MORE OF THE NAME GAME

This one worked well last time, so we’re doing it again – guessing the real names of # 1 recording artists.  Every one of the artists featured in these questions had number one hits during September (not that that will help you much).  So here we go, into the breach...one more time.  

QUESTIONS:

1.  He’s not related to Mitt Romney (at least as far as we know), but he is part of a large Mormon family.  He achieved great chart success by covering previous hits from Steve Lawrence, Roy Orbison, Freddie Scott, Paul Anka, Conway Twitty, Doris Day and Elvis Presley among others.  His biggest hit happened in 1971 with his first solo # 1 which stayed at the top of the single chart for 3 weeks.  He was a member of the family singing group made up of his brothers, then became a super successful duo with his younger sister which included their own network TV show.  He’s acted in plays, performed in Las Vegas and was one of the biggest ‘teen idols’ of the 1970’s.  Who is he?                                                                                                             

2.  Ernest Evans is one of the few performers who’s seen one their same hit make it to # 1 not once, but TWICE.  The first time was in September of 1960.  A year and a half later, in January of ’62, it was back on top again.  This two time # 1 artist started a dance craze during the 1960’s that swept the world.  Of course, Ernest Evans didn’t use his real name on the record.  His stage name was given to him by the wife of “American Bandstand” TV host Dick Clark.  He had many more hits, but only one additional # 1.  His last chart appearance came in 1988 with a variation of his two time # 1.  So who is Ernest Evans anyway? 

3.  This groups’ # 1 song in September of 1986 was sandwiched between Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” and Janet Jackson’s “When I Think Of You”.  The group had three # 1’s, three years in a row – 1985, ’86 and ’87, then they took ‘a couple days off’.  The lead singer had a small part as a talent contest judge in the original “Back To The Future” movie in 1985.  His real name is Hugh Clegg III, but he used a somewhat different name during his hit making years with his San Francisco based group.  Who is Hugh?

4.  In September 1965, The Beatles were back at the top of the singles chart with their 9^th number one.  “Help” was the title track from their second motion picture and the plot revolved around Ringo Starr who’d been given a sacred ring by a fan and the religious cult it came from wanted it back...at any cost.  Of all four Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney all used their real names throughout their career...only Ringo Starr was born under a different one.  What’s Ringo’s real name?  Is it:  a. Richie Rich  b. Richard Starker  c. Richard Starkey.  

5.  This British singer/songwriter/producer/actor changed his name so as not to be confused with another British singer/actor who’d already had world wide success in the mid 1960’s.  He chose a rather famous American last name and kept his own first one.  His ‘fame’ was such that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.  He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  From 1964 to ’66, he recorded with British bands the King Bees, the Manish Boys and the Lower Third.  He changed his name around this time and finally hit the North American singles chart in 1972 with the song “Changes”.  During his career, he’s had two # 1 singles.  He’s enjoying his ‘golden years’ at the age of 65 with his actress/supermodel wife of 20 years.  So who is this ‘Space Oddity’? (boy, oh boy, there are more clues in this question than in the entire rest of the quiz)   

   

ANSWERS

1.  Donny Osmond is the answer we needed.  Donny was born on September 12, 1957 in Ogden, Utah.  In September of 1971, his re-make of “Go Away Little Girl” was # 1 on the singles chart for 3 weeks. It had previously been a # 1 hit for Steve Lawrence in 1963.  Donny & Marie had a successful touring show as well as an ABC TV variety show “Donny & Marie” from 1976 to 1979.  From 1998 to 2000, Donny & Marie also hosted their own syndicated TV talk show.  The duo still perform in Las Vegas and around the world.    

       

2.  Ernest Evans reminded Dick Clark’s first wife Bobbie of a teenage Fats Domino.  That’s when she came up with the variation of Fats’ name and called Ernest Evans, Chubby Checker.  Checker recorded “The Twist” (written by Hank Ballard) for Cameo/Parkway Records in Philadelphia.  Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” national TV show helped make the song, and dance craze that came with it, a huge hit.  Chubby went on to chart 35 songs on Billboards’ Hot 100, including “Let’s Twist Again” in 1961, “Limbo Rock” and “Slow Twistin’” in ’63.  Chubby’s only other # 1 other than “The Twist” was “Pony Time” in ’61.  His last chart entry was “The Twist (Yo Twist)” with the Fat Boys in 1988.  

3.  Here’s a bit of ‘News’ for you all.  Hugh Anthony Cregg III was much better known as Huey Lewis and Huey Lewis & The News first hit the charts in 1982 with their Top Ten hit, “Do You Believe In Love”.  Their three # 1 singles were: “The Power Of Love” in 1985 (from “Back To The Future”), “Stuck With You” in September of ’86 and “Jacob’s Ladder” in March of ’87. 

    

4.  c. Is the correct answer.  Richard Starkey was born in Liverpool on July 7^th, 1940.  He joined The Beatles in 1962 replacing Pete Best.  His got his nickname, Ringo Starr, as a member of Rory Storm and The Hurricanes because he liked to wear a lot of rings on his fingers and his solo spot,ight during the groups’ set was known as ‘Starrtime’.  Ringo’s 13^th All Starr Band recently completed their latest tour.  Ringo ‘gets by with a little help from his friends’ at ringostarr.com.      

5.  David Robert Jones became David Bowie in the mid 1960’s to avoid confusion with fellow Brit Davy Jones of The Monkees.  The last name was ‘borrowed’ from Jim Bowie, who popularized the Bowie knife and who was one of the doomed American heroes at the Alamo.  Bowie’s two # 1 hits are: “Fame” in 1975 (John Lennon co-wrote the song and also supplied backing vocals) and 1983’s “Let’s Dance”.  Bowie was one of the first white artists to appear on the TV show, “Soul Train”.  David Bowie’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star is on the sidewalk in front of 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.

 

THE NAME GAME – 1970’s EDITION

Well Labour Day has come and gone and life goes on a little bit cooler.  It’s September, but we’re not going to ‘fall’ into being lax on this site.  The questions will keep on comin’.  This time, questions about songs from artists who were born during the month of September AND also had hits during the 1970’s.  It’s not complicated I promise.   

QUESTIONS:

1.  This singer/songwriter was a member of a very ‘colourful’ psychedelic British band.  He wrote almost all of their lyrics (including the songs on a 40 million selling album that spent over 700 weeks on Billboards’ album chart).  He split from the group after ‘creative differences’ and went solo in 1985.  Along with his former band mates, this performer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.  There’s no ‘dark side’ to this man’s talents, so can you name him?                                                                                                              

2.  This singer, songwriter, producer was born on September 1, 1946 and initially became successful as part of a group with his two twin brothers.  Their first North American hit happened in 1967, but they didn’t hit # 1 until 1971 – that one was followed by 8 other # 1’s throughout the 1970’s.  The brothers’ youngest sibling, who was also a singer, had 3 # 1’s in a row during the ‘70’s.  He died in 1988 at the age of 30.  This artist’s twin brothers both passed away making him the last one ‘Stayin’ Alive’.  Who is this chart topping performer?  

    

3.  Her maternal grandfather was a Nobel Prize winning atomic physicist.  She’s a multiple Grammy Award winner and has been at the top of the singles chart 5 times, starting in 1974 and had her last # 1 in 1981.  Her first charted hit single, which made it to # 25, was with a Bob Dylan song.  She’s also an actress with several major hit films to her credit (including one with the star of ”Saturday Night Fever”).  In fact, she had a couple of hit songs with this actor/singer/ airline pilot.  In the mid 1980’s she opened a chain of clothing stores called Koala Blue.  She still performs today and is currently on a North American tour.  Who is she?     

4.  This guitar player/songwriter had  two # 1 hits as a member of two different groups.  His first chart topper came in 1970 with his first group.  In 1974 as a co-founding member of his second group, he hit the top of the singles chart once again.  This performer has an ‘overdrive’ to succeed and his records have sold some 40 million copies.  He has had an on again/off again relationship with the lead singer from his first group, but they have toured together fairly recently.  His son had a Top 20 hit in 1999, so the family’s hit making continues with the next generation.  Can you ‘guess who’ this legendary guitar player is? (C’mon it’s right there in black and white already).    

   

5.  Farrokh Bulsara is the name with which this performer was born.  Growing up, he lived in Zanzibar (his home and native land), India and Great Britain.  At an early point in his career, this singer/songwriter performed as Larry Lurex.  In 2008, the editors at Rolling Stone magazine named him # 18 on their list of “The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time”.  The group he co-founded is considered to be rock ‘royalty’.  Canadian born actor Mike Myers used one of their songs in the first “Wayne’s World” films in 1992 and that song charted 7 positions higher than its first time around in 1976.  His group wrote and recorded the music to the 1981 film, “Flash Gordon”.  Can you guess the name of this electric performer?  

   

ANSWERS

1.  George Roger Waters was born on September 6, 1943 in Surrey, England.  He was a founding member of Pink Floyd and wrote most of the bands’ lyrics.  After some ‘creative disagreements’, Roger left Pink Floyd in 1985 and went on to a successful solo career.  He reunited on stage with David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright in 2005 for the Live 8 Global Event.  After 3 kicks at the marriage can and 3 divorces, he said ‘I do’ for the 4^th time earlier this year. 

          

2.  It’s Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, full name Barry Alan Crompton Gibb.  The groups’ first chart hit in 1967 was “New York Mining Disaster 1941”, but it wasn’t until the summer of ’71 that they made it to # 1 with “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?”  Their other eight # 1’s during the ‘70’s were: “Jive Talkin’” (1975), “You Should Be Dancing” (1976), “How Deep Is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive” (both 1977), 1978’s “Night Fever” and “Too Much Heaven” and two in 1979, “Tragedy” and “Love You Inside Out”.   Barry also scored additional # 1’s by co-writing “Grease” for Frankie Valli in 1978; Andy Gibb’s three chart toppers, “I Just Want To Be Your Everything”, “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water”, “Shadow Dancing” and co-writing and producing “Islands In The Stream” with Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers in 1983.  Barry’s younger brother Andy passed away in 1988 and the twins, Maurice and Robin died in January of 2003 and May of 2012 respectively. 

        

3.  Olivia Newton-John came into this world on September 26, 1948.  Although many people assume she’s Australian, she was actually born in Cambridge, England and emigrated to Oz with her family when she was 6 years old.   Her maternal grandfather, Max Born, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1954.  Her first album was 1971’s “IF Not For You” and the title song went to # 25.  Her five # 1 hits are: “I Honestly Love You” (1974), “Have You Never Been Mellow” (1975), “You’re The One That I Want” (with John Travolta in 1978), “Magic” (1980) and 1981’s “Physical”.  Olivia’s a breast cancer survivor since 1992 and is a tireless advocate for breast cancer research.  Since 2008, she’s been married to John Easterling, founder and President of the Amazon Herb Company.  It was the second marriage for both Olivia and John.  The couple live in Florida. 

4.  It was on September 27^th, 1943 that guitar legend Randy Bachman was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba (that’s in Canada for those of you reading outside North America).  His first taste of chart success came with the group Chad Allen & The Expressions (he being an expression).  To add a little mystery to the song “Shakin’ All Over”, the record company changed their name on the record label to Guess Who?  The name stuck.  Chad Allen didn’t.  After his departure, Burton Cummings became the new lead singer and keyboard player.  The Guess Who’s only number one single was 1970’s “American Woman”, which had a resurgence 34 years later with a version by Lenny Kravitz that was used in the film, “Austin Powers:  The Spy Who Shagged Me”.  After he left The Guess Who, he formed Brave Belt with Chad Allen, but after 2 albums, that group dissolved and Bachman-Turner Overdrive was born.  That groups’ only number one was 1974’s “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”.

5.  Freddie Mercury of Queen is the only correct answer to this question.  Freddie was born on September 5^th, 1946 in Zanzibar and died at the age of 45 on November 24, 1991.  Freddie didn’t live long enough to see the additional success that Queens’ song ”Bohemian Rhapsody” had...thanks to the success of the 1992 movie “Wayne’s World”.  When it was originally released in 1976, it went to # 9 on the singles chart.  After “Wayne’s World” came out, it zoomed right back on the charts to # 2.  During their career, Queen scored two # 1 hits, both in 1980 – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Another One Bites The Dust”, although they had more than two dozen of their songs make the singles charts.