Musicians Born in 1949 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bass Guitar

Bassist Gene Simmons was born in 1949, but he is not the the elder rock statesman of the original four founding members of KISS. Peter Criss was born in 1945. Paul Stanley was born in 1952 and has played rhythm guitar since Gene and Paul formed the band with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the early seventies. Ace celebrates a 1951 birthday.

They have had a succession of guitar players over the past three decades as well as a few drummers. The original members have reunited for some shows and tour occasionally.

Answer: Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor was born Gloria Fowles in 1949. In the 1960s she sang with the Soul Satisfiers. In 1975 she released "Never Can Say Goodbye", an album which set the tone for her as a disco artist. Three years later her "Love Tracks" album hit the stores. It contained "I Will Survive", which garnered her a Grammy for Best Disco Recording, the first ever in that category. After the disco era faded Gloria seemed to fade with it.

In the 1990s she acted on some television shows and was a performer for while in the Broadway show, "Smokey Joe's Cafe". Although she in known primarily for singing "I Will Survive", Gloria has charted over 25 singles between 1974 and 2008.

Yvonne Elliman was born in 1951, Evelyn King in 1961 and Donna Summer was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in 1948.

Answer: True

Guitar player William Frederick (Billy) Gibbons was born December 16, 1949, bassist Joe Michael "Dusty" Hill was born May 19, 1949 and beardless drummer Frank Lee Beard came into this rock and roll world on June 11, 1949. They are one of the very rare bands that has had the same lineup for over fifty years.

Answer: Yes

Yes formed in London in the late sixties. Bill Bruford became part of the band when it was forming because of an advertisement he placed in a local musician's magazine. While Rick Wakeman became known for his innovative keyboard solos, Yes became known for being one of the first bands to break the traditional three-minute song in favor of lengthy albums cuts.

Despite bring true to their non radio-friendly format they did chart hits including "Roundabout" (1971) and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (1983). Through the eighties and nineties the band went through some lineup changes and Rick Wakeman released grandiose solo albums.

In addition to Yes, Bruford played drums for King Crimson and Genesis as well as forming his own band called Bruford.

Answer: Robin and Maurice

Robin and Maurice share a December 22, 1949, birth date. They came into the world in Douglas on The isle of Man. In 1958 the family moved to Australia where the boys formed a band and became recognizable for their three part harmonies. Maurice played keyboards, bass and guitar.

While Robin's main contribution to the band was providing vocals, he was proficient with the piano and violin. The boys relocated to England and started charting hits, eventually settling in America where they became one of the biggest acts of the disco era. Unfortunately Maurice passed away in Miami in 2003 due to complications from an internal stomach ailment.

Other notable rock and roll twins are Chuck and John Panozzo of Styx. They share a 1948 birth date.

Answer: Steve Perry

Stephen Perry was born on January 22, 1949, in California. He developed an interest in music as a young boy. He played drums in the marching band and sang in choir. After playing in a local band for a while without any obvious future, Perry decided to work in construction.

His mom urged him to audition for Journey when the band ran an ad looking for a vocalist. He joined Journey in 1977, was first featured on their "Infinity" album the same year and went on to record nine LPs with the band. After leaving Journey, Steve release solo efforts. Power Station singer and solo artist Robert Palmer, producer Nick Lowe along with Free and Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers were also born in 1949.

Answer: Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt apparently inherited her father's vocal abilities. John Raitt was a Broadway singer. She was drawn to the guitar at a young age and became adept at using a bottleneck while playing. Warner Brothers Records signed her in 1970 and she released the album "Bonnie Raitt" for the label the following year.

The album and her follow-up albums received critical acclaim, but sales were disappointing. By the eighties she and Warner Brothers parted company. In 1989 her "Nick of Time" LP earned her three Grammys and brought her national acclaim.

She promptly followed up with another number one album, "Luck of the Draw". In 2000 Raitt became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Aretha was born in 1942, James in 1938 and Turner in 1939.

Answer: Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie was born in Tuskegee and made his name singing with the Commodores at the University of Tuskegee. He ended up at the school by virtue of a tennis scholarship. After performing with a variety of groups during his college years he became the saxophonist and a vocalist with the Commodores. In addition to honing his singing craft he began composing songs which became hits for other artists, such as 1980 Kenny Rogers hit, "Lady". He released his inevitable solo album in the early eighties. The album reached number three on the album charts and his second album earned Ritchie a pair of Grammys and a 1983 number one song, "All Night Long". It began a string of hits throughout the eighties for the talented singer and songwriter.

Jimmy Ruffin was born May 7, 1939. David Ruffin was born Davis Eli Ruffin in 1941. Marvin Gaye was born in 1939.

Answer: Eric Carmen

Eric Carmen took music seriously from a young age. He became trained at the piano and violin was self-taught on the guitar. He was involved with a couple of bands in the 1960s, and although one of the bands got a record deal with Epic, nothing significant developed. He formed The Raspberries and enjoyed success nationally with the 1972 number five hit "Please Go All the Way". After the demise of the band, Eric embarked on a successful solo career, focusing on a power ballad style.

Throughout the seventies and early eighties he released successful albums, then took a break from the music business for a while. He saw a resurgence on the charts when his recording of "Hungry Eyes" from the 1987 movie "Dirty Dancing" hit the charts. He followed up in 1988 with his own composition, "Make Me Lose Control". Since the late eighties Carmen has occasionally done concerts and worked with other artists.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and solo artist Rick Springfield all share 1949 birthdays.

Answer: Paul Schaffer

Shaffer's professional music career began in the 1970s in Toronto when he was the musical director for "Godspell". After doing other Broadway productions he was invited to be the musical director for "Saturday Night Live" when it premiered in 1975. His affiliation with the "SNL" players led to being the musical director for Gilda Radner's Broadway show and "The Blues Brothers" movie in 1979. He was unable to appear in the original Blues Brothers movie because of his commitment to doing Gilda's stage show. He began working with Letterman in 1982 and wrote the show's theme. David Letterman is two years older than Paul.

Max Weinberg is the drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and for Conan O'Brien's show. Bruce Springsteen was also born in 1949. Kevin Eubanks has led the musicians on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" since it premiered in 1992. He's just a pup, being born in 1957. Jay comes close, though. He was born in 1950. Branford Marsalis held down the music director's job for Leno from 1992-1995.