The King Is Dead Trivia Quiz

Answer: David Bowie

Known as the "Thin White Duke", David Bowie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, which acknowledged a career that has seen a variety of changes and characterizations. A formidable performer, he rose to fame during the glam rock era on the back of his 1969 hit "Space Oddity" and his androgynous creation Ziggy Stardust. During the 1970's he continued to evolve with the release of his "plastic soul" album "Young Americans", which was followed by his minimalist collaboration with Brian Eno "Low".

His continued pursuit for change has seen him inspire many, so much so that in 2002 he was ranked at number 29 in a poll to identify the "100 Greatest Britons".

Answer: Miles Davis

Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, Miles Davis is one of the greatest innovators in the world of jazz. From his extensions in bebop and hard bop he set new standards in modal jazz, cool jazz and paved a trail with his experiments in jazz fusion. At times controversial and outspoken, his work has had a profound effect on rock acts such as Duane Allman, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips and Prince.

Answer: Johnny Cash

Throughout his career Johnny Cash was known as "The Man in Black" and not only was he inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he also received acknowledgement in both the Country and Gospel Halls of Fame. Primarily seen as a country singer Cash managed to use his bass-baritone to deliver distinctive renditions of rockabilly songs as well as blues, folk and gospel. Well known for such hits as "Ring of Fire" and "A Boy Named Sue", possibly his most memorable performance was a cover of the Nine Inch Nails' song "Hurt", which he recorded a year before his passing in 2003.

Answer: BB King

BB King was born Riley B King in 1925 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. "Rolling Stone" magazine afforded him an honour by naming him at number six in their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". His unique sound is a combination of traditional blues that he's also fused with moments of jazz, swing and elements of mainstream pop music. His style, which involves an economy of playing and phasing, has served as an inspiration to the likes of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.

Answer: Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond has sold in excess of a hundred million records worldwide to be one of the most successful adult contemporary artists of his time. He was awarded his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Early in his career he was a member of the famed songwriting team located in New York's Brill Building, churning out hits for such acts as The Monkees and Jay & the Americans.

In the early 1970's he moved to MCA Records where he produced a mellower sound and started a decade prolific in hits and impressive concert tours.

The most notable of these being a series of sold out concerts at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in 1972 which resulted in the live double album set "Hot August Night".

Answer: Van Morrison

George Ivan Morrison became "Van the Man" to his faithful fans. He started performing as a teenager during the 1950's, in a number of Irish showbands, before forming the band Them and releasing the classic recordings "Gloria" and "Brown Eyed Girl". A prolific writer of songs, Morrison's early sound was rooted in both soul and rhythm and blues. To this he began to fuse elements of gospel, jazz and Celtic soul. Van has been a strong influence to artists as diverse as Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen. U2's Bono has been quoted as saying "I am in awe of him".

Answer: Elton John

With the middle name of Hercules, Elton John has sold more than 250 million records across the globe. He has won Grammy, Brit, Academy and Golden Globe Awards as well as a Tony Award. His glittering career has earned him a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) and a knighthood. A crusader against AIDS he has performed at the funeral for Princess Diana and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert.

Answer: George Harrison

As part of the Beatles, George was often referred to as "The Quiet One" and appeared to be comfortable residing in the shadows of the songwriting giants that were John Lennon and Paul McCartney. After the breakup of The Beatles Harrison poured his heart into the release of his triple album set "All Things Must Pass".

The album met with both critical and commercial success and spawned the successful singles "My Sweet Lord" and "What is Life". Harrison was so moved by the plight of refugees that were the fallout of the Bangladesh Liberation War that, at the request of Ravi Shankar, he organised the now famous charity concert in Madison Square Gardens (1971) to raise money for them. Harrison succumbed to lung cancer in 2001.

Answer: Bob Marley

Bob Marley is seen as the face of reggae globally. Though he was raised as a Christian he became an ardent follower of the Rastafari movement, inspiring him to take the music from a socially deprived Jamaica and delivering it to an appreciative world. Despite forming his first band in 1964 Marley did not taste international success until his 1975 release of "No Woman, No Cry" from his "Natty Dread" album. Strong selling singles such as "Is This Love" (1978) and "One Love" (1980) soon followed. Marley passed away in 1981.

Answer: The Thrill Is Gone

It appears that BB King felt that there was room for only one King in Hallofame. (Remember that this is an alternate universe and I wouldn't dream of BB King perpetrating such a crime in the real world). The drumstick as a murder weapon was designed to throw you off the trail with King having made a name for himself as a guitar player. That leads us to the vital clue ... "Lucille".

In 1949 BB King began to name his guitars "Lucille".

The story goes that BB King was performing at a dance hall in Arkansas when a fight broke out between two men over a woman. During the ruckus they knocked over a barrel containing burning kerosene which set fire to the hall. After King had fled the building he realised that he'd left his guitar inside and rushed back inside to retrieve it. King was lucky, he survived but two people died in the blaze. The woman that the two men had fought over was named Lucille. From that point on King chose to call all his guitars by that name to remind him not to act so foolishly again. From what I could ascertain, none of our other artists had any serious link to anyone or anything named Lucille. The closest were both George Harrison and Elton John who were involved in a song called "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds".