BARRY LEVINE: Individuals worthy of being on ‘Rock Rushmore’

This is the third installment on performers who earned spots on “Rock Rushmore.” Unlike the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, one of the qualifications was a performer’s chart success.

This installment features solo performers. Four performers were selected in each category except for R&B singers, which has five because it was impossible to determine who did not warrant a spot on “Rock Rushmore.”

POP SINGERS

Nat King Cole – The silky smooth singer was a major force in pop music for three decades.

His recordings remained popular worldwide following his death in February 1965 of cancer.

Cole had many of his big hits before the beginning of the modern rock ‘n’ roll era including “The Christmas Song” in 1946, “Nature Boy” in 1948, “Mona Lisa” in 1950, “Too Young” on 1951 and “Unforgettable” in 1952.

Cole’s popularity continued during the rock ‘n’ roll era with “A Blossom Fell” and “My One Sin” in 1955, “Love is the Thing” and “Send for Me” in 1957, “Ramblin’ Rose” in 1962 and “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer” in 1963.

Neil Diamond – The pop-rock singer/songwriter has been performing for more than a half-century.

Diamond has sold more than 100 million records, making him one of the world’s best-selling artists of all-time.

He had his first Top 10 hit in 1966 when “Cherry, Cherry” rose to No. 6. He had three No. 1 hits – “Cracklin’ Rosie” in 1970, “Song Sung Blue” in 1972 and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” in 1978.

He amassed 24 Top 40 hits. Besides hit No. 1 songs, Diamond is most noted for “Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon” and “Kentucky Woman” in 1967, “Sweet Caroline” in 1969, “Solitary Man” in 1970 and “September Morn” in 1979.

Marvin Gaye — One of the most gifted and enduring talents launched by the Motown hit machine, Marvin Gaye blazed the trail for the continued evolution of popular black music, moving from powerful R&B to classy soul.

After four releases that failed to make the Top 40, Gaye began getting noticed when “Hitch Hike” reached No. 30 in 1962 and “Pride and Joy” and “Can I Get a Witness” broke into the Top 20 in 1963.

Gaye had 13 Top 10 hits, three of which reached No. 1 – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” in 1966, “Let’s Get It on” in 1973 and “Got to Give It up” in 1977.

Frank Sinatra – The most versatile entertainer of the past 100 years, Sinatra was blessed with the unmatched ability to “sell” a song.

“I’ll Smile Again” in 1940, “Dolores” in 1941, “There are Such Things” in 1942, “Oh! What It Seemed to Be” and “Give Minutes More” in 1946, and “Three Coins in a Fountain” in 1954 were among his pre- rock ‘n’ roll era No. 1 hits.

He continued to make hits following the beginning of the rock ‘n’ roll era recording three No. 1 smashes – “Learnin’ the Blues” in 1955, “Strangers in the Night” in 1966 and “Something Stupid,” a duet with his daughter, Nancy, in 1967.

TEEN HEART THROBS

Paul Anka – Anka, who has been performing for nearly six decades, had his first No. 1 hit in 1957 with “Diana.”

Among his other Top 7 hits are “You are My Destiny” in 1958, “Lonely Boy,” “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” and “It’s Time to Cry” in 1959 and “Puppy Love” and “My Home Town” in 1960.

After altering his style from teen-themed songs to adult tunes, he began having success again with Top 7 hits such as “Having My Baby” and “One Man Woman, One Woman Man” in 1974 and “I Don’t Like to Sleep Alone” and “Times of Your Life” in 1975.

Ricky Nelson – Blessed with having the advantage of performing on his parents’ TV show, “The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet,” Ricky Nelson placed 53 songs on the Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973 including “Poor Little Fool,” which holds the distinction of being the first No. 1 song on the Hot 100 chart in 1958.

He recorded 19 additional Top 10 hits including his other No. 1 hit “Travelin’ Man” in 1960.

Among his other notable hits were “I’m Walkin’” and “Be Bop Baby” in 1957, “Stood Up” in 1958, “Never Be Anyone Else But You” in 1959, “Hello Mary Lou” in 1961 and “Garden Party” in 1972.

Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley wasn’t given the nickname “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” He got it the old-fashioned way – he earned it.

And nobody deserves a spot on Rock Rushmore more than Elvis.

Presley, who had a then-record 18 No. 1 hits, is the only singer before 1965 to notch double-digit No. 1 hits. The Beatles eclipsed his mark with 20 during the 1960s.

Among his most memorable No. 1 hits were “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Hound Dog” in 1955, “Love Me Tender” and “All Shook Up” in 1956, “Jailhouse Rock” and “Teddy Bear” in 1957, “Stick on You” in 1959 and “Suspicious Minds” in 1969.

Bobby Rydell – Performing for more than five decades, the Philadelphia icon had the first of his 19 Top 40 hits when his first single for Parkway Records, “Kissin’ Time,” rose to No. 11 in the summer of 1959.

Although never notching a No. 1 hit, Rydell had several that climbed into the Top 5 including “We Got Love” in 1959 and “Wild One,” “Volare,” “Sway” and “Swingin’ School” in 1960.

He gained more fame in 2013 after returning to the stage in Las Vegas six months after undergoing a 20-hour double- transplant procedure.

R&B SINGERS

Ray Charles – The Albany native transformed himself from an R&B/soul singer during the 1950s to a country singer during the 1960s.

Blind since age 7, Charles had three No. 1 hits on the pop charts – “Georgia on My Mind” in 1960, “Hit the Road Jack” in 1961 and “I Can’t Stop Loving You” in 1962. He had 35 Top 40 songs on the pop charts.

Nicknamed “The Genius of Soul,” Charles also had 10 top hits on the R&B charts. Among the most famous are “I’ve Got a Woman” in 1955, “What’d I Say” in 1959, “One Mint Julip” in 1961 and “Unchain My Heart” in 1962.

James Brown – The founding father of funk music, Brown was nicknamed the “Godfather of Soul.”

Brown, whose signature songs are “Please, Please, Please” in 1956 and “Try Me” in 1958, incredibly had 16 No. 1 hits on the R&B charts.

Among his No. 1 R&B songs are “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “I Got You” in 1965, “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” in 1966, “Cold Sweat” in 1967, “I Got the Feelin’ ” in 1968, and “Super Bad” in 1970.

Brown’s live performances were characterized by his brilliant choreographed moves.

Sam Cooke — Cooke invented soul music, and became its most popular and beloved performer by both blacks and whites.

Cooke had 33 Top 40 hits. His only No. 1 hit was his first – “You Send Me” in 1957.

He had more success on the R&B chart. Besides “You Send Me,“ Cooke topped the genre with “Wonderful World” and “Chain Gang” in 1960, “Twistin’ the Night Away” in 1961 and “Bring It on Home to Me” and “Another Saturday Night” in 1962.

During the early part of his career, Cooke shied away from becoming involved with the nation’s civil rights movement. That changed in 1964 when his song “A Change is Gonna Come” was released.

Jackie Wilson – Nicknamed “Mr. Excitement,” Wilson was a master showman, and one of the most dynamic performers in R&B and rock ‘n’ roll history.

He started his career as lead singer with Billy Ward & The Dominoes before becoming a solo act in 1957.

Wilson amassed 50 hit singles including 16 R&B Top 10 hits, six of which reached No. 1. He had 14 Top 20 pop hits, six of which reached the Top 10.

His Top 10 Pop hits were “Lonely Teardrops” in 1958, “Night” and ”Alone at Last” in 1960, “My Empty Arms” in 1961, “Baby Workout” in 1963 and “Higher and Higher” in 1967.

Stevie Wonder – Walking in the footsteps of blind singers Ray Charles and Al Hibbler, the harmonica-playing Wonder burst onto the rock scene in 1963 with his No. 1 hit “Fingertips Part 2.”

His other No. 1 hits were “Uptight” in 1965, “Superstition” in 1972. “You are the Sunshine of My Life” in 1973, “You Haven’t Done Nothin’ “in 1974, “I Wish” in 1976, “Sir Duke” in 1977, “Ebony and Ivory” in 1982, “I Just Called to say I Love You” in 1984 and “That’s What Friends are For” in 1985.

FEMALE SINGERS

Connie Francis – The pop singer was the top-charting female vocalist during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

After seven releases that failed to chart, Francis finally experienced success when the ballad “Who’s Sorry Now” climbed to No. 4 in 1957.

She later had her two No. 1 hits – “My Heart has a Mind of its Own” in 1960 and “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” in 1962.

Among her other well-known hits were “Stupid Cupid” and “My Happiness” in 1958, “Lipstick on Your Collar” in 1959 and “Where the Boys Are” in 1961, which was also the title song from the movie in which she starred.

Aretha Franklin – Nicknamed “The Queen of Soul,” Franklin has chartered an amazing 112 songs, 77 on the Hot 100 and 100 on the R&B charts. She also has had 17 Top 10 pop hits.

Among her No. 1 R&B hits were “Respect” and “Chain of Fools” in 1967 and “Think” in 1968. The trio of smashes ignited her career.

Besides her three signature songs, Franklin is most-known for “Something He Can Feel” in 1976, “Break It to Me Gently” in 1977 and “Jump to It” in 1982.

She has won 18 Grammy Awards and sold more than 80 million records.

Lesley Gore – Gore was just 17 years old when she enjoyed a meteoric rise when the million-selling debut single “It’s My Party” topped the charts in May 1963. The song later was nominated for a Grammy.

She followed with two other Top 5 hits in 1963 – “Judy’s Turn to Cry” and “She’s a Fool.”

Gore had a No. 2 hit in 1964 with “You Don’t Own Me.” It remained in that slot for three weeks, blocked from No. 1 by the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

Among her other top hits were “That’s the Way Boys Are” and “Maybe I Know” in 1964, “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” in 1965 and “California Nights” in 1967.

Brenda Lee – Georgia’s own “Little Miss Dynamite,” Lee was one of the top-selling female singers during the late 1950s and 1960s. She registered 47 chart hits during the 1960s.

Following several failures, Lee had her first big hit in 1959 when “Sweet Nothin’s” rocketed to No. 4. She quickly added her only No. 1 hits, “I’m Sorry” and “I Want to be Wanted,” in 1960.

“Dum Dum” and “Fool No. 1” in 1961,”All Alone Am I” in 1962 and “Losing You” in 1963 are among her most recognized hits.

One of her most famous songs is “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” which she recorded in 1958. It has been heard every December since that year.

Barry Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].