The Bands - Commodores to Gary

Commodores

The Commodores had their biggest years in the UK charts from 1977 - 79, peaking with a number one in 1978, "Three Times a Lady". Lead vocalist and the band's main songwriter was Lionel Ritchie, who split to start a very successful solo career in 1982.

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Cream

Cream was one of the original "supergroups" - a band that brought together a trio of musicians who had already made it big with other groups, notably Eric Clapton. Their brief career - they were only together from 1966 - 68 - brought a series of top forty singles. However, their best output was a run of top ten albums culminating in "Goodbye" which was a number one in 1969.

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Darts

The list of British seventies rock and roll revival bands would not be complete without the Darts, who were regular top ten entrants from 1977 - 80. They failed to hit the number one spot but had three successive number two singles in 1978 with "Come Back My Love", "Boy From New York City" and "It's Raining".

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The Dave Clark Five - famous for their thumping beat - were more successful in the USA than Britain. However, the band from London were regularly in the UK top ten from 1963 - when they enjoyed their only chart topping single, "Glad All Over" - to 1970.

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich managed their first big hit with "Hold Tight" in 1966. They had another seven top ten entries until 1968 when their golden period had finished. 1968 was the year they achieved their only number one single with "The Legend of Xanadu".

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Dave Edmunds

Dave Edmunds had the second biggest hit of 1970 with "I Hear You Knockin" but it was over two years before he returned to the singles charts with a couple of hits in 1973. Dave was back again in 1979 with a top five hit, "Girls Talk" but he had little success in the Eighties.

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David Bowie

Although he is primarily an album artist, David Bowie has had a number big singles from 1969 to the present day. His biggest hit was with in 1975. His re-released "Space Oddity" (originally his first top ten hit in 1969) reached number one in the singles chart that year. Always colourful and constantly changing and developing he was particularly famous for his alter egos Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane in the Seventies. This link is to David Bowie's official website where members can interact with David Bowie and each other.

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David Cassidy & Partidge Family

One of the wholesome pin-ups of the early Seventies, David Cassidy initially sang with the Partridge Family. On his own, David had a number one hit in 1972 with "How Can I Be Sure" and top ten singles with "Could it Be Forever" and "Rock Me Baby". With the Partridge Family he reached number three with "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" and had a top ten success with "It's One of Those Nights" in the same year. David went on to reach number one with "Daydreamer/the Puppy Song" one of the biggest singles of 1973. He also had a number one album with "Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes". But by the end of 1975, the hits were over - although he remains a big star to this day.

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David Essex

David Essex first broke onto the chart scene in 1973 with top three single "Rock On". He enjoyed the second biggest hit of 1974 with "Gonna Make You a Star" which he followed with top ten hit "Stardust" from the film of the same name. He followed his 1974 success with a number one in 1975 "Hold Me Close". David was as much a star of stage and screen musicals as a chart success. However, he was a regular in the top ten from 1973 - 83.

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David Essex Hits

David Soul

Top artist of 1977 was American heart throb David Soul. Best known as an actor in the hit series Starsky and Hutch, he released "Don't Give Up on Us" in December 1976 and it eventually went on to be a million seller in the UK. His follow up, "Going in with my Eyes Open" stalled at number two but the next record "Silver Lady" was back at number one. He also had two top ten albums with "David Soul" and "Playing to an Audience of One". By the end of 1978, however, his British chart career was over.

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Del Shannon

The period from 1961 - 65 was when Del Shannon, real name Charles Westover, followed his huge 1961 hit "Runaway" with a series of UK top ten records. As this website shows, his characteristic singing style kept him popular until his tragic suicide in 1990.

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All round entertainer Des O'Connor started 1968 with his 1967 release "Careless Hands" still well placed and followed this with chart topper "I Pretend" (a slow burner that one of the biggest singles of the year) and then "1-2-3 O'Leary", a top five hit. Although he returned to the top twenty in 1969 and 1970 he was never able to reach the same level of success.

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Des O'Connor Hits

Diana Ross and the Supremes

Diana Ross and the Supremes are among the very top artists of the Sixties and Seventies either as the Supremes or with Diana Ross going solo. Their UK chart successes started in 1964, when they had their only number one with "Baby Love". Ross had broken from the trio during 1970 and her 1971 hit singles included her first solo number one "I'm Still Waiting" and she is still at the top. Meanwhile, the new line up at the Supremes had top five UK hits with "Stoned Love" and "Nathan Jones" but they were no longer a chart act after 1972.

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Donna Summer

The "Queen of Disco", Donna Summer first burst into the UK top ten in 1976. Her revolutionary "I Feel Love" was a number one single in 1977. Later in the year she had top five hits with "Deep Down Inside" and "Love's Unkind". She rounded off a memorable year with a number three album "I Remember Yesterday". Donna was in or around the charts for the remainder of the Seventies and most of the Eighties and Nineties too.

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Duane Eddy, usually backed by the Rebels, was an American solo guitarist with a distinctive and influential sound. He was part of the UK chart scene from 1958 - 63 and had six top ten hits in the early Sixties including "Because They're Young" and "Pepe" - both of which reached the number two spot.

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Dusty Springfield, originally Mary O'Brien, began her successful recording career singing in folk/country trio the Springfields. They managed a couple of top five hits in 1962 - 63 before Dusty moved to her solo career with another top five single, "I Only Want to be With You". With her powerful style now used to blast out a mix of big ballads and blues style rock songs, Dusty had ten top ten hits until dropping out of the scene - for a while at least - in 1968. Her only number one was "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" in 1966.

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ELO
Electric Light Orchestra, or ELO, were ever present in the top ten singles and album charts for a decade from 1972 - 81. Perhaps their biggest year was 1979 with four top ten singles: "Shine a Little Love"," The Diary of Horace Wimp", "Don't Bring Me Down" (which reached number three) and "Confusion" along with the number three album of the year, "Discovery".

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Elton John

Elton John has had a long and controversial career as one of the best singer/songwriters Britain has ever produced. More of an album artist (his world-wide sales reputedly exceed 150 million), he has nevertheless managed regular top ten singles hits since his first, "Your Song" in 1971. His 1974 hit, "Candle in the Wind", went on to be the world's biggest-ever selling single when re-released in 1997 as a tribute to Princess Diana. His biggest chart hit of the Seventies, a duet with Kiki Dee, was "Don't Go Breaking my Heart" - a chart topper in 1976.

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Elvis Presley

There is not that much you can say about the King that has not already been said. However, at Elvis Presley's official web site you can read about him and his life in superb and well-researched detail. It is estimated that Elvis sold over one billion records worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history. Elvis was born in 1935 and first burst into the charts in 1956. He has been ever present since despite his death on August 16th 1977. Although he never came to the UK he was enormously popular and respected in Britain throughout the Sixties and Seventies.

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Engelbert Humperdinck

Engelbert Humperdinck (originally Arnold Dorsey) was a big chart success from 1967 - 72. In a return to the romantic ballad more typical of Elvis and Cliff in the early sixties, Engelbert had million sellers with "Release Me" (top single of 1967) and then "The Last Waltz" separated by a number two hit for "There Goes My Everything". Since then he has become one of the most accomplished cabaret stars in the world.

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Englebert Humperdinck Hits

Everly Brothers

With coverage of the latest tour dates, discography, soundclips and online shop offers, the Everly Brothers International info circle at Everly.Net claims to be the world's biggest organisation for Everly fans. The Everly's great years in the UK charts were 1958 - 62. They had three number one hits in the early Sixties: "Cathy's Clown" the second biggest hit of 1960 and "Walk Right Back" and "Temptation" in 1961.

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Everly Brothers Hits

Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac had their biggest successes in the Seventies with albums "Rumours" (a gigantic seller world-wide that has perhaps spent longer on the UK album charts than any other record) and follow up "Tusk", also a number one. However, on the singles charts the band released "Albatross" at the end of 1968 and it eventually reached number one in 1969. They is followed by number two hits "Man of the World" and "Oh Well", also in 1969. Fleetwood Mac had a series of top forty entries right through the Seventies and Eighties.

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Four Seasons

The classic harmony sound of the Four Seasons enjoyed its greatest success in the US charts of the early sixties with UK top ten entries from 1962 - 66. The quartet returned to the top in 1975 -76 after a long gap out of the charts. In 1976 they hit number one with "December '63 (Oh What a Night)" and followed this with a top three single, "Silver Star". Lead singer Frankie Valli also had a series of big hits from 1970 - 78. His biggest was "Grease", from the hit film of the same name, in 1978.

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Four Seasons Hits

One of the most consistent Tamla Motown acts, the Four Tops were chart regulars from 1965 - 73 and then came back for more in the Eighties. They had actually been going for seven years before signing up with the label in 1963. Their biggest hit was "Reach Out I'll Be There", a number one on both sides of the Atlantic at the same time in 1966. Their "Greatest Hits" album was also a chart topper in 1968.

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Frank Ifield

There were four number one hits in 1962 - 63 for Frank Ifield, including a run of three in a row - the first time this had been achieved in Britain. The Australian had a million seller in the UK with "I Remember You", originally from a 1940s film soundtrack. He followed this up with a series of revivals of classic US country songs.

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Frank Ifield Hits

Frank Sinatra

There is little praise that hasn't been heaped on Old Blue Eyes since he first hit the US charts in 1940. The Sixties were a prolific period for him. His major hits included "Strangers in the Night" (1966) and "Something Stupid" (1967) while "My Way" (1969) remained in the Top Fifty for about four years.

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Frank Sinatra Hits

Gary Glitter & Glitter Band

Gary Glitter (born Paul Gadd) and the Glitter Band had a string of top five hits from 1972 - 76. Their first ever single, "Rock and Roll" and their first two singles of 1973, "Do You Wanna Touch Me" and "Hello Hello I'm Back Again" all faltered at number two. But their next two hits were both number ones: "I'm the Leader of the Gang" and "I Love You Love Me Love" (the biggest single of 1973 and a million seller). In 1974 there were three single hits for Gary Glitter and another three for the Glitter Band without their leader - although they continued to work together - and this pattern continued in 1975 and 1976.

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Glitter Hits

Gary Numan

Gary Numan was one of the great successes of 1979 - sometimes calling his band Tubeway Army but eventually settling on Gary Numan. His electronic sound gave him two number one hits: "Are Friends Electric" (as Tubeway Army) and "Cars". He also managed a couple of chart topping albums. First was "Replicas" from Tubeway Army then "The Pleasure Principle" as Gary Numan. He continued to make hit albums and singles throughout the Eighties.

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Gary Puckett and The Union Gap

American band Gary Puckett and The Union Gap had a big number one with "Young Girl" (1968) and followed this up with a top five hit "Lady Will Power". However, that was the limit of their British chart success - although "Young Girl" was to return to the top ten in 1974.

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Gary Puckett Hits