Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column – The Breakfast Show Rewind with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1971 Part Two – Bill Withers, George Harrison, The Doors, Aretha Franklin

Welcome to The Breakfast Show and the top hits of the 1970s.

Both William and I are working on new projects and as we complete those we hope you will enjoy the series which began in January 2021 again, or for the first time if you are new to the blog.

Each week William and I selected two top hits from the charts starting with 1960 for two weeks followed by 1961 etc..through to 2005. We then did a retro series beginning in the 1940s. We also included some of the notable events in those years for the up and coming stars who were centre stage at the time.

Welcome to the show and we are excited to share decades of music with you again in 2024. Here is the second of my top 1971 hits which I hope you will enjoy.  William.

News Event:  June 25th Stevie Wonder releases “Where I’m Coming From”

Bill Withers  –  Ain’t no sunshine 

“Ain’t no sunshine” was an international hit and went platinum in both the US and the UK. It won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1972 and is ranked 285th on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song also appears on the original soundtrack album for the films “ When we were Kings” (1997) and “Notting Hill” (1999).

News Event:  June 17th Carole King’s album “Tapestry” goes to #1 on US album charts and stays there for 15 weeks

George Harrison – My Sweet Lord

This was Harrison’s first single as a solo artist, and it topped the charts worldwide. It was the biggest-selling single of 1971 in the UK and the first #1 single by an ex-Beatle. Harrison wrote “My Sweet Lord” in praise of the Hindu god Krishna. “My Sweet Lord” was ranked 460th on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. George Harrison 

News Event: October 8th John Lennon releases his megahit single “Imagine”

Now time for my picks from 1971 and these are tracks that take me down memory lane and I danced to every week and are my particular favourites today

The Doors – Riders on the Storm

“Riders on the Storm” is a song by American rock band the Doors. It was released as the second single from their sixth studio album and last with singer Jim Morrison, L.A. Woman, in June 1971. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.,[2][3] number 22 on the UK Singles Chart[4] and number seven in the Netherlands.  215Days

News Event: December 18th CBS radio cancels Saturday morning band concerts

Aretha Franklin – Spanish Harlem

“Spanish Harlem” is a song recorded by Ben E. King in 1960 for Atco Records. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
In 1971, Aretha Franklin released a cover version of the song that outperformed the original on the charts and in which Franklin changed the lyrics slightly: from “A red rose up in Spanish Harlem” to “There’s a rose in Black ‘n Spanish Harlem. A rose in Black ‘n Spanish Harlem.” Her version went to #1 on the US soul charts for three weeks and #2 Pop for two weeks

Additional sources: On This Day – Music –  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 time 1972 Part One and we hope you will tune in.. as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.