Smoke From a Distant Fire - Sanford-Townsend Band (1977) 11/1/22

Today we begin YEAR #4 of "Great Songs of the '70s!" Who knew that when I started this blog during Halloween Week in 2018, I'd still be at it today! (I certainly didn't!)

My thanks to everyone who has followed along, offered their likes and dislikes, comments and stories, and generally put up with my choices. And a special tip of the hat to my friends Steve Russell and Kobe Shaw who gave me the idea in the first place!

So far, I've written about more than 1,100 "Great Songs" from the '70s, and I still have a few dozen to go.

But this week (through Sunday 11/6), I want to go back and take a new look at some of the best songs I highlighted about in 2018.

Back then, I would just toss off a sentence or two and didn't get too much into the background of each choice.

THIS time around, however, I'm adding extra info and tidbits that I hope you find interesting.

So let's get to it!

In the early '70s, two keyboardist/songwriters from Alabama were in a group out of Tuscaloosa called Heart. (No, not THAT Heart.) When the band broke up, Ed Sanford and Johnny Townsend regrouped in L.A. and signed a songwriting contract with Chappell Music--a division of Warner Brothers Music.

By 1977, they were ready to release an album of their own songs, so as the Sanford-Townsend Band, they went back to Alabama and recorded their debut at the famous Muscle Shoals Studios.

Nothing much happened at first, but then radio stations started playing a wickedly upbeat and clever breakup song from the album called called "Smoke From Distant Fire." At that point, Warner Brothers, renamed the album "after the song, and it started to sell like hotcakes (apparently hotcakes sell quite well!) Before long, it was in the Top 10, reaching #9 on both the Billboard and Cashbox Charts.

This brought all sorts of exposure to The Sanford-Townsend Band. Fleetwood Mac hired them to be their opening act for the "Rumours" tour, and they later opened for The Marshall Tucker Band, Jimmy Buffett, Charlie Daniels, Foreigner, and Heart. (Yes, THAT Heart!)

Unfortunately, the band ended up being a one-hit wonder, so Ed and Johnny went back to songwriting...but hey, if you're going to be a one-hit wonder...you can certainly do a LOT worse than "Smoke From Distant Fire:" definitely a "Great Song of 1977!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlczHHBqRFI