Favorite bands/singers/musicians from before you were born

[Lester C.]

According to Wikipedia these were the biggest singles in 1978.

Stayin' Alive

1978



US BB 1 – Dec 1977, Canada 1 – Jan 1978, Holland 1 – Feb 1978, France 1 – Feb 1978, Italy 1 of 1978, Australia 1 for 7 weeks Jan 1979, US CashBox 2 of 1978, Austria 2 – Apr 1978, Switzerland 2 – Mar 1978, Germany 2 – Mar 1978, Scrobulate 2 of disco, Sweden (alt) 3 – Mar 1978, UK 4 – Feb 1978, Norway 4 – Mar 1978, Australia 4 of 1978, South Africa 4 of 1978, US BB 8 of 1978, POP 8 of 1978, AFI 9, OzNet 9, Party 13 of 2007, RYM 34 of 1977, Europe 36 of the 1970s, 80 in 2FM list, RIAA 94, Acclaimed 98, Germany 100 of the 1970s, Rolling Stone 189



2

John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John

You're the One That I Want

1978

/

UK 1 – May 1978, US BB 1 – Apr 1978, Canada 1 – Apr 1978, Holland 1 – May 1978, Sweden (alt) 1 – Jul 1978, Switzerland 1 – Jul 1978, Norway 1 – Jul 1978, Australia 1 of 1978, Germany 1 – Jun 1978, Éire 1 – Jun 1978, Australia 1 for 2 weeks Apr 1979, Austria 2 – Jul 1978, France 5 – May 1978, US CashBox 9 of 1978, Italy 12 of 1978, POP 15 of 1978, US BB 17 of 1978, Germany 17 of the 1970s, South Africa 17 of 1978, TOTP 20, Poland 26 – Jul 1998, Global 33 (5 M sold) – 1978, Europe 72 of the 1970s, RYM 153 of 1978



3

The Village People

Y.M.C.A.

1978



UK 1 – Nov 1978, Holland 1 – Dec 1978, Sweden (alt) 1 – Dec 1978, Austria 1 – Jan 1979, Switzerland 1 – Dec 1978, Germany 1 – Jan 1979, Éire 1 – Jan 1979, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Oct 1979, POP 1 of 1979, US BB 2 – Nov 1978, Canada 2 – Dec 1978, Norway 2 – Jan 1979, US BB 3 of 1979, France 3 – Dec 1978, Party 03 of 1999, US CashBox 4 of 1979, Global 7 (10 M sold) – 1978, Australia 15 of 1979, Germany 23 of the 1970s, Scrobulate 38 of disco, Europe 86 of the 1970s, RIAA 86, RYM 95 of 1978, Acclaimed 1662



4

Boney M

Rivers of Babylon

1978

/ /

UK 1 – Apr 1978, Holland 1 – Apr 1978, Sweden (alt) 1 – May 1978, France 1 – May 1978, Austria 1 – May 1978, Switzerland 1 – Apr 1978, Norway 1 – May 1978, Germany 1 – Apr 1978, Éire 1 – May 1978, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Apr 1979, South Africa 1 of 1978, Australia 3 of 1978, Germany 3 of the 1970s, TOTP 8, US BB 30 – Jul 1978, Italy 36 of 1978, RYM 77 of 1978, Global 100 (5 M sold) – 1978, OzNet 867



5

Bee Gees

Night Fever

1978

[RobStaeger]

Bix Beiderbecke, Harry James, Spike Jones, Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, (the early) Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London

Born in 1954.

No Annette Hanshaw?

[FanboyStranger]

Richard Thompson, master of the dark song and supreme guitar player.

[CutterMike]

1954!

I'm surprised Beethoven and Mozart aren't on your list!

They're OK, though if I'm gonna go with one of those younger "hipster" kids I have to admit I tend more towards the smooth groove that Rossini lays down.

Of course, if I want to go Old School I loves me some Bill Byrd and Thomas Tallis!

[stealthwise]

The Beetles were a knock-off band. They had minor hits with "She Likes you, hey, hey, hey" and "I want to comb your hair"

And my favourite, "All you need is pie."

[Ziggy Stardust]

My fave was The Ballad Of Fred And Ethyl.

[Little Scandal]

Was born in '79 and I loved listning to the Animals, Monkees, Beatles, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Jackson 5, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley and the Comets, Frankie Avalon, Neil Sedaka, Paul Anka...pretty much everything from the 50's. I grew up with that playing in my family.

[RobStaeger]

Richard Thompson, master of the dark song and supreme guitar player.

Good call -- Fairport Convention's album was released in 1967, two years before I was.

[Chris Jones]

The Who
Led Zeppelin
Black Sabbath
Johnny Cash
Otis Redding
John Coltrane
Miles Davis
Nick Drake
Joy Division
Genesis
Yes
King Crimson
The Kinks
Bruce Springsteen
AC/DC
Judas Priest
Aphrodite's Child
Metallica
Warren Zevon
The Zombies
The Spinners
David Bowie
The Velvet Underground
John Cale
The Clash
Elvis Costello
Patsy Cline
Bo Diddley
Talking Heads
Thin Lizzy
A Tribe Called Quest (their debut came out in 1990, a year I was born, so I'm counting 'em!)
Bob Dylan
Brian Eno
Faith No More
Fugazi
Peter Gabriel
The Replacements
The Rolling Stones
Big Star
Parliament/Funkadelic
Jimi Hendrix
Love
Elvis Costello

I could go on and on...so much of my favorite music was made before I was born

[Tyr]

Led Zeppelin by a landslide. Though I got some love for the Beetles, the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, and certain tracks by Kiss, Alice Cooper, Elton John, and Sinatra and kids, and as a self respecting Scandi, I gotta love ABBA, who started a couple years before I was born. I won't count Genesis cause even though they formed a decade before I was born, it was there 80's Phill Collins years that did it for me. And I think Peter Gabriel was no slouch during his solo career in that era either.