Who's in the Band? Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Sergeant Pepper is, of course, mentioned as the leader of the band that everyone belongs to in both the album's opening title track and in the reprise that comes towards the end of side two. The idea of the band came to Paul McCartney on the Beatles' final American tour. He wanted to "lose our identities, submerge ourselves in the persona of a fake band" to give themselves greater creative freedom. The name of Sergeant Pepper apparently came from a misheard request from Beatles roadie Mal Evans who asked McCartney to pass him the salt and pepper.

"The one and only Billy Shears" of "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is introduced at the end of the title track as the singer of the next song, "With a Little Help from My Friends". The song is actually sung by Ringo Starr, who chose Billy as his pseudonym in Sergeant Pepper's band. The name was chosen simply because it rhymed with "years" in the lyrics.

Famously rumoured to be a coded reference to lysergic acid diethylamide, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was in fact inspired by the title given by Julian Lennon to a painting he made at his nursery school. Who the Lucy was that was depicted in the painting is a matter of debate. One suggestion is a school friend of Julian's called Lucy O'Donnell. Another is Lucy Cook, the daughter of legendary comedian Peter Cook, who was a frequent guest at the Lennon home. The imagery in the lyrics, such as "plasticine porters with looking glass ties" is said to be inspired by Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass".

"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" was inspired by John Lennon's purchase of a Victorian circus poster from an antiques shop in Kent, whilst filming a promo for "Strawberry Fields Forever". From the poster he took the names of the titular Mr. Kite, Pablo Fanque ("late of Pablo Fanque's fair"), the Hendersons ("The Hendersons will all be there") and invented Henry the Horse ("and of course, Henry The Horse dances the waltz") - replacing the poster's Zanthus the horse.

Vera, Chuck and Dave are the three "grandchildren on your knee" that the singer imagines in his future with the girl to whom he is singing the love song "When I'm Sixty-Four". The song was written by Paul McCartney before The Beatles were even formed and was performed live by them in their early days with just acoustic instruments whenever their amps stopped working. The three grandchildren were not in the original song but the names were dreamt up by John Lennon when a rhyme was needed for "we shall scrimp and save".

Rita is the eponymous meter maid from "Lovely Rita". At first, according to one version of the history of the song, McCartney had Rita as an anti-hero, inspired by his annoyance at receiving a parking ticket outside Abbey Road studios in London. But the song was changed to a more upbeat and affectionate version by the time it made it to the album.

The wrong answers are Maxwell Edison from "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" on the "Abbey Road" album, Doris from "Two of Us" and Loretta Martin from "Get Back", both on "Let It Be", Molly Jones from "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da" and Martha from "Martha My Dear", both from "The White Album".