'70s One-Hit Wonders

If the '70s gave us a fine helping of pop music's most legendary artists, it's also responsible for serving up more one-hit wonders than perhaps any other era — bands that came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving us with a pop-perfect pearl by which to remember them. Top of the list is Wild Cherry's ever-groovy "Play That Funky Music," but let's not forget "Painted Ladies" by Ian Thomas (comedian Dave's brother). No, that's not a strobe machine . . . it's another flash-in-the-pan firestorm, in Next Steps.

OK, so they never birthed the triumphant nervous breakdown that was Rumours or transported our collective mind to The Dark Side of the Moon, but this next batch flew high with their vinyl 45s. Burton Cummings, former front man for the Guess Who, scored big with "Stand Tall" and Ram Jam gave us the piston-pumped blues cover, "Black Betty." These wonders only had one hit . . . but they hit it out of the park, in Deep Cuts.

The best thing about one-hit wonders? There's always a stash of jewels to rediscover. We've buffed up a bunch of them for your "Oh, yeah! I totally forgot about that one!" pleasure. The husband-and-wife-fronted Poppy Family (Terry and Susan Jacks) merit inclusion here, just because they disbanded so early in the decade ('73) — remember "Shadows on My Wall"? No? Then how about "Popcorn" by Hot Butter? Yeah . . . it really sounds like . . . popcorn.

Some of these '70s one-hit wonders are novelty products of their time (yes, we're talking to you, Carl Douglas, and your Bruce Lee exploitation single, "Kung Fu Fighting"); others burned brightly only to fade, before re-igniting somewhere down the line ("Stuck in the Middle with You" had a second life thanks to Quentin Tarantino, who used it as "shaving" music in Reservoir Dogs); others still are among the most memorable singles ever released — like "Lovin' You" by Minnie Riperton, or Edison Lighthouse's "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)."