Locales Throughout the US in Hit Song Titles Quiz

Answer: Johnny Horton

In addition to singing about Alaska in the sixties Johnny Horton had a Number One Pop and Country single with "The Battle of New Orleans". The following year "North to Alaska" topped the US Country charts and reached Number Four on the Pop charts. "The Battle of New Orleans" earned Johnny Horton a Grammy for Best Country and Western Recording in 1960.
Johnny got his start in the early fifties performing on "The Louisiana Hayride" and had begun a successful career recording and performing when he was struck by a drink driver and killed in 1960.
Johnny Tillotson's biggest US hit was in 1961 with "Poetry in Motion". Johnny Preston had a big hit with "Running Bear". "Tennessee Flat Top Box" was a 1961 single for Johnny Cash.

Answer: Lonnie Mack

Lonnie Mack was born Lonnie McIntosh and raised in Dearborn County, Indiana. He traded his tricycle for a guitar when he was only seven and listened to "The Grand Ole Opry" on the family battery powered radio. He dropped out of school when he was only 13, began performing and had formed a band of his own playing the tri-state area of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
He began doing session work for Fraternity Records in Cincinnati and recorded "Memphis", a song he composed based loosely on Chuck Berry's song of the same name.
Jorgen Ingmann released a version of "Apache", written by Jerry Lordan. Dick Dale was known for his Surfing genre songs such as "Let's Go Trippin'" and Duane Eddy racked up several Top Forty instrumentals in the fifties and sixties such as "Rebel Rouser" and "Because They're Young".

Answer: Kansas City Star

"Kansas City Star" reached Number Seven for Roger Miller. In 1964 he topped the US Country charts with the crossover hit, "Dang Me". He topped the Country charts the following year with "King of the Road", also reaching Number Four on the Pop charts. His last US Top Forty song was the Number 27 "Walkin' in the Sunshine" in 1967.
Roger was raised on a farm outside Erick, Oklahoma, and went into the Army as an alternative to going to jail. When he returned from the service he settled in Nashville where he worked as a bellhop and played fiddle for Minnie Pearl before establishing himself as an artist.
"Abilene" was a hit for George Hamilton IV in 1963. Bobby Bare released "Detroit City" the same year. "Last Train to Clarksville" was a 1966 smash from The Monkees.

Answer: Tulsa

"Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" was one of several Top Twenty US hits released by Gene Pitney and his first US Top Ten. The Burt Bacharach and Hal David composition also became a big hit in the UK, establishing Pitney as an international artist. While performing in England he met the Rolling Stones who recorded his composition "That Girl Belong to Yesterday".
Gene mentioned the exit to Brooklyn in the lyrics to his 1965 US hit, "Last Chance to Turn Around".
Trini Lopez had a hit with his rendition of "Kansas City" in 1963. Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood released the Number 14 hit "Jackson" in 1967.

Answer: Lodi

"Lodi" was a single from the group's "Green River" album. The title song, "Green River", reached Number Two in the US the same year. The group released a song titled "Porterville" from their debut album in 1968 that failed to chart. The following year "Proud Mary" reached Number Two in the US and began a string of Top Ten hits for the group, but the group never enjoyed having a Number One single.
Lodi was located in California's Central Valley 70 miles from John Fogerty's hometown of Berkeley. John related in an interview that he had never been in Lodi before writing the song but liked the sound of the name.
Creedence Clearwater Revival's last US Top Ten, "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" came out in 1971.

Answer: Paul Revere and the Raiders

Paul Revere Dick was the keyboard player in a local band in Caldwell, Idaho, called The Downbeats. He also owned several restaurants and met up with Mark Lindsay at a bakery where Lindsay was working. Lindsay joined Revere's band and they changed their name to Paul Revere and the Raiders in 1960 before they signed their first record deal. They recorded an early version of "Louie Louie" which brought them to the attention of Columbia Records.
Lindsay released "Arizona" as a solo artist while still with the band and sang on The Raider's only Number One hit, "Indian Reservation", in 1971. Four years later he went on to a solo career.
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" was a 1969 Number two by Tommy James and The Shondells. Gary Puckett and the Union Gap released "Don't Give in to Him" in 1969 and "Good Old Rock 'N' Roll" by Cat Mother and the All Night News Boys reached Number 21 the same year.

Answer: True

"Philadelphia Freedom" topped the US and Canadian charts. It knocked "Lovin' You" by Minnie Riperton from the top spot in America. It was Elton's fourth US Number One single. Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote the song in tribute to tennis great Billie Jean King who was part of the Philadelphia Freedoms tennis team.
A live version of Elton John and John Lennon singing "I Saw Her Standing There" was the flip side of the single. The song was not included on an Elton John album when it was released.
Elton performed "Bennie and the Jets" and "Philadelphia Freedom" on "Soul Train".

Answer: Key Largo

Tarpon Springs, Florida, native Bertie Higgins was actually referencing the Humphrey Bogart movie in his 1982 Top Ten hit, "Key Largo". He followed up with another movie themed song titled "Casablanca".
Higgins began his singing career in the sixties with a band called The Romans. When they were hired to back another ABC Paramount Records artist, Tommy Roe, they changed their name to the Roemans. As the Romans they released some singles that only received regional airplay.
In 1970 Montego Bay" by Bobby Bloom was a Top Ten single about the Jamaican city. In 1977 "Margaritaville" became one of Jimmy Buffett' signature tunes. "Venezuela" was a Harry Belafonte release.

Answer: Paper Lace

Hailing from Nottingham, England, Paper Lace became One-Hit Wonders in the US but enjoyed success with a couple of singles in the UK. In 1967 the band formed using the name Music Box but changed their name to Paper Lace in tribute to the fine lace made in Nottingham. They released some unsuccessful singles before getting a break in 1974 when they won a talent contest on the "Opportunity Knocks" show.
They released "Billy Don't Be a Hero" targeted for the US market but Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods released a successful single of the song prior to Paper Lace. Paper Lace decided to release "The Night Chicago Died", their only US hit single.
"Shinin' On" by Grand Funk Railroad reached Number 11 in 1974. Brownsville Station released the Top Ten "Smokin' in the Boys' Room" in 1974 and Bloodstone had a Top Forty single with "Outside Woman".

Answer: R. Dean Taylor

Richard Dean Taylor was hired by Motown records in 1964 as a songwriter and recording artist. Four years later he co-wrote and released "Gotta See Jane", which only charted in England. When Motown created a subsidiary label named Rare Earth Taylor recorded "Indiana Wants Me" for the label.

The song topped the charts in his native Canada. He continued to release less successful singles until the label folded in 1976. In the eighties he formed his own record company called Jane Records. "Julie, Do Ya Love Me" was a 1970 Number Five released by Bobby Sherman. Johnnie Taylor released the Top Forty "Steal Away" in 1970 and Your Time to Cry" was a 1970 Top Forty single by Joe Simon.