Happy birthday, Vicki Lawrence!

 

Vicki Lawrence, born March 26, 1949 in Inglewood, California, is a singer, dancer, and comedian who appeared on the Carol Burnett Show.  She also starred in the spin-off series Mama's Family. 

In 1973, she released an album which spawned the #1 hit song, The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia. She hosted the talk show Vicki! from 1992-1994. 

She won a Primetime Emmy in 1976 for Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Variety or Music for her work on the Carol Burnett Show.

Vicki Lawrence bloopers

Ray Charles "I Can't Stop Loving You" reaches #1 1962

Ray Charles's cover of Don Gibson's I Can't Stop Loving You reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for five weeks, making it one of the biggest hits of 1962.  It also went to #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles, Adult Contemporary, and the UK Singles Chart.

Billboard ranked it the #2 song for 1962.  Rolling Stone ranked it as #164 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. CMT ranked it as #49 on the 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music. 

Ray Charles won the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording in 1963.

Celebrating Black History Month: Stevie Wonder, youngest artist with a #1 hit

Stevie Wonder, born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan, landed a #1 single, Fingertips, on the Billboard Hot 100 when he was only 13, making him the youngest solo artist ever to top the charts. Fingertips simultaneously reached #1 on the R&B charts, the first time for that to occur. 

He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, influencing musicians across all genres of music from R&B, pop, gospel, and jazz.  He has won 25 Grammy Awards, and is only one of four artists and groups to have won the Grammy for Album of the Year three times.  He is the only one to have one that award with three consecutive  album releases: Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.

Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" reaches #1 1987

Livin' on a Prayer, the single from Slippery When Wet released by Bon Jovi in October 1986, reached #1 February 14, 1987 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became their second #1 and in 2013, it was certified triple platinum.  To date it has sold over 13M copies, certified Diamond, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.

Blondie releases "Call Me" 1980

Blondie released Call Me, January 29, 1980 and it became their second # 1 hit and biggest-selling single.  It stayed in the #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks.  It was Billboard's #1 single for the year-end chart.

Giorgio Moroder composed the music and Debbie Harry wrote the lyrics for the main theme song for American Gigolo starring Richard Gere.

Simon & Garfunkel "The Sounds of Silence" reaches #1 1966

Released as a single in September 1965, Simon & Garfunkel's The Sounds of Silence reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 January 1, 1966

KC and the Sunshine Band's "I'm Your Boogie Man" reaches #1 1977

I'm Your Boogie Man by KC and the Sunshine Band's fourth album Part 3, reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 June 11, 1977.  It was well received by music critics with John Rockwell saying, "another alluring, catchy, sleepily kinetic dance" and Record World stating that "it's poised to go all the way". 

It reached #3 on the Billboard Soul Chart and Billboard ranked it as the #11 song of 1977. It is certified gold in the US.

The Police release "Every Breath You Take" 1983

The Police released their huge-selling Every Breath You Take May 20, 1983.  It was the biggest single in the US and Canada in 1983, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, The Police's only #1 on that chart.

It won three Grammy Awards at the 26th ceremony, winning Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Groups with Vocals, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

In 1999, BMI listed it as one of the Top 100 songs of the century. Rolling Stone magazine listed it as #84 in the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and #25 on the Billboard's Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.

Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" reaches #1 1979

The first single from Rod Stewart's Blondes Have More Fun, his ninth studio album, Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, February 10, 1979 and stayed there for four weeks.  It went to #1 in the UK, Canada, and Australia.  Stewart donated the royalties from the song to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Billboard ranked it as #4 on its Top Singles of 1979 year-end chart. The song is certified double-platinum in the US have sold at least 2,000,000 copies.

Gladys Knight & The Pips' "Midnight Train To Georgia" reaches #1 1973

Gladys Knight & the Pips' single Midnight Train to Georgia reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 October 27, 1973.  It stayed at the top for two weeks.  It is the most famous recording of the song written by Jim Weatherly and also recorded by Cissy Houston. 

Knight's performance won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus in 1974.  In 1999, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Rolling Stone has ranked it on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. 

Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" reaches #1 1957

Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock, the first single from the soundtrack of the movie of the same name, reached #1 on Billboard Hot 100, October 21, 1957. The song was written Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and was released in September.  It remained at #1 for seven weeks.

Jailhouse Rock has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Andy Kim's "Rock Me Gently" reaches #1 1974

Andy Kim (aka Andrew Youakim) released his single Rock Me Gently in June 1974, and it rose to #1 on Billboard Hot 100 September 28, 1974. 

I remember listening to this on the radio when it was released.  A great nostalgic song with a groovy 70s vibe to it.  

KC and the Sunshine Band's "Get Down Tonight" reaches #1 1975

KC and the Sunshine Band's first #1 hit Get Down Tonight reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 August 30, 1975. It was released on their second album KC and the Sunshine Band in February of that year. It also reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles, Cash Box, and Record World.

It is certified platinum in the US.

Janet Jackson releases "Miss You Much" 1989

Miss Janet released Miss You Much, the first single from her iconic and legendary album Rhythm Nation 1814 August 21, 1989.  It became her second top #1 in her career and spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, being the longest running #1 in 1989. 

It was nominated for two Grammy Awards and won the Billboard Award for Top Hot 100 Single of the Year.  It also won American Music Awards for Favorite Dance Single and Favorite R&B Single.  It has been certified platinum. 

Chic released "C'est Chic" 1978

R&B/Disco group Chic released their second studio album C'est Chic, August 11, 1978.  It is the band's best-selling album, reaching #1 on Billboard's R&B charts and #4 on Billboard's album chart. C'est Chic was Billboard's 1979 R&B Album of the Year.  It has been certified platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million copies.

It spawned two singles, Le Freak, which went to #1 in December 1978, and I Want Your Love, the successful follow-up which went to #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.

Brian Hyland's "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" reaches #1 1960

Brian Hyland's recording of Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, August 8, 1960.  It was his first and only #1 hit.  He went on to have more hits over the years, but this one remains his biggest hit.  The song was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss.

It remained at #1 for one week. 

Percy Faith's "Theme from A Summer Place" reaches #1 for 9 weeks 1960

Theme from A Summer Place was written for the 1959 movie of the same name by Max Steiner and lyrics by Mack Discant.  Hugo Winterhalter recorded the song as an instrumental for the film.  

However, it is Percy Faith's recording that is the most popular.  He released it in September 1959, and it began a slow rise to #1, reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, February 22, 1960.  It remained there for a record 9 weeks, a record which wouldn't be broken until Debby Boone's You Light Up My Life in 1977.  

Billboard ranked Faith's version as the Number One song for 1960.  Percy Faith won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year, becoming the first movie theme and first instrumental to win a Grammy for Record of the Year.

The Andrews Sisters "Rum And Coca-Cola" reaches #1 1945

Rum and Coca-Cola, composed by Lionel Belasco and lyrics by Lord Invader, was recorded by the Andrews Sisters in 1944 and went to #1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, February 10, 1945.  I didn't realize how the song alludes to US soldiers debauching young women on the island of Trinidad.  The song hints at how women prostituted themselves for the soldiers:

Since the Yankee came to Trinidad

They got the young girls all goin' mad

Young girls say they treat 'em nice

Make Trinidad like paradise

The song goes on to say:

From Chicachicaree to Mona's Isle
Native girls all dance and smile
Help soldier celebrate his leave
Make every day like New Year's Eve

The Andrews Sisters were asked about the song's lyrics, but they said they were given the song the day before they recorded it, and didn't have a chance to give the lyrics much thought.  Many radio stations in the US refused to play the song since it mentions 'rum' in the title.  

Despite the boycott, Rum and Coca-Cola stayed at #1 for seven weeks.  

J. Geils Band's "Centerfold" reaches #1 1982

J. Geils Band's single Centerfold, a single from their tenth studio album Freeze Frame, reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 February 6, 1982 and stayed there for 6 weeks. It is their most successful single.  Centerfold is listed on Billboard's All Time Top Songs.

Glenn Miller records "Tuxedo Junction" 1940

Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded Tuxedo Junction February 5, 1940 in New York.  His was the most successful recording and it reached #1 on the Billboard charts in 1940.  It sold 115,000 copies in the first week.

The song was written by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, and Julian Dash, with lyrics by Buddy Feyne.  Tuxedo Junction was written as an instrumental, but the composers sent it to lyricists to see who could write the best words for it.  Hawkins preferred Buddy Feyne's lyrics.

It was released in 1939 and reached #7 on the American pop charts. Tuxedo Junction has been covered by numerous artists including the Andrews Sisters,  Ella Fitzgerald, and the Manhattan Transfer.