Far too many solid one-hit wonders through the years have virtually vanished after they scored their one major hit. That seems to be the case for the following three rock bands from the 1960s, but did they actually disappear? Let’s see what happened to these super underrated hitmakers!
The Brooklyn Bridge
The pop-rock song “Worst That Could Happen” dropped in late 1968 and was an almost immediate success for The Brooklyn Bridge. Originally a Jimmy Webb tune first recorded by The 5th Dimension, The Brooklyn Bridge’s version of “Worst That Could Happen” was a major hit in the US and Canada, peaking in the Top 10.
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The Brooklyn Bridge are fortunately still together today, but they definitely did not get the attention they deserved back in the 60s. After their first single dropped, the band continued to chart for a few years, but effectively vanished from the Top 40. They certainly haven’t totally disappeared, though. The band’s most recent release (a compilation album) dropped back in 2010, but they still perform live today.
Spirit
Remember the prog-rock, hard-hitting jam, “I Got A Line On You”? Released in 1968, this killer tune was quite the hit for the rock band Spirit. It peaked at No. 25 and was definitely one of the more memorable songs of the year.
Sadly, while the band continued to chart at modest placements through 1972, they disappeared from the Top 40 in the US and Canada. They remained together until their initial breakup in 1973. After a handful of reunions, they officially called it quits in 1997. What a bummer!
Crazy Elephant
Crazy Elephant found some crazy success in 1969 with the release of their garage rock jam, “Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’”. The song hit No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and did just as well on the UK Singles chart.
This entry on our list of one-hit wonders who vanished was only active for a few short years before breaking up in 1970. Originally a studio mashup of musicians, Crazy Elephant wasn’t really built to last. After failing to hit the Hot 100 again with subsequent releases in 1969, the members went their separate ways. It’s a shame, because all of their follow-up singles were pretty impressive works. The charts don’t always reflect quality music, it seems.
Photo by Pete Still/Redferns