Soft Rock-Easy Listening Pt 2

The Classics IV is a band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965. The band is often credited for establishing the “soft southern rock” sound. The band, led by singer Dennis Yost, is known mainly for the hits “Spooky”, “Stormy” and “Traces”, released 1967 to 1969, which have become cover standards.

Climax were an American band formed in 1970 in Los Angeles, California, most noted for their 1971-1972 hit song “Precious and Few,” which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on Cashbox magazine’s Top 100 singles chart.

This disc sold over one million copies and was certified gold by the RIAA on February 21, 1972.

John Denver was an American musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, activist, actor, and humanitarian, whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer, starting in the 1970s. He was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the decade and one of its best-selling artists.

By 1974, he was firmly established as America’s best-selling performer, and AllMusic has described Denver as “among the most beloved entertainers of his era”. After traveling and living in numerous locations while growing up in his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. Throughout his life, Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed, with total record sales of over 33 million.

He recorded and performed primarily with an acoustic guitar and sang about his joy in nature, his disdain for city life, his enthusiasm for music, and his relationship trials. Denver’s music appeared on a variety of charts, including country music, the Billboard Hot 100, and adult contemporary, in all earning him twelve gold and four platinum albums with his signature songs “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, “Annie’s Song”, “Rocky Mountain High”, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”, and “Sunshine on My Shoulders”.

Denver further starred in films and several notable television specials in the 1970s and 1980s. In the following decade, he continued to record, but also focused on calling attention to environmental issues, lent his vocal support to space exploration, and testified in front of Congress to protest against censorship in music. He was known for his love of the state of Colorado, which he sang about numerous times. He lived in Aspen, Colorado for much of his life and was named poet laureate of the state in 1974. The Colorado state legislature also adopted “Rocky Mountain High” as one of its state songs in 2007. Denver was an avid pilot and died in a single-fatality crash of his personal experimental aircraft at the age of 53.

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide throughout their career.

The band has been active for five decades, with their biggest success occurring in the 1970s.

The band’s history can be roughly divided into three eras. From 1969 to 1975 they featured lead vocalist Tom Johnston and featured a mainstream rock and roll sound with elements of folk, country and R&B.

Johnston quit the group in 1975 and was replaced with Michael McDonald whose interest in soul music changed the sound of the band until they broke up in 1982. The Doobie Brothers reformed in 1987 with Johnston back in the fold and are active to the present with occasional contributions from McDonald. Every incarnation of the group emphasized vocal harmonies from the band’s members, and the Doobie Brothers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.

Christopher Cross an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas.

His debut album earned him five Grammy Awards. He is perhaps best known for his US Top Ten hit songs, “Ride Like the Wind”, “Sailing”, and “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”, the latter recorded by him for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore.

“Sailing” earned three Grammys in 1981, while “Arthur’s Theme” won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1981 (with co-composers Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen).

Neil Diamond an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor.

His career began in the 1960s and he has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time. Early in the 21st century, he was the third most successful adult contemporary artist in the history of the Billboard charts. His songs have been covered internationally by many performers from various musical genres.

Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Additionally, he received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and in 2011 was an honoree at Kennedy Center. On the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, he has had eleven No. 1 singles: “Cracklin’ Rosie”, “Song Sung Blue”, “Longfellow Serenade”, “I’ve Been This Way Before”, “If You Know What I Mean”, “Desiree”, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”, “America”, “Yesterday’s Songs”, “Heartlight”, and “I’m a Believer”. “Sweet Caroline” is played frequently at sporting events, and has become an anthem for the Boston Red Sox.

Dan Fogelberg was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass.

He is best known for his early 1980s hits, including “Longer” (1980), “Leader of the Band” (1981), and “Same Old Lang Syne” (1981).

Peter Frampton is an English-American rock musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton’s international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive! The album sold more than eight million copies in the United States alone and spawned several hits. Since then he has released several major albums. He has also worked with David Bowie and both Matt Cameron and Mike McCready from Pearl Jam, among others.

Frampton is best known for such hits as “Breaking All the Rules”, “Show Me the Way”, “Baby, I Love Your Way”, “Do You Feel Like We Do”, and “I’m in You”, which remain staples on classic rock radio. He has also appeared as himself in television shows such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. Frampton is known for his work as a guitar player and particularly with a Talkbox and his tenor voice.

Dobie Gray was an American singer and songwriter, whose musical career spanned soul, country, pop, and musical theater.

His hit records included “The ‘In’ Crowd” in 1965 and “Drift Away”, which was one of the biggest hits of 1973, sold over one million copies, and remains a staple of radio airplay.

Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, musician, and producer with a career that has spanned over 50 years. He is best known for a long string of hit recordings such as “Mandy”, “Can’t Smile Without You”, and “Copacabana (At the Copa)”.

In 1978, five of his albums were on the best-seller charts simultaneously, a feat equaled only by Herb Alpert, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Johnny Mathis. He has recorded and released 47 Top 40 singles, including 12 that hit number one and 27 of which appeared within the top ten, and has released many multi-platinum albums. He is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records) and Billboard Magazines, and Rolling Stone crowned him “a giant among entertainers… the showman of our generation.”

Although not a favorite of music critics,[4] Manilow has been praised by several well-known entertainers, including Sinatra, who was quoted in the 1970s saying, “He’s next.” In 1988, Bob Dylan stopped Manilow at a party, hugged him and said, “Don’t stop what you’re doing, man. We’re all inspired by you.”

As well as producing and arranging albums for other artists, including Bette Midler and Dionne Warwick, Manilow has written songs for musicals, films, and commercials. From February 2005 to December 30, 2009, he was the headliner at the Las Vegas Hilton, performing hundreds of shows before ending his relationship with the hotel. Since March 2010, he has headlined at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas. He has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time.