The Chart Music thread and the reminiscing about charts past made me think of some acts that had a hit or two or three that didn't really sound like anything else on the charts but can't really be said to be "novelty" acts nor were they really the only one of their kind out there - just the only one that broke through.
The one that comes to mind is The Stray Cats. Rockabilly, which of course began in the 50s, started a bit of a revival when Elvis made his comeback in the late 60s. But, as far as I know, the Stray Cats were/are the only rockabilly band to make much of a dent in MTV or the charts, at least in the US, in the 80s and nobody else of that kind has done it since. But they're hardly unique, either then or now. There are loads of rockabilly and psychobilly bands around and I guess it has a cult audience. (I like a lot of it)
And maybe he isn't the only Jamaican or reggae-influenced act to ever hit the charts, but Bob Marley is by far the most famous. I'm pretty sure nobody else comes close. He didn't spear head a big reggae explosion, as far as I know. It was just him, pretty much. Or at least, he's the only one who continued to move records well into the 90s and beyond.
Are there other examples of bands whose presence on the charts were just the tip of the iceberg for a whole genre but didn't really bring anyone else with them?
The one that comes to mind is The Stray Cats. Rockabilly, which of course began in the 50s, started a bit of a revival when Elvis made his comeback in the late 60s. But, as far as I know, the Stray Cats were/are the only rockabilly band to make much of a dent in MTV or the charts, at least in the US, in the 80s and nobody else of that kind has done it since. But they're hardly unique, either then or now. There are loads of rockabilly and psychobilly bands around and I guess it has a cult audience. (I like a lot of it)
And maybe he isn't the only Jamaican or reggae-influenced act to ever hit the charts, but Bob Marley is by far the most famous. I'm pretty sure nobody else comes close. He didn't spear head a big reggae explosion, as far as I know. It was just him, pretty much. Or at least, he's the only one who continued to move records well into the 90s and beyond.
Are there other examples of bands whose presence on the charts were just the tip of the iceberg for a whole genre but didn't really bring anyone else with them?
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