Play It Again, Sam Trivia Quiz

Answer: piano

The truly 'unforgettable' Nat King Cole (1919-1965) was born Nathaniel Adams Coles. In 1956 he became the first black performer to have his own TV variety show. He was a singer and an accomplished jazz pianist. His relaxed style and smooth voice made him internationally famous, and his songs have remained popular long after his death.

Answer: saxophone

Kenneth Bruce Gorelick is an American saxophonist better known by his stage name of Kenny G. He first received renown with his 1986 album "Duotones", and he has become one of the best-selling artists of all time. One of the songs from "Duotones", "Songbird" went on to reach number four on the "Billboard Hot 100". Kenny has collaborated with artists like Aretha Franklin, Andrea Bocelli and Frank Sinatra, and has worked on a number of movie soundtracks, including "The Bodyguard".

Answer: cello

Before there was Yo Yo Ma, there was Pablo (Pau) Casals (1876-1973). Casals was a Spanish cellist, composer and conductor. He has been considered one of the greatest cellists of all time. One of his best known works was the "Bach Cello Suites". In 1917 Casals played at Carnegie Hall in New York City and, in 1963, he was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Answer: trombone

Ah, the 'Big Band Era' from the early 1930s to the late 1940s may have helped the country through the "Great Depression". Tommy Dorsey (1905-1956) was a trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (appropriately enough) in that era. Because of his smooth trombone playing, he was called the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing".

He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey, and Tommy's biggest hit single was "I'll Never Smile Again", recorded in 1940.

Answer: clarinet

Pierre Dewey LaFontaine was better known as Pete Fountain (1930-2016). He was born and died in New Orleans, Louisiana. Pete played the clarinet in jazz genres like Dixieland, honky-tonk and Creole, as well as traditional pop music. In the 1950s, he played on "The Lawrence Welk Show" ("a one and a two"), but his jazzy style didn't always mesh with Welk's type of music. Fountain left Welk in 1959 saying: "champagne and bourbon don't mix".

In 2007, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Answer: drums

Following in the footsteps (or drumsticks) of famous drummers like Buddy Rich, we have Dave Grohl. Dave was the drummer for the grunge band Nirvana, and the founder and frontman for the rock band Foo Fighters. He has been involved with a number of different rock bands, e.g., Queens of the Stone Age, and he has performed with such artists as Paul McCartney, David Bowie and Slash.

In 2012, it was estimated that Grohl was the third wealthiest drummer, behind Ringo Starr and Phil Collins.

Answer: oboe

For many of you too young to remember, between 1961 and 1966 Mitch Miller (1911-2010) was the host of the TV show "Sing Along with Mitch" where the words would flash across the screen and you would "follow the bouncing ball" and sing along; the precursor to karaoke perhaps? The show featured singer Leslie Uggams, pianist Dick Hyman and the singing Quinto Sisters, along with Mitch Miller and the gang. Prior to his TV show, Miller was an influential record producer and a classical oboist, having performed with such luminaries as George Gershwin and Charlie Parker.

Answer: flute

For those who enjoy flautists, the name James Galway may come to mind. But before James Galway, there was Jean-Pierre Rampal (1922-2000). The French flautist has been credited with returning the flute to popularity as a solo classical instrument. From the 1960s through the 1980s, Rampal was extremely popular in the United States, performing in Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.

He also had a 'fun' side where he moved from the classics to appear on "The Muppet Show" in 1981.

At around the same time, in concert, Jean-Pierre also performed Scott Joplin's "Ragtime Dance and Stomp".

Answer: trumpet

Innovator and jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991) was one of the most celebrated figures in the history of jazz. He was instrumental (pun here) in creating the cool jazz sound. Davis started performing with the great saxophonist Charlie Parker in the 1940s before recording "The Birth of the Cool" during 1949 and 1950.

After overcoming a heroin addiction, he made a comeback at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1955, and in 1957 he recorded the hit album "Round About Midnight".

Answer: violin

Arguably one of the greatest musicians of all time, Itzak Perlman is a world famous violinist, conductor and teacher. He was born in August 1945 in the area currently called Tel Aviv, Israel. Perlman has conducted symphonies around the world including the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and orchestras from San Francisco to Berlin to London. Perlman has also performed at a State Dinner at the White House in honor of Queen Elizabeth II and at the Presidential Inauguration for Barack Obama.

In 2015, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.