May 2, 2022

 

 

In 86, Lionel Richie, on Motown,

had a Top 7, with ‘Dancing On The Ceiling’.

And in 91, Bizarre Inc, reached No.13,

on Vinyl Solution, with ‘Such A Feeling’.

 

In 64, ‘Dancing In The Street’, on Stateside,

gave Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, a Top 4.

And in 77, The Steve Gibbons Band, peaked at No.12,

with ‘Tulane’, on Polydor.

 

In 74, ‘Rock Your Baby’, on Jayboy,

was a UK & US, gold selling No.1, for George McCrae.

And in 80, The Average White Band’, made No.12,

with ‘Let’s Go Round Again Part 1’, on RCA.

 

In 79, ‘Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)’, on Epic,

gave The Jacksons, a Top 4 success.

And in 91, Technotronic ftg Reggie, was at No.12,

with ‘Move That Body’, on ARS.

 

In 80, ‘Dance Yourself Dizzy’, on Polo,

for Liquid Gold, a Top 2, was to be.

And in 84, ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’,

on Chrysalis, gave Ultravox a Top 3.

 

In 62, The Four Seasons had a UK No.8 & US No.1,

on Stateside, with ‘Sherry’.

And in 76, ‘Play That Funky Music’, on Epic,

was a UK No.7 & US No.1, for Wild Cherry.

 

In 74, ‘All Of My Life’, on Tamla Motown,

reached No.9, for Diana Ross.

And in 04, ‘Dance With My Father’, on J Records,

made No.21, for Luther Vandross.

 

In 62, Gene Pitney, was at No.32,

on HMV, with ‘Town Without Pity’.

And in 78, Marshall Hain had a Top 3,

on Harvest, with ‘Dancing In The City’.

 

In 77, ‘Boogie Nights’, on GTO,

gave Heatwave, a Top 2.

And in 03, Lemar, also had a Top 2,

on Sony Music, with ‘Dance (With U)’.

 

In 67, Otis Redding, on Stax,

peaked at No.28, with ‘Shake’.

And in 74, Millican & Nesbitt, on Pye,

made a No.38, with ‘For Old Time’s Sake’.

 

In 86, Madonna, had a UK No.1,

on Sire, with ‘True Blue’.

And in 93, ‘Moving On Up’, on Deconstruction,

for M People, was a Top 2.

 

In 67, ‘Groovin’, on Atlantic,

gave The Young Rascals, a UK No.8 & US No.1.

And in 73, Marvin Gaye, on Tamla Motown,

had a UK No.31 & US No.1, with ‘Let’s Get It On’.

 

April 8, 2022

 

 

In 60, ‘Wild One’, rose to No.7,

followed at No.22, with Volare.

Also in 60, ‘Swinging School’ made No.44,

and then reaching No.12, came ‘Sway’.

 

In 61, ‘Good Time Baby’, peaked at No.42,

And in 62, ‘Teach Me To Twist’, rose to No. 45

for Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell,

and was his last hit on Columbia to arrive.

 

Next in 62, ‘Jingle Bell Rock’

was a Top 40, now on Cameo Parkway.

And in 63, ‘Forget Him’, peaked at No.13,

also on Cameo Parkway, being his last hit in the UK.

 

Thank you for the fab music

R I P  Bobby Rydell   1942 – 2022

 

written by

Harriet Blackbury

 

March 23, 2022

 

 

In 86, ‘Friends Will Be Friends’, on EMI,

peaked at No.14 for Queen.

And in 06, ‘Welcome To Wherever You Are’,

on Mercury, for Bon Jovi, made No.19.

 

In 78, ‘Come To Me’, on Creole,

gave Ruby Winters a No.11.

And in 88, ‘Come Into My Life’, on London,

took Joyce Sims up to No.7.

 

In 85, Simply Red, on Elektra,

rose to No.66 with ‘Come To My Aid’.

And in 87, Moonman was in the Top 60,

on Heat Recordings, with ‘Don’t Be Afraid’.

 

In 80, ‘Hello I Am Your Heart’, on Korova,

made the Top 50 for Bette Bright.

And in 04, ‘Come As You Are’, on Parlophone,

peaked at No.9 for Beverley Knight.

 

In 72, Vicky Leandros reached No.2,

on Philips, with ‘Come What May’.

And in 94, ‘Welcome To Paradise’, on Reprise,

was a Top 20 for Green Day.

 

In 65, ‘Come Tomorrow’, on HMV,

peaked at No.4 for Manfred Mann.

And in 05, ‘Welcome To My Life’, on Lava,

reached No.49 for Simple Plan.

 

In 73, ‘Welcome Home’, on Philips,

was a No.1 for Peters & Lee.

And in 75, ‘Walking In Rhythm’, on Fantasy,

took The Blackbyrds to No.23.

 

In 73, Alice Cooper, on Warner Brothers,

reached No.6 with Hello Hurray.

And in 94, ‘Come In Out Of The Rain’, made No.8,

for Wendy Moten, on EMI – USA.

 

In 65, ‘Walk Hand In Hand’, on Columbia,

gave Gerry & The Pacemakers a No.29.

And in 89, The Travelling Wilburys, made No.52,

on Wilbury label, with ‘End Of The Line’.

 

In 63, ‘Welcome To My World’, on RCA,

gave Jim Reeves a No.6.

And in 65, ‘Come And Stay With Me’, on Decca,

for Marianne Faithfull, a Top 4, ending this mix.

 

written by

Harriet Blackbury.

 

February 16, 2022

 

 

In 63, The Hollies, on Parlophone

reached No.8 with ‘Stay’.

And in 79, ‘Street Life’, was a Top 5,

for The Crusaders on MCA.

 

In 87, Terence Trent D’arby, peaked at No.7

on CBS with ‘If You Let Me Stay’.

And in 93, Jade, also reached No.7

on Giant with ‘Don’t Walk Away’.

 

In 78, ‘Come Back And Finish What You Started’,

gave Gladys Knight & The Pips, on Buddah, a No.15.

And in 80, ‘Hungry Heart’, on CBS,

made No.44 for Bruce Springsteen.

 

In 64, ‘Cast Your Fate To The Wind’, flew to No.5,

on Piccadilly, for Sounds Orchestral.

And in 87, ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’, was at No.27,

for Crowded House, on Capitol.

 

In 70, The Contours, on Tamla Motown,

made No.31, with ‘Just A Little Misunderstanding’.

And in 71, ‘Street Fighting Man’, on Decca,

gave The Rolling Stones, a No.21 standing.

 

In 66, ‘Headline News’, was a No.39,

for Edwin Starr on Polydor.

And in 68, ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’, made No.25,

for Cream, also on Polydor.

 

In 83, ‘Love On Your Side’, on Arista,

took The Thompson Twins up to No.9.

And in 91,’Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’, on Epic,

saw George Michael & Elton John, on the US & UK No.1 line.

 

written by

Harriet Blackbury.

 

January 12, 2022

 

 

 

In 81, ‘Doors Of Your Heart’, on GoFeet,

gave The Beat a No.33.

And in 95, Matt Goss had a Top 40,

on Atlas with ‘The Key’.

 

In 71, ‘Stoney End’, reached No.27,

for Barbra Streisand, on CBS.

And in 73, ‘The Show Must Go On’, on Chrysalis,

gave Leo Sayer, a gold selling Top 2 success.

 

In 95, ‘Key To My Life’, was a Top 3,

on Polydor, for Boyzone.

And in 97, ‘Closed For Business’, a Top 10,

for Mansun, on Parlophone.

 

In 88, ‘Wild World’, on 10Ten,

for Maxi Priest, made the Top 5.

Also in 88, ‘One Moment In Time’, on Arista,

for Whitney Houston, at No.1, for two weeks, did survive.

 

In 81, ‘Lock Up Your Daughters’,

for Slade, made No.29, on RCA.

And in 93, ‘The Key The Secret’, on Pulse,

gave Urban Cookie Collective, a Top 2 play.

 

In 99, ‘Closing Time’, on MCA,

gave Semisonic, a No 25 shout.

And in 94, Crowded House, on Capitol,

reached No.12, with ‘Locked Out’.

 

written by

Harriet Blackbury  January 2022

(usual copyright rules apply)

 

 

December 8, 2021

 

 

 

With the first of 4 hits in the 70’s,

in 75, John Miles entered the charts

at No.17, with ‘High Fly’,

on the Decca label, winning hearts.

 

In 76, ‘Music’, still on Decca,

his biggest hit was to be,

becoming a silver seller,

and an inevitable UK Top 3.

 

Also in 76, ‘Remember Yesterday’,

the next Decca recording on view.

Guaranteeing another hit single,

this time peaking at No.32.

 

Finally, in 77, came ‘Slow Down’,

which saw him back in the Top Ten.

Thank You so much for the music,

to this day, played again and again.

 

R I P    John Miles   1949 – 2021

 

written by

Harriet Blackbury

 

 

 

November 26, 2021

 

 

In 73, ‘Rising Sun’ on Polydor

for Medicine Head, peaked at No.11.

And in 02 , ‘A New Day Has Come’, on Epic,

saw Celine Dion, at No.7.

 

In 83, ‘Beat It’, on Epic,

gave Michael Jackson a US No.1 & UK Top 3.

And in 89, ‘A New Flame’, peaked at No.17,

for Simply Red on Wea.

 

In 77, Billy Paul, on Philadelphia International,

reached No.33, with ‘Only The Strong Survive’.

And in 82, ‘Love Potion No.9’, on MCA,

gave The Tygers Of Pan Tang,  a No.45

 

In 92, ‘Remedy’, on DEF American,

for Black Crowes made No.24.

And in 96, ‘Getting Better’, reached No.14,

for Shed Seven, on Polydor.

 

In 72, ‘Stay With Me’, on Regal Zonophone,

reached No.11 for Blue Mink.

And in 02, ‘New Dawn’, made No.51,

for The Prophets Of Sound, on INK.

 

In 74, ‘Slip And Slide’, reached No.22,

for Medicine Head, on Polydor.

And in 82, ‘Let’s Go To Bed’, on Fiction,

gave The Cure, a No.44.

 

In 74, Limmie & The Family Cooking, made No.6,

with ‘A Walkin’ Miracle’, on Avco.

And in 75, ‘Walking In Rhythm’, on Fantasy,

for The Blackbyrds, a No.23 show.

 

In 86, ‘Infected’, took The The,

up to No.48, on Some Bizarre.

And in 88, ‘Stay On These Roads’, was a Top 5,

on Warner Brothers, for A-ha.

 

In 85, ‘Contagious’, on MCA,

took The Whispers to No.56.

And in 84, ‘New Moon On Monday’, on EMI,

a No.9, for Duran Duran, ends this mix.

 

written by

Harriet Blackbury

 

 

September 6, 2021

 

 

 

With the first twelve of seventeen

consecutive hits on Polydor,

In 02, Girls Aloud entered the charts at No.1,

with Platinum selling ‘Sound Of The Underground’.

 

In 03, ‘No Good Advice’, reached the Top 2,

and also in 03, ‘Life Got Cold’, made the Top 3.

Ending 03, ‘Jump’ rose to the Top 2,

and in 04, ‘The Show’, another Top 3, was to be.

 

Also in 04, ‘Love Machine’, made the Top 2,

and ‘I’ll Stand By You’, a two week No.1.

In 05, ‘Wake Me Up’, became a Top 4,

and ‘Long Hot Summer’, had the No.7 slot won.

 

Still in 05, ‘Biology’, peaked at No.4,

and ending 05, ‘See The Day’, reached No.9.

In 06, ‘Whole Lotta History’, was a Top 6, and

‘Something Kinda Ooooh’, on Fascination, hit the Top 3 line.

 

Ending 06, ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’, peaked at No.4, and

in 07, ‘Walk This Way’ for The Sugarbabes & Girls Aloud, a No.1.

Still in 07, ‘Sexy! No No No’, rose to No.5.

And ending 07, ‘Call The Shots’, had the Top 3 won.

 

In 08, ‘Theme To St Trinians’, reached No.51.

and gold selling, ‘The Promise’, made No.1 heaven.

Also in 08, ‘The Loving Kind’, peaked at No.10.

And in 09, ‘Untouchable’, rose to No.11.

 

Thank you for the music

R I P

Sarah Harding     1981 – 2021

 

written by

Harriet Blackbury

blackbury-poems.com

 

September 2, 2021

 

 

 

In 82, ‘Living On The Ceiling’, on London,

gave Blancmange a No.7.

And in 09, ‘The Climb’, on Polydor,

for Miley Cyrus, reached No.11.

 

In 70, ‘Up The Ladder To The Roof’, rose to No.6

for The Supremes, on Tamla Motown.

And in 81, Spandau Ballet, had a Top 30,

on Reformation, with ‘Paint Me Down’.

 

In 69, ‘White Room’, peaked at No.28

for Cream, on Polydor.

And in 2000, ‘Deeper Shade Of Blue’, on Ebul/Jive,

for Steps, leapt to No.4.

 

In 66, ‘Black Is Black’, on Decca,

gave Los Bravos a Top 2 call.

And in 78, The Tom Robinson Band, on EMI,

rose to No.33, with ‘Up Against The Wall’.

 

In 67, ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’, on Deram,

gave Procal Harem, a No.1 song.

And in 83, Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes, had a UK No.7,

on Island, with the US No.1 – ‘Up Where We Belong’.

 

In 66, ‘Paint It Black’, on Decca,

gave The Rolling Stones US & UK No.1 pride.

And in 01, Ocean Colour Scene, on Island,

reached No.19, with ‘Up On The Down Side’.

 

In 68, ‘Green Tambourine’, on Pye International,

gave The Lemon Pipers, a US No.1 & UK Top 7.

Also in 68, ‘Black Magic Woman’, on Blue Horizon,

for Fleetwood Mac, reached No.37.

 

In 79, ‘Off The Wall’, on Epic,

for Michael Jackson, was a No.7 gem.

Also in 79, ‘Painter Man’, on Atlantic/Hansa,

made the Top 10, for Boney M.

 

In 72, Greyhound, on Trojan,

had a Top 20, with ‘I Am What I Am’.

And in 88, ‘A Hazy Shade Of Winter’, made No.11,

for The Bangles on Def Jam.

 

In 96, Fool’s Garden, on Encore,

reached No.26, with ‘Lemon Tree’.

And in 06, ‘Break The Night With Colour’,

on Parlophone, gave Richard Ashcroft a Top 3.

 

written by

Harriet Blackbury

 

August 25, 2021

 

 

 

With the first of 17 chart hits on Decca,

In 63, The Rolling Stones took  ‘Come On’, to No.21.

Also in 63, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ rose to No.12,

And in 64, ‘Not Fade Away’, had the Top 3 won.

 

Also in 64, ‘It’s All Over Now’ & ‘Little Red Rooster’,

both had No.1 success.

As did, ‘The Last Time’ & ‘(I Can’t Get No Satisfaction)’,

which was also a No.1 in the US.

 

In 66, ‘Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown’, made No.2.

And ‘Paint It,Black’, another US & UK No.1 hit to arrive.

Also in 66, ‘Have You Seen Your Mother Baby

Standing In The Shadow’, climbed into the Top 5.

 

In 67, ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’/’Ruby Tuesday’,

a US No.1 & UK Top 3.

Also in 67, ‘We Love You’/’Dandelion’, made No.8,

And in 68, ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, a No.1, was to be.

 

In 69, ‘Honky Tonk Women, a US No.1 & UK 5 week No.1.

And in 71, ‘Brown Sugar’/’Bitch’/’Let It Rock’,

on Rolling Stone label, a US No.1 & UK Top 2.

And ‘Street Fighting Man’, on Decca, had a No.21 knock.

 

In 72, ‘Tumblin Dice’ (their second of 22 hits,

on Rolling Stone label), made the Top 5.

With ‘Angie’ next – a Silver selling US No.1 & UK No.5.

And in 74, ‘It’s Only Rock And Roll’ at No.10, did arrive.

 

In 75, ‘Out Of Time’ reached No.45,

And in 76, ‘Fool To Cry’ peaked at No.6.

In 78, ‘Miss You’/’Far Away Eyes’, a US No.1 & UK Top 3.

And also in 78, ‘Respectable’, a No.23 fix.

 

In 80, ‘Emotional Rescue’, rose to No.9.

Also in 80, ‘She’s So Cold’, peaked at No.33.

In 81, ‘Start Me Up’, reached No.7.

Also in 81, ‘Waiting On A Friend’, made a Top 50 plea.

 

In 82, ‘Going To A Go Go’, peaked at No.26.

Also in 82, at No.62 was, ‘Time Is On My Side’.

In 83, ‘Undercover Of Night’, made No.11.

And in 84, ‘She Was Hot’, had a No.42 ride.

 

Also in 84, ‘Brown Sugar’, rose to No.58.

And in 86, ‘Harlem Shuffle’, made No.13.

In 89, ‘Mixed Emotions’, reached No.36,

and ‘Rock And A Hard Place’, at No.63 seen.

 

In 90, ‘Paint It, Black’, on London, made No.61,

and ‘Almost Hear You Sigh’, was at No.31.

In 91, ‘High Wire’, rose to No.29,

and ‘Ruby Tuesday (LIVE)’, a No.59 spot won.

 

In 94, ‘Love Is Strong’, on Virgin, reached No.14.

Also, ‘You Got Me Rocking’, peaked at No.23.

Ending 94,’Out Of Tears’ (the third on Virgin) at No.36.

And in 95, ‘I Go Wild’, a No.29, was to be.

 

Also in 95, ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, rose to No.12.

And in 97, ‘Anybody Seen My Baby’, was at No.22.

In 98, ‘Saint Of Me’, reached No.26.

And also, ‘Out Of Control’, at No.51, on view.

 

In 02, ‘Don’t Stop’, peaked at No.36.

And in 03, ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, on Mercury, a No.14.

In 05, ‘Streets Of Love’/’Rough Justice’, rose to No.15.

Also in 05, ‘Rain Fall Down’, at No.33 seen.

 

In 06, ‘Biggest Mistake’, peaked at No.51.

And in 07, ‘Paint It, Black’ on ABKCO/Decca, a No.70 entry.

Bringing to a close this tribute to Charlie Watts.

A fantastic drummer, who was loved aplenty.

 

Thank You for the music.

R I P

Charlie Watts     1941 – 2021

 

Written by

Harriet Blackbury

blackbury-poems.com

 

 

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