1. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
2. Crocodile rock - Elton John
3. Oh baby what would you say? - Hurricane Smith
4. Don't expect me to be your friend - Lobo
5. Dueling banjos - Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell
6. Why can't we live together? - Timmy Thomas
7. Could it be I'm falling in love? - Spinners
8. Hi hi hi - Paul McCartney & Wings
9. Living together, growing together - The 5th Dimension
10. The world is a ghetto - War
1. Love train - O'Jays
2. Do it again - Steely Dan
3. The cover of the Rolling Stone - Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
4. Also sprach Zarathustra - Deodato
5. Sing - Carpenters
6. Rocky Mountain high - John Denver
7. Break up to make up - Stylistics
8. Last song - Edward Bear
9. Masterpiece - The Temptations
10. I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band - Moody Blues
1. Killing me softly with his song - Roberta Flack
2. The night the lights went out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
3. Neither one of us (Wants to be the first to say good-bye - Gladys Knight & the Pips
4. Tie a yellow ribbon on the ole oak tree - Tony Orlando & Dawn
5. Cisco Kid - War
6. Call me (Come back again) - Al Green
7. Are you reeling in the years? - Steely Dan
8. Ain't no woman (Like the one I've got) - Four Tops
9. Dancing in the moonlight - King Harvest
9. Danny's song - Anne Murray
10. Dead skunk in the middle of the road - Loudon Wainwright III
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1. You are the sunshine of my life - Stevie Wonder
2. Stuck in the middle with you - Steelers Wheel
3. Drift away - Dobie Gray
4. Stir it up - Johnny Nash
5. Space oddity - David Bowie
6. The twelfth of never - Donnie Osmond
7. Little Willy - Sweet
8. Do you want to dance? - Bette Middler
9. Big city Miss Ruth Ann - Gallery
10. Daddy's home - Jermaine Jackson
1. Frankenstein - The Edgar Winter Group
2. Daniel - Elton John
3. Pillow talk - Sylvia
4. The right thing to do - Carly Simon
5. Wild flowers - Skylark
6. Thinking of you - Loggins & Messina
7. One of a kind (Love affair) - Spinners
8. I'm doing fine now - New York City
9. Daddy could swear, I declare - Gladys Knight & the Pips
10. No more Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper
1. My love - Paul McCartney & Wings
2. Playground in my mind - Clint Holmes
3. I'm gonna love you just a little more baby - Barry White
4. The morning after - Maureen McGovern
5. Yesterday once more - Carpenters
6. Long train running - Doobie Brothers
7. Shambala - Three Dog Night
8. Boogie woogie bugle boy - Bette Middler
9. Monster Mash - Bobby 'Boris' Pickett
10. Natural high - Bloodstone
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1. Give me love (Give me peace on earth) - George Harrison
2. Kodakchrome - Paul Simon
3. Will it go round in circles - Billy Preston
4. Diamond girl - Seals & Crofts
5. And I love you so - Perry Como
6. You'll never get to heaven - Stylistics
7. Right place wrong time - Dr. John
8. Uneasy rider - Charlie Daniels
9. Hocus pocus - Focus
10. Money - Pink Floyd
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1. Bad, bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce
2. Live and let it die - Paul McCartney & Wings
3. Touch me in the morning - Diana Ross
4. Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango
5. Feeling stronger every day - Chicago
6. Get down - Gilbert O'Sullivan
7. Smoke on the water - Deep Purple
8. Saturday night's alright for fighting - Elton John
9. China Grove - The Doobie Brothers
10. All I know - Art Garfunkel
1. Let's get it on - Marvin Gaye
2. Brother Louie - Stories
3. We're an American band - Grand Funk Railroad
4. Delta dawn - Helen Reddy
5. Half Breed - Cher
6. Say, has anyone seen my sweet Gypsy Rose? - Tony Orlando & Dawn
7. Here I am (Come and take me) - Al Green
8. Paper roses - Marie Osmond
9. My Maria - B.W. Stevenson
10. Ramblin' man - The Allman Brothers Band
1. Midnight train to Georgia - Gladys Knight & the Pips
2. Loves me like a rock - Paul Simon
3. Angie - The Rolling Stones
4. Higher ground - Stevie Wonder
5. That lady - The Isley Brothers
6. Just you 'n' me - Chicago
7. The love I lost - Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
8. Space race - Billy Preston
9. Yes, we can can - The Pointers Sisters
10. Heartbeat it's a lovebeat - The De Franco Family
1. Keep on truckin' - Eddie Kendricks
2. Photograph - Ringo Starr
3. Top of the world - Carpenters
4. I got a name - Jim Croce
5. Knocking on heaven's door - Bob Dylan
6. Leave me alone (Ruby Red Dress) - Helen Reddy
7. If you're ready (Come go with me) - Staple Singers
8. Smarty pants - First Choice
9. Who's in the strawberry patch with Sally? - Tony Orlando & Dawn
10. Rockin' roll baby - Stylistics
1. The most beautiful girl - Charlie Rich
2. Goodbye yellow brick road - Elton John
3. Time in a bottle - Jim Croce
4. Living for the city - Stevie Wonder
5. Mind games - John Lennon
6. Hello it's me - Todd Rundgren
7. Helen Wheels - Paul McCartney & Wings
8. Never, never gonna give you up - Barry White
9. I've got to use my imagination - Gladys Knight & the Pips
10. American tune - Paul Simon
Billboard, 24 February 1973.
1. Killing me softly with his song - Roberta Flack (Atlantic) +4
2. Dueling banjos - from WB film 'Deliverance' - Eric Weissberg (WB) +2
3. Crocodile rock - Elton John aka Reginald Kenneth Dwight (Uni) -2
4. You're so vain - Carly Simon (Elektra) -2 (11 wks) 3 wks at #1 / 4 wks at #2
5. Could it be I'm falling in love? - Spinners (Atlantic) +2
6. Do it again - Steely Dan (ABC) 3rd wk at #6
7. Last song - Edward Bear feat. Larry Evoy (Capitol) +4
8. Don't expect me to be your friend - Lobo (Big Tree)
9. Love train - O'Jays (Philadelphia International)
10. Rocky Mountain high - John Denver aka Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (RCA)
11. Oh babe, what would you say? - Hurricane Smith (Capitol) -8
12. Daddy's home - Jermaine Jackson (Motown) +4
13. Dancin' in the moonlight - King Harvest (Perception)
14. Why can't we live together?- Timmy Thomas (Glades)
15. The cover of 'Rolling Stone' - Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (Columbia) +4
16. Jambalaya (On the bayou) - Blue Ridge Rangers feat. John Fogerty (Fantasy) +2
17. Superstition - Stevie Wonder (Tamla) -5
18. Also sprach Zarathustra (2001) - Deodato (CTI Records) +7
19. Do you want to dance? Bette Midler (Atlantic) +3
20. The world is a ghetto - War (UA) -9
21. Dreidel - Don McLean (UA) +2
22. I'm just a singer in a rock'n' roll band - Moody Blues (Threshold)
23. Love Jones - Brighter Side of Darkness (20th Century) -3
24. Peaceful easy feeling - Eagles (Asylum) +5
25. Trouble man - Marvin Gaye (Tamla)
26. Danny's song - Anne Murray (Capitol) +9
27. Aubrey - Bread (Elektra) +9 (11th consecutive AT40 hit)
28. I got ants in my pants (and I want to dance) - James Brown (Polydor) +2
29. Big city, Miss Ruth Ann - Gallery (Sussex) +5 prod.: Mike Theodore & Dennis Coffey
30. Mama don't dance - Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina (Columbia) 13 wks
31. Neither one of us - Gladys Knight & the Pips (Soul-Motown) +9
32. Living together, growing together - 5th Dimension (Bell)
33. Humming bird - Seals & Crofts (WB) +5
34. Give me your love - Barbara Mason (Buddah) (debut) prod.: Curtis Mayfield
35. Jesus is just alright - Doobie Brothers (WB) +2
36. Space oddity - David Bowie (RCA) debut
37. Don't cross the river - America (WB) debut
38. Hi hi hi - Paul McCartney & Wings (Apple) -14
39. Ain't no woman (Like the one I've got) - Four Tops (Dunhill) debut
40. Dead skunk (In the middle of the road) - Loudon Wainwright III (Columbia) (swamp-rock) debut
Billboard, 21st April 1973.
1. Tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree - Dawn (Bell)
2. The night the lights went out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence (Bell) -1
3. Sing - Carpenters (A&M) +2
4. The Cisco Kid - War (UA)
5. Ain't no woman - Four Tops (Dunhill) -1
6. Neither one of us - Gladys Knight & the Pips (Soul-Motown) -4 (10 wks)
7. Little Willy - The Sweet (Bell) +5
8. Masterpiece - Temptations (Gordy) +4
9. Danny's song - Anne Murray (Capitol) -2
10. The twelfth of never - Donny Osmond (MGM) +5
11. You are the sunshine of my life - Stevie Wonder (Tamla) +6
12. Stir it up - Johnny Nash (Epic) +1
13. Stuck in the middle with you - Stealers Wheel (A&M)
14. Killing me softly with his song - Roberta Flack (Atlantic)
15. Drift away - Dobei Grey (Decca)
16. Break up to make up - Stylistics (Avco) -8
17. Peaceful - Helen Reddy (Capitol) +3
18. Call me - Al Green (Hi) -8
19. Walk on the wild side - Lou Reed (RCA) +5
20. Wild flower - Skylark (Capitol) +6
21. Space oddity - David Bowie (RCA)
22. Reeling in the years - Steely Dan (ABC) +7 (3rd wk)
23. Also sprach Zarathustra (2001) - Deodato (CTI Records)
24. Daisy a day - Jud Strunk (MGM)
25. Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group (Epic) debut
26. Funky worm - Ohio Players (Westbound) +15
27. Out of the question - Gilbert O'Sullivan (MAM) +3
28. Peace train - O'Jays (Philadelphia International)
29. One man band (Plays all alone) - Ronnie Dyson (Columbia)
30. Pillow talk - Sylvia Robinson (Vibration) debut
31. Hallelujah day - Jackson Five (Motown)
32. Dead skunk - Loudon Wainwright III (Columbia)
33. Pinball wizard/See me, feel me - New Seekers (Verve-MGM) +4
34. Oh la de da - Staple Singers (Stax) +6
35. Daniel - Elton John (MCA) debut
36. Cherry, cherry (from Hot August nigh) - Neil Diamond (MCA)
37. Step by step - Joe Simon (Spring-Polydor)
38. The right thing to do - Carly Simon (Elektra) debut
39. Hocus Pocus - Focus (Fantasy)
40. A letter to myself - Chi-Lites (Brunswick) -6
best selling album: 'Billion dollar babies' - Alice Cooper (WB)
Billboard, 28 April 1973
1. Tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree - Dawn (Bell) (2nd wk #1)
2. The Cisco Kid - War (UA)
3. Sing - Carpenters (A&M)
4. The night the lights went out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence (Bell)
5. Little Willy - The Sweet (Bell)
6. You are the sunshine of my life - Stevie Wonder (Tamla)
7. Masterpiece - Temptations (Gordy)
8. The twelfth of never - Donny Osmond (MGM)
9. Stuck in the middle with you - Stealers Wheel (A&M)
10. Ain't no woman (Like the one I've got) - Four Tops (Dunhill)
11. Drift away - Dobey Gray (Decca)
12. Neither one of us - Gladys Knight & the Pips (Soul-Motown)
13. Stir it up - Johnny Nash (Epic)
14. Peaceful - Helen Reddy (Capitol)
15. Frankenstein - The Edgar Winter Group (Epic) 2nd wk
16. Walk on the wild side - Lou Reed (RCA)
17. Wild flower - Skylark (Capitol)
18. Danny's song - Anne Murray (Capitol)
19. Reeling in the years - Steely Dan (ABC)
20. Killing me softly with his song - Roberta Flack (Atlantic)
21. Daisy a day - Jud Strunk (MGM)
22. Out of the question - Gilbert O'Sullivan (MAM)
23. Break up to make up - Stylistics (Avco)
24. Funky worm - Ohio Players (Mercury) their 1st hit
25. Daniel - Elton John (MCA)
26. Pillow talk - Sylvia (Robinson) (Vibration)
27. Hocus Pocus - Focus (Fantasy) up 12 notches
28. One man band (Plays all alone) - Ronnie Dyson (Columbia)
29. Hallelujah day - Jackson Five (Motown)
30. The right thing to do - Carly Simon (Elektra)
31. Pinball wizard / See me, feel me - The New Seekers (MGM-Verve)
32. Thinking of you - Loggins & Messina (Columbia) debut
33. Oh la de da - Staple Singers (Stax)
34. Call me - Al Green (Hi)
35. Cherry Cherry - Neil Diamond (Bang Records)
36. My love - Paul McCartney & Wings (Apple) debut
37. Armed and extremely dangerous - First Choice (Philly Groove Records)
38. I'm doin' fine - New York City (Chelsea Records) debut
39. Space oddity - David Bowie (RCA) 10 wks
40. Leaving me - The Independents (Wand) debut
Billboard, 9 June 1973
1. My love - Paul McCartney & Wings (Apple) 2nd wk at #1
2. Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group (Epic)
3. Daniel - Elton John (MCA)
4. Tie a yellow ribbon on the ole oak tree - Dawn (Bell)
5. You are the sunshine of my life - Steve Wonder (Tamla)
6. Pillow talk - Sylvia (Vibration)
7. Drift away - Dobey Gray (Decca)
8. Hocus pocus - Focus (Fantasy)
9. Little Willy - The Sweet (Bell) 13 wks
10. Playground in my mind - Clint Holmes (Epic)
11. I'm gonna love you just a little bit more baby - Barry White (20th Century)
12. Stuck in the middle with you - Stealers Wheel (A&M)
13. Wild flower - Skylark (Capitol)
14. The night the lights went out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence (Bell) 13 wks
15. Reeling in the years - Steely Dan (ABC)10 wks
16. Right place wrong time - Dr. John (Atco)
17. The Cisco Kid - War (UA) 12 wks
18. Give me love (Peace on earth) - George Harrison (Apple)
19. Long train running - Doobie Brothers (WB)
20. Will it go around in circles - Billy Preston (A&M)
21. Thinking of you - Loggins & Messina (Columbia)
22. I'm doin' fine now - New York City (Chelsea)
23. The right thing to do - Carly Simon (Elektra)
24. Steam roller blues / Fool - Elvis Presley (RCA)
25. One of a kind (Love affair) - Spinners (Atlantic)
26. Funky worm - The Ohio Players (Mercury)
27. Daisy a day - Jud Strunk (MGM)
28. Leaving me - The Independents (Wand)
29. Bad bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce (ABC)
30. Kodakchrome - Paul Simon (Columbia) debuted at #28 last wk
31. No more Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper (WB) 5 wks
32. Give it to me - J.Geils Band (Atlantic)
33. Out of the question - Gilbert O'Sullivan (MAM)
34. Shambala - Three Dog Night (Dunhill)
35. And I love you so - Perry Como (RCA) falls from # 29
36. Teddy bear song - Barbara Fairchild (Columbia)
37. It sure took a long long time - Lobo (Big Tree) distr. by Bell
38. Superfly meets Shaft - John & Ernest (Rainy Wednesday Records)
39. Let's pretend - Raspberries (Capitol) from Cleveland
40. Close your eyes - Edward Bear (Capitol)
Billboard, 21st July 1973
1. Bad bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce (ABC)
2. Will it go around in circles - Billy Preston (A&M) drop from #1
3. Yesterday once more - Carpenters (A&M)
4. Shambala - Three Dog Night (Dunhill)
5. Kodakchrome - Paul Simon (Columbia)
6. Give me love (Peace on earth) - George Harrison (Apple)
7. Smoke on the water - Deep Purple (WB)
8. Boogie woogie bugle boy - Bette Middler (Atlantic) prod.: Barry Manilow
9. Playground in my mind - Clint Holmes (Epic)
10. Natural high - Bloodstone (London) from Kansas City
11. Diamond girl - Seals & Crofts (WB)
12. Long train running - Doobie Brothers (WB)
13. Right place, wrong time - Dr. John (Atco)
14. Money - Pink Floyd (Harvest) 5 wks
15. Behind closed doors - Charlie Rich (Epic)
16. The monster mash - Bobby (Boris) Pickett & the Crypt-kickers (Parrot)
17. Touch me in the morning - Diana Ross (Motown) up 4
18. So very hard to go - Tower of Power (WB)
19. Feeling stronger every day - Chicago (Columbia)
20. The morning after - Maureen McGovern (20th Century)
21. My love - Paul McCartney & Wings (Apple)
22. Get down - Gilbert O'Sullivan (MAM)
23. Misdemeanor - Foster Sylver (Pride)
24. Brother Louie - The Stories (Kama Sutra) up 13
25. Doin' it to death - Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s (People) prod.: James Brown
26. I believe in you (You believe in me) - Johnnie Taylor
27. If you want me to stay - Sly & the Family Stone (Epic)
28. Satin sheets - Jeanne Pruett (MCA) C&W
29. Live and let die - Paul McCartney & Wings (Apple) highest debut
30. Uneasy rider - Charlie Daniels (Kama Sutra)
31. Where peaceful waters flow - Gladys Knighth & the Pips (Buddah Records)
32. One of a kind love affair - Spinners (Atlantic) drops 10
33. Here I am, come and take me - Al Green (Hi) debut
34. I'm gonna love you just a little bit more baby - Barry White (20th Century) drops 19
35. How can I tell her? - Lobo (Big Tree) - debut
36. I'll always love my mama - The Intruders - Philadelphia International
37. Soul makossa - Manu Dibango (Atlantic) debut
38. Angel - Aretha Franklin (Atlantic) debut
39. Daddy could swear, I declare - Gladys Knight & the Pips (Soul-Motown)
40. Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group (Epic)
Billboard, 15 September 1973
1. Delta Dawn - Helen Reddy (Capitol)
2. Let's get it on - Marvin Gaye (Tamla) drop from #1
3. Say, has anybody seen my sweet Gypsy Rose? - Dawn feat. Tony Orlando (Bell)
4. Loves me like a rock - Paul Simon (Columbia)
5. We're an American band - Grand Funk (Capitol)
6. Brother Louie - Stories (Kama Sutra)
7. Touch me in the morning - Diana Ross (Motown)
8. Gypsy man - War (UA)
9. Live and let die - Paul McCartney & Wings (Apple)
10. Here I am (Come and take me) - Al Green (Hi)
11. Half breed - Cher (MCA)
12. Saturday night's alright for fighting - Elton John (MCA)
13. Higher ground - Stevie Wonder (Tamla)
14. My Maria - B.W. Stevenson (RCA)
15. That lady - Isley Brothers (TNeck)
16. If you want me to stay - Sly & the Family Stone (Epic)
17. Get down - Gilbert O'Sullivan (MAM)
18. The morning after - Maureen McGovern (20th Century)
19. Feelin' stronger everyday - Chicago (Columbia)
20. I believe in you (You believe in me) - Johnnie Taylor (Columbia)
21. Ramblin' man - The Allman Brothers Band (Capricorn) 2wks
22. Theme from Cleopatra Jones - Joe Simon & The Mainstreeters (Spring)
23. Why me? - Kris Kristofferson (Monument)
24. China grove - Doobie Brothers (WB) debut
25. Angel - Aretha Franklin (Atlantic)
26. Are you man enough? - Four Tops (Dunhill) drops 10
27. Free ride - Edgar Winter Group (Epic) wr.: Dan Hartman up 10 notches
28. Yes we can can - Pointer Sisters (Blue Thumb Records)
29. Ghetto child - Spinners (Atlantic) 2nd wk
30. Keep on truckin' - Eddie Kendricks (Tamla) debut
31. The monster mash - Bobby (Boris) Pickett & the Crypt-kickers (Parrot)
32. Uneasy rider - Charlie Daniels (Kama Sutra)
33. Midnight train to Georgia - Gladys Knight & the Pips (Buddah Records) debut
34. I've got so much to give - Barry White (20th Century)
35. You've never been this far before - Conway Twitty (MCA)
36. Hey girl (I like your style) - Temptations (Gordy)
37. Bad bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce (ABC) 16 wks Croce would die on 20 Sept. 1973
38. Stoned out of my mind - Chi-Lites (Brunswick) drop from #31
39. A million to one / Young love - Donny Osmond (MGM) drop from #23
40. Nobody wants you when you're down and out - Bobby Womack (UA)
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20 October 1973, best selling singles.
6 November 1973.
Ray Sawyer, ‘Cover of Rolling Stone’ singer, Dies at 81
By Neil Genzlinger
2nd January 2019
Ray Sawyer, who cut a distinctive figure as a member of the band Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show thanks to his flamboyant style and attention-drawing eye patch, and who sang lead on one of the group’s best-known songs, “The Cover of Rolling Stone,” died on Monday, 31st December 2018, in Daytona, Fla. He was 81.
His wife, Linda Lombardi Sawyer, announced his death on Facebook. She did not give a cause but said in a post a week earlier that he had been hospitalized.
Mr. Sawyer and the band rose to prominence in the early 1970s with a country-rock sound that later became more lush and occasionally even displayed a disco influence. Dennis Locorriere usually sang lead, but Mr. Sawyer was the most recognizable band member. His eye patch gave the group its name, a sort of skewing of the Captain Hook character from “Peter Pan.”
“I’ve had the eye patch since I was 27,” Mr. Sawyer told The St. Petersburg Times in 2010. “I was in a car accident. Some people still ask if it is a gimmick, something to draw attention, but it’s real.”
He sang the lead vocal on “Rolling Stone.” (The label of the original single gave the title as “The Cover of Rolling Stone,” though the lyrics he sings use a “the” before the magazine’s name.) The song, a parody about rock ’n’ roll fame, reached #6 (for 2 weeks) of the Billboard pop chart on 17 March 1973.
That same month, the magazine did in fact put the band, or at least a caricature of it, on its cover.
Ray Sawyer was born on 1st February 1937, in Chickasaw, Ala.
Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show was formed in the late 1960s in New Jersey and caught fire after it joined with Shel Silverstein, the cartoonist and sometime songwriter, and played his songs in the 1971 movie “Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?” (directed by Ulu Grosbard and starring Dustin Hoffman).
The movie got the band a contract with Columbia Records. Mr. Silverstein, who died in 1999, wrote “Sylvia’s Mother,” a lament about a pay-phone call that reached #5 on 3rd June 1972, for 2 weeks and became the group’s first big hit.
It may or may not have been a parody of country ballads, but “The Cover of Rolling Stone,” also written by Mr. Silverstein, was certainly a gag. “We take all kinds of pills that give us all kind of thrills,” the lyrics went, “but the thrill we’ve never known is the thrill that’ll gitcha when you get your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone.”
By the mid-1970s the band had been derailed by mismanagement and was facing bankruptcy.
“Somebody was putting the cash away, and it wasn’t us,” Mr. Sawyer told The Toronto Star in 1991. “The bankruptcy court took everything away from us, even the ‘Medicine Show’ part of our name. I haven’t figured out yet why they did that. It’s like taking the Pips out of Gladys Knight and the Pips.”
But by 1976 the band, as simply Dr. Hook, was on the comeback trail with a smoother sound, heard that year on a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Only Sixteen.” Later hits included “When you’re in love with a beautiful woman” in 1979.
Mr. Sawyer left the group in 1982, and he and Mr. Locorriere later engaged in a legal tussle over rights to the group’s name. Mr. Sawyer continued to perform into this decade.
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