On September 5, American pop vocalist Kitty Kallen went to no. 1 on the UK singles charts with "Little Things That Mean A Lot." Although it's difficult to prove, her inability to register another single in the UK made her Britain's "first" one-hot wonder, or at least that's how she's regarded now for those who remember. She had a number of no. 1's in the United States so there's no shame in only landing one single in the UK.
Some performers are much more successful across the pond than in their home countries however. Music Times searched out a few.
01) Scott Walker
Scott Walker, the performance name of Scott Engel while with The Walker Brothers band, was America's best shot at reversing the trend of the British Invasion. Although The Walker Brothers had no chance of matching the success of The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, they did manage to briefly top the charts in the UK. He became a citizen of the UK during 1970 after converting himself to a solo act that experimented with more avant garde material.
02) Gloria Jones
This Cincinnati native was always more familiar to UK audiences because of her long relationship with T. Rex guitarist Marc Bolan. She had a music career of her own in the states but her discography was more popular across the pond because thanks to her a-list status. Few realize that Soft Cell's 1981 hit "Tainted Love" was a cover of a track Jones originally recorded during 1964, but most Brits know.
03) Fun Lovin' Criminals
Do you recognize the name Fun Lovin' Criminals? Probably not but you'll recall its '90s hit single "Scooby Snacks." Unfortunately for the group, it fell into one-song obscurity following that track however. The album hosting the single, Come Find Yourself, peaked at no. 144 in the U.S. but all three of it's albums broke the Top 10 in the UK. It's most recent albums weren't even released in the States.
04) John Grant
John Grant had a solid alt-rock career with The Czars but when he went solo (and more folky) in 2010, he struggled to find the same audience. Enter the UK. His debut album by himself, Queen of Denmark, didn't get much attention in the States but British rock magazine Mojo named it the best album of 2010, edging Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. Ironically of course this was around when British folk act Mumford & Sons would begin dominating American charts.
05) Kings of Leon
Sure, the Kings of Leon have certainly made themselves a power player in the United States but it wasn't always so. The band made a huge impact with Only By The Night and singles like "Sex on Fire" during 2008, but it had previously released three albums that failed to crack the Top 20 of the Billboard 200. Those three albums all placed within the Top 3 on the UK charts however. Looks like the band's home nation has finally caught on.
06) Nicole Scherzinger
Either American listeners were really huge fans of The Pussycat Dolls or they really don't appreciate Nicole Scherzinger's solo work. Meanwhile fans in the UK brought three of the singles off of her lone solo album Killer Love into the Top 10 while taking the album itself to no. 3 on the charts. The performer has capitalized on the market, taking a guest judge role on The X Factor before landing a gig on the American version of the show.
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