The Merseybeat Years (a prelude to invasion). Trivia Game | Music

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which Liverpool group was the first to have a UK number one hit? These lyrics might help. "You give me a feeling in my heart Like an arrow passin' through it"

Answer: Gerry and The Pacemakers

Gerry and The Pacemakers spent three weeks at number one on the UK chart with "How Do You Do It" in 1963. It reached number nine on the US pop chart in 1964.

Gerry and The Pacemakers were Gerry Marsden, his older brother Freddie Marsden, Les Maguire and Les Chadwick. They were the first artists to have three UK number one hits with their first three record releases. The Hollies, Freddie and The Dreamers and Herman's Hermits were all from Manchester.

2. Which Liverpool group was the first to have a US number one hit? These lyrics will help if you need any. "It's such a feeling that my love I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide"

Answer: The Beatles

The Beatles spent seven weeks at number one on the US pop chart with "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in 1964. It reached number one for five weeks on the UK chart in 1963.

The Beatles were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They were the first artists to hold the top three positions on the US pop chart in the same week and then to hold the top five positions on the US pop chart in the same week. The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks and The Who were all from London.

The Billboard chart for April 4th 1964

1.Can't Buy Me Love
2.Twist And Shout
3.She Loves You
4.I Want To Hold Your Hand
5.Please Please Me

3. The third Liverpool group to enter the UK chart were The Big Three. What is the missing word in the title of their first hit "Some Other ____"?

Answer: Guy

The Big Three had a number 37 hit on the UK chart with "Some Other Guy" in 1963. It did not chart in the US. The Big Three were possibly the best group on Merseyside aside from The Beatles.

The Big Three were John Hutchinson, Johnny Gustafson and Brian Griffiths. They had the same manager as The Beatles (Brian Epstein) but he arranged an audition at UK Decca, the same label that turned The Beatles down. They were not very happy when Decca released the audition demo instead of letting them record it again. They only had one more minor hit on the UK chart and that was it for them.

4. The only Liverpool group to have a US number one was The Beatles. The next highest was the group with this song, can you name them from these lyrics? "I told her that I was a flop with chicks I've been this way since 1956"

Answer: The Searchers

The Searchers had their biggest hit on the US pop chart with "Love Potion No.9" which reached number three in 1965. It was never released as a single in the UK.

The searchers were John McNally, Mike Pender, Tony Jackson and Chris Curtis. As with The Beatles when drummer Pete Best was sacked, there were lots of protests when Tony Jackson (vocals and guitar) left The Searchers. He formed his own group Tony Jackson and The Vibrations and had a minor number 38 hit on the UK chart with "Bye Bye Baby" in 1964. The Fortunes, The Spencer Davis Group and The Moody Blues were all from Birmingham.

5. Another Brian Epstein managed act, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas hit the UK charts with a cover of a Lennon/McCartney song from The Beatles first UK album "Please Please Me". Can you get the song title from these lyrics? "You'll never know how much I really love you You'll never know how much I really care"

Answer: Do You Want To Know A Secret

Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas had a number two hit on the UK chart with "Do You Want To Know A Secret" in 1963. It never charted in the US. The Beatles version reached number two on the US pop chart in 1964. It was never released as a single in the UK.

Signed by Brian Epstein (who else), William Howard Ashton from Bootle needed a new name and a backing group. Kramer was picked out of a telephone book and John Lennon suggested the initial J and Billy J Kramer was born. Brian Epstein brought in a Manchester group The Dakotas (Ray Jones, Robin MacDonald, Tony Bookbinder and Mike Maxfield) who wanted and got a separate recording contract. They had an instrumental hit "The Cruel Sea" on the UK chart which reached number 18 in 1963. It never charted in the US. You can't make this stuff up.

6. Another one of the few Liverpool groups that had a hit on the US pop chart. They just missed the top spot on the UK chart with the "Hippy Hippy Shake". Who were they?

Answer: The Swinging Blue Jeans

The Swinging Blue Jeans had a number two hit on the UK chart with the "Hippy Hippy Shake" in 1963. It reached number 24 on the US pop chart in 1964.

The Swinging Blue Jeans were Ralph Ellis, Ray Ennis, Less Braid and Norman Kuhike. In 2010 after 53 years as a member of the group the sole original member Ray Ennis retired after his last gig in Liverpool. The Mojos, The Undertakers and The Escorts were all from Liverpool.

7. Another Liverpool group to benefit from the management of Brian Epstein and association with The Beatles was The Fourmost. John Lennon wrote their fist single "_____ Little Girl". Can you get the missing word in the title from these lyrics? "I send you flowers but you don't care You never seem to see me standing there I often wonder what you're thinking of I hope it's me and love love love"

Answer: Hello

"Hello Little Girl" was a number nine hit on the UK chart in 1963. It failed to chart in the US.

The Fourmost were Brian O'Hara, Billy Hatton, Mike Millward and Dave Lovelady. They never had any chart hits in the US. "Hello Little Girl" was written by John Lennon in 1957 and was used by The Beatles at their audition with UK Decca in 1962,(and we all know what happened there). It was also recorded by The Beatles and Gerry and The Pacemakers.

8. There just had to be an act called The Merseys. They were formed from The Merseybeats when that group broke up. This duo had one hit on the UK chart called "Sorrow". The lyric line below from that song was used in a George Harrison song on The Beatles "Yellow Submarine" album; can you name the Beatle song? "With your long blond hair and your eyes of blue"

Answer: It's All Too Much

The Merseys (Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley) reached number four on the UK chart with "Sorrow" in 1966. It did not chart in the US.

The intro played on a bowed bass was played by non other than Jack Bruce of Cream fame. The song was originally the B-side of the US group The McCoys 1965 hit "Fever". David Bowie had a UK number three hit with the song in 1973, it did not chart in the US.

9. After the initial success of Liverpool groups in the UK & US the record company's A&R men signed up what they could still find in Liverpool and other cities with varying chart success. One group that didn't make it to the pop charts was "Cy Tucker with Earl Preston and The TT's". They released a cover version of a US number one by The Platters. Can you get the name of the song from these lyrics? "When the twilight is gone and no songbirds are singing When the twilight is gone you come into my heart"

Answer: My Prayer

The Platters hit number one for five weeks on the US pop chart with "My Prayer" in 1956. It reached number four on the UK chart the same year. It was a US number three hit for the Inkspots in 1939.

Cy Tucker with Earl Preston and The TT's had no chart success what so ever in the UK or the US. Other top Liverpool groups that never made it were King Size Taylor and The Dominoes, Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, Ian and The Zodiacs, Faron's Flamingo's and many many others. Lots of people also changed groups; Ringo Starr was a member of Rory Storm and The Hurricanes before joining The Beatles.

10. Liverpool group The Dennisons only had two minor UK chart hits, one in 1963 and the other in 1964. That was their only moment of national fame but their drummer Clive Hornby wasn't finished yet. He went on to star in a UK TV soap opera for 28 years. Do you know which soap opera it was?

Answer: Emmerdale

The Dennisons had a number 36 with their first single "Be My Girl" on the UK chart in 1963. It never charted in the US.

Their drummer Clive Hornby played Jack Sugden in "Emmerdale" from 1980 until his death at the age of 63 in 2008. He had also appeared in "Space 1999" with Martin Landau and "Minder" with George Cole.

Source: Author shipyardbernie

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The Merseybeat Years (a prelude to invasion). Quiz

The '60s British invasion of the US charts was formed in many UK cities. The Merseybeat was the spearhead to the UK and US charts. How much do you know about these Liverpool groups?

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