Birth Names of Famous Musicians Quiz

Answer: Cilla Black

Cilla Black's "You're My World" peaked at Number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Cilla began singing at The Cassanova Club in Liverpool as "Swinging Cilla", and occasionally sang as a guest artist with many Merseybeat bands of the sixties. She was mistakenly listed as Cilla Black in a music magazine and liked the name. She worked as a coat check girl at the Cavern Club, and was eventually signed by Brian Epstein at the urging of John Lennon. Her debut single was a Lennon/McCartney tune called "Love of the Loved". Although she appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show", she did not follow up with extensive touring so "You're My World" became her only US hit.

Lulu was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie. Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien used the stage name Dusty Springfield and Shapiro was born Helen Kate Shapiro.

Answer: Lou Christie

Lou Christie was upset with his label for using the name Lou Christie before consulting him. He had recorded unsuccessful singles as Lugee and The Lions, and wanted to record as a solo artist using the name Lugee. Christie hit the airways in 1963 with "The Gypsy Cried" and "Two Faces Have I". Two years later he topped the US charts with "Lightnin' Strikes" and followed up with two more US Top Forty singles in the sixties. In 1974 Christi released a Country album entitled "Beyond The Blue Horizon".

Frankie Valli was born Frank Castelluccio. Anthony Gourdine used the stage name Little Anthony. Dickey Lee's birth name was Dickey Lipscomb.

Answer: Olive

Olive Marie Osmond was never officially a part of the singing family group, but did appear occasionally on stage with them and hosted a television show in the seventies with her brother Donny. She reached Number One on the Country charts in 1973 with her version of Anita Bryant's hit "Paper Roses". The following year she released two Pop duets with her brother Donny. Osmond tried her hand at acting, and turned down the role of Sandy in "Grease" over concerns about the script. In 1985 she replaced Jack Palance as host of "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" and had various roles on made-for-television movies. In the nineties she appeared in "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music" on Broadway.

Teresa Breuer altered her name to Brewer. Florencia Cardona was Vikki Carr's birth name and Kiki Dee was named Pauline Mathews.

Answer: Skeeter Davis

Skeeter Davis began singing with a group of unrelated girls in high school and at church calling themselves The Davis Sisters. Skeeter and another member of the group began singing as a duo and were signed with RCA Records in the early fifties. The pair released successful singles before a car crash derailed their career.
Skeeter returned to RCA as a solo artist and began working with Chet Atkins, producing songs using double tracked harmonies. In 1959 she was nominated for a Grammy for "Set Him Free", and joined The Grand Ole Opry. After releasing a variety of moderately successful singles she achieved major success with "The End of the World".

Brenda Gail Webb recorded using the name Crystal Gayle. Bobbie Gentry changed her name from Roberta Lee Streeter and Clara Ann Fowler assumed the name Patti Page when she began singing on radio for a show sponsored by Page Milk Company.

Answer: True

New Orleans native Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr. had his first million-selling national chart success in 1949 with a song called "The Fat Man". With a small cadre of talented session players, he released a string of successful singles through the fifties, including "I'm Walkin'", "Ain't That a Shame", "Blue Monday and "All By Myself".

The closest he came to having a Number One hit was when "Blueberry Hill" reached Number two in 1956. Fats changed labels in 1963 just before the British Invasion and his chart success ended.

He appeared in "Shake Rattle and Rock!" (1956) and "The Girl Can't help It" the following year. In 1979, he had a brief appearance singing in Clint Eastwood's movie "Any Which Way You Can".

Answer: Don and Juan

Don and Juan became one-hit wonders when their recording of "What's Your Name" made it to Number Seven on Big Top Records. Claude Johnson had been working with with a Doo-Wop group named the Genies who had one minor hit called "Who's That Knockin'". After failing to have any further successful singles they were dropped from their label. Trone and Johnson took work as house painters until an agent got them signed with Big Top Records. After "What's Your Name" hit the Top Ten they followed up with a minor hit called "Magic Wand" then continued to record into the sixties without another successful release.

McHouston Baker and Sylvia Vanderpool recorded as Mickey and Sylvia. Clyde Battin and Gary Paxton formed Skip and Flip. Dale Houston and Grace Broussard had hits as Dale and Grace with "I'm Leaving It Up to You" (1963) and "Stop and Think It Over" (1964).

Answer: George Michael

George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in North London. His Greek father moved to England in the fifties and became a restauranteur. George met Andrew Ridgeley while attending Bushey Meads School and they developed a mutual interest in music. By 1981 they had formed Wham! and by the time their second album, "Make It Big", was released it reached Number One in the US, and spawned such hits as "Careless Whisper" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go". In 1987 George Michael embarked on a solo career and recorded a duet with Aretha Franklin, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)".

Cat Stevens was born Steve Georgiou. Farouk Bulsara changed his name to Freddie Mercury when he began singing with Queen. David Bowie changed his name from David Robert Jones so he wouldn't be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees.

Answer: Gene Chandler

In 1957 Eugene Dixon joined a vocal group calling themselves The Dukays. A stint in the military interrupted his singing career and he joined up with the group upon parting with the military. They released "The Girl Is a Devil" in 1961 then recorded four other songs for future release including "Duke of Earl". Vee-Jay Records marketed "Duke of Earl" as a solo hit and changed Dixon's name to Gene Chandler. The song stayed at Number One for three weeks and Chandler appeared in the 1962 movie "Don't Knock the Twist". When he tired of touring in support of his recording, Gene switched to producing and worked in recording and performing projects with Eric Clapton, Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions. In 1970 he recorded the Number 12 hit "Groovy Situation".

Robbie Dupree was named Robert Dupuis. Jalacy J. Hawkins put on a wild stage show as Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Ernest Kador altered his name to Ernie K-Doe when he released "Mother in Law".

Answer: Billy Ocean

Billy Ocean was born Leslie Charles in Trinidad. His father was a musician, and the family relocated to London where Billy began singing in local clubs taking his name from the neighborhood where he lived called Ocean Estate. In 1972 he released an eponymous debut album which yielded a successful single in England. He continued writing songs and released his "Suddenly" album containing "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)" in 1984. Four years later he released another hit from his "Tear Down These Walls" album, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car".

Billy Idol's real name was William Broad. Robert Peapo Bryson was the given name for Peabo Bryson. "Major Tom (Coming Home)" was a 1984 release by Peter Schilling.

Answer: Rudy Martinez

With Rudy Martinez singing "96 Tears", the Mysterions had a Number One Hit on their hands in 1966. The group took their name from a 1957 Japanese thriller titled "The Mysterians". Guitarist/drummer Robert Martinez invited his brother Rudy to join the band after it had formed. Ironically Robert was drafted and had to depart from the band leaving Rudy to front the band. Rudy originally wrote "96 Tears" as "Too Many Teardrops". After the song was recorded in a makeshift studio, Martinez aggressively promoted the record to local Disc Jockeys and "96 Tears" became a regional hit in Michigan. Cameo-Parkway Records assumed the recording and marketed the single nationally.

Baldemar G. Huerta was better known as Freddie Fender. Christopher Montanez shortened his name to Chris Montez. Domingo Samudio sang in a turban as Sam the Sham.