Gary Shannon's 'Forgotten Artist, Forgotten Song'

I was working nights at KLOU here in Lake Charles in the Summer of 1977 when Meri Wilson hit #18 with her one and only hit. it was at once the most irritating and most requested song we played. Sometimes, people would call in and request the song while it was playing on the air!

Well, as much as I hated the song, listeners seemed to love it.

Here's the song and a bit about the artist.

Meri Wilson was born in Japan in 1949, her father, who was in the Air Force, was stationed there. Somehow, in July of 1977, she managed to not only get a recording contract with GRT Records, but to also have a Top 20 hit.

It wasn't that Meri couldn't sing, in fact, she made her living singing jingles for various products, she just chose not to sing on her one and only hit.

The song, 'Telephone Man, was a short little novelty song filled with double- entendre. Her follow up, which failed to make the Top 40 was 'Peter, the Meter Reader.' Same basic idea as 'Telephone Man', but the novelty had worn off and the song went nowhere.

Meri died in a car crash back in 2002, but she will live on, at least on the novelty charts, thanks to 'Telephone Man.'

Here she is performing her hit on TV