Career
In June 1956 Goodman created his first record, "The Flying Saucer Parts 1 & II", which he co-wrote with his partner Bill Buchanan, and featured a four-minute rewriting of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds radio show. This recording was the subject of a copyright infringement case against Goodman. The lawsuit was settled out of court. "The Flying Saucer" was officially released under the artist name "Buchanan and Goodman" and was Goodman's highest-charting single on Billboard, peaking at #3. Buchanan and Goodman followed up with four other records: "Buchanan and Goodman on Trial" (#80 in 1956), "Flying Saucer The 2nd" (#18 in 1957), "The Creature (From A Science Fiction Movie)" (as by Buchanan and Ancell) (#85 in 1957), and "Santa and the Satellite (Parts I & II)" (#32 in 1957).
Starting in 1961, all of Goodman's hits carried the "Dickie Goodman" label credit. Goodman scored three Billboard Hot 100 hits based on the hit TV series "The Untouchables": "The Touchables" (#60), "The Touchables In Brooklyn" (#42), and "Santa and the Touchables" (#99).
In 1962 Goodman spoofed "Ben Casey" with "Ben Crazy" (#44). In 1966 his spoof of "Batman" resulted in "Batman & His Grandmother" (#70).
In 1969 Goodman parodied the political unrest on college campuses with "On Campus" (#45) and the first moon landing with "Luna Trip" (#95). Goodman's records also inspired KQV morning disc jockey Bob DeCarlo to cut his own sample-spliced top 10 hit "Convention '72" as by The Delegates. Goodman himself spoofed political issues such as the Watergate Scandal with "Watergrate" (#42 in 1973), the 1973 energy crisis with "Energy Crisis '74" (#33 in 1974), and Richard Nixon with "Mr. President" (#73 in 1974). Goodman failed to chart with a different version of "Mr. President" in 1981 after Ronald Reagan became President.
In 1975, Goodman parodied the movie Jaws with "Mr. Jaws" (#4 in 1975), becoming Goodman's biggest-selling record by achieving R.I.A.A. gold disc status in September 1975. WLS played a customized version instead, with the line "This is Dickie Goodman at WLS" at the beginning.
Goodman's final chart record was "Kong" (#48 in 1977), spoofing the 1976 "King Kong" film remake, followed by others that failed to chart. Altogether Goodman charted 17 hits, with five of them reaching the Top 40.
Luniverse, Goodman's record label, featured works by other artists including the Del-Vikings.
Read more about this topic: Dickie Goodman
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“I doubt that I would have taken so many leaps in my own writing or been as clear about my feminist and political commitments if I had not been anointed as early as I was. Some major form of recognition seems to have to mark a woman’s career for her to be able to go out on a limb without having her credentials questioned.”
—Ruth Behar (b. 1956)
“Work-family conflicts—the trade-offs of your money or your life, your job or your child—would not be forced upon women with such sanguine disregard if men experienced the same career stalls caused by the-buck-stops-here responsibility for children.”
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin (20th century)
“It is a great many years since at the outset of my career I had to think seriously what life had to offer that was worth having. I came to the conclusion that the chief good for me was freedom to learn, think, and say what I pleased, when I pleased. I have acted on that conviction... and though strongly, and perhaps wisely, warned that I should probably come to grief, I am entirely satisfied with the results of the line of action I have adopted.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)