Operator (1975) 7/29/20

Here in 2020, it's somewhat common for Praise Teams to perform a hybrid musical genre called Jazz Gospel Fusion during church services. In the 1970s, however, most people hadn't heard anything like it—until the group Manhattan Transfer came along.

Manhattan Transfer was primarily a jazz group that did a lot of fantastic a capella work—long before groups like Rockapella, Pentatonix and The Blanks (featuring the late, lamented Sam Lloyd) made it quite a bit more mainstream. They were also known for their incredible ability to meld musical genres together in interesting ways.

In 1975, they released their first of many singles, “Operator,” and although it wasn't a Top 10 hit, it reached a respectable #22 on Billboard's Hot 100.

The song combined elements of Gospel, jazz, soul and pop—and if nothing else, it changed the way many people looked at church music. I believe that alone makes it a “Great Song of the '70s.”