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In 1980, John Travolta's film career was in the stratosphere. He had followed "Grease" with "Saturday Fever," and now...he was starring in ANOTHER Blockbuster: "Urban Cowboy" with Debra Winger.
The film was sort of a modern-day western romance...with a soundtrack that was credited with a mainstream revival of country music.
Much of the film took place at Gilley's: the very real (at the time) and extremely popular stadium-sized honky-tonk bar in Pasadena, Texas (owned by country star Mickey Gilley).
At the time, Gilley's house band was led by Johnny Lee. who, up to that point, had scored a few decent hits on the country charts.
To keep things authentic, Johnny was asked to perform a song in the film, and record it for the soundtrack. (Apparently, several other artists had previously turned it down.)
But Johnny happily obliged, and it was one of the best decisions he ever made!
"Looking for Love" was a hit...in the film, and on the charts-- especially after John Travolta told everyone who would listen that it was his favorite song.
"Looking for Love" topped the Country Charts in both the US and Canada, and climbed to #5 on Billboard's Hot 100.
For Johnny Lee, it was the first of 15 straight Top 10 country hits i n a row...followed by several other solid hits through 1990.
Today, at 76 years old, Johnny is still out there performing--even after a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. His farewell tour will continue through March of 2024, and possibly beyond.
We wish him the best.
"Looking for Love" by Johnny Lee: A Great Song of 1980 from a Great Movie: "urban Cowboy." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mxIHL6d-RM
Tomorrow: Steve takes a chance.
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