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Today is "Show and Tell" Day....and by "Show and Tell," I mean the Great Song of 1973 that should have been a hit for Johnny Mathis...but wasn't.
He recorded the song first, in 1972, and you'd think a fantastic singer like Johnny--with a list of hits a decade and half long at that point would have scored another one.
Unfortunately, it stalled at just #36 on Billboard's Easy Listening Chart. Pretty Disappointing.
Interestingly, the next version of "Show and Tell" came the following year from Al Wilson, who up to that point had been a one-hit-wonder with a song called "The Snake" in 1968.
Al's version was a 3-chart hit, reaching #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, as well as #3 on the Easy Listening Chart, and #10 on the Soul Chart! Pretty impressive!
Over the years, it's been covered a few times, most notably by Engelbert Humperdinck, Vanessa Williams, and Peabo Bryson. The first two were album cuts that weren't released as singles, but Peabo's rhythmic version was, and it went to #1 on Billboard's Rhythm & Blues Chart in 1989!
"Show and Tell" by Al Wilson: The best version of a Great Song! (1973)
Peabo Bryson:
Johnny Mathis:
The Snake:
Tomorrow: ELOlivia.
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