As it turns out, finding information on one-hit wonders can be challenging. I had to spend more effort than usual finding out the release date for this album and the whole damn tracklist. Not only that, but sometimes the biography of a one-hit wonder can get really tragic and depressing. This was one of those examples, so be prepared for that part.
Elvin Bishop started out as a guitarist in The Paul Butterfield Blues Band before leaving in 1968 to pursue a solo career. You’d think he would have tons of hits solely off the strength of his cool name, but it took him six albums to finally get one. From Struttin’ My Stuff, released in December 1975, Elvin Bishop scored his biggest hit with “Fooled Around And Fell In Love.” Elvin Bishop (I will use his full name because it’s so cool) does not sing on it himself. He felt his voice wouldn’t work with the song, so the song was offered to The Osmonds, who rejected it for religious reasons. Ultimately, Elvin Bishop released the song under his own name with lead vocals performed by one of his band’s backup singers, Mickey Thomas. Fortunately, it worked; the song peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 and also in New Zealand for some reason. And if the name Mickey Thomas sounds familiar, it’s because he was later invited to join Jefferson Starship based on his work with Elvin Bishop. That band, of course, would turn into Starship. So there is an alternate universe where Elvin Bishop himself sang “Fooled Around And Fell In Love,” it was still a hit, and it led to him singing co-lead vocals with Grace Slick on “We Built This City.”
And it’s only the second-worst tragedy involving people close to Elvin Bishop. I did say his biography would get tragic, so consider this a content warning.
In August 2000, Elvin Bishop’s daughter Selina and his ex-wife Jennifer were murdered. The killers were caught and given death sentences, but I still feel terrible for Elvin Bishop.
Significantly less terrible is the fact that Struttin’ My Stuff didn’t have other hits. This album is fantastic. The title track was the follow-up single; it flopped, but it’s a great song. Other songs like “I Love The Life I Lead,” “Holler And Shout,” “Have a Good Time,” and the closing track “Joy” are great fun. There’s a solid rockin’ cover of “My Girl” by The Temptations. There’s a fun, if potentially problematic, song about a groupie called “Slick Titty Boom.” Given that this came out in the Seventies, the girl was probably underage, but the lyrics don’t explicitly mention her age, so I’d say the song barely gets a pass.
Overall, I recommend Struttin’ My Stuff. You’ll have a good time with it.
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