Tony Burrows - The King Of One-Hit Wonders

Among the more unusual recording careers a pop star ever experienced belongs to Tony Burrows (born April,14, 1942), a British singer who was a member of six different bands in the late 60s and early 70s. In America, five of them were one-hit wonders that fell into either the novelty or bubblegum sub-genres of pop-rock music. Some of them weren't even real bands, just studio concoctions organized simply to promote a composer's song.

In 1967, The Flower Pot Men had their only hit in Britain with a song that had a pronounced, psychedelic, post-Pet Sounds, Beach Boys vibe. "Let's Go To San Francisco" reached #4 in Burrows' native land but that was before he joined the group. So, while this doesn't personally give him the distinction of being part of a sixth one-hit wonder, it's another outfit he was involved with that became infamous for having only one hit. The record never charted in America.

Later, Burrows became a session singer for stars like Elton John, Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, and Tom Jones. He can be heard singing background vocals on "Levon" and "Tiny Dancer."

Burrows eventually had a career writing and producing commercials and in the 90s he was part of a reunion of The Flower Pot Men.

 

Here are the stories behind the five American one-hit wonders featuring Burrows - who should be crowned the king of bubblegum - on lead vocals. I'll let you decide if any of these songs are a satisfying listening experience

Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes - Edison Lighthouse (1970)

This is my favorite of all the one-hit wonders mentioned here, and its not even close. "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" is pure pop bubblegum - but it's very well done - and its exuberance struck a chord with a lot of listeners, including me. The song will get stuck in your brain if you let it. In January 1970, it debuted at #12 in the UK, and was the first new #1 record of the year. Burrows recorded it with session musicians, but a real band was quickly assembled after the single became a hit so it could be played on TV shows and in concert. In America, "Rosemary" peaked at #5. Burrows left after the band's big moment in the sun, but they continued on. Edison Lighthouse never reached the top 40 again in either country. American rocker Freedy Johnston released a more traditional, rocking, cover version in 2001 - and believe it or not - Italian-American crooner, Jerry Vale, recorded it the same year Edison Lighthouse released it.   

My Baby Loves Lovin' - White Plains (1970) While "Rosemary" was zooming up the charts in February 1970, so was "My Baby Loves Lovin'." It climbed to #13 on the Hot 100 (#9 UK) and that was it for the band in the colonies although they had some additional, minor success back home in England. The track was recorded in October 1969 but not released until early 1970. By that time Burrows left to concentrate on Edison Lighthouse. There is some dispute over who sang lead. One source claimed it was Burrows. Another said it was band member, Ricky Wolff, while others say they performed the song as a duet.

United We Stand - Brotherhood Of Man (1970) Burrows was also a member of Brotherhood Of Man - a real group - but by 1974 there were no original members left out of the lineup that had a hit with "United We Stand." The single hit #13 on the Hot 100, #10 in the UK. A group with a totally different lineup had another top 40 entry in 1976. "Save Your Kisses For Me" topped out at #27, so technically, Brotherhood Of Man isn't really a one-hit wonder even with the different personnel. However, since I don't know anybody who remembers the song even a little bit, it almost doesn't count. "United We Stand" did much better at home in Britain, selling a million copies. The video below is from 1970, so have a good laugh at the ridiculous clothes and hair worn by the band and the Top of the Pops MC.

Gimme Dat Ding -The Pipkins (1970)

This record was co-written by Mike Hazelwood and Albert Hammond. The latter was famous for the  early 70s hit "It Never Rains In Southern California." Hammond's son, Albert Jr., is the lead guitarist for the indie rock band, The Strokes. "Gimme Dat Ding" is a totally ridiculous novelty record by a duo consisting of Burrows and songwriter Roger Greenaway. According to Wikipedia, "When Hammond and Hazlewood wrote and composed "Gimme Dat Ding," it was one selection from their musical sequence "Oliver in the Overworld," which formed part of the British children's show Little Big Time, hosted by Freddie and The Dreamers." It's a surreal story of a little boy seeking the parts to mend his grandfather clock. The lyrics relate to this story, the song being sung by a metronome who has been expelled by the Clockwork King. The "ding" has been stolen from the metronome by the "Undercog." The original version, as performed by Freddie Garrity, was released on the Oliver in the Overworld in 1970."

Beach Baby - First Class (1974)
This hit was written by the married songwriting team of John Carter and Jill Shakespeare. Burrows and a studio singer named Charles Mills were hired to record the song and Burrows sang it in an American accent because the story was set on a California Beach in the 1950s. It's a tale of a romantic breakup between two Los Angles teenagers. French horns play two other works during the record's instrumental break. One was by classical composer Jean Sibelius from his Fifth Symphony and the other was taken from Carter's own hit with The Flower Pot Men. The estate representing Sibelius sued and won half of the copyright shares. The single went to #4 in the USA and #13 in the UK. First Class recorded several other tunes but they never made the Top 40 again.