Solid Gold was a countdown of the top ten records of the week, most of them accompanied by the high-energy dancing of the athletic and sexy Solid Gold Dancers (pictured below). Also featured were other new releases, hit predictions, and an occasional oldie.
Some numbers were seen performed by the artists themselves, either in a video or in the studio, and there was even an occasional ‘joke’ video of ordinary people lip-syncing to some famous hit. Even the star performances were lip-synced, in fact.
There were a number of hosts on the show, most of them singers in their own right. During the first season, Dionne Warwick hosted with the help of a different guest star each week. She was replaced by the team of Andy Gibb and Marilyn McCoo.
Teenage heartthrob Gibb became increasingly unreliable by the end of the second season, missing several shows, and was replaced by Rex Smith for 1982-1983. Finally Miss McCoo – a beautiful woman who had once been a member of the group The Fifth Dimension – took over as sole host in 1983.
Regulars included comedians Marty Cohen, Mack & Jamie, Jeff Altman, and Wayland Flowers and his foul-mouthed puppet, Madame.
In 1984, disc jockey Rick Dees succeeded Miss McCoo as host, the first non-singer in that role. His tenure lasted one year, followed by the return of Dionne Warwick for the 1985-1986 season, and the return of Miss McCoo in 1986.
Two new features were then added to Solid Gold – an interview segment in which disc jockey Nina Blackwood chatted with current rock stars and ‘Flashback’, an opportunity for rock stars from the 50s, 60s, and 70s to recreate their big hits.
The series was retitled Solid Gold in Concert at the start of the 1987-1988 season to reflect an increase in the number of live performances by the artists whose songs were performed on the show.
For a short time, during the summer of 1984, actor Grant Goodeve hosted a weekday half-hour spin-off series titled Solid Gold Hits.
Dionne Warwick
Marty Cohen
Andy Gibb
Marilyn McCoo
Rex Smith
Nina Blackwood
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