John Scott's Top 40 Songs from Jacksonville (Part I)
Jacksonville’s contributions to pop music are enormous and sadly, mostly overlooked. This list of Jacksonville’s Top 40 hopes to end the overlooking and start the appreciating. John Scott is part of Jacksonville's Big Show on 99.1 WQIK on from 5:30AM - 10AM.
Jacksonville’s contributions to pop music are enormous and sadly, mostly overlooked. This list of Jacksonville’s Top 40 hopes to end the overlooking and start the appreciating. Just to explain some guidelines in this list, the songs used in this list had to be released as singles and had to have charted on a Billboard US chart. What constitutes “from Jacksonville”? Those born here, those that lived here for at least a year or so, or bands that were formed here.
The rankings are subjective, I’ve tried to combine the longevity of living in this area with the enormity of the actual song (and actually, it’s just fun to put Limp Bizkit and Pat Boone adjacent to each other), so please don’t take the adjoining numbers too seriously, just enjoy the incredible variety of music that has come forth from the area.
40. “Here I Go Again” – Glenn Jones (1992) Jax native Glenn Jones was a mainstay on the R&B Top 40 charts from 1983 through 1994. “Here I Go Again” is his sole number one R&B hit, knocking Vanessa Williams’ “Saving the Best For Last” off of the top spot.
39. “It’s Almost Tomorrow” – The Dream Weavers (1955) The Dream Weavers began as a duo in Miami, but hit their stride as a group while attending the University of Florida. Jackson grad Lee Turner was pianist for the group and another Jacksonville native Eddie Newsom played bass. The group recorded their lone top 10 hit in Jacksonville.
38. “Precious, Precious” - Jackie Moore (1970) A true Jacksonville collaboration, written and produced by Jacksonville’s Dave Crawford, Moore was one of the few southern-style soul hit makers on the R&B charts in the 70s. This, her only song to hit the pop charts, went top 30.
37. “Face Down” – Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (2006) Middleburg rock band debuted with their biggest hit, charting in the top 5 on the Alternative charts and top 25 pop hit helping their debut album go gold.
36. “Whatta Man” – Salt n Pepa with En Vogue (1993) The song was originally written by Jacksonville’s David Campbell, a minor R&B hit in 1968 for Linda Lyndell. With the powerhouse teaming of two of the sassiest trios in R&B/Hip Hop history, this song in its revamped form became a smash.
35. “So Into You” -- Atlanta Rhythm Section (1977) The ARS morphed out of the Classics IV, a Jacksonville band that we’ll see later in the countdown; a couple of the Jacksonville natives joined ARS. This slow-cooked brooding southern rock gem typifies the ARS, crack musicians who know how to hit the pocket. A top 5 pop hit.
34. “It Keeps Right on a-Hurtin’” – Johnny Tillotson (1962) Jacksonville-born, Palatka-raised Tillotson had his biggest hit with a self-penned tune inspired by his father’s terminal illness. The song went top 5 on the pop charts and crossed over to be a big country hit that year. It was subsequently covered by over 100 artists.
33. “Butterfly Kisses” – The Raybon Brothers (1997) The ultimate Daddy-Daughter song was written by Bob Carlisle, who also recorded a hit version of the song. But the Raybon Brothers, who spent many years living in Jacksonville, had a gold record with the song and a sizeable country hit. Lead singer Marty Raybon was also lead singer of the group Shenandoah who tracked many country hits from 1988-1995.
32. “Brick House” – Commodores (1977) Often the Commodores are remembered as a vehicle for Lionel Richie ballads. Yes, they had their biggest hits with his great songs, but one of the most memorable of the Commodores’ hits was this funk classic, featuring the lead vocals of Jacksonville’s Walter “Clyde” Orange. Orange also sang lead on their R&B #1 hit, “Nightshift” in 1985.
31. “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” – Scott McKenzie (1967) The song was written by McKenzie’s long-time friend John Phillips of Mamas and the Papas and McKenzie (Jacksonville born – moved at 6 months) sang it. The hippie anthem was written to promote Monterrey Pop Festival but hit a nerve worldwide and sold a reported 7 million copies. McKenzie is a one-hit wonder as a recording artist but did co-write the Beach Boys 1988 hit “Kokomo”.
30.”Live Like You Were Dying” – Tim McGraw (2004) Contrary to popular belief, Tim McGraw was not born here – conceived here? – Yes. His mom got pregnant with then-Jacksonville Suns pitcher Tug McGraw and moved and subsequently bore and raised Tim in Louisiana. His mom moved back to the area after Tim graduated high school and Tim joined her a year later. He worked at Pappa’s nightclub on Beach Blvd for a while before taking off to Nashville. This song is the biggest of an incredibly huge career in country music, transcending the genre to worldwide fame through music and acting.
29. “WOP” – J. Dash (2011) Stanton grad J. Dash’s dance song featuring Flo Rida was a You Tube sensation with nearly 10 million hits, earning him a gold record for downloads.
28. Feudin’ and Fussin’ – Dorothy Shay (1947) Shay was born and raised in Jacksonville and started her career in New York City with a country girl comedy actress/singer act known as the “Park Avenue Hillbilly.” She sold over three million copies of her version of “Feudin’ and Fussin’ in 1947.
27. “Train, Train” – Blackfoot (1979) Blackfoot’s Ricky Medlocke took his Skynyrd roots and segued them into a harder rocking offering he called Blackfoot. This song was a staple on Classic Rock formats, with the smoking harmonica solo intro performed by Ricky’s dad, Shorty, who wrote the song.
26. “Don’t Forbid Me” – Pat Boone (1957) Boone was born in Jacksonville and moved at age 2, but for years he was one of our few claims to fame. Boone found initial fame covering R&B songs for the pop (read: white) audiences, but his chops on pop ballads kept him a superstar throughout the 1950s (second biggest charting act in the decade behind Elvis). Though he had bigger hits, this song makes the list for having what I call a Duval Double Play – the song was written by Jacksonville’s Charlie Singleton (whom we’ll see later). This song hit #1 on the pop charts in ’57.
25. “Rollin’” – Limp Bizkit (2000) The rocking rap sound of Limp Bizkit was best personified in this hit which was a mainstay on the alternative and rock charts in 2000. An interesting story comes from the video, which was filmed atop one of the World Trade Center towers. The band received a letter from the World Trade Center thanking them for featuring the towers in their video. They received the letter on September 10, 2001.
24. “Quarter to Three” – Gary U.S. Bonds (1961) Bonds (born Gary Anderson in Jacksonville) moved at an early age to Virginia. “Quarter to Three” became his only number one song, which he received co-writing credit for arranging the vocals. The song made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs That Shaped Rock n Roll.
23. “Soldier Boy” – The Shirelles (1962) Songwriter and Producer Luther Dixon moved to New York at a young age after being born in Jacksonville. He wrote “16 Candles,” a doo wop standard for The Crests and was given reign of writing and producing a new girl group, the Shirelles. With Dixon producing, the Shirelles scored over a dozen hits with many co-written by Dixon, including this one, which peaked at number one. The Shirelles are in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Their architect, Luther Dixon is not. We got Skynyrd in, let’s work on Luther next. Dixon died in his hometown on Jacksonville in 2009.
22. “Strangers in the Night” – Frank Sinatra (1966) – Jacksonville’s Charlie “Hoss” Singleton wrote the words to Frank Sinatra’s last number one hit. The song is one of the most played songs in radio history. This got docked a few notches on its ranking on this list because, though Singleton wrote the lyrics, the most memorable words in this song are Sinatra’s ad-libbed “do-be-do-be-do”’s at the end.
21. “Spooky” – Classics IV (1968) The song was originally an instrumental by a jazz player in Atlanta, then J.R. Cobb and Buddy Buie added words and “Spooky” became an international hit for Jacksonville’s Classics IV. Their most played hit shows up later in the list.
20. “Ocean Avenue” – Yellowcard (2004) The band of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts grads struck gold record status with a song about their hometown. Guitarist Ben Harper said, “"It’s this place where we used to hang out in Jacksonville. Instead of talking about a girl, it’s talking about a scene and a feeling that we want to get back to: hanging out and writing, before we moved to California.” Cherry Street in Riverside is also mentioned.
Part II
Article by John Scott, part of Jacksonville's Big Show
on 99.1 WQIK on from 5:30AM - 10AM.
The rankings are subjective, I’ve tried to combine the longevity of living in this area with the enormity of the actual song (and actually, it’s just fun to put Limp Bizkit and Pat Boone adjacent to each other), so please don’t take the adjoining numbers too seriously, just enjoy the incredible variety of music that has come forth from the area.
40. “Here I Go Again” – Glenn Jones (1992) Jax native Glenn Jones was a mainstay on the R&B Top 40 charts from 1983 through 1994. “Here I Go Again” is his sole number one R&B hit, knocking Vanessa Williams’ “Saving the Best For Last” off of the top spot.
39. “It’s Almost Tomorrow” – The Dream Weavers (1955) The Dream Weavers began as a duo in Miami, but hit their stride as a group while attending the University of Florida. Jackson grad Lee Turner was pianist for the group and another Jacksonville native Eddie Newsom played bass. The group recorded their lone top 10 hit in Jacksonville.
38. “Precious, Precious” - Jackie Moore (1970) A true Jacksonville collaboration, written and produced by Jacksonville’s Dave Crawford, Moore was one of the few southern-style soul hit makers on the R&B charts in the 70s. This, her only song to hit the pop charts, went top 30.
37. “Face Down” – Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (2006) Middleburg rock band debuted with their biggest hit, charting in the top 5 on the Alternative charts and top 25 pop hit helping their debut album go gold.
36. “Whatta Man” – Salt n Pepa with En Vogue (1993) The song was originally written by Jacksonville’s David Campbell, a minor R&B hit in 1968 for Linda Lyndell. With the powerhouse teaming of two of the sassiest trios in R&B/Hip Hop history, this song in its revamped form became a smash.
35. “So Into You” -- Atlanta Rhythm Section (1977) The ARS morphed out of the Classics IV, a Jacksonville band that we’ll see later in the countdown; a couple of the Jacksonville natives joined ARS. This slow-cooked brooding southern rock gem typifies the ARS, crack musicians who know how to hit the pocket. A top 5 pop hit.
34. “It Keeps Right on a-Hurtin’” – Johnny Tillotson (1962) Jacksonville-born, Palatka-raised Tillotson had his biggest hit with a self-penned tune inspired by his father’s terminal illness. The song went top 5 on the pop charts and crossed over to be a big country hit that year. It was subsequently covered by over 100 artists.
33. “Butterfly Kisses” – The Raybon Brothers (1997) The ultimate Daddy-Daughter song was written by Bob Carlisle, who also recorded a hit version of the song. But the Raybon Brothers, who spent many years living in Jacksonville, had a gold record with the song and a sizeable country hit. Lead singer Marty Raybon was also lead singer of the group Shenandoah who tracked many country hits from 1988-1995.
32. “Brick House” – Commodores (1977) Often the Commodores are remembered as a vehicle for Lionel Richie ballads. Yes, they had their biggest hits with his great songs, but one of the most memorable of the Commodores’ hits was this funk classic, featuring the lead vocals of Jacksonville’s Walter “Clyde” Orange. Orange also sang lead on their R&B #1 hit, “Nightshift” in 1985.
31. “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” – Scott McKenzie (1967) The song was written by McKenzie’s long-time friend John Phillips of Mamas and the Papas and McKenzie (Jacksonville born – moved at 6 months) sang it. The hippie anthem was written to promote Monterrey Pop Festival but hit a nerve worldwide and sold a reported 7 million copies. McKenzie is a one-hit wonder as a recording artist but did co-write the Beach Boys 1988 hit “Kokomo”.
30.”Live Like You Were Dying” – Tim McGraw (2004) Contrary to popular belief, Tim McGraw was not born here – conceived here? – Yes. His mom got pregnant with then-Jacksonville Suns pitcher Tug McGraw and moved and subsequently bore and raised Tim in Louisiana. His mom moved back to the area after Tim graduated high school and Tim joined her a year later. He worked at Pappa’s nightclub on Beach Blvd for a while before taking off to Nashville. This song is the biggest of an incredibly huge career in country music, transcending the genre to worldwide fame through music and acting.
29. “WOP” – J. Dash (2011) Stanton grad J. Dash’s dance song featuring Flo Rida was a You Tube sensation with nearly 10 million hits, earning him a gold record for downloads.
28. Feudin’ and Fussin’ – Dorothy Shay (1947) Shay was born and raised in Jacksonville and started her career in New York City with a country girl comedy actress/singer act known as the “Park Avenue Hillbilly.” She sold over three million copies of her version of “Feudin’ and Fussin’ in 1947.
27. “Train, Train” – Blackfoot (1979) Blackfoot’s Ricky Medlocke took his Skynyrd roots and segued them into a harder rocking offering he called Blackfoot. This song was a staple on Classic Rock formats, with the smoking harmonica solo intro performed by Ricky’s dad, Shorty, who wrote the song.
26. “Don’t Forbid Me” – Pat Boone (1957) Boone was born in Jacksonville and moved at age 2, but for years he was one of our few claims to fame. Boone found initial fame covering R&B songs for the pop (read: white) audiences, but his chops on pop ballads kept him a superstar throughout the 1950s (second biggest charting act in the decade behind Elvis). Though he had bigger hits, this song makes the list for having what I call a Duval Double Play – the song was written by Jacksonville’s Charlie Singleton (whom we’ll see later). This song hit #1 on the pop charts in ’57.
25. “Rollin’” – Limp Bizkit (2000) The rocking rap sound of Limp Bizkit was best personified in this hit which was a mainstay on the alternative and rock charts in 2000. An interesting story comes from the video, which was filmed atop one of the World Trade Center towers. The band received a letter from the World Trade Center thanking them for featuring the towers in their video. They received the letter on September 10, 2001.
24. “Quarter to Three” – Gary U.S. Bonds (1961) Bonds (born Gary Anderson in Jacksonville) moved at an early age to Virginia. “Quarter to Three” became his only number one song, which he received co-writing credit for arranging the vocals. The song made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs That Shaped Rock n Roll.
23. “Soldier Boy” – The Shirelles (1962) Songwriter and Producer Luther Dixon moved to New York at a young age after being born in Jacksonville. He wrote “16 Candles,” a doo wop standard for The Crests and was given reign of writing and producing a new girl group, the Shirelles. With Dixon producing, the Shirelles scored over a dozen hits with many co-written by Dixon, including this one, which peaked at number one. The Shirelles are in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Their architect, Luther Dixon is not. We got Skynyrd in, let’s work on Luther next. Dixon died in his hometown on Jacksonville in 2009.
22. “Strangers in the Night” – Frank Sinatra (1966) – Jacksonville’s Charlie “Hoss” Singleton wrote the words to Frank Sinatra’s last number one hit. The song is one of the most played songs in radio history. This got docked a few notches on its ranking on this list because, though Singleton wrote the lyrics, the most memorable words in this song are Sinatra’s ad-libbed “do-be-do-be-do”’s at the end.
21. “Spooky” – Classics IV (1968) The song was originally an instrumental by a jazz player in Atlanta, then J.R. Cobb and Buddy Buie added words and “Spooky” became an international hit for Jacksonville’s Classics IV. Their most played hit shows up later in the list.
20. “Ocean Avenue” – Yellowcard (2004) The band of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts grads struck gold record status with a song about their hometown. Guitarist Ben Harper said, “"It’s this place where we used to hang out in Jacksonville. Instead of talking about a girl, it’s talking about a scene and a feeling that we want to get back to: hanging out and writing, before we moved to California.” Cherry Street in Riverside is also mentioned.
Part II
Article by John Scott, part of Jacksonville's Big Show
on 99.1 WQIK on from 5:30AM - 10AM.