Songs Casey Never Played, 1/24/76

By Wm. on January 24, 2026

1976 was a watershed year for me musically. I bought my first 45s and my first LP, but of greatest importance was discovering American Top 40 and subsequently keeping track of what Casey counted down. Somehow we're almost to the 50th anniversary of these moments; one of my goals this year is to pay greater attention to the tunes from our Bicentennial.

Toward that end, I'm planning to do monthly Songs Casey Never Played posts from 1976, a year that I've not yet visited in this series. A couple of rules for featured songs to which I'll hopefully adhere: 1) they had their entire Billboard run within that calendar year; 2) I'm not previously familiar with any of them. That means I (and maybe you, too) will be learning about six dozen pieces between now and December. Let's get the party rolling.

100. Debbie Taylor, "I Don't Wanna Leave You"
In its one and only week on the Hot 100. Taylor, whose actual name is Maydie Miles, treats us to a powerful, soulful performance. One wonders how she never got much traction in her career.

93. Julie, "One Fine Day"
It was a prime period for disco-fied covers of oldies: on this chart alone we have "Baby Face" from the Wing & a Prayer Fife & Drum Corps (#23), Salsoul Orchestra's take on "Tangerine" (debuting at #70), a not-very-good shot at "I Could Have Danced All Night" by the Biddu Orchestra (one eligible for inclusion today but passed over, at #76), and this attempt to revive a classic King/Goffin composition. Julie Budd is another stage name (née Edith Erdman); she made a strong impression in her youth, garnering appearances on many a TV show, though it never translated to big chart action–this song would climb no higher.

92. Houston Person, "Disco Sax"
The burgeoning disco craze roped in all sorts of folks, including this jazz saxophonist. A prolific recording artist since the mid-60s, Person is still with us at the age of 91, which was also the peak position of "Disco Sax."

78. Ramsey Lewis, "What's the Name of This Funk (Spider Man)"
The other three songs come from folks who either had, would have, or were contemporaneously experiencing Top 40 action. Lewis had scored most prominently in '65 with his cover of "The In-Crowd." I'd love to know how Spidey came to be name-checked on this groovy cut, not that there has be any meaningful reason beyond that it sounded right. On its way to a #69 peak.

68. Andrew Gold, "That's Why I Love You"
Gold was still helping Linda Ronstadt at this time–he'd depart her band after her '76 disk Hasten Down the Wind–but made time to record his debut, self-titled album. "That's Why I Love You" is a pretty, melodic slice of So-Cal pop, complete with electric piano. It has my vote as suffering the greatest chart injustice of these six, another one at its highest point.

66. Penny McLean, "Lady Bump"
Penny McLean is the nom de chanson of Gertrude Wirschinger, an Austrian native and one of the three women who sang to us of flying robins and getting up to boogie as members of Silver Convention. "Lady Bump" was a top 5 smash in several European countries, hitting #1 in both Austria and West Germany. I honestly don't hear a huge hit, and apparently I wasn't alone on this side of the pond, as it would eventually stall out at #48 (though it did reach #2 on the U.S. Dance Chart).