Eric Troy 
Album: Yakety Yak (Atco) Song: Charlie Brown (1959) Artist: The Coasters Writers: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown He’s a clown, that Charlie Brown He’s gonna get caught Just you wait and see (Why’s everybody always pickin’ on me) The Coasters, often called ‘the clown princes of 1950’s rock,’ had a no. 2 … Read more
Song: You Don’t Have to Be a Star (1976) Artist: Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Album: I Hope WE Get to Love in Time (ABC) Writers: James Dean, John Glover You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) was a number one hit for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. … Read more
Song: More Than a Feeling Artist: Boston Album: Boston Writer: Tom Scholz Boston’s first big hit came on their self-titled debut album in 1976. Actually, it’s a bit of a misleading question because the album was one of the best-selling rock debut albums of all time and had three hit singles, one after the other. … Read more
Song: Jackie Blue (1975) Artist: Ozark Mountain Daredevils Writers: Larry Lee and Steve Cash Album: It’ll Shine When It Shines (A&M) Ooh, Jackie Blue, Lives her life from inside of her room. If you look up OMD on Google, you’ll likely find Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, an English electronic group formed in the late 1070s. … Read more
Song: Wind Beneath My Wings (1989) Artists: Bette Midler Writers: Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley As songs featured in movie soundtracks go, Wind Beneath My Wings is a big deal. Played in the movie Beaches, it was a no. one hit in 1989 and won Grammy awards for both song of the Year and Record of the … Read more
Song: Cracklin’ Rosie (1970) Artist: Neil Diamond Album: Tap Root Manuscript Writer: Neil Diamond Oh, I love my Rosie child, She got the way to make me happy, You and me, we go in style. Cracklin’ Rosie wasn’t Neil Diamond’s first hit, as a writer, that is. He first topped the charts with “I’m a … Read more
Song: Everything Is Beautiful (1970) Artist: Ray Stevens Album: Everything Is Beautiful (Barnaby) Writer: Ray Stevens I grew up listing to Ray Stevens comedy songs. I was so used to laughing so hard to Ray Stevens on the radio that I probably never realized that the song Everything is Beautiful was written and performed by Stevens. I … Read more