The “Golden Hits Of The 70s”
Main MenuConcept Refinement The Author..Wayne JancikGolden Age Of The 50sGolden Age Of The 60s1970s and There After
GWEN MCCRAE
“ROCKIN’ CHAIR”
(CLARENCE REID, W. Clarke)
Cat 1996
No. 9 August 2, 1975
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Gwen was born in Pensacola, Florida, on December 21, 1943. Reportedly, in 1969, she met a soused sailor
named George McCrae. Gwen at first resisted his charms and told the so-and-so to get lost. A few weeks
later, Gwen and George were married, and shortly thereafter, became a recording act for Henry Stone’s
TK label. Their debut, the country war horse–the tune that rendered ROY DRUSKY a one-time winner–
“Three Hearts in a Triangle,” died a dreadful death.
George, who had a history of crooning with locals like the Jivin’ Jets and an outfit called the Atsugi
Express, was then handed a tight-tailored junkanoo jumper entitled “Rock Your Baby.” The tune had been
written specifically for Gwen, but George’s spouse turned it down flat. Little did Gwen know that the
number would go on to sell millions, help launch the discomania of the mid-’70s, and become the very hub
of her hubby’s series of hits. Some writers have written that George’s meteoric rise to pop stardom
hastened the demise of the couple’s marriage.
After the success of “Rock Your Baby,” Gwen was less reluctant when offered the similar-sounding
“Rockin’ Chair,” her lone pop crossover hit to date.