3 Musicians Who Made It Big in 1975 (And Then Disappeared Without a Trace)

Sometimes, talented musicians will hit the charts in a big way before disappearing almost abruptly. Obviously, most of those musicians didn’t actually “disappear.” They simply couldn’t keep up with the charts due to one reason or another, and disappeared from audiences’ collective memories. It’s a real shame. The following three musicians found pretty hefty success on the charts in 1975, but then virtually disappeared from the charts soon after. What happened? Let’s find out!

Van McCoy

There’s no way you don’t know “The Hustle”. Few songs from the disco era are as catchy as this one. Van McCoy’s major 1975 hit topped the charts in the US and Canada that year, and it’s one of the most enduring disco tracks out there.

I’ve written about Van McCoy on several occasions, and his story doesn’t get any less tragic. Despite recording what I consider the most famous disco song of all time, McCoy struggled to maintain a substantial chart presence. His subsequent releases did chart in a few places, but none reached the Top 40 on the Hot 100 again. He maintained his connection to disco for quite some time, but after suffering multiple tragedies in his personal life, his physical health took a turn. McCoy would pass away at the age of only 39 in 1979, just a few years after “The Hustle” hit the airwaves for the first time.

Pete Wingfield

Peter Wingfield made it big with the doo-wop hit “Eighteen With A Bullet”. The song (cosmically) hit No. 18 on the Hot 10 chart in 1975. Though, the song ended up peaking at No. 15, and also peaked at No. 7 on the UK charts. The song was Wingfield’s only charting single in the US or UK.

So, what happened? Wingfield only released one album during his career, and a second album was anticipated but never released. He played piano at Abbey Road Studios for a while, notably working with the likes of Paul McCartney and Dexys Midnight Runners. Wingfield wrote a few songs for others, notably Olivia Newton-John’s 1977 song “Making A Good Thing Better”. He wrote some hits for Patti LaBelle and collaborated with Mel Brooks. Honestly, Wingfield didn’t really disappear; he just opted for collaboration and songwriting for others, rather than releasing work under his name.

Polly Brown

Americans might not remember Polly Brown that well, but I bet anyone who was alive to hear “Up In A Puff Of Smoke” in the mid-70s in the UK probably remembers the song very well today.

Brown makes it to our list of musicians who disappeared after scoring a hit in 1975 because “Up In A Puff Of Smoke” was more or less her only major hit. He found some earlier success with the bands Pickettywitch and Sweet Dreams, but “Up In A Puff Of Smoke” was her only major solo success. She continued to release music through the 1970s. But by the 1980s, Brown decided to focus her energy on her record label, Witches Brew.

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