Casey Kasem passed away two days ago on June 15, 2014. The legendary host of American Top 40 did his very first broadcast of his famed show which first aired on July 3, 1970, but aired in most on the country the following day on July 4. The broadcast that week marked the last time that the Beatles and Elvis Presley would appear together in the Top 40 section of The Billboard Hot 100. Also, one band charted both in Casey’s first American Top 40 broadcast as well as in his last broadcast in 1988 (he would return to American Top 40 from 1998-2004 before retiring from the show). The Moody Blues had the song “Question” in Casey’s first broadcast in addition to charting “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” in his final broadcast in 1998.
More compelling is which song was the number one song on his first broadcast on July 3, 1970, as it started a cycle for this band. “Mama Told Me Not to Come” by Three Dog Night was atop the charts for Casey’s first American Top 40 broadcast.
Three Dog Night songs written by someone with a famous family member
1. “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)”, the band’s first number one song was written by Randy Newman. It stayed on top for two weeks in July 1970. Randy Newman is the nephew of the famed composers Alfred, Emil and Lionel Newman; all three worked on film scores in Hollywood. Alfred Newman won nine Academy Awards, more than any other composer in Oscar history. Emil Newman worked on over 200 films and tv shows, earning an Oscar nomination in 1941 for Sun Valley Serenade. Lionel Newman’s career with Twentieth-Century Fox spanned 46 years and 200 movies; he also wrote several classic TV themes, such as Dobie Gillis and Daniel Boone.
Since the 1980’s, Randy Newman has concentrated primarily on writing film scores (maybe it’s in the genes!). It has been used in many movie soundtracks such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Boogie Nights.
2. “Joy to the World” was Three Dog Night’s second number one hit, topping the charts for six weeks in April and May 1971. It was written by Hoyt Axton, who wrote such songs as the Ringo Starr hit “No No Song” and the Three Dog Night hit “Never Been to Spain”. The singer/songwriter was the son of famed songwriter Mae Boren Axton, who was known as “The Queen Mother of Nashville”. Mae Boren Axton’s most famous credit is co-writing the hit “Heartbreak Hotel” for Elvis Presley. Her list of songs is staggering and another one of her claims to fame is having introduced a very young Elvis Presley to Colonel Tom Parker. “Joy to the World” has been used in many movie soundtracks, most notably in The Big Chill and Forrest Gump.
3. “Black and White” was the third and final number one hit for Three Dog Night, reaching the top slot for one week in September 1972. The song was co-written by David Arkin and Earl Robinson in 1955 as a civil rights song. It was recorded by several artists over the years but none were successful until Three Dog Night’s rendition. David Arkin is the father of actor Alan Arkin and the grandfather of actor Adam Arkin.
4. “The Family of Man” reached # 12 in 1972. It was written by famed songwriter Paul Williams, who also wrote the songs “An Old Fashioned Love Song” and “Out in the Country” for Three Dog Night. Paul Williams is the brother of the late John Williams, a well-known rocket scientist for NASA, as well as Mentor Williams. Mentor Williams is a songwriter who although not as prolific as his brother, has written hit songs. Mentor Williams’ most famous song is “Drift Away”, the legendary hit for Dobie Gray which resurfaced as a major hit for Uncle Kracker in 2004. Mentor is married to Lynn Anderson, whose biggest hit was “Rose Garden”, a song which successfully used 23 cliches to top the country charts in 1970 and stall at # 3 on the Top 40.
5. “Eli’s Coming”, written by Laura Nyro, reached # 10 in 1969. Laura Nyro is the niece of famous artists Theresa Bernstein and William Meyerowitz. Highly revered in the art world for her paintings, Bernstein’s career spanned many decades as she died at age 112!
May it be noted that Three Dog Night recorded a song that did not chart that had been written by someone with a famous family member. The song was written by Reggie Dwight, whose cousin Roy Dwight was a British soccer star that could have been considered a David Beckham figure of his generation. Reggie Dwight (a.k.a Elton John) wrote “Your Song” with writing partner Bernie Taupin, which was covered by Three Dog Night on their fourth album It Ain’t Easy in 1970. Roy Dwight was a soccer star was Reggie Dwight was a young teenager who loved soccer. People would give him a hard time and say things like “Your last name is Dwight and you’re Roy Dwight’s cousin and you stink at soccer”, etc. Young Reggie was unable to pursue his love of soccer in anonymity because of his cousin, a national hero who starred for teams like Fulham and Nottingham Forest. It is safe to say that Reggie resolved this conflict by purchasing his lifelong favorite team, Watford F.C.
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