Musicians We Lost in 2009 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leaving on a Jet Plane

"Leaving on a Jet Plane" was not only the trio's first US Billboard Number One hit, it was their only Billboard Hot 100 Number One song. "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and "Blowin' in the Wind" both made it to Number Two in 1963. "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" made the Top Ten in 1967, peaking at Number Nine.
The members of the group were songwriters but they also enjoyed success with songs written by other great artists. John Denver composed "Leaving on a Jet Plane" under the title of "Oh Babe I Hate To Go" until his manager convinced him to change the name of the song.
"Blowin' in the Wind" was written and performed by Bob Dylan.
Leonard Lipton collaborated with Peter Yarrow to compose "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and Paul Stookey wrote "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" with Jim Mason and Dave Dixon.

Answer: Jeff Barry

Ellie met Jeff Barry in 1959 while she was a college student. Their mutual love of music evolved into a marriage and a songwriting team responsible for such hits as "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy". They also collaborated with Phil Spector on many hits including "Be My Baby", "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)".
Ellie collaborated with Tony Powers for several hits including "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" by Darlene Love and The Exciters' "He's Got The Power".
John Gluck, Jr. was one of the writers of Lesley Gore's hit, "It's My Party", and was instrumental in introducing Ellie to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the songwriting team that owned Red Bird Records.
Ellie sang backup on many of Neil Diamond's releases.
Ellie and Jeff also recorded singles and albums under the name The Raindrops. Ellie was only 68 when she passed away in August, 2009, of a heart attack.

Answer: Les Paul

Lester William Polsfuss was born in 1915. His parents were were related to the founders of the Valentin Blatz Brewing Company and involved in the production of the Stutz Bearcat auto. He began performing professionally in his early teens, worked with a succession of artists including Nat King Cole and shortened his name to Les Paul when he became a professional. He was not satisfied with the electric guitars of the forties and began experimenting with modifications. His innovations eventually led to the Gibson guitar company producing the Les Paul guitar in 1961. He also was a pioneer in multi-track recording, tape delaying techniques and overdubbing.
In the the late forties he teamed with a singer named Colleen Summers who adopted the stage name of Mary Ford and together they recorded such classics as "Vaya Con Dios" and briefly had their own radio show.
Leo Fender was responsible for a variety of guitars such as Telecaster and the Stratocaster. He passed away in 1991. Guitar designer Paul Reed Smith got his break when Ted Nugent's guitarist, Derek St. Holmes, played one of his prototypes.

Answer: New Lost City Ramblers

Mike Seeger was born into a musical family in New York. In his early twenties he got to know such legendary performers as Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie and John Jacob Niles when they frequently visited the Seeger household. In 1958 he formed the New Lost City Ramblers with John Cohen and Tom Paley. The group focused on reviving songs from the era of 78RPM recordings and Seeger received several Grammy nominations for his efforts. Mike passed in August of 2009 when he suspended cancer treatment. Bob Dylan cited Mike Seeger as an influence in his biography, "Chronicles, Volume One".
The New Christy Minstrels was formed by Randy Sparks in 1961. The Jim Kwestin Jug Band was a Boston area band that counted Maria Muldaur as one of their alumni. The Serendipity Singers was a nine-member folk group that formed at the University of Colorado. Seven of the original members were from The Newport Singers.

Answer: True

Texas native Dan Seals first met John Ford Coley while at W.W. Samuell High School. They both became part of a band called Southwest F.O.B. before forming the duo of England Dan and John Ford Coley. Dan earned his nickname of England Dan from his admiration of the Beatles that led him to mimic a British accent. "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" reached Number Two in 1976 and the duo followed with the Top Ten hit, "Nights Are Forever Without You". They had their final Top ten hit in 1979 with "Love Is the Answer".
In the early eighties he retained the name England Dan when he released his solo album called "Stones". Dan passed away in March, 2009, at the age of 61.
Dan Seals' brother, Jim Seals, was half of the duo, Seals and Crofts.

Answer: The Ronettes

Estelle, her sister Veronica (Ronnie) and and a cousin, Nedra Talley, began performing around their native New York City as the Darlings before changing their name to The Ronettes and backing Joey Dee and The Starlighters at The Peppermint Lounge. They came to the attention of disc jockey Murray the K and were soon dancing and singing at his local shows and backing such singers as Bobby Rydell and Del Shannon. When Phil Spector heard them he signed them to one of his labels. Their first single was called "Be My Baby" and topped out at Number Two on the US charts. They followed with many hits until they disbanded in the late sixties when Spector's Philles label folded.
Estelle then signed with Laurie Records, but when her single, "The Year 2000/The Naked Boy", failed to impact the charts she faded from the music scene. Estelle did not sing with The Ronettes when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and passed from cancer at age 67.
The Crystals were another Spector girl group that had hits such as "He's A Rebel". B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans was headed by singer Darlene Love and The Teddy Bears was a trio with Phil Spector, Marshall Leib and Annette Kleinbard as the members.

Answer: Drums

Martin was born Walter Milton Dewayne Midkiff. After a stint in the Army he backed such musicians as Charlie Rich, Patsy Cline, The Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison as a drummer. His work with Faron Young brought him to Los Angeles where he became part of the sixties music scene and was a forming member of Buffalo Springfield in 1966. He remained with the band until they split two years later. While with the band he also did session work for the Monkees.
After Buffalo Springfield disbanded he was in a band called Medicine Ball and various revivals of Buffalo Springfield.
His recent work included being in the cast of "Outlaw Radio" until he passed away from natural causes.

Answer: Lynyrd Skynyrd

Powell met bassist Leon Wilkeson while still in high school. Leon Wilkeson became the bass player for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Wilkeson invited Powell to become a roadie for the band. Powell attended a community college as a music major and when Ronnie Van Zant heard him playing while the band was setting up for a gig he asked Billy to become a member in 1972.

They signed with MCA Records the following year. Two years later "Sweet Home Alabama" hit the national charts. The group rose to national prominence but after releasing the "Street Survivors" LP in 1977 the band's chartered plane crashed near McComb, Mississippi.

Although several members of the entourage died in the crash, Billy received relatively minor injuries and was the only member of the band to be released in time to attend the funerals of his band mates.

He performed with revivals of the band until he passed at age 56 from a probable heart attack. Gregg Allman played organ for The Allman Brothers band, Michael McDonald joined The Doobie Brothers in the mid-seventies and Goldy McJohn was the original keyboardist for Steppenwolf when they formed in 1967.

Answer: Ben

In 1972 "Ben" was Michael's first solo chart topper. It was released after his 1971 Number Four solo release, "Got to Be There". "Ben" was written by Don Black and Walter Scharf for the movie score of the movie, "Ben". The song was initially offered to Donnie Osmond but Donnie was on tour and could not take time to record the song so Michael was then asked to record "Ben".

The hit song garnered a Golden Globe for "Best Song" in 1973 and Jackson performed "Ben" live at the Academy Award ceremonies when it was nominated for "Best Original Song" the same year.

He also performed it on "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour". "I'll Be There" was released by The Jackson Five and Micheal's "Rock with You" topped the charts in 1979.

Answer: Koko Taylor

Koko Taylor was born Cora Walton in Tennessee. She was the daughter of a sharecropper. In the late fifties she and her husband left Tennessee for Chicago where she began singing in Blues clubs. She was spotted by Willie Dixon who got her into larger venues and arranged for her to record "Wang Dang Doodle" for Chess Records in 1965.
She toured extensively after the record became a million-seller and over the course of her career she earned 25 W. C. Handy Awards. In May, 2009, she performed at The Blues Music Awards and passed away from complications during surgery the following month.
Etta James also recorded several other hits for Chess Records and received national fame after releasing "At Last". Ruth Brown recorded such classics as "Teardrops from My Eyes", "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and "so Long" for Atlantic Records. She passed in 2006. Bessie Smith was known as "The Empress of the Blues" in the twenties and thirties before she passed away in 1937.