"You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" is a song written by James Dean and John Glover and popularized by the husband/wife duo of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., former members of the vocal group The 5th Dimension. Released from their album, I Hope We Get to Love in Time, it became a crossover success, spending six months on the charts and soaring to No. 1 on both the BillboardHot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts during late 1976 and early 1977.[3] It also reached No. 6 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart and No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] It would eventually be certified gold, selling over one million copies, and winning the couple a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1977.[5] The song was produced by Detroiter Don Davis, who had written and produced the first platinum single awarded by Billboard for the Johnny Taylor hit, "Disco Lady."
In 1978, Ralph Carter and Janet Jackson performed it in the Season 5 finale of the CBS sitcom Good Times. At the time, Carter and Jackson were 16 and 11 years old, respectively.
^Molanphy, Chris (March 25, 2022). "Killing Me Softly Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
^ abWhitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 338.