Hello everyone! I wasn't sure whether to finish off my countdown of the Jersey artists that influenced me, or way until next week. Obviously a couple major losses in the music industry happened this past week, including the drummer for what many reconsider the "world's greatest rock and roll band", as well as one of the most successful duos (and brother act) in music history.
So I figure I'd talk about the passings this week of Charlie Watts, the drummer for The Rolling Stones, and Don Everly, one half of The Everly Brothers, an important act of the late 1950's and early 1960's after I finish my list of Jersey artists; scroll down to the bottom for that.
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| © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. Maxwell's, in Hoboken was a popular club for up-and-coming artists from 1978 to 2013. |
Without further hesitation, lets finish my top 20 of the "Jersey-orientated artists that affected me".
20. Phoebe Ryan
Jersey Connection: Artist grew up in Red Bank
Years Considered: 2012-2021
Top Billboard Hits: "All We Know" (with The Chainsmokers),* #18, 2016)
Blog Hits: "Boyz n Poizn" (#2, 2016); "Dark Side' (#5, 2017); "Chronic" (#5, 2016); "Mine" (#6, 2015); "Ignition/Do You" (#12, 2015); "All We Know" (with the Chainsmokers); (#14, 2016).
Personal Year-End: "Mine" (#45, 2015); "Chronic" (#49, 2016): "Dark Side" (#32, 2017); "Boyz n Poizn" (#40, 2017); "Forgetting All About You (featuring blackbear); (#84, 2017); "Ring" (#100, 2020).
This contemporary Jersey gal has been on the verge of breaking big time, and has made a mark on the music scene both as a songwriter and performer. Born in Texas, she was raised in Red Bank. She attended college in New York City at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, at New York University. In 2012, she was brought to my attention by a Roselle Park friend, Merrill Kenny Butler, who knew Phoebe growing up, and would be one to watch. In college she was a member of the three-piece group, Town Hall. Their song "Good Boy" reached #12 on my blog back in 2012. But her presence was being felt in the industry as some of her songs started appearing in the TV series Glee, and Town Hall soon disbanded. She wrote several songs for a band called Oh, Honey, as well as artists like Britney Spears and Wyclef Jean. In 2015, she released her first solo singles, including the mash-up "Ignition/Do You" and "Mine". She got notice from stars such as Taylor Swift, who included Ms. Ryan on a handwritten note of "New Songs That Will Make Your Life More Awesome (I Promise)", and Nylon magazine called her "primed for stardom", in 2015.
Aside from her solo singles, she's been featured on others' songs, most notably The Chainsmokers top 20 hit "All We Know", but she's also been featured on songs by The Knocks, Danny L Harle, and currently Roseland duo Cash Cash. While it seems that her momentum has subsided a bit, she still released her debut full-length album on an independent label (she was originally signed to Columbia) in 2020, How It Used to Feel. A hard working artist who wants to share her experiences with others.
19. ScreenAge
Jersey Connection: Band members are from Edison, Milltown and Freehold
Years Considered: 2019-2021
Blog Hits: 5 #1's: "Blue Eyed Addiction" (2020); "North Star", "Think Again", "Going Back", "Questions" (all 2021); "Vague" (#6, 2019).
Personal Year-End: "Blue Eyed Addiction" (#1, 2020); "Vague" (#89, 2019)
If you've been a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I've pretty much run out of all the superlatives I can bestow on this quartet from Central Jersey. While the band is in their late teens and early 20's, you'd swear they'd been at it for fifty years. The band formed in 2015 and were influenced by the likes of The Beatles or more recent bands like Paramore, Rex Orange County and Hippo Campus. They described their sound as a blend of indie rock and alternative, with touches of jazz, and neo-soul . The band's debut album, Station 42 made an impact with their raw, modern rock sound, and the band played gigs at Asbury's Stone Pony and Asbury Lanes, as well as Maplewoodstock and Roselle Park's Arts Festival in 2019. The band attracted notice from places like Buffalo and the U.K. Their first single "Crook" garnered some attention, but it was the second single "Vague" that I took notice, moving the song to #6 by the end of 2019. Like many artists, the band was unable to perform in 2020 due to COVID-19, but did release the standalone, "Blue Eyed Addiction", which made my #1 position on my year-end 2020. In the meantime, lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist Emily MacMahon cut a couple of singles on her own, including the blog #1 "Only Us", a throwback to the romantic ballads of the mid 20th Century. Ms. MacMahon attends the Steven Institute of Technology in Hoboken where she studies music technology and recently received a award, Lyrics for Lucas Foundation Scholarship, for Advancing the Performing Arts, which builds awareness of sudden unexplained death in childhood. She is also interning with the Boulanger Initiative, whose mission is to promote music composed by women through performance, educations and commissions.
This year, the band released their second album, DNR, a concept album and one which features a more cohesive, polished and excellently produced gem. They have dominated my blog playlist this summer as four songs have topped my chart, and have rewritten many of my blog records as well. They went back on the road this summer, and I was able to catch one of their performances last month, and met the members of the band, as well as Emily's mom Rowena as well as drummer and saxophonist Sam Novotny's mom (and band manager) Ann. By popular demand, they will be returning to Roselle Park's Arts Festival on September 25. Here's hoping that the buzz created by the band is just the start of something extraordinary.
18. My Chemical Romance
Jersey Connection: Band formed in Newark.
Years Considered: 2004-2011
Top Billboard Hits: "Welcome to the Black Parade" (#9, 2006); "Helena" (#33, 2005); "Under Pressure" (with The Used) (#41, 2005); "Sing" (#58, 2010)
Blog Hits: "Sing" (#16, 2010); "Na Na Na" (#19, 2010); "Bulletproof Heart" (#57, 2011).
Personal Year-End: "Na Na Na" (#73, 2010).
The band was formed in Newark by Gerald Way and Matt Pelissier in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The fall of the towers affected Way deeply to the point that he needed to start a band in order to express his feelings. That came to fruition in a song "Skylines and Turnstiles". After recruiting more members, including Gerald's brother Mikey, the band started recording demos in Pelissier's attic. Just three months later, their 2002 debut, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love . They gained a following thanks to their MySpace page. In 2003, they signed with major label Reprise, and Pelissier was replaced by Bob Bryer. It was their breakout record, with songs appearing on the alternative chart as well as the Hot 100.
For me, the 2000's was sort of a "lost decade" since five of those years, I didn't compile my year-end top 100 and the blog didn't start until 2010, thus much of the band's output fell through the cracks, but I was well aware of their presence. They made these charts through 2011. 2006's The Black Parade made many year-end lists, and spawned their only top 10 hit in the title track. Their concerts were successful, both here and in the UK. The band's style encompassed many forms of alternative rock, including "emo", a sometimes undesirable tag placed on bands in the 2000's, but they also dabbled in punk, goth and glam, just to name three. After a couple more albums, in which they reached the blog era, landing three songs on my list, the band called it quits in 2013. The members did their own projects in the ensuing years. They were going to reunite in 2019 and play concerts during 2020, but COVID-19 ended that. After postponing the shows until 2021, they pushed it back again, and now a tour is scheduled for 2022.
17. Steely Dan
Jersey Connection: Donald Fagen was born in Passaic, raised in Fair Lawn and Kendall Park
Years Considered: 1973-1981, 2003
Top Billboard Hits: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" (#4, 1974); "Do It Again" (#6, 1972); "Hey Nineteen" (#10, 1980); "Reeling In the Years" (#11, 1973); "Peg" (#11, 1977)
Personal Year-End: "Do It Again" (#7, 1973); "Show Biz Kids" (#41, 1973); "Reeling In the Years" (#53, 1973); "My Old School" (#54, 1973); "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" (#49, 1974); "Deacon Blues" (#47, 1978); "Peg" (#62, 1978); "FM (No Static at All)" (#92, 1978); "Time Out of Mind" (#76, 1981).
Steely Dan is included here as one of its two principal members, Donald Fagen is a Jersey guy. But while Fagen grew up here, he was disenchanted with living in the suburbs. When I posted a song of theirs a while back, one friend noted that in the song "My Old School", he references "Annandale", a town in Warren County. But the reference is actually to the town Annandale-on-Hudson in New York, and the school, Bard College. This is where Fagen met Walter Becker, who was from Queens, New York. The students got a band together, which at one time included Chevy Chase. Becker and Fagen started writing songs, and actually toured with Jay and the Americans, the 60's pop group that had been hot in 1969 with a remake of "This Magic Moment". The duo tried to hone their writing skills in the legendary Brill Building for a time. Americans member Kenny Vance took note of their songwriting skills and recruited them for a low-budget Richard Pryor film. After living in Brooklyn for a time, and without much success, one of Vance's associates, Gary Katz, recruited them to join ABC Records as staff writers, and moved to Los Angeles. However, the songs they wrote were pretty much complex for others, thus Becker and Fagen formed Steely Dan, recruiting the likes of Denny Dias, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, singer David Palmer and others to form a full band. The band released their debut Can't Buy A Thrill in late 1972 and the band went on tour and also performed on the late-night show Midnight Special. The album spawned two of their biggest hits, "Do It Again", and "Reeling in the Years". A personal fave, Countdown to Ecstacy followed in 1973, and then Pretzel Logic the following year.
By the middle part of the decade, Steely Dan stopped touring, and the outfit became a project of Becker and Fagen with assorted studio musicians helping out. In 1977, they released Aja which became their biggest seller. The duo would just become a studio outfit, not wanting to tour. A final album in 1980, Gaucho was released, at which time the duo split.
Steely Dan's music was hard to characterize; it was a mix of rock, jazz, blues, and the band was referred to as "essential anti-heroes" of the 1970's. Fagen released a solo album The Nightfly in 1982, the single "I.G.Y. (What a Wonderful World)' peaked at #26 on Billboard, and landed at #32 on my year-end list for 1982.
The duo reunited in 1993, and actually started touring again, and would release albums in 2000 and 2003. One of my favorite 1970's groups, I finally got to see them live at the PNC Bank Arts Center in 2000. Becker died of esophageal cancer in 2017, but Fagen has kept Steely Dan alive, as the only remaining principal member, continues touring with supporting musicians to this day.
16. Dionne Warwick
Jersey Connection: Born in Orange, raised and went to school in East Orange.
Years Considered: 1964-1970, 1974, 1979-1982.
Top Billboard Hits: "Then Came You " (with The Spinners), (#1, 1974); "That's What Friends are For" (with Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Elton John) (#1, 1986); "I Say A Little Prayer" (#4, 1967); "I'll Never Love This Way Again" (#5, 1979); "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" (#6, 1969); "Walk On By" (#6, 1964); "This Girl's in Love With You" (#7, 1969).
Personal Year-End: "Walk on By" (#52, 1964); "I Say A Little Prayer" (#69, 1967); "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (#53, 1969); "Heartbreaker" (#64, 1982).
This awesome artist grew up in East Orange and developed a passion for music, which she followed at Hartt College of Music in East Hartford CT. Her family was musical as well, and she participated in gospel groups such as The Gospelaires, (which would evolve into the Sweet Inspirations, featuring her aunt Cissy Houston. A fateful meeting came in 1962 when, while singing backup on The Drifters' song "Mexican Divorce", she was noticed by that song's writer, Burt Bacharach. She recorded many of his songs as demos and was instrumental in her signing with Scepter records. Much of her 1960's songs which became hits, were written by Bacharach and Hal David, that includes her first big hit, "Don't Make Me Over" in 1962. She had hit singles throughout the 60's into 1970. By the early 1970's, however, her popularity waned. She signed with Warner Brothers and actually altered her surname, adding an "e' to the end of it, as an astrologer thought it would bring her good fortune. She also broke ties with Bacharach. But, except for a #1 song "Then Came You" (probably a hit because The Spinners, which duetted with her on the song, were a hot commodity at the time), she rarely charted. By the late 1970's, she left Warner Brothers and signed with Arista, and she went back to the original spelling of her last name. It seemed to work. She had a comeback hit in late 1979 with "I'll Never Love This Way Again", and continued charting well into the 1980's. A personal favorite of mine was the 1982 top 10 song "Heartbreaker" which was written and produced by Barry Gibb. Her second #1 song came in 1986 with "That's What Friends are For". Not only did it reunite Ms. Warwick with Bacharach (who was now writing with Carole Bayer Sager), but it teamed her up with Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Elton John, billed as "Dionne & Friends". It was a benefit song for AIDS research. Warwick had two more charters in 1987.
In the early 1990's, Dionne became a spokesperson for the Psychic Friends Network, via a series of infomercials. Unfortunately by the end of that Network's run (due to bankruptcy), it tarnished her image as she was now known as "that psychic lady", eclipsing over 40 years of entertaining. Ms. Warwick recorded sporadically in the 2000's and was involved in several charitable causes. She appeared on the fifth season finale of American Idol, and on season 3 of The Masked Singer. She was nominated this year for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but wasn't inducted. She, of course, was the cousin of Whitney Houston, who passed away in 2012. She was also the sister of singer Dee Dee Warwick, who died in 2008.
15. The Hounds of Winter / Einstein's Dad
Jersey Connection: Studio band based in East Hanover; core members are from North Jersey
Years Considered: 2011-2021
Blog Hits: "Oh Paige" (#1, 2016); "Amy's World" (#2, 2014); "I Get You" (#4, 2017); "OMT" (Einstein's Dad); (#6, 2021); "Lesson Learned" (#10, 2017); "Driving Home" (Einstein's Dad) (#10, 2021); "Christmas Must Be Tonight" (#11, 2017).
Personal Year-End: "Not Broken" (with Thom Sebastian) (#62, 2011); "Amy's World" (#7, 2014); "Oh Paige" (#23, 2016); "I Get You" (#11, 2017); "Lesson Learned" (#13, 2017)
This studio ensemble is led by Tom Corea, who is a friend from my hometown of Roselle Park and who I met in band class at Roselle Park H.S. where he was a drummer. He also formed a local band that at one time included Joe Germanotta, now known as Lady Gaga's father. He studied music, theater and technology while at Kean University and wound up combining them all in his career, and worked with the likes of Meat Loaf, Bruce Springsteen, Les Paul and others. After playing in a Who tribute band, his career kicked into gear as part of Jersey band Bad Attitude, led by front man Jamie Heath, which played the clubs and pubs in Central Jersey. They attracted a following, got radio airplay and opened for the likes of Dave Matthews Band, Molly Hatchet, The Smithereens, and others. Corea dropped out of Bad Attitude due to personal issues, including caring for his autistic son. But, still having the music bug, he built a studio in his East Hanover home, "Babyfishmouth". He formed a studio ensemble in 2001 to record a CD of holiday songs, called A Musical Christmas Card. He followed that up with several more albums under that moniker for the next ten years, at which time, he renamed the band The Hounds of Winter, which included members Steve Roman, Tom DiPaolo and Mario Licata, with occasional help from Sarah Teti (see #51). While they still primarily recorded holiday tunes, they also wrote and produced songs by Thom Sebastian, holiday contingent The Wizards of Winter, Ian Roberts, and the two Sara Teti albums. . Between 2014 and 2017, they also recorded non-holiday songs such as "Amy's World", "Oh Paige", and "I Get You".
Corea, who had rejoined Bad Attitude until Heath's passing a few years back, started playing in other bands, but COVID-19 grounded the whole operations at the time. But thanks to technology, he kept working, supplying musical support for artists around the globe. Thanks to an app called SoundBlend, not only was he able to contribute to others' songs, but was able to record again with his bandmates. A combination of these two factions led him to create Einstein's Dad, which is the Hounds, plus musicians from Kansas (the state, not the band), Canada and even Israel, and have recorded two albums in 2021. The lead singer of these bands is Steve Roman who has that Jersey sound reminiscent of Jon Bon Jovi and others down pat.
14. Lana Del Rey
Jersey Connection: Lived (or lives) in North Bergen
Years Considered: 2011-2021
Top Billboard Hits: "Summertime Sadness" (#6, 2013); "Don't Call Me Angel" (with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus) (#13, 2019); "West Coast" (#17, 2014); "Young and Beautiful" (#22, 2013).
Blog Hits: "Ride" (#1, 2013); "Summertime Sadness" (#5, 2013); "Doin' Time" (#7, 2019); "Young and Beautiful" (#10, 2013); "High by the Beach" (#11, 2015); "Video Games" (#12, 2011).
Personal Year-End: "Ride" (#4, 2013); "Summertime Sadness" (#34, 2013); "Young and Beautiful" (#47, 2013); "West Coast" (#62, 2014); "High By the Beach" (#85, 2015); "Doin' Time" (#27, 2019).
Born in New York City, raised in Lake Placid, this singer-songwriter born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant moved back to the city to start her career. She went to high school at the Kent School in Connecticut and then to Long Island as a waitress. She started getting interested in music while in college at Fordham University in The Bronx, and recorded several EPs while there. One of those garnered her a recording contract with 5 Points Records, at which time, she moved to a trailer park in North Bergen. Her stage name was inspired by both actress Lana Turner and the automobile Ford del Rey sedan. Her debut, Lana Del Ray (with an "a") was released in 2010 but didn't go anywhere. She left 5 Points, and released several singles in 2011, including "Video Games", which attracted buzz, and became a blog hit, going to #12 in late 2011. That song was included on her Born to Die album released in 2012. The songs got generally favorable reviews. Her next album, Paradise, debuted at #10 on the BIllboard 200 album chart, and yielded "Ride", my favorite song by her, which rode my top 10 for several weeks in the late spring/early summer of 2013. She continued recording, and occasional acting throughout the 2010's. She landed another blog (and alternative radio) hit in 2019 with a cover of Sublime's "Doin' Time". Much of her music has somewhat of a "depressing", and downbeat nature to it, leading to some critics dubbing it "Hollywood sadcore". Her music also deals with Americana in the 1950's and 60's, though she was born well after that. For some reason, fans of the British group Florence + the Machine, on that band's Facebook page have compared them to Del Rey, even though those musical styles couldn't be further apart. Ms. Del Rey's most recent album is Chemtrails Over the Country Club, released in March of this year.
13. Paul Czekaj
Jersey Connection: Grew up in West Orange, lives in Flanders
Years Considered: 2011-2020
Blog Hits: "At the Beach" (#1, 2013); "That Old New Jersey" (#2, 2016); "The Painter of the Sky" (#2, 2020); "Even Better Than Before" (#4, 2013); "A Place I Once Called Home" (#5, 2016); "Up In the Sky" (#6, 2016); "Christmas Is Forever" (#9, 2013)
Personal Year-End: "My Home New Jersey" (#93, 2012); "At the Beach" (#12, 2013); "Even Better Than Before" (#60, 2013); "Elvis In Heaven" (#46, 2014); "That Old New Jersey" (#17, 2016); "A Place I Once Called Home" (#42, 2016); "Up in the Sky: (#50, 2016); "The Painter of the Sky" (#47, 2020).
Here's a guy who is not only from the Garden State, but sings about it as well. Raised in West Orange, he was always into music, playing the trumpet in his high school's band. But, like many others, it was watching The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show that got him to take up the guitar. In the mid 1960's he formed a band called The Live Wires, playing many local venues and clubs and Clay Cole's "Land of a Thousand Dances" concerts in Newark, including backing up the Jive Five. After the Live Wires split, Czekaj joined a band called The Hot Fog. The band, seeking to make it big, moved to Hollywood, made some demos and came close to signing with Liberty Records, but that fell through. Moving back to New Jersey (Morristown), he built a small recording studio, wrote songs and made some demos.
However, it was during the early 80's that Paul became a Jersey fixture, meeting up with Bobby Bandiera, and the two performed for several years on the Jersey Shore circuit, along with John "Otto" De Gennaro (who was with Paul's Morristown contingent), and sometimes Nick Massi (ex-Four Seasons) would sit in as well. Bandiera would then join Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (see #42), where he would stay until 2010. Meanwhile Czekaj went solo, and released an album in 2009, The Saved Recordings, which contains many tracks recorded with Bandiera, as well as from his 1970's songs with Hot Fog and De Gennaro.
But it was 2012 that Czekaj became a blog fave. This happened when one of my Roselle Park friends Sue Briggs Baker, posted a video called "My Home New Jersey", a song and video showing all the key places and people in the Garden State, which to date has over 500,000 views. I immediately added the song to my playlist and it advanced to the #20 position. Somehow, Czekaj noticed that song on my blog, and contacted me, and we became friends. That song was from his second album, Young and Free. Since then, many of his songs have been about the Garden State, including a second version of "My Home New Jersey", "Even Better Than Before" (about the aftermath of the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy); "At the Beach" (extolling the virtues of summer at the Jersey Shore, which got airplay on WNTI and was my "song of the summer" 2013); "That Old New Jersey" (another video about places that no longer exist in the state, which has over 725,000 views to date); as well as tributes to places he grew up, Elvis, riding a motorcycle and beautiful sunsets.
His most recent projects had him reuniting with Bobby Bandiera who left the Jukes in 2010, and while Bobby has toured with Bon Jovi in recent years, he has contributed to Paul's songs as well. Paul released his fourth album Painter Of the Sky in 2020 and is currently working on a new album. He married his wife Jackie in 1985, and they currently live in Flanders. He performs from time to time at Bell's Mansion in Stanhope and also did a set at the WNTI Summer Stage in 2016. You can catch him and Jackie hanging out at Lake Hopatcong on a nice day.
12. Blondie
Jersey Connection: Front woman Debbie Harry was raised in Hawthorne; went to Centenary College in Hackettstown, currently lives in Monmouth County
Years Considered: 1979-1982, 1986, 1999, 2017-2018
Top Billboard Hits: Four #1's "Heart of Glass" (1979); "Call Me" (1980); "The Tide is High" (1981); "Rapture" (1981); "One Way Or Another" (#24, 1979); "Dreaming" (#27, 1979); "Island of Lost Souls" (#37, 1982); "Atomic" (#39, 1980).
Blog Hits: "Long Time" (#24, 2017); "Fun" (#46, 2017).
Personal Year-End: "Heart of Glass" (#25, 1979); "One Way Or Another" (#53, 1979); "Call Me" (#1, 1980); "Rapture" (#4, 1981); "The Tide Is High" (#55, 1981); "Backfired" (Debbie Harry solo) (#100, 1981); "Island of Lost Souls" (#75, 1982); "French Kissin'" (Debbie Harry solo) (#63, 1986); "Maria" (#35, 1999); "Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room" (#28, 1999); "Long Time" (#62, 2019).
Blondie was considered on of the important bands coming out of the punk and new wave scenes in New York City, but front woman Debbie Harry was a Jersey girl. While she was born in Miami, she was given up for adoption when she was four months old, the adoptive parents lived in Hawthorne, where she grew up and went to high school. She attended college at Centenary College. She then moved to New York City, getting jobs as a waitress, a secretary for a BBC radio office, and as a go-go dancer in Union City. She joined a folk band called The Wind and the Willows, of which she was a back-up singer, which recorded an album in 1968. Another band, The Stilettos followed in 1974, and eventually in 1976, Blondie was formed with Chris Stein. The band was an important part of the underground scene, playing at CBGB's and Max's Kansas City. Their debut, self titled album was released that year, thought not charting here, did well in the UK and Austrailia, although many rock stations played their songs. Plastic Letters was next in 1977 with the band gaining more of a following. But it was the third album, 1978's Parallel Lines that was the band's breakthrough, as the song "Heart of Glass" was a big disco hit in the fall of that year, then became their first #1 in early 1979. For the next three years, Blondie ruled their airwaves, with different styles, including new wave, reggae, rap, and calypso. It yielded three more #1 songs. Ms. Harry cut a solo album produced by Nile Rodgers, KooKoo, which yielded a minor hit, "Backfired" (a personal fave). When the band's sixth album The Hunter was a disappointment in 1982, the band split, with Debbie going solo. She also took up acting and was cast opposite Alec Baldwin in Forever, Lulu.
Debbie had a few minor solo hits in the late 1980's ("French Kissin'", "I Want That Man") , the latter billed as "Deborah Harry"); after a few more 90's solo efforts, Blondie reformed with three other original members for No Exit. "Maria" became a Adult Top 40 hit, but the follow-up single, the loungy "Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room" became one of my favorites by them. Ms. Harry did more solo work after that, and guested on albums by Fall Out Boy and Arcade Fire. Blondie reunited once again in 2019 for Pollinator with produced the blog hits "Long Time" and "Fun". The band will be touring the UK in November of this year with the band Garbage opening.
11. Ken Johnston / Kjband
Jersey Connection: Originally from Mercer County, lived in South Orange, Dover and Livingston.
Years Considered: 1988-1990, 1996, 2015-2021
Blog Hits: "Waves" (#10, 2016); "Our Art" (#15, 2015); "Man of Few Words" (#23, 2015); "Life Without Complications" (#26, 2020); "Life's Surprise" (#40, 2015).
Personal Year-End: "Slow On the Uptake" (#86, 1988); "The Conqueror" (#90, 1988); "Slipping Away" (#31, 1989); "Waiting on Me" (#34, 1989); "I Live in Exhalbion" (#92, 1990); "Regret" (#22, 1996); "Man of Few Words" (#94, 2015); "Our Art" (#100, 2015); "Life Without Complications" (#75, 2020).
Ok, the first thing you may think while reading this, is "who?" "what?". By his own admission, he once told me that he is probably the most "obscure" artist on the face of the earth. But, Ken, a personal friend from 1986 to 2001, always had music in his blood and has done his own thing. Ken started writing music back in college, with his girlfriend Carolyn Moses. When they (temporarily) parted ways, Ken put music on the back burner, until he started working at Prudential, where I met him (through another co-worker Andrea, who became his first wife). We went to a few concerts together, most notably R.E.M., and he started recording demos of songs he had written. While these weren't officially released, he had shared them with me, and for a few years, they became fixtures on my year-end lists. He and Andrea raised a family of three kids, so it wasn't until around 1997 that he took the next step and started actually recording. His project, dubbed "KJBand" is a group project, with various musicians joining Ken, including different lead singers (and Ken himself). His first proper album, All I Want, was released in 1998. Ken is a keyboardist and trombonist, and he is the primary songwriter as well. He had a couple of parties at his house to showcase his band in the late 1990's. While I lost touch with Ken after 2001, I still followed his progress on his website. He split with Andrea and married his college sweetheart Carolyn, and both of them continued to write music together. Johnston, who has released 11 albums thus far, writes songs as well as concept albums which reflect much of his personal experiences, be it with with his relationships, family and life. Ken has made my blog list 11 times, including the current "The Phoenix".
10. The B-52's
Jersey Connection: Kate Pierson was born in Weehawken and raised in Rutherford; Fred Schneider was born in Newark and lived in Long Branch and Belleville
Years Considered: 1979-1980, 1989-1994; 1998, 2008
Top Billboard Hits: "Love Shack" (#3, 1989); "Roam" (#3, 1990); "Good Stuff' (#28, 1992); "Deadbeat Club" (#30, 1990); "(Meet) The Flintstones" (as The BC-52's) (#33, 1994); "Rock Lobster" (#58, 1978); "Private Idaho" (#74, 1979)
Personal Year-End: "Rock Lobster" (#60, 1979); "Private Idaho" (#96, 1980); "Love Shack" (#2, 1989); "Topaz" (#64, 1989); "Roam" (#1, 1990); "Tell It Like It T-I-Is" (#26, 1992); "Good Stuff" (#36, 1992); "(Meet) The Flintstones" (#51, 1994): "Debbie" (#59, 1998); "Funplex" (#10**, 2008).
**-Estimate as there is not yet a formal list for 2008.
It might be a shock to see this band on the list, and while it is true the band was formed in Athens, Georgia, two of the members grew up right here in New Jersey. While both Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider were born and raised here, it wasn't until they moved to Athens where they met up, along with Cindy Wilson, Keith Strickland and original member (and Cindy's brother) Ricky, who passed in 1985, who were all Athens natives. After sharing a drink called The Volcano, the five of them held an impromptu jam session, and performed at a 1977 Valentine's Day party for their friends. The band's music was very unique, very quirky, combining elements of new wave and surf music. They recorded their first single "Rock Lobster" for an independent label and it became an underground hit. They performed at New York's CBGB's and Max's Kansas City. "Rock Lobster", along with another song, "52 Girls" was re-recorded and appeared on their eponymous debut album. "Rock Lobster" was their first charted single, and the following year, an equally quirky "Private Idaho" came out, from their second album Wild Planet. John Lennon, in 1980, reportedly said that The B-52's were his favorite band and "Rock Lobster" inspired him to make his comeback with the Double Fantasy album. That year, they performed on Saturday Night Live. The next several albums were less successful, though had some notable songs. Sadly, Ricky Wilson would pass away from AIDS. The band took a short hiatus, some of the members, such as Schneider, doing solo work.
The band made a big comeback with Cosmic Thing. While the tempo of their songs was a bit slower, many songs got airplay, beginning with the title track, and then "Channel Z". A personal fave on that album was "Topaz" (" a city by the sea"). But the big single was "Love Shack" which reached #3 on the Hot 100, and a year-end #2 on my list for 1989. The song would become a party anthem played at shore bars and elsewhere. The follow-up, "Roam" was equally successful, matching its predecessor at #3, and scoring a #1 on my 1990 year-end list. Various members popped on other artists songs, most notably Kate Pierson: Pierson backed Iggy Pop with "Candy", and fellow Athenians R.E.M. on "Shiny Happy People", which topped my 1991 list, essentially giving Ms. Pierson two year-end #1's in a row. Cindy Wilson left the band for a bit, and 1992's Good Stuff was done as a trio. A lesser success than its predecessor, nonetheless it got a load of airplay with the title track a top 40 Billboard hit. The band appeared as "The BC-52's" in the live action movie The Flintstones in 1994. Cindy rejoined the band, but band recordings were less frequent. The band released a greatest hits album Time Capsule, which yielded the single "Debbie" dedicated to Debbie Harry of Blondie (see #12). They continued to tour as well as record soundtrack music. In 2008 they finally released an album, their first in 16 years, Funplex, of which the title track became a modern rock hit. The band, still together, would continue to tour as of 2019.
9. Gary Lewis and the Playboys
Jersey Connection: Gary Lewis is from Newark.
Years Considered: 1965-1968
Top Billboard Hits: "This Diamond Ring" (#1, 1965); "Count Me In" (#2, 1965); "Save Your Heart for Me" (#2, 1965); "She's Just My Style" (#3, 1966); "Everybody Loves a Clown" (#4, 1965); "Green Grass" (#8, 1966); "Sure Gonna Miss Her" (#9, 1966).
Personal Year-End: "This Diamond Ring" (#15, 1965); "Everybody Loves a Clown" (#41, 1965); "Save Your Heart For Me" (#48, 1965); "Count Me In " (#56, 1965); "She's Just My Style" (#52, 1966)
I admit, it was a bit strange to include this band this high on the list, but when your first seven releases hit top 10 (one of only two 1960's acts to do this, along with The Lovin' Spoonful), it does make an impact, especially since they were one of the first new American bands to crack the chart, still dominated by British acts. Lewis is the son of legendary comedian Jerry Lewis, who also grew up in New Jersey. The band started out as simply "Gary and the Playboys" in 1964 with Gary and some friends. They were pretty much obscure as Gary didn't want to reveal who his famous dad was. The band got a gig at Disneyland on their own, and were successful there. That was when orchestra bandleader Les Brown noticed the band was playing and notified record producer Snuff Garrett that Jerry's kid was playing there. Garrett talked the band into using Gary's last name as he thought the Lewis name and connection to his father might sell records. Garrett got them to a recording studio and with Gary's mom financing the session cut "This Diamond Ring". While Lewis was originally just the drummer, Garrett got him to be the lead singer, even thought he didn't have a great voice. By double-tracking his voice as well as dubbing the instrumentation, the song was released and hit #1, in early 1965, an era dominated by the British Invasion and Motown. Thanks to his dad, the band got a gig on The Ed Sullivan Show around that time. Despite a few personnel changes the band continued to make hits in 1966 at which time, Lewis was drafted and served in Vietnam as well as a tour in South Korea. He returned in 1968 but by that time, the band's popularity decreased, with one more top 20 song, a remake of Brian Hyland's "Sealed With a Kiss". The band split in 1970 with Gary recording a few singles in the 1970's. He still performs, usually on the "nostalgia" circuit and on cruise ships and at festivals. He also appeared with the Playboys on his dad's telethons, including the final one in 2010. His most recent release was "You Can't Go Back", in 2012.
8. Lesley Gore
Jersey Connection: Raised in Tenafly, went to school in Englewood
Years Considered: 1964-1967
Top Billboard Hits: "It's My Party" (#1, 1963); "You Don't Own Me" (#2, 1964); "Judy's Turn to Cry" (#5, 1963); "She's a Fool" (#5, 1963); "That's the Way Boys Are" (#12, 1964); "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" (#13, 1965); "Maybe I Know" (#14, 1964); "California Nights" (#16, 1967).
Personal Year-End: "You Don't Own Me" (#6, 1964); "That's the Way Boys Are" (#65, 1964); "Maybe I Know" (#67, 1964); "Look of Love" (#93, 1965); "My Town, My Guy and Me" (#94, 1965); "California Nights" (#30, 1967).
This Jersey girl would rank even higher if I included her three top 5 hits from 1963, including her #1, "It's My Party". Born in New York City, Lesley Sue Goldstein (she would take her mother's maiden name as her stage surname), her family moved to Tenafly and she attended the Dwight School for Girls in Englewood. It was during her junior year there that she cut a record with Quincy Jones, and by the summer of 1963, "It's My Party" topped the charts. She scored more hits before she turned 18. Probably the most notable song was "You Don't Own Me". Kept at #2 by the onslaught of Beatlemania, the song has become somewhat of a feminist anthem in recent years, with #MeToo becoming a major issue. The British invasion slowed her momentum but not much as she garnered several top 20 hits through 1967. She is also an actress, probably most noted for her role as "Pussycat" in two episodes of Batman, playing one of Catwoman's minions. She was also on all the music shows of that era, such as American Bandstand, Shindig!, Hullabaloo, and many others. Unfortunately, she had no hits after 1968, but still recorded sporadically. In 1980 she penned, along with her brother Michael, songs from the movie Fame, including "Out Here On My Own", a top 20 hit for its star Irene Cara. Ms. Gore recorded an album in 2005 and had hosted an LGBTQ series, In the Life (Lesley had come out as a lesbian a few years earlier). In 2015 she was working on a new Broadway musical about her life, but unfortunately she passed away that year, of lung cancer. She was 68.
7. Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band
Jersey Connection: Springsteen was born in Long Branch, grew up in Freehold, has lived in various places in the state, including Rumson and Colts Neck ; Many of the E-Street Band are also from New Jersey or have moved here.
Years Considered: 1975-1988, 1992-1995, 2002, 2007-2014, 2019-2020
Top Billboard Hits: "Dancing in the Dark" (#2, 1984); "Hungry Heart" (#5, 1980); "Glory Days" (#5, 1985); "Brilliant Disguise" (#5, 1987); "I'm On Fire" (#6, 1985); "My Hometown" (#6, 1985); "Cover Me" (#7, 1984); "War" (#8, 1986); "Born in the U.S.A." (#9, 1984); "I'm Goin' Down" (#9, 1985); "Tunnel of Love" (#9, 1987); "Streets of Philadelphia" (#9, 1995)
Blog Hits: "High Hopes" (#18, 2014); "Hello Sunshine" (#36, 2019); "Letter to You" (#42, 2020)
Personal Year-End: "Born to Run" (#11, 1975); "Prove It All Night" (#65, 1978); "Hungry Heart" (#5, 1980); "Fade Away" (#49, 1981); "Dancing In the Dark" (#28, 1984); "Glory Days' (#55, 1985); "I'm Goin' Down" (#59, 1985); "Born in the U.S.A." (#96, 1985); "I'm On Fire" (#101, 1985); "Better Days" (#71, 1992); "The Rising" (#62, 2002); "High Hopes" (#50, 2014).
"I have seen rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen", said music critic Jon Landau, in 1974, and that pretty much tells the story of "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen. Love him or hate him, his still ever presence in the rock scene says it all. While he seems to be more known for his politics recently, he has musical history going back to his growing up in the 1950's. He grew up in Freehold and went to that town's St. Rose of Lima Catholic. He was interested in music as early as 1956 (at the age of 7) when he saw Elvis Presley perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. He then went to Freehold High, and though he graduated from there, he seemed to be more of a rebel and loner, and more interested in music than his studies. He briefly went to Ocean County College but dropped out. While his family moved to California, Bruce who was 20, stayed behind with his two sisters. In 1964, his mother bought him a guitar and went to a couple at a local house that sponsored new bands in town. It was then that Bruce joined his first band, The Castiles, in which he was lead guitarist and sometimes lead singer. The band cut two songs at a Brick studio and played several venues, including Greenwich Village in New York City. Several bands following, including Earth, and Steel Mill which would include some members that would soon become notable Jersey musicians, some eventually being part of the E-Street Band. By the early 1970's, he made a name for himself on the Jersey Shore club circuit, including Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom, and The Bruce Springsteen Band. During this era, his managers had contacted Columbia Records, and he came to the attention of that label's scout, John Hammond, who signed Bob Dylan a decade earlier. By the fall of 1972, Springsteen formed a new band (which would become the E-Street Band, although that wouldn't yet be the official name for awhile). He recorded his first album, Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ, which was released in early 1973. It was a cover pick on Record World magazine, and got rave reviews; critics compared him to Dylan and Van Morrison. Sales, however were very low. A second album, The Wild, the Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle, also was critically acclaimed, but didn't sell, and Columbia was close to dropping him. But some of his classic, well-known songs were off of these two albums, such as "Blinded By the Light", "Spirit In the Night", "Rosalita", "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", still get radio and Shore club play and oft-covered.
Springsteen took awhile to record his third album. His band, now officially dubbed The E-Street Band, after one of the members lived on E-Street in Belmar, came together. Critic Jon Landau, who wrote the quote above, eventually became Bruce's producer and manager and helped him complete the album. Despite the first two albums not selling, the buzz during the summer of 1975, helped by the leak of some of the songs on Born To Run to radio, made the project much anticipated. Some relatives of mine who lived at the Shore were talking about Springsteen. Sure enough, when Born to Run was released in September 1975, it was a hit, reaching top 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart. He sold out 10 nights in a row at New York's Bottom Line club. He was featured on the covers of Time and Newsweek in October. The single, the title track, reached #23 on the Hot 100.
Then came the bad news. A former manager of his, Mike Appel, was involved in a lawsuit that prevented Springsteen from releasing anything else, for three years, but Bruce and the E-Streeters toured heavily for the next few years. In 1978, Springsteen finally released Darkness At the Edge of Town, a more somber album compared to the previous three. Also a top 10 album, Springsteen had two mid-charting singles from it. By 1980, he was gathering songs for his next album, The River. However, with no "real" hit singles up to that point, he talked with Kal Rudman, who headed the Friday Morning Quarterback, an industry "tip sheet" publication out of Cherry Hill, that tips radio programmers as to what new songs could be potential hits. He told Bruce that none of his songs have female appeal, and that Springsteen should write songs that would appeal more to that gender. He did, and had his first big hit, "Hungry Heart". Not one to rest on his laurels, he then recorded an acoustic album, Nebraska, exposing another side of his writing talents.
But he hit his commercial peak in 1984 with the release of Born in the U.S.A. The album stayed in the top 10 for well over a year, and yielded seven top 10 singles, matching Michael Jackson's Thriller for most from one album. "Dancing In the Dark", is his all time biggest song, reaching #2, and was his first foray into music videos, with future Friends star Courteney Cox featured in that video. Another song, the title track was about the treatment of American Vietnam veterans after returning home, as it was erroneously interpreted as a "patriotic song" by then-President Ronald Reagan
Again, not wanting to repeat himself, he then released Tunnel of Love, without the E-Street Band, a more introspective effort. It would be over a decade before he'd record with them again. During that time, he had moved to Hollywood and married actress Julienne Phillips, which was short-lived. They split and Springsteen married longtime friend Patti Scialfa, who became part of the E-Street band. In the 1990's, he had more varied releases, including two simultaneous releases with Lucky Town and Human Touch. They were not as well received. Then came the acoustic The Ghost of Tom Joad, and then the song "Streets of Philadelphia" from the movie Philadelphia which netted him an Oscar. Bruce reunited with the E-Street Band for some new tracks to a 1995 Greatest Hits album. Perhaps responding to fans who thought he "sold out" to the West Coast, he would move back to New Jersey.
Bruce made a "comeback" of sorts (if you can call it that), with 2002's The Rising, a very introspective, but fully produced album with his band. Inspired by both the 9/11 attacks as well as the fall of his once majestic "home base" of Asbury Park, the album returned him to prominence; Bruce performed the track "My City of Ruins" on the Today show and did a remote from Asbury Park, a town which seemingly came back to life shortly thereafter. He did a 15-night series of shows at New Jersey's Meadowlands Arena in 1999, all sellouts, as well as a 10-night sellout at nearby Giants Stadium. The Rising netted him several Grammys.
Since then, he has released a variety of albums, both rock-oriented with the E-Street Band, and acoustic albums (Devils & Dust, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions), and even a country-themed set (2019's Western Stars). He won a Golden Globe award for "The Wrestler", in 2009 from the movie of the same name (of which a few scenes of the movie took place at Roselle Park's Frenchy's Bar) . He played the Super Bowl halftime show the same year. He had scored in the blog era as well, especially with "High Hopes" landing in my Top 20. In 2018 he appeared on Broadway ("Springsteen on Broadway") for a successful run, which will resume this year. (An interesting note is that half of my top 10 Jersey list have either had runs on Broadway or had proposed such). He remains active with a 2020 album, Letter to You, and recently was featured on the Bleachers song "Chinatown". His songs still regularly make the Triple-A airplay charts.
He has, over the years, performed for many charitable causes, including No Nukes, USA for Africa, and supported various Democratic candidates for president. He authored an autobiography, Born to Run. There is a guitar statue dedicated to him in Belmar, on the corner of E-Street and 10th Avenue. Bruce still has a big following, including my Roselle Park friend Meg Hunsicker, who is part of a fan group called the Spring-Nuts.
Among the notable E-Streeters past and present, there was "Little" Steven Van Zandt, who joined the band during Born to Run, sax player Clarence Clemmons, Danny Frederici, Max Weinberg (who also led the house band on Conan O'Brien's late night talk show), Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Garry Tallent, Patti Scialfa, and David Scantious, whose house on E-Street provided the band's name. Both Clemmons and Frederici have passed.
6. Rachel Allyn
Jersey Connection: Born and raised in Ogdensburg
Years Considered: 2010-2017
Blog Hits: 4 #1's "Stand Still" (2010); "Getting By", "Say Hello To Goodbye", "Ain't No Fun" (all 2011); "Do It Yourself" (#3, 2013); "Dear Prudence" (#4, 2013); "Lovely Lily" (#5, 2011); "Next Year's Girl" (#5, 2016); "For What It's Worth" (#7, 2016), "October" (#8, 2013).
Personal Year-End: "Stand Still" (#3, 2010); "Getting By" (#3, 2011); "Say Hello to Goodbye" (#8, 2011); "Lovely Lily" (#23, 2011); "Ain't No Fun" (#5, 2012); "Do It Yourself" (#32, 2013); "Dear Prudence" (#44, 2013); "October" (#73, 2013); "Triggerman" (#31, 2014); "Restless Times (Call For Reckless Measures)" (#92, 2014); "Next Year's Girl" (#33, 2016); "For What It's Worth" (#99, 2016).
A reminder that this countdown isn't the "best" or "successful" artists to be affiliated with New Jersey (whatever that means), but a list of the artists that have affected me. You will notice a lot of unknown and obscure artists scattered through the countdown, but this one tops the list. She is a talent who had brushed with some success, which in the long run, eluded her. But for several years in the early part of the 2010's, we rooted for her, and was a blog sensation, being the first to grab four number one's on my list, and made some significant inroads.
Raised in Ogdensburg, she took to music at in early age, and in her teens started performing at pubs around the northern part of the state. Her influences were The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Elvis Costello and others. In spite of this, she also developed a knack for country music; she would meld both influences into her music. It would seem that luck would be with her, as at the age of 14, while attending a Shania Twain concert, that artist was looking for somebody in the audience to come up and join her for a song. I'm not sure if Rachel held a sign that said she was a singer, but she was lucky enough to be picked to do a song with Shania. Three years later, lightning struck twice; this time at a Gretchen Wilson concert, as she wound up on stage again. With luck like that, you have to make it big, right?
Naturally, she went to college in Music City itself, at Belmont College, but during the summer, she would come back home and play at establishments such as the Jefferson House, and Kabobs, both on Lake Hopatcong. She recorded and released her first EP in 2009, Late Nights and Early Mornings. While much of her early gigs were solo, her playing guitar and/or singing to instrumental tracks on CD, she attracted a following. It was during the summer of 2010 that my wife and myself decided to catch a performance at Kabob's (now Lola's). Turns out, we met her parents John and Susan, as well as her younger sister Meg. As it was hot, and the only available tables were out in the hot sun, John let us sit with them in a shady area. We got to know Rachel and her parents personally for a time. We followed her several times that summer and the next, and she graduated college in 2011. She was one of the reasons why I started my music blog in 2010, as her local music easily blended in with the national acts on my playlist. Her first three singles all made #1 here. She was one of those artists who was dedicated and wanted to hit the big time. Rachel played several New Jersey festivals, with her backup band (including bassist and co-songwriter Warren Hibbert), at Maplewoodstock, and other venues. With the release of her second album, D.I.Y, she hired an outside management company (her folks had managed her previously). She was the "artist of the week" on an Internet radio station, and she and her band won Shore country radio station Thunder 106's "House Band" contest. The Rachel Allyn Band opened for acts like Kenny Rogers, Thompson Square and even Shania Twain (a "reunion" of sorts). They became regulars on the Shore bar circuit, playing at Bar A, Jenks and Martell's. Ms. Allyn also expanded her touring outside of the state, playing in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and other gigs.
A third album, Next Year's Girl was released in 2016. Great things seemed to be in store for her. She had applied to be on The Voice, and in a local talent contest from New York's NASH-FM. But all those things didn't work out for her (Spinn, see #76, won the NASH contest) and she didn't make it past the initial Voice auditions, and other things didn't work out. She issued a Facebook post saying when all her remaining concerts (where she had to play more covers, with only a few originals thrown in) ended, they would take time off and regroup, and not want to be a considered just a cover band. As she put it, it was like doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Sadly, she disappeared after that, had gotten engaged, then married, and apparently settled down, and put music behind her. Her Facebook page is now private under her married name Rachel Post, her FB music page hadn't been updated since 2018 and her website has lapsed and expired.
But, because of Rachel Allyn, and the interaction with her and her family, it has enabled me to embrace more local, aspiring acts like ScreenAge, Madison Pisani (who seems to be following the same path as Rachel) and many others. Let's hope at some point in time, Rachel goes back to performing, even if it's back to the lakeside pubs.
5. The Rascals
Jersey Connection: Group formed and based in Garfield
Years Considered: 1966-1969
Top Billboard Hits: "Good Lovin'" (#1, 1966); "Groovin'" (#1, 1967); "People Got to Be Free" (#1, 1968); "A Beautiful Morning" (#3, 1968); "How Can I Be Sure" (#4, 1967); "A Girl Like You" (#10, 1967); "I've Been Lonely Too Long" (#16, 1967).
Personal Year-End: "Good Lovin'" (#24, 1966); "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" (#64, 1966); "Groovin'" (#7, 1967); "I've Been Lonely Too Long" (#42, 1967); "It's Wonderful" (#48, 1967); "How Can I Be Sure" (#56, 1967); "A Girl Like You" (#71, 1967); "A Beautiful Morning" (#2, 1968); "People Got to Be Free" (#4, 1968); "A Ray of Hope" (#99, 1968).
Jersey Connection: Group formed and based in Sayreville
Years Considered: 1984-1995, 2000-2016, 2020
Top Billboard Hits: 4 #1's: "You Give Love A Bad Name" (1986); "Living On a Prayer" (1986); "Bad Medicine" (1988); "I'll Be There For You" (1989); "Born to Be My Baby" (#3, 1988); "Always" (#4, 1994); "Wanted Dead Or Alive" (#7, 1987); "Lay Your Hands on Me" (#7, 1989); "Living in Sin" (#9, 1989); "Bed of Roses" (#10, 1993). Also Jon Bon Jovi had a solo #1 with "Blaze of Glory" (1990).
Blog Hits: "Because We Can" (#21, 2013): "Do What You Can" (featuring Jennifer Nettles) (#58, 2020); "What Do You Got?" (#72, 2010); "We Don't Run" (#77, 2015); "This House Is Not For Sale" (#90, 2016).
Personal Year-End: "Living on a Prayer" (#33, 1986); "You Give Love a Bad Name" (#62, 1986); "Never Say Goodbye" (#40, 1987); "Bad Medicine" (#55, 1988); "Born To Be My Baby" (#97, 1988); "Keep the Faith" (#85, 1992); "It's My Life" (#29, 2000); "Misunderstood" (#46, 2003); "Have a Nice Day" (#20**, 2005); "Who Says You Can't Go Home" (#25**, 2005); "We Weren't Born to Follow" (#10, 2009). "Because We Can" (#98, 2013).
**estimated as no formal lists have yet been made for that year.
Jersey Connection: Brothers Robert DeLeo (bass) and Dean DeLeo (guitar) were born in Montclair, raised in Point Pleasant Beach, graduated at Point Pleasant Boro High.
Years Considered: 1993-2003, 2010-2011
Top Billboard Hits (Mainstream Rock): 6 #1's: "Plush" (1993); "Vasoline" (1994); "Interstate Love Song" (1994); "Big Bang Baby", "Tripping On a Hole in a Paper Heart", "Lady Picture Show" (all 1996); "Creep" (#2, 1993); "Between The Lines" (#2, 2010); "Big Empty" (#3, 1994); "Dancing Days" (#4, 1995); "Sour Girl" (#4, 2000); "Days of the Week" (#4, 2001); "Down" (#5, 1999); "All in the Suit That You Wear" (#5, 2003); "Meadow" (#6, 2017). Also 11 top 10's on the Alternative Chart (including #1 "Between The Lines"); and Hot 100 entry "Sour Girl" (#78)
Blog Hits: "Cinnamon" (#11, 2011); "Between The Lines" (#12, 2010); "Take a Load Off" (#16, 2010).
Personal Year-End: "Creep" (#31, 1993); "Big Empty" (#1, 1994); "Interstate Love Song" (#17, 1994); "Vasoline" (#30, 1994); "Lady Picture Show" (#1, 1996); "Big Bang Baby" (#38, 1996); "Trippin On a Hole Of a Paper Heart" (#78, 1996); "Hello Hello" (as Talk Show, #100, 1997); "Down" (#9, 1999); "Sour Girl" (#1, 2000); "Days of the Week" (#10, 2001); "Hollywood Bitch" (#100, 2001); "Between The Lines" (#24, 2010); "Take a Load Off" (#43, 2010); "Cinnamon" (#94, 2011).
Jersey Connection: Tommy James has lived in Clifton and now Cedar Grove a combined 45 years and is in the New Jersey Hall of Fame; drummer Peter Lucia was from Morristown and went to that town's high school.
Years Considered: 1966-1973, 1980, 2008, 2019
Top Billboard Hits: "Hanky Panky" (#1, 1966); "Crimson and Clover" (#1, 1969); "Crystal Blue Persuasion" (#2, 1969); "Mony Mony" (#3, 1968); "I Think We're Alone Now" (#4, 1967); "Sweet Cherry Wine" (#7, 1969); "Mirage" (#10, 1967); "Draggin' The Line" (Tommy James solo) (#4, 1971).
Blog Hits: "I Think We're Alone Now (Acoustic)" (#7, 2019); "So Beautiful" (#15, 2019).
Personal Year-End: "Hanky Panky" (#1, 1966); "I Think We're Alone Now" (#4, 1967); "Mirage" (#36, 1967); "(Baby Baby) I Can't Take It No More" (#37, 1967); "Mony Mony" (#25, 1968); "Crystal Blue Persuasion" (#1, 1969); "Crimson and Clover" (#4, 1969); "Sweet Cherry Wine" (#40, 1969); "Ball of Fire" (#45, 1969); "She" (#56, 1970); "Draggin' the Line" (#22, 1971); "Cat's Eye in the Window" (#70, 1972); "Three Times in Love" (#35, 1980); "I Think We're Alone Now (Acoustic)" (#72, 2019); "So Beautiful" (#86, 2019).
This is the story of one Thomas Jackson who was born in Ohio, then moved to Niles, Michigan. He was into music at an early age, and by age 12 he fronted a band called The Echoes, which then evolved into Tom and the Tornados, and eventually the name was changed to The Shondells. The band was one of those "garage bands" who played the clubs in the Niles area. One of the common songs played by those area bands was something called "Hanky Panky". The song, written by Brill Building stalwarts Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, was supposed to be a "throwaway song" that was relegated to the B-side of a Raindrops single, but bands in the Niles area were playing it. The Shondells recorded it on a local label, Snap, and it became a regional hit in 1964, though it didn't spread to other regions because of limited distribution. Still the band was popular locally. However, by 1965 the band split as the members went their separate ways, after graduating from high school. Tommy joined another band called The Koachmen, but after a few gigs, that band split, leaving him high and dry.
In late 1965, a Pittsburgh promoter named Bob Mack was looking thru record bins and came upon "Hanky Panky", and started playing it at clubs in that city. The song became popular there and 80,000 copies of it were bootlegged and sold in Pittsburgh. In 1966 all this action got back to Tommy, who got a call from a Pittsburgh radio station DJ that "Hanky Panky" was a huge hit in the area and wanted him to make an appearance at that club. However, as the original Shondells moved away, he was unable to get the band back together so he was on his own. He then went into a nightclub where a band called The Raconteurs (not the Jack White group) were playing, and Tommy asked them if they wanted to be the Shondells, and they accepted. With the master of the song in hand, they went off to New York City and shopped the song to various record labels. It looked really good that all the major labels wanted to sign the group....until the following day, when all of them politely refused. The reason? Seems that Roulette Records, an indie label headed by Morris Levy, who actually was a front for the Genovese crime family, "threatened" the other labels that this was "his record". So Tommy had no choice but to sign with Roulette. The "new" Shondells were ready to go with Tommy Jackson changing his name to Tommy James and getting lead billing. "Hanky Panky" shot straight to #1 in the early summer of 1966. Because of contract issues, three of the five ex-Raconteurs left the band and were replaced by two others, including Peter Lucia, from Morristown, and Eddie Gray, joining Ron Rosman and Mike Vale to form the classic lineup. For the next two years, the band scored a multitude of hits, including "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony". Most of the songs were written and/or produced by Bo Gentry and Ritchie Cordell. But by late 1968, disagreements between Levy and Gentry and Cordell caused both of them to go elsewhere. For James, it was his big break: The music was changing from singles to albums and the music was getting more progressive. Thus, he handled the production chores for the band, co-authored songs with other members of the band and explored new directions. The first single in this new, psychedelic vein was "Crimson and Clover" which became their second number one. The title was thought of by Peter Lucia, as he was going to a high school football game in which his school, Morristown, was playing Hopatcong. "Crimson" was the school nickname, and "clover" or green, was Hopatcong's color. The song, which had a longer version played on FM radio, was their second and final #1 song, but for the next year and a half, they continued with more hits like "Sweet Cherry Wine", "Crystal Blue Persuasion" (which became the second year-end #1 on my list), "She" and others. But more significantly for me, the Shondells' final three albums, Crimson and Clover, Cellophane Symphony and Travelin', were gems, exploring many styles of music. The title track from Cellophane Symphony is a nine-minute avant-garde instrumental that rivals Pink Floyd; "Bloody Water" from Travelin' is a jamming, blues-style romp. Because of all this style shift, the band was invited to play Woodstock but they refused, not thinking this would become a monumental event.
However, by mid 1970, James was feeling burnt-out from all the activity of the last four years; during a performance the spring of that year, he collapsed on stage. Initially pronounced dead, he recuperated and left the Shondells, resting up at a farm in upstate New York. Meanwhile, the Shondells, including Lucia continued, changing their name to the more hip-for-the-times name of Hog Heaven who recorded a couple of albums. James bounced back with several solo songs, one of which, "Draggin' the Line" brought him back to the top 10, albeit briefly. James' solo material included a multitude of styles, including rock, gospel and even country. The latter was brought about when there were mob threats against Levy that may have targeted James; he briefly moved to Nashville and recorded a country-flavored album there.
James bounced around from label to label in the 1970's, and after a brief move out west, moved to Clifton around 1976; Jersey has been his home since. He made a comeback with the top 20 "Three Times in Love", and two minor follow-ups. While he recorded in the 1980's without much success, his songbook became popular. Joan Jett covered "Crimson and Clover" to a #7 hit in 1982, and both Tiffany and Billy Idol had back-to-back #1's with "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony" respectively in 1987; the latter becoming a party and club hit. All three songs made my year-end lists, as well as R.E.M.'s cover of "Draggin' the Line", in 1997.
Sadly, Peter Lucia died of a heart attack in 1987. The other classic members briefly reunited with James to record a Christmas album in 2008, then formed The Crystal Blue Band which tours to this day. James is very active as well, fronting a new lineup of Shondells and touring. He is very much in the public eye, hosting a Sunday evening music show on SiriusXM's "60s on 6" channel. He wrote a book Me, The Mob, and the Music about his career as well as the story of his involvement with Morris Levi's connections (Levi became the inspiration for the "Hesh" character on The Sopranos). The book is slated to be made into both a movie and a Broadway musical. In 2019, Tommy released a new album, Alive, containing an acoustic version of "I Think We're Alone Now" and a new song, "So Beautiful"; both hit my blog top 20 and made the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart as well.
1. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Jersey Connection: The group originated in Newark; most of the 60's members are from there, Belleville, Bergenfield and Elizabeth; much of the 1970's era of the band are also from Jersey; Band was the inspiration of the musical and movie "Jersey Boys".
Years Considered: 1964-1970, 1975-1978
Top Billboard Hits: 5 group #1's: "Sherry" (1962); "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1962); "Walk Like a Man (1963); "Rag Doll" (1964); "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)" (1976); "Candy Girl" (#3, 1963); "Dawn (Go Away)" (#3, 1964).; "Let's Hang On" (#3, 1965); "Who Loves You" (#3, 1975); "Ronnie" (#6, 1964); 'Working My Way Back to You" (#9, 1966); "I've Got You Under My Skin" (#9, 1966); "C'mon Marianne" (#9, 1967); "Save it For Me" (#10, 1964); "Tell It to the Rain" (#10, 1966). 2 Frankie Valli solo #1's: "My Eyes Adored You" (1974); "Grease" (1978); "Can't Take My Eyes off You" (#2, 1967); "Swearin' To God" (#6, 1975).
Personal Year-End: "Save It For Me" (#17, 1964); "Rag Doll" (#31, 1964); "Ronnie" (#41, 1964); "Dawn (Go Away)" (#71, 1964); "Let's Hang On" (#5, 1965); "Bye Bye Baby" (#37, 1965); "Don't Think Twice" (as The Wonder Who) (#98, 1965); "I've Got You Under My Skin" (#20, 1966); "Working My Way Back To You" (#39, 1966); "Opus 17" (#41, 1966); "C'mon Marianne" (#57, 1967); "Tell It To The Rain" (#76, 1967); "Watch The Flowers Grow" (#87, 1967); "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (#100, 1968); "Who Loves You" (#2, 1975); "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)" (#1, 1976); "Down the Hall" (#100, 1977). Frankie Valli solo: "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (#25, 1967); "Swearin' To God" (#14, 1975); "My Eyes Adored You" (#78, 1975); "Fallin' Angel" (#18, 1976); "Grease" (#10, 1978).
Just look at the above songs and you'll know why Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are #1 on this list: With apologies to Bruce Springsteen, and Frank Sinatra, these are the "Jersey Boys". The tally was far ahead of the others, even without including their 1962 and 1963 hits. The group has the distinction of being the ONLY artists to have number one songs before (pre-January 1964), during, and after (post-April 1970) the reign of the Beatles (The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley and Bobby Vinton come close).
The nucleus of this group goes back to 1953, when Frankie Valli recorded a solo song called "My Mother's Eyes" and formed a group with Tommy DeVito, Hank Majewski and Nick Massi. They were originally called The Varitones, but tried other names before settling on The Four Lovers. In 1956, the group hit #56 with "Apple Of My Eye" but couldn't land on the charts after that. They continued to play lounges through the late 1950's changing their name often on record (but still performing as The Four Lovers), but couldn't score another hit. In 1959, during a gig in Baltimore, The Royal Teens, a band from Fort Lee was also performing. They had just come off a big hit with "Short Shorts". The song was written by Bob Gaudio, who was only 15 at the time. Gaudio then joined The Four Lovers as their keyboardist. Still, the band could not buy a hit. In 1960 they auditioned at a lounge at a newly-opened bowling alley in Union, on the the corner of W. Chestnut Street and Route 22. They didn't get the job, but the name of the establishment gave the band a new name, perhaps to change their fortunes: "4 Seasons". They signed a production contract with Bob Crewe, (who would figure in their eventual success),and recorded their fist single, "Bermuda" in 1961. But, like all the songs the of the last five years, it didn't chart. The next song was written by Bob Gaudio. It was called "Sherry". Eureka! The song hit #1 in 1962. The follow-ups, "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man", also hit #1 and the group was on its way. It was the first time a rock band had three number one singles in a row. They were on Vee-Jay records, a black-owned record label and were the first white artists to sign. That company would also release early Beatles records, but the label eventually had financial problems and eventually folded. In 1964 the Seasons signed with Philips Records and despite the onslaught of the British Invasion, the band rolled on with more hits, including another #1 with "Rag Doll" and several top 10's in the ensuing three years. Perhaps following the lead of Paul McCartney "soloing" on "Yesterday" and Brian Wilson with "Caroline No", Valli stepped out with a series of solo singles (backed by the band), most notably "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" in the summer of 1967.
Despite changing trends in music, the Four Seasons held their ground, churning out top 20 songs and altering their style for the times. "C'mon Marianne" was their final top 10 that same summer of '67, before entering a decline. Except for Joe Long replacing Nick Massi around 1965, the band stayed intact . Their final charting single was 1970's "Patch of Blue". With albums being more experimental and making more of an impact in the music industry, the Season tried with something called The Genuine Life Imitation Gazette. A noble attempt, it pretty much bombed. The band left Philips and signed with Motown in 1970, but all of the single releases on that famed label didn't chart. Tommy DeVito left the band around that time, and Joe Long left in 1975. New members that would define the band in the mid 1970's joined, including Don Ciccone, who was lead singer of The Critters (see #25), Lee Shapiro, John Paiva and Gerry Polci. Bob Gaudio was still with the band, but only for studio work. 1974 was a year that many of the stars from the early 1960's made "comebacks", with Paul Anka and Neil Sedaka scoring multiple hits during this time. Frankie Valli's solo "My Eyes Adored You" hit #1 in early 1975 and hit the top 10 with the follow-up, the disco-tinged "Swearin' To God". Both songs hit the top 10 on New York Top 40 station WABC's "Top 100 of the Year" for 1975. Later that year, the Four Seasons, now on Warner Bros, scored with the awesome "Who Loves You", which was my #2 song for 1975. The follow-up was even bigger:: "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)" hit #1 on Billboard and was my #1 song for the year. Frankie Valli only had a minor part in that song, with the lead being traded by Polci and Ciccone. Much of the material recorded during this era didn't feature Valli as lead singer, and that also included the group's song "Down the Hall", in 1977. Frankie Valli continued solo as well, scoring another #1 with the theme from the movie Grease, in 1978. After that, aside from a couple Seasons low charters in 1980, the band pretty much became an "oldies act". Much like Tommy James, with the Shondells, Frankie Valli still tours with backing bands called the Four Seasons, although there are no other original members. Nick Massi played gigs from time to time and played with Paul Czekaj (see #13) and Bobby Bandiera for awhile in the early 1980's.
In 2005, a musical based on the band opened on Broadway and ran for 15 years. Original members Valli, Gaudio, and DeVito were present in the opening. After its Broadway run, it appeared off-Broadway which, after a pandemic-induced hiatus, will resume this fall. Jersey Boys was also a non-musical motion picture as well.
Massi died from cancer in 2000. Tommy DeVito died from COVID-19 last September. Polci, Shapiro and Ciccone had performed as The Hit Men in the 2010's before Ciccone passed away in 2015.
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REMEMBERING: As mentioned at the top of this week's blog, we lost two key figures of rock and roll history. On August 24, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, died of heart complications at the age of 80. Essentially one of the original members of the legendary British band, he stayed with the Stones to the present day. Originally going to art school and being a graphic designer, he got into music with initially a jazz direction, which morphed into rhythm and blues. Working the clubs he would meet what would be the core of the new band The Rolling Stones, whose blues influences were a perfect match for Watts. He is the second of the original lineup to pass, after Brian Jones, who died of a drug overdose in 1969, and was one of three original members of the band at the time of his passing (Bill Wyman, also an original member, left the band in 1993). The band had stopped touring in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic but were ready once again to take to the road later this year. Their pandemic-themed "Living in a Ghost Town", hit #1 on my blog playlist last year and he, along with the rest of the band participated in a Zoom-video for a television special to benefit the healthcare workers and first responders.
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| Charlie Watts, drummer for the Rolling Stones since 1963, has passed away at the age of 80. |
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| Don Everly, one half of the Everly Brothers, died last week at age 84. |
Passing three days earlier, on August 21, was Don Everly, one half of The Everly Brothers, who brought a country/folkish and rockabilly approach to early rock and roll, along with his brother Phil, who died in 2014. Growing up in Kentucky and moving later to Tennessee, the brother were part of a musical family, whose father had a radio show and the boys would showcase their talents. They started recording professionally, and eventually started hitting the charts. "Bye Bye Love" was their first big hit, going to #2 in 1957, followed by the number one "Wake Up Little Susie". They continued with a string of top 10 hits, including two more number one's "Cathy's Clown" and "All I Have to Do Is Dream", well into the 1960's. But, by the middle of that decade, their popularity decreased, with their last top 40 hit, "Bowling Green" in 1967. The duo split in 1973, both brothers doing solo work, with limited success. However, they reunited in 1984 and hit the charts with "On the Wings of a Nightingale" which reached #50. With 35 songs that made the top 40 of the Billboard chart, they were the all-time hitmaking duo, until Darryl Hall & John Oates broke that record in the 1980's. Phil had died of lung cancer at age 84 back in 2014. Don died last week at the age of 84.
CURRENTLY: More records broken on the playlist this week, as Pageants' "Just Tell Me" replaces ScreenAge's "Questions" at the top. As the west-coast duo is led by Rebecca Coleman, that makes fifteen straight weeks that my #1 song has been by a female-led band. It is also the second number one by Pageants, and the first since "Musing of The Tide" back in February 2013. That sets a record for the biggest gap between number one blog songs, of 8 years and six months. The previous record was by Wilco, which hit number one back in August and September 2011 with "I Might" then didn't take the top spot again until October 2019, for a gap of 8 years and one and a half months. It is actually the third number one for the two members, including Devin O'Brien, as both were once part of Avi Buffalo, which hit #1 in 2010 with "What's In It For". The band last month released their second album, Sun and Settled Days. Like many artists this year, they had released songs in rapid succession, with "Just Tell Me", the third of four released in advance of the album. The band is 9-for-9 in top 20 songs on the blog. The latest, "Where Did the Time Go" holds at #46 this week but is still bulleted in a competitive portion of the playlist.
NEW: Seven new adds this week, led by an Italian rock band called Maneskin, with "Beggin'". Originally from Rome, the band cut their first album back in 2017 called Chosen and have made the Italian pop charts since. "Beggin'" didn't hit these shores until this year where it has peaked (so far) at #35 on the Hot 100. And if your wondering, yes, this is a cover of the Four Seasons hit from 1967 (apropos since I placed them at #1 on my Jersey list above). The song is a modern ode to the original, minus Frankie Valli's falsetto, of course, but other than that, it's pretty true to the Seasons' 1967 hit A nice, leftfield effort that should do well on my blog. It debuts at #66. As mentioned last week, The Weeknd's latest "Take My Breath" enters. With "Blinding Lights" continuing to extend its record for most weeks on the Hot 100 (89 and counting) and inching up on my list to #90 in its second week, and with "Save Your Tears" peaking here at #2 and the oldest song on my playlist (28 weeks), comes his latest. This is a pretty much a throwback disco romp with a full, thumping production. Perhaps not as "assessible" for me as "Save Your Tears", but it should make a big impact nonetheless.
Making his blog debut is Sean Bowie, performing under the stage name of Yves Tumor, from Miami, who specializes in "experimental" and electronic music, with "Jackie". A song full of ambience and full production. A lot of stuff going on here. This is different enough to make inroads. Valerie June follows up her blog top five "Call Me A Fool", with "Smile". Somewhat resembling the prior song, this one is a happy, bouncing song that makes you, well, smile a bit.
Christina Taylor's "I Got That From You" returned her to the blog top 20, although it somehow failed to crack the elite-ness that is the country chart. Ms. Taylor had promised five new songs to be released over the next year, and perhaps to get this song out before the end of summer, comes out with "Destination". Along the lines of her "Don't Look Good In Your T-Shirt Anymore" as well as hints of Carrie Underwood, with some rock guitar overtones. It appears that Christina may be rapidly releasing songs as many artists have done this year: "Damn Boy" has been featured on Tik Tok. But for now, I am concentrating on "Destination", while we enjoy the last gasp of summer.
Also debuting this week is The Record Company's "How High", and Aurora's "Cure For Me".
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
August 22, 2021
|
This Week |
Last
Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks
on List |
|
1 |
2 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: Sun and Settled Days |
12 |
|
2 |
1 |
12 |
|
|
3 |
3 |
13 |
|
|
4 |
6 |
9 |
|
|
5 |
4 |
12 |
|
|
6 |
5 |
14 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
7 |
|
|
8 |
9 |
11 |
|
|
9 |
7 |
13 |
|
|
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
11 |
8 |
13 |
|
|
12 |
14 |
10 |
|
|
13 |
17 |
5 |
|
|
14 |
15 |
8 |
|
|
15 |
20 |
6 |
|
|
16 |
13 |
17 |
|
|
17 |
22 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: Romantic Images |
6 |
|
18 |
10 |
12 |
|
|
19 |
25 |
8 |
|
|
20 |
16 |
16 |
|
|
21 |
23 |
9 |
|
|
22 |
26 |
14 |
|
|
23 |
18 |
11 |
|
|
24 |
19 |
15 |
|
|
25 |
28 |
8 |
|
|
26 |
21 |
12 |
|
|
27 |
30 |
6 |
|
|
28 |
29 |
12 |
|
|
29 |
31 |
11 |
|
|
30 |
38 |
3 |
|
|
31 |
24 |
9 |
|
|
32 |
33 |
6 |
|
|
33 |
32 |
9 |
|
|
34 |
36 |
7 |
|
|
35 |
35 |
8 |
|
|
36 |
37 |
5 |
|
|
37 |
27 |
15 |
|
|
38 |
42 |
6 |
|
|
39 |
43 |
6 |
|
|
40 |
55 |
3 |
|
|
41 |
44 |
3 |
|
|
42 |
41 |
7 |
|
|
43 |
45 |
6 |
|
|
44 |
54 |
3 |
|
|
45 |
64 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  Album: Future Nostalgia |
2 |
|
46 |
46 |
4 |
|
|
47 |
51 |
5 |
|
|
48 |
40 |
10 |
|
|
49 |
67 |
2 |
|
|
50 |
47 |
7 |
|
|
51 |
50 |
8 |
|
|
52 |
60 |
3 |
|
|
53 |
49 |
7 |
|
|
54 |
34 |
12 |
|
|
55 |
53 |
10 |
|
|
56 |
81 |
2 |
|
|
57 |
57 |
5 |
|
|
58 |
59 |
Christina Alessi and the Toll Collectors - Stone Meets the Sea |
4 |
|
59 |
56 |
7 |
|
|
60 |
39 |
10 |
|
|
61 |
61 |
3 |
|
|
62 |
48 |
8 |
|
|
63 |
62 |
7 |
|
|
64 |
66 |
3 |
|
|
65 |
76 |
2 |
|
|
66 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  "Beggin'" Album: Chosen (EP) |
1 |
|
67 |
70 |
7 |
|
|
68 |
52 |
11 |
|
|
69 |
75 |
4 |
|
|
70 |
79 |
10 |
|
|
71 |
73 |
5 |
|
|
72 |
65 |
15 |
|
|
73 |
80 |
8 |
|
|
74 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
75 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
76 |
58 |
14 |
|
|
77 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
78 |
63 |
13 |
|
|
79 |
88 |
2 |
|
|
80 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
81 |
90 |
4 |
|
|
82 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
83 |
71 |
28 |
|
|
84 |
68 |
16 |
|
|
85 |
72 |
25 |
|
|
86 |
74 |
9 |
|
|
87 |
84 |
Elle King and Miranda Lambert - Drunk (And I Don'tWant to Go
Home) |
21 |
|
88 |
69 |
9 |
|
|
89 |
89 |
4 |
|
|
90 |
96 |
2 |
|
|
91 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
92 |
97 |
4 |
|
|
93 |
100 |
2 |
|
|
94 |
83 |
8 |
|
|
95 |
77 |
10 |
|
|
96 |
87 |
17 |
|
|
97 |
78 |
24 |
|
|
98 |
82 |
21 |
|
|
99 |
85 |
15 |
|
|
100 |
86 |
14 |
|
|
Songs with the greatest increase in
favorite points over the prior week. ●
Songs with
25 or more plays on iTunes/iPods ▲ Songs with 50 or more plays.
.
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