Question: Who had a 70s No 1 hit with Billy, Don't Be A Hero?
Answer: Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods

"Billy Don't Be a Hero" is a 1974 pop song that was first a hit in the UK for Paper Lace and then some months later it was a hit in the US for Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods. The song was written by two British songwriters Mitch Murray and Peter Callander.

Because the song was released in 1974, it was associated by some listeners with the Vietnam War, though it actually refers to an unidentified war.  But the drum pattern, references to a marching band leading soldiers in blue, and "riding out" (cavalry) would seem to be referencing the American Civil War.

A young woman is distraught that her fiancé chooses to leave the area with Army recruiters passing through the town and go with them to fight. She laments,

The song goes on to describe how Billy is killed in action in a pitched battle after volunteering to ride out and seek reinforcements (which suggests mounted infantry and a lack of modern two-way radio communications). In the end, the woman throws away the official letter notifying her of Billy's "heroic" death.

Chart performances

Paper Lace's version of "Billy Don't Be a Hero" hit number one in the UK Singles Chart on 16 March 1974,  and thereafter Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods version hit number one in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 on 15 June 1974, and number one in Canada on 7 July. The US version sold over three and a half million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in June 1974.  The Bo Donaldson version was a massive hit in North America but is largely unknown elsewhere. Billboard ranked it as the No. 21 song for 1974. 

Quoted in other media

The song is mentioned as having played on K-Billy's Super Sounds of the 70s Weekend in the film Reservoir Dogs.

The song features in the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1993).

Mystery Science Theater 3000 often riffs on movies by saying "Billy, don't be a hero!", including the episode "The Creeping Terror".

In the first episode of Friends, Ross is sad because it has been so long since he last picked up a woman, saying "Do the words 'Billy, Don't Be a Hero' mean anything to you?"

Massive Attack's 1991 track "Blue Lines" (from the album of the same name) features the lyrics "take a walk, Billy, don't be a hero".

In Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, the song is briefly heard during a montage in a disco cover by Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly) performing on rollerblades during "The Dewey Cox Show". A much longer cut of this scene can be seen in the director's cut, and the whole performance was included in the extras for the 2-Disc editions.

In the Powerpuff Girls, the leader of the Gang Green Gang, Ace, says to another member, Billy, "Billy, don't be a hero!" when he decides to save the Powerpuff Girls from a subway train.

In The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, the episode "K'nuckles, Don't Be a Hero" is named after the song.

In The Justice Friends (Cartoon Network, 1996), Major Glory says "Billy, don't be a hero!" to William, Valhallen's pet goat, when it jumps to save Krunk from the attack of Valhallen's living clothes.

In an episode of ALF, Alf uses the line "Willie, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life," referring to the head of the household, Wille Tanner, after Willie comes up with a bad idea.

The Doug Anthony Allstars performed a comedic cover of this song, featuring the altered line, "Where did Billy's head go?" in place of "Keep your pretty head low".

Dav Pilkey named the hero of The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby Billy solely to make possible a passing homage to Billy Don't Be a Hero.

Paper Lace are a Nottingham-based pop group who rose to sudden, brief success in 1974.  They are known to Americans as a one-hit wonder; however, they had other hits in the UK. Their best known songs are "Billy Don't Be a Hero" and "The Night Chicago Died".

History

The core of the band originally formed in 1967 as Music Box, but changed their name to Paper Lace in 1969. Paper Lace was one of hundreds of pop bands in England looking for the big time while slogging their way through small club gigs and brief television appearances. A season at Tiffany's, a Rochdale club, and also at The Birdcage in Ashton-Under-Lyne in 1971, led to more television appearances, but a passport to the charts did not arrive until a 1973 victory on Opportunity Knocks, the ITV talent contest series.
According to drummer and lead singer Phil Wright:
Opportunity Knocks was pretty much the 1970s version of The X-Factor. There was a huge audition week in 1970 at the Bridgford Hotel, which is now the Rushcliffe Borough Council building near the City Ground. And there were thousands of people queuing up. We turned up in our best suits, did a few numbers, and were told that they liked us but not to expect to go on straight away. When they finally got back to us in 1973, we thought; do we really need this now? But they were getting viewing figures of 7 million, so we went for it. And we won five weeks on the trot! There were two songwriters (Mitch Murray and Peter Callander) who got in touch with our management and offered us "Billy Don't Be a Hero", with the possibility of more songs if it took off. We went down, recorded it, and they said "Hey, this is a great song, it's going to be a hit". And the song proved to be stronger than the band, because everyone knows it, they just can't remember who recorded it. Except in Nottingham, of course…Needham, Al. [http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/id/621 Paper Lace interview]. LeftLion.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2006.

Thanks to that show, songwriters/producers, Mitch Murray and Peter Callender quickly signed them. The smash hit "Billy Don't Be a Hero" spent three weeks at Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1974. It was followed by the story song "The Night Chicago Died" which reached Number 3. Another release, "The Black-Eyed Boys", took Paper Lace to number 11 in late 1974[http://www.sonsandlovers.co.uk/PAPER%20LACE.htm "Paper Lace"]. [http://www.sonsandlovers.co.uk/ Sons and Lovers website], 2003. Retrieved 9 September 2006. and number 37 in Canada.

With their subject matter assumed in America to be about the American Civil War, it was logical that "Billy Don't Be a Hero" should become a hit in the United States; however, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods were the first to release "Billy" in the United States, and Paper Lace had to be content with a #96 placing. However, the follow-up song "The Night Chicago Died", set in the Prohibition era with reference to Al Capone, was untroubled by any such competition and topped the Billboard Hot 100. It sold over three million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in August 1974. 

According to Phil Wright:
Well, that [Chicago song] was even more successful. Number 1 in America. I got a platinum disc for that... and I certainly didn't give that away! I remember us being on Top Of The Pops and Elton John shaking my hand backstage and congratulating us on a US No.1, which he hadn't achieved at the time! The really strange thing was we couldn't even perform the song in America, due to some contractual hassles. And the label told us that they could make it a hit without us having to be there. We did a few radio stations, but that's all.

The group released two albums, First Edition (1972) and Paper Lace and Other Bits of Material (1974) however, they quickly faded from the public eye as the band's popularity waned. Philip Wright and Cliff Fish carried on as Paper Lace, with other musicians filling in for the missing band members. In 1978, they surfaced briefly with a sing-along version of "We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands" with their local football team, Nottingham Forest F.C. (Sendra, 2006). The 7" single, with "The Nottingham Forest March" as the B-side, reached Number 24 in the UK chart but went Top 10 in the Netherlands.

In 1997, Wright joined Sons and Lovers, but he has occasional gigs billed as Philip Wright's Paper Lace.

They were the most successful band Nottingham ever produced, and were invited to perform on the Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen Mother.

Original Hit band members

*
* Philip Wright (born 9 April 1948, St. Ann's, Nottingham, England) — Drums / Lead Vocals
*Mick Vaughan (born Michael Vaughan, 27 July 1950, Sheffield, Yorkshire) - Lead/Rhythm Guitar/Arranger
*Cliff Fish (born Clifford Fish, 13 August 1949, Ripley) - Bass Guitar
*Chris Morris (born Christoper Morris, 1 November 1954, Nottingham, England) - Guitar -  Vocals
* Carlo Paul Santanna [born 1947] guitar/lead vocals.

Later band members

* Chris Raynor - joined 1978 [formally Billy Fury's guitarist]
* Jamie Moses
* Peter  Oliver, formerly  of  the  New  Seekers  1975-78

Discography

Albums

*First Edition (March 1972) PHILIPS 6382 101 / reissued on CONTOUR 6870 637

Side 1
# "In the Morning"
# "Stoney End"
# "Lady"
# "I've Got You That's Enough For Me"
# "Threw My Love Away"
# "Martha (Whatever Happened)"

Side 2
# "Games People Play"
# "Please Be My Friend"
# "You Can't Touch Me"
# "Elsie"
# "Like a Rolling Stone"
# "Early One Morning"

*And Other Bits of Material (June 1974) BUS STOP BUSLP 8001

Side 1
#"Billy Don't Be a Hero"
#"Hitchin' a Ride '74"
#"I Did What I Did for Maria"
#"Mary in the Morning"
#"Sealed with a Kiss"
#"Bye Bye Blues"

Side 2
#"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen"
#"The Night Chicago Died"
#"Love Song"
#"Dreams Are Ten a Penny"
#"Love You're a Long Time Coming"
#"Cheek to Cheek"

*Paper Lace (1974, USA) Mercury SRM-1-1008

Side 1
#"The Night Chicago Died" – 3:30
#"Billy Don't Be a Hero" – 3:55
#"Hitchin' a Ride '74" – 2:45
#"Sealed with a Kiss" – 3:01
#"Love Song" – 4:10
#"Love – You're a Long Time Coming" – 2:50

Side 2
#"The Black–Eyed Boys" – 3:45
#"Dreams Are Ten a Penny" – 2:30
#"Mary in the Morning" – 3:04
#"I Did What I Did for Maria" – 3:49
#"Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" – 3:00
#"Cheek to Cheek" – 3:23

Singles

*"You Can't Touch Me" / "I've Got You, That's Enough for Me" (1971) Concord CON 020
*"In the Morning (Morning of My Life)" / "Elsie" (14 January 1972) Concord CON 021
*"Raggamuffin Man" / "Martha (Whatever Happened)" (18 May 1973) Concord CON 027
*"Billy Don't Be A Hero" / "Celia" (11 January 1974)  Bus Stop Bus 1014 (# 96 Hot 100 / US)
*"The Night Chicago Died" / "Can You Get It When You Want It" (3 May 1974) Bus Stop Bus 1016 (# 1 for 1 week, Hot 100 / US)
*"The Black Eyed Boys" / "Jean" (July 1974) Bus Stop Bus 1019 (# 41 Hot 100 / US)
*"Hitchin' A Ride '75" / "Love You're a Long Time Coming" (7 February 1975) Bus Stop Bus 1024
*"So What If I Am" / "Himalayan Lullaby" (6 June 1975) Bus Stop Bus 1026
*"I Think I'm Gonna Like It" / "Lost Love" (23 July 1976) EMI EMI 2486
*"We've Got The Whole World In Our Hands" / "The Forrest March" (24 February 1978) Warner Bros K 171i7

CD releases

*Paper Lace and Other Material / First Edition (Double CD) - Cherry Red / 7t's Label  Cat No. Glam Cdd 109; both albums, plus B-sides to all singles released until 1975

"Billy, Don't Be a Hero" - Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods
"Billy, Don't Be a Hero"
Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods
ABC 11435
Billboard: #1    
 
illy, Don't Be a Hero" was a tale about the Civil War, composed by two British songwriters. Mitch Murray had already scored a number one single in America with Freddie and the Dreamers ("I'm Telling You Now") as well as hits by Gerry and the Pacemakers ("How Do You Do It," "I Like It"). His partner Peter Callander had written for Cliff Richard, Sandie Shaw and Tom Jones, among others. After collaborating for six years, they formed their own British company in 1974, Bus Stop Records. One of the first acts signed to the label was a group from Nottingham, Paper Lace.
Cincinnati, Ohio septet Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods' May 1974 No. 1 single "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" was featured on their eponymous debut LP,
Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods.
First charting on July 6, 1974, the album peaked at No. 97 on the
Billboard
Hot 200 album chart, spending a total of 16 weeks on the chart. Their chart-topping hit single, along with their follow-up No. 15 hit "Who Do You Think You Are," can be found on the 1970s Rhino Records' compilation
Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day, Vol. 13.
(right).
Murray and Callander had half-written a song called "Billy Don't Be a Hero" when Peter's wife Connie saw Paper Lace win a talent contest on the television series
The writers/producers were looking for a strong lead singer to record the story-song and contacted the group through the
Opportunity Knocks
production office.
Paper Lace passed the audition, and Murray and Callander finished the song, adapting it for Paper Lace's style. Released in Britain on their own label, the single went to number one on March 16, 1974.
While the song was climbing the British chart, Murray and Callendar were trying to make a deal for the song in the United States. They had already been disappointed with the reaction from Australia and New Zealand, where representatives of EMI had sent them a letter: "You've sent us quite a few records. This is the worst one you've sent us."
Negotiations dragged on in America while "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" closed in on the top spot in the United Kingdom. By the time Chicago-based Mercury Records bought the master, it was too late.
Producer Steve Barri had heard the Paper Lace version when it was offered to the label he worked for, ABC Records. Certain the song could be a hit in America, ABC Records chief Jay Lasker decided to cut a cover version. "We had signed Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods," Barri recalls. "We cut it that very night and had it out two or three days later."
The Heywoods had one previous chart single, "Special Someone," released on Artie Ripp's Family label in late 1972. It made an unimpressive showing at number 64. But the Heywoods, all from Cincinnati, Ohio, had built up a tremendous following from their appearances on Dick Clark's
Action '73
television show. The group got its start after keyboards and trumpet player Bo Donaldson's mother, Bea Donaldson, went to work in Clark's Cincinnati office in August, 1966. Soon the Heywoods were touring on Clark's
Caravan of Stars,
as the opening act for groups like the Rascals, the Raiders and Herman's Hermits.
Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods' version of "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" debuted on the
Billboard
Hot 100 on April 20, 1974, just one week ahead of Paper Lace's version. Many radio stations pitted the two records against each other on the air. Once typical competition took place at WFIL in Philadelphia, where the Heywoods won in a landslide. The program director telephoned Bo Donaldson with the results. "He said he knew we had fans there, but he didn't realize they were crawling out of the woodwork."
Paper Lace had to settle for a peak position of 96, while Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods spent two weeks at number one. The Heywoods had one more hit record, "Who Do You Think You Are" (number 15 in September, 1974). Paper Lace had the last laugh just two months later, with the 1940s gangster-themed tune "The Night Chicago Died."
- Fred Bronson,
The Billboard Book of Number One Hits,
Billboard, 1988.

One Hit Wonders of the 70s « K-EARTH 101
We were doing a little research today and got very  extremely ridiculously carried away.
We couldn’t stop until we came up with the definitive list of SEVENTIES “One Hit Wonders!!”
These were all National Top Ten Songs…by various one hit wonders…who were not ever heard from again “hit-wise” and never made it close to the top ten a second time…in a few instances, barely made it into the top 20 just one other time with a highly forgettable tune that quickly disappeared!
Some of these tunes even hit #1!! (denoted by **)
BTW:  Established Country Music singers who only had one top ten song on the rock/pop charts weren’t included, since they were established artists in another genre.
So, here they are, ALL 70’s Top Ten Hits in no particular order…print and keep this list, if you wish 🙂
Venus/[lastfm]Shocking Blue[/lastfm]  **
Theme From S.W.A.T./[lastfm]Rhythm Heritage[/lastfm] **
Poetry Man/[lastfm]Phoebe Snow[/lastfm]
Hey There Lonely Girl/[lastfm]Eddie Holman[/lastfm]
Sunshine/[lastfm]Jonathan Edwards[/lastfm]
Sometimes When We Touch/[lastfm]Dan Hill[/lastfm]
The Rapper/[lastfm]Jaggerz[/lastfm]
All Right Now/[lastfm]Free[/lastfm]
House of the Rising Sun/[lastfm]Frijid Pink[/lastfm]
Reflections of My Life/[lastfm]Marmalade[/lastfm]
Tighter, Tighter/[lastfm]Alive and Kicking[/lastfm]
Sweet Mary/[lastfm]Wadsworth Mansion[/lastfm]
Put Your Hand In the Hand/[lastfm]Ocean[/lastfm]
Smiling Faces Sometimes/[lastfm]Undisputed Truth[/lastfm]
I’ve Found Someone of My Own/[lastfm]Free Movement[/lastfm]
Ma Belle Amie/[lastfm]Tee Set[/lastfm]
Magic/[lastfm]Pilot[/lastfm]
Sky High/[lastfm]Jigsaw[/lastfm]
Afternoon Delight/[lastfm]Starland Vocal Band[/lastfm] **
Convoy/[lastfm]C.W. McCall[/lastfm] **
Just When I Needed You Most/[lastfm]Randy Vanwarmer[/lastfm]
Stumblin’ In/[lastfm]Suzie Quatro[/lastfm]
Heaven on the 7th Floor/[lastfm]Paul Nicholas[/lastfm]
Wildfire/[lastfm]Michael Murphy[/lastfm]
Wildflower/[lastfm]Skylark[/lastfm]
Popcorn/[lastfm]Hot Butter[/lastfm]
Oh Babe, What Would You Say?/[lastfm]Hurricane Smith[/lastfm]
Hocus Pocus/[lastfm]Focus[/lastfm]
Pillow Talk/[lastfm]Sylvia[/lastfm]
Billy Don’t Be a Hero/[lastfm]Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods[/lastfm]  **
Playground In My Mind/[lastfm]Clint Holmes[/lastfm]
Natural High/[lastfm]Bloodstone[/lastfm]
Heartbeat-It’s a Lovebeat/[lastfm]The DeFranco Family [/lastfm]
Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room/[lastfm]Brownsville Station[/lastfm]
The Lords’ Prayer/[lastfm]Sister Janet Mead[/lastfm]
I Can Help/[lastfm]Billy Swan[/lastfm] **
Midnight At The Oasis/[lastfm]Maria Muldaur[/lastfm]
Be Thankful For What You’ve Got/[lastfm]William DeVaughn[/lastfm]
Please Come To Boston/[lastfm]Dave Loggins[/lastfm]
The Night Chicago Died/[lastfm]Paper Lace[/lastfm]  **
Life Is a Rock/[lastfm]Reunion[/lastfm]
Kung Fu Fighting/[lastfm]Carl Douglas[/lastfm]  **
Everlasting Love/[lastfm]Carl Carlton[/lastfm]
Get Dancin’/[lastfm]Disco Tex & the Sex-0-lettes[/lastfm]
Sammy Johns/[lastfm]Chevy Van[/lastfm]
Walkin’ In Rhythm/[lastfm]The Blackbyrds[/lastfm]
Rockin’ Chair/[lastfm]Gwen McCrae[/lastfm]
Dynomite-Pt 1/[lastfm]Bazuka[/lastfm]
Run Joey Run/[lastfm]David Geddes[/lastfm]
Rocky/[lastfm]Austin Roberts[/lastfm]
Junk Food Junkie/[lastfm]Larry Gross[/lastfm]
Shannon/[lastfm]Henry Gross[/lastfm]
The Rapper/[lastfm]Jaggerz[/lastfm]
Hot Rod Lincoln/[lastfm]Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen[/lastfm]
Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues/[lastfm]Danny O’Keefe[/lastfm]
Why Can’t We Live Together/[lastfm]Timmy Thomas[/lastfm]
My Maria/[lastfm]B.W. Stevenson[/lastfm]
Americans/[lastfm]Byron MacGregor[/lastfm]
Tubular Bells/[lastfm]Mike Oldfield[/lastfm]
The Entertainer/[lastfm]Marvin Hamlisch[/lastfm]
Feelings/[lastfm]Morris Albert[/lastfm]
Love Hurts/[lastfm]Nazareth[/lastfm]
Happy Days/[lastfm]Pratt and McClain[/lastfm]
Gonna Fly Now (“Rocky” Theme)/[lastfm]Bill Conti[/lastfm]
You’re Only Lonely/[lastfm]J.D. Souther[/lastfm] (note:  he did team up later with James Taylor for “Her Town Too” which peaked at #11 but this was his only solo hit.)
Precious and Few/[lastfm]Climax[/lastfm] (lead singer Sonny Geraci of the “Outsiders”)
Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes/[lastfm]Edison Lighthouse[/lastfm]
More More More/[lastfm]Andrea True Connection[/lastfm]
Misty Blue/[lastfm]Dorothy Moore[/lastfm]
Torn Between Two Lovers/[lastfm]Mary MacGregor[/lastfm]  **
Dazz/[lastfm]Brick[/lastfm]
Couldn’t Get It Right/[lastfm]Climax Blues Band[/lastfm]
Float On/[lastfm]The Floaters[/lastfm]
Thunder Island/[lastfm]Jay Ferguson[/lastfm]
Magnet and Steel/[lastfm]Walter Egan[/lastfm]
You Take My Breath Away/[lastfm]Rex Smith[/lastfm]
Makin’ It/[lastfm]David Naughton[/lastfm]
Ring My Bell/[lastfm]Anita Ward[/lastfm]  **
Pop Muzik/[lastfm]M[/lastfm]  **
The Rapper/[lastfm]The Jaggerz[/lastfm]
Ma Belle Amie/[lastfm]The Tee Set[/lastfm]
Give Me Just a Little More Time/[lastfm]Chairman of the Board[/lastfm]
Vehicle/[lastfm]Ides of March[/lastfm]
Spirit In the Sky/[lastfm]Norman Greenbaum[/lastfm]
Ride Captain Ride/[lastfm]Blues Image[/lastfm]
Ooh Child/[lastfm]Five Stairsteps[/lastfm]
Gimme Dat Ding/[lastfm]Pipkins[/lastfm]
In The Summertime/[lastfm]Mungo Jerry[/lastfm]
Indiana Wants Me/[lastfm]R. Dean Taylor[/lastfm]
Montego Bay/[lastfm]Bobby Bloom[/lastfm]
Somebody’s Been Sleeping/[lastfm]100 Proof Aged in Soul[/lastfm]
One Toke Over the Line/[lastfm]Brewer and Shipley[/lastfm]
Groove Me/[lastfm]King Floyd[/lastfm]
Stay Awhile/[lastfm]The Bells[/lastfm]
Put Your Hand In the Hand/[lastfm]Ocean[/lastfm]
Chick-a-Boom/[lastfm]Daddy Dewdrop[/lastfm]
Mr. Big Stuff/[lastfm]Jean Knight[/lastfm]
Joy/[lastfm]Apollo 100[/lastfm]
Bang a Gong/[lastfm]T. Rex[/lastfm]
How Do You Do?/[lastfm]Mouth and McNeal[/lastfm]
Rock and Roll Part 2/[lastfm]Gary Glitter[/lastfm]
It Never Rains In Southern California/[lastfm]Albert Hammond[/lastfm]
Jungle Fever/[lastfm]Chakachas[/lastfm]
Also Sprach Zarathustra/[lastfm]Deodato[/lastfm]
Dueling Bangos/[lastfm]Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell[/lastfm]
Stuck In the Middle With You/[lastfm]Stealers Wheel[/lastfm]
Right Place, Wrong Time/[lastfm]Dr. John[/lastfm]
Brother Louie/[lastfm]The Stories[/lastfm] **
Eres Tu (Touch the Wind)/[lastfm]Mocedades[/lastfm]
Tubular Bells/[lastfm]Mike Oldfield[/lastfm]
Rock Your Baby/[lastfm]George McCrae [/lastfm]**
Beach Baby/[lastfm]First Class[/lastfm]
Hang On In There Baby/[lastfm]Johnny Bristol[/lastfm]
Jackie Blue/[lastfm]Ozark Mountain Daredevils[/lastfm]
How Long/[lastfm]Ace[/lastfm]
I’m Not Lisa/[lastfm]Jessie Colter[/lastfm]
Love Won’t Let Me Wait/[lastfm]Major Harris[/lastfm]
The Hustle/[lastfm]Van McCoy[/lastfm] **
Let Your Love Flow/[lastfm]Bellamy Brothers[/lastfm] **
Fooled Around and Fell In Love/[lastfm]Elvin Bishop[/lastfm]
Turn The Beat Around/[lastfm]Vicki Sue Robinson[/lastfm]
Play That Funky Music/[lastfm]Wild Cherry[/lastfm] **
A Fifth of Beethoven/[lastfm]Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band[/lastfm] **
Disco Duck/[lastfm]Rick Dees[/lastfm] **
Nadia’s Theme/[lastfm]Barry DeVorzon[/lastfm]
Tryin’ To Love Two/[lastfm]William Bell[/lastfm]
Angel In Your Arms/[lastfm]Hot[/lastfm]
Undercover Angel/[lastfm]Alan O’Day[/lastfm] **
Do You Wanna Make Love/[lastfm]Peter McCann[/lastfm]
You Light Up My Life/[lastfm]Debbie Boone[/lastfm]  ** (see below)
Back In Love Again/[lastfm]L.T.D.[/lastfm]
Emotion/[lastfm]Samantha Sang[/lastfm]
Short People/[lastfm]Randy Newman[/lastfm]
Kiss You All Over/[lastfm]Exile[/lastfm] **
Love Is In the Air/[lastfm]John Paul Young[/lastfm]
Hot Child In the City/[lastfm]Nick Gilder[/lastfm] **
Get Off/[lastfm]Foxy[/lastfm]
I Love the Nightlife/[lastfm]Alicia Bridges[/lastfm]
Lotta Love/[lastfm]Nicolette Larson[/lastfm]
What You Won’t Do For Love/[lastfm]Bobby Caldwell[/lastfm]
Knock on Wood/[lastfm]Amii Stewart[/lastfm] **
Music Box Dancer/[lastfm]Frank Mills[/lastfm]
Chuck E.’s in Love/[lastfm]Rickie Lee Jones[/lastfm]
Gold/[lastfm]John Stewart[/lastfm]
The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia/[lastfm]Vicki Lawrence[/lastfm] **
Rock the Boat/[lastfm]The Hues Corporation[/lastfm]  **
Lovin’ You/[lastfm]Minnie Riperton[/lastfm]  **
Theme From S.W.A.T./[lastfm]Rhythm Heritage[/lastfm]  **
Star Wars Theme/[lastfm]Meco[/lastfm] **
I Was Made For Dancin’/[lastfm]Leif Garrett[/lastfm]
Seasons In the Sun/[lastfm]Terry Jacks[/lastfm] **  (however, he did have another top 10 hit in the 70’s as a member of the Poppy Family with wife Susan…”Which Way You Goin’ Billy?  He had ONLY this one as a solo act, so we’re including him.)
Don’t Give Up On Us Baby/[lastfm]David Soul[/lastfm] **  Oh, and we can’t forget Run Joey Run/David Geddes and, just added:  Smoke From a Distant Fire/Sanford/Townsend Band
note:  Debbie Boone (Pat’s daughter) was the Seventies “One Hit Wonder” queen…”You Light Up My Life” was #1 for an incredible 10 weeks and won the Song of the Year GRAMMY and an OSCAR for “Best Song!!!”  She had two other songs after this, but they didn’t even make the national Top 40!
So, if you think we may have missed one or two, let us know in “comments”…..

Billy Don't be a Hero
Billy Don't be a Hero
Mike Gibbons (1945 - 2016)
Musician. Best known as the lead vocalist for the music ensemble "Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods". They scored a gold record with "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" in 1974.
Formed by Donaldson during his high school years, the group under the influence of "The British Invasion" bands initially covered songs by The Beatles and Rolling Stones. They performed at school dances and other functions which led to local radio airplay in Cincinnati.
During the mid 1960s, they opened for such acts as "The Rascals" and "Paul Revere and the Raiders". They gained national attention with an appearance on "American Bandstand" and landed their own record deal while serving as an opening act for "The Osmonds" during the early 1970s.
In 1972, they recorded their debut album "Someone Special" and followed this with their 1974 self-titled record. The later included the number one hit "Billy Don't Be a Hero", in addition to the Top-20 song "Who Do You Think You Are". Their final Top-40 charting single was "The Heartbreak Kid" (1974). Gibbons remained an active performer in his later years.
by Anonymous

blatantly bad 70s songs: billy, don’t be a hero (bo donaldson and the heywoods) | wrekehavoc.com
blatantly bad 70s songs: billy, don’t be a hero (bo donaldson and the heywoods)
billy, don’t be a hero. be a hoagie instead.
in 1974, the anti-war billy, don’t be a hero was a huge hit in the US for bo donaldson and the heywoods . strange, considering the song had been a monster hit in the UK earlier for the band paper lace , whose version didn’t chart well here. (don’t cry for them, argentina. they later gave us the ear-bleeder the night chicago died , a song i’d write novels about if november had more than 30 days. lord, that one sucks worse.) i think they had another minor hit, and then, bo went buh-bye!
for a time, every sunday (or so it seemed), we would pile into the car at dinner and meet our friends, the weiners, at Sizzler in Brick (or Bricktown, or Brick Township — no one ever knew what the place was really called; my old biology teacher, who drove through there every day on his way to school merely referred to it as land of the free and home of the truck driver. may he rest in peace.) i really hated sizzler — i don’t care for steak, so i pretty much was relegated to the salad bar and the texas toast. but i loved having dinner with these folks — there was my BTD’s best friend as well as his younger brother, who was a year older than i. so there i was with two 15 year old guys, a 12 year old, and an 11 year old. (nevermind that two of those boys were my brothers, BTD and the now-dubbed middlebro, so they didn’t count as guys.)
sometimes, they’d even talk to 9-year-old moi.
one time, we went back to the weiner’s house. for reasons i cannot fathom, i recall all of us kids in the older son’s room, listening to the single of billy don’t be a hero, and lip synching the whole thing. i remember we had to organize ourselves into parts (i suspect BTD was behind that) — who was singing, who was playing guitar.  because i had taken up the flute, i was the person who played that flute-y-fife-y part that runs through the song, over and over, like a demented pennywhistle. and oh! i felt special. they. were. talking. to. me.
later, i’d thank them by eavesdropping on their conversation when the oldest son came and slept over with BTD. [note to all 9 year old little siblings out there: don’t eavesdrop by leaning into the bedroom door. it’s probably not closed, and when you fall in, there will be hell to pay. promise.]
middlebro seems to remember us seeing bo donaldson and the heywoods perform this at disneyworld. maybe he’ll chime in on the comments, as i don’t somehow remember that.
i suspect i’ve blocked it out.
Like this:

8. Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods - 'Billy Don't Be A Hero' | Readers' Poll: The 10 Worst Songs of the 1970s | Rolling Stone
Readers' Poll: The 10 Worst Songs of the 1970s
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Readers' Poll: The 10 Worst Songs of the 1970s
You chose to include 'Billy Don't Be A Hero,' 'Disco Duck,' 'You Light Up My Life' and more
October 19, 2011
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8. Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods - 'Billy Don't Be A Hero'
U.K. pop group Paper Lace wrote "Billy Don't Be A Hero" at the tail end of the Vietnam War, but it's actually about the American Civil War. But much like M*A*S*H was about the Korean War but really about Vietnam, people will forever associate "Billy Don't Be A Hero" with Vietnam. They'll also associate it with insipid 1970s drivel. Paper Lace were planning on releasing the song in America, but Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods beat them to it. It was their only hit.

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Biography
Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods shot to prominence in 1974 with "Billy, Don't Be a Hero." Sales that topped three million copies brought the group a gold record. The single spent two weeks in the top spot on the charts. The number one single was the band's greatest success, but it didn't mark the first time that the group charted. Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods made a showing on the charts with "Someone Special" in 1972 and "Deeper and Deeper" the following year. The band was ten years old when "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" made such a splash, and it had already performed as the opening act for such artists as Herman's Hermits, the Box Tops, the Osmond Brothers, the Rascals, the Grass Roots, and Paul Revere & the Raiders. The group also performed on American Bandstand. After "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," the band took "Who Do You Think You Are" into the Top 20. "The Heartbreak Kid" followed, reaching the Top 40. The group charted again with "House on Telegraph Hill" and "Our Last Song Together."  Donaldson, whose real name is Robert Walter Donaldson, sang and played keyboard and the trumpet. The group also included lead vocalist James Michael Gibbons on bass and trumpet; lead vocalist Richard Leon Joswick on percussion; Gary James Coveyou on vocals, woodwinds, and reeds; David Alan Krock on vocals, trumpet, and bass; Richard Brunetti on vocals, percussion, and drums; and Earl Baker Scott on vocals and guitar. Danny Loveland, a co-vocalist on the Heywoods' number one single, dropped out in 1975 to pursue a solo career and record "Black Is Black." Originally a drummer, Loveland began singing because the group kept losing its lead singers. When he gave up singing, the Kansas native launched a disco that he named Backstage. He went on to establish a restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. ~ Linda Seida
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