Today’s classic song of the day is “My Maria” by B.W. Stevenson. Released in August of 1973, this country-flavored track hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening Chart.
B.W. Stevenson wrote “My Maria” with Daniel Moore, who wrote a ton of songs for a ton of different artists. As you may recall, Moore also wrote yesterday’s classic song of the day, “Shambala,” and gave it to Stevenson to record. Stevenson’s version was good but the version recorded by Three Dog Night was much better and much, much, much more popular.
To be more precise, Daniel Moore wrote the bulk of “My Maria” but just couldn’t finish the thing. Moore’s music publisher at ABC/Dunhill Records passed it on to Stevenson to finish. Mr. Stevenson added the final verse and then took it into the studio to record for himself.
“My Maria” was B.W. Stevenson’s only big hit, making him a true one-hit wonder. He released other singles, but none of them, not even “Shambala,” cracked the top fifty. He passed away in 1988 at the too-young age of 38 after developing a staph infection following heart valve surgery.
If you’re a country fan you may have heard the cover of “My Maria” that Brooks & Dunn released in 1996. Their version went all the way to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs list, won a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Vocal Group or Duo, and ranked as Billboard’s #1 country song for the entire year.
