Arkansas' one-hit wonders still shine

State has birthed influential, memorable musicians

Ketty Lester
"Love Letters"
Ketty Lester "Love Letters"

They are called one-hit wonders: singers or bands who record a tune that becomes a major hit, but are unable to score a comparable follow-up success.

Remember "Mickey" by Toni Basil? How about "Ice, Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, "Macarena" by Los del Rio and "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men?

Or "Union Man" by Arkansas' beloved Cate Brothers or "Love Letters" by Hope native Ketty Lester?

No matter how many good singles or critically praised albums they recorded, that one big hit becomes their signature.

In his book The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, writer Wayne Jancik defines these acts as those that "won a position on national pop Top 40 just once."

But just because an artist had only one big hit doesn't mean he is a failure. Many go on to successful touring careers that can last decades, well beyond Andy Warhol's prediction of at least 15 minutes of fame for each person.

Many Arkansas acts are living proof of that.

"There weren't a lot of one-hit wonders from Arkansas," says John Miller, Arkansas Sounds music coordinator for the Central Arkansas Library System's Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. "Most of the ones from Arkansas had several songs on the charts but they just didn't climb that high or attain a lot of success.

"The one true one-hit wonder I can think of is The Cate Brothers' 'Union Man,'" Miller says. The song from the 1975 Cate Bros. album spent 20 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 24 in early 1976. That July, "Can't Change My Heart" spent three weeks on the chart but only rose to No. 91.

Hailing from Northwest Arkansas, the Cates released four major-label albums in the 1970s (three on Asylum, one on Atlantic), received critical acclaim for their musicianship and unique sound and toured nationally and internationally with groups such as Fleetwood Mac, Queen and Heart.

But the Cates never realized major commercial success nationally.

"They are still arguably the best R&B band in Arkansas, after all these years," says Bob Ketchum, owner of Cedar Crest Studio in Mountain Home.

Several acts come to mind to Stephen

Koch, host of Arkansongs, the radio program co-produced by KUAR-FM, 89.1, that focuses on Arkansas musicians and their music. The show airs on National Public Radio affiliates throughout the state.

His list includes Little Beaver's "Party Down," Larry "Totsy" Davis' "Texas Flood," CeDell Davis' "If You Like Fat Women," Jimmy McCracklin's "Tramp," Black Oak Arkansas' "Jim Dandy," Dale Evans' "Happy Trails," songwriter Harvey Scales' "Disco Lady" and Bobby Whitlock's "Thorn Tree in the Garden."

Keith Merckx, co-creator, associate producer and writer for Arkansongs, cites an important blues performer.

"Little Willie John [born William Edward John, an early rhythm and blues performer in the 1950s and 1960s] of Cullendale is in the Rock [and Roll] Hall of Fame but his career was short," the Norman, Okla., resident says.

"We don't know what could've been because he died in prison only about six years after cutting his first hits for the great Henry Glover of Hot Springs," Merckx says. Glover was a songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player.

"Sonny Burgess of Newport was overshadowed by other rockabilly artists, which happened to others in that genre. Billy Lee Riley of Pocahontas never hit it huge despite massive talent," he says.

Here's a look at some other musicians whose chart presence may have been brief, but their careers are memorable:

• Sleepy LaBeef -- Thomas Paulsley LaBeff, born in 1935 in Smackover. This rockabilly musician recorded on Columbia in the 1960s and Sun Records in the 1970s and is highly regarded but never obtained commercial fame. Just two of his singles charted: "Every Day" in 1968 peaked at No. 67 on the Billboard Country Chart and "Blackland Farmer" reached No. 67 in 1971. He continues touring and performing today.

• Skeets McDonald (1915-1968) -- born Enos William McDonald, he was an American country and rockabilly honky-tonk singer and songwriter best known for his No. 1 hit from 1952, "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes."

McDonald was born in 1915 in Greenway near Rector. His music has been described by some as a bridge between rock 'n' roll and country. A member of the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame, McDonald used guitarist Eddie Cochran to back him on "You Ought to See Grandma Rock" and "Heart Breaking Momma." Neither tune climbed very far on the charts but they are considered rockabilly classics. McDonald also made several film appearances including Saddle Pals with Johnny Mack Brown, Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town and The Glenn Miller Story. In Hud, he sang "Driftwood on the River" with Janet McBride.

• Ketty Lester -- Lester, born Revoyda Frierson in 1934 in Hope, saw four of her singles with Era Records chart in 1962. Her million-selling hit "Love Letters" debuted in late February and climbed to No. 5, "But Not for Me" arrived in June and rose to No. 41, "You Can't Lie to a Liar" debuted in October at No. 90 and was on the chart just one week and that December, "This Land Is Your Land" spent a week on the chart at No. 97. Lester has been compared to Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan for her vocal quality.

Lester also became an actress, winning an award in 1964 for an off-Broadway performance in Cabin in the Sky. She acted on television in Days of Our Lives and Little House on the Prairie, along with several movie roles.

• Black Oak Arkansas -- Described as an American Southern rock hillbilly psycho-boogie band named after the band's hometown, this group's first album, Black Oak Arkansas (Atco), earned a gold record despite never rising above No. 127 on Billboard. The band's highest charting album, at No. 52, was 1973's High on the Hog. It and the live album Raunch and Roll (also 1973, both on Atco) also earned gold record status.

Their best-known song, "Jim Dandy," reached No. 25 on Billboard's single charts.

While the band, fronted by Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, never rose to the top levels of rock stardom, they charted 10 albums between 1971 and 1976. Chart success since their heyday has been elusive, but Black Oak soldiers on, surviving legal issues and personnel changes as it continues to record and tour today.

• K.T. Oslin -- This Crossett native, born Kay Toinette Oslin on May 15, 1942, racked up major awards in 1988 and 1989 from the Country Music Association and the Grammys.

In 1988, the Country Music Association chose her smash "'80s Ladies" Song of the Year and named Oslin Female Vocalist of the Year, unseating Reba McEntire, who won the previous four years. That year, Oslin won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female for "'80s Ladies" and the next year won Grammys for her 1988 hit "Hold Me" as Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.

Still living in Nashville, Tenn., she quit touring after undergoing cardiac bypass surgery in 1995. She occasionally performs for charitable or special music-related events.

• Buddy Jewell -- After competing on Star Search and winning the Male Vocalist category, this country singer from Lepanto, now 53, gained national attention as the first winner of the USA Network's talent show Nashville Star in 2003. Signed to Columbia Records that year, he released his debut major-label album, Buddy Jewell, which included the No. 3 debut smash, "Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey's Song)" and "Sweet Southern Comfort."

His next album on Columbia, released in 2005, didn't perform well and Jewell was dropped from the label.

The singer, however, is still working hard and praises his fans for their loyalty.

"They are amazing," Jewell writes on his website buddyjewell.com. "They have followed me and supported me through thick and thin. They have kept me motivated and I'm grateful to them for that."

He continues to pursue a music career and is currently on tour with fellow country musicians Sammy Sadler and Ken Mellons.

Style on 07/06/2014

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