BARRY LEVINE: Running afowl of band name choices

This column is definitely for the birds.

When you think on Thanksgiving, one of the first things that surface is the turkey, the staple for dining-room staples.

In honor of Thanksgiving, here’s a list of groups who were named for birds.

The most successful of the bird groups was the Eagles, who formed in 1971 in Los Angeles.

One of the best rock bands of the 1970s, the Eagles had five No. 1 hits – “Best of My Love” in 1974, “One of These Nights” in 1975, “New Kid in Town” in 1976, “Hotel California” in 1977 and “Heartache Tonight” in 1979.

The Eagles also had 18 Top 40 hits, 10 Top 10 smashes, six No. 1 albums and five Grammy Awards.

The group disbanded in July 1980 but reunited in 1994 for the album “Hell Freezes Over” which was a combination of live and new studio tracks. Since 1994, the Eagles have toured on occasion and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

The Byrds, a folk-rock quintet, joined forces in Los Angeles in 1964. Two of the members had been with highly successful folk groups – Roger McGuinn with the Chad Mitchell Trio and Gene Clark with the New Christy Minstrels.

The group generated two No. 1 hits – “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn, Turn, Turn” in 1965. There only other Top 20 hit was “Eight Miles High” which climbed to No. 14 in 1966.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, the group had seven Top 40 hits.

A trio from Canton, Ohio, the O’Jays were named for Cleveland DJ Eddie O’Jay and formed in 1958.

The R&B group had one No. 1 hit – “Love Train” in 1973. The O’Jays also had three other Top 5 hits – “Back Stabbers No. 3 in 1972, “I Love Music” No. 5 in 1975 and “Used to be My Girl” No. 4 In 1978.

They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

Formed in Dallas in 1989 as a blue grass band, the Dixie Chicks took nearly a decade and multiple group changes before they enjoyed commercial success.

Starting in 1998, the trio had 10 Top 40 hits, none of which reached the Top 10. Six of their songs, however, climbed to No. 1 on the country charts – “There’s Your Trouble,” “Wide Open Spaces” and “You were Mine” in 1998, “Cowboy Take Me Away” in 1999, “Without You” in 2000 and “Travelin’ Soldier” in 2002.

The group’ popularity dissipated in March 2003 when during a concert in London lead singer Natalie Maines, a Texas native, said: “Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war (Iraq), this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States (George W. Bush) is from Texas.” Bush also had been the governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

The U.S. media picked up the story and the statement virtually ended the Dixie Chicks reign of popularity.

Billy Swan, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., had one Top 40 hit, but it was a big one as the rockabilly tune “I Can Help” reached the top of the charts in October 1974.

Swan got his first break in 1962 when Clyde McPhatter, the former lead singer of the Drifters, recorded his song “A Lover’s Question,” which jumped to No. 7.

The Flamingos organized in 1953 in Chicago and had their biggest hit in 1959 with “I Only have Eyes for You” which jumped to No. 11. The song was written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin in 1934 for the film “Dames.”

They had their other Top 30 hit in 1960 with “Nobody Loves Me Like You.”

The Falcons, an R&B group, joined forces in Detroit in 1955 and scored with million-selling-hits “You’re So Fine” in 1959 and “I Found A Love“ in 1962.

Wilson Pickett joined the Flamingos in 1960 and remained with them until 1963 when he started a highly successful solo career.

The Penguins, a Los Angeles group, had their only hit in 1955 when “Earth Angel” – an all-time great submarine-racing-watching song — rose to No. 8 was No. 1 for three weeks on the R&B chart.

“Earth Angel” was one of the first songs to cross over from the R&B to pop charts.

Generally regarded as R&B’s first vocal group, the Orioles, all Baltimore natives, helped establish the Doo-Wop sound.

Led by lead singer Sonny Til, the Orioles had their biggest hit in 1953 with “Crying in the Chapel.”

The Ravens, a New York based group, were one of the first R&B units and the group laid the ground work for black singing groups that followed. They joined in 1946 and called themselves The Ravens because everybody was raving about their sound.

They had their first smash hit in 1947 with “Ol’ Man River” and followed with the first R&B version of “White Christmas” in 1948. The Ravens had two more hits in 1949 – “Always” and “Deep Purple.”

Four New Yorkers got together during the late 1940s and called themselves The Crows because groups they admired at the time including The Ravens, The Orioles and The Flamingos had names of birds.

They had their first big hit in 1954 called “Gee,” which became a rock ‘n’ roll standard. It also helped bridge the gap between R&B and pop music.

The group disbanded during the mid-1950s.

The Larks, a Los Angeles trio, formed during the 1960s and in 1964 they recorded “The Jerk” which rose to No. 7. That was their only Top 40 hit.

Jimmy Ruffin dies

Jimmy Ruffin, the Motown singer whose younger brother, David Ruffin, was the controversial lead singer of the Temptations, died Monday in a Las Vegas hospital at age 78.

Jimmy Ruffin had four Top 40 hits, the biggest of which was “What Becomes off the Broken Hearted” which climbed to No. 7 in the summer of the 1966. His other Top 10 hit was “Hold on to My Love” in 1980. That tune was produced by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees.

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