Thursday, August 18, 2022

The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart(s)

 


Okay, here’s one deep from my photo archives. However, it's going to take a bit of flashback and sharp memory to recall this era. So, you might want to put on your thinking cap for this one. It’s a photo image I took in the early 1970’s of a Playboy magazine article that was pinned to the wall above the water cooler at Rogers & Cowan Publicity Agency in Hollywood. When I saw it, and as an old friend of Don Nix, I couldn’t resist taking this photo. Let me explain. In those days Billboard Magazine was the undisputed leader in music research and charts for record sales. The magazine had an additional list called “Bubbling Under the Hot 100” chart. It was a chart for up-and-coming records that did not make it to the original ‘Hot 100.’ Well, Esquire Magazine, another leading publication at the time, decided to do their own 'Bubbling Under Chart.' It was so well received that Playboy Magazine also decided to list their own 'Bubbling Under Chart.' Hmm…How original was that? But the picture of this page that was pinned to the wall of the agency had listed my buddy Don Nix (top row-second from left) and I felt compelled to snap a photo of this rare moment. Anywho, I know this chart-thing can be all too confusing yet history was in the making here. But capturing this novel occasion on film of my dear friend Don Nix and listed in this Playboy Magazine pole and posted there at the #1 PR agency in Hollywood, this was an opportunity that I could not resist. Hope you agree.
In conclusion, Don Nix is cited as being one of the more obscure figures in Southern Blue-Eyed Rock & Soul music. His music helped usher-in the globally recognized and legendary Memphis Sound. Now, trust me if you can. Try to find a chart for that distinction.