Top Ten One-Hit Wonders of 1970

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10. Eddie Holman - Hey There Lonely Girl

Now a Baptist minister, Norfolk-born and New York-raised Eddie Holman capitalized on the sweet soul craze of 1970 with this falsetto-drenched tune, a revision of Hey There Lonely Boy by Ruby and the Romantics.

9.The Assembled Multitude - Overture From Tommy

A group of studio musicians brought together by Philadelphia producer Tom Sellers, the Assembled Multitude did instrumental interpretations of what are now rock classics, including this one which went to #16 on the Billboard charts.

8. R. Dean Taylor - Indiana Wants Me

As a staff writer for Motown, Taylor was responsible for writing multiple hits for the Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes and Marvin Gaye. On his own, he created this classic pop nugget about life on the run.

7. Free - Alright Now

Their third album was the charm, yielding this rock and roll classic and securing them an appearance at the Isle of Wight festival, a few years before Simon Kirke and Paul Rodgers went on to form Bad Company.

6. Mountain - Mississippi Queen

Written by Leslie West and produced by Felix Papalardi, Mississippi Queen has since been featured on TV and in the movies, including The Longest Yard, The Simpsons and The Dukes of Hazzard.

5. The Shocking Blue - Venus

Though they had multiple hits in Europe, Venus was the only hit single for The Shocking Blue, a band out of the Netherlands led by singer Mariska Veres.

4. Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky

In 1968, he had a hit as Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band. Two years later, under his own name, Norman Greenbaum sold 2 million copies of this hit single.

3. Mungo Jerry - In the Summertime

Their name taken from a T.S. Eliot poem, Mungo Jerry were a band, not a singer, though they will be forever associated with lead singer Ray Dorset and this consummate song of summertime.

2: The Five Stairsteps - O-o--h Child

Previous to the popularity of the Jackson 5, this family group of five singers from Chicago were the first family of soul, a declaration well-supported by this gorgeous slight of sweet 70's soul.

1. The Ides of March - Vehicle

It was, at the time, the biggest-selling single in the history of Warner Brothers records and is quite possibly the most widely-played marching band song as well, from the Chicago band that yielded Jim Peterik of Survivor.

How does this list stack up against your Top 10? Let us know in a post or browse past List-o-Mania Top 10s.

Comments

[Vince]

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