One-hit wonders of the 1970s

The 1970s was a huge decade for music. From the emergence of a more layered rock scene to the birth of hip-hop to the development of disco, folk, and funk, the years transformed the industry in a way few other decades have.

Artists like Queen, the Jackson 5, AC/DC, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, and Pink Floyd dominated the charts, providing some of the bestselling songs and albums of all time. Their work, along with the efforts of so many others, has led some critics to declare the decade “popular music’s golden age.”

While every artist who put out work in the ’70s helped to shape music as it’s known today, not all are remembered by today’s audiences. There are some who have faded from the cultural zeitgeist into relative obscurity, even while their songs continue to be played at weddings and in bars around the world. In honor of these musicians, Stacker dug into the rich history of one-hit wonders—artists that had only one song reach #1 on the charts—of the 1970s and, in no particular order, chose 25 you might know.

From folk bands like Mouth & MacNeal to rock groups like Nazareth and hip-hop legends like the Sugarhill Gang to soul artists like Billy Paul, these recording artists all had one enduring popular song, but flamed out before they could replicate that success. Read on to see how many of them you recognize.

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