4 Singer-Songwriter Smash Hits That Lit up the Charts in 1976

The singer-songwriter movement truly hit its stride in the early 70s on American radio. By 1976, the competition for space on the dial was much stronger, with genres like disco and arena rock muscling into contention.

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That didn’t stop a slew of wonderful songs by solo tunesmiths from making a dent. Here are four songs from 1976 that proved the era of the troubadour was still alive and well.

“50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon

Paul Simon released his album Still Crazy After These Years in October 1975. To give it an early boost, he released singles “Gone At Last” and “My Little Town”, high-profile collaborations with Phoebe Snow and Art Garfunkel, respectively. “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” came out as the third single at the end of ’75, meaning that it did most of its chart damage (it went all the way to No. 1) in ’76. The song masks sincere heartbreak in some clever humor from Simon, especially when it comes to the chorus and its catalog of relationship escape routes. Give credit as well to session drummer Steve Gadd for laying down the perfect pattern on this track.

“Dream Weaver” by Gary Wright

Gary Wright had made a name for himself as a member of the British band Spooky Tooth. He also earned acclaim working as a session keyboardist, including several albums working with George Harrison. When it came time to make his third album in 1975, his wall of keyboards handled most of the musical backing. On “Dream Weaver”, he gets some help from legendary session drummer Jim Keltner and, on piano, David Foster, a future in-demand producer and hitmaker. Wright based some of the song’s ethereal conclusions on ideas that he first imbibed from working with Harrison. Released in 1975, “Dream Weaver” made Wright a household name by the middle of 1976.

“Shannon” by Henry Gross

Henry Gross’ career had taken him in many different directions before his stint as a singer-songwriter blossomed. He toured with retro revivalists Sha Na Na for a while and also played guitar on Jim Croce’s classic album I Got A Name. His solo breakthrough came with a touching song that emanated from his friendship with Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys. Wilson recounted to Gross how heartbroken he was over the death of his dog. Staying true to the initial inspiration, Gross imbued “Shannon” with production touches consistent with a Beach Boys’ song, right down to the soaring vocals in the moving chorus.

“Welcome Back” by John Sebastian

John Sebastian had written and performed a passel of hits in the 60s as the leader of The Lovin’ Spoonful. Surprisingly, solo success eluded him for a stretch. But the dam broke when he was contacted to do a theme song for a sitcom. Since many such shows fall by the wayside, the songs accompanying them are often forgotten. But Sebastian hitched his wagon to Welcome Back, Kotter, a runaway hit when it debuted in the fall of 1975. His catchy song made a mark on listeners, even in brief form at the start of every episode. It was a no-brainer to release an elongated single version in 1976. The longer take played up the subtly bittersweet tone that Sebastian brought to the track, which became a No. 1 pop hit.

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