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1950s Rockabilly Trivia Quiz

Questions about 50s rockabilly.

A multiple-choice quiz by procrastinador. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
procrastinador

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
298,734

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
687

Last 3 plays: Guest 2 (3/10), Guest 85 (5/10), Guest 128 (7/10).

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

1. Whose recording was the rockabilly version of "The Train Kept A-Rolling"? Hint

Carl Perkins

Jack Scott

Johnny Burnette

Howlin' Wolf

NEXT>

2. Who played guitar in Ricky Nelson's band? Hint

James Burton

Joe Maphis

Roland Janes

Grady Martin

NEXT>

3. Harold Jenkins recorded for Sun Records but didn't make it big. Later he did on another label and under another name. What name? Hint

Marvin Rainwater

Conway Twitty

Vince Taylor

Freddy Fender

NEXT>

4. Who managed to have a cover version of "Ooby Dooby" released before Roy Orbison's original was released on Sun? Hint

Pat Boone

Guy Mitchell

Cliff Richard

Sid King

NEXT>

5. Who played the guitar for Gene Vincent's Blue Caps? Hint

Danny Cedrone

Cliff Gallup

Scotty Moore

Paul Burlison

NEXT>

6. Who was the lead singer of the Sparkletones, who had hits with "Black Slacks" and "Penny Loafers and Bobby Sox" on ABC-Paramount? Hint

Jimmy Crain

Bobby Lee Trammell

Benny Joy

Joe Bennett

NEXT>

7. Who sang the original version of "Singing the Blues"? Hint

Guy Mitchell

Marty Robbins

Tommy Steele

Billy Fury

NEXT>

8. On what label did Buddy Holly have his first releases? Hint

Coral

Decca

Brunswick

MCA

NEXT>

9. Which label never released any Charlie Feathers singles? Hint

King

Meteor

Moon

Sun

NEXT>

10. On what label did Sonny Fisher's rockabilly singles come out in 1955-1956? Hint

Starday

Ace

Sun

Dixie

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Whose recording was the rockabilly version of "The Train Kept A-Rolling"?

Answer: Johnny Burnette

"The Train Kept A-Rolling" was one of the wildest rockabilly tunes by Johnny Burnette and the Rock'n'Roll Trio for Coral Records. Originally recorded by blues singer Tiny Bradshaw.

2. Who played guitar in Ricky Nelson's band?

Answer: James Burton

James Burton also played behind Dale Hawkins and Elvis, among others.

3. Harold Jenkins recorded for Sun Records but didn't make it big. Later he did on another label and under another name. What name?

Answer: Conway Twitty

Harold Jenkins changed his name to Conway Twitty and had monster hits like "It's Only Make Believe" on the MGM label.

4. Who managed to have a cover version of "Ooby Dooby" released before Roy Orbison's original was released on Sun?

Answer: Sid King

The Teen Kings (as Orbison's band was called) originally released "Ooby Dooby" on a small custom label Je-Wel. They tried to offer it to bigger labels, like Columbia. Columbia didn't sign them, but they did take note of the hit potential of the song, so they had their own artist Sid King make a cover. Sid King's version didn't become a hit, but Orbison's did when it was re-released on the Sun label in 1956.

5. Who played the guitar for Gene Vincent's Blue Caps?

Answer: Cliff Gallup

The legendary Cliff Gallup played lead guitar on Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps' first two albums. However, he didn't fancy the rock'n'roll lifestyle, being on the road all the time, so he quit while they were on top to spend more time with his family.

6. Who was the lead singer of the Sparkletones, who had hits with "Black Slacks" and "Penny Loafers and Bobby Sox" on ABC-Paramount?

Answer: Joe Bennett

The Sparkletones consisted of:
Joe Bennett - vocals, guitar
Wayne Arthur - double bass
Howard "Sparky" Childress - guitar, vocals
Jimmy "Sticks" Denton - drums

Useless trivia: Paul Anka sang backing vocals on "Black Slacks" (he had been recording in the studio earlier that day, he was also on the ABC-Paramount label in 1957).

7. Who sang the original version of "Singing the Blues"?

Answer: Marty Robbins

Marty did the original and best version, Guy and Tommy also had hits with the tune.

8. On what label did Buddy Holly have his first releases?

Answer: Decca

Buddy Holly's first singles were in a rockabilly style and were released by Decca. When he formed his band the Crickets, they got a contract with Coral Records (a subsidiary of Decca) as the Crickets and another contract with Brunswick (another subsidiary of Decca) for releases as Buddy Holly. MCA later got the rights to all Decca/Coral/Brunswick material and re-released it (several times).

9. Which label never released any Charlie Feathers singles?

Answer: Moon

Although the Moon label was from Memphis, Charlie Feathers never recorded for them.

10. On what label did Sonny Fisher's rockabilly singles come out in 1955-1956?

Answer: Starday

Starday released four singles by Sonny Fisher, all of which were rockabilly classics. Ace Records of the UK later re-released them on a 10 inch album called Texas Rockabilly.

Source: Author procrastinador

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ralzzz before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Most Recent Scores

Sep 12 2023 : Guest 2: 3/10
Sep 08 2023 : Guest 85: 5/10
Aug 28 2023 : Guest 128: 7/10
Aug 25 2023 : Guest 159: 4/10
Aug 12 2023 : Guest 80: 10/10
Aug 09 2023 : wildkatmike: 8/10

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