Nice To Be With You: Gallery's 1972 One Hit Wonder

One Hit Wonders

"Oh it's so nice to be with you

I love all the things ya say and do

And it's so nice to hear you say

You're gonna please me in every way

Honey, I got the notion

You're causin' commotion in my soul"

A "One Hit Wonder" is a top 10 song by a group or individual who never achieves that measure of success again. In some cases, that one hit is the only song that was recorded by a band or solo artist. In regard to the 1970s American soft rock band Gallery, they had 3 recordings to crack the top 40 but for whatever reason, their biggest hit Nice to be With You remains on the list of one-hit wonders.

Baby, you and me have got somethin' that's real

I know it's gonna last a lifetime

ya better believe it, girl

At night I call your name

Darkness fills my room, I'm only dreamin'

About the time I'm gonna be with you"

Nice to be With You was an international hit

Gallery was formed by Jim Gold in Detroit Michigan and other band members were Dennis Coffey , Mike Theodore , Dennis Kovarik , and Cal Freeman. In some photos, there are six group members but I found no record of a sixth name. This band had an international hit, with Nice to Be With You in 1972.

The song was released on Sussex records and was arranged and produced by Mike Theodore and Dennis Coffey. Nice to be with You reached No. 5 on Billboard's Contemporary chart, No. 4 on the Hot 100, and No. 1 on Cashbox. The single which was Gallery's biggest recording reached No. 1 in Canada, No.2 in New Zealand, and No. 4 in Australia.

The recording debuted on February 26, 1972, and on that very day was featured in the "Rate-a-Record" segment of Dick Clark's American Bandstand. This was when the teenage dancers in the studio gave their opinion of a new release and believe it or not Nice to Be with You only received an average of 57.5, on the scale that went from 35 to 98. The recording eventually sold over one million copies and on May 13 of that same year, Gallery performed the song on Bandstand to arousing applause.

Gallery had two additional hit songs

"When I'm feelin' down

You're there to pick me up and help me to carry on

Aww, little things mean a lot

When you need a shoulder to cry on

I'm there to ease the pain and chase away the rain

Aww, darlin', I just gotta say

"Oh it's so nice to be with you

I love all the things ya say and do

And it's so nice to hear you say

You're gonna please me in every way

Honey, I got the notion

You're causin' commotion in my soul"

Five months after releasing Nice to be With You Gallery recorded a cover of Mac Davis's I Believe in Music which made it to number 22 on Billboard's chart, and No. 13 on Cashbox. Early in 1973, Gallery's third and last hit, was Tom Lazaros's "Big City Miss Ruth Ann", which reached No. 23 on the Hot 100, No. 12 on Cashbox, and No. 7 on WCFL in Chicago. ( the first labor radio station in the nation).

In July 1973 the group did a remake of The Crickets' "Maybe Baby" "Bubbled Under" which charted at No. 118 and in early 1974 "Friends" / "Love Every Little Thing About You" failed to chart. The group disbanded, and Gold embarked on a solo career. Nice to be With You is one of those songs that has a catchy tune and when you hear it your mind goes back to where you were and what you were doing when it was first released. You can sing along because your brain has retained all of the lyrics. This song is a baby boomer's dream.