Chart placements in the music business are, at times, utterly and completely dumbfounding. For example, Led Zeppelin never had a No. 1 hit, CCR had a No. 1 hit, The Who never had a No. 1 hit, and several other acclaimed 1970s bands never had a hit. In other words, chart success is particular to a certain kind of popular success, and in the 70s, certain rock bands seemingly didn’t care much about that kind of success.
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The bands we listed above may not have had a No. 1 hit, but they did have some notable chart success both on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200. However, there are a couple of 1970s bands that don’t really have any notable chart success. But they didn’t seem to care much, because they had everything else a rock band could ever dream of.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the most talented bands of the 1970s. They spearheaded the incorporation of the southern rock genre into the mainstream and gave the world a pungent smell of the past with a scent of the present. Though innovation doesn’t directly correlate with statistical success, Skynyrd is a prime example of that trend.
During their career, Skynyrd only had six songs appear on the Billboard Hot 100. Only one of those songs was a top 10 hit. On the Billboard 200, the Florida band has had a total of 27 albums appear on the chart. Surprisingly, only three of those albums have hit the top 10. Though, needless to say, Lynyrd Skynyrd had and still has something far more important than chart appearances.
The Ramones
The Ramones are the rock band to introduced the punk movement to the United States. However, given the punk movement’s anti-establishment message and niche following, The Ramones didn’t grace the charts that frequently. Their mission and achievements as a band are marked by an influential legacy that transcends tangible accolades such as chart placements.
On the Billboard 200, The Ramones have had 16 albums appear on the chart. Though not a single one of those albums has ever reached the top 10. Their performance on the Hot 100 is similar, as the band had only three singles reach the charts, and criminally, none of them even broke the top 50.
The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead is The Grateful Dead; their impact on music is up there with Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and every other band in the GOAT conversation. They’re one of the few 1970s bands that cultivated a subculture that has turned into a religion, and for that reason, chart success seemingly meant nothing to these cultural leaders.
The Grateful Dead was widely popular, but their music seemingly did not expand very far beyond their fanbase. The Grateful Dead have had 128 albums on the Billboard 200, and only one of them has reached the top 10. On the Billboard Hot 100, The Dead has six songs, and only one of those six songs has reached the top 10. But, again, do you think these guys cared?
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