968 single “Little Arrows”, which reached Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and was a Top 40 country and pop hit in the United States. The song “Little Arrows”, written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazelwood, was also the title track of his first album, released in 1968 on Decca Records. It reached Number 71 in the Billboard 200 album chart. “Little Arrows” became a hit in the UK reaching Number 2 for MCA Records. In the United States, the song reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #11 on the country chart. It sold over three million copies worldwide
Little Arrows 1968
Magic Lanterns
The Magic Lanterns were an English pop rock group formed in Warrington, Lancashire. They formed in 1962 as The Sabres, playing locally in Manchester and changing their name a few years later. They signed to CBS Records after releasing the single, “Excuse Me Baby”, which charted briefly in the UK in 1966, and a few singles later they put out an album, Lit Up. In 1968 they switched to Atlantic Records and released their first US hit, “Shame, Shame”, which hit #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Shame, Shame 1968
Jeannie C. Riley
Jeannie C. Riley (born Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson, October 19, 1945) is an American country music and gospel singer. She is best known for her 1968 country and pop hit “Harper Valley PTA” (written by Tom T. Hall), which missed (by one week) becoming the Billboard Country and Pop number one hit at the same time. In subsequent years, she had moderate chart success with country music, but never again duplicated the success of “Harper Valley PTA”. She became a born-again Christian (surprise surprise!) and began recording gospel music during the late 1970s.
Harper Valley P.T.A. 1968
The Avant-Garde
The Avant-Garde was an American psychedelic pop group formed by Chuck Woolery and Elkin “Bubba” Fowler in 1967. They released three singles on Columbia Records in 1967 and 1968, backed by different session musicians on each release: “Yellow Beads”, “Naturally Stoned” (which hit #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in mid 1968), and “Fly With Me”. Despite the success of “Naturally Stoned”, the group disbanded after “Fly With Me” and never released a full album.
Naturally Stoned 1968

The Balloon Farm
The Balloon Farm, a musical act from New Jersey, took its name from a New York City nightclub. It is best known for its sole hit song, “A Question of Temperature,” which made the Billboard charts in February 1968, peaking in the top 40.The members of the band, Mike Appel, Don Henny, Ed Schnug and Jay Saks, first played together in a band called Adam, which made one single for the Mala label entitled “Eve” in 1966. Adam’s gimmick was that all four members of the group adopted the first name “Adam”.They were probably not the first to use this idea, but they were far from the last; a similar ruse would be used by other bands, including The Donnas.After adopting the name The Balloon Farm, the band’s first single was “A Question of Temperature,” which was released in October 1967. First pressings of the 45 rpm single contained a typographical error that rendered the title as “A Question of Tempature”.

A Question Of Temperature

1968
Status Quo
Status Quo also known as The Quo or just Quo, are an English rock band whose music is characterized by their distinctive brand of boogie rock. The group’s origins were in “The Spectres” founded by schoolboys Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster in 1962After a number of lineup changes, the band became “The Status Quo” in late 1967, finally settling on the name “Status Quo” in 1969. They have recorded over 60 chart hits in the UK, more than any other rock group. 22 of these have reached the UK Top Ten.
Pictures of Matchstick Men 1968
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown were an English psychedelic rock band formed by singer Arthur Brown in 1967.Their song “Fire” (released in 1968 as a single) was one of the one-hit wonders in the United Kingdom and United States in the 1960s. “Fire” sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Fire 1968
Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues-rock style, and is also credited as being pioneers of heavy metal (their cover of “Summertime Blues” is sometimes cited as the first in the genrepunk rock, stoner rock, doom metal, experimental rock, and grunge
Summertime Blues 1968
Four Jacks and A Jill
Four Jacks and a Jill is a South African folk rock ensemble. They originally formed in 1964 without a “Jill” under a different name. Later they added lead singer Glenys Lynne and changed the group’s name. In South Africa, they had a hit song, “Timothy”. In 1968 they cracked the American charts with the song “Master Jack”, hitting the Billboard Hot 100 at no. 18 and reaching no. 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song also reached no. 5 on Cashbox and went to no. 1 in South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Master Jack 1968
Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
Merrilee Rush (January 26, 1944 in Seattle, Washington) is an American singer, best known for her recording of the song “Angel of the Morning”, a Top 10 song which earned her a Grammy nomination for Female Vocalist Of The Year in 1968 Angel of the Morning 1968

Richard Harris
MacArthur Park” is a song by Jimmy Webb, originally composed as part of an intended cantata. The song was initially rejected by The Association. Richard Harris was the first to record it, in 1968. While a commercially successful song multiple times it was released, “MacArthur Park” utilized flowery lyrics and metaphors (most famously, love being likened to a cake left out in the rain) The inspiration for “MacArthur Park” was the relationship and breakup between Webb and Susan Ronstadt, a cousin of singer Linda Ronstadt. MacArthur Park was where the two occasionally met for lunch and spent their most enjoyable times together. At that time (mid-1965), Ronstadt worked for a life insurance company whose offices were located just across the street from the park. Webb and Ronstadt remained friends, even after her marriage to another man. The breakup was also the primary influence for “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” another Webb composition

MacArthur Park

1968
People
People! was a one-hit wonder rock band that was formed in San Jose, California in 1965. They started out playing “Top 40” music like most artists but ended up releasing three albums of mostly original material. Their greatest chart success came with their summer hit single “I Love You”, a song written by Chris White and recorded by The Zombies that never charted in the United States. The People! version of “I Love You”, on the other hand, rose to number one in Japan (twice), Israel, Australia, Italy, South Africa, and the Philippines, and peaked at #14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1968. They were also the first rock band to present a dramatic rock opera onstage with the creation of “The Epic”.
I Love You 1968
Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band. The band’s original lineup – vocalist/organist Mark Stein, bassist/vocalist Tim Bogert, lead guitarist/vocalist Vince Martell, and drummer/vocalist Carmine Appice – recorded five albums during the years 1966–69, before disbanding in 1970. The band has reunited in various configurations over the years, and is currently operating with three of its four original members. The band has been cited as “one of the few American links between psychedelia and what soon became heavy metal”.
You Keep Me Hangin’ On 1968
Amboy Dukes
The Amboy Dukes were an American rock music band of the late 1960s and early 1970s from Detroit, Michigan, best remembered for their hit single “Journey to the Center of the Mind”, and for launching the career of Ted Nugent.
Journey to the Center of the Mind 1968
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is an American psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”.Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida 1968
The Rugbys
The band was formed in 1965 in Louisville, doing mostly covers. But as competition among Louisville groups to write and record original music increased, the Rugbys recorded and released two singles in 1968, “Walking the Streets Tonight”, written by Doug Sahm of the Sir Douglas Quintet, later included on the compilation album Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 8, and “Stay with Me”, written by Steve McNicol. Both songs were released locally and played on Louisville radio stations WAKY and WKLO. But it was not until later that year when the band decided to release the B-side of “Stay with Me”, a song called “You, I”, also written by McNicol, that they found success. “You, I” climbed to #1 on both local radio stations. They were then signed to Shelby Singleton’s Nashville, Tennessee, record label, Amazon Records, which re-released the single “You, I” in 1969, and the song became a national hit, climbing to #24 on the Hot 100 and #21 on the Cash Box magazine charts.

You, I

1969
The Electric Indian
The Electric Indian was a studio group assembled by Bernie Binnick, co-founder of Swan Records. Influenced by the popularity of American Indians in the media, Binnick put together the group to record an Indian-esque instrumental, “Keem-O-Sabe.” It was released nationally on the United Artists label in 1969 and reached the U.S. Top 20 in the Billboard Hot 100. It also made #6 on Billboard’s Easy Listening survey, and crossed to the R&B chart.
Keem-O-Sabe
The Peppermint Rainbow
The Peppermint Rainbow were an American sunshine pop group from Baltimore, Maryland. They formed in 1967 under the name New York Times, playing to local gigs in the mid-Atlantic states before changing their name to The Peppermint Rainbow in 1968. They were signed to Decca Records at the behest of Cass Elliot, who saw them play and sang with them on-stage when they performed a medley of The Mamas & the Papas tunes. Under Decca the group was produced by Paul Leka; their first single “Walking in Different Circles” b/w “Pink Lemonade” did not chart. Their second single, “Will You Be Staying After Sunday”, reached #32 on the Hot 100 on 3 May 1969, selling over one million copies and receiving a gold disc. Their third release, “Don’t Wake Me Up in the Morning, Michael”, hit #54 the same year. Their LP, Will You Be Staying After Sunday, barely missed the Top 100 of the album charts, peaking at #106, and in 1970 the band split up.
Will You Be Staying After Sunday 1969
The Neon Philharmonic
The Neon Philharmonic (formed 1967) was an American psychedelic pop band led by songwriter and conductor Tupper Saussy and singer Don Gant. They released their only two albums (The Moth Confesses and the eponymous The Neon Philharmonic) in 1969, and they scored a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Morning Girl”, when it hit the Top Forty in May of that year and rose to number 17 on the chart. The band hit the charts again with “Heighdy-Ho Princess” in 1970 Morning Girl 1969
Spiral Starecase
The Spiral Starecase was an American band, best known as a one-hit wonder for their 1969 single “More Today Than Yesterday”.The band, from Sacramento, California, was a popular 1960s group, recognizable for its horns and lead singer/guitarist Pat Upton’s distinctive voice. The group also included Harvey Kaye (organ), Dick Lopes (saxophone), Bobby Raymond (bass guitar) and Vinny Parello (drums).Starting as the Fydallions, they released that song, one album, and a few more singles including “No One for Me to Turn To” after signing with Columbia.The band is known for their hits “More Today Than Yesterday” (U.S. #12), released in January 1969, and the follow-up “She’s Ready”. “More Today Than Yesterday” has been widely covered by, among others, Diana Ross and the band Goldfinger, and was featured in the 1991 film My Girl,
More Today Than Yesterday 1969
Crazy Elephant
Crazy Elephant was a short-lived American bubblegum pop band noted for their 1969 hit single, “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'”. Crazy Elephant was a studio concoction, created by Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz of Super K Productions, promoted in Cash Box magazine as allegedly being a group of Welsh coal miners. Former Cadillacs member Robert Spencer was widely utilized on lead vocals, though future 10cc member Kevin Godley took lead vocals on “There Ain’t No Umbopo”, recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, and released on the Bell label in May 1970
Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’ 1969
Joe Jeffrey Group
The Joe Jeffrey Group was an American rhythm and blues band, who had a #14 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969, called “My Pledge Of Love”. The group was made up of Joe Jeffrey (born Joseph Stafford Jr., Cleveland, Ohio) (vocals, guitar), Al Russ (bass), Charles Perry (percussion) and Ron Browning (drums). My Pledge Of Love 1969
Thunderclap Newman
Thunderclap Newman were a British one-hit wonder band that Pete Townshend of The Who and Kit Lambert had formed circa December 1968 – January 1969 in a bid to showcase the talents of John “Speedy” Keen, Andy “Thunderclap” Newman and Jimmy McCulloch.Their single, “Something in the Air”, a 1969 UK Number One hit, remains in demand for television commercials, film soundtracks, and compilations. The band released a critically acclaimed rock album, Hollywood Dream, and three other singles (which appeared on the album): “Accidents”, “The Reason”, and “Wild Country.”From 1969 until 1971, the nucleus of the band consisted of songwriter John “Speedy” Keen (vocals, drums, guitar); Andy “Thunderclap” Newman (piano); and Jimmy McCulloch (guitar). Pete Townshend (alias Bijou Drains) of The Who played bass on their album and singles, all of which he had recorded and produced in IBC Studio and his Twickenham home studio. The band augmented its personnel during its tours: in 1969, by James “Jim” Pitman-Avery (bass) and Jack McCulloch (drums); and in 1971, by Ronnie Peel (bass) and Roger Felice (drums). The band folded in April 1971 and was resurrected by Andy Newman and his colleagues circa 2007.
Something in the Air 1969
Desmond Dekker and the Aces
Desmond Dekker (16 July 1941 – 25 May 2006) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group, The Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with “Israelites”. Other hits include “007 (Shanty Town)” (1967) and “It Miek” (1969). Before the ascent of Bob Marley, Dekker was one of the most popular musicians within Jamaica, and one of its best-known musicians outside it. Israelites 1969
Bubble Puppy
Bubble Puppy is a Texan psychedelic rock band originally active from 1966 to 1969. They are best remembered for their Top-20 hit “Hot Smoke & Sassafras”. The group was formed in 1966 in San Antonio, Texas by Rod Prince and Roy Cox. Looking to form a “top gun rock band” based on the concept of dual lead guitars, a staple of southern rock that was highly unusual on the psychedelic music scene, Prince and Cox recruited Todd Potter: a gymnast, saxophone player and guitarist. With the addition of Danny Segovia and Clayton Pulley, the original line up of Bubble Puppy was complete
Hot Smoke and Sassafras 1969
Steam
Steam was a pop-rock music group best known for the 1969 number one hit song and perennial favorite “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” The song was written and recorded by studio musicians Garrett DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, and producer/writer Paul Leka at Mercury Records studios in New York City. The single was attributed to the band “Steam” although at the time there was actually no band with that name. Paul Leka and the studio group recorded the first album.
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye 1969
Flying Machine
The Flying Machine was a British pop band, which was in 1969, renamed from Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours. The Flying Machine is best known for its major hit single in 1969, “Smile a Little Smile For Me”, which peaked at number 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart (on Kapp Records’ Congress record label) Their first record which was self titled was released by Janus Records in 1969. By 12 December that year they had sold a million copies of the record, and it was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A
Smile a Little Smile for Me 1969

Smith
Smith were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1969. They had a blues based sound and had a Top 5 hit in 1969 with a cover of the song “Baby It’s You”, with the lead vocals sung by Gayle McCormick. This disc, released in July 1969 had, by October, sold over one million copies, and received a gold record awarded by the R.I.A.A Smith were discovered by 1960s rocker Del Shannon in a nightclub in Los Angeles. McCormick had started her career singing songs by Tina Turner, Etta James and others of that ilk. Shannon arranged “Baby It’s You” for the group and got them signed to the ABC-Dunhill Records label. Smith released an album titled, A Group Called Smith, which spent 11 weeks in the Top 40 album listings of the since-called Billboard 200 record chart.

Baby It’s You

1969
Zager & Evans
“In the Year 2525” hit number one on the Hot 100 in 1969. It claimed the #1 spot for six weeks. It also topped the charts in the UK. It was number one on July 20, 1969, in the US, the date of the first manned moon landing, by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. It continued to top the charts while the Woodstock Festival was going on — forever cementing “2525” in the minds of a generation. It was nominated for a special Hugo Award that same year. It sold over four million copies by 1970 and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in July 1969
In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) 1969