In early 1974 a Canadian radio station editorial praising Americans as " the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people in the world" hit #1 in Canada. Its author was Toronto radio newsman named Gordon Sinclair. Not to be outdone, the sensational Byron MacGregor of CKLW , a nearby Windsor radio station, recorded a word for word "cover version" which outsold the original in the US, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and selling more than three and a half million copies . While Sinclair licked his wounds, MacGregor appeared on the Mike Douglas Show, The Today Show, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, and What's My Line. MacGregor donated his earnings to the American Red Cross.
The "Americans" buzz died quickly. After all, Top 40 belongs to the kids. "That piece of shit?" WNBC's Don Imus said. "Oh Yeah I play it. I play it at 78 a lot".
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