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The Hillside Singers were an American folk pop group. The ensemble was created by advertising agency McCann Erickson to sing in a television commercial. McCann Erickson had written the jingle "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" for Coca-Cola, and had sought to have The New Seekers sing it, but that group could not fit the project into their schedule and turned it down. McCann Erickson then got in touch with producer Al Ham, who put together a group of singers for the project (including his wife, Mary Mayo, and their daughter Lorri). [1] The commercial began airing in July 1971 and was extremely popular, convincing Ham to rewrite the song as "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" and to record an album and a Christmas record. The single hit No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 58 in Canada, [2] which convinced The New Seekers to issue it as a single as well. The Hillside Singers version of the song sold a million copies, earning a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. [3]
The Hillside Singers also sang the vocal version of "Move Closer to Your World", a theme created for television news by Ham, which is known for its long-time use by WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.
In 1972, they had a minor hit with "We're Together", which peaked at No. 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1972. [4] In Canada the song reached No. 69. [5]
Ham went on to create a syndicated radio music format called Music of Your Life , but he died in 2001. Lorri Ham (now known as Lorri Hafer) continued to work as a professional singer and an on-air personality on the Music of Your Life network.
In 2009 several former Hillside Singers under the name Treehouse 10 released Bug in a Puddle, an album of original children's songs.
Ronald Bruce "Ron" Shaw and Richard Randall "Rick" Shaw were twin brothers born on February 1, 1941, in West Stewartstown, New Hampshire. Ron Shaw died on April 1, 2018, at age 77. [6] Rick Shaw died on January 28, 2021, at age 79. [7]
"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" is a pop song (originally known as "True Love and Apple Pie") by British hit songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, and sung by Susan Shirley.
"Jessie's Girl" is a song written and performed by Australian singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album Working Class Dog, which was released in February 1981. The song is about unrequited love and centres on a young man in love with his best friend's girlfriend.
"I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" is a song written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by American rock singer Meat Loaf featuring Lorraine Crosby. The song was released in August 1993 by MCA and Virgin as the first single from the singer's sixth album, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993). The last six verses feature Crosby, who was credited only as "Mrs. Loud" in the album notes. She does not appear in the accompanying music video, directed by Michael Bay, in which her vocals are lip-synched by Dana Patrick. Meat Loaf promoted the single with American singer Patti Russo.
Albert W. Ham was an American composer and jingle writer. He was notable as the composer of the Move Closer to Your World music package used since the 1970s on WPVI-TV's Action News broadcasts in Philadelphia, and, most notably, WKBW-TV's Eyewitness News, as well as on many other newscasts in the United States throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He was also notable as creator of the adult standards radio format Music of Your Life.
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is a World War II jump blues song written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince which was introduced by The Andrews Sisters in the Abbott and Costello comedy film, Buck Privates (1941). The Andrews Sisters' Decca recording reached number six on the U.S. pop singles chart in the spring of 1941 when the film was in release. The song is ranked No. 6 on Songs of the Century. Bette Midler's 1972 recording of the song also reached the top ten on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
"Sing" is a 1971 song written by Joe Raposo for the children's television show Sesame Street as its signature song. In 1973, it gained popularity when performed by the Carpenters, a number 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Southern Cross" is a song written by Stephen Stills, Rick Curtis, and Michael Curtis and performed by the rock band Crosby, Stills & Nash. It was featured on the band's Daylight Again album and was released as a single in September 1982. Stephen Stills sings lead throughout, with Graham Nash joining on the second verse. Because David Crosby did not reunite with Stills and Nash until the album was well underway, his vocals are not featured on the album version, although he did appear in the video and subsequently sang the song with the group in live performances. The single was a success on the charts, reaching No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in late November and early December 1982. As of 2024, it was the group's final hit in the Billboard Top 40.
"Come and Get It" is a song composed by English singer-songwriter Paul McCartney for the 1969 film The Magic Christian. The song was performed by Badfinger, produced by McCartney and issued as a single 5 December 1969 in the UK, and 12 January 1970 in the US, on the Beatles' Apple label. It was the band's first release under the Badfinger name and was their international breakthrough, hitting the top 10 in both the UK and US singles charts.
"Brand New Key" is a pop song written and sung by American folk music singer Melanie. Initially a track of Melanie's album Gather Me, produced by Melanie's husband Peter Schekeryk, it was known also as "The Rollerskate Song" due to its chorus. It was her greatest success, scoring No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart during December 1971 and January 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 9 song of 1972. It also scored No. 1 in Canada and Australia and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart.
Somewhere in My Lifetime is the third studio album by singer Phyllis Hyman. It was released by Arista Records in 1979, becoming Hyman's debut Arista release.
"Country Sunshine" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Dottie West. It was both a Coca-Cola ad jingle and a single. The song was co-written by West, along with Billy Davis and Dianne Whiles. Its popularity as a commercial jingle led to its single release by RCA Victor in 1973. The single became among West's commercially-successful releases, reaching the top ten of the US and Canadian country charts. It also made positions on other genre charts in both countries. "Country Sunshine" has since been considered among West's most well-known recordings.
"Overkill" is a song by Australian pop rock band Men at Work. It was released in March 1983 as the second single from their second studio album Cargo. Written by lead singer Colin Hay, it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100; No. 5 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart; and top 10 in Canada, Ireland, and Norway. The song was a departure from the group's style of reggae-influenced pop rock, featuring a melancholic feel musically and lyrically.
The Cate Brothers is an American band led by the songwriter-musician duo of twin brothers Earl and Ernest "Ernie" Cate, from Fayetteville, Arkansas. In the mid-1960s, they became performers of country soul music at clubs and dances in Arkansas and elsewhere in the mid-South of the United States. Both brothers are singers, with Earl playing guitar and Ernie playing piano. The group began recording in 1970, releasing their final album in 2006.
The Cuff Links were an American rock/pop studio group from Staten Island, New York, United States. The ostensible band had a US No. 9 hit in 1969 with "Tracy", with rich harmonized vocals provided entirely by Ron Dante. The track was produced as part of a series of recording sessions – sometimes as many as six in a day – by Dante, with the songs released under a variety of band names. Dante left the act after their first album; on later singles vocals were provided by Joey Cord and/or Rupert Holmes.
The Pozo-Seco Singers was an American folk music group that had success during the 1960s. They recorded the hit "Time" and launched the music career of Don Williams.
"Danny's Song" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins, as a gift for his brother Danny for the birth of his son, Colin. It first appeared on an album by Gator Creek and a year later on the album Sittin' In, the debut album by Loggins and Messina. The song is well remembered for both the Loggins and Messina original, as well as for Anne Murray's 1972 top-ten-charting cover.
"That Girl Could Sing" is a hit single written and performed by Jackson Browne from his 1980 album Hold Out. The song peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100, charting for 13 weeks after its Sept. 20, 1980 debut. It was also released as a single in Japan. "That Girl Could Sing" was the seventh-biggest hit single of Browne's Top 40 career.
My Second Album is the second studio album released by American country artist Donna Fargo. The album was released in February 1973 on Dot Records and was produced by Fargo's husband and manager Stan Silver. The album spawned two number one singles on the Billboard country chart and was one of two albums Donna Fargo would release in 1973.
"I've Found Someone of My Own" is a song written by Frank F. Robinson and performed by The Free Movement. It was produced by Joe Porter, arranged by Jimmie Haskell and Michael Omartian, and was featured on the band's 1972 album, I've Found Someone of My Own.
Mary Mayo was an American singer and actress who was a member of The Hillside Singers and performed at New York City nightclubs including Michael’s Pub and the Copacabana.