Songs About Horses and Ponies Quiz

Answer: The Osmond Brothers

Merrill and Jay Osmond shared vocals on "Crazy Horses". Alan, Merrill and Wayne Osmond composed the song which was a departure from their "boy band" image. "Crazy Horses" was the first album that the group was allowed to compose songs for and their label, MGM, was reluctant to release "Crazy Horses" as a single because it was much heavier than anything they had released before.

The song was about air pollution caused by automobiles. The cover was shot in a junkyard. "Little Bitty Pretty One" was a 1972 Top Twenty release from The Jackson Five.

The Cowsills' version of "Hair" went to Number Two in 1969 and in 1973 "Heartbeat It's a Lovebeat" went to Number Three for The DeFranco Family.

Answer: George Harrison

"Dark Horse" was the lead single from George Harrison's 1974 album of the same name. It was George's fifth solo studio album. He toured with Ravi Shankar later the same year on the "Dark Horse" tour. The tour was the first US tour by a former Beatle since the band ceased touring in 1966. Former band mate Ringo Starr was among the musicians contributing to the album along with Ron Wood, Billy Preston, Jim Keltner and Gary Wright. The album went gold in the US shortly after it was released but failed to chart in his native Britain. Harrison named his record label "Dark Horse".
"Ding Dong, Ding Dong" was the second single release. It dented the US Top Forty at Number 38.
"Oh My My" was a 1974 Number Five single from Ringo Starr. Paul McCartney topped the US charts with "Band on the Run" with Wings. John Lennon reached Number One in the US with "Whatever Gets You Thru' the Night" in 1974.

Answer: True

Because of legal matters involving their record label The Rolling Stones did not release "Sticky Fingers" until 1971 even though it was recorded by the group at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in late 1969.
"Burrito Deluxe" was the second album by The Flying Burrito Brothers and the last with Gram Parsons as a member. In addition to the regular members of the band Leon Russell played piano on "Wild Horses".
"Sticky Fingers" was the first album by the Rolling Stones on their eponymous record label. The Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' composition "Wild Horses" made it to Number 28 on the US Billboard charts. "Brown Sugar" from the "Sticky Fingers" album topped the charts when it was released as a single.

Answer: Toby Keith

"Beer for My Horses" was written by Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick for Keith's "Unleashed" LP. It was the fourth single from the album. In addition to topping the US Country charts the song also reached Number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100, Keith's highest charting single to date. At the time the song made 70-year-old Willie Nelson the oldest Country singer in the US to top the Country charts.
"Beer for My Horses" is about some men who celebrate after hanging criminals.
Blake Shelton released "The Baby" in 2003. "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" was a 2003 hit from Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett. Kenny Chesney had a 2003 hit with "There Goes My Life".

Answer: Grazing in the Grass - Hugh Masekela

After performing in a regional band called The Delroys, Cliff Nobles formed his own band he dubbed Cliff Nobles and Co. and landed a deal with a division of Soul Records. Their second release was titled "Love Is All Right". For the flip side they recorded an instrumental version named "The Horse" using a horn section that would go on to become MFSB. Ironically as a vocalist Cliff Nobles was not on the instrumental version. The instrumental version became popular with Dee-jays around the country and reached Number Two.
When "Grazing in the Grass" by Hugh Masekela took the Number One slot away from Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You" it prevented "The Horse" from topping the charts.
Soul Serenade" by Willie Mitchell reached Number 23. "Soul-Limbo" was a Number 17 single from Booker T. and The MG's and "Soulful Strut" from Young-Holt Unlimited was a 1968 Number Three single.

Answer: Luciano Pavarotti

"The Big Picture" was Elton John's twenty-sixth studio album. Among the singles released from the album were "Something About the Way You Look Tonight", "Recover Your Soul", "Candle in the Wind" and "Live Like Horses". Elton John and Bernie Taupin composed all the material on the album. Elton dedicated the album to fashion designer Gianni Versace who had been recently murdered.
The Three Tenors formed in the early nineties to perform for benefits and became so popular they embarked on successful world tours. Pavarotti wanted to be a football goalkeeper but ended up taking years of classical vocal lessons. The Modena, Italy, native began appearing in opera houses throughout his home country and starred in a film, "Yes, Giorgio", (1982).
Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras were the two Spanish members of The Three Tenors. Dominique Visse was a member of Les Contre-Tenors.

Answer: Chubby Checker

John Berry and Don Covay belonged to The Rainbows. They wrote "Pony Time" in 1960. Donald James Randolph went by the stage name Don Covay when he began his career as part of Little Richard's revue and went on to write several classics including "Mercy Mercy" and "Chain of Fools". He passed in 2015 when he was 78.
In 1959 Ernest Evans, using the name Chubby Checker, released his first Top Forty single, "The Class". The following year he released a cover of a song by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters called "The Twist" which shot to Number One and started the Twist dance craze. He then released a number of dance craze hits including "Pony Time", which became his second Number One in 1961.
"Land of a Thousand Dances" was first recorded by Chris Kenner in 1962. Jackie Wilson had a number of hits including the 1958 Top Ten "Lonely Teardrops". "The Monkey Time" by Major Lance was a 1963 Top Ten single.

Answer: Let's Go

Because of the infectious clapping on the beginning of "Let's Go (Pony)" it became a dance favorite as well as a staple of cheerleaders. The Routers formed in 1961 as a Surf Rock group in the Los Angeles area. "Let's Go (Pony)" was their only Top Twenty single. Although the group released five singles from three albums recorded in the early sixties they did not enjoy similar success.
Guitarist Michael Zane Gordon also formed The Marketts then went on to compose several songs and work in television production. Another member of The Routers who went on to a successful career was bassist Scott Walker who went on to front The Walker Brothers.
"The Cinnamon Cinder (It's a Very Nice Dance)" was by The Pastel Six. "Dancin' Party" was a 1962 dance release by Chubby Checker that reached Number 12 and "The Jam (Part 1)" was a Number 29 Instrumental from Bobby Gregg and His Friends.

Answer: Simon

Paul Simon recorded the song "One Trick Pony" live at The Agora Theatre and Ballroom in Cleveland in 1979. The album was released the following year. It was Paul's fifth studio album and the first since releasing his 1975 "Still Crazy After All These Years" LP. The best-selling single release from the album was the US Billboard Number Six Grammy nominated "Late in the Evening".
Bass player Tony Levin, drummer Steve Gadd and guitarist Eric Gale all played on sessions for the "One Trick Pony" album as well as acted in the film as Simon's backing band.
Rip Torn starred as a record executive and Lou Reed was cast as a producer in the film.

Answer: America

When America released their debut album in 1971 in Europe it did not contain "A Horse With No Name", originally written as "Desert Song". Their label was hesitant to release "I Need You" as the lead single. America went into the studio and recorded "A Horse With No Name" written by member Dewey Bunnell along with three other songs.
The following year the album was released in the US with "A Horse With No Name" as the lead single. The song got off to a rocky start because some stations were reluctant to play it due to perceived drug references.
"Lobo reached Number Eight in 1972 with "Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend". "Softly Whispering I Love You" by The English Congregation reached Number 29. April Wine had a 1972 Top Forty with "You Could Have Been A Lady".