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Musicians and Composers - Country and Western Artists

Country and Western music originates in South America in the 1920s. The songs are often simple ballads. Violins, harmonicas and banjoes are among the various instruments used. Test your knowledge on these ten famous Country and Western Artists.

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  1. In 1955, Patsy Cline signed to which record label?

    Photograph courtesy of sweetlyrics.com
    • Born: 8 September 1932
    • Place: Winchester, Virginia
    • Nationality: American
    • She was best known for her rich tone and emotionally expressive bold contralto voice
    • In 1963 at the age of 30 she died in a private airplane crash at the height of her career
    • Ten years after her death, she became the first female solo artist inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame
    • She often said as a child that she would one day be famous
    • Her song 'Crazy' was a hit on three different charts in late 1961 and early 1962

  2. Tammy Wynette was married to which country singer between 1969 and 1975?

    Photograph courtesy of sweetlyrics.com
    • Born: 5 May 1942
    • Place: Itawamba County, Mississippi
    • Nationality: American
    • She was known as the First Lady of Country Music
    • Her best known song 'Stand by Your Man', was one of the biggest selling hit singles by a woman in the history of the country music genre
    • In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she dominated the country charts, scoring 17 number one hits
    • She once worked as a waitress, receptionist and a barmaid, and also worked in a shoe factory

  3. Who bought Johnny Cash's house in 2006?

    Photograph courtesy of calmdowntom.com
    • Born: 26 February 1932
    • Place: Kingsland, Arkansas
    • Nationality: American
    • He was known for his deep, distinctive bass-baritone voice
    • He was married twice and had five children
    • He was very close to his older brother, Jack, who died at the age of 15
    • He also acted in a 1961 film 'Five Minutes to Live'
    • In 1965, his truck caught fire due to an overheated wheel bearing, triggering a forest fire that burned several hundred acres

  4. What does Willie Nelson call his guitar?

    Photograph courtesy of ticketsinventory.com
    • Born: 30 April 1933
    • Place: Abbott, Texas
    • Nationality: American
    • He was one of the main figures of outlaw country
    • He was born during the Great Depression and raised by his grandparents
    • In 2002, he became the official spokesman of the Texas Roadhouse, a chain of steakhouses
    • Nelson set up Farm Aid in 1985 to assist and increase awareness of the importance of family farms
    • The home he lives in is solar powered in a largely self-sustained community

  5. Where did Dolly Parton meet her husband?

    Photograph courtesy of musicnewsaustraliadotcom
    • Born: 19 January 1946
    • Place: Sevierville, Tennessee
    • Nationality: American
    • She is one of the most successful female country artists of all time, with more number 1 hits than any other
    • Dolly was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993
    • She has eleven siblings
    • They lived in a rustic, dilapidated one-room cabin in Locust Ridge, Tennessee
    • Dolly has no children of her own but is the godmother of actress and singer Miley Cyrus

  6. What was Jim Reeves' last RCA recording?

    Photograph courtesy of johnrexreeves.com
    • Born: 20 August 1923
    • Place: Galloway, Texas
    • Nationality: American
    • He was known as Gentleman Jim
    • Reeves died at age 40 in the crash of a private airplane
    • He began to work as a radio announcer and sang live between songs
    • He was elected posthumously to the Country Music Hall of Fame during 1967
    • Reeves had many fans in both India and Sri Lanka since the 1960s
    • He remains a popular artist in Ireland and many Irish singers have recorded tribute albums

  7. What was Conway Twitty's birth name?

    Photograph courtesy of americaremembers.com
    • Born: 1 September 1933
    • Place: Friars Point, Mississippi
    • Nationality: American
    • For a brief period, some believed he was Elvis Presley recording under a different name
    • In 1970, Twitty recorded and released his biggest hit ever, 'Hello Darlin'
    • He married three times
    • Since his death, Twitty's son Michael and grandson Tre have been carrying on the legacy of his music
    • Some disc jockeys refused to play the song 'You've Never Been This Far Before', because of its suggestive lyrics

  8. John Denver's hit, Annie's Song, was composed where?

    Photograph courtesy of dailytelegraph.com.au
    • Born: 31 December 1943
    • Place: Roswell, New Mexico
    • Nationality: American
    • His real name is Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr
    • He began his music career in folk music groups
    • Throughout his life Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed
    • He lent his vocal support to space exploration
    • He was an avid pilot and died while flying his personal aircraft at the age of 53

  9. In 1939, Patsy Montana made her full-length feature film debut with Gene Autry. What was the film called?

    Photograph courtesy of martinvintageguitars.com
    • Born: 30 October 1908
    • Place: Beaudry, Arkansas
    • Nationality: American
    • She was the first female country performer to have a million-selling single ('I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart')
    • She had ten siblings, however two died before puberty from an accidental fire
    • As a child she learned to yodel and play organ, guitar and violin
    • She was born Ruby Blevins
    • She began appearing on a local radio station as 'Rubye Blevins, the Yodeling Cowgirl from San Antone'
    • She was a regular on the National Barn Dance

  10. Kenny Rogers' 1996 album 'Vote for Love' was released exclusively for sale where?

    Photograph courtesy of smh.com.au
    • Born: 23 August 1938
    • Place: Houston, Texas
    • Nationality: American
    • Married five times and has six children
    • As of 2011 Rogers has recorded 65 albums and sold over 190 million records
    • Duets have been sung to include Dolly Parton and Kim Carnes
    • The 2000 single 'Buy Me a Rose', made him, at 61, the oldest artist in the history of country music to reach the chart summit
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