Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column – The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1977 – Part Two – Stevie Wonder, Manhattan Transfer, Elton John, Barbra Streisand

Each week William and I select two top hits from the charts in the US and UK starting with 1960 for two weeks followed by 1961 etc..through to 1985. We will also include some of the notable events in those years for the up and coming stars who were centre stage at the time. We are now in the 1970s.

William is now on a family break but will be back with us again in September, wishing him a wonderful summer.

Welcome to our show and we are excited to share decades of music with you in 2021. Here is my second selection of top 1977 hits which I hope you will enjoy and I will catch up with your comments on my return. William.

News Event:  May 21st Stevie Wonder’s single “Sir Duke”, a tribute to Duke Ellington and other musical influences of Wonder’s, begins a 3-week run at #1

Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke

“Sir Duke” is from the “Songs in the Key of Life” album. It topped the charts in the US and around the world. “Sir Duke” was written as a tribute to Duke Ellington, and refers to Jazz greats Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald.

News Event: June 26th Elvis Presley sings in Indianapolis, the last performance of his career

Manhattan Transfer – Chanson d’Amour

“Chanson d’Amour” (French for Love Song), written by Wayne Shanklin, was an international hit, reaching #1 in the UK and other European countries as well as in Australia. This was the Manhattan Transfer’s most widespread international success, despite being only moderately successful in the US, where the song peaked at #16 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.

News Event: October 1st Elton John honored by Madison Square Garden’s MSG Hall of Fame

Now time for my second picks from 1977 and I hope you will enjoy my selection from this interesting year in my life.

Queen – We Are The Champions

“We Are the Champions” is a song by the British rock band Queen, first released on their 1977 album News of the World. Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it is considered one of rock’s most recognisable anthems. The song was a worldwide success, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart, number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, number three in Canada and the top ten in many other countries. In 2009 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

New Event: October 3rd “Comedy with Music (Victor Borge)” opens at Imperial NYC for 66 performances

Barbra Streisand – Evergreen

“Evergreen” (also called “Love Theme from A Star Is Born”) is the theme song from the 1976 film A Star Is Born. It was composed and performed by Barbra Streisand with lyrics by Paul Williams, and arranged by Ian Freebairn-Smith. The song was released on the soundtrack album to A Star Is Born.

In the US, the single became Streisand’s second number 1 single and spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and six weeks atop the easy listening chart.  In its year-end chart for 1977, Billboard ranked the platinum-certified single, which sold more than 2 million copies, the fourth-biggest single of the year. In the UK Singles Chart, the song peaked at #3 in 1977 – Barbra Streisand

Additional sources: On This Day – Music – Hits of the 70s: Playback FM – Wikipedia

Your Hosts for The Breakfast Show

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

Sally Cronin is an author, blogger and broadcaster who enjoyed four years as part of the team on Onda Cero International’s English speaking morning show in Marbella and then for two years as a presenter on Expressfm the local radio station in Portsmouth. She co-presented two ‘Drive Time’ shows a week with Adrian Knight, hosted the live Thursday Afternoon Show and The Sunday Morning Show guests including musicians and authors. Following this she became Station Director for a local internet television station for two years, producing and presenting the daily news segment, outside broadcasts and co-presenting the Adrian and Sally chat show live on Friday evenings.

She and her husband David have now returned to Ireland where they live on the Wexford Coast where she blogs and continues to write books.

Books :Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – blog: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Twitter: @sgc58 – Facebook: Sally Cronin – LinkedIn: Sally Cronin

Next week 1978 Part One. We hope you will tune in.. as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.