“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (CCR)

Early on, Creedence Clearwater Revival decided they weren’t going to be like other San Francisco bands such as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead with all that extended jamming. They’d develop radio-friendly tunes. Well, this was an exception but an 11-minute remake of a Motown classic became a signature song of theirs. I gotta think Marvin Gaye approved. The instrumental part at the end sounds free-form but is actually very structured. I could listen to this on an endless loop.

“I Never Picked Cotton” #5 Country 7/25/1970

Roy Clark got his start in the 1950’s Washington, DC country music scene, joining Jimmy Dean’s band for several years while appearing on local TV and radio. The sausage king then fired Roy, but they patched things up and Jimmy (guest hosting for Jack Paar) brought Clark onto the Tonight Show. Those gigs were well received and eventually led to Roy appearing on “The Beverly Hillbillies” and then co-hosting “Hee Haw” with Buck Owens for 25 years. This was his biggest country hit to date.

“Song From M*A*S*H” #70 7/25/1970

The movie “M*A*S*H” and the later TV show were rather groundbreaking. The film’s director, Robert Altman, wanted a song to be titled “Suicide Is Painless” but it had to be the “stupidest song ever written.” Robert said his 14-year-old son wrote the lyrics in about five minutes and his kid earned more in royalties than Altman made directing the flick. Johnny Mandel (RIP 2020) wrote the melody. This bossa nova instrumental version, a Top 10 easy listening hit, was credited to Al De Lory, producer of Glen Campbell’s early hits and who also worked extensively with the Wrecking Crew.

“Cinnamon Girl” (Neil Young) #55 7/25/1970

No question, my favorite Neil Young song. The Gentrys (“Keep On Dancing”) actually charted with this a few weeks prior. Not many people can make a one-note guitar solo work, but Neil did it here. Perhaps the non-standard tuning he used with the cryptic lyrics may have contributed, but this just ROCKS. A downright staple of album rock.

“Teach Your Children” #16 7/25/1970

A song Graham Nash wrote in his Hollies days about the troubled relationship with his father, who spent time in prison when Graham was younger. Credited to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young but Neil Young didn’t appear on the track. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead played steel guitar here. Jerry taught himself the instrument when he spent time with the New Riders of the Purple Sage as a side project.

“Band Of Gold” #3 7/25/1970

Far and away the biggest hit for Freda Payne, and she almost didn’t record it. She felt the subject matter was more suited for a younger girl but did the song anyway. The Funk Brothers (Motown’s house band) secretly made the music as Payne’s label owners Holland-Dozier-Holland were still in litigation with Berry Gordy. Dennis Coffey played the electric sitar and Ray Parker Jr. (who ya gonna call?) played lead guitar. Joyce Wilson and Telma Hopkins, soon part of Dawn with Tony Orlando, sang backup along with Freda’s sister Scherrie, who was in the mid-70’s version of the Supremes.

“Close To You” #1 7/25/1970

Sometimes songs have to float around for years before they become a hit. Originally a 1963 B-side for Richard Chamberlain (TV’s Dr. Kildare), others tried this Bacharach/David tune as well. Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and even Herb Alpert recorded it without success. Finally Alpert gave the song to the Carpenters, newly signed to his A&M label. Richard Carpenter and Herb worked out the arrangement. That was the magic touch, as it became the siblings’ first #1 single. Hal Blaine and Joe Osborn of the Wrecking Crew played drums and bass. Though arranged with him in mind, Alpert wasn’t available and did NOT do the trumpet solo. Chuck Findley, who also played the solos on “Raindrops...” for B.J. Thomas, had that honor.

“My Baby Left Me”

Boy, John Fogerty sure dug old rock and blues songs. Yet another cover tune from CCR’s “Cosmo’s Factory” first done by Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, who originally did “That’s All Right” - Elvis’s very first record. Like so many blues musicians of that era, Crudup (born in Forest, Miss.) eventually became fed up with everyone else making money off his records except him. Arthur mostly stopped performing and became a bootlegger on the Eastern Shore of Virginia where he died in 1974.

“Ooby Dooby” (CCR)

Another cover from CCR’s “Cosmo’s Factory” being the first Sun record for Roy Orbison. Unlike with Elvis, Sam Phillips never quite knew what to do with Orbison. Phillips kept trying to make him into a rockabilly artist, when all Roy really wanted to do was write and sing ballads. Sun producer Jack Clement flat out said Orbison would never make it doing slow songs. Uhhhhh, millions of people would disagree.

“Before You Accuse Me”

We’ll feature several tracks from CCR’s 4x platinum “Cosmo’s Factory” album, released July 16, 1970. This one was first written and done in 1957 as a B-side by Ellas McDaniel, whom the world knew as Bo Diddley, one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. Bo was born in McComb, Miss. and the family moved to Chicago where the Chess brothers later gave him his start. Mr. Diddley then moved to Washington, DC for a few years, where briefly his valet was a young Marvin Gaye.

“Wonder Could I Live There Anymore” #87 (#1 Country) 7/18/1970

From time to time, a super twangy record will make it onto the pop charts. Next week’s #1 country single from Charley Pride did just that. He was the first African-American to have real success on the country charts and endured a lot as a result. He’d joke about it as a way of making the audience and himself a little more at ease.

“Gimme Shelter” (Merry Clayton) #73 7/18/1970

Merry Clayton was known as a first-rate backing singer and provided the all-out female voice on the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” She decided to do a laid-back version of the song herself. Good thing it was a little more mellow; Merry reportedly sang so forcefully she had a miscarriage after her appearance on the Stones record. In a few years she would be featured on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.”

“That Same Old Feeling” (Pickettywitch) #67 7/18/1970

Occasionally, competing versions of a record chart at the same time. British groups Pickettywitch and the Fortunes each had this song on the US charts simultaneously, but neither version did much over here. Pickettywitch, fronted by Polly Brown, had a Top 5 in the UK with their take; the Fortunes didn’t even chart at home with theirs. Video is from “Top Of The Pops.”

“Superman” #64 7/18/1970

The followup to “Vehicle” didn’t do nearly as well for the Ides of March. Several more singles suffered the same fate and the band eventually broke up. Front man Jim Peterik then assembled Survivor, co-writing “Eye Of The Tiger” plus several of .38 Special’s major hits. The Ides regrouped in 1990 and are still gigging around Chicago.

“Go Back” #36 7/18/1970

Here’s a selection from a group that took its name from a Captain Kangaroo cartoon villain. The long-running kiddie show once had an animated segment with the Tom Terrific character, who had an evil nemesis named Crabby Appleton. The L.A. band Stonehenge thus changed their name; they were fronted by Michael Fennelly. 

“Mississippi” #32 7/18/1970

After the breakup of the Mamas and the Papas, group leader John Phillips had a tough time. He recorded a solo LP where the Wrecking Crew provided the backing music, but deliberately dialed back his vocal presence. Papa John fell deeper into drug and alcohol abuse, leading to a liver transplant in 1992. He died in 2001 amid accusations from actress daughter Mackenzie of some really, REALLY weird stuff.

“Save The Country” (5th Dimension) #27 7/18/1970

Another Laura Nyro tune done by the 5th Dimension. This one is a little more political than any of Laura’s songs they recorded previously. Producer Bones Howe wanted Nyro to release it herself as a single but she wasn’t comfortable with the end result, so that was scrapped. Thelma Houston put out her version several months earlier.

“Love Land” #16 7/18/1970

The latest from Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. This was first recorded in the late 50’s by Al Hibbler, known for one of the most popular versions of “Unchained Melody.” It was said Wright tried to find a middle ground for his style somewhere between Otis Redding and James Brown. He found it.

“A Song Of Joy” #14 7/18/1970

Once in a while, a classical piece becomes a pop success. Miguel Ríos was Spain’s first homegrown rock and roll star. Miguel’s only US hit, a #1 on our easy listening charts, was based on Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. His career soon came to a screeching halt after a hashish bust, but he rebounded over there. Rock on, dude.

“Gimme Dat Ding” #9 7/18/1970

There have been really dopey songs that became novelty hits. But this, from a British kiddie TV show and co-written by Albert Hammond of rainy Southern California fame, might be one of the stupidest. The Pipkins were Tony Burrows and Roger Greenaway. Burrows appeared in yet another of his one-hit wonder studio groups. Greenaway was known far more as a songwriter; he co-wrote “Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress” and the Coca-Cola jingle “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” among many others. Roger sang falsetto while Tony’s put-on gravelly voice was best described as a cross between Popeye, Wolfman Jack and Arte Johnson’s dirty old man from “Laugh-In.”

“O-o-h Child” #8 7/18/1970

Yet another instance of the original B-side becoming the hit. The A-side, a remake of the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” stalled out, but radio stations in Philadelphia and Detroit turned the 45 over and the record took off. The Five Stairsteps didn’t care as long as they succeeded. Billy Preston eventually introduced them to George Harrison, who later in the 70’s signed them to his label.

“Gasoline Alley”

The title track from Rod Stewart’s second solo album. He had just joined the band Faces after a stint as vocalist with the Jeff Beck Group. Rod’s work with Faces wasn’t a whole lot different than his own stuff and featured many of the same musicians. Stewart’s next solo LP would make him a genuine worldwide rock star.

“Freedom Blues” #47 7/11/1970

Little Richard hadn’t seen the Top 50 since 1958, which made this bit of social commentary from one of the founding fathers of rock and roll very unusual. ‘58 was about the time he started waffling between his music and the ministry, and he’d be conflicted like that for the rest of his career. RIP, Richard Penniman. The influence he had on rock music is immeasurable.

“The End Of Our Road” (Marvin Gaye) #40 7/11/1970

A few days ago we featured Three Dog Night and the first #1 record on the new “American Top 40” radio show hosted by Casey Kasem. This Marvin Gaye remake of a 1968 Top 20 single from Gladys Knight and the Pips was actually the very first song played on the program, as it peaked at #40 this week in 1970. Casey made a career out of counting backwards, you know. Marvin’s next single changed his career.

“Mississippi Queen” #21 7/11/1970

We need more cowbell!! Even though Mountain was technically a Top 40 one-hit wonder, they became darlings of album rock with tracks like “Theme From An Imaginary Western,” “Nantucket Sleighride” and this song. Their third-ever gig was at Woodstock. The only direct reference to anything Mississippi was Vicksburg. Front man/guitarist Leslie West is diabetic and needed amputation of his lower right leg after a 2011 show at the Hard Rock Hotel in (ironically) Biloxi, Miss.

“Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)” #6 7/11/1970

These days concert goers hold up lighted cell phones when the hall darkens before performers take the stage or for an encore. Back in the day it was lighters or candles. (And then...uhh, something else was usually lit.) Melanie Safka, known professionally by her first name, was backstage and wasn’t supposed to play at Woodstock but did so when another act wouldn’t go on due to a thunderstorm. She received two encores and wrote a tune about that experience, backed here by the Edwin Hawkins Singers.

“Ride Captain Ride” #4 7/11/1970

Another one-hit wonder, Blues Image started out in Tampa and soon moved on to Miami’s club scene. The first line supposedly came from the 73 keys on a Fender Rhodes electric piano, heard in the intro. Co-writer/lead vocalist Mike Pinera played the screaming lead guitar at the end. Pinera left the band just after this was recorded. The group broke up after their next LP.

“Mama Told Me (Not To Come)” #1 7/11/1970

The first #1 single featured on Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40” radio show (which had just debuted) came from Three Dog Night. Their remake of Randy Newman’s tune about strange things at a party was first done in 1967 by Eric Burdon and the Animals. Newman later thanked TDN for putting his kids through college with the royalties. Cory Wells took the lead vocals on this one.

“I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag”

The documentary of the Woodstock festival had recently been released. Mixed in among the legendary performances by Hendrix, the Who, Santana and all the rest, you had Country Joe McDonald. He and his band, the Fish, were quite well known in the San Francisco counterculture; this anti-war ditty was their zenith. I purposely left off the profane cheer (you know it...gimme an F! Gimme a...) that went along with this, but WARNING!! There is one F-bomb in the video I couldn’t avoid.

“He Loves Me All The Way” #1 Country 7/4/1970

This week’s top country single belonged to Tammy Wynette, her seventh #1. She was riding high as one of the most influential women in her field. While this was on the charts, Tammy was pregnant with a daughter from her marriage to country legend George Jones. It’s been said Tammy once took away a drunken George’s car keys to keep him from driving to the liquor store. George got on his riding mower at 5 MPH, but he got there. The story may or may not be true, but it lives on in infamy.

“Ain’t That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)” #45 7/4/1970

The first Top 10 soul hit for Luther Ingram. He would go on to co-write “Respect Yourself,” huge for the Staple Singers in 1971, and would have the monster hit “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Wanna Be Right” the following year. However, the small label he recorded for ran into financial issues and his career waned.

“I Can’t Leave Your Love Alone” #42 7/4/1970

Some Alabama soul from Clarence Carter. Around this time he married one of his backup singers, Candi Staton. They divorced in 1973. She racked up 13 Top 20 singles on the soul charts and ventured into gospel music. Clarence, of course, became famous for the jukebox and club hit “Strokin’.” Such a divergence.

“Sugar, Sugar” (Wilson Pickett) #25 7/4/1970

This former #1 single from the Archies (of all acts) would’ve likely been the last track one could fathom as a soul music record. Yet Wilson Pickett pulled off a remake surprisingly well. It’s sufficiently funky, no question. Bob Marley did a reggae version, too. Sometimes I can’t explain stuff, you know?

“It’s All In The Game” (Four Tops) #24 7/4/1970

The Four Tops hadn’t seen the Top 40 in a couple of years until their remake of this 1958 #1 from Tommy Edwards, who had originally recorded the song in 1951 and remade it with a more rock and roll arrangement in ‘58. The roots of the tune go back to 1911 and a melody written by Charles Dawes. He was a banker at the time and later became Vice President under Calvin Coolidge in 1925. Dawes and Bob Dylan are also the only music-related acts to win Nobel Prizes.

“United We Stand” #13 7/4/1970

Another US one-hit wonder Tony Burrows appeared on. Tony shared the lead vocals with Sunny Leslie here. He was part of the British group Brotherhood of Man but left shortly after this became a hit. The act continued on, and with a totally different lineup won the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest. They were compared to ABBA, past winners of that competition. Video is from “Top Of The Pops.”

“I Want To Take You Higher” (1970 reissue) #38 6/27/1970

One from Sly and the Family Stone that was a show-stopper at Woodstock and first released as the B-side of “Stand!” in mid-1969. After the documentary of the festival premiered, the single was reissued with the A and B-sides reversed. Though it barely cracked the Top 40, this became one of the band’s most recognized songs.

“Hey, Mister Sun” #24 6/27/1970

The current single from a legit teen idol, Bobby Sherman. He was all over the fan magazines in those days; his concerts were so loud with screaming young girls that Bobby reportedly developed temporary hearing loss. Wonder if he got hazardous duty pay? The sacrifices one must make for their craft...

“My Baby Loves Lovin’ “ #13 6/27/1970

Another of the US one-hit wonders fronted by Tony Burrows, though White Plains had a few hits in their native UK after Burrows departed. Tony had been part of the Flower Pot Men alongside Pete Nelson and Robin Shaw, who had a 1967 UK Top 5 with “Let’s Go To San Francisco.” Those three would form the core of another studio group, First Class, who had a 1974 hit with “Beach Baby.”