NO Hit Wonders

[Boss]

This thread is a little different than the One Hit Wonder thread. It is dedicated to the artists and songwriters who never quite made the Big Time but were phenomenal in their own right. The reasons for why they never made it may vary. Perhaps their genera of music wasn't "mainstream" enough, or they died before they reached true potential. Maybe they were exceptional songwriters but not great performers. Or maybe that star of fame just never shone on them because of fate.

The door is wide open for so many great talents and the only caveat or exception is that they can't have had a hit song which they performed and made a hit. If someone else recorded their song and it was a hit, that doesn't count.

A few of my personal offers are:

John Prine


Gram Parsons


Townes Van Zandt

 

[baileyn45]

This thread is a little different than the One Hit Wonder thread. It is dedicated to the artists and songwriters who never quite made the Big Time but were phenomenal in their own right. The reasons for why they never made it may vary. Perhaps their genera of music wasn't "mainstream" enough, or they died before they reached true potential. Maybe they were exceptional songwriters but not great performers. Or maybe that star of fame just never shone on them because of fate.

The door is wide open for so many great talents and the only caveat or exception is that they can't have had a hit song which they performed and made a hit. If someone else recorded their song and it was a hit, that doesn't count.

A few of my personal offers are:

John Prine


Gram Parsons


Townes Van Zandt

I absolutely love John Prine. I'm glad you picked a song I could never pick just one.

 

[Gracie]

I have a friend that has shitloads of Flying Burrito Bros outfits she inherited from her father..who did album covers for many bands back in the day.

 

[Gracie]

Yup. I just watched the vid and that's the jacket she has.

 

[baileyn45]

I seldom meet any one that knows this tune or artist.

 

[baileyn45]

Funny, I just posted a song from this album on another thread. Cale's music has been recorded by many others, most prominently Clapton, but I don't know any of his own stuff that made into a chart..

 

[Boss]

I seldom meet any one that knows this tune or artist.

Oh man... I go to a music festival once a year that is very special. The very first one was held on the back of a flatbed in the guy's back yard and John Hartford headlined. It was one of his last live performances as I recall. The festival has grown huge and has moved to a bigger venue but the main road into and through the campgrounds is John Hartford Boulevard.

 

[Boss]

Yup. I just watched the vid and that's the jacket she has.

If she has this actual jacket it's worth about a million bucks!
The Story Behind Gram Parsons's Famous Nudie Suit

These were called "Nudie suits" because they were custom made by Nudie Cohn who made the flamboyant sparkly outfits for many country western stars.

 

[Boss]

I absolutely love John Prine. I'm glad you picked a song I could never pick just one.

I know, I have the same problem. John Prine is such a gifted songwriter... He says more in one line of his songs than most artists can say in their entire career. But it's funny, I came to appreciate Prine in a strange way. So many of my music friends would mention him and I'd never heard of him. Then I would hear people who I had heard of, mentioning him as their inspiration. So I kept hearing about this John Prine fella and finally decided to check him out... I can't recall the name of the first song I heard by him but I remember it was something kinda cheesy and funny, and I thought... THAT'S what everybody is so crazy about? I wasn't that impressed but shortly thereafter, I ran across this guy who was playing around our campfire who kept playing these awesome songs and every time I would ask him who that was, he said "John Prine" and suddenly, I was a big fan. This was back when we had record stores and the next day, I went out and bought everything I could find by John Prine.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

 

[Boss]

Here is John Prine with another NO Hit Wonder, Iris DeMent... she is awesome!

 

[Boss]

Here's a good one... Gillian Welch and the incomparable David Rawlings on guitar:

 

[edthecynic]

Probably his best known song.

 

[edthecynic]

Back in the 1960s when I was a college DJ Poppy Records sent us a promo copy of his "Our Mother The Mountain" LP. I flipped over it.

 

[edthecynic]

 

[JOSweetHeart]

This right here is a guy that I used to be crazy about years ago. This was his first song released in 1999 and it got all the way to #20 which was sadly his highest mark as a singer, so I don't know if this song would be considered a hit or not. To me, it should have gone all the way along with everything else that went to radio from him as a singer which unfortunately was just two more songs that only got to #24 and #44.



God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

P.S. These days, songs that are written by him are on the radio, but its other people who are singing them. (shaking my head)

 

[ChrisL]

Interesting thread! Bob Marley was a no hit wonder! How about that? This was his closest that hit #11 in 1992 on an alternative music chart.

 

[ChrisL]

Closest to number 1 was #66 for The Ramones with this song in 1977.

 

[Boss]

Great picks Chris!

 

[Boss]

Here's a guy I really like... he's been around forever but never made it big...
RAY WYLIE HUBBARD

 

[ChrisL]

Great picks Chris!

Thank you Boss!