"Stars on 45 III (A Tribute to Stevie Wonder)" by Stars On

Song#:  0963
Date:  03/27/1982
Debut:  85
Peak:  28
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  From the "if it ain't broke" files, Jaap Eggermont's Stars On project pushed out a third album of danceable hits medleys. This time around the LP focused on medleys from two superstars - Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones. After missing the Top 40 with their previous two medley singles, Stars On makes it into the Top 30 with an edited version of the Stevie Wonder medley. Due to its crossover appeal, the single also got on the R&B chart where it peaked at #44. In most of the world the single would be titled "Stars on Stevie," but in the US it was issued as "Stars on 45 III." It would be the project's final pop chart song in the US.

ReduxReview:  Just when you thought the medley craze was over, here comes another one! And surprisingly it did pretty well and became Stars On's second Top 30 single. Among the medleys, this one is not too bad. The singer, Tony Sherman (see below), does a really great job imitating Stevie Wonder and the songs are stitched together well. Still, I only needed to hear this once. I'd rather listen to the real deal. (On a side note, whoever did the choreography in the attached video should be charged with crimes against dance...)

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  The singers on most of these medleys are usually studio musicians that end up getting very little credit or attention. For this particular medley, Eggermont tapped an established Dutch artist to mimic Stevie Wonder. Tony Sherman had a few hits on the Dutch charts in the 70s as a solo artist and with his group The Sherman Brothers. Although the song would be credited to Stars on 45 in the Netherlands, it's #6 showing would be one of Sherman's best chart appearances.

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