Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column – The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1980 Part Two- Pink Floyd, Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright, Irene Cara, The Detroit Spinners

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 1980s.

Welcome to our show and we are excited to share decades of music with you in 2021. Here is my second selection of top 1980 hits which I hope you will enjoy.

News Event: June 9th 14th Music City News Country Awards: Statler Brothers & Loretta Lynn win

Pink Floyd  –  Another brick in the wall (Part 2)

“Another brick in the wall (Part II)” from the album “The Wall,” is a protest song written by bassist Roger Waters. The lyrics are a reflection on his life and how his schooling was part of that. The song won Waters the 1983 British Academy Award for Best Original Song for its appearance in the film, “The Wall.” Pink Floyd received two Juno Awards, one for the “International Single of the Year” and for the “International Album of the Year” as well as being nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Rock Duo or Group. It appears at #384 on Rolling Stone’s list of The Greatest Songs of All Time. The single, as well as the album “The Wall,” were banned in South Africa in 1980 after it was adopted by supporters of a nationwide school boycott protesting instituted racial inequities in education under apartheid.

News Event: June 16th Musical comedy film “The Blues Brothers”, starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and directed by John Landis, premieres in Chicago

Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright  –  With you I’m born again

“With you I’m born again,” written by Carol Connors and David Shire, is from the 1979 film “Fast Break” and became an international hit for the duo, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the UK Singles chart. It is on the list of Billboard’s “50 Most Popular Adult Contemporary Songs” in the U.S. It was one of Billy Preston’s biggest hits and the biggest pop hit of Syreeta Wright’s career.

News Event: September 23rd Bob Marley’s last concert at Stanley Theatre Pittsburgh

Now time for my second picks from 1980 which would prove to be a spectacular year and I hope you will enjoy my selection.

Irene Cara – Fame

“Fame” is a pop song, written by Michael Gore (music) and Dean Pitchford (lyrics) and released in 1980, that achieved chart success as the theme song to the Fame film and TV series. The song was performed by Irene Cara, who played the role of Coco Hernandez in the original film. It was also her debut single as a recording artist. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1980, and the Golden Globe Award the same year. In 2004, it finished at number 51 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. HD Film Tributes

News Event: December 19th Comedy film “9 to 5” starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin is released

The Detroit Spinners  – Working my Way Back to You

In 1979 American soul and R&B group The Spinners recorded a medley of “Working My Way Back to You” and Michael Zager’s “Forgive Me Girl,” topping the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in April 1980. On the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the medley (released in December 1979 in the U.S.) peaked at the No. 2 position in March and April 1980 for two weeks, behind “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd. The Spinners version also made it to No. 6 on the Soul Singles chart and No. 8 on the disco/dance chart –Zsori. Gold Hits.

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 1981 Part One. We hope you will tune in.. as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.