USA by the Letters 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tex Beneke

When Gene Krupa was forming this band, his brass section was filled so he recommended Tex Beneke to Glenn Miller who was also organizing a group. It was a great fit as Beneke is heard as lead tenor sax on such classic jazz recordings as "String of Pearls" and "In The Mood". Another plus was that he could sing, such as the catchy "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "I Got a Gal in Kalamazoo".

After Miller was lost during World War Two, Beneke was responsible for reuniting the band using many of the same musicians and arrangements. In 1949 the Miller band broke up but Beneke had later success with bands under his own name.

Answer: Peggy Lee

Lee was born Norma Deloris Engstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota on May 26, 1920. Five of Peggy Lee's number one hits are in the clue. Lee won 12 Grammy awards for her recordings. In 1969 her recording of "Is That All There Is" won the best female vocal performance award. Whenever I hear that song, it sends shivers down my spine. Although she made few acting appearances, she was nominated for her supporting role in "Pete Kelly's Blues" (1955) playing a down-and-out jazz singer.

Answer: Minneapolis

Minneapolis is one half of Minnesota's "Twin Cities". The other is Saint Paul, the state capital. Together the metro area is near three million in population. To be technical, Mall of America is in the suburb of Bloomington and Prince's home and studio is in Chanhassen. No correction notes, please.

Answer: 8

Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina and North Dakota make this list.

Answer: 6

Ohio River starts in Pennsylvania, then goes through Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and ends in Illinois, where it joins the Mississippi River.

Answer: Puget

Puget Sound is 100 miles long, 10 miles wide, and 930 feet deep. It abuts the Washington cities of Seattle, Tacoma, Washington, Olympia, Everett, and Bremerton. In addition, nine rivers flow off it.

Answer: Quincy, Illinois

Mary Astor, born in Quincy, made 109 movies in a career spanning 45 years, starting with ingénue roles in silent films (most of them lost) to leading lady to mature roles. Her name was attached to several scandals during her career. Many film fans will remember her as the femme fatale Brigid O'Shaughnessy in John Huston's film noir "The Maltese Falcon" (1941).

James Earl Ray was the confessed assassin (later recanted) of Martin Luther King. Although born in Afton, Illinois, he spent his formative years in Quincy, Illinois.

Answer: Reno, Nevada

When Las Vegas was a wide spot on the road, Reno not only had gambling but was the home of the quickie divorce. If you had the money to accommodate yourself in an up-scale hotel for six weeks, you were able to get your divorce due to a cadre of divorce lawyers, liberal judges, and allied services.

This golden age for Reno lasted from the late 1930s through the 1950s. As most states adopted less stringent divorce laws, the romance of a Reno divorce dwindled.

Answer: San Diego

California is the largest state in population with 39,576,653 with Los Angeles the largest city with 3,971,883.

San Diego 1,394,928
San Jose 1,026,908
San Francisco 864,916
Sacramento 490,713

Answer: The Superdome

The Superdome is in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Alamo is in downtown San Antonio.

Dealey Plaza is in Dallas where John Kennedy was assassinated.

The World War Two aircraft carrier USS Lexington is anchored at Corpus Christie, Texas where it is a floating museum and tourist attraction.