Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column – The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1986 Part One – Dionne Warwick, Lionel Ritchie, Simply Red, Robert Palmer

Welcome to our show and we are excited to share decades of music with you in 2022.

 Here is my first selection of top 1986 hits which I hope you will enjoy.

Dionne Warwick and Friends – That’s what friends are for

“That’s what friends are for” was written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager and originally recorded by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack of the film “Night Shift.” This song is better known for the 1985 cover version by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John, billed as “Dionne and Friends.” It was released as a charity single for AIDS research and prevention and was a massive hit worldwide, becoming the #1 single of 1986 in the US and winning the Grammy Awards for “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals” and “Song of the Year.”

January 23rd Inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chuck Berry; James Brown; Ray Charles; Sam Cooke; Fats Domino; The Everly Brothers; Buddy Holly;. Jerry Lee Lewis; Elvis Presley; Little Richard; Robert Johnson; Jimmie Rodgers; Jimmy Yancey; Alan Freed; John Hammond; and Sam Phillips

Lionel Richie –  Say you, say me  

“Say you, say me” was written by Lionel Richie for the film “White Nights,” starring Mikhaïl Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines. The song peaked at #1 in the US for two weeks on Billboard’s R&B chart, and for four weeks on the Hot 100 chart. It became Richie’s ninth number-one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song was hugely successful in South Africa, attaining the #1 spot and remaining there for a total of 30 weeks. It eventually became the #1 single of 1986 on that country’s year-end Springbok charts. The track won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for “Best Original Song.”

March 29th Beatle records officially go on sale in Russia 

Now time for my first picks from 1986 which are still on my playlist today.

Simply Red – Holding Back the Years

“Holding Back the Years” is the seventh track on Simply Red’s debut studio album Picture Book (1985). It remains their most successful single, having reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. It is one of two Simply Red songs (the other being their cover of “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”) to reach number one in the US. The song was nominated in the category of Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards. Simply Red

June 15th Amnesty International “Conspiracy of Hope” tour concludes with megaconcert at Giants Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey; participants include: U2; Sting; Bryan Adams; Peter Gabriel; Lou Reed; Neville Brothers; Joan Baez; Joan Armatrading; Joni Mitchell; The Police; Jackson Browne; Yoko Ono; Miles Davis; Peter, Paul & AMry; and The Hooters 

Robert Palmer – Addicted to Love

“Addicted to Love” is a song by English rock singer Robert Palmer released in 1986. It is the third song on Palmer’s 1985 album Riptide and was released as its second single. The single version is a shorter edit of the full-length album version. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week ending 8 February 1986. The song ended up topping the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. It also reached number one in Australia and number five on the UK Singles Chart. Robert Palmer

July 4th Farm Aid II benefit concert held in Manor, Texas; performers include Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Waylon Jennings, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Nicolette Larson, Los Lobos, and Steve Earle 

Additional sources: On This Day – Music – Hits of the 80s: 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 1986 Part Two. We hope you will tune in.. as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.