Music from 1960 Trivia

1. Joan Baez released her eponymous debut album in October 1960. What was the weapon that lent its name to the first track on that album?

From Quiz 1960 in Popular Music

Answer: Silver dagger

"Silver Dagger" was Baez's rendition of a an American folk song of disputed origin. Its melody and theme of a night visit from a secretive lover was similar to popular earlier folk songs such as "O! Molly Dear Go Ask Your Mother" and "Wake Up You Drowsy Sleeper". It's believed that all these songs were handed down in the oral tradition from mothers to their children, possibly dating back to pre-colonial Britain.

From Quiz Other 1960 Hits and Memories

Answer: Lonnie Donegan

Recorded in early 1960, "My Old man's A Dustman" was a number one for Lonnie Donegan in March 1960 in the UK. The song remained in the top position for four weeks and was a number one in Australia. The record was a departure from Donegan's well known skiffle style, being more in the music hall vein. After "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight)?" had been a chart success in the USA in 1959, a good performance was expected from "My Old Man's a Dustman", however the record failed to chart. In 1960 Tommy Steele had a Top 40 hit with "The Writing on the Wall", originally recorded by Adam Wade. Also in 1960, Charlie Drake had a hit with a cover of Larry Verne's, "Mr Custer". Bernard Cribbins did not enter the charts until 1962 with "Right Said Fred".

From Quiz Hits of 1960 - Part 2

Answer: Bobby Rydell

"Wild One" was sung by Bobby Rydell and was written by Dave Appell, Kal Mann, and Bernie Lowe. It got to number two in the US, number seven in the UK and number eleven in Australia.

From Quiz My Birthday Top Ten - 1960

Answer: Good Timin'

"Good Timin" was Jimmy Jones' second biggest hit in the USA, and his biggest in the UK.

From Quiz US Top Forty Hits of 1960 with One Word Titles

Answer: The Fireballs

The Fireballs formed in Raton, New Mexico. They began as an instrumental group with George Tomsco on lead guitar. The group began recording at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico, the studio made famous by Buddy Holly. The group took their name from Jerry Lee Lewis' song, "Great Balls of Fire". They charted successful hits including "Torquay" in 1959, "Bulldog" the following year and "Quite a Party" in 1961. They later added a singer and as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs the group topped the US charts for five weeks in 1963 with "Sugar Shack". "Beatnik Fly" by Johnny and The Hurricanes reached Number 15 in 1960. Bill Black's Combo scored a Number 18 hit with their version of "Josephine" and "Ooh Poo Pah Doo (Part 2)" was a Number 28 single by Jessie Hill in 1960.

From Quiz Billboard Number Ones - 1960

Answer: El Paso

Released in October 1959 'El Paso' reached number one on the Billboard charts on January 4th 1960. *Useless information* In 1966 Marty Robbins released a sequel to 'El Paso', entitled 'Feleena (From El Paso)' this song told the life story of Feleena, the girl in the original song, and how she shot herself after 'our hero' died in her arms.

From Quiz Whose Line Was It Anyway? US Number One Hits 1960

Answer: Brian Hyland

She wore an "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" sang Brian Hyland all the way to number one for one week on the US pop chart in 1960. It reached number eight on the UK chart. It was his only US number one and he never hit the top in the UK. Bobby Rydell had his highest US pop chart hit in 1960 with "Wild One" at number two. It was also his highest UK chart hit at number seven. Bobby Vee had his first US top ten hit at number six on the pop chart with "Devil Or Angel" in 1960. It never charted in the UK. Johnny Burnette reached number eight on the US pop chart in 1960 with "You're Sixteen". It reached number three on the UK chart in 1961, his highest hit on both charts.

From Quiz NuTsie'sTop 10 Songs of 1960

Answer: Cathy's Clown

"Cathy's Clown" is by The Everly Brothers. In a curious twist of fate, Axl Rose would go on to marry Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly, although the marriage only lasted a few months.

From Quiz Whose Line Was It Anyway? UK Number One Hits 1960

Answer: Michael Holliday

The lyrics are from the song "Starry Eyed" which was the first UK number one of the 1960's and Michael Holliday's second and last number one. He had two more minor hits in 1960 but sadly commited suicide in 1963, just a year after fellow Liverpudlians The Beatles hit the UK charts. Frankie Vaughan another singer from Liverpool had number one hits in 1957 and 1961 but no top twenty entry in 1960. Marty Wilde a great British Rock 'n' Roller had six top ten hits in the late 1950's and early 1960's but never hit the number one spot. Marty Robbins only had two top twenty entries in the UK charts but had many hits in the US on the pop and country charts. He had a US top 20 pop hit in 1957 with "The Story Of My Life" which was Michael Holliday's first number one on the UK charts in 1958.

From Quiz The Sounds of 1960

Answer: Ricky Valance

Ricky Valance is a Welsh singer from Monmouthshire, Wales. Ricky Valance's version of the song was banned by The British Broadcasting Corporation for the lyrics. Other releases for Valance in 1960 were "Movin' Away / Lipstick on Your Lips."

From Quiz Billboard Number 1 Songs of 1960

Answer: El Paso

Marty's label, Columbia, refused to put the five minute song out as a single, so it was included on Marty's "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" album. Requests for the song became so strong that company executives relented and released it as a single. The song also has the distinction of being the first country song to win a Grammy as well as being the longest playing single to chart to that date. Robbins was part of the Grand Ole Opry for four decades. The other songs are also Marty Robbins releases.

From Quiz Hits of 1960 - Part 1

Answer: The Everly Brothers

"Cathy's Clown" is by The Everly Brothers and went to number one in both the UK and US. It has since been covered by artists such as Reba McEntire and Dee Dee Ramone.

From Quiz BRI's Top Ten Hits of 1960

Answer: The Twist

Born Ernest Evans, Chubby Checker formed his first band at the age of 8, and spent many an hour singing on street corners. "The Twist" was originally released as the B side of "Teardrops on Your Letter", and as a result, took a long time to make it to number one. It became the first song to hit the coveted number one spot twice, when it topped the charts for a second time in 1962.

From Quiz Transistor Memories-1960

Answer: Finger

Later the very same year Hank had a minor hit with a rather obscure tune called "The Twist".

From Quiz Hits Of 1960

Answer: Dance

A hit for Billy Bland.

From Quiz 1960 in Popular Music

Answer: Chuck Berry

Although "Rockin' at the Hops" failed to produce a top ten hit on any chart, Chuck Berry had already secured his place in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll heroes with twelve top ten hits on the US R&B chart between 1955 and 1959. Most importantly, Berry created the role of the guitar playing front man with an emphasis on electrifying solos and an athletic stage presence.

From Quiz Other 1960 Hits and Memories

Answer: Rod Lauren

A moody James Dean look alike, Rod Lauren was primarily an actor in 'B' movies. He did however, have a small brush with musical fame in 1960 when "If I Had a Girl" made the top thirty in the USA. The record had better success in Australia reaching number five on the charts. Rod Lauren did not chart any song in the UK. Tab Hunter's chart hits had stopped by 1960, George Maharis had a minor pop hit in 1962 with "Teach Me Tonight" and Carl Dobkins Jr had a huge hit in 1959 with "My Heart is an Open Book" but only a minor hit in 1960 with "Lucky Devil".

From Quiz Hits of 1960 - Part 2

Answer: Bobby Darin

"Beyond the Sea" was written in 1946 by Jack Lawrence and made popular by Bobby Darin. It got to number six in the US and number eight in the UK. It has been covered many times by artists such as Rod Stewart, Helen Shapiro, Westlife and Jeff Lynne.

From Quiz My Birthday Top Ten - 1960

Answer: The Shadows

The Drifters was the The Shadows' original name, but they experienced legal difficulties because there was already a group in the USA by that name, and had to change. Norrie Paramor was Cliff's producer, and The Pirates were then backing Johnny Kidd.

From Quiz US Top Forty Hits of 1960 with One Word Titles

Answer: Togetherness

Before he began making Beach Blanket themed films with Annette, Francis Thomas Avallone was playing trumpet on local television shows by the age of 12. In 1954 he released "Trumpet Sorrento" on the X label. Three years later he released his first Top Ten US hit, "De De Dinah". In 1959 "Why" became his first US Number One single. "Togetherness" became his 11th and final Top Forty single. Avalon began his acting career in 1957, appearing in "Jamboree". In addition to the Beach themed movies he had serious parts in films such as "The Alamo" (1960), "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1961) and "Drums of Africa" (1963). "Footsteps" was a Top Ten single for Steve Lawrence in 1960. Fabian scored a big hit with "Tiger" in 1959. Brook Benton released "Endlessly" in 1959.

From Quiz Billboard Number Ones - 1960

Answer: Brian Hyland

Brian Hyland is also known for 'Sealed With a Kiss' and 'Ginny Come Lately'. 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' was his first hit, reaching the number one spot in August 1960. *Useless information* There have been many cover versions of 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' released around the world in many different languages including: Finnish "Pikku pikku bikinissä"; Bulgarian 'Bathing Tulips'; and even a Cuban propaganda song entitled 'El Cohete Americano' (roughly 'American Rocket').

From Quiz Whose Line Was It Anyway? US Number One Hits 1960

Answer: Brenda Lee

"I'm Sorry" was the song, Brenda Lee was the singer. A US number one pop hit for three weeks, it reached number 12 on the UK chart. Brenda Lee, the number one female singer of the '60s has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Connie Francis,(possibly Brenda Lee's biggest rival on the US pop charts in the late '50s and early '60s) had two number one hits in 1960. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" for two weeks and "My Heart Has A Mind Of It's Own" for two weeks. They reached number five and number three on the UK chart. Actress/singer Connie Stevens had a number three hit on the US pop chart in 1960 with "Sixteen Reasons", it reached number nine on the UK chart. Wanda Jackson had a number 37 on the US pop chart in 1960 with "Let's Have a Party" backed by Gene Vincents' Blue Caps. It reached number 32 on the UK chart.

From Quiz NuTsie'sTop 10 Songs of 1960

Answer: The Twist

"The Twist" was originally recorded by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, but most people are more familiar with Chubby Checker's version.

From Quiz Whose Line Was It Anyway? UK Number One Hits 1960

Answer: Adam Faith

The song was "Poor Me" which was Adam Faith's second and last number one. Adam Faith had numorous chart hits including nine more top ten hits and then had a successful acting career but sadly died of a heart attack in 2003. Johnny Preston had a number one hit with "Running Bear" and four other chart hits in 1960 and then said goodbye to the UK charts. Buddy Holly who died in a plane crash in 1959 was still having hits in the UK and hit the charts with three records in 1960 the highest at number 25 was "True Love Ways" which was a hit again for Peter and Gordon at number two in the UK and number 14 in the US in 1965. Bobby Vee, who along with Adam Faith sounded a lot like Buddy Holly, never scored a number one hit in the UK but had seven top ten hits from 1961 to 1963 and had a minor hit in the US in 1960 with a cover version of Adam Faith's first UK number one "What Do You Want"

From Quiz The Sounds of 1960

Answer: Bobby Rydell

The song "Wild One" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and made the top ten on the UK singles chart. Other songs from Bobby Rydell in 1960 were "Swingin' School", "Volare" and "Sway."

From Quiz Billboard Number 1 Songs of 1960

Answer: Teen Angel

Mark Dinning's "Teen Angel" was the first top ten teen tragedy song. It preceded the Everly Brothers' "Ebony Eyes," Ray Peterson's "Tell Laura I Love Her," and J. Frank Wilson's "Last Kiss." Mark was signed to MGM records after his release from military service. His sister, Jean, thought up "Teen Angel" as a good title for a song and she and her husband, Red Surrey, wrote the song overnight. Despite its success many radio stations refused to play the song because of its content.

From Quiz Hits of 1960 - Part 1

Answer: Connie Francis

"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was written by Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield. Connie Francis recorded it and it went to number one in the US and number five in the UK.

From Quiz BRI's Top Ten Hits of 1960

Answer: El Paso

Although best known for being a Country musician, Marty Robbins has had a very versatile career, charting many hits on the pop charts. Working on his brother's ranch, Marty had real experience as a cowboy. "El Paso" hit number one on both country and pop charts, and was the first of what was to become know as Marty's string of 'gunfighter ballads'.

From Quiz Transistor Memories-1960

Answer: Heart

Jerry would later team up with Betty Everett for several more Top 40 hits.

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