Straight Artists, Queer Songs, The 1970's

	May 2011

The theme of the show this month is "Straight Artists, Queer Songs: The 1970's," and it's a continuation from last month when I focused on the 1960's. But there are some big differences. Last month I said I was selecting my music from the last decade before Stonewall, and that has a cultural significance, with the main impact being on the visibility of GLBT people. Not only did the music by them come out of the closet, but GLBT people were more visible to the general public.

Part 1 - 1970 to 1973

Part 1 - 59:33
Kinks - Lola (1970)
Fresh - And the Boys Lazed on the Verandah (1970)
David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing (1972)
David Bowie - Queen Bitch (1971)
Fickle Pickle - Sweet Wilfred, Rodent of Note (1972)
Todd Rundgren - You Don't Have to Camp Around (1973)
Kit Kats - That You Love (1971)
Lindsay Marks - Comments
Lindsay Marks - Son of the Sun (1972)
Starbuck - Do You Like Boys? (1973)
Jewel Akens - He's Good For Me (1973)
Harrison Kennedy - Closet Queen (1972)
Flaming Ember - Stop the World and Let Me Off (1971)
Tim Buckley - Sally Go Round the Roses (1973)
Dr Hook - Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball (1972)
Rock's Gang - Faggo Root Beer (1973)
Rock Harding - You Ain't Done Better Than Me (1970)
Howard Barnes - Helluva World (1971)
Freddy Weller - Betty Ann and Shirley Cole (1973)
Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side (1973)

Part 2 - 1974 to 1977

Part 2 - 59:05
Thelma Houston - One Out Of Six (1976)
Loudon Wainwright III - Hardy Boys at the Y (1975)
Severin Brown - Love Song (1974)
Rubettes - Under One Roof (1976)
Kinks - On the Outside (1977)
Ben Gay & the Silly Savages - Ballad of Ben Gay (1974)
Jim Stafford - My Girl Bill (1974)
Funkadelic - Jimmy's Got a Little Bit of Bitch in Him (1974)
Miracles - Ain't Nobody Straight in L.A. (1975)
Joe Tex - Be Cool, Willie Is Dancing With a Sissy (1977)
Ian Lloyd & Stories - Another Love (1974)
Sweet - AC-DC (1975)
Supernaut - I Like It Both Ways (1976)
Rolling Stones - Cocksucker Blues (1970)
Lewis Furey - Hustler's Tango (1975)
Roadies - Packer of the Leads (1977)
Rod Stewart - The Killing of Georgie (1977)

Part 3 - 1977 to 1979

Part 3 - 59:40
Kinks - Out of the Wardrobe (1978)
Twinkeyz - Aliens in Our Midst (1977)
Sunset Bombers - Drag Queen (1978)
Drug Addix - Gay Boys in Bondage (1978)
Skyhooks - Straight in a Gay Gay World (1976)
Skyhooks - Funky & Gay (1979)
Elton Motello - Jet Boy Jet Girl (1978)
Mitch Ryder - Cherry Poppin' (1978)
Shel Silverstein - Father of a Boy Named Sue (1978)
Rod Hart - CB Savage (1977)
Felder Fitzgerald - The Real CB Savage (1977)
Charlie King - Thank You, Anita (1979)
Tom Paxton - Anita O.J. (1978)
Randy Newman - Half a Man (1979)
Steve Goodman - Men Who Love Women Who Love Men (1979)
Barry Manilow - All the Time (1977)

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And, a Thank You to Kristian Hoffman and Sue Barrett for
suggesting several of the songs appearing on this show.

Late Addition:

VIDEO

Helen Grayco - "If That's How Nature Made Him," 1976

I read about this song in an article in Billboard magazine, from October 1976..the article is shown in the video. First, no, the record was not the "first gay ballad" or gay anything, but I was still interested.

Took me six years to track down a mp3 of it, and then that was only via posting a plea for it on Facebook and Rex Strother asking music maestro Bob Moke it he had it, he did indeed, even sent me label scans. By the way, the record did not chart on Billboard or Cashbox, but when it was re-issued on a different label (Number One Record Company) it did in December 1977, made it to #90.

Of course from producing the radio show Queer Music Heritage for 15 years I'm all about obscure gay songs, and this one was surprisingly progressive for it's time. Helen Grayco had not really done any recordings for about 20 years and is mostly known now as having been married to Spike Jones.