Sing Me a Number Trivia Quiz

Answer: Paul Simon

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" was both written and recorded by Paul Simon. Phoebe Snow, Pattie Austin and Valerie Simpson were the back-up vocals. This song was Paul Simon's biggest hit. It rose to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song reached number one in Canada, number two in France and number 23 on the UK Singles Chart. It has been covered many times.

Paul Frederick Simon was born in October 1941 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He had many hit songs with the duo, Simon & Garfunkel, with Art Garfunkel, who he met when they were both 11 years old and started singing together when they were 13. Simon wrote and recorded over 25 songs between 1957 and 1964. He and Garfunkel released a few singles originally as "Tom and Jerry".

He wrote and produced a Broadway musical and has appeared in films and on television. He has won at least 12 Grammy Awards and was nominated for an Oscar. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once as half of Simon and Garfunkel, and one as a solo artist. In 2011 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Science.

Answer: Tennessee Ernie Ford

"Sixteen Tons" was (purportedly) written by Merle Travis and first recorded by him in 1946. However folk-singer/songwriter George Davis, claimed to have written this song in the 1930s, Travis had been a coal miner as was his father before him. The song was recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford (as the B side of "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry) but it became more popular and reached number one on the Billboard country music chart then crossed over and again rose to number one on the Billboard pop music chart. Although the song was released in the UK by English singer Johnny Desmond, the version by Ford reached number one on the UK singles chart in 1956, beating out recordings of this song by Edmund Hockridge and Frankie Laine.

Ernest Jennings Ford was born on 13 February 1919 in Bristol, Tennessee. He began his career as a radio announcer and then studied classical singing at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Ohio. During World War II he was a First Lieutenant and was a bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress. After the War he returned to radio and took the name "Tennessee Ernie" and worked as a vocalist in various bands at night-time. In 1949 he signed his first contract and released an estimate 50 country singles during the 1950s. He quit his radio job and hosted a TV show in 1954. He had a hit with "Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier", which had considerable success, and followed up with "Sixteen Tons". He became a very heavy drinker and died on 17 October 1991. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.

Answer: Ringo Starr

"You're Sixteen" was first performed by Johnny Burnette and in December 1960 his recording reached number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and rose to number three on the UK chart the following year. Ringo Starr recorded a cover of this song on his album "Ringo". It was release as a single in 1973 in the US and rose to number one. Paul McCartney can be heard on this record with a "kazoo" sounding solo. Backing vocals were provided by Harry Nilsson.

John Joseph Burnette was born in 1934 in Memphis, Tennessee. He formed a group "The Rhythm Rangers in 1952 with his brother Dorsey Burnette and friend Paul Burlison. They moved to New York and won a talent contest, a recording contract, and changed their name to "The Rock and Roll Trio". They appeared on "Dick Clark's American Bandstand, Steve Allen's "Tonight Show", and Perry Como's "Kraft Music Hall". They also toured with Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins. The Trio disbanded in 1957, as they failed to win any chart success. In 1958 Johnny was contracted with Freedom Records as a solo artist, and then with Liberty Records, where he had success on the charts. In 1963 he moved to Capitol Records. He drowned on the 14 August 1964, when his fishing boat was hit by a cabin cruiser on Clear Lake, California. He was only 30 years old.

Richard Starkey MBE was born in Liverpool, England on 7 July 1940. He is a musician, singer and songwriter. He was originally a member of the Liverpool group "Rory Storm and the Hurricanes", but in 1962 he left that band and joined the Beatles. As the old saying goes "the rest is history".

Answer: Meat Loaf

"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" was a track from Meat Loaf's 1977 album "Bat Out of Hell" and was a million-selling Gold single for him. He also had some success with his song "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" which also came from his 1977 album. That album sold an estimated 43 million copies worldwide, and it is estimated that approximately 200,000 copies are still being sold each year. It is purportedly one of the best selling albums of all time, having stayed on the charts for over nine years. The song was recorded by Bonnie Tyler in 1996, and rose to number four on the Billboard Hot Dance Breakout Sales chart.

Michael Lee Aday (Meat Loaf) was born in Dallas Texas, on 27 September, 1947. He is a musician and actor. His first film role was in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) where he played the character Eddy. He has appeared in nearly 40 movies (sometimes playing himself), and has appeared on many TV shows also as himself and other characters. He was in the cast of "Hair" on Broadway and also "Rocky Horror" and other Broadway shows. Meat Loaf has recorded more than ten studio albums, at least six live albums and more than 17 compilation albums. He won a Gramm Award in 1993 for "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" for "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Wont Do That)".

Answer: Janis Ian

"At Seventeen" was both written and recorded by Janis Ian and appeared on her 1975 album "Between the Lines". The recording rose to number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number 3 on the Pop Singles chart. At the 1976 Grammy Awards, Janis Ian won the Grammy for the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The song received two further nominations for "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year". In the song Ian sang about when, as a teenager, never having received a Valentine's Day Card. On Valentine's Day in 1977 she received 461 cards.

Janis Eddy Fink (Janis Ian) was born in New York City on 7 April 1951. As well as being a singer-songwriter, she is an author, musician, and columnist. She wrote and sang her first hit "Society's Child" when she was only 13 years old. Nearly 40 years after winning her Grammy Award for "At Seventeen" she received another Grammy in 2013 for "Best Spoken Word Album" for her autobiography "Society's Child".

Answer: "9 to 5" - Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton wrote and recorded "9 to 5" for the 1980 movie of the same name. She had a number one hit with the song in the US. In fact, she was only the second woman to have a number one hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Country Singles with the same song, at the same time. (The first woman to do this was Jeannie C Riley with "Harper Valley PTA", in 1968).

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in Tennessee, USA, on 19 January 1946. She is best known for her country music and she is also an actress, songwriter, author, musician and philanthropist. She has had at least 25 number one songs on the Billboard Country charts, so far the most for any female singer. Over the last 30 years she has had 110 singles that have charted, and her recordings have sold in excess of 100 million worldwide. She has received at least 46 Grammy nominations and won at least eight. As well as receiving two Academy Award nominations, she has been nominated for and won many, many music awards. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. She has written songs for many other artists such as "I Will Always Love You", recorded by Whitney Houston. Her first starring role in a film was in "9 to 5" for which she received two Golden Globe nominations. Some of her films are: "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1982); "Steel Magnolias" (1989); and "Straight Talk" (1992), to name but a few. Through her Dollywood Foundation, she supports, and raises money for many charities.

On 14 April 2004 Dolly Parton was awarded the "Living Legend Medal" by the US Library of Congress for "her contributions to the cultural heritage of the United States", and in 2005 she received the "National Medal of Arts", the highest honour given by the US government for "excellence in the arts" and is presented by the President of the US. As well as being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, she is a member of many other Halls of Fame. For her philanathropic work she has received many accolades and awards.

Answer: Nat King Cole

"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" was written by Bobby Troup, who said he was inspired to write it when travelling from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles. The cities mentioned in the lyrics are those along the famous Route 66, which passes through, just to mention a few places, St Louis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Gallup, Flagstaff and San Bernadino. Nat King Cole's 1946 single charted on both the US R&B and Pop charts. Cole again recorded the song in 1958 and then once again in 1961. The song has been covered many times by such artists as Aerosmith, Chuck Berry, the Manhattan Transfer, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mel Torme, Jane Powell, and the Rolling Stones, just to name a few. The song has also featured on the soundtracks of several movies.

Nathaniel Adams Coles (Nat King Cole) was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on 17 March 1919, and his family moved to Chicago when he was four years old. His father was a Baptist Minister and his mother taught him to play the church organ, and he took formal lessons when he was about 12. When he was a teenager he formed his first band with his older brother Eddie, and they played in clubs and made their first recording. Along with two other musicians, Cole formed the "King Cole Swingers" and he began to sing between instrumental numbers. In 1942 he recorded Straighten Up and Fly Right" which sold over 500,000 copies. His TV show "The Nat King Cole Show" debuted in November 1956, and was the first TV variety show hosted by an African-American. He sold many millions of records and had hits with "Smile", "Pretend", "A Blossom Fell", "Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup", "Let There Be Love", Ramblin' Rose, and "Those Lay-Hazy Crazy Days of Summer", to name a few. In January 1964 he underwent surgery to remove his left lung, (he had been a heavy smoker during his life), but he died in hospital on 18 February 1964. He was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into several Halls of Fame and a United States postage stamp was issued in 1994 featuring Nat King Cole.

Answer: Gene Pitney

"24 Hours from Tulsa" was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and was recorded by Gene Pitney in 1963. This single did better for him in the UK (reaching number 5) than in the US, where it only managed 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bacharach and David collaborated with Pitney on three other songs, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "The Fool Killer" and "If I Never Get To Love You". The song tells the story of a man who is driving and is only 24 hours from Tulsa and his girlfriend, when he stops for something to eat and meets a woman with whom he instantly falls in love.

Gene Francis Alan Pitney was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on 17 February 1940. He had many hits around the world including "If I Didn't Have a Dime", "Only Love Can Break a Heart", "Mecca", and "It Hurts to be in Love", to name but a few. Pitney was also a song-writer, some of his songs being "He's a Rebel" recorded by the Crystals, "Rubber Ball" for Bobby Vee, and "Hello Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson. He also wrote his first hit single, "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away". His career continued into the 90s and 2000s. In March 2002 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Whilst on a tour of the UK, he died in a hotel room in Cardiff, Wales, from a heart attack. He was 66 years old.

Answer: The Clovers

"Love Potion No 9" was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and recorded by the Clovers in 1959. Their single reached number 23 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B chart, and was their biggest hit. In 1965 the song was recorded by The Searches and their version rose to number 3 on the US Charts. The Tygers of Pan Tang's 1982 version only made it to number 45 on the UK pop chart.

"The Clovers" were one of the biggest selling acts during the 1950's. They were a rhythm and blues/Doo-wop vocal group formed at a High School in Washington DC in 1946, originally as the Four Clovers. After changes to the line-up the group became known as The Clovers in 1951. The group broke up in 1961 and two new groups were formed, but they reformed in 1963. Group members changed over the next 40 years with The Clovers still performing. The group has been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Doo Wopp Hall of Fame and the R&B Music Hall of Fame.

Answer: Dawn

Tony Orlando and Dawn hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in January 1971 with "Knock Three Times". It reached number two on the Billboard Easy Listening survey and went on to sell over six million copies. In fact, in New York City alone, it sold approximately 100,000 copies a day for ten consecutive days. The song rose to number one in Australia, Canada and New Zealand and was a top 10 hit in several other countries

Tony Orlando and Dawn (also known as Dawn featuring Tony Orlando) were formed in New York City in 1970. They had several hits including "Candida", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", and "Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose". In 1974 they had a television variety show in the US on CBS, which aired until 1976, when the group split up and went their separate ways. They re-formed in 1988, presumably for a five-week tour, but they stayed together until 1993, again going their separate ways. However, they still come together from time-to-time for television and benefit performances. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2008.