My Garden Is Alive with the Sound of Music Quiz

Answer: Cool

"Cool Water" was a number two hit for Frankie Laine with The Mellomen on the UK singles chart in 1955. It did not chart in the US.

"Cool Water" written by Bob Nolan in 1936 is about a man, his mule Dan and a desert mirage. It was a number nine hit on the Billboard chart for Vaughn Monroe and the Sons of the Pioneers in 1948. Among others that have recorded the song are Hank Williams, Marty Robbins, Burl Ives, The Muppets and Johnny Cash.

Frankie Laine was born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio in Chicago, USA, in 1913. He charted over 50 hits on the US chart in the '40s and '50s. He had 19 Top Ten hits including four number one hits on the UK singles chart between 1952 and 1959. He died from heart failure in San Diego, California in 2007 aged 93.

Singer/songwriter/actor Bob Nolan was born Robert Clarence Nobles in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1908. He was a founding member of the western singing group Sons of the Pioneers, and also wrote among other songs "Tumbling Tumbleweeds". He appeared in more than 80 western movies. He died of a heart attack in Newport Beach, California, USA in 1980.

Answer: Ivy

"Poison Ivy" written by Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller was a number seven hit for The Coasters on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. It reached number 15 on the UK singles chart the same year.

The original Coasters were Carl Gardner, Billy Guy, Leon Hughes, Adolph Jacobs (guitar) and Bobby Nunn. With a changing line-up they had six Billboard Top Ten hits in the '50s which included the number one hit "Yakety Yak" in 1958. They had one Top Ten hit on the UK singles chart with "Charlie Brown" in 1959.

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were prolific songwriters and producers and among the songs they wrote are "Searchin'", "Love Potion No. 9", "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Yakety Yak", "Charlie Brown" and "Ruby Baby". They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Answer: Jimmie Rodgers

"English Country Garden" was a number five hit for Jimmie Rodgers on the UK singles chart in 1962. It did not chart in the US.

Jimmie Rodgers was born James Frederick Rodgers in Camas, Washington, USA, in 1933. He joined the group The Melodies while serving in the USAF in Korea. He had his biggest US hit with "Honeycomb" which was number one for four weeks in 1957. It reached number 30 on the UK singles chart the same year.

In 1967 he suffered head injuries, later found to be a fractured skull. He claimed police had stopped his car near the San Diego Freeway in Los Angeles and beaten him. The police claimed that he had fallen and hit his head. He filed a lawsuit against them and they filed a slander suit against him. They then dropped their suit and he accepted a $200,000 settlement from the Los Angeles City Council in 1973. In 2012 he had open heart surgery after suffering a heart attack.

Answer: Trini Lopez

"Lemon Tree" was a number 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for Trini Lopez in 1965. It did not chart in the UK.

Singer/guitarist/actor Trini Lopez was born Trinidad Lopez III in Dallas, Texas, USA, in 1937. Little did he know when he started singing at the Vegas Club in Dallas, that the owner would be forever connected to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The owner Jack Ruby would later shoot and kill Lee Harvey Oswald, the presumed assassin of the president.

Trini Lopez was 'Discovered' by record producer Don Costa while performing at PJ's nightclub in Los Angeles in 1962. His first and biggest hit single "If I Had A Hammer" was taken from his first album "Trini Lopez At PJ'S". It was his only Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. He played Pedro Jimenez in the 1967 movie "The Dirty Dozen" starring Lee Marvin and Robert Ryan.

Answer: Heinz

"Diggin' My Potatoes" was a number 49 hit on the UK singles chart for Heinz and the Wild Boys in 1965. It did not chart in the US.

Heinz Burt was born Heinz Henry George Schwarz in Detmold, Germany, in 1942. As the line up of The Tornados changed he was groomed for a solo career by record producer Joe Meek. His biggest hit was a tribute to Eddie Cochran called "Just Like Eddie" which reached number five on the UK singles chart. Because of his interest in Heinz and the fact that Joe Meek was gay there have always been rumours about their relationship. Even though Heinz lived with Joe Meek for a while his wife and family have always denied that Heinz was gay. In later years Heinz was crippled by motor neuron disease and died in 2000 following a stroke aged 57.

The Tornados' biggest hit was the instrumental "Telstar". It was number one for five weeks on the UK singles chart in 1962. It was number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962/63. "Telstar" was the first single by a UK group to top the Billboard Hot 100. The instrumental, written by Joe Meek, was named after the communications satellite Telstar. It was launched on 10 July 1962 and although no longer functional is still in Earth orbit.

The Members of The Tornados at the time were George Bellamy (rhythm guitar), Heinz Burt (bass guitar), Alan Caddy (lead guitar), Clem Cattini (drums) and Roger LaVern (keyboards). They were a studio backing group for various Joe Meek artists and from January 1962 to August 1963 they were the backing group for British singer Billy Fury. Drummer Clem Cattini as a session musician has since played on more UK number one hits than anyone else.

Answer: The Statler Brothers

"Flowers On The Wall" written by Lew DeWitt gave The Statler Brothers a number four hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. It reached number 38 on the UK singles chart the same year.

Country vocal group The Statler Brothers were Phil Baisley, Lew DeWitt and brothers Don and Harold Reid. "Flowers On The Wall" was a number two hit on the Billboard country chart were the group charted over 60 hits between 1965 and 1990. They hosted their own Nashville Network cable TV show. The group were inducted into the Country and Western Hall of Fame in 2008.

I think there must have been something else growing in the Grammy committee's garden this year. "Flowers On The Wall" won the 1965 Grammy award for the Best Contemporary (Rock and Roll) Performance by a Group. "King Of The Road" won the 1965 Grammy award for the Best Contemporary (Rock and Roll) Performance by a Male. Both great records but Rock and Roll? I think not.

Answer: Roy Wood

The guy was singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/arranger/composer/producer Roy Wood. Some of the groups he founded/led were The Move, The Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard.

Roy Wood was born in Kitts Green, Birmingham, England in 1946. He was expelled from Moseley School of Art in Birmingham in 1964. He was co-founder of the UK group The Move; among their hits were "I Can Hear The Grass Grow", "Flowers In The Rain" and their only UK number one hit "Blackberry Way". "Flowers In The Rain" was the first complete record played at the launch of BBC Radio 1 in 1967.

Roy Wood later formed The Electric Light Orchestra with Jeff Lynn and Bev Bevan but left soon after. He then formed Wizzard and had two UK number one hits with "See My Baby Jive" and "Angel Fingers" in 1973. At the same time he also had solo hits. The biggest of these was "Forever" which reached number eight on the UK singles chart in 1973. The Wizzard single "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" regularly enters the UK singles chart, in recent years on download sales only. Roy Wood was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Derby in 2008 for his contribution to music.

Answer: Scarborough

"Scarborough Fair - Canticle" gave Simon & Garfunkel a number 11 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. It reached number nine on the UK singles chart as a track on the "Mrs. Robinson" E. P. in 1969.

"Scarborough Fair" is a 19th century folk song. It is set in counterpoint to "Canticle" which is a re-make of "The Side Of A Hill", an earlier Paul Simon song written by Paul Kane (a Paul Simon pseudonym). "The Side Of The Hill" was originally released on the first solo album by Paul Simon "The Paul Simon Song Book". The album was recorded in London and released in the UK in 1965 but failed to chart. It was released in the US in 1969 but was withdrawn after a few days when Paul Simon objected to its release.

Answer: The Foundations

"Build Me Up Buttercup" written by Mike d'Abo/Tony Macaulay was a number two hit for The Foundations on the UK singles chart in 1968. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969.

The members of the group were Arthur Brown ("Fire") who left before the group signed with PYE records, Clem Curtis and Mike Elliot but they had left before "Build Me Up Buttercup was recorded. The other members at this time were Eric Allendale, Pat Burke, Tony Gomez, Tim Harris, Peter MacBeth, Alan Warner and Colin Young.

The Foundations were the first multi-racial group to have a number one hit on the UK singles chart in the '60s. They had a number one hit for two weeks on the UK singles chart in 1967 with "Baby, Now That I've Found You". It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968.

Answer: Tony Orlando

The lead singer of Dawn was Tony Orlando, born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis in New York, New York, USA in 1944. As a soloist he had a number 15 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961 with "Bless You" written by Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil. It reached number five on the UK singles chart the same year.

"Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" written by Irwin Levine/L. Russell Brown was number one for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 for Dawn in 1973. It was also number one for four weeks on the UK singles chart the same year.

After recording "Candida" and "Knock Three Times" with various studio backing singers the record company wanted to form a real group to tour. Tony Orlando asked vocalists Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson to join him as Dawn. As well as touring they took over backing vocal duties in the studio where they were joined by Joyce's sister Pamela Vincent who also arranged the backing vocals.