A Few British Singers Went Into A Bar... Quiz

Answer:

Thomas Jones Woodward was born in Wales in June 1940. With a full-throated baritone voice, Tom Jones had his first number-one hit in 1965 with "It's Not Unusual". A follow-up single, "What's New Pussycat?", which became a signature song for Jones, surprisingly only reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite being a notorious ladies' man, Jones was married to his childhood sweetheart, Melinda "Linda" Trenchard, from 1957 when they were both 16 until her death from cancer in April 2016. Shortly after, Jones moved to London and sold his Los Angeles mansion which was his wife's dying wish.

John Lennon was born in Liverpool in October 1940 and was the founder and leader of The Beatles. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remained the most successful of all time even forty years after his premature and tragic death in 1980. "Imagine" was his fifth post-Beatles single, from the 1971 album of the same name. Both went to number one in the UK. The album went to number one in the US but the single made number three on the Hot 100. All the Beatles were honoured with an MBE from the Queen in 1965 but Lennon returned his medal to the Queen in 1969 as a protest of Britain's involvement in Biafra and for supporting the US in Vietnam. While it was returned, the UK government policy states "An individual may decide to renounce their honour voluntarily" but that they "would still hold the honour unless or until HM Queen annulled it." In short, John Winston Ono Lennon was still an MBE when he died in 1980. His bandmates Paul and Ringo were knighted in 2018. George died in 2001. Knighthoods are not given posthumously.

Harry Webb, born in 1940 (five days after John Lennon), in British India, became Cliff Richard in 1958 and was credited by John Lennon as having the first British rock record with "Move It" which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. "We Don't Talk Anymore" was his tenth UK number one and it reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. He was knighted in 1995. In 2022 he released his 47th UK Top Ten album, "Christmas with Cliff".

Mick Jagger was born in Dartford, Kent in 1943. Along with Keith Richards' guitar talents, Jagger's distinctive vocal style has led the Rolling Stones through over six decades of mega-success. Despite only being a modest hit in its own right in 1973, (it was originally released as the B-side to "Honky-Tonk Woman"), "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was named the 100th greatest song of all time by "Rolling Stone" magazine in its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The same magazine ranked 1971's "Wild Horses" (from "Sticky Fingers") number 334 in its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list in 2004 despite it being a US-only release single where it reached a modest 28th position on the Billboard Hot 100. Mick Jagger was knighted in 2003. He has an extinct hippopotamus and a trilobite named after him.

Roger Daltrey, born 1944 in London, was the lead singer of The Who, founding the band with Pete Townshend in 1964. While Townshend was the main songwriter, Daltrey was initially the leader and frontman of the group. "Who Are You?" was one of The Who's later hits coming from the 1978 album of the same name. It went top twenty on both sides of the Atlantic. Daltrey commenced a solo career while he was still part of the band. In 2018 he released his tenth solo album "As Long as I Have You". Since 2010 Daltrey has been diagnosed with severe hearing loss and vocal cord dysplasia, both attributed to the volumes of his singing and sound levels of The Who's concerts.

Joe Cocker, born in Sheffield in 1944 as John Robert Cocker was a blues and rock singer. He achieved almost overnight stardom with his first album "With A Little Help From My Friends" (1969) which included a cover of the Beatles song of the same name. His single reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and served as an introduction to the US market by reaching 68 on the Billboard Hot 100. Cocker received a Grammy in 1983 with Jennifer Warnes for "Up Where We Belong" which was on the "Officer and A Gentlemen" soundtrack. This was his best-selling song. He received an OBE in 2007 and died in Colorado in the US aged 70.

Rod Stewart, later Sir Roderick David Stewart, was born in London in 1945. One of the best-selling artists of all time, he has sold over 123 million records in a career that started in 1962. With his distinctive rasp of a voice he had his third UK number one with "Sailing" from his "Atlantic Crossing" album in 1975. While it did not chart in the US, his next three albums all reached the top spot in the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart. He has earned Grammy and Brit Awards. He was knighted in 2016.

Bryan Ferry, born in 1945 in Durham, formed the successful rock band Roxy Music in 1972 and led the band as lead vocalist and songwriter until disbanding the group in 1982. He had a parallel solo career which was just as successful. "Let's Stick Together" from the solo album of the same name was a 1976 top-five hit on the UK Singles Chart (it reached number one in Australia) but did not chart in the US. Praised for his smooth vocal delivery and his sartorial style, Ferry was made a CBE in 2011.

Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar in 1946, was the lead singer, main songwriter and keyboard player of Queen, one of Britain's most successful rock bands due in no small part to Mercury's showmanship and four-octave vocal range. While Mercury was their major songwriter, Queen's biggest-selling record, "Another One Bites The Dust" was penned by bass player John Deacon. With over seven million copies sold, it was a hit worldwide spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Top 100, but only reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart. Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987 and died in 1991 from pneumonia. In 2001 he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2023 his bandmate Brian May was knighted by King Charles III.

Sir Elton Hercules John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in London in 1947. One of the most acclaimed and enduring musical artists of all time, Elton John had a continual hit string of singles and albums in the early 70s with 1973's "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player" one of these. The album featured his first number-one single on both sides of the Atlantic, "Crocodile Rock". "Elderberry Wine" was the B-side that also gained significant airplay in its own right. Well known for his philanthropy work (His trust has raised over $600 million to fund HIV-related programs in over 50 countries), John was recognised for his services to charity by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998, receiving a knighthood. He was also appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour by Prince Charles in 2020. He performed his second global farewell tour in 2023.

David Bowie was born David Robert Jones in London in 1947. He was one of the innovative and influential musicians of the 20th century with a seemingly endless ability to change persona with alter egos such as Ziggy Stardust and The Thin White Duke. His main success was in the 70s but it was 1983's "Let's Dance" which was his biggest-selling single and went to number one in nearly every country it was released in. The song encompassed several genres musically, from rock, funk, dance, and new wave to post-disco. He sold over 100 million records in his lifetime which made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He was still performing and recording when he died aged 69 in 2016.

Robert Palmer was born in Batley, Yorkshire in 1949. A singer across a range of genres, he is best known for his synth-pop numbers and corresponding film clips from the 80s. "Looking for Clues" was the second song from his 1980 "Clues" album ("Johnny and Mary" was his first single). It was only a minor hit on both sides of the Atlantic but fared much better in Europe and Australia. He died prematurely in 2003 aged 54 but still managed to win two Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and an MTV Video Music Award (for Best Male Video for "Addicted to Love" in 1986).
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Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, born in 1951 near Newcastle upon Tyne, better known as Sting, was the lead singer, songwriter and bass player for The Police, a new wave rock band that existed from 1977 until 1986. "Message In a Bottle" was the lead single of the band's second album, "Regatta de Blanc" (1981). It was the band's first UK Singles Chart number one, reached the top five in Canada, Australia and New Zealand but only reached number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. He launched a solo career in 1985 which spanned a diverse portfolio of musical styles including rock, jazz, reggae, classical, and new-age. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 2003, Sting was appointed a CBE. When he won a Grammy in 2019 with Shaggy for "44/876", it was his 19th.

Phil Collins was born in London in 1951. He became Genesis' drummer in 1970 and their lead singer when Peter Gabriel left in 1975. He combined his band work with a concurrent solo career. (He was actually more successful as a solo performer.) "Another Day in Paradise" was his seventh number one as a solo performer on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989 (It reached number two in the UK). "I Can't Dance" was a top-ten hit for Genesis in 1991. Before he retired (for the first time) in 2015, he had won eight Grammy Awards, six Brit Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and one Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2000.

Elvis Costello was born Declan McManus in London in 1954 and was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. His first hit was "Watching the Detectives" in 1977. It reached number 15 on the UK Singles chart and was a modest hit on the US, Canadian and Australian charts.
He has won multiple awards including two Grammy Awards (1999 and 2020) and was twice nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. A year later, "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked Costello at number 80 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In the 2019 Birthday Honours List, Costello was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in Middlesex in 1963. Michael's first single as a solo act (after Wham!), "Careless Whisper" (1984) was a global hit and reached number one in the US, UK and 20 other countries. Including Wham! songs he had 13 number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart, ten of which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. In his lifetime he earned two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame after he passed away in 2016 aged 53.