AMERICA'S BEST KNOWN UNKNOWN

You've never heard of Jesse Frederick but you are well aware of him. Chances are, you could sing at least one (probably even two) of his songs all the way through.

In the early 70's, Frederick was just another aspiring songwriter. He cut his first album (self-titled) in Nashville in 1971 with a little help from Todd Rundgren. It's decent singer/songwriter boogie rock, but ultimately forgettable and didn't sell much. He cut two more albums over the next few years but neither of them were ever released. He started acting and writing soundtracks for film and television and eventually scored a minor hit on the Flamingo Kid soundtrack.

But success didn't truly strike for Jess Frederick until he teamed up with a composer named Bennett Salvay. In 1985, the duo was commissioned by ABC to write the theme song for a new sitcom called The Greenhorn. The show aired a year later under a new name and became a hit, lasting eight seasons.


Youtube won't let me embed most of these songs. Click on the image to take a trip back in time.


The show and it's theme were such a hit that Frederick and Salvay were invited back to write another theme.



And another.


And another.


So there you have it. Next time you and your buddies get drunk and someone starts a TGIF theme singalong, you know who to blame. Thanks, Jesse.