Is He/She Really That Old? #1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joan Armatrading

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Joan Armatrading was born in Basseterre, Saint Kitts in the Caribbean in December 1950, making her a full four years or more younger than the others. Of the others, the incredible Dolly Parton is the oldest, born January 19, 1946 in Sevierville TN. The most successful female country singer of all time with a record 26 #1 hits, she was inducted into the 'Country Music Hall of Fame' in 1999.

Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd was born in Cambridge on March 6, 1946. He is the youngest member of the group -- Syd Barrett was two months older, born in January 1946, Nick Mason was born in 1944, and Roger Waters and Richard Wright both in 1943. The inimitable Neville John Holder MBE was the vocalist and main songwriter for 70s Birmingham-based glam rock band Slade. Holder nd fellow band-members Dave Hill and Don Powell were all born in 1946, with Jimmy Lea the baby of the group, born three years later.

Answer: Barry White

The multiple Grammy winner Barence Eugene Carter (aka Barry White) was born in Galveston TX in September 1944, a full five years after the other three. Pianist/singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka is the oldest of the four, born in Brooklyn NY in March 1939.

Soul singer Marvin Gaye, who died tragically in 1984, was a native of Washington DC and two weeks younger than Sedaka. Anna Mae Bullock was born in Nutbush TN in November 1939, and made her name as the Grammy Award winning, singer/songwriter, dancer and sex symbol Tina Turner. And, yes, she really is that old.

Answer: Cindi Lauper

Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper was born in Queens NY in 1953. Her 1983 album 'She's So Unusual' was the first album ever to produce four Top 5 US singles. Curiously, the album itself only got to #4. Believe it or not, the youngest of the four is Donny Osmond (doesn't it seem like he's been around forever?) Born in December 1957 in Ogden UT, he was only 14 when he topped the US singles chart with 'Go Away Little Girl' in 1971. He then took Britain by storm a year later with 'Puppy Love'.

Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García was born in Havana, Cuba in September 1957. She first made her name as the leader of 'Miami Sound Machine' and then as solo superstar Gloria Estefan. John Simon Ritchie was a Londoner born in May 1957. He became world famous as Sid Vicious when he replaced Glen Matlock as bassist for punk band The Sex Pistols in the late 1970s. At the age of 21, in 1979, he died of a heroin overdose while out on bail for the murder of his girlfriend.

Answer: Reba McEntire

Born in March 1955 in McAlester OK, Reba McEntire is the youngster in this bunch. Even so, the 'Queen of Country' has sold more than 55 million albums worldwide in a career spanning more than 30 years. She is second only to Dolly Parton as the female country singer with the most #1 hits, and the two are tied for the most Top 10 singles.

Billy Joel is the old man in this foursome, born in the Bronx NY in May 1949. Nicknamed 'The Piano man' he was inducted into the 'Rock & Roll Hall of Fame' in 1999. Lionel Richie was born in Tuskegee AL a month after Joel. He became the lead singer for The Commodores in 1968. He launched his solo career with a self-title debut album in 1982. Mark Knopfler OBE was born in Glasgow, Scotland in August 1949. One of the all-time great guitarists, his distinctive sound arising from the absence of a plectrum, he founded Dire Straits with his brother, David, in 1977.

Answer: Ronan Keating

Ronan Keating was born in Dublin, Ireland, in March 1977. He joined Boyzone at the age of 17 before eventually becoming an established solo artist. In 2007, the 'Guinness Book of Records' identified Keating as the first artist ever to have 30 consecutive releases make it into at least the Top 10 in the UK singles chart.

Born in February 1974 in Stoke-on-Trent, Robert Peter Maximilian Williams is the oldest of this foursome. His career began in 1990 as a member of Take That, and he launched his solo career five years later. He was inducted into the 'UK Music Hall of Fame' in 2004. Victoria Caroline Adams, born April 1974 in Harlow in Essex, found fame first as 'Posh Spice' and then as Mrs. David Beckham. Singer/songwriter/actress Alanis Morissette is a native of Ottawa, Canada. Her 1995 album 'Jagged Little Pill' is still the best-selling debut album by a female solo artist in the US, and the most successful debut album of any description worldwide. Morissette is the best-selling female rock artist in music history (according to RIAA).

Answer: Bono

Paul David Hewson was born in May 1960 in Dublin, Ireland. While at school, he met the future members of U2, which he formed when he was 16. It was there, too, that he also acquired his nickname, Bono.

The youngest of this foursome is Whitney Houston, born in Newark NJ in August 1963. She began as a model but released her self-title debut album in 1985. Her second album, 'Whitney' in 1987, was the first by a female solo artist to debut at #1 on the US album chart. She scored her hist US #1 single with 'Saving All Your Love for Me' in 1985. In 1988, when 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go' made it to #1, she established a new record with seven consecutive releases hitting the top spot. The previous record of six had been shared between The Beatles and The Bee Gees. Not bad company for a girl from Newark!

Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, born in London of Greek parents in June 1963. George Michael began his musical career fronting 'Wham!'. His first solo album, 'Faith' in 1987, became the first album even to produce six US Top 5 singles. Tragically, Eva Marie Cassidy never knew she was world famous. Born in Washington DC in February 1963, she died of a melanoma aged just 33. A compilation of her recordings was released in 1998 under the appropriate title 'Songbird', and five years after her death it reached #1 in the UK album chart.

Answer: Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany GA in September 1930. A pianist and singer, Frank Sinatra once described his as 'the only true genius in the business'. He was married twice but fathered 12 children by nine different mothers. He died in 2004 aged 73.

James Brown is the youngest of this foursome, born Branwell SC on May 3, 1933. Nicknamed 'The Godfather of Soul' and 'The King of Funk', he died in Atlanta GA on Christmas Day 2006 aged 73. Willie Nelson was born in Abbot TX just three days before Brown. Now well into his 70s, this iconic country music star continues to perform regularly. Yoko Ono was born in Tokyo, Japan in February 1933. An artist and a musician, she will always be best remembered as John Lennon's widow.

Answer: Liam Gallagher

William John Paul Gallagher was born in Manchester in September 1972. As the lead singer of Oasis, Liam was a key figure in the 1990s 'Britpop' movement. Sadly, though, it will probably be for his attitude and his antics that he will ultimately be best remembered. Canadian Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan is the oldest of this foursome, born in Halifax NS in January 1968. Her 1997 album, 'Surfacing', debuted at #1 or #2 in album charts around the world.

Another Canadian, Céline Marie Claudette Dion, was born in Charlemagne PQ on March 30, 1968. The future superstar first came to the attention of an international audience when she won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest representing Switzerland. Kylie Minogue OBE was born in Melbourne, Australia two months after Dion. She launched her international singing career on the back of fame found as female garage mechanic Charlene Mitchell in 'Neighbours'. The 1987 episode in which she married Jason Donovan's character attracted a staggering 20 million viewers.

Answer: Peter Gabriel

Peter Brian Gabriel was born in Cobham, Surrey in February 1950. He founded Genesis in 1967 with friends from Charterhouse School. When he left the band in 1975, there future was in serious doubt until former drummer Phil Collins took up the vocal duties. His first four solo albums were all titled 'Peter Gabriel' and are differentiated only by the imaginative subtitles (1, 2, 3 and 4). Ann Griselda Lennox, born in Aberdeen, Scotland on Christmas Day 1954, is the youngest of this group. She has sold in excess of 80 million albums worldwide, first as a member of the 1980s duo with Dave Stewart, 'Eurythmics', and then as a solo artist.

Stevie Ray Vaughan, arguably the greatest blues-rock guitarists ever, was born in Dallas TX on October 3, 1954. On August 26, 1990, SRV's band, Double Trouble, played a concert with Eric Clapton near East Troy WI. After the show, there was a spare seat on the helicopter taking Clapton's crew back to Chicago. The helicopter crashed into a ski slope less than a mile after takeoff killing all on board. Actor, singer, dancer, superstar John Joseph Travolta was born in Englewood NJ on February 18, 1954. He has been married to Hawaiian-born actress and model Kelly Preston since 1991 -- one of Hollywood's more stable relationships!

Answer: David Bowie

David Robert Jones was born in Brixton, London in January 1947. Although not his first single release, David Bowie's first success was 'Space Oddity', which was released to coincide with the July 1969 launch of Apollo 11. The single reached only #5 in the UK, and although he had six Top 10 singles over the next five years, it was 'Space oddity' that provided him his first #1 hit when it was re-released in 1975. His first US #1 had come earlier that same year, with 'Fame'.

Janis Lyn Joplin, born in Port Arthur TX on January 19, 1943, is the oldest of this foursome. A blues-rock singer/songwriter, she achieved cult status before dying of a drug overdose in Los Angeles aged just 27. Barry Alan Pincus was born in Brooklyn NY in June 1943. As Barry Manilow, he released his first album in 1973. Five years later, he had five releases in the US album chart simultaneously, equaling the record established by Frank Sinatra and later also tied by Johnny Mathis. Sir Michael Philip Jagger was born in Dartford, Kent in July 1943. He formed a band with his school friend Keith Richard and they made their debut under the name 'Rolling Stones' at the Marquee Club in London just two weeks before Jagger's 19th birthday. Two years later, the band was named in opinion polls as England's most popular, with more votes than The Beatles.