Wednesday, July 31, 2013

ROCK AND ROLL RE-ROLL



OK, we’re all burned out after another amazing Collingwood Elvis Festival (your humble trivia scribe included).  So for this week ONLY, we’re going to repeat a quiz.  Not going to tell you what year it’s from, so you can’t go back and check, but it’s multiple choice, so you’ve got a fighting chance.  Have fun y’all and thank you...thank you very much.   

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 rock group Attila? 
     (HINT:  His songs have been covered by such diverse performers as Frank Sinatra and
     Barry White).  Is 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).  Was it:       
    a.  Bob Seger  b.  Ted Nugent  c.  Stevie Wonder

5.  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 a guitar player).  Is it:   
     a.  Roger McGuinn of The Byrds  b.  Pete Townshend of The Who   
     c.  Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac
                         
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 is the correct answer.  Billy, 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
     ran for public office several times. 
    
5.  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.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

IT’S NOW OR NEVER...



This is it.  It’s the week hundreds of thousands of Elvis fans around the world wait for.  It’s the Collingwood Elvis Festival.  Dozens and dozens of Elvis Tribute Artists (ETA’s) will be hanging around to perform classic hits by The King of Rock ‘N’ Roll.  Who will win the singing competition this year?   C’mon out and see for yourself.  Follow the schedule for the Collingwood Elvis Festival by clicking here  And be sure to take in the Elvis events (as well as the dee-licious food) at the Olde Town Terrace – 219 Hurontario Street, right in the heart of all things Elvis.  See what’s happening there at The Olde' Town Terrace.  

This week, our trivia quiz is about the single hits of Elvis.  According to Billboard Magazine (the ‘bible’ of the record industry), Elvis charted 153 singles from 1956 until 2002.  For comparison, The Beatles charted only 73 singles from 1964 to 1996.
  
All of these questions are multiple choice, so kick off your ‘blue suede shoes’ and ‘rock-a-hula, baby’. 
             
QUESTIONS:

1.  1956 saw Elvis hit # 1 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart 5 times.  “Heartbreak Hotel” was his first in ’56 – “Love Me Tender” was his last that year.  Which of the following 4 Elvis hits from 1956 DID NOT make # 1?  Was it: a. “Hound Dog”  b. “Blue Suede Shoes”  c. “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You”     d. “Don’t Be Cruel”        His last came in 1974.  hH

2.  Elvis had great success recording songs that were originally Italian melodies.  Which of the following 3 Elvis hits was not originally adapted from Italian.  Was it: a. “It’s Now or Never”        b. “Surrender”  c. “Can’t Help Falling In Love”           

3.  Elvis recorded a bunch of songs with the word ‘Love’ or ‘Loving’ in the title.  In fact, 11 of them made the Top Twenty, with 3 going all the way to # 1.  Those 3 # 1 Elvis hits are: “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” (1956), “Love Me Tender” (1956) and “A Big Hunk O’Love” (1959).  Two of the following 3 Elvis ‘love’ songs went to # 2 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart.  Which One DID NOT make it to # 2?  Was it:  a. “Loving You”  b. “Love Me”  c. “Can’t Help Falling In Love”        

4.  There are several songs Elvis sang in his movies that went to # 1.  The title song to “Jailhouse Rock” in ‘57 was one – “Love Me Tender” in 1956 was another.  In fact, the film studio changed the title of the movie to “Love Me Tender” from its original title, “The Reno Brothers”.  So, according to Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 singles chart, which of the following 3 hits from Elvis movies DID NOT make # 1?  Was it:  a. “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” (1957)  b. “Return To Sender” (1962)  c. “Hard Headed Woman” (1958)  

5.  After Elvis’ tragic passing in August of 1977, which of the following 3 songs was his final Top Ten charted hit?  Was it: a. “My Way”  b. “Guitar Man”  c. “American The Beautiful”    

ANSWERS


1.  b. Blue Suede Shoes was the correct answer.  The Carl Perkins written hit only made it to      # 20 on Billboards’ Hot 100 singles chart in ‘56.  “Heartbreak Hotel” was # 1 for 8 weeks, “Love Me Tender” for 5 weeks, “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” stayed at the top of the charts for only one week, but both “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel” were chart toppers for 11 weeks each.       

2.  Both a. “It’s Now Or Never” and b. “Surrender” were originally Italian melodies adapted for English lyrics.  C. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” was adapted from the French melody for “Plasir d’Amour”.  Paul Anka also adapted a French melody, “Comme d’Habitude”, wrote English lyrics and turned it into “My Way”, a song that Elvis made his own in concert.  Frank Sinatra originally recorded “My Way” and in 1969, took it to # 27 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart.  Elvis’ version, released a few months after his death in ‘77 did even better than Frank’s version, climbing to     # 22.   

3.  It was a. “Loving You” that didn’t get to # 2.  That one made it to # 20 on its own, although it WAS the flip side of the 45rpm single of 1957’s “Jailhouse Rock”, which DID make it to # 1 for 7 weeks in 1957.  b. “Love Me” was # 2 for two weeks in early ’57 and c. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” hung in at # 2 for only one week in February of 1962.   

4.  According to Billboard Magazine, b. “Return To Sender” is the correct answer.  Elvis sang that song in the 1962 film, “Girls, Girls, Girls”.  The single was a huge hit and remained at # 2 for 5 weeks in November and December of ‘62.  a. “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” was from the 1957 Paramount Pictures film, “Loving You”.  The advertising slogan for the movie was “You’ll Love ‘Loving You’.”  The flip side of the “Teddy Bear” single was the title song, “Loving You”.  1958’s “King Creole” was the movie that Elvis sang c. “Hard Headed Woman”.   

5.  If you answered c. “American The Beautiful”, then you are correct.  That one was released a couple of months after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.  “American The Beautiful” climbed to # 6 on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart in the late fall of 2001.  “My Way” was released later in ’77, aftger Elvis passed and got to # 22 while the re-mix of “Guitar Man” (which, when it was originally released in 1968, went to # 43).  In ’81, when the re-mix was released, it beat its original success, climbing to # 28.   

Monday, July 15, 2013

CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE...WITH ELVIS



Had he lived, Elvis would be 78 years old this year.  Would he still be rockin’ like Chuck Berry is, or would he be ‘rockin’ on his porch at Graceland living out his senior years?   We’ll obviously never know, since Elvis passed away in 1977 at the age of 42.  

But rejoice Elvis fans, for in less than two weeks, the annual Collingwood Elvis Festival will celebrate all things Elvis.  If you’ve never been, get yourself to Collingwood from July 25th ‘til July 28th.  There’s always something happening somewhere during the Collingwood Elvis Festival.  You can check out the events schedule at www.collingwoodelvisfestival.com.  And make sure you check out the Olde Town Terrace at 219 Hurontario Street for a delicious meal along with some very special Elvis events.  Their website is www.oldetownterrace.com.   

As promised, all of our trivia quizzes again this week are about Elvis.  This time around, the questions will focus on albums by ‘The King’.  For you trivia buffs (and if you’re on this site, you’re more than likely a trivia buff), Elvis charted 104 albums in Billboard Magazine (the radio/music industry ‘bible’) with 10 of those going to # 1.  
All of our questions this week are multiple choice, so just have fun.              

QUESTIONS:

1.  In 1956, Elvis scored two # 1 albums on Billboards’ album chart.  In ’57, he repeated that feat with two more # 1 albums.  What was the name of Elvis’ very first # 1 album in 1956?   
Was it:                                                                                                                   
a. Loving You  b. Elvis  c. Elvis Presley        His last came in 1974.  

2.  Out of all of Elvis’ movies, only three soundtrack albums made it to # 1 on Billboards’ album chart.  Which one of the following four Elvis soundtrack albums DID NOT get to # 1?  Was it: a. “G. I Blues”  b. “Fun In Acapulco”  c. “Roustabout”  d. “Blue Hawaii”          

3.  During his lifetime, Elvis recorded several Christmas albums (although one of those was re-released for many years after it initially came out).  Which Elvis Christmas ALBUM contained the # 1 hit single “Blue Christmas”?  Was it:  a. “Elvis’ Christmas Album”  b. “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas”  c. “If Every Day Was Like Christmas”        

4.  As all Presley fans know, Elvis was a very spiritual person.  He also loved to sing gospel songs.  In fact, while he was alive, Elvis released several albums of spiritual/gospel/inspirational songs in his career.  1957’s “Peace In The Valley” was an EP (Extended Play 45) and does NOT count in this quiz.  Which one of the following 4 of Elvis spiritual LP’s was the most successful, according to Billboards’ album chart?  Was it:  a. “His Hand In Mine” (1961)  b. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (1971)  c. “How Great Thou Art” (1967)  d. “He Touched Me” (1972)

5.  Which of the following 4 Elvis albums stayed at # 1 the longest?  Was it: a. “G. I Blues” (1960) b. “Elvis Presley” (1956)  c. “Loving You” (1957)  d. “Blue Hawaii” (1961). 

ANSWERS

1.  If you answered c. “Elvis Presley”, you win the prize (there IS no prize however, only our heartiest congratulations for a job well done).  “Elvis” was the name of his second # 1 in ’56.  “Loving You” was his first # 1 album in 1957.  Both “Loving You” and “Elvis Presley” each remained in the # 1 spot for 10 weeks.  “Elvis” was at the top of the albums chart for 5 weeks.  

2.  The correct answer for this question was b. “Fun In Acapulco”, which did get to # 3 on Billboards’ album chart in 1964.  “G.I. Blues” was # 1 in 1960/61, “Roustabout” hung in at # 1 for 1 week in 1965 and “Blue Hawaii” was # 1 in 1961/62.   

3.  This one was a bit of a trick question since there never was an Elvis album titled “If Every Day Was Like Christmas” (It was a single though as you’ll see as you keep reading).  The correct answer was a. “Elvis’ Christmas Album” which was originally released in 1957 and was # 1 for four weeks.  That album was re-released year after year, but “Blue Christmas” wasn’t issued as a single by RCA Victor until 1964.  It went to # 1 on the Christmas singles chart (yes, there was a separate Christmas chart) for 2 weeks.  The only other Elvis Christmas single to chart was the aforementioned “If Every Day Was Like Christmas”, which as I mentioned, was NEVER the name of an Elvis LP.  It did however, make it to # 2 on the Christmas singles chart in 1966.  

4.  According to Billboard Magazine, a. is the correct answer.  “His Hand In Mine” made it to # 13 on Billboards’ album chart in 1961.  1967’s “How Great Thou Art” climbed to # 18 while ‘71’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” only got as far as # 69.  ”He Touched Me” in ’72 didn’t make it beyond # 79.  A compilation of Elvis’ spiritual songs recorded between 1966 and 1972 titled, “He Walks Beside Me” was released in 1978, the year after Elvis died, but it didn’t even crack the Top 100, only getting as high as # 113.       

5.  d. “Blue Hawaii” is correct.  That soundtrack album remained at # 1 for 20 weeks (nearly half a year).  All of the other 3 albums were # 1 for 10 weeks each.