Six Strings & A Hit: 1978 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Steve Lukather

At just 21 years old, Toto's true musical genius and songwriting legend, Steve Lukather, delivered one of the most polished and melodic solos of the year on "Hold the Line".

With Toto, Steve wrote or co-write half of the band catalogue while also playing lead guitar. Steve sang lead on "Rosanna" (verses), "I Won't Hold You Back", "I'll Be Over You", and many others.

As a session musician, Steve wrote and played on some of the biggest hits of all time. For example, Steve played the legendary guitar and bass tracks on Michael Jackson's "Beat It", with the exception of that killer solo by Eddie Van Halen.

Steve's guitar contributions include over 1,000 studio recording sessions for artists such as Lionel Richie, Paul McCartney, Boz Scaggs, Don Henley, and Chicago.

Answer: Elliot Easton

Though his name isn't widely known, Elliot Easton of The Cars is highly regarded as a brilliant guitarist who brought a rock edge to the New Wave-influenced band. If you want a great example of his work, check out the guitar solo on The Cars' "Shake It Up"--it's truly amazing.

Answer: Steven Van Zandt

Well before and after he played Silvio Dante, Tony Soprano's trusted consigliere on the Sopranos, Steven Van Zandt was a staple in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

Answer: Eddie Van Halen

1978 was a huge year for Van Halen, releasing their first album with hits such as "Jamie's Cryin'", "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", "You Really Got Me", "Runnin' With the Devil", and "Eruption".

"Men's Journal" ranked Eddie's "Eruption" as the number one most important solo of 1978. The track was ranked by "Guitar World" readers as the second greatest solo of all time (second only to "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zepplin's Jimmy Page).

Starting out playing drums while his brother began on guitar, they made the wise move to swap instruments...and the rest is history. Other than Jimi Hendrix, there may not be another guitarist that ever lived that had more influence over an entire genre of music. RIP, Eddie, we miss you!

Answer: Tommy Shaw

Tommy Shaw joined Styx in 1975, launching the band into a decade of hits. Tommy wrote, sang lead and played lead guitar on songs such as "Renegade", "Too Much Time on My Hands", "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)", "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)", and "Crystal Ball".

He later joined up with Jack Blades (Night Ranger) and Ted Nugent to form Damn Yankees.

Answer: Mark Knopfler

Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing" charted number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the singles chart.

Mark Knopfler is one on a short list of 1970s rock heroes (along with Styx's Tommy Shaw, Toto's Steve Lukather, and Fleetwood Mac's Lindsay Buckingham) that can boast the following accomplishments:
- Played world-class lead guitar
- Wrote hit songs
- Sang lead vocals on major charting records.

Answer: Tom Scholz

Before founding Boston, Tom Scholz was a mechanical engineer with a Master's Degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and worked as a Senior Product Design Engineer for Polaroid. With his salary, he built his own studio where he essentially wrote, recorded, engineered, and played nearly all instruments himself for Boston's first album, which produced hits such as "More than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", and "Foreplay/Long Time".

"Don't Look Back" was the big hit on Boston's second album, of the same title.

Answer: Jimmy Lyon

While he never became a household name like many others in this quiz, Jimmy Lyon was the lead guitarist on Eddie Money's first four records. Paired with Eddie Money by a promoter, Jimmy became a major contributor to the sound of Eddie Money's music, playing on hits such as "Two Tickets to Paradise", "Baby Hold On", "Gimme Some Water", and "Shakin'".

Jimmy later played with Tina Turner on her "Private Dancer" tour.

Answer: Johnny Ramone

While not much of a guitar 'soloist', Johnny Ramone of The Ramones helped to define punk rock and influence generations of musicians. His style influenced bands such as Metallica, Nirvana, Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, and The Offspring.

Just goes to show you don't have to play guitar solos to be a revolutionary guitarist and influencer.

Answer: Pete Townshend

Primary songwriter and lead guitarist for The Who, Pete Townshend is one of the most innovative and influential figures in rock history. Known for smashing his guitar and his giant 'windmill' guitar strumming motion, Townshend was one of rock's most iconic stage performers.

Songwriting credits include "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again", "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Behind Blue Eyes", and "Who Are You".

Answer: Joe Walsh

Known for his wacky personality and charming humor almost as much as his guitar chops, Joe Walsh is one of rock's most beloved guitarists.

Releasing songs like "Life's Been Good" and "Rocky Mountain Way" as a solo artist is just the tip of the iceberg. Joe was widely successful as the lead singer and guitarist for the James Gang, with hits such as "Funk #49" and "Walk Away".

Joe's career got even more of a boost when he was recruited by the Eagles in 1975, where he brought a rock edge to the already established band. He remains a key member of the Eagles as of this writing 51 years later. His dual-guitar solo with Don Felder on "Hotel California" is widely regarded as one of the best guitar solos of all time.

Answer: Brian May

Surely you know that Brian May of Queen is one of the most brilliant and legendary guitarists in rock history, but did you also know that he has a PhD in astrophysics? Yes, Brian May is a scientist!

Brian's songwriting credits include a masterclass of hits: "We Will Rock You", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "The Show Must Go On", "I Want It All", and "Who Wants to Live Forever".

His signature sound comes from a guitar he and his father build using fireplace wood, motorcycle valve springs, and handmade electronics.

His guitar solo on "Killer Queen" remains one of my all time favorite guitar solos...ever!

Answer: Larry Carlton

Steely Dan is widely known for finding and teaming up with the best session musicians in the industry, and Larry Carlton is no exception. Larry contributed some of Steely Dan's most famous guitar solos on tracks such as "Kid Charlemagne", "Peg", "FM", and "Deacon Blues".

Blending jazz sophistication with a blues-rock style and melodic solos, Larry played on literally thousands of studio recordings with artists such as Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Christopher Cross, Barbra Streisand, and Joni Mitchell.

Answer: Alex Lifeson

Alex Lifeson is best known as the guitarist and co-founder of the band Rush. A truly unique and inventive artist, his guitar masterpieces include "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight", "Spirit of Radio", "Closer to the Heart" and "Freewill".

While not focusing on playing guitar with speed, Alex emphasized arrangement, harmonies, texture, and dynamics - a style that helped shape progressive and alternative rock for decades to come.

Answer: Chris Stein

As lead guitarist for Blondie, Chris Stein was able to match his guitar style and solos with the band's punk energy, new wave attitude, and garage-band simplicity. While Deborah Harry was the face of Blondie, the conceptional driver for the music was often Chris Stein.

Chris' songrwriting and co-writing credits include "Heart of Glass", "One Way or Another", "Rapture", "Dreaming", and "Call Me".

Answer: Mick Jones

As the founder, producer and primary songwriter of the band Foreigner, Mick Jones is one of the most successful legends in classic rock history. Combining Mick's guitar and writing with the voice of Lou Gramm, Foreigner is one of the best-selling rock bands in history with more than 100 million records sold worldwide.

Mick wrote/co-wrote a hugely successful catalog including "Cold as Ice", "Feels Like the First Time", "Hot Blooded", "Double Vision", "Urgent", "Juke Box Hero", and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

Answer: Keith Richards

Rolling Stones' Keith Richards is widely known, not for his virtuoso solos but for style and instantly-recognizable guitar riffs. In fact, few artists in history created as many iconic guitar hooks, establishing timeless classics such as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Brown Sugar", "Start Me Up", "Gimme Shelter", "Honky Tonk Woman", "Beast of Burden", and of course "Miss You".

Keith's style is hard for other guitarists to replicate because it's all based on groove, 'sway', and feel, not on technical prowess.

Answer: Andy Scott

Andy Scott of Sweet remains one of the most overlooked guitarists of the 1970s. As the band's lead guitarist, vocalist, and creative force, Andy Scott helped transform Sweet from a chart-topping glam act into one of the era's most powerful and influential rock bands.

With explosive tracks like "Ballroom Blitz," "Fox on the Run," and the ambitious "Love Is Like Oxygen," Sweet blended massive hooks, layered harmonies, and hard-driving guitars into a sound that helped shape the future of arena rock and glam metal. Andy's melodic playing, memorable riffs, and sharp songwriting proved that Sweet was far more than glitter and theatrics - they were a serious rock powerhouse whose influence can still be heard decades later.

Answer: Jimmy McCulloch

"Hot Child in the City" by Nick Gilder was one of the defining rock hits of 1978. Co-written by Gilder and guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, the song is built around a memorable bass-line riff performed by Eric Nelson, while Gilder's vocals and McCulloch's guitar track - especially the melodic solo - helped propel the track to massive success.

McCulloch is perhaps best remembered as the lead guitarist who brought a harder rock edge to Wings during Paul McCartney's mid-to-late-1970s era. Joining the band at just 20 years old, he became one of the youngest guitarists ever to play in a major arena-rock act.

Tragically, McCulloch died in 1979 at only 26 years old. Today, he is still regarded by many musicians and rock historians as one of the great "what might have been" guitarists of his generation.

Answer: Andy Summers

Today, The Police's "Roxanne" is widely regarded as one of the defining rock songs of the 1970s, but its path to success was anything but certain. Written by Sting after seeing prostitutes near the band's hotel while touring in Paris, the song stood apart because it didn't sound like anything on the radio at the time. Its blend of reggae rhythms and unconventional subject matter made some radio stations hesitant to play it, and the band's label initially struggled to see its commercial potential. But after The Police built momentum through relentless touring, "Roxanne" was re-released and ultimately became the band's breakthrough hit.

A huge part of the song's identity came from guitarist Andy Summers, whose playing helped redefine what rock guitar could sound like at the end of the decade. Rather than relying on flashy solos, Summers crafted a distinctive style built around reggae-inspired rhythms, jazz-influenced chord voicings, and shimmering effects that gave The Police their unique sound.

One of the song's most famous moments happened completely by accident. During the recording session, Summers accidentally sat on a piano keyboard and Sting immediately laughed. The engineers decided to leave both the unexpected chord and laughter in the final mix - creating one of rock music's most recognizable opening moments.