Tony Christie the UK Singles Chart with "I Did What I Did for Maria", which reached number two, and "Is This the Way to Amarillo", which peaked at number 18, all in 1971. Subsequently he had a minor hit with "Avenues and Alleyways" which reached number 37, and was the theme to the television series "The Protectors". In addition he also charted with 'Drive Safely Darlin' in early 1976 which was recorded on the MCA label and reached 35 in the UK chart. "Is This the Way to Amarillo" had sold more than one million copies by September 1972, and was awarded
Lou Christie Caravan of Stars Tour. During this pre-Army phase of his career, the female vocalists featured on Christie's records were The Tammys, a trio from Pleasantville, Venango County, Pennsylvania. Christie and Herbert wrote the single "Egyptian Shumba" for the group, and although it was not a hit, it became a cult favorite in the Northern Soul scene in the early 1970s. Christie made numerous TV appearances on "Where the Action Is" (1965–1967), and also appeared on "American Bandstand" and "The Buddy Deane Show" (1962–1964) in Baltimore. He also sang with Del Shannon. Christie's third Roulette release, "How Many Teardrops" (written by