1970 was a year of change for the music world with some endings and some notable beginnings:
The Endings
- The Beatles broke up
- Davy Jones quit The Monkees
- The Dave Clark Five split up
- Simon and Garfunkel went their separate ways
- Diana Ross left the Supremes
- Eric Clapton left Blind Faith
- Randy Bachman left The Guess Who for Bachman-Turner Overdrive
- Joni Mitchell retired from live performances….. for the first time.
The Beginnings
- Jimmy Buffett and Paul Davis started their recording careers.
- The bands Genesis and Styx were born.
- Johnny Cash performed at the White House for then-President Richard Nixon
- First Daughter Tricia Nixon invited Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane to a White House party. Grace showed up with Chicago Seven member Abbie Hoffman. Needless to say, Abbie was turned away at the door.
- David Bowie married Angie.
Hit Parade
No one owned the top spot on the charts for very long that year. Simon and Garfunkel spent six weeks at number one with their last hit, “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”. (It would go on to sweep the Grammies in 1971, winning six awards, including Record, Song and Album of the Year.)
The Grammy Goes To…
The Grammies were a mixed bag in 1970.
- Record of the Year:
- “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”
The 5th Dimension - Album of the Year:
- “Blood, Sweat and Tears”
Blood, Sweat and Tears - Song of the Year:
- “Games People Play”
Joe South - Best New Artist:
- Crosby, Stills & Nash
- Best Country Vocal (Female):
- “Stand By Your Man”
Tammy Wynette - Best Country Vocal (Male):
- “A Boy Named ‘Sue’
” Johnny Cash - Best Folk Performance:
- “Clouds”
Joni Mitchell - Best Original Score:
- Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
Burt Bacharach - Best Pop Vocal (Female):
- “Is That All There Is?”
Peggy Lee (written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) - Best Pop Vocal (Male):
- “Everybody’s Talkin’
Harry Nilsson