 |
Pratt & McClain | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Rock and roll |
| Labels | Dunhill |
| Past members | Truett Pratt Jerry McClain |
Pratt & McClain were an American musical duo known originally called Brother Love consisting of Jerry McClain and Truett Pratt, along with various sidemen. They scored a Billboard No. 5 hit in 1976 with "Happy Days", the theme to the sitcom of the same name, written and performed in a nostalgic 1950s rock and roll style. It was their only success, making them a one-hit wonder.
Truett Pratt grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and sang in his church choir. Jerry McClain also sang in the choir in his hometown of Pasadena, California.
McClain formed his first band, American Scene, with Michael Omartian in the mid-1960s. In 1970, Omartian began a successful record producing career, eventually recording hits for Michael Bolton, Christopher Cross, Donna Summer, Rod Stewart, Amy Grant, Gary Chapman and 4HIM, among others. In the early 1970s he introduced McClain to Pratt. They formed a band called Brother Love and began recording commercial jingles.
In 1974, the duo decided to expand into mainstream rock and roll. They changed the act's name to Pratt & McClain, signed a recording contract with Dunhill Records and recorded an eponymous album. In 1976, the band jumped to Reprise Records (a Warner Bros. Records subsidiary).
That year, the producers of ABC-TV's successful sitcom Happy Days decided to replace its theme song, Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock", with a new song written especially for the show. The tune was written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox, who also wrote themes for Love, American Style , Wonder Woman , Laverne & Shirley and The Love Boat . Omartian was chosen to produce the song and he recommended Pratt & McClain to record it. Multiple short arrangements were produced for the show and its promotional vehicles, and a full-length version was recorded for popular release.
"Happy Days" went to No. 5 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1976, and was included on Pratt & McClain's second LP, Pratt & McClain Featuring Happy Days. The single also peaked at No. 31 in the UK Singles Chart. [1] The follow-up, a cover of Mitch Ryder's "Devil with the Blue Dress On", peaked at US No. 71 in the summer of 1976. [2]
The band never charted again, but their lone top-40 single endures on the Happy Days perpetual syndication run, MeTV's nightly lineup, and "oldies" radio stations around the country. [3]
Truett Pratt now runs a production/consulting company named Let's Dance Productions in San Antonio. [4] Jerry McClain owns Happy Days Rock Revival in Los Angeles. [5]
Joseph Raymond Conniff was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.
The Trammps are an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands.
"I'll Be There for You" is a song by American pop rock duo the Rembrandts. The song was written by David Crane, Marta Kauffman, Michael Skloff, and Allee Willis as the main theme song to the NBC sitcom Friends, which was broadcast from 1994 to 2004. American rock band R.E.M. was originally asked to allow their song "Shiny Happy People" to be used for the Friends theme, but they turned the opportunity down. "I'll Be There for You" was subsequently written and Warner Bros. Television selected the only available band on Warner Bros. Records to record it: the Rembrandts. In 1995, after a Nashville radio station brought the song to mainstream popularity, Rembrandts members Danny Wilde and Phil Sōlem expanded the theme song with two new verses and included this version on their third studio album, L.P. (1995).
Dunhill Records was started in 1964 by Lou Adler, Jay Lasker, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts as Dunhill Productions to release the music of Johnny Rivers on Imperial Records. It became a record label the following year and was distributed by ABC Records.
Warner Records Inc. is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the American film studio Warner Bros.
Larry Eugene Carlton is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts such as Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. One of the most sought after guitarists of his era, Carlton has participated in thousands of recording sessions, recorded on hundreds of albums in many genres, including more than 100 gold records, as well as for television and movies. He has been a member of the jazz fusion group the Crusaders and the smooth jazz band Fourplay, and has maintained a long solo career.
Charlotte Denise "Charly" McClain is an American country music singer, best known for a string of hits during the 1980s. McClain's biggest hits include "Who's Cheatin' Who", "Sleepin' with the Radio On", and "Radio Heart".
Gaudete is a sacred Christmas carol, thought to have been composed in the 16th century. It was published in Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finnish/Swedish sacred songs published in 1582. No music is given for the verses, but the standard tune comes from older liturgical books.*
For Ladies Only is the sixth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in November 1971, by Dunhill Records. It is a political concept album mainly about feminism but with several more conventional songs about romance as well, both unusual themes for Steppenwolf. Some critics saw the album as sexist, citing the lyrics of the songs and a photo of a car shaped like a penis alongside the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the gatefold. The album saw the band hinting toward the progressive rock movement that was popular at the time with more complex arrangements and sophisticated keyboard playing, particularly on the title track. Like their previous album, it was accompanied by two minor hit singles which fell just short of the Top 40.
Maria Muldaur is an American folk and blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s. She recorded the 1973 hit song "Midnight at the Oasis" and has recorded albums in the folk, blues, early jazz, gospel, country, and R&B traditions.
Easy Rider is the soundtrack to the cult classic 1969 film Easy Rider. The songs that make up the soundtrack were carefully selected to form a "musical commentary" within the film. The album of the soundtrack was released by ABC-Dunhill Records in August 1969. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard album charts in September of that year, and was certified gold in January 1970.
Lawrence William Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles–based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, the Beach Boys, the Mamas & the Papas, the Monkees, the Partridge Family, Billy Joel, the Doors, the Byrds, the Grass Roots, Jerry Garcia, and Elvis Presley. He also was a member of the 1970s band Bread.
"There Goes My Baby" is a song written by Ben E. King, Lover Patterson, George Treadwell and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for The Drifters. This was the first single by the second incarnation of the Drifters, who assumed the group name in 1958 after manager George Treadwell fired the remaining members of the original lineup. The Atlantic Records release was Ben E. King's debut recording as the lead singer of the group.
Austin Roberts is an American singer and songwriter. His most successful recording was 1975's "Rocky"; a transatlantic Top 40 hit single. He also wrote several songs that featured in episodes of Scooby-Doo Where Are You! and performed the theme for season 2 of the show.
Paul Nelson Humphrey was an American jazz and R&B drummer.
Mercy is an American pop group from Florida. The group's 1969 single "Love ", written by Jack Sigler, Jr., soared to No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and also peaked at No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Love " was released in April and had sold over one million copies by July 15, earning a gold record from the R.I.A.A., although the group did not receive the award until October 2009.
John Joseph Kelson Jr., known professionally as Jackie Kelso, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist.
Heroes & Friends is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Randy Travis. It was released on August 31, 1990 by Warner Records. Except for the title track, every song on this album is a duet with another recording artist. "A Few Ole Country Boys" and the title track were both released as singles from this album, peaking at numbers 8 and 3, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 1990.
"Happy Days" is a song written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox. It is the theme of the 1970s television series Happy Days. It can be heard during the TV show's opening and closing credits as it runs in perpetual rerun syndication.
Dennis Earle Lambert is an American musician, songwriter and record producer.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
