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Musicians and Composers - Rock and Roll Performers

Rock and Roll set the musical world on fire when it burst onto the scene in the 1940s and 1950s. This quiz looks at the influential performers who brought rock and roll to the forefront of the music scene.

Don't forget to click on the images to enlarge them.

  1. In 1953, Little Richard formed a road band. What did he call them?

    Photograph courtesy of 1337x.org
    • Born: 5 December 1932
    • Place: Macon, Georgia
    • Nationality: American
    • He was the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll
    • He began performing on stage and on the road in 1945 in his teens
    • In 1957 he quit rock and roll and became a born-again Christian
    • Began recording and performing only gospel music for a number of years
    • His hit Tutti Frutti was hailed 'the sound of the birth of rock and roll'
    • After Tutti Frutti 16 more hit singles followed in less than three years, seven of which reached number 1

  2. What was Fats Domino's first language?

    Photograph courtesy of gpb.org
    • Born: 26 February 1928
    • Place: New Orleans, Louisianna
    • Nationality: American
    • He has 37 Top 40 singles
    • 'Blueberry Hill' sold more than 5 million copies worldwide in 1956-57
    • On January 12, 2007, Domino was honoured with OffBeat magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award
    • Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney later recorded Fats Domino songs

  3. What is the name of this band?

    Photograph courtesy of uncamarvy.com
    • Formed: 1953
    • Place: Los Angeles, California
    • Nationality: American
    • They recorded seven singles for Federal Records in the R&B/gospel style
    • Their unique vocal style had touched a nerve in the music-buying public
    • Monroe Powell, who had been touring under the band's name, was sued by Jean Bennett for breach of contract

  4. What was the title of Sam Cooke's first single?

    Photograph courtesy of i12bent.tumblr.com
    • Born: 22 January 1931
    • Place: Clarkesdale, Mississippi
    • Nationality: American
    • He attended Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago, the same school that Nat 'King' Cole had attended a few years earlier
    • In 1961, Cooke started his own record label, SAR Records, with J.W. Alexander and his manager, Roy Crain
    • He was married once and had one son
    • In 1963, Cooke's 18-month old son, Vincent, drowned in their front yard pool
    • In all, he had 29 top-40 hits on the pop charts

  5. What is the name of the restaurant that Chuck Berry bought in the late 1980s?

    Photograph courtesy of 53deluxe.com
    • Born: 18 October 1926
    • Place: St Louis, Missouri
    • Nationality: American
    • He was born into a middle-class family
    • While still a high school student he served a prison sentence for armed robbery between 1944 and 1947
    • Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

  6. Bill Haley & The Comets were originally called what?

    Photograph courtesy of performingsongwriter.com
    • Founded: 1952
    • Place: Chester, Pennyslvania
    • Nationality: American
    • They were the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of white America and the rest of the world
    • The band was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981
    • Haley's biggest hit was 'Rock Around the Clock'

  7. After hearing which Roy Orbison song for the first time did Elvis Presley buy a box of copies for his friends?

    Photograph courtesy of royorbison.com
    • Born: 23 April 1936
    • Place: Vernon, Texas
    • Nationality: American
    • He died of a heart attack in December 1988
    • His life was marred by tragedy, including the death of his first wife and two of his children in separate accidents
    • On his sixth birthday, Orbison's father gave him a guitar
    • Orbison became one of the first recording artists to popularize the Nashville Sound
    • He appeared on American Bandstand and toured the US for three months non-stop with Patsy Cline

  8. In 1971 which artist released a single to commemorate Buddy Holly?

    Photograph courtesy of maryannjoy.blogspot
    • Born: 7 September 1936
    • Place: Lubbock, Texas
    • Nationality: American
    • Holly formed his own band, later to be called The Crickets
    • His success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash
    • He was always called 'Buddy' by his family because he was so nice to everyone

  9. In what year was the single 'I Got You (I Feel Good)' by James Brown released?

    Photograph courtesy of last.fm
    • Born: 3 May 1933
    • Place: Barnwell, South Carolina
    • Nationality: American
    • He has been referred to as 'The Godfather of Soul'
    • He was married three times and has five sons and four daughters
    • At the age of 16, he was arrested for theft and served three years in prison
    • As a tribute to James Brown, The Rolling Stones covered the song, 'I'll Go Crazy'

  10. Which band refer to Bobby Darin in their song, 'Rock and Roll Heaven'?

    Photograph courtesy of freeinfosociety.com
    • Born: 14 May 1936
    • Place: The Bronx, New York
    • Nationality: American
    • Unknown to the public, his health was dangerously fragile which motivated him to succeed
    • After romancing her, he was run out of the house by Connie Francis' strict Italian father with a shotgun, breaking her heart
    • In 1959, Darin recorded the self-penned 'Dream Lover', a ballad that became a multi-million seller
    • After becoming a film actor, he appeared twice as himself in NBC's short-lived crime drama Dan Raven
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