Maybe I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure that the America album wouldn't be in the 'one hit wonder' category? The America album also featured "Sandman" and "I need you" which I think were fairly good hits, well, over here anyway.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
This has been a very interesting thread, but what gives a band recognition beyond that one hit is stability and longevity. Some of these bands are in the Hall of Fame and many have won Grammys. How much more recognition is there?
Also noteworthy is how "my taste" centric this has been. As well as each poster's opinion of what recognition is. I have seen so many bands listed that were hugely popular, and again, what is recognition if snot sold out arenas?
Jim's recent post included America, The Turtles, Commander Cody, Sade, Steppenwolf and Warren Zevon. That acts were all considered heavyweights and again I make the refrain, what is it that you consider recognition that they didn't get? I played a show with George Frayne (Commander Cody) and he talked about arrivals and departures and how hard it is to sustain momentum when members keep coming and going. This is also why I research the bands in Wiki to look at that very thing.
The band on Jim's post that makes this point is Lighthouse. For me personally, with my tastes at the time being Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears, Lighthouse was the Canadian equivalent and I LOVED them. But if you look them up on Wiki, my god they must have had 50 people pass through that band. 25 in just the horn players. They did pioneer symphonic rock, which gave us ELO soon after. The Thoughts of Movin' On and their live album I still play. And Howard Shore moved on after disbanding to take the Saturday Night Live music director and score for film, winning 3 Academy Awards for Lord Of The Rings.
And Sade... MORE recognition? An OBE which was advance to a CBE? Sade was huge! She took a self imposed hiatus three times but her career was wide ranging and very successful.
So a lot of "Who didn't get enough" is SO relative. Somebody out there likes Rick Astley, so.....
One thing working against bands today is that they rarely stay together beyond a few releases. Old school bands kept their lineup for 10-12 albums or more. Now they make so much money early that they put out 2 albums and part ways to go solo or form new bands. Or retire! So from those 2 albums, there may be just ONE monster hit that everybody remembers, thus they are one hit wonders. Surviving member continue on with one original guy who used that wealth to buy the name, and that's the state of the band world anymore.
I remember in the early 90s I did some shows where we opened for The Vogues. In talking to the members, none of them were in any way connected to any of the original guys. They just bought the name. We opened for them 4 times, and we saw 3 different lineups. Our little Motown band had the same lineup for 3 years before I quit playing to go back to college so I could get a big boy job. Longevity plays into this formula.
Your story of the Vogues brings to mind groups that were together for a while but had run their course by the time their 'breakout' hit came. Spiral Staircase "Love you more today than yesterday" and the Casinos doing the same with "Then you can tell me goodbye".
Your story of the Vogues brings to mind groups that were together for a while but had run their course by the time their 'breakout' hit came. Spiral Staircase "Love you more today than yesterday" and the Casinos doing the same with "Then you can tell me goodbye".
Funny thing Charlie is that their label demanded that they spell their name Spiral STAREcase. Pat Upton was a GREAT singer. His story is one of good fortune that found him pretty much ascending that "starecase" of success until late in life when he died after what is only referred to as "a lengthy illness", which may or may not have been cancer. All built on that ONE song.
Did you know he sang backup for Ricky Nelson and was supposed to be on the plane that crashed and killed Nelson and everyone on board?
The Casinos... Cincinnati's own!! Until I looked to see, I didn't know that they didn't write their hit. JD Loudermilk wrote it. I just love following these spiderweb connections between bands and writers and all.
One band I can't believe I missed is The Brooklyn Bridge. Led by the lead singer of The Crests, Johnny Maestro, they had their huge hit with Jimmy Webb's The Worst That Could Happen, and followed that up with Blessed Is The Rain, but curiously, I always thought the better song was on the B side of that, Welcome Me Love. Check out the latter on youtube and listen to that singing. They were in my jam zone with all the harmony and the horn section. They just didn't last all that long relatively speaking. They did a few albums but went right into "nostalgia tour" mode within a few years. And Welcome Me Love was written by Tony Romeo, who wrote a lot of hits. I'm Gonna Make You Mine, Indian Lake, I Think I Love You (He did a lot of the bubble gun stuff) to name a few. Writing is still the thing that trips my trigger way more than performing and will probably always be.
Funny thing I had wrong about the Casinos. There was a regional band that also had the name "The Casinos" that alternated home base between Charlotte, NC and Charleston, SC as for a period of time because they had a local Saturday morning TV show and would base themselves in whichever market was broadcasting their program. I thought for years they were 'the' Casinos with the hit record....
Yes, I knew Pat Upton was with Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band but didn't know his connection with Spiral Starecase until recently. I was a big fan and follower of SCB.
But probably the biggest 'One Hit Wonder' artist that's received more recognition than he deserves is Meadowlark Lemon of the Harlem Globetrotters. Trying to cash in on the music success of other Saturday morning cartoon series like "The Archies" and "Josie and the Pussycats", a Globetrotters cartoon was created. An album was released along with several singles, including "Rainy Day Bells" written by Neil Sedaka and Howie Greenfield. Commercially, the release crashed and burned - except - for the Carolina Beach Music market - it was a HUGE hit and is still played on CBM radio stations regularly today and nightly at Beach Clubs up and down the east coast. It's ranked #14 on the top 100 all-time Beach songs. LOL, On the beach circuit and on radio broadcasts, I've heard it told for years, it's him singing vocals and only learned yesterday that he really only sang backing vocals... The attached link clears that misconception.
When all the members of the band that made the hit record have been replaced and there are no 'original' members left, and they still tour with the same name, is the audience being cheated into seeing a "tribute band" but paying higher prices?
A couple of years ago, a friend went to see "The Kingston Trio". All 3 members of the trio are deceased. None of the present members made any of the hit recordings. I didn't have the heart to tell her she paid premium prices for a tribute band.
Often either a non-member who purchased the name or the Record Label company may own the name. Motown owned all the group names and sometimes had 3 or 4 groups touring the country with the same name. I know this for a fact because I gigged for Motown for a while.
Back on thread.
If a band has one hit, but is alive and prosperous for years they are still a 'one hit wonder'. A single #1 hit on Billboard can give you headliner work for up to 10 years and nostalgia work for years after that.
Also a one hit wonder in the USA might be a multi-hit star in non US countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, France, etc. but in the US they are still considered one-hit-wonders.
I wonder if the opposite is also true. A band or single with numerous hits in the USA are for all practical purposes one-hit-wonders elsewhere.
Here's another one-hit-wonder with a very well recorded and produced hit "Killer Joe" by the Rocky Fellers
When all the members of the band that made the hit record have been replaced and there are no 'original' members left, and they still tour with the same name, is the audience being cheated into seeing a "tribute band" but paying higher prices?
Absolutely yes. I go one step further. When the member who was "the band" is gone, even if the other original members remain, I consider them a tribute to themselves. Journey WAS Steve Perry. However well the Asian guy plays Steve's part, they are not Journey without that recognizable voice. Queen WAS Freddie Mercury. Again, however good Adam lambert is, they are not Queen without Freddie. Van Halen's face was Roth, not Eddie. Musically they were BETTER with Hagar because he brought a playing piece to the dance, but they weren't Van Halen. The reverse is true as well. Frankie Valli had SO MANY backing groups but as long as he was out front they were still The Four Seasons.
On topic, yes, the foundational piece is "the hit". You can have a band with a long string of lesser hits that didn't get known in Fitzgerald Alberta or in Puerto Deseado Argentina and to those people who don't have the opportunity to hear the whole catalog they can be a one hit wonder. I am a perfect example of this. In my youth, I had ZERO exposure to country music. I had no idea who Hank Williams was until I was in my early teens and that was because people were covering his songs. In our house we listened to Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers, Benny Goodman.... I knew big band music in my early years like southerners knew country. So for a time, Hank Williams was a one hit wonder to me. Same for Johnny Cash. I mean Hank died when I was 18 months old. As songs passed through my ears and I looked into them (Move It On Over, I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You, Cold Cold Heart...) I found out who Hank Sr was and delved into his catalog, but at one point he was just some dead guy from the south to me. Likewise, I grew up with the O'Jays in my back yard. They were instrumental in my music education. I didn't know about Hank Williams, but I knew about Walter Williams!!
As funny as it is that this quote came from a place as trite and banal as Smokey and the Bandit, it's true. "When you say something, it depends on what part of the country you are standing as to how dumb you are." Common knowledge in Ohio is not the same as common knowledge in Alabama.
Eddie, I totally agree with you on the lead of the group leaving leaves a tribute band.
I'll add The Beach Boys were a tribute band when Brian Wilson was out.
Jay And The Americans had 3 lead singers named Jay, but the second one, whose name is really Dave is the voice of the band.
To me a one-hit-wonder in the US needs to have only one hit on Billboard and not more than that. It simplifies it.
My dad who played trumpet, violin, ukulele and later in life organ, he was a big band fan and he had a 'linen closet' full of LPs. When he quit smoking he bought one LP per week, so we had the Dorseys, Artie Shaw, Count Basie (one of my youthful favorites), Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Harry James, Benny Goodman, and associated acts like Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima (with Keely, Sam & The Witnesses), and the Andrews Sisters (who I respect to this day).
My mom liked Broadway, my big sister was an Elvis and early rock fan.
When we moved to Florida (I was 10) I was exposed to country as well as Salsa and other Caribbean forms of music. This opened up a whole new world for me.
I got in the school band and went head over heels to classical music, especially from the Romantic period to the Contemporary. It's still my 'desert island' genre.
I still seek out different kinds of music. Some of the forms I couldn't make a steady of diet of, and in most genres there are songs I like and those I don't care for (they are for other ears), but different forms of music say things in different and often interesting ways.
I want the music to make me emotional, love it, question it, be passionate about it, or even hate it. Just don't bore me.
Here is a one-hit-wonder that is actually a pretty awful song, it's so bad it's fun, and when we play it, if I play it at the right time for the right crowd, our audience loves it.
I usually announce it as being consistently in the top 10 worst rock and roll song lists...
"Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen. And no, they don't deserve greater recognition
America charted with a ton of songs on their early albums:
A Horse with No Name
I Need You
Sandman
Ventura Highway
Don't Cross the River
Only in Your Heart
Muskrat Love
Tin Man
Lonely People
Sister Golden Hair
Daisy Jane
Woman Tonight
You Can Do Magic
Right Before Your Eyes
The Border
Warren Zevon had a fair number of hits, although Linda Ronstadt seems to have done better with some of his songs ("Hasten Down the Wind", "Poor Poor Pitiful Me")than he did. Then again, Linda probably scored better with Karl Bonoff's songs that Karla did.
I'm going to claim he's not a one hit wonder if other people had hits with songs he's released.
Hey, the Grateful Dead were NO hit wonders but people followed them all over the world!!! WHAT did those people find so exciting about that musical equivalent of quaaludes?
The Tokens may have been two hit wonders but the soprano on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" raises the hairs on the nape of my neck.
I also love the vocal! The guy's name is Jay Siegal, and he sounds great on their other hit too, "Tonight I Fell In Love".
I heard Neil Sedaka (now 80) last week on Sirius-XM rave about Jay Siegal's vocal ability.
(Neil started the group, called the "Linc-Tones", named after their (Lincoln) high school in Brooklyn. They changed their name to the "Tokens", after subway tokens were introduced. Jay Siegal joined the group in 1956. Sedaka sang lead, and the only thing unusual about the group was that they recorded only original songs written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, and that Sedaka always played piano (duh) with the session musicians. Sedaka left the group in 1957. BTW, Greenfield lived in Sedaka's apartment building, and Neil Diamond lived across the street and also went to Lincoln High!)
Is that really a male vocalist? I looked at the liner notes for a female vocalist and came up empty. This would explain it. Thank you. Wow, what a range he had ( presuming he's left the stage ).
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.