3 One-Hit Wonders From 1971 That Deserved Another Shot at Fame

One-hit wonders were popping up left and right in the 1970s, particularly in 1971. And I can’t help but think that some of those solitary hitmakers deserved a bit more than just one brief shot at fame. Let’s take a look at a few one-hit wonders who made it big in 1971 and deserved many more charting hits than they got.

Denise LaSalle

Blues and soul singer Denise LaSalle might just be one of the most underrated singers and songwriters of her era. LaSalle passed on in 2018, and I can’t help but think she deserved a bigger shot at mainstream fame, or at the very least a very big comeback before she left this earth. She was referred to as the queen of the blues at one point in her career, after all.

And yet, LaSalle’s only major mainstream hit was “Trapped By A Thing Called Love” from 1971. That song was a No. 13 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a No. 1 hit on the R&B charts. She never scored another Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 again.

Brewer & Shipley

This underrated folk rock duo might not be as well-known as Simon & Garfunkel, but they deserve the opportunity. And yet, this duo only scored one big hit with “One Toke Over The Line” in 1971. This p*t-smoker anthem was a No. 10 hit on the Hot 100 chart. Two of their follow-up singles made it to that chart, but none of them reached the Top 40. Tom Shipley and Mike Brewer would eventually call it quits in 1978, though they would reunite off and on all the way through 2021.

The Fuzz

Remember The Fuzz? This soul outfit might just be one of the most underrated one-hit wonders of the early 1970s, or at least 1971. That year, the group scored quite a hit with “I Love You For All Seasons”. While the song itself was released at the tail end of 1970, it started to really chart in 1971, so I’ll include it on this list. “I Love You For All Seasons” was penned by Sheila Young and hit No. 21 on the Hot 100 chart. Shockingly, The Fuzz only made it to the Top 40 on the Hot 100 with this song. Their final single release didn’t chart at all. After just a few years together, they would disband in 1972.

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