70s Music Artist Watch: Father Abraham

The 70s music would not be complete without a few truly awful records that got into the charts, well here is one that falls into that category.

Following the success of the Smurfs cartoon and comic series,that were drawn by Belgium artist Peyo, it was perhaps inevitable that the Smurfs would hit the pop world too. So in 1978 Father Abraham, born in  Netherlands in 1935 as  Petrus Antonius Laurentius Pierre Kartner,  he was a prolific song writer, and had chart hits, including a No1 in his home country.

He was asked to make a promotional song for the forthcoming movie "The Smurfs" and sold an astonishing 500,000 copies. The album was a hit too, and Kartner  continued to record Smurf records, selling over 25 MILLION copies worldwide, that's correct 25 MILLION.

More Smurf hits followed with Dipperty Day in 1978 and the classic Christmas In Smurfland in the same year.

The Smurfs are still going strong,and 70s music will not forget The Smurf Song, and as for Father Abraham, he is still going, as he wrote the 2101 Belgium entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Top Ten Singles 1978

Here are the Top Ten Best Selling Singles in the UK for 1978

 Hits of 1978

   1 Boney M Rivers Of Babylon / Brown Girl In The Ring   Article about Boney M
   2 John Travolta and  Olivia Newton John You're The One That I Want


 3 John Travolta and  Olivia Newton John Summer Nights

 


 4 The Commodores Three Times A Lady



  5 The Bee Gees Night Fever         Article about Robin Gibb
   6 Father Abraham Smurf Song    Article about Father Abraham
   7 Abba Take A Chance On Me    Article about Abba
   8 Brian & Michael Matchstalk Men & Matchstalk Cats & Dogs
   9 Boomtown Rats Rat Trap
   10 Kate Bush Wuthering Heights

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