Anyhow, pulled pork sandwiches aside, here's some music to listen to while you're reading my post on "pull" -
As a teenager in the 1970's (anyone else remember the 70's??), as well as listening to The Who, The Moody Blues, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Carol King, Three Dog Night and the like, I oftentimes listened to other groups like Blue Suede, Stealers Wheel, The Grass Roots, and Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds - singers of the above song. It was a band with a very confusing name - were they four people? Hamilton, Joe, Frank, & Reynolds? Were they five people? Hamilton, Joe, Frank, Ann, Reynolds? Nope, the band was actually a soft rock trio from Los Angeles with the original members of the band being Dan Hamilton (guitar/lead vocal), Joe Frank Carollo (bass/vocal), and Tommy Reynolds (multi-instrumentalist/vocal).
After none of their follow-up singles had any success, Tommy Reynolds left the group in late 1972 and was replaced by keyboardist Alan Dennison. The band continued to work the Las Vegas, college & one-night-only concert circuit until late 1974 when they signed with Playboy Records under the condition that they retain the band's name of Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds. The condition was imposed as their new record company was afraid that what little name recognition and momentum the band had would be lost should they change the name at that point in time.
Within another few months the band recorded and released their first USA Top 10 hit in 4 years; a soulful soft-rock ballad called "Fallin' In Love" which was written by Dan Hamilton and his then-wife Ann. "Fallin' In Love" proved to be the group's biggest hit as it took Billboard's coveted #1 USA singles spot in the summer of 1975, became their second RIAA-certified (Recording Industry Association of America) million-selling gold record, and was their first and only song to chart in the UK. In 1976 they reached #21 on the US charts with their last successful single, "Winners and Losers".
The band convinced Playboy Records to change the group's name to "Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Dennison" for their second album but no more hits were forthcoming and they permanently disbanded in 1980. Dan Hamilton continued to write songs until his death at the age of 48 from a rare disease known as Cushing's Syndrome, a hormonal disorder caused by prolonged exposure of the body's tissues to high levels of the hormone cortisol. Sometimes called "hypercortisolism," it is relatively rare and most commonly affects adults aged 20 to 50 with an estimated 10 to 15 of every one million people affected each year.
So there you have it! A blast from my past to pull off another Manic Monday post! I hope that you enjoyed it at least a little bit even if you have no clue about anything from the 70's, especially the sappy AM music that we all listened to! If you want to see what others pulled out of their hat for this assignment, don't forget to check out Manic Monday at It's A Blog Eat Blog World!
I remember both of those songs too! Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteHappy MM!
At the risk of being obvious, You're begining to show your age!
ReplyDeleteAll that 1970s rock was pure nostalgia. I lived it well :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't remember that group or the song but thanks for the information Linda it was really interesting! :)
ReplyDeleteI was born in 70s, but I love the 70's music (& 80s). Happy MM, Linda!
ReplyDeleteMy post is set in the 70's also, the 70's followed the 60's, what a time in our lives.
ReplyDeleteFor a word that frustrated the far out of you, you did an amazing job!!!
ReplyDeleteBlast from the Past!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heart full of memories.
Now I had always thought of them as one of those "one hit wonder" groups. It was interesting to hear the rest of the story.
ReplyDeleteAt least your post is more romantic than pulled pork ! lol !
ReplyDeleteThe late '60s and early '70's had some classic songs.
ReplyDeleteBlast from the past, indeed!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I learned quite a bit!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I knew that out of every single Manic Monday post I read today, you'd pull one out of the hat! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job.
Hope you had a great one.
Oh yeah! HJF & R! Loved that song!
ReplyDeleteI remember the '70s all too well!
ReplyDeleteGreat info and hey, what's wrong with AM music?
;-)
I was in high school/college for this group, and I do like 'Fallin in Love'. The other group with a many worded name in that era I remember is Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. You probably don't remember them, either!I must be getting old because I notice that what passed for pop in those days is easier to take than today's...
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I most definitely remember the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose and "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" - at least I think that was the song, right?? I'm trying to pull that one out of my old memory!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories, Linda! And for the song! :)
ReplyDeleteCornelius Bros. did "Treat her like a lady' and 'I believe that I'm falling in love'.
ReplyDelete'Could it be I'm falling in love' was the Spinners. A fave of mine in 12th grade at Penney HS in East Hartford...
I just love The Spinners!
ReplyDelete