It’s Christmas time and as politically incorrect as that may be (as opposed to saying ‘The Holiday Season’), this time, we’re asking questions about Christmas and holiday songs over the years (and decades). Score yourself 10 points for each correct answer and see how close you can come to 100%. Answers, as always, are below the final question.
1. This Christmas album has since become a classic, but at the time of its original release (November 22, 1963), it crashed and burned, through no fault of its own. The death of U.S. President John F. Kennedy on that date far overshadowed everything else that was going on in the world. The album featured different artists singing their versions of Christmas songs. It was produced by a legendary 60’s producer, who’s recently fallen from grace. Do you know the original title of this album?
2. “White Christmas” can be heard everywhere this time of year. It’s been sung by The Drifters, Dean Martin, The Supremes, Otis Redding, New Kids On The Block, Michael Bolton, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and dozens more, including Bob Marley. The earliest version was sung by Bing Crosby. Can you name the movie in which “White Christmas” was originally sung?
3. In 1958, a number one Christmas novelty was performed by Simon, Theodore and Alvin. What was the group name of these three that was listed on the original 45 rpm record?
4. “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” are the opening lyrics to an iconic Christmas song. It’s been covered by hundreds of performers, but can you name the writer? He’s a world famous jazz singer and was the obsession of the character of Judge Harry Stone on the hit TV series “Night Court” which aired from 1984 until 1992 and is still in reruns today.
5. Band Aid started a trend in 1984 with the charity record, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” The 1985 Canadian contribution to African famine relief, featuring a plethora of famous Canadian musical performers collectively known as Northern Lights For Africa, was called “Tears Are Not Enough”. Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie co-wrote America’s contribution, which was sung by Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen among many others. Do you know the title of the record and the collective name for the American superstars?
6. There are literally dozens of Christmas novelty songs. See how many performers for the following holiday songs you can name.
a. “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”
b. “Snoopy’s Christmas”
c. “The Chanukah Song”
7. Bruce Springsteen is certainly no stranger to the record charts, but ironically, his only number one hit was a Christmas song. Can you name it?
8. The following three Christmas songs were ALL number one hits on the Christmas singles chart. Can you name the performers?
a. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” (There are 2 correct answers)
b. “Step Into Christmas”
c. “Blue Christmas”
9. The Band were a successful mix of Canadian and Arkansas musicians, that included Robbie Robertson (Canadian), Rick Danko (Canadian), Garth Hudson (Canadian), Levon Helm (Arkansas) and Richard Manuel (Canadian). They worked with Arkansas rocker Ronnie Hawkins, then left to work with Bob Dylan. Two of their most famous songs are, “The Weight” and “Up On Cripple Creek”. They released the song, “Christmas Must be Tonight” on their 1977 album “Islands”. Subsequently, The Bands’ Robbie Robertson recorded a solo version of that song that was featured in a 1988 Christmas film starring comedian Bill Murray. Can you name this movie?
10. The Beatles never released a Christmas song while they were still together (although they did record many Christmas messages for their fans and in one of those, they sang the original song, “Christmastime Is Here Again”.) In 1999, Ringo Starr released his Christmas album titled, “I Wanna Be Santa Claus”. Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney recorded classic Christmas songs in the 1970’s that are played every holiday season. Can you name both of these Christmas songs?
ANSWERS
1. The 1963 original title of the album was “A Christmas Gift For You From Phillies Records” and it featured Christmas songs from The Ronettes, The Crystals, Bob B. Soxx and The Blue Jeans and Darlene Love. Over the years, the album has been
re-released many times and in 2003, it was # 142 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
2. “White Christmas” was written by Irving Berlin and was featured in nthe 1942 movie, “Holiday Inn”, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Crosby had the hit version of the song, which has been played year after year. The song has sold some 50 million copies. In 1954, Crosby starred in the film “White Christmas”, which also featured Danny Kaye and George Clooney’s aunt, Rosemary Clooney.
3. Simon, Theodore and Alvin were The Chipmunks. In actual fact, they all were the sped up voices of Ross Bagdasarian, who went by the stage name of David Seville. The songs full title was “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late”)
3. "The Christmas Song” was co-written by jazz great Mel Torme, nicknamed ‘The Velvet Fog’ (although Torme himself detested it). Mel co-wrote “The Christmas Song” with Bob Wells. During his career, Torme wrote some 250 songs. He was also an accomplished actor and appeared on “Night Court” 9 times. Mel Torme died on June 5, 1999.
4. USA For Africa was the name of the superstar singers. The title of the song was “We Are The World” and it went to number one on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart on April 13, 1985 where it remained for four weeks. The producer of “We Are The World” was Quincy Jones.
5. The answers to the novelty Christmas song quiz are:
a. Patsy and Elmo sang “Grandma Got Run Over by A Reindeer”
b, The Royal Guardsmen sang “Snoopy’s Christmas”
c. Saturday Night Live alum and movie star Adam Sandler sang
“The Chanukah Song’.
7. Some of Bruce Springsteens’ Top Ten chart hits have included “Hungry Heart”, “Dancing In The Dark”, “Born In The U.S.A.”, “Glory Days”, “The Streets of Philadelphia”, but his only number one single happened in December of 1985 with “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”.
8. a. For “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”, the two correct answers are Bruce Springsteen and The Jackson 5
b. “Step Into Christmas” was sung by Elton John
c. Did anyone NOT know that “Blue Christmas” was by Elvis Presley?
9. “Christmas Must be Tonight” was featured in the movie and the soundtrack for the Bill Murray Christmas movie, “Scrooged”, which is a relatively modern adaptation of the classic holiday film, “A Christmas Carol”.
10. In 1971, John Lennon released “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” under the name John & Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band. Paul McCartney released his holiday conribution, “Wonderful Christmastime” in 1984. Both are play constantly around this time of year.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Music In The Movies - The Reel Deal
Sorry it's been a while, but we're back with more rock and roll trivia. This week, it's back to the movies. These questions aren't necessarily hard, but you do have to think a bit. OK, give yourself 10 points for every correct answer and see how close you can get to 100%. Answers are below the final question.
QUESTIONS
1. Director John Boorman became famous after his 1972 film, "Deliverance" was
released. The film starred Jon Voight (father of Angelina Jolie) and Burt Reynolds.
Seven years before "Deliverance", Boorman had directed a movie starring one of the
biggest British Invasion groups besides The Beatles. If you 'catch' my clues, you'll
know both the group as well as the name of their movie. Do you know both answers?
I'll be 'Glad All Over' if you do.
2. Martin Scorsese is an Academy Award winning director of such movies as
"Goodfellas", "Casino", Aviator" and "Taxi Driver", but relatively early in his career,
he directed a concert film that starred a 'who's who' of legendary performers, including
Joni Mitchell, Dr. John, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, plus some other famous
performers. Can you name this Scorsese directed documentary?
3. Frank Zappa is a legendary musician, but in his time, also directed a film or two. "@00
Motels" was one of those films. Keith Moon drummer with The Who was in it, as was
actor Theordore Bikel and one of The Beatles. The question is - which one?
4. I don't think anyone would disagree that Jack Nicholson is a Hollywood icon. The
Academy Award winning actor did many other things in show business before he
made it as an actor. In 1968, he was one of the writers of a film that starred a 'bunch' of
TV actors from a hit TV series. Can you name the movie Jack co-wrote?
5. Richard Lester directed "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help", both of which starred
The Beatles. Richard later directed "The Three Musketeers", "Superman II' and
"Superman III" as well as Paul McCartney's 1991 concert film, "Get Back". Two years
after "Help" was released in 1965, Richard directed one of The Beatles in a dramatic
role. Can you guess which Beatle and what was the name of the film?
6. Phil Collins, besides being a member of Genesis and having a successful solo career,
starred in the 1988 film, "Buster". He also had a role in Steven Spielberg's
1991 version of 'Peter Pan' called "Hook". Phil's also been a voice for Disney's
animated features, "Balto" and "Jungle Book 2", but way back in 1964, Phil had an
uncredited role in one of the most influential movies of the 1960's, also starring
musicians. This shouldn't really be that 'Hard'. Can you name the movie?
7. This dancer, singer and actress was a cast member on the hit TV series, "In Living
Color". She went on to bigger things both as an actress and singer and soon, she'll be
launching a whole new career as a judge. Who is she?
8. This singer had her first number one hit in 1965 when she was only 19 years old. Back
then, she had a singing partner, but also had quite a few hits under her own name.
She successfully branched out into television, then found herself with a flourishing
movie career. In fact, she was nominated for an Academy Award in 1984 and won
one in 1988. She's still performing today to sold out crowds. Who is this
actress/singer/icon?
9. He's a member of a family of successful Hollywood actors. He's appeared in quite a
few movies himself, including one of his earliest, 1971's "McCabe & Mrs. Miller". he's
also done quite a lot of television, including recurring roles on "Dexter" and
"Damages". In 1976, he had a Top 20 hit on the record charts with a song he sang
in one of his movies. Can you name the actor and the song? Bonus points for the
movie!
10. Peter Frampton was extremley successful in rthe 1970's with his multiple
platinum selling album "Frampton Comes Alive" and the hit singles, "Baby I Love
Your Way", "Show Me The Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do". In 1978, he co-
starred on the big screen in the film adaptation of one of the most influential albums of
all time. Can you name the movie Peter co-starred in?
ANSWERS
1. The movie was "Having A Wild Weekend". it was also known as "Catch Us If You
Can" and starred The Dave Clark Five (Dave Clark, Mike Smith, Lenny Davidson, Rick
Huxley and Denis Payton). John Boorman went on to direct 1977's "Exorcist II:
The Heratic", "Excalibur" in 1981, "Hope And Glory" in '87 among many others.
2. Martin Scorsese directed "The Last Waltz" in 1976, although the documentary didn't
get released until 2 years later. "The Last Waltz" was final concert for The Band, held
at the Winterland in San Francisco. By this time, Scorsese had already directed
"Boxcar Bertha", "Mean Streets" and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore". "Taxi
Driver", starring Robert DeNiro and directed by Scorsese came out the same year as
the concert.
3. 1971's "200 Motels" featured Beatle RIngo Starr as Larry The Dwarf. Frank Zappa and
Tony Palmer co-directed.
4. Jack Nicholson was one of the writers on The Monkees' 1968 movie "Head". The Pre-
Fab Four - Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Mickey Dolez starred along with
former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello, who played a character named Minnie. "Head"
has gone on to become a cult classic.
5. John Lennon was one of the stars of Richard Lesters' 1967 film, "How I Won The
War". Michael Crawford also starred. He'd also been in Lester's 1966 farce, "A Funny
Thing Happened On The War To The Forum".
6. Phil Collins was an uncredited extra in the final concert scene of The Beatles 1964
classic "A Hard Day's Night". You can spot Phil quite clearly once you know where he
is. He got the gig because his mother was a casting agent. Phil hosted the DVD
documentary, "The Making Of 'A Hard Day's Night'".
7. Jennifer Lopez is the lady in question. She was one of the 'Fly Girls' on "In Living
Color" that ran from 1991 until '93. Her movies include: "Selena", "The Wedding
Planner", "Maid In Manhattan", "Monster-In-Law" and 2010's "The Back Up Plan". In
2003, Jennifer co-starred with her then boyfriend, Ben Affeck in the seriously scorned
film "Gigli".
8. She's the one and only...Cher. Her 1984 Academy Award nomination was for her role
in the film "Silkwood". Her Oscar win in '88 was for "Moonstruck". Cher can currently
be seen in the movie "Burlesque" co-starring Christina Aguilera.
9. Keith Carradine, of the acting Carradine family, had the Top 20 hit, "I'm Easy" in 1976.
The song came from the Robert Altman directed film "Nashville" in which Carradine co-
starred. Keith's father, veteran character actor John Carradine (d. 1988), appeared in
such classic films as "Stagecoach" (1939) starring John Wayne; "The Grapes Of
Wrath" (1940) starring Henry Fonda; and Woody Allen's 1972 comedy "Everything You
Always Wanted To Know About Sex * But Were Afraid To Ask" among many others.
John also acted on television series, as did Keith's half brother David Carradine who
died in 2009. Keith's other brother, Robert, starred in the "Revenge Of The Nerds"
movies and had a regular role as the dad in the TV series Lizzie McGuire".
10, Peter Frampton starred as Billy Shears in the 1978 movie, "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Club Band" along with Maurice, Robin & Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees. Steve
Martin co-starred as Dr. Maxwell Edison with musician Billy Preston as Sergeant
Pepper himself. The Beatles record producer, George Martin, was the films' music
director.
QUESTIONS
1. Director John Boorman became famous after his 1972 film, "Deliverance" was
released. The film starred Jon Voight (father of Angelina Jolie) and Burt Reynolds.
Seven years before "Deliverance", Boorman had directed a movie starring one of the
biggest British Invasion groups besides The Beatles. If you 'catch' my clues, you'll
know both the group as well as the name of their movie. Do you know both answers?
I'll be 'Glad All Over' if you do.
2. Martin Scorsese is an Academy Award winning director of such movies as
"Goodfellas", "Casino", Aviator" and "Taxi Driver", but relatively early in his career,
he directed a concert film that starred a 'who's who' of legendary performers, including
Joni Mitchell, Dr. John, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, plus some other famous
performers. Can you name this Scorsese directed documentary?
3. Frank Zappa is a legendary musician, but in his time, also directed a film or two. "@00
Motels" was one of those films. Keith Moon drummer with The Who was in it, as was
actor Theordore Bikel and one of The Beatles. The question is - which one?
4. I don't think anyone would disagree that Jack Nicholson is a Hollywood icon. The
Academy Award winning actor did many other things in show business before he
made it as an actor. In 1968, he was one of the writers of a film that starred a 'bunch' of
TV actors from a hit TV series. Can you name the movie Jack co-wrote?
5. Richard Lester directed "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help", both of which starred
The Beatles. Richard later directed "The Three Musketeers", "Superman II' and
"Superman III" as well as Paul McCartney's 1991 concert film, "Get Back". Two years
after "Help" was released in 1965, Richard directed one of The Beatles in a dramatic
role. Can you guess which Beatle and what was the name of the film?
6. Phil Collins, besides being a member of Genesis and having a successful solo career,
starred in the 1988 film, "Buster". He also had a role in Steven Spielberg's
1991 version of 'Peter Pan' called "Hook". Phil's also been a voice for Disney's
animated features, "Balto" and "Jungle Book 2", but way back in 1964, Phil had an
uncredited role in one of the most influential movies of the 1960's, also starring
musicians. This shouldn't really be that 'Hard'. Can you name the movie?
7. This dancer, singer and actress was a cast member on the hit TV series, "In Living
Color". She went on to bigger things both as an actress and singer and soon, she'll be
launching a whole new career as a judge. Who is she?
8. This singer had her first number one hit in 1965 when she was only 19 years old. Back
then, she had a singing partner, but also had quite a few hits under her own name.
She successfully branched out into television, then found herself with a flourishing
movie career. In fact, she was nominated for an Academy Award in 1984 and won
one in 1988. She's still performing today to sold out crowds. Who is this
actress/singer/icon?
9. He's a member of a family of successful Hollywood actors. He's appeared in quite a
few movies himself, including one of his earliest, 1971's "McCabe & Mrs. Miller". he's
also done quite a lot of television, including recurring roles on "Dexter" and
"Damages". In 1976, he had a Top 20 hit on the record charts with a song he sang
in one of his movies. Can you name the actor and the song? Bonus points for the
movie!
10. Peter Frampton was extremley successful in rthe 1970's with his multiple
platinum selling album "Frampton Comes Alive" and the hit singles, "Baby I Love
Your Way", "Show Me The Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do". In 1978, he co-
starred on the big screen in the film adaptation of one of the most influential albums of
all time. Can you name the movie Peter co-starred in?
ANSWERS
1. The movie was "Having A Wild Weekend". it was also known as "Catch Us If You
Can" and starred The Dave Clark Five (Dave Clark, Mike Smith, Lenny Davidson, Rick
Huxley and Denis Payton). John Boorman went on to direct 1977's "Exorcist II:
The Heratic", "Excalibur" in 1981, "Hope And Glory" in '87 among many others.
2. Martin Scorsese directed "The Last Waltz" in 1976, although the documentary didn't
get released until 2 years later. "The Last Waltz" was final concert for The Band, held
at the Winterland in San Francisco. By this time, Scorsese had already directed
"Boxcar Bertha", "Mean Streets" and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore". "Taxi
Driver", starring Robert DeNiro and directed by Scorsese came out the same year as
the concert.
3. 1971's "200 Motels" featured Beatle RIngo Starr as Larry The Dwarf. Frank Zappa and
Tony Palmer co-directed.
4. Jack Nicholson was one of the writers on The Monkees' 1968 movie "Head". The Pre-
Fab Four - Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Mickey Dolez starred along with
former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello, who played a character named Minnie. "Head"
has gone on to become a cult classic.
5. John Lennon was one of the stars of Richard Lesters' 1967 film, "How I Won The
War". Michael Crawford also starred. He'd also been in Lester's 1966 farce, "A Funny
Thing Happened On The War To The Forum".
6. Phil Collins was an uncredited extra in the final concert scene of The Beatles 1964
classic "A Hard Day's Night". You can spot Phil quite clearly once you know where he
is. He got the gig because his mother was a casting agent. Phil hosted the DVD
documentary, "The Making Of 'A Hard Day's Night'".
7. Jennifer Lopez is the lady in question. She was one of the 'Fly Girls' on "In Living
Color" that ran from 1991 until '93. Her movies include: "Selena", "The Wedding
Planner", "Maid In Manhattan", "Monster-In-Law" and 2010's "The Back Up Plan". In
2003, Jennifer co-starred with her then boyfriend, Ben Affeck in the seriously scorned
film "Gigli".
8. She's the one and only...Cher. Her 1984 Academy Award nomination was for her role
in the film "Silkwood". Her Oscar win in '88 was for "Moonstruck". Cher can currently
be seen in the movie "Burlesque" co-starring Christina Aguilera.
9. Keith Carradine, of the acting Carradine family, had the Top 20 hit, "I'm Easy" in 1976.
The song came from the Robert Altman directed film "Nashville" in which Carradine co-
starred. Keith's father, veteran character actor John Carradine (d. 1988), appeared in
such classic films as "Stagecoach" (1939) starring John Wayne; "The Grapes Of
Wrath" (1940) starring Henry Fonda; and Woody Allen's 1972 comedy "Everything You
Always Wanted To Know About Sex * But Were Afraid To Ask" among many others.
John also acted on television series, as did Keith's half brother David Carradine who
died in 2009. Keith's other brother, Robert, starred in the "Revenge Of The Nerds"
movies and had a regular role as the dad in the TV series Lizzie McGuire".
10, Peter Frampton starred as Billy Shears in the 1978 movie, "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Club Band" along with Maurice, Robin & Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees. Steve
Martin co-starred as Dr. Maxwell Edison with musician Billy Preston as Sergeant
Pepper himself. The Beatles record producer, George Martin, was the films' music
director.
Monday, October 25, 2010
70's Number One Hits Trivia
This week, in honour of a long time friend in Kingston, Ontario, John Hanlon, we’re asking trivia questions about the # 1 hits of the 1970’s, based on the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 singles chart. There’s one question for every year of the ‘70’s, so score yourself 10 points for each correct answer and see how close you can come to 100%. Answers, as always, are below the final question.
1. This song was # 1 for four weeks in January 1970. It was featured in a classic
movie starring two movie icons and written by two songwriting Hall of Famers.
The singers’ first name is Billy – he was born in Oklahoma and raised in
Texas. Although he’d had previous hits on the charts, this one was his biggest.
Can you name the movie, the song and the artist? (FULL POINTS FOR ANY
TWO)
2. In 1971, this former grave digger had his first solo number one, Although he
was born in London, England, he had a passion for all things Scottish. His early
groups include the Hoochie Coochie Men and Steampacket. Later, he became a big name in a ‘small’ group. So far in his career, he’s had three number one
singles, the last coming in 1979. Do you know this red headed stranger?
3. She is the daughter of one of the pioneers in pop music as well as a direct
descendant of a legendary frontiersman and explorer from America’s first
century. Her only number one was locked at the top of the singles chart for 10
weeks during the last 3 months of 1977 and was finally knocked from the top
spot by The Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love”. Can you name this female
singer as well as her # 1 song from 1977?
4. She was a regular on the Carol Burnett TV show and later went on to star in a
hit TV series of her own. In April of 1973, she made it to the top of the Billboard
Magazines’ singles chart for 2 weeks with her only number one hit. Who is the performer and what’s the title of the song?
5. In 1979, this performer hit the number spot 3 times. She was as hot as a
summer’s day in Mexico. It was all good for this artist, there was no 'Bad Stuff'
that year. Who is this singer and can you name any two of her three 1979
number ones?
6. For the week of November 2nd 1974, the number one song on Billboards’ Hot
100 chart was “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” by Stevie Wonder. The following
week that song was replaced at the top of the chart by a similar sounding title,
but it was a totally different song by a totally different group. Can you name
the song AND the group. (HINT: DON’T PUT YOUR BRIAN IN OVERDRIVE TO
ANSWER THIS ONE)
7. During the 1960’s, this performer had 6 Top Ten hits, which included one
number one. He returned to the charts in the 1970’s and scored two # 1’s – both
in 1975. Ironically, his second # 1 was knocked out of his two week run in the
top spot in ’75 by the owner of the record label he was signed to,although there
was no 'bad blood' between the two artists. Who is this singer/songwriter and
what was the title of his second 1975 # 1?
8. This performer was one of The Beatles favourite American singer/songwriters.
In 1972, he was at the top of the Billboard singles chart for 4 weeks with a song
written by two members of a group signed to The Beatles Apple Records label.
Who is this performer and what was his # 1 hit? (HINT: COME AND GET
THIS ANSWER. IT SHOULD BE EASY FOR YOU)
9. During 1976, two TV theme songs made it to number one. One came from a
show about a teacher. The other was the theme about an elite unit on the
police force. Can you name these 2 hits and who performed them?
10. This performer had some very successful brothers. In 1978, this younger
brother topped the Billboard singles chart for 7 weeks with a song he and
his brothers wrote. This was not his first # 1, in fact he’d had two previously.
Although initially, he lived in his brothers’ ‘shadow’, he became a major star
on his own, even to the point of hosting a TV show. Do you know who this little
brother is?
ANSWERS
1. The movie was “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” starring the late Paul
Newman and Robert Redford. “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ (On My Head)” was the
song. The singer was Billy Joe Thomas or B. J. Thomas as he was better
known. Legend has it that the Hall of Fame songwriters, Burt Bacharach and
Hal David had originally asked Bob Dylan to sing it, but fortunately for B. J.,
Bob took a pass.
2. Rod Stewart’s career as a grave digger ended when he ran into Long John
Baldry in 1964 who heard Rod singing while waiting for a train. Baldry asked
Rod to join The Hoochie Coochie Men and later Steampacket. In 1966, Rod
joined The Jeff Beck Group as their vocalist and in ’69, he joined future Rolling
Stone Ron Wood in The Faces”, who’d changed their name from the Small
Faces. Although Rod had had previous singles released in England, it wasn’t
until 1971 that he hit it big when “Maggie May” climbed to # 1 on Billboards’
Hot 100 chart. His other two number one hits are “Tonight’s The Night (Gonna
Be Alright)”, which stayed number one for 7 weeks in November and
December of 1976 and “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” which lasted 4 weeks at the top
of the singles chart in January and February, 1979.
3. Debbie Boone is the daughter of 1950’s/1960’s pop star/acto Pat Boone and is
a direct descendant of Daniel Boone, who fought in the Revolutionary War and
was a legendary frontiersman and later statesman. Debbie’s single, “You
Light Up My Life”, which sold over two million copies, was the theme song to a
movie with the same title. Debbie never again made it to the top of the singles
charts, although she did have other charted hits.
4. Vicki Lawrence, one of the stars of the Carol Burnett Show, made it to the top of
the charts with a song written by her then husband, Bert Russell. “The Night
The Lights Went Out In Georgia” was # 1 for two weeks in April of 1973. The
song that replaced it at the top was the mega smash by Tony Orlando & Dawn,
“Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree”.
5. Donna Summer had an incredible year in 1979 and she’d had a great ’78 with
“MacArthur Park”, which topped the singles chart for 3 weeks in November of
that year. But on to 1979’s feats – “Hot Stuff” was Donna’s first # 1 in ’79. It
first hit the top of the singles chart on June 2, but was replaced the following
week by The Bee Gees “Love You Inside Out”. “Hot Stuff” jumped back to # 1
the next week where it stayed for two more weeks and was finally knocked off
by Anita Wards’ “Ring My Bell”, which after two weeks on top, was itself
knocked off by Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” which had a 5 week run at # 1 in
July and August of ‘79. Donna didn’t see the top of the singles chart again
until November 24th, when her duet with Barbra Streisand, ”Enough Is
Enough (No More Tears)” landed in the top spot for two weeks.
6. Stevie Wonder’s number one for the week of November 2nd 1974, “You Haven’t
Done Nothin’” was replaced at the top by “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” from
Canadian rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive, which had a two week stay at
# 1.
7. OK, if you were paying attention, we gave you the title of this 1975 number one.
“Bad Blood” was 60’s hitmaker Neil Sedaka’s second # 1 in 1975 (his first was
“Laughter In The Rain” which landed atop the singles chart for one week on
February 1st). Neil had signed with Elton John’s Rocket Records label and hit
the top spot on the singles chart a second time with “Bad Blood” on October
11th of ’75 and hung there for two weeks. Neil’s record label boss, Elton John,
then replaced Neil at # 1 with “Island Girl” on November 1st, 1975.
Incidentally, Neil was responsible for a third # 1 in 1975, having written The
Captain & Tennille's hit “Love Will Keep Us Together”. If you listen closely
near the end, you’ll hear them sing, “Sedaka Is Back”.
8. Harry Nilsson was the performer we were looking for. His 1972 hit, “Without
You” was written by two members of Badfinger, Pete Ham and Tom Evans, both
of whom later committed suicide. Badfinger was signed to The Beatles Apple
label and had several hits, including “Come And Get It”, “No Matter What” and
“Day After Day”.
9. “Welcome Back”, written and sung by John Sebastian, was # 1 for the week of
May 8th, 1976. It was the theme song for the hit TV series “Welcome Back
Kotter” starring Gabe Kaplan and a young John Travolta. The “Theme From
SWAT”, a # 1 for the week of February 28th, 1976 was performed by Rhythm
Heritage, although in Canada, the song was covered by, and became a hit for
the THP Orchestra. The initials THP stand for Three Hats Productions.
10. Andy Gibb (born Andrew Roy Gibb in 1958) was the younger brother to
Maurice, Robin and Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees. Andy’s first hit, “I Just Want
To Be Your Everything” (written by brother Barry) was # 1 for 3 weeks in July
and August 1977. “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” (written by Barry and
Andy). topped the singles chart for two weeks starting on March 4th, 1978. It
replaced the other Gibb brothers # 1, “Stayin’ Alive” and was replaced by The
Bee Gees yet again with their next hit from “Saturday Night Fever”, “Night
Fever”. “Shadow Dancing”, which was # 1 for 7 weeks throughout most of
June and all of July 1978, was co-written by all 4 Gibb brothers. Andy co-
hosted the “Solid Gold” TV show during the 1980 to ‘82 seasons. As well, he
appeared on TV sitcoms, “Punky Brewster” and “Gimme A Break!”. Five days
after celebrating his 30th birthday, Andy Gibb died on March 10, 1988.
1. This song was # 1 for four weeks in January 1970. It was featured in a classic
movie starring two movie icons and written by two songwriting Hall of Famers.
The singers’ first name is Billy – he was born in Oklahoma and raised in
Texas. Although he’d had previous hits on the charts, this one was his biggest.
Can you name the movie, the song and the artist? (FULL POINTS FOR ANY
TWO)
2. In 1971, this former grave digger had his first solo number one, Although he
was born in London, England, he had a passion for all things Scottish. His early
groups include the Hoochie Coochie Men and Steampacket. Later, he became a big name in a ‘small’ group. So far in his career, he’s had three number one
singles, the last coming in 1979. Do you know this red headed stranger?
3. She is the daughter of one of the pioneers in pop music as well as a direct
descendant of a legendary frontiersman and explorer from America’s first
century. Her only number one was locked at the top of the singles chart for 10
weeks during the last 3 months of 1977 and was finally knocked from the top
spot by The Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love”. Can you name this female
singer as well as her # 1 song from 1977?
4. She was a regular on the Carol Burnett TV show and later went on to star in a
hit TV series of her own. In April of 1973, she made it to the top of the Billboard
Magazines’ singles chart for 2 weeks with her only number one hit. Who is the performer and what’s the title of the song?
5. In 1979, this performer hit the number spot 3 times. She was as hot as a
summer’s day in Mexico. It was all good for this artist, there was no 'Bad Stuff'
that year. Who is this singer and can you name any two of her three 1979
number ones?
6. For the week of November 2nd 1974, the number one song on Billboards’ Hot
100 chart was “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” by Stevie Wonder. The following
week that song was replaced at the top of the chart by a similar sounding title,
but it was a totally different song by a totally different group. Can you name
the song AND the group. (HINT: DON’T PUT YOUR BRIAN IN OVERDRIVE TO
ANSWER THIS ONE)
7. During the 1960’s, this performer had 6 Top Ten hits, which included one
number one. He returned to the charts in the 1970’s and scored two # 1’s – both
in 1975. Ironically, his second # 1 was knocked out of his two week run in the
top spot in ’75 by the owner of the record label he was signed to,although there
was no 'bad blood' between the two artists. Who is this singer/songwriter and
what was the title of his second 1975 # 1?
8. This performer was one of The Beatles favourite American singer/songwriters.
In 1972, he was at the top of the Billboard singles chart for 4 weeks with a song
written by two members of a group signed to The Beatles Apple Records label.
Who is this performer and what was his # 1 hit? (HINT: COME AND GET
THIS ANSWER. IT SHOULD BE EASY FOR YOU)
9. During 1976, two TV theme songs made it to number one. One came from a
show about a teacher. The other was the theme about an elite unit on the
police force. Can you name these 2 hits and who performed them?
10. This performer had some very successful brothers. In 1978, this younger
brother topped the Billboard singles chart for 7 weeks with a song he and
his brothers wrote. This was not his first # 1, in fact he’d had two previously.
Although initially, he lived in his brothers’ ‘shadow’, he became a major star
on his own, even to the point of hosting a TV show. Do you know who this little
brother is?
ANSWERS
1. The movie was “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” starring the late Paul
Newman and Robert Redford. “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ (On My Head)” was the
song. The singer was Billy Joe Thomas or B. J. Thomas as he was better
known. Legend has it that the Hall of Fame songwriters, Burt Bacharach and
Hal David had originally asked Bob Dylan to sing it, but fortunately for B. J.,
Bob took a pass.
2. Rod Stewart’s career as a grave digger ended when he ran into Long John
Baldry in 1964 who heard Rod singing while waiting for a train. Baldry asked
Rod to join The Hoochie Coochie Men and later Steampacket. In 1966, Rod
joined The Jeff Beck Group as their vocalist and in ’69, he joined future Rolling
Stone Ron Wood in The Faces”, who’d changed their name from the Small
Faces. Although Rod had had previous singles released in England, it wasn’t
until 1971 that he hit it big when “Maggie May” climbed to # 1 on Billboards’
Hot 100 chart. His other two number one hits are “Tonight’s The Night (Gonna
Be Alright)”, which stayed number one for 7 weeks in November and
December of 1976 and “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” which lasted 4 weeks at the top
of the singles chart in January and February, 1979.
3. Debbie Boone is the daughter of 1950’s/1960’s pop star/acto Pat Boone and is
a direct descendant of Daniel Boone, who fought in the Revolutionary War and
was a legendary frontiersman and later statesman. Debbie’s single, “You
Light Up My Life”, which sold over two million copies, was the theme song to a
movie with the same title. Debbie never again made it to the top of the singles
charts, although she did have other charted hits.
4. Vicki Lawrence, one of the stars of the Carol Burnett Show, made it to the top of
the charts with a song written by her then husband, Bert Russell. “The Night
The Lights Went Out In Georgia” was # 1 for two weeks in April of 1973. The
song that replaced it at the top was the mega smash by Tony Orlando & Dawn,
“Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree”.
5. Donna Summer had an incredible year in 1979 and she’d had a great ’78 with
“MacArthur Park”, which topped the singles chart for 3 weeks in November of
that year. But on to 1979’s feats – “Hot Stuff” was Donna’s first # 1 in ’79. It
first hit the top of the singles chart on June 2, but was replaced the following
week by The Bee Gees “Love You Inside Out”. “Hot Stuff” jumped back to # 1
the next week where it stayed for two more weeks and was finally knocked off
by Anita Wards’ “Ring My Bell”, which after two weeks on top, was itself
knocked off by Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” which had a 5 week run at # 1 in
July and August of ‘79. Donna didn’t see the top of the singles chart again
until November 24th, when her duet with Barbra Streisand, ”Enough Is
Enough (No More Tears)” landed in the top spot for two weeks.
6. Stevie Wonder’s number one for the week of November 2nd 1974, “You Haven’t
Done Nothin’” was replaced at the top by “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” from
Canadian rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive, which had a two week stay at
# 1.
7. OK, if you were paying attention, we gave you the title of this 1975 number one.
“Bad Blood” was 60’s hitmaker Neil Sedaka’s second # 1 in 1975 (his first was
“Laughter In The Rain” which landed atop the singles chart for one week on
February 1st). Neil had signed with Elton John’s Rocket Records label and hit
the top spot on the singles chart a second time with “Bad Blood” on October
11th of ’75 and hung there for two weeks. Neil’s record label boss, Elton John,
then replaced Neil at # 1 with “Island Girl” on November 1st, 1975.
Incidentally, Neil was responsible for a third # 1 in 1975, having written The
Captain & Tennille's hit “Love Will Keep Us Together”. If you listen closely
near the end, you’ll hear them sing, “Sedaka Is Back”.
8. Harry Nilsson was the performer we were looking for. His 1972 hit, “Without
You” was written by two members of Badfinger, Pete Ham and Tom Evans, both
of whom later committed suicide. Badfinger was signed to The Beatles Apple
label and had several hits, including “Come And Get It”, “No Matter What” and
“Day After Day”.
9. “Welcome Back”, written and sung by John Sebastian, was # 1 for the week of
May 8th, 1976. It was the theme song for the hit TV series “Welcome Back
Kotter” starring Gabe Kaplan and a young John Travolta. The “Theme From
SWAT”, a # 1 for the week of February 28th, 1976 was performed by Rhythm
Heritage, although in Canada, the song was covered by, and became a hit for
the THP Orchestra. The initials THP stand for Three Hats Productions.
10. Andy Gibb (born Andrew Roy Gibb in 1958) was the younger brother to
Maurice, Robin and Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees. Andy’s first hit, “I Just Want
To Be Your Everything” (written by brother Barry) was # 1 for 3 weeks in July
and August 1977. “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” (written by Barry and
Andy). topped the singles chart for two weeks starting on March 4th, 1978. It
replaced the other Gibb brothers # 1, “Stayin’ Alive” and was replaced by The
Bee Gees yet again with their next hit from “Saturday Night Fever”, “Night
Fever”. “Shadow Dancing”, which was # 1 for 7 weeks throughout most of
June and all of July 1978, was co-written by all 4 Gibb brothers. Andy co-
hosted the “Solid Gold” TV show during the 1980 to ‘82 seasons. As well, he
appeared on TV sitcoms, “Punky Brewster” and “Gimme A Break!”. Five days
after celebrating his 30th birthday, Andy Gibb died on March 10, 1988.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
JOHN LENNON TRIVIA
Here we are once again rock trivia fans, this time we’re celebrating the life of the legendary John Lennon, who, this year would have turned 70. As a member of The Beatles, Lennon helped change the world, not only in music, but in fashion, hairstyles and social mores. He campaigned for peace during his honeymoon with Yoko Ono in 1969 and continued to advocate peace and love throughout the rest of his life. John Lennon was tragically murdered on December 8th, 1980. As usual, score 10 points for each correct answer – see how close you can come to 100%. Answers are below the final question.
1. In 1969, John formally changed his middle name to Ono. What was his original
middle name?
2. John had two sons, the oldest was with first wife Cynthia. His second, with wife
Yoko Ono, was born in 1975. John wrote the song “Beautiful Boy” for him. Can
you name Lennon’s two sons?
3. One of John’s solo hit, “Give Peace A Chance” was recorded during John and
Yoko’s honeymoon in their hotel hotel room. In what city did they record “Give
Peace A Chance”?
4. John’s final public performance came on Thanksgiving Day 1974 at Madison
Square Garden. It happened during a concert by another British superstar.
Whose concert was it?
5. The original bass player in The Beatles was a close friend of John’s from his art
school days. Paul McCartney, at that time, was playing guitar in the group.
When John’s friend left the band, Paul took up the bass. Can you name The
Beatles first bass player?
6. In one of John’s later solo hits, he speaks the words “For the other half of the
sky” over the introduction music at the beginning of the song. Can you name
this John Lennon hit?
7. When John Lennon split from Yoko Ono in 1973, he temporarily moved to Los
Angeles, where among other things, he hung out with and produced an album
for a longtime friend who'd had several hits of his own. Can you name this
friend and the album John produced?
8. Besides The Beatles films “A Hard Days Night”, “Help” and “Magical Mystery
Tour”, John Lennon acted in only one other movie. Can you name this 1966
release, which was also directed by Richard Lester, who’d been behind the
camera for both “Help” and “A Hard Days Night”.
9. What was John Lennon’s ‘magic’ number. In other words, what number was
most significant in his life?
10. In September of 1969, John brought an impromptu group of musicians over
from England to perform at the Rock and Roll Revival Show in Toronto under
the name Plastic Ono Band. Yoko came as did Klaus Voorman, The Beatles
pal from Germany, who played bass along with Alan White, later of the group
Yes, who was the drummer. Which British superstar did John bring over with
him as lead guitar?
ANSWERS
1. John Winston Lennon was his birth name. John was born on October 9th 1940,
during World War II. His middle name was in honour of then British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill.
2. John’s two sons are named Julian and Sean. Both became musicians, although
of the two, Julian was the more commercially successful, charting several
albums and singles, including “Valotte” and “Too Late For Goodbyes” in 1985.
Sean Lennon has recorded 3 solo albums and others with Cibo Matto and The
Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger.
3. “Give Peace A Chance” was recorded in room 1742 of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel
in Montreal, Quebec on June 1, 1969 during John & Yoko’s ‘Bed-In For Peace’
campaign. It was released in 1969 on The Beatles’ Apple label under the name
The Plastic Ono Band. Two of the other performers on the record were 60’s star
Petula Clark and Tommy Smothers of The Smothers Brothers. The song
reached # 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on September 6th, 1969.
4. It was an Elton John concert on November 28, 1974. Elton & John sang three
Lennon/Beatles songs, “Whatever Gets You Through The Night”, “Lucy In The
Sky With Diamonds” and “I Saw Her Standing There”.
5. Stuart Sutcliffe was John’s friend from the Liverpool Art College. Stu met and
fell in love with a German student and photographer named Astrid Kirchherr
while The Beatles were playing clubs in Hamburg, Germany. He left the band
to study and continue as a painter and abstract artist. Stuart Sutcliffe died in
Hamburg on April 10th, 1962 at the age of 22.
6. The song was “Woman” from 1980’s “Double Fantasy” album. Listen closely as
the song first starts and you’ll hear it. Ironically, during The Beatles days, Paul
McCartney had also written a song called “Woman”, which became a hit for
Peter & Gordon in 1966. McCartney wrote the song under the name Bernard
Webb because he wanted to see if it could become a hit without his Beatle
credentials. It did, making it to # 14 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart.
Lennon’s “Woman” went to number 2 in 1981.
7. Harry Nilsson was a longtime pal of The Beatles and when in 1973, Lennon
came out to LA, where Nilsson lived, the two hung around together and Lennon
produced Nilsson’s album “Pussycats”. Harry Nilsson died on January 15,
1994.
8. In “How I Won The War”, which was shot in Spain, John played Sgt. Gripweed.
John’s co-stars included British actors Michael Crawford and Roy Kinnear,
who’d previously worked with Lennon in The Beatles 1965 film “Help!”.
9. That would be the number 9. John was born on October 9th, as was his son
Sean (although obviously in different years. John in 1940, Sean in 1975).
Although he was shot and killed on December 8th, in England (Lennon’s
birthplace), it was already December 9th. John wrote several songs with his
special number 9 in the title, including “Revolution # 9” from The Beatles’
'White Album' and “# 9 Dream” from 1974’s solo “Walls And Bridges” album.
10. The Rock and Roll Revival show, which took place at Varsity Stadium in
Toronto on September 13, 1969 before a crowd of nearly 20,000, featured
Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Alice
Cooper, The Doors and many more. The guitarist for The Plastic Ono Band set
that September night was Eric Clapton.
1. In 1969, John formally changed his middle name to Ono. What was his original
middle name?
2. John had two sons, the oldest was with first wife Cynthia. His second, with wife
Yoko Ono, was born in 1975. John wrote the song “Beautiful Boy” for him. Can
you name Lennon’s two sons?
3. One of John’s solo hit, “Give Peace A Chance” was recorded during John and
Yoko’s honeymoon in their hotel hotel room. In what city did they record “Give
Peace A Chance”?
4. John’s final public performance came on Thanksgiving Day 1974 at Madison
Square Garden. It happened during a concert by another British superstar.
Whose concert was it?
5. The original bass player in The Beatles was a close friend of John’s from his art
school days. Paul McCartney, at that time, was playing guitar in the group.
When John’s friend left the band, Paul took up the bass. Can you name The
Beatles first bass player?
6. In one of John’s later solo hits, he speaks the words “For the other half of the
sky” over the introduction music at the beginning of the song. Can you name
this John Lennon hit?
7. When John Lennon split from Yoko Ono in 1973, he temporarily moved to Los
Angeles, where among other things, he hung out with and produced an album
for a longtime friend who'd had several hits of his own. Can you name this
friend and the album John produced?
8. Besides The Beatles films “A Hard Days Night”, “Help” and “Magical Mystery
Tour”, John Lennon acted in only one other movie. Can you name this 1966
release, which was also directed by Richard Lester, who’d been behind the
camera for both “Help” and “A Hard Days Night”.
9. What was John Lennon’s ‘magic’ number. In other words, what number was
most significant in his life?
10. In September of 1969, John brought an impromptu group of musicians over
from England to perform at the Rock and Roll Revival Show in Toronto under
the name Plastic Ono Band. Yoko came as did Klaus Voorman, The Beatles
pal from Germany, who played bass along with Alan White, later of the group
Yes, who was the drummer. Which British superstar did John bring over with
him as lead guitar?
ANSWERS
1. John Winston Lennon was his birth name. John was born on October 9th 1940,
during World War II. His middle name was in honour of then British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill.
2. John’s two sons are named Julian and Sean. Both became musicians, although
of the two, Julian was the more commercially successful, charting several
albums and singles, including “Valotte” and “Too Late For Goodbyes” in 1985.
Sean Lennon has recorded 3 solo albums and others with Cibo Matto and The
Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger.
3. “Give Peace A Chance” was recorded in room 1742 of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel
in Montreal, Quebec on June 1, 1969 during John & Yoko’s ‘Bed-In For Peace’
campaign. It was released in 1969 on The Beatles’ Apple label under the name
The Plastic Ono Band. Two of the other performers on the record were 60’s star
Petula Clark and Tommy Smothers of The Smothers Brothers. The song
reached # 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on September 6th, 1969.
4. It was an Elton John concert on November 28, 1974. Elton & John sang three
Lennon/Beatles songs, “Whatever Gets You Through The Night”, “Lucy In The
Sky With Diamonds” and “I Saw Her Standing There”.
5. Stuart Sutcliffe was John’s friend from the Liverpool Art College. Stu met and
fell in love with a German student and photographer named Astrid Kirchherr
while The Beatles were playing clubs in Hamburg, Germany. He left the band
to study and continue as a painter and abstract artist. Stuart Sutcliffe died in
Hamburg on April 10th, 1962 at the age of 22.
6. The song was “Woman” from 1980’s “Double Fantasy” album. Listen closely as
the song first starts and you’ll hear it. Ironically, during The Beatles days, Paul
McCartney had also written a song called “Woman”, which became a hit for
Peter & Gordon in 1966. McCartney wrote the song under the name Bernard
Webb because he wanted to see if it could become a hit without his Beatle
credentials. It did, making it to # 14 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart.
Lennon’s “Woman” went to number 2 in 1981.
7. Harry Nilsson was a longtime pal of The Beatles and when in 1973, Lennon
came out to LA, where Nilsson lived, the two hung around together and Lennon
produced Nilsson’s album “Pussycats”. Harry Nilsson died on January 15,
1994.
8. In “How I Won The War”, which was shot in Spain, John played Sgt. Gripweed.
John’s co-stars included British actors Michael Crawford and Roy Kinnear,
who’d previously worked with Lennon in The Beatles 1965 film “Help!”.
9. That would be the number 9. John was born on October 9th, as was his son
Sean (although obviously in different years. John in 1940, Sean in 1975).
Although he was shot and killed on December 8th, in England (Lennon’s
birthplace), it was already December 9th. John wrote several songs with his
special number 9 in the title, including “Revolution # 9” from The Beatles’
'White Album' and “# 9 Dream” from 1974’s solo “Walls And Bridges” album.
10. The Rock and Roll Revival show, which took place at Varsity Stadium in
Toronto on September 13, 1969 before a crowd of nearly 20,000, featured
Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Alice
Cooper, The Doors and many more. The guitarist for The Plastic Ono Band set
that September night was Eric Clapton.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
ROCK TALK DJ TRIVIA
OK rock’n’roll trivia fans, we’re gonna put you to the test this time. Rock’n‘roll wouldn’t have become as popular as it did without radio DJ’s. Back in the late 50’s, all through the 1960’s, 70’s and even well into the 1980’s the disc jockey was king. In some cities, the DJ was as popular as the artists whose records he or she spun. So, this time, 10 questions about famous DJ’s. This quiz will be limited to North American disc jockeys ONLY for the time being. Like always, score yourself 10 points for each correct answer – see how close you can come to 100%. Answers are below the final question – here we go.
1. This influential New York DJ became even more famous
when The Beatles hit big in North America. He became
friends with ‘the Boys’ and even began calling himself ‘the 5th
Beatle’. He appeared in several movies, often as himself.
His ‘Holiday Revues’ at the Brooklyn Fox theatre were
legendary and he and his listeners shared their own unique
language. He was the official leader of the ‘swingin’ soiree’.
Who was this pioneering DJ?
2. This LA DJ was as ‘real’ as they get. His fast talking, hip style
was beloved by Los Angeles radio listeners. He appeared in
many TV shows and movies, including “The Monkees”. Who
was he?
3. There are several examples of DJ’s who become recording
stars. This guy may have been one of the first. He was a ‘big’
DJ in Texas who also wrote songs for other artists. He was
killed in 1959 in a very famous plane crash. Who was this
DJ?
4. Here’s another example of a San Francisco DJ who went on
to become the leader of a very successful group in the
1960’s. He brought ‘sly’ soul to the radio, then formed the
group that went on to have nearly a dozen Top 40 hits in the
late 1960’s and ‘70’s. Three of their songs went to number
one on the Billboard charts. Who was this former DJ and
musical superstar?
5. He probably wasn’t really related to you, but this New York DJ
had a very special connection to his listeners, treating them
like family. Over the years, he worked for New York City radio
stations WINS, WABC, WNBC, WCBS-FM and later, Sirius XM
Satellite Radio, where he can still be heard today. Can you
name him?
6. This famous DJ is much better known as an actor, who had
successful roles in 2 TV series. One series co-starred two other
actors who had several hit records between them, including at least
one number one. On his biggest TV series, he played the leader
of a group of POW’s during WWII. His Hollywood morning radio
show on KNX was highly rated, but he gave up radio for TV and
never looked back. His life story was made into a movie in 2002
with Greg Kinnear playing the lead role. This former DJ has a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Who was he?
7. He was the very first DJ to play an Elvis Presley record.
Naturally, he worked in Memphis, Tennessee and was friends
with Sun Records President and Elvis’ producer, Sam Phillips.
In fact, a lot of people thought the two were related, although
they weren’t. Elvis’ first radio interview was with this DJ in
1954, the same night he played “That’s All Right” for the first
time. He’s been mentioned in nearly every book written about
Elvis since. Can you name this DJ?
8. This DJ first made a name for himself in Buffalo, New York, and
has worked on stations in Boston, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and
Chicago, where he can still be heard on the radio. He says he’s
been fired 23 times. His nickname is the ‘Wild I-tralian’. Who
is this pioneering fast talking, super hip, ‘wild and crazy’ DJ?
9. This famous DJ started as a child actor in Detroit radio and
eventually made it to Hollywood where he became a star on
radio, TV and in the movies. He was a programming pioneer
with his nationally syndicated weekly ‘countdown’ radio show
and became famous for his ‘long distance dedications’. He
was the voice of NBC TV for several years, has voiced
thousands of commercials and is the voice of a character on
a long running TV cartoon show about a famous dog. So,
who is this ‘Scoob-a-licious’ DJ/actor?
10. This superstar DJ is credited with coining the phrase ‘rock’n’roll’. He became famous in Cleveland, then New York and later all over the world for his love of rhythm & blues and rock. He starred in several ‘rock’n’roll’ movies in the late 1950’s. The 1978 movie, “American Hot Wax” was a fictionalized version of his life and career. Unfortunately, he became caught up in a radio related scandal and died a broken man. Who is this DJ?
ANSWERS
1. Submarine race watchers from the New York area will
remember Murray the K. Murray Kaufman was a major radio
influence from 1958 when he began at WINS New York until
well into the mid 1970’s. The language he invented and often
used on the air was called “Meusurrsay’. Murray appeared as
himself in the film, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and played
opposite Harvey Keitel in 1975’s “That’s The Way Of The
World”. Murray died of cancer in February of 1982, not long
after celebrating his 60th birthday.
2. The Real Don Steele (Don Revert), who was actually born in
Hollywood, California was revered by not only Los Angeles
radio listeners, but also the TV and movie industry. He was
a disc jockey on LA radio stations KHJ, KIQQ, KTNQ, KRLA,
KODJ, KCBS-Fm and KRTH. Don’s TV and movie credits
include TV appearances on “The Monkees” and “Bewitched”
as well as movies such as “Death Race 2000”. His voice was
heard, as a disc jockey naturally, in the films, “Gremlins”,
“Rock’n’Roll High School” and “Grand Theft Auto”. The Real
Don Steele received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in
1995. Don died two years later on August 5, 1997.
3. Jiles Perry Richardson, aka The Big Bopper was a DJ on
KTRM in Beaumont Texas. He later became the station’s
program director. While still a DJ, he wrote several hit songs,
including “White Lightning”, which was the first number one
country hit for co-writer, and later country music legend,
George Jones. JP also wrote “Running Bear”, which was
another number one in 1959 for Johnny Preston. He was
a touring member of the Winter Dance Party on the success
of his own hit, “Chantilly Lace” when he died in the plane
crash that also killed Richie Valens and Buddy Holly on
February 3rd, 1959, a date that singer, songwriter Don McLean
declared ‘the day the music died’ in his song “American Pie”.
4. Sylvester Stone, better known to music lovers as Sly Stone,
was a DJ on KSOL in San Francisco. He was a musical
prodigy and was deeply involved in the San Francisco music
scene of the mid 1960’s. He formed Sly & The Family Stone
and went on to have hits such as “Dance To The Music”, “Hot
Fun In The Summertime” and “I Want To Take You Higher”.
Sly & The Family Stone songs hit number one. They were
“Everyday People”, “Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin”
and “Family Affair”. Sly has only occasionally performed
over the past twenty or so years, but in 2009, he signed a new
recording contract and his latest CD might come out
sometime this year.
5. Cousin Brucie or Bruce Morrow (real name Bruce Meyerowitz)
was the nighttime DJ to listen to in the New York, New Jersey
and Connecticut area. He was born in Brooklyn and started
his radio career at ZBM in Bermuda. Cousin Brucie was
heard all over the eastern seaboard on WINS, but most
famously from 1960 until 1974 on 77WABC. He also had
shows on WNBC and WCBS-FM. His “Crusin’ America”
syndicated radio series was heard all over the world. He’s
wrote his autobiography in 1987 and has co-authored several
books on rock’n’roll. He’s still on the air on the ‘60’s on 6’
channel on Sirius XM.
6. Remember Bob Crane? Robert Edward ‘Bob’ Crane was born
in Waterbury Connecticut in 1928. After WWII, he began his
radio career in Hornell, New York and worked at several
station in his home state of Connecticut before CBS wisked
him out to Hollywood to be the morning star on KNX. Many
Hollywood stars guested on Cran’e radio show, including
Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Bob Hope. After a guest
Spot on the “Dick Van Dyke Show”, Crane was cast as the
dentist neighbour on “The Donna Reed Show”. In 1965 and
for six successful seasons, Crane played Colonel Hogan on
the CBS TV series “Hogans Heroes”. In June of 1978, after
performing in a play in Scottsdale, Arizona, Bob Crane was
murdered. Although an associate of Crane’s was charged
and eventually stood trial, he was found not guilty. The 2002
movie, ”Auto Focus”, starring Greg Kinnear was about
Crane’s life and death.
7. Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips started on that city’s WHBQ
in 1949 and his ‘Red, Hot & Blue” radio show later became a local
Memphis television show. In June of 1954, Sun Records Sam
Phillips brought Dewey an acetate (test pressing) of Elvis’ first
recording “That’s All Right”. Dewey loved it and continued to play
it until Elvis himself came down to the station for an interview.
Dewey was fired from WHBQ when they changed format in 1958
and subsequently worked for smaller stations for the rest of his
life. Dewey Phillips died of heart failure on September 28, 1968.
He was 42 years old.
8. That ‘wild I-tralian’ is Dick Biondi. While at KRLA in Los
Angeles, he was one of the DJ’s who introduced The Beatles
at the Hollywood Bowl (and that was because fellow KRLA
disc jockey Bob Eubanks was the promoter of the concert).
In 1961, when Dick was a DJ at WLS in Chicago, he won the
Bill Gavin “Top 40 Disc Jockey Of The Year” award. While at
KRLA in ’66, he won a Billboard magazine award. Dick was
inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998 and in May of
2010, he was honoured by the Governor of Illinois with a ‘Dick
Biondi Day’. Chicago City Council named a street “Dick
Biondi Way” in tribute as Biondi has been on radio in
Chicago for many decades.
9. Casey Kasem launched American Top 40 in 1970 and
continued to ‘count them down’ until 1988. He returned to his
radio creation in 1998 and carried on until 2004 when Ryan
Seacrest took over. Casey also hosted “America’s Top 10”
as a regular series on TV from 1980 until 1989 and then again
from 1991 to 1992. He’s been the voice on dozens of cartoon
shows, including his most famous creation – Shaggy on the
“Scooby-Doo” series. Sirius XM radio carries Casey’s AT40
shows from various decades and even though he’s now 78
years old and is in semi-retirement, Casey Kasem shows no
sign of slowing down.
10. Alan Freed is the legendary DJ we’re looking for. He’s sometimes known as ‘the father of rock’n’roll’ and was the first non performer inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame in 1986, its first year of existance. Freed was in early rock movies such as “Rock Around The Clock”, “Rock Rock Rock”, “Mr. Rock and Roll” and “Don’t Knock The Rock”. Alan Freed died at the age of 43 in a Palm Springs California hospital in 1965. His ashes are now in a place of honour at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame building in Cleveland, where it all began.
1. This influential New York DJ became even more famous
when The Beatles hit big in North America. He became
friends with ‘the Boys’ and even began calling himself ‘the 5th
Beatle’. He appeared in several movies, often as himself.
His ‘Holiday Revues’ at the Brooklyn Fox theatre were
legendary and he and his listeners shared their own unique
language. He was the official leader of the ‘swingin’ soiree’.
Who was this pioneering DJ?
2. This LA DJ was as ‘real’ as they get. His fast talking, hip style
was beloved by Los Angeles radio listeners. He appeared in
many TV shows and movies, including “The Monkees”. Who
was he?
3. There are several examples of DJ’s who become recording
stars. This guy may have been one of the first. He was a ‘big’
DJ in Texas who also wrote songs for other artists. He was
killed in 1959 in a very famous plane crash. Who was this
DJ?
4. Here’s another example of a San Francisco DJ who went on
to become the leader of a very successful group in the
1960’s. He brought ‘sly’ soul to the radio, then formed the
group that went on to have nearly a dozen Top 40 hits in the
late 1960’s and ‘70’s. Three of their songs went to number
one on the Billboard charts. Who was this former DJ and
musical superstar?
5. He probably wasn’t really related to you, but this New York DJ
had a very special connection to his listeners, treating them
like family. Over the years, he worked for New York City radio
stations WINS, WABC, WNBC, WCBS-FM and later, Sirius XM
Satellite Radio, where he can still be heard today. Can you
name him?
6. This famous DJ is much better known as an actor, who had
successful roles in 2 TV series. One series co-starred two other
actors who had several hit records between them, including at least
one number one. On his biggest TV series, he played the leader
of a group of POW’s during WWII. His Hollywood morning radio
show on KNX was highly rated, but he gave up radio for TV and
never looked back. His life story was made into a movie in 2002
with Greg Kinnear playing the lead role. This former DJ has a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Who was he?
7. He was the very first DJ to play an Elvis Presley record.
Naturally, he worked in Memphis, Tennessee and was friends
with Sun Records President and Elvis’ producer, Sam Phillips.
In fact, a lot of people thought the two were related, although
they weren’t. Elvis’ first radio interview was with this DJ in
1954, the same night he played “That’s All Right” for the first
time. He’s been mentioned in nearly every book written about
Elvis since. Can you name this DJ?
8. This DJ first made a name for himself in Buffalo, New York, and
has worked on stations in Boston, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and
Chicago, where he can still be heard on the radio. He says he’s
been fired 23 times. His nickname is the ‘Wild I-tralian’. Who
is this pioneering fast talking, super hip, ‘wild and crazy’ DJ?
9. This famous DJ started as a child actor in Detroit radio and
eventually made it to Hollywood where he became a star on
radio, TV and in the movies. He was a programming pioneer
with his nationally syndicated weekly ‘countdown’ radio show
and became famous for his ‘long distance dedications’. He
was the voice of NBC TV for several years, has voiced
thousands of commercials and is the voice of a character on
a long running TV cartoon show about a famous dog. So,
who is this ‘Scoob-a-licious’ DJ/actor?
10. This superstar DJ is credited with coining the phrase ‘rock’n’roll’. He became famous in Cleveland, then New York and later all over the world for his love of rhythm & blues and rock. He starred in several ‘rock’n’roll’ movies in the late 1950’s. The 1978 movie, “American Hot Wax” was a fictionalized version of his life and career. Unfortunately, he became caught up in a radio related scandal and died a broken man. Who is this DJ?
ANSWERS
1. Submarine race watchers from the New York area will
remember Murray the K. Murray Kaufman was a major radio
influence from 1958 when he began at WINS New York until
well into the mid 1970’s. The language he invented and often
used on the air was called “Meusurrsay’. Murray appeared as
himself in the film, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and played
opposite Harvey Keitel in 1975’s “That’s The Way Of The
World”. Murray died of cancer in February of 1982, not long
after celebrating his 60th birthday.
2. The Real Don Steele (Don Revert), who was actually born in
Hollywood, California was revered by not only Los Angeles
radio listeners, but also the TV and movie industry. He was
a disc jockey on LA radio stations KHJ, KIQQ, KTNQ, KRLA,
KODJ, KCBS-Fm and KRTH. Don’s TV and movie credits
include TV appearances on “The Monkees” and “Bewitched”
as well as movies such as “Death Race 2000”. His voice was
heard, as a disc jockey naturally, in the films, “Gremlins”,
“Rock’n’Roll High School” and “Grand Theft Auto”. The Real
Don Steele received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in
1995. Don died two years later on August 5, 1997.
3. Jiles Perry Richardson, aka The Big Bopper was a DJ on
KTRM in Beaumont Texas. He later became the station’s
program director. While still a DJ, he wrote several hit songs,
including “White Lightning”, which was the first number one
country hit for co-writer, and later country music legend,
George Jones. JP also wrote “Running Bear”, which was
another number one in 1959 for Johnny Preston. He was
a touring member of the Winter Dance Party on the success
of his own hit, “Chantilly Lace” when he died in the plane
crash that also killed Richie Valens and Buddy Holly on
February 3rd, 1959, a date that singer, songwriter Don McLean
declared ‘the day the music died’ in his song “American Pie”.
4. Sylvester Stone, better known to music lovers as Sly Stone,
was a DJ on KSOL in San Francisco. He was a musical
prodigy and was deeply involved in the San Francisco music
scene of the mid 1960’s. He formed Sly & The Family Stone
and went on to have hits such as “Dance To The Music”, “Hot
Fun In The Summertime” and “I Want To Take You Higher”.
Sly & The Family Stone songs hit number one. They were
“Everyday People”, “Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin”
and “Family Affair”. Sly has only occasionally performed
over the past twenty or so years, but in 2009, he signed a new
recording contract and his latest CD might come out
sometime this year.
5. Cousin Brucie or Bruce Morrow (real name Bruce Meyerowitz)
was the nighttime DJ to listen to in the New York, New Jersey
and Connecticut area. He was born in Brooklyn and started
his radio career at ZBM in Bermuda. Cousin Brucie was
heard all over the eastern seaboard on WINS, but most
famously from 1960 until 1974 on 77WABC. He also had
shows on WNBC and WCBS-FM. His “Crusin’ America”
syndicated radio series was heard all over the world. He’s
wrote his autobiography in 1987 and has co-authored several
books on rock’n’roll. He’s still on the air on the ‘60’s on 6’
channel on Sirius XM.
6. Remember Bob Crane? Robert Edward ‘Bob’ Crane was born
in Waterbury Connecticut in 1928. After WWII, he began his
radio career in Hornell, New York and worked at several
station in his home state of Connecticut before CBS wisked
him out to Hollywood to be the morning star on KNX. Many
Hollywood stars guested on Cran’e radio show, including
Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Bob Hope. After a guest
Spot on the “Dick Van Dyke Show”, Crane was cast as the
dentist neighbour on “The Donna Reed Show”. In 1965 and
for six successful seasons, Crane played Colonel Hogan on
the CBS TV series “Hogans Heroes”. In June of 1978, after
performing in a play in Scottsdale, Arizona, Bob Crane was
murdered. Although an associate of Crane’s was charged
and eventually stood trial, he was found not guilty. The 2002
movie, ”Auto Focus”, starring Greg Kinnear was about
Crane’s life and death.
7. Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips started on that city’s WHBQ
in 1949 and his ‘Red, Hot & Blue” radio show later became a local
Memphis television show. In June of 1954, Sun Records Sam
Phillips brought Dewey an acetate (test pressing) of Elvis’ first
recording “That’s All Right”. Dewey loved it and continued to play
it until Elvis himself came down to the station for an interview.
Dewey was fired from WHBQ when they changed format in 1958
and subsequently worked for smaller stations for the rest of his
life. Dewey Phillips died of heart failure on September 28, 1968.
He was 42 years old.
8. That ‘wild I-tralian’ is Dick Biondi. While at KRLA in Los
Angeles, he was one of the DJ’s who introduced The Beatles
at the Hollywood Bowl (and that was because fellow KRLA
disc jockey Bob Eubanks was the promoter of the concert).
In 1961, when Dick was a DJ at WLS in Chicago, he won the
Bill Gavin “Top 40 Disc Jockey Of The Year” award. While at
KRLA in ’66, he won a Billboard magazine award. Dick was
inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998 and in May of
2010, he was honoured by the Governor of Illinois with a ‘Dick
Biondi Day’. Chicago City Council named a street “Dick
Biondi Way” in tribute as Biondi has been on radio in
Chicago for many decades.
9. Casey Kasem launched American Top 40 in 1970 and
continued to ‘count them down’ until 1988. He returned to his
radio creation in 1998 and carried on until 2004 when Ryan
Seacrest took over. Casey also hosted “America’s Top 10”
as a regular series on TV from 1980 until 1989 and then again
from 1991 to 1992. He’s been the voice on dozens of cartoon
shows, including his most famous creation – Shaggy on the
“Scooby-Doo” series. Sirius XM radio carries Casey’s AT40
shows from various decades and even though he’s now 78
years old and is in semi-retirement, Casey Kasem shows no
sign of slowing down.
10. Alan Freed is the legendary DJ we’re looking for. He’s sometimes known as ‘the father of rock’n’roll’ and was the first non performer inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame in 1986, its first year of existance. Freed was in early rock movies such as “Rock Around The Clock”, “Rock Rock Rock”, “Mr. Rock and Roll” and “Don’t Knock The Rock”. Alan Freed died at the age of 43 in a Palm Springs California hospital in 1965. His ashes are now in a place of honour at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame building in Cleveland, where it all began.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Hey rock trivia buffs. Welcome to another edition of Rock Talk. This week – a potpourri of questions. That means it could be about anything in the rock genre. You’ve got three choices, so if you don’t have a clue as to the answer, you’ve got a 33 1/3 chance of getting it right. As usual, there are 10 questions, so score yourself 10 points for each correct answer – see how close you can come to 100%. Answers are below the final question – here we go.
1. Which British musician once played guitar on a Cheech &
Chong hit record? Was it:
a. Peter Frampton
b. Jeff Beck
c. George Harrison
2. Which Hollywood movie icon co-wrote a film for The Monkees?
Was it:
a. Jack Nicholson
b. Peter Fonda
c. Dennis Hopper
3. Which Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame member once was in the group Attila? (HINT: His
songs have been covered by such diverse performers as Frank Sinatra and Barry
White). Was he:
a. Elton John
b. Billy Joel
c. Stevie Wonder
4. Which guitar player once opened for The Supremes in front of 10,000 + people with his
then group when he was 13 years old? (HINT: He’s from the same state as The
Supremes and is still performing today). Is it:
a. Bob Seger
b. Ted Nugent
c. Stevie Wonder
5. Which legendary Canadian group was originally known as Chad Allen & The
Expressions? Was it:
a. The Guess Who
b. Rush
c. Loverboy
6. Which legendary singer/songwriter and member of a Rock’N’Roll Hall of Fame group
has a brother who won a Silver medal for swimming in the 1968 games in Mexico City?
(HINT: He’s also a producer and quite the guitar player). Is it:
a. Roger McGuinn of The Byrds
b. Pete Townshend of The Who
c. Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac
7. One of this groups’ members had a father who worked for the C.I.A. Was it:
a. Cheap Trick
b. The Eagles
c. The Police
8. This performer, who’d previously played with Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and
Joey Dee & The Starlighters, was the opening act for The Monkees in 1967. Was it:
a. Barry White
b. Jimi Hendrix
c. Marvin Gaye
9. This famous producer once played a drug dealer in a classic film from the 1960’s and
didn’t utter even one word? Was he:
a. Phil Spector
b. George Martin
c. Smokey Robinson
10. This superstar played guitar on recording sessions for The Rolling Stones, The
Kinks, Petula Clark, The Who, Brenda Lee, Joe Cocker and Them (with lead singer
Van Morrison). Is he:
a. Pete Townshend
b. Keith Richards
c. Jimmy Page
ANSWERS
1. c. George Harrison played guitar on Cheech & Chong’s hit record, “Basketball Jones”,
which reached # 15 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart in the fall of 1973.
2. That would be a. Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson who co-wrote the script for
The Monkees 1968 movie “Head”. Jack also starred in 1969’s “Easy Rider” with Peter
Fonda and Dennis Hopper.
3. b. Billie Joel, born William Martin Joel, was in Attila, which was actually a duo
consisting of Billy and drummer Jon Small. Both had previously been in the band The
Hassles. Attila had one album released in July 1970 and they broke up 3 months later.
4. b. Detroit native Ted Nugent, who was born in December of 1948, has been performing
since 1958 when he was 10. His early success came with the group The Amboy
Dukes, who had the hit, “Journey To The Center of Your Mind” which made it as far as
# 16 on the charts in 1968. A longtime advocate for hunter’s rights. Ted almost
decided’ to run for Governor of Michigan in 2006.
5. a. The Guess Who were once known as Chad Allen & The Expressions and had the hit,
“Shakin’ All Over” in 1965. They had originally been called Chad Allen & The
Reflections, but changed their name to The Expressions after the U.S. group The
Reflections hit with “Just Like Romeo & Juliet”. After Chad Allen left, the group
recruited a new lead singer named Burton Cummings and the rest, as they say…is
rock’roll history.
6. c. Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac fame was also into athletics, but music was
a stronger draw. It was Lindsey’s brother Greg who won the Olympic Silver medal in
Mexico City in 1968.
7. Stewart Copeland, drummer with c. The Police, had a father who worked for the CIA.
Copeland, who was once ranked ‘the 5th greatest drummer of all time’ by Rolling Stone
Magazine, grew up in Cairo, Egypt and Beirut, Lebanon. Stewarts’ older brother, Miles
Copeland III, who managed Squeeze, The Police and later Sting, formed a record
company called I.R.S. Records and a company to book bands called F.B.I.
8. It was b. Jimi Hendrix, who was born in Seattle on November 27, 1942, who opened for
The Monkees on that 1967 tour. Jimi joined the tour, already in progress, on July 8th
in Jacksonville, Florida and left on July 16th after a concert in Forest Hills, New York. In
total, Jimi only played 7 tour dates with the Pre Fab 4.
9. a. Phil Spector was the legendary producer who played a non speaking drug dealer in
the landmark film “Easy Rider”. In the credits, Phil is listed as ‘Connection’.
10. That session guitar player would be c. Jimmy Page. Before launching Led Zeppelin,
Jimmy played guitar on hundreds of other peoples sessions. In that studio world,
Jimmy was known as ‘Little Jim’ as the other session guitar player was ‘Big Jim’
Sullivan.
1. Which British musician once played guitar on a Cheech &
Chong hit record? Was it:
a. Peter Frampton
b. Jeff Beck
c. George Harrison
2. Which Hollywood movie icon co-wrote a film for The Monkees?
Was it:
a. Jack Nicholson
b. Peter Fonda
c. Dennis Hopper
3. Which Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame member once was in the group Attila? (HINT: His
songs have been covered by such diverse performers as Frank Sinatra and Barry
White). Was he:
a. Elton John
b. Billy Joel
c. Stevie Wonder
4. Which guitar player once opened for The Supremes in front of 10,000 + people with his
then group when he was 13 years old? (HINT: He’s from the same state as The
Supremes and is still performing today). Is it:
a. Bob Seger
b. Ted Nugent
c. Stevie Wonder
5. Which legendary Canadian group was originally known as Chad Allen & The
Expressions? Was it:
a. The Guess Who
b. Rush
c. Loverboy
6. Which legendary singer/songwriter and member of a Rock’N’Roll Hall of Fame group
has a brother who won a Silver medal for swimming in the 1968 games in Mexico City?
(HINT: He’s also a producer and quite the guitar player). Is it:
a. Roger McGuinn of The Byrds
b. Pete Townshend of The Who
c. Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac
7. One of this groups’ members had a father who worked for the C.I.A. Was it:
a. Cheap Trick
b. The Eagles
c. The Police
8. This performer, who’d previously played with Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and
Joey Dee & The Starlighters, was the opening act for The Monkees in 1967. Was it:
a. Barry White
b. Jimi Hendrix
c. Marvin Gaye
9. This famous producer once played a drug dealer in a classic film from the 1960’s and
didn’t utter even one word? Was he:
a. Phil Spector
b. George Martin
c. Smokey Robinson
10. This superstar played guitar on recording sessions for The Rolling Stones, The
Kinks, Petula Clark, The Who, Brenda Lee, Joe Cocker and Them (with lead singer
Van Morrison). Is he:
a. Pete Townshend
b. Keith Richards
c. Jimmy Page
ANSWERS
1. c. George Harrison played guitar on Cheech & Chong’s hit record, “Basketball Jones”,
which reached # 15 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart in the fall of 1973.
2. That would be a. Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson who co-wrote the script for
The Monkees 1968 movie “Head”. Jack also starred in 1969’s “Easy Rider” with Peter
Fonda and Dennis Hopper.
3. b. Billie Joel, born William Martin Joel, was in Attila, which was actually a duo
consisting of Billy and drummer Jon Small. Both had previously been in the band The
Hassles. Attila had one album released in July 1970 and they broke up 3 months later.
4. b. Detroit native Ted Nugent, who was born in December of 1948, has been performing
since 1958 when he was 10. His early success came with the group The Amboy
Dukes, who had the hit, “Journey To The Center of Your Mind” which made it as far as
# 16 on the charts in 1968. A longtime advocate for hunter’s rights. Ted almost
decided’ to run for Governor of Michigan in 2006.
5. a. The Guess Who were once known as Chad Allen & The Expressions and had the hit,
“Shakin’ All Over” in 1965. They had originally been called Chad Allen & The
Reflections, but changed their name to The Expressions after the U.S. group The
Reflections hit with “Just Like Romeo & Juliet”. After Chad Allen left, the group
recruited a new lead singer named Burton Cummings and the rest, as they say…is
rock’roll history.
6. c. Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac fame was also into athletics, but music was
a stronger draw. It was Lindsey’s brother Greg who won the Olympic Silver medal in
Mexico City in 1968.
7. Stewart Copeland, drummer with c. The Police, had a father who worked for the CIA.
Copeland, who was once ranked ‘the 5th greatest drummer of all time’ by Rolling Stone
Magazine, grew up in Cairo, Egypt and Beirut, Lebanon. Stewarts’ older brother, Miles
Copeland III, who managed Squeeze, The Police and later Sting, formed a record
company called I.R.S. Records and a company to book bands called F.B.I.
8. It was b. Jimi Hendrix, who was born in Seattle on November 27, 1942, who opened for
The Monkees on that 1967 tour. Jimi joined the tour, already in progress, on July 8th
in Jacksonville, Florida and left on July 16th after a concert in Forest Hills, New York. In
total, Jimi only played 7 tour dates with the Pre Fab 4.
9. a. Phil Spector was the legendary producer who played a non speaking drug dealer in
the landmark film “Easy Rider”. In the credits, Phil is listed as ‘Connection’.
10. That session guitar player would be c. Jimmy Page. Before launching Led Zeppelin,
Jimmy played guitar on hundreds of other peoples sessions. In that studio world,
Jimmy was known as ‘Little Jim’ as the other session guitar player was ‘Big Jim’
Sullivan.
Friday, August 20, 2010
This week is not for the faint of heart – or for the casual music fan. The questions are all about specific song titles – days of the week, girls names, colours, love songs, you get the drift. If you know your music, you’ll be fine. I do suggest that you get a pen and paper and write your answers down, as it’ll be a whole lot easier that way. There are 10 questions, as usual, so score yourself 10 points for each correct answer – see how close you can come to 100%. Answers are below the questions, so let’s get rolling.
1. There are 7 hit songs that made the top twenty on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart with
‘Saturday’ in the title from 1963 until 1976. Elton John, Chicago and The Drifters had
three of them. How many of those 7 hits can you name? (You must name the song and
the performer – half points if you only get one or the other correct).
2. Now, let’s move to Sunday. 9 songs with ‘Sunday’ in the title made Billboard’s Hot 100
chart in the 1960’s, although two of those were the same song performed by two
different artists. All 9 songs made it into the top thirty. How many can you name?
3. Monday had the third most songs written about it. There were only 5 'Monday' songs
that made the Top Ten in Billboard’s Hot 100 chart from 1957 until 1986. Can you name
them all?
4. This one is about the late Michael Jackson. How many number one hits in the 1980’s
did Michael Jackson have with a girl’s name in the title? How many can you name?
5. Let’s get a little bit sweeter now. The word ‘Sugar’ shows up in the title of five Top 10
Billboard hits. The first one charted in 1958 and the last one in 1988 and they all made
it to the number one or number two position. Can you name all 5?
6. ‘The eyes are the window to the soul’ is a very famous quote. According to Billboard’s
Hot 100 chart, 9 songs with the word ‘eye’ or ’eyes’ in the title became top five hits
during the 1980’s. Female singers had 3 of those, male solo singers had 2, the rest
were sung by duos or groups. You’ll be considered a musical genius by your friends if
you can name them all. Good luck.
7. The most important muscle of the body is the heart. Literally, hundreds of hit songs
have the word ‘heart’ in the title, but this time, we’re looking for solo female artists who
made it into Billboards’ Top Ten with songs about the ‘heart’. There are 15 songs in
total from 1960 until 1998. How many can you name?
8. There are 6 songs about the colour blue that made it to Number One on Billboards’ Hot
100 singles chart from the late 1950’s through to the early 1970’s. How many of those 6
songs and their performers can you name?
9. How many of Elvis Presley’s seven top ten charted hits with the word ‘love’ in the title
can you name? (HINT: The first one charted in 1956 and the last in 1972. 1957’s
“Loving You” only made it to number 20, so that one obviously doesn’t count).
10. We couldn’t do a rock’n’roll trivia column about song titles without including
‘rock’n’roll’, or more specifically, the word ‘rock’. There are hundreds of songs with
‘rock’ in the title, but this time, we’re only looking for hits from the 1970’s with
either the words ‘rock’, ‘rockin’’ or rock’n’roll’ in their title and all of them made the Top
10, so how hard can it be? Do your best and come up with at least 7 out of 10 titles.
ANSWERS
1. “Another Saturday Night” Sam Cooke 1963 # 10
“Saturday Night At The Movies” The Drifters 1964 # 18
“Come Saturday Morning” The Sandpipers 1970 # 17
“Saturday In The Park” Chicago 1972 # 3
“Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” Elton John 1973 # 12
“Another Saturday Night” Cat Stevens 1974 # 6
“Saturday Night” The Bay City Rollers 1976 # 1
2. “Never On Sunday” Don Costa 1960 # 19
“Never On Sunday” The Chordettes 1961 # 13
“That Sunday, That Summer” Nat ‘King’ Cole 1963 # 12
“Sunday And Me” Jay & The Americans 1965 # 18
“Pleasant Valley Sunday” The Monkees 1967 # 3
“Sunday Will Never Be The Same” Spanky & Our Gang 1967 # 9
“Sunday Mornin’” Spanky & Our Gang 1968 # 30
“Sugar on Sunday” The Clique 1969 # 22
“Beautiful Sunday” Daniel Boone 1972 # 15
3. “Blue Monday” Fats Domino 1957 # 5
“Monday Monday” The Mamas & The Papas 1966 # 1
“Rainy Days And Mondays” Carpenters 1971 # 2
“New Moon On Monday” Duran Duran 1984 # 10
“Manic Monday” The Bangles 1986 # 2
4. Michael Jackson only had two number one hits with a girl’s
name in the title during the 1980’s. Those songs were “Billy
Jean” in 1983 and “Dirty Diana” in 1988.
5. “Sugartime” The McGuire Sisters 1958 # 1
“Sugar Shack” Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs 1963 # 1
“Sugar Sugar” The Archies 1969 # 1
“No Sugar Tonight” The Guess Who 1970 # 1 (This one was the flip side of The Guess
Who’s “American Woman” 45 which was a number one hit – so, this one counts as a
number one as well).
“Pour Some Sugar On Me” Def Leppard 1988 # 2
6. “Sexy Eyes” Dr. Hook 1980 # 5
“For Your Eyes Only” Sheena Easton 1981 # 4
“Private Eyes” Daryl Hall & John Oates 1981 # 1
“Bette Davis Eyes” Kim Carnes 1981 # 1
“Eye Of The Tiger” Survivor 1982 # 1
“Eye In The Sky’ The Alan Parsons Project 1982 # 3
“Eyes Without A Face” Billy Idol 1984 # 4
“Hungry Eyes” Eric Carmen 1988 # 4
“Lost In Your Eyes’ Debbie Gibson 1989 # 1
7. “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own” Connie Francis 1960 # 1
“Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You” Connie Francis 1962 # 1
“My Heart Belongs To Me” Barbra Streisand 1977 # 4
“Heart Of Glass” Blondie 1979 # 1
“Total Eclipse Of The Heart” Bonnie Tyler 1981 # 1
“Queen Of Hearts” Juice Newton 1982 # 2
“Heart Attack” Olivia Newton-John 1982 # 3
“Two Of Hearts” Stacey Q 1986 # 3
“Change Of Heart” Cyndi Lauper 1987 # 3
“Open Your Heart” Madonna 1987 # 1
“Where Do Broken Hearts Go” Whitney Houston 1988 # 1
“Tell It To My Heart” Taylor Dayne 1988 # 7
“With Every Beat Of My Heart” Taylor Dayne 1989 # 5
“Where Does My Heart Beat Now” Celine Dion 1991 # 4
“My Heart Will Go On” Celine Dion 1998 # 1
8. “Mr. Blue” The Fleetwoods 1959 # 1
“Blue Moon” The Marcels 1961 # 1
“Blue Velvet” Bobby Vinton 1963 # 1
“Blue Christmas” Elvis Presley 1964 # 1
“Love Is Blue” Paul Mauriat 1968 # 1 (Instrumental)
“Song Sung Blue” Neil Diamond 1972 # 1
9. “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You’ 1956 # 1
“Love Me Tender” 1956 # 1
“Love Me” 1956 # 2
“I Need Your Love Tonight” 1959 # 4
“A Big Hunk O’ Love” 1959 # 1
“Can’t Help Falling In Love” 1961/62 # 2
“Burning Love” 1972 # 2
10. “Rockin’ Robin” Michael Jackson 1972 # 2
“Crocodile Rock” Elton John 1973 # 1
“Rockin’ Pneumonia – Boogie Woogie Flu” Johnny Rivers 1973 # 6
“Rock On” David Essex 1974 # 5
“Rock The Boat” The Hues Corporation 1974 # 1
“Rock Me Gently” Andy Kim 1974 # 1
“Rock’n Me” Steve Miller 1976 # 1
“Rock And Roll Music” The Beach Boys 1976 # 5
“That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll” Shaun Cassidy 1977 # 3
“We Will Rock You” Queen 1978 # 4
1. There are 7 hit songs that made the top twenty on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart with
‘Saturday’ in the title from 1963 until 1976. Elton John, Chicago and The Drifters had
three of them. How many of those 7 hits can you name? (You must name the song and
the performer – half points if you only get one or the other correct).
2. Now, let’s move to Sunday. 9 songs with ‘Sunday’ in the title made Billboard’s Hot 100
chart in the 1960’s, although two of those were the same song performed by two
different artists. All 9 songs made it into the top thirty. How many can you name?
3. Monday had the third most songs written about it. There were only 5 'Monday' songs
that made the Top Ten in Billboard’s Hot 100 chart from 1957 until 1986. Can you name
them all?
4. This one is about the late Michael Jackson. How many number one hits in the 1980’s
did Michael Jackson have with a girl’s name in the title? How many can you name?
5. Let’s get a little bit sweeter now. The word ‘Sugar’ shows up in the title of five Top 10
Billboard hits. The first one charted in 1958 and the last one in 1988 and they all made
it to the number one or number two position. Can you name all 5?
6. ‘The eyes are the window to the soul’ is a very famous quote. According to Billboard’s
Hot 100 chart, 9 songs with the word ‘eye’ or ’eyes’ in the title became top five hits
during the 1980’s. Female singers had 3 of those, male solo singers had 2, the rest
were sung by duos or groups. You’ll be considered a musical genius by your friends if
you can name them all. Good luck.
7. The most important muscle of the body is the heart. Literally, hundreds of hit songs
have the word ‘heart’ in the title, but this time, we’re looking for solo female artists who
made it into Billboards’ Top Ten with songs about the ‘heart’. There are 15 songs in
total from 1960 until 1998. How many can you name?
8. There are 6 songs about the colour blue that made it to Number One on Billboards’ Hot
100 singles chart from the late 1950’s through to the early 1970’s. How many of those 6
songs and their performers can you name?
9. How many of Elvis Presley’s seven top ten charted hits with the word ‘love’ in the title
can you name? (HINT: The first one charted in 1956 and the last in 1972. 1957’s
“Loving You” only made it to number 20, so that one obviously doesn’t count).
10. We couldn’t do a rock’n’roll trivia column about song titles without including
‘rock’n’roll’, or more specifically, the word ‘rock’. There are hundreds of songs with
‘rock’ in the title, but this time, we’re only looking for hits from the 1970’s with
either the words ‘rock’, ‘rockin’’ or rock’n’roll’ in their title and all of them made the Top
10, so how hard can it be? Do your best and come up with at least 7 out of 10 titles.
ANSWERS
1. “Another Saturday Night” Sam Cooke 1963 # 10
“Saturday Night At The Movies” The Drifters 1964 # 18
“Come Saturday Morning” The Sandpipers 1970 # 17
“Saturday In The Park” Chicago 1972 # 3
“Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” Elton John 1973 # 12
“Another Saturday Night” Cat Stevens 1974 # 6
“Saturday Night” The Bay City Rollers 1976 # 1
2. “Never On Sunday” Don Costa 1960 # 19
“Never On Sunday” The Chordettes 1961 # 13
“That Sunday, That Summer” Nat ‘King’ Cole 1963 # 12
“Sunday And Me” Jay & The Americans 1965 # 18
“Pleasant Valley Sunday” The Monkees 1967 # 3
“Sunday Will Never Be The Same” Spanky & Our Gang 1967 # 9
“Sunday Mornin’” Spanky & Our Gang 1968 # 30
“Sugar on Sunday” The Clique 1969 # 22
“Beautiful Sunday” Daniel Boone 1972 # 15
3. “Blue Monday” Fats Domino 1957 # 5
“Monday Monday” The Mamas & The Papas 1966 # 1
“Rainy Days And Mondays” Carpenters 1971 # 2
“New Moon On Monday” Duran Duran 1984 # 10
“Manic Monday” The Bangles 1986 # 2
4. Michael Jackson only had two number one hits with a girl’s
name in the title during the 1980’s. Those songs were “Billy
Jean” in 1983 and “Dirty Diana” in 1988.
5. “Sugartime” The McGuire Sisters 1958 # 1
“Sugar Shack” Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs 1963 # 1
“Sugar Sugar” The Archies 1969 # 1
“No Sugar Tonight” The Guess Who 1970 # 1 (This one was the flip side of The Guess
Who’s “American Woman” 45 which was a number one hit – so, this one counts as a
number one as well).
“Pour Some Sugar On Me” Def Leppard 1988 # 2
6. “Sexy Eyes” Dr. Hook 1980 # 5
“For Your Eyes Only” Sheena Easton 1981 # 4
“Private Eyes” Daryl Hall & John Oates 1981 # 1
“Bette Davis Eyes” Kim Carnes 1981 # 1
“Eye Of The Tiger” Survivor 1982 # 1
“Eye In The Sky’ The Alan Parsons Project 1982 # 3
“Eyes Without A Face” Billy Idol 1984 # 4
“Hungry Eyes” Eric Carmen 1988 # 4
“Lost In Your Eyes’ Debbie Gibson 1989 # 1
7. “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own” Connie Francis 1960 # 1
“Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You” Connie Francis 1962 # 1
“My Heart Belongs To Me” Barbra Streisand 1977 # 4
“Heart Of Glass” Blondie 1979 # 1
“Total Eclipse Of The Heart” Bonnie Tyler 1981 # 1
“Queen Of Hearts” Juice Newton 1982 # 2
“Heart Attack” Olivia Newton-John 1982 # 3
“Two Of Hearts” Stacey Q 1986 # 3
“Change Of Heart” Cyndi Lauper 1987 # 3
“Open Your Heart” Madonna 1987 # 1
“Where Do Broken Hearts Go” Whitney Houston 1988 # 1
“Tell It To My Heart” Taylor Dayne 1988 # 7
“With Every Beat Of My Heart” Taylor Dayne 1989 # 5
“Where Does My Heart Beat Now” Celine Dion 1991 # 4
“My Heart Will Go On” Celine Dion 1998 # 1
8. “Mr. Blue” The Fleetwoods 1959 # 1
“Blue Moon” The Marcels 1961 # 1
“Blue Velvet” Bobby Vinton 1963 # 1
“Blue Christmas” Elvis Presley 1964 # 1
“Love Is Blue” Paul Mauriat 1968 # 1 (Instrumental)
“Song Sung Blue” Neil Diamond 1972 # 1
9. “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You’ 1956 # 1
“Love Me Tender” 1956 # 1
“Love Me” 1956 # 2
“I Need Your Love Tonight” 1959 # 4
“A Big Hunk O’ Love” 1959 # 1
“Can’t Help Falling In Love” 1961/62 # 2
“Burning Love” 1972 # 2
10. “Rockin’ Robin” Michael Jackson 1972 # 2
“Crocodile Rock” Elton John 1973 # 1
“Rockin’ Pneumonia – Boogie Woogie Flu” Johnny Rivers 1973 # 6
“Rock On” David Essex 1974 # 5
“Rock The Boat” The Hues Corporation 1974 # 1
“Rock Me Gently” Andy Kim 1974 # 1
“Rock’n Me” Steve Miller 1976 # 1
“Rock And Roll Music” The Beach Boys 1976 # 5
“That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll” Shaun Cassidy 1977 # 3
“We Will Rock You” Queen 1978 # 4
Monday, August 9, 2010
They are the unsung heroes of the record business. The producer is the man who helps and guides the artist in the recording studio. Sometimes they are in complete control, but most producers work WITH the artist to get the best recording they can. This week, we’re asking questions about some of these producers. Many are household names, and all are certainly well known enough to not send you screaming from the room. This one may be a little tougher than usual, but if you know your music, you should do just fine. As always, there are 10 questions, so score yourself 10 points for each correct answer – see how close you can come to 100%. Answers are below the questions, so let’s have a go, shall we?
1. This producer, who is also a songwriter and performer, makes Miami his home
base, but he was born across the ocean from the U.S.A. His songs have been
recorded by everyone from Elvis Presley to Celine Dion. The list of artists he’s
produced includes Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, and Barbra Streisand. His
brothers were extremely helpful in his career. What is the name of this
producer?
2. A pioneering producer, this man almost single handedly changed the course of
contemporary music by recording many legendary performers. He loved the
blues and the ‘sun’ shone brightly on his career. His studio later became
a mecca for artists such as U2. He died in 2003 in his 80th year. Who is this
southern gentleman?
3. Although he’s not known primarily as a producer, this multi platinum selling
singer/songwriter has done quite well in that department. His productions
include several number hit singles as well as albums. He started out playing
the trumpet, but switched to left-handed guitar for a few years until he started
playing the instrument he’s most known for in the early 1960’s. He’s one of the
richest men in the music industry and holds the record for having the most
covers of one of his songs. Who is this sometimes producer?
4. This one should be easy. This pioneering producer created a hit making ‘wall
of sound’ in the 1960’s that many others tried to copy. He was born in the
Bronx, but started in the record industry with two school mates in Los Angeles.
The artists he’s produced include Canadian poet Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion,
Ike & Tina Turner and ‘60’s musical icon Dion and those aren’t even his most
famous clients. He’s known for being rather eccentric. These days, he’s not
producing anyone and has a lot of time on his hands. Can you name
this producer?
5. This artist/producer was born in Chicago but when his family moved to Seattle,
he met and became close friends with Ray Charles. He later played trumpet
with Lionel Hampton’s big band and became an accomplished musical
arranger. Some of the artists that he created arrangements for include Frank
Sinatra, Count Basie and Ray Charles. One of his most famous musical
compositions is the theme for the Austin Powers films. Lesley Gore, Michael
Jackson are two artists whose records he’s produced. His close friends call him
by the first initial of his first name. He’s scored dozens of movies and won
Academy Awards as well as a whole lot of Grammys. One of his daughters stars
on a hit NBC TV series. Who is this music business legend?
6. Before he met the group that would make him world famous, this British
producer was creating records for comedians Peter Sellers and Charlie Drake
(“My Boomerang Won’t Come Back”) as well as hits for British crooner Matt
Monroe. America, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion, Cilla Black, Jimmy Webb, Little
River Band and Neil Sedaka are just a few of the artists he’s produced, although
I have left out his most famous group. He’s been knighted by Queen Elizabeth
and has officially retired from producing. Can you name this producer?
7. AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, The Cars and Foreigner all owe a debt of
gratitude to this producer, whose skills have made them all millions of dollars.
He got very close to one of his artists and eventually married her. He lives
a reclusive life in Switzerland and hasn’t given an interview in several decades.
He lets his work speak for itself. His nickname is something you’d call a stray \
dog. Who is he?
8. This duo wrote and produced hits for The Drifters, The Coasters, Peggy Lee,
Ben E. King and Procol Harum. They turned the ‘hillbilly cat’ into a ‘hound dog’
and sentenced him to ‘rock’ in the ‘jailhouse’. They ‘stood by’ each other
throughout their decades long career. Both were inducted into the Rock ‘N’
Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Who is this dynamic duo?
9. Billy Joel and Paul Simon call this recording engineer/producer their secret
weapon. Other artists this South African born legend has recorded or produced
include Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Karen Carpenter, Julian
Lennon, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Liza Minnelli,
George Michael, Aretha Franklin and Clay Akin. He was one of the owners of
A&R Studios in New York (HINT: He’s not the ‘A’ part). Who is this 14 time
Grammy Award recipient?
10. This native New Yorker was the first to make Tiny Tim a chart success.
He ‘pointed’ a sister group to the top of the charts, made a solo ‘Starr’ out of
Ringo and made Burton Cummings “Stand Tall”. A cushion in his Los Angeles
office reads, “Rich. Richer. Richard”. I’ve given you his first name. Now all
you have to do is come up with his last.
ANSWERS
1. That would be Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees, who was born on the Isle of Man,
England. Although he didn’t produce his own group, he was responsible for
writing most of their hits, including “Stayin’ Alive”, “Jive Talkin’” and dozens
more. Barry wrote “Islands In The Stream”, a 1983 number one hit for Dolly
Parton & Kenny Rogers. He also wrote hits for, and produced his younger
brother Andy Gibb, who died in 1988.
2. Sam Phillips launched Memphis Recording Service in January, 1950. In 1954, a
young truck driver for the Crown Electric Company walked in to cut a record for
his mother. That truck driver was Elvis Presley. For his Sun Records label,
Phillips produced all of the early Elvis recordings, including “That’s All Right”,
“Blue Moon Of Kentucky”, “Good Rockin’ Tonight”, “Baby, Let’s Play House”
and “Midnight Train”. RCA bought Elvis’ contract from Sam in 1955 for
$35,000. Phillips invested some of that money in a new venture called Holiday
Inn and became very wealthy. Sam also produced Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison,
Rufus Thomas, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. He was inducted into the
Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of existence, 1986.
3. Sir Paul McCartney is that sometimes producer. As a member of The Beatles,
he worked with producer George Martin. On his own, he wrote and produced
Badfinger’s 1970 Top Ten hit, “Come And Get It”, Mary Hopkin’s “Those Were
The Days”, a number two hit in 1968. He also self produced the albums
“McCartney”, “Ram” and “McCartney 2”, plus 7 Wings albums, including, “Wild
Life”, “Red Rose Speedway”, “Band On The Run’, “Venus And Mars”, “Wings At
The Speed Of Sound” and “London Town”. McCartney’s song “Yesterday”,
originally recorded by The Beatles, has been covered by 2,200 artists.
4. If you’re looking for producer Phil Spector these days, you’ll find him in a
prison cell. Spector, who created that ‘wall of sound’ in the 1960’s and
produced hits for The Ronettes, The Crystals and The Righteous Brothers as
well as albums for John Lennon, George Harrison, The Beatles (“Let It Be”)
and The Ramones, was convicted in 2009 of the murder of actress Lana
Clarkson and is currently serving a 19 years to life sentence in California.
5. That would be Quincy Jones, whose friends call him ‘Q’. In the early 1960’s,
Quincy went to work for Mercury Records in their New York office. He
discovered Lesley Gore in 1963 and produced all of her ‘60’s hits, “It’s My
Party”, “Judy’s Turn To Cry”, “You Don’t Own Me”, “Maybe I Know”,
“Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” and “She’s A Fool” among others. Quincy
has won over 40 Grammy Awards, including 3 in 1984 for Michael Jackson’s
“Thriller” album. 'Q' has released 40 albums under his own name and written
the scores for dozens of hit movies, including “In Cold Blood”, “In The Heat Of
The Night”, “The Wiz”, “The Pawnbroker”, “Enter Laughing”, “The Color
Purple”, “The Getaway” and “The Italian Job”. His composition, “Soul
Bossa Nova” is the recurring theme song for the 3 Austin Powers movies. In
1985, Quincy produced the charity song “We Are The World”. Rashida Jones,
Quincy’s daughter with TV actress Peggy Lipton (The Mod Squad), co-stars on
the hit TV series, “Parks And Recreation”.
6. It’s The Beatles’ producer George Martin. A classically trained musician, Sir
George was the head of the Parlophone label for EMI in England when he signed
those four lads from Liverpool. During the time he was recording all of the Fab
Four’s material, (Martin didn’t produce “Let it Be”, that was Phil Spector),
George also produced Cilla Black, Gerry & The Pacemakers and Billy J. Kramer.
The group America hired him to produce 7 of their albums. After The Beatles
broke up, George produced the “Pipes Of Peace” and “Tug Of War”albums for
Paul McCartney. He was named a ‘knight bachelor’ in 1996.
7. Robert John ’Mutt’ Lange is the name we’re looking for. His production credits
include “Highway To Hell”, “Back In Black” and “For Those About To Rock” for
AC/DC; Def Leppard’s “High ‘n’ Dry” and “Pyromania” albums plus
Foreigner’s “4”. ‘Mutt’ was born in Northern Rhodesia, now known as Zambia
and moved to England in 1970. His work with Canadian singer Shania Twain
resulted in their marriage, the birth of their son, many successful albums
(including 1997’s “Come On Over” album, which became the best selling album
by a female of all time), and their divorce.
8. That duo is Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller. The two met in school in Los Angeles
and discovered they both had a deep seeded love for the blues. For The
Coasters, they wrote 24 songs that made Billboards’ singles chart, including
“Yakety Yak”, “Youngblood”, “Searchin’”, “Along Came Jones”, “Poison Ivy” and
“Charlie Brown”. Elvis Presley took their song “Hound Dog” to the top of the
charts. For ‘The King’, they wrote classics like “Don’t”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “King
Creole” and “Loving You”. Ben E. King recorded Jerry & Mike’s song “Stand By
Me” which made it to number four on the Hot 100 and later was the title song
for the 1986 movie “Stand By Me” starring River Phoenix, COrey Feldman and
Keifer Sutherland. In 1959, Wilbert Harrison’s version of “Kansas City”, a song
Leiber & Stoller had originally called ‘K.C. Lovin’”, went to number one. Other
classic Leiber & Stoller written songs include: “Tell Him” (The Exciters), “She
Cried” (Jay & The Americans), “Love Potion # 9” (The Clovers/The Searchers,
“Is That All There Is?” (Peggy Lee). The Stealers Wheel song, “Stuck In The
Middle With You” was produced by the duo. The Broadway Play, “Smokey Joe’s
Café” features the songs of Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller.
9. He’s Phil Ramone. A&R Studios in Manhattan was once his home base. He
recently finished producing Canadian singer Nikki Yanofsky’s new album. You
might remember her from the opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010
Olympics. Ramone was born in South Africa and was playing violin from the
age of 3. He played for Queen Elizabeth when he was 10 years old. Phil was a
longtime engineer producer for both Billy Joel and Paul Simon, producing such
classic albums as “52nd Street” and “The Stranger” for Joel – “There Goes
Rhymin’ Simon” and “Graceland” for Simon. Phil Ramone has also produced
music for many television specials and motion pictures, including “A Star is
Born”, “Flashdance” and “Midnight Cowboy” and “Yentl”.
10. Richard Perry is the man who produced Tiny Tim’s “Tip Toe Through The
Tulips” and his “God Bless Tiny Tim” album. Other artists Perry has worked
with include The Pointer Sisters, Burton Cummings, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon,
Harry Nillson, Barbra Streisand, Rod Stewart and Art Garfunkel. For the 1978
movie, “American Hot Wax”, based on the life of pioneering disc jockey Alan
Freed, Perry played a New York record producer. He produced the first three
albums for Rod Stewart’s “Great American Songbook” series.
1. This producer, who is also a songwriter and performer, makes Miami his home
base, but he was born across the ocean from the U.S.A. His songs have been
recorded by everyone from Elvis Presley to Celine Dion. The list of artists he’s
produced includes Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, and Barbra Streisand. His
brothers were extremely helpful in his career. What is the name of this
producer?
2. A pioneering producer, this man almost single handedly changed the course of
contemporary music by recording many legendary performers. He loved the
blues and the ‘sun’ shone brightly on his career. His studio later became
a mecca for artists such as U2. He died in 2003 in his 80th year. Who is this
southern gentleman?
3. Although he’s not known primarily as a producer, this multi platinum selling
singer/songwriter has done quite well in that department. His productions
include several number hit singles as well as albums. He started out playing
the trumpet, but switched to left-handed guitar for a few years until he started
playing the instrument he’s most known for in the early 1960’s. He’s one of the
richest men in the music industry and holds the record for having the most
covers of one of his songs. Who is this sometimes producer?
4. This one should be easy. This pioneering producer created a hit making ‘wall
of sound’ in the 1960’s that many others tried to copy. He was born in the
Bronx, but started in the record industry with two school mates in Los Angeles.
The artists he’s produced include Canadian poet Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion,
Ike & Tina Turner and ‘60’s musical icon Dion and those aren’t even his most
famous clients. He’s known for being rather eccentric. These days, he’s not
producing anyone and has a lot of time on his hands. Can you name
this producer?
5. This artist/producer was born in Chicago but when his family moved to Seattle,
he met and became close friends with Ray Charles. He later played trumpet
with Lionel Hampton’s big band and became an accomplished musical
arranger. Some of the artists that he created arrangements for include Frank
Sinatra, Count Basie and Ray Charles. One of his most famous musical
compositions is the theme for the Austin Powers films. Lesley Gore, Michael
Jackson are two artists whose records he’s produced. His close friends call him
by the first initial of his first name. He’s scored dozens of movies and won
Academy Awards as well as a whole lot of Grammys. One of his daughters stars
on a hit NBC TV series. Who is this music business legend?
6. Before he met the group that would make him world famous, this British
producer was creating records for comedians Peter Sellers and Charlie Drake
(“My Boomerang Won’t Come Back”) as well as hits for British crooner Matt
Monroe. America, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion, Cilla Black, Jimmy Webb, Little
River Band and Neil Sedaka are just a few of the artists he’s produced, although
I have left out his most famous group. He’s been knighted by Queen Elizabeth
and has officially retired from producing. Can you name this producer?
7. AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, The Cars and Foreigner all owe a debt of
gratitude to this producer, whose skills have made them all millions of dollars.
He got very close to one of his artists and eventually married her. He lives
a reclusive life in Switzerland and hasn’t given an interview in several decades.
He lets his work speak for itself. His nickname is something you’d call a stray \
dog. Who is he?
8. This duo wrote and produced hits for The Drifters, The Coasters, Peggy Lee,
Ben E. King and Procol Harum. They turned the ‘hillbilly cat’ into a ‘hound dog’
and sentenced him to ‘rock’ in the ‘jailhouse’. They ‘stood by’ each other
throughout their decades long career. Both were inducted into the Rock ‘N’
Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Who is this dynamic duo?
9. Billy Joel and Paul Simon call this recording engineer/producer their secret
weapon. Other artists this South African born legend has recorded or produced
include Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Karen Carpenter, Julian
Lennon, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Liza Minnelli,
George Michael, Aretha Franklin and Clay Akin. He was one of the owners of
A&R Studios in New York (HINT: He’s not the ‘A’ part). Who is this 14 time
Grammy Award recipient?
10. This native New Yorker was the first to make Tiny Tim a chart success.
He ‘pointed’ a sister group to the top of the charts, made a solo ‘Starr’ out of
Ringo and made Burton Cummings “Stand Tall”. A cushion in his Los Angeles
office reads, “Rich. Richer. Richard”. I’ve given you his first name. Now all
you have to do is come up with his last.
ANSWERS
1. That would be Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees, who was born on the Isle of Man,
England. Although he didn’t produce his own group, he was responsible for
writing most of their hits, including “Stayin’ Alive”, “Jive Talkin’” and dozens
more. Barry wrote “Islands In The Stream”, a 1983 number one hit for Dolly
Parton & Kenny Rogers. He also wrote hits for, and produced his younger
brother Andy Gibb, who died in 1988.
2. Sam Phillips launched Memphis Recording Service in January, 1950. In 1954, a
young truck driver for the Crown Electric Company walked in to cut a record for
his mother. That truck driver was Elvis Presley. For his Sun Records label,
Phillips produced all of the early Elvis recordings, including “That’s All Right”,
“Blue Moon Of Kentucky”, “Good Rockin’ Tonight”, “Baby, Let’s Play House”
and “Midnight Train”. RCA bought Elvis’ contract from Sam in 1955 for
$35,000. Phillips invested some of that money in a new venture called Holiday
Inn and became very wealthy. Sam also produced Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison,
Rufus Thomas, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. He was inducted into the
Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of existence, 1986.
3. Sir Paul McCartney is that sometimes producer. As a member of The Beatles,
he worked with producer George Martin. On his own, he wrote and produced
Badfinger’s 1970 Top Ten hit, “Come And Get It”, Mary Hopkin’s “Those Were
The Days”, a number two hit in 1968. He also self produced the albums
“McCartney”, “Ram” and “McCartney 2”, plus 7 Wings albums, including, “Wild
Life”, “Red Rose Speedway”, “Band On The Run’, “Venus And Mars”, “Wings At
The Speed Of Sound” and “London Town”. McCartney’s song “Yesterday”,
originally recorded by The Beatles, has been covered by 2,200 artists.
4. If you’re looking for producer Phil Spector these days, you’ll find him in a
prison cell. Spector, who created that ‘wall of sound’ in the 1960’s and
produced hits for The Ronettes, The Crystals and The Righteous Brothers as
well as albums for John Lennon, George Harrison, The Beatles (“Let It Be”)
and The Ramones, was convicted in 2009 of the murder of actress Lana
Clarkson and is currently serving a 19 years to life sentence in California.
5. That would be Quincy Jones, whose friends call him ‘Q’. In the early 1960’s,
Quincy went to work for Mercury Records in their New York office. He
discovered Lesley Gore in 1963 and produced all of her ‘60’s hits, “It’s My
Party”, “Judy’s Turn To Cry”, “You Don’t Own Me”, “Maybe I Know”,
“Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” and “She’s A Fool” among others. Quincy
has won over 40 Grammy Awards, including 3 in 1984 for Michael Jackson’s
“Thriller” album. 'Q' has released 40 albums under his own name and written
the scores for dozens of hit movies, including “In Cold Blood”, “In The Heat Of
The Night”, “The Wiz”, “The Pawnbroker”, “Enter Laughing”, “The Color
Purple”, “The Getaway” and “The Italian Job”. His composition, “Soul
Bossa Nova” is the recurring theme song for the 3 Austin Powers movies. In
1985, Quincy produced the charity song “We Are The World”. Rashida Jones,
Quincy’s daughter with TV actress Peggy Lipton (The Mod Squad), co-stars on
the hit TV series, “Parks And Recreation”.
6. It’s The Beatles’ producer George Martin. A classically trained musician, Sir
George was the head of the Parlophone label for EMI in England when he signed
those four lads from Liverpool. During the time he was recording all of the Fab
Four’s material, (Martin didn’t produce “Let it Be”, that was Phil Spector),
George also produced Cilla Black, Gerry & The Pacemakers and Billy J. Kramer.
The group America hired him to produce 7 of their albums. After The Beatles
broke up, George produced the “Pipes Of Peace” and “Tug Of War”albums for
Paul McCartney. He was named a ‘knight bachelor’ in 1996.
7. Robert John ’Mutt’ Lange is the name we’re looking for. His production credits
include “Highway To Hell”, “Back In Black” and “For Those About To Rock” for
AC/DC; Def Leppard’s “High ‘n’ Dry” and “Pyromania” albums plus
Foreigner’s “4”. ‘Mutt’ was born in Northern Rhodesia, now known as Zambia
and moved to England in 1970. His work with Canadian singer Shania Twain
resulted in their marriage, the birth of their son, many successful albums
(including 1997’s “Come On Over” album, which became the best selling album
by a female of all time), and their divorce.
8. That duo is Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller. The two met in school in Los Angeles
and discovered they both had a deep seeded love for the blues. For The
Coasters, they wrote 24 songs that made Billboards’ singles chart, including
“Yakety Yak”, “Youngblood”, “Searchin’”, “Along Came Jones”, “Poison Ivy” and
“Charlie Brown”. Elvis Presley took their song “Hound Dog” to the top of the
charts. For ‘The King’, they wrote classics like “Don’t”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “King
Creole” and “Loving You”. Ben E. King recorded Jerry & Mike’s song “Stand By
Me” which made it to number four on the Hot 100 and later was the title song
for the 1986 movie “Stand By Me” starring River Phoenix, COrey Feldman and
Keifer Sutherland. In 1959, Wilbert Harrison’s version of “Kansas City”, a song
Leiber & Stoller had originally called ‘K.C. Lovin’”, went to number one. Other
classic Leiber & Stoller written songs include: “Tell Him” (The Exciters), “She
Cried” (Jay & The Americans), “Love Potion # 9” (The Clovers/The Searchers,
“Is That All There Is?” (Peggy Lee). The Stealers Wheel song, “Stuck In The
Middle With You” was produced by the duo. The Broadway Play, “Smokey Joe’s
Café” features the songs of Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller.
9. He’s Phil Ramone. A&R Studios in Manhattan was once his home base. He
recently finished producing Canadian singer Nikki Yanofsky’s new album. You
might remember her from the opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010
Olympics. Ramone was born in South Africa and was playing violin from the
age of 3. He played for Queen Elizabeth when he was 10 years old. Phil was a
longtime engineer producer for both Billy Joel and Paul Simon, producing such
classic albums as “52nd Street” and “The Stranger” for Joel – “There Goes
Rhymin’ Simon” and “Graceland” for Simon. Phil Ramone has also produced
music for many television specials and motion pictures, including “A Star is
Born”, “Flashdance” and “Midnight Cowboy” and “Yentl”.
10. Richard Perry is the man who produced Tiny Tim’s “Tip Toe Through The
Tulips” and his “God Bless Tiny Tim” album. Other artists Perry has worked
with include The Pointer Sisters, Burton Cummings, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon,
Harry Nillson, Barbra Streisand, Rod Stewart and Art Garfunkel. For the 1978
movie, “American Hot Wax”, based on the life of pioneering disc jockey Alan
Freed, Perry played a New York record producer. He produced the first three
albums for Rod Stewart’s “Great American Songbook” series.
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