On Broadway (1978) 8/1/20

Starting in the 1960s, and continuing right into the 2000s, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil wrote DOZENS of “Great Songs” for just about “everyone who is anyone” to record and make their own.

Since we began highlighting songs last October, we've featured a number of their 'Great Songs of the '70s,” including 1977's “Here You Come Again” by Dolly Parton (on March 7th), and 1972's “Rock & Roll Lullaby” by B.J. Thomas (on March 12th).

Today's Mann & Weil classic has been recorded by several artists, and ended up being a “Great Song” for TWO of them...one in the '60s, and one in the '70s!

In 1963, The Drifters, with Phil Spector sitting in on guitar, took “On Broadway” to #9 on Billboard's Hot 100, and in 1978, George Benson jazzed it up and took it to #2 on the Soul Chart as well as #7 on the Hot 100. He also won the Grammy for “Best R&B Vocal Performance, and the song was featured in the film “All That Jazz:” a stylized musical look into the life of legendary choreographer Bob Fosse.

It's amazing what an artist can do when the material is so GREAT—and it doesn't get any GREATER than Mann and Weil, George Benson, and The Drifters!

George Benson (1978):

The Drifters (1963):