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Quiz about A Century of Pop Music Curiosities

A Century of Pop Music Curiosities Quiz

Quiz time about little-known peculiarities regarding music artists spanning 100 years inspired by Justin Greene's book "Musical Legends".

A multiple-choice quiz by oscarguy. Estimated time: 8 mins.

Author
oscarguy

Time
8 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
192,524

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1001

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Roy Orbison gave us incredible classics such as "Crying", "Oh, Pretty Woman", and "Only the Lonely", among others. He brought beautiful musical memories into our lives. Unfortunately, Roy had more than his share of tragedies in his life. Which of the following was NOT an event in Roy Orbison's life? Hint

His twin brother was killed in a pool hall dispute.

Two of his three children perished in a house fire.

His wife, Claudette, was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Roy had a heart attack at age 41.

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Question 2 of 10

2. Del Shannon had the distinction of having a U.S. chart hit with a composition by Lennon and McCartney several months before The Beatles would chart in the States. What was the Lennon/McCartney tune that Del put on U.S. charts? Hint

Twist and Shout

She Loves You

From Me to You

P.S. I Love You

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Question 3 of 10

3. Gram Parsons started out as a folk singer and songwriter and was one of the first "long-haired boys" at the Grand Ole Opry. His influence is widespread. Regrettably, Gram died of a drug overdose on September 17, 1973. It's true that his friends snatched his coffin in an airport heist. But what did they do with the coffin and body? Hint

They held the remains for ransom.

They sent it to his step-father.

They set it ablaze in the Joshua Tree Desert.

They took Gram to his own wake where he was propped up for viewing.

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Question 4 of 10

4. Although few people knew the name Phil Spector in 1963, in a self-important move, Phil produced a Christmas album entitled "A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector". The LP features The Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans. True or false: This Christmas album was a huge holiday smash.

True

False

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Question 5 of 10

5. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones was discovered drowned in a swimming pool on July 3, 1969. The coroner's official statement upon investigation was "Death by misadventure". The "memorial" concert held in Hyde Park a few days later ended with a strange and slightly disturbing turn of events. The idea was to release large numbers of butterflies above the crowd in a spectacular fluttering display. But what was it that actually happened when it came time to release the butterflies? Hint

Members of the crowd began snatching the butterflies out of the air and began to eat them.

The butterflies formed the letters "Goodbye Brian" above Hyde Park, then flew away.

The butterflies alighted decoratively on each member of The Rolling Stones.

The butterflies had suffocated in sweltering cardboard boxes.

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Question 6 of 10

6. Cat Stevens' life can easily be described as eventful. Aside from recording a host of memorable songs such as "Wild World", "Peace Train", and "Morning Has Broken", Stevens converted to the Muslim religion and took on the name of Yusef Islam. His religious conversion was due to which of the following near-death experiences survived by Cat Stevens? Hint

He nearly died from tuberculosis.

He awoke to his home engulfed in flames.

He was caught in an undertow.

He survived a runway accident at Heathrow Airport.

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Question 7 of 10

7. The February 4, 1959 plane crash that took the life of Buddy Holly is legendary. However, Buddy left behind many home recordings and unreleased demo tracks. His label, Coral, worked with these recordings and with debatable overdubbing released a number of Holly songs. What was the first posthumous Buddy Holly release? Hint

Listen to Me

Reminiscing

Well...All Right

Peggy Sue Got Married

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Question 8 of 10

8. "Ukelele Ike", born Cliff Edwards, popularized instantly recognizable standards such as "Toot Toot Tootsie, Goodbye", "Fascinating Rhythm", and "Singin' in the Rain". His long, colorful career included not only live performances and recording but participation in motion pictures. Which of the following films was "Ukelele Ike" (Cliff Edwards) NOT involved in? Hint

The Red Badge of Courage

Dumbo

Pinocchio

Gone With the Wind

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Question 9 of 10

9. In April of 1956, Nat "King" Cole was scheduled to perform in Birmingham, Alabama. Nearly 100 members of the local "white citizens council" hatched a plot to kidnap Cole for ransom. Six of the "council" members actually stormed the stage hitting the famous singer with the microphone and knocking him down. The sympathetic and supportive audience warmly and loudly encouraged him to continue with the concert. What did Nat "King" Cole actually do after the attack? Hint

After a five-minute ovation, Cole returned to the stage and politely excused himself.

He continued but only sang gospel songs.

Cole continued the concert as planned.

Cole gave a twenty-minute speech on racial equality.

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Question 10 of 10

10. Irving Berlin (1888-1989) gave the world a hefty helping of standards such as "Easter Parade", "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody", "Blue Skies", and "White Christmas" for starters. His determined life is an amazing success story. Which of the following was NOT true of Irving Berlin's life? Hint

He used only the black keys of the piano which put all of his music into the key of F#.

He could not read music.

He wrote "Annie Get Your Gun" which included the show business anthem "Hooray for Hollywood".

He had only a second grade education.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: His twin brother was killed in a pool hall dispute.

The music world lost Roy Orbison on December 6, 1988 at age 52 of heart failure. The tragedy about his twin brother is made up.

Answer: From Me to You

"From Me to You" by Del Shannon peaked at number 77 in the U.S. in 1963. The first chart appearance by The Beatles was on January 25, 1964 with "I Want to Hold Your Hand". In 1964, The Beatles had 19 U.S. top 40 hits and things would never be the same again.

Answer: They set it ablaze in the Joshua Tree Desert.

It was Gram's wish to be cremated in the Joshua Tree Desert, so his friends obliged. His step-father eventually obtained the remains and gained a sizeable inheritance from Gram. His step-father had Gram buried in New Orleans.

Answer: False

The album flopped due in part to being released at a time when the nation was in mourning over the November 22 assassination of President Kennedy. Time passed and Phil's record has become a highly thought-of holiday perennial. The singing acts were terrific and future stars such as Sonny Bono and Leon Russell worked on this album, making it all that much more memorable.

Answer: The butterflies had suffocated in sweltering cardboard boxes.

Packing butterflies into boxes turned out to be a bad idea. Concert organizers wound up with boxes of dead butterflies. The Hyde Park concert had originally been scheduled as an event to introduce Mick Taylor as a member of the Stones. Brian had been let go from the group about a month prior to his death.

Answer: He was caught in an undertow.

Cat Stevens did suffer a bout of tuberculosis, but it was being caught up in an undertow that prompted him to appeal to the almighty. In the wake of 9/11 restrictions, Yusef was denied a flight from London to the U.S. in September of 2004. He is quoted as saying that he was "shocked and slightly amused".

Answer: Peggy Sue Got Married

The last recording of Buddy's to go up the charts was "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" which went to number 13 on March 9, 1958 in the U.S. In the late summer of that year "Peggy Sue Got Married" was released. Holly appeared on Billboard charts as late as October, 1959 in the U.K. In the U.S. Buddy's last appearance in the top 20 was in March, 1959.

Answer: The Red Badge of Courage

Cliff Edwards appeared in, or was a voice actor, in almost 90 movies. "The Red Badge of Courage", however, was not one of them. He was the voice of Jiminy Cricket in "Pinocchio" and the voice of Jim Crow in "Dumbo". Cliff had a very small part in "Gone With the Wind".

He was credited as 'reminiscent soldier'. This wonderful musician lived 76 years. As a result of alcohol, divorces, and bankruptcy, Cliff died poor in 1971 - a sad ending to a colorful career from several colorful eras goneby.

Answer: After a five-minute ovation, Cole returned to the stage and politely excused himself.

Nat "King" Cole was understandably shaken and suffered back pain. His incredible career continued another nine years until his death from lung cancer in 1964 at age 45. The six men who attacked Nat "King" Cole were each given a six-month sentence and fined $100.00.

Answer: He wrote "Annie Get Your Gun" which included the show business anthem "Hooray for Hollywood".

Berlin wrote "Annie Get Your Gun" all right, but the song that typifies stage and screen
life is "There's No Business Like Show Business". Irving Berlin's lineup of hits and standards is staggering. More than ever, in an age of revived patriotism, he deserves recognition for composing "God Bless America".

Source: Author oscarguy

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