Musicians From Washington State Quiz

Answer: Jimmie Rodgers

James Frederick Rodgers was born in Camas, Washington. His mom taught him piano and when he joined the Air Force he began forming bands. Upon his release he gained attention when performing on "Arther Godfrey's Talent Show". Roulette Records had recently formed and was looking for talent.

They signed Jimmie and recorded his version of "Honeycomb". The song remained in the Top Ten for four weeks and Jimmie became a regular on most of the television variety shows, which led to "The Jimmie Rodgers Show".

After a string of hits he switched to the Dot label and tried his hand at acting. He had his last charted single, "Child of Clay", in 1967. His enduring legacy includes Post using "Honeycomb" as part their ad campaign for Honeycomb cereal. Ramblin' Jack Elliott was born in New York, Tom Paxton is from Chicago and Doc Watson was born in Deep Gap, North Carolina.

Answer: Guns N' Roses

Guns and Roses was formed in the mid-eighties when members of two bands came together. Hollywood Rose members Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin joined up with L.A. Guns members Tracii Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner. After their first few performances bass player Ole Beich left and was replaced by Duff McKagan. Tracii Guns left the group shortly afterward and Slash came on board as the band's guitar player. Duff McKagan was born Michael Andrew McKagan.

He was originally a drummer with various bands around Seattle while honing his bass chops.

He answered an ad for a bass player which led to his relocation to Los Angeles. Bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary plays for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice in Chains featured Mike Starr on bass and Poison's bass player is Bobby Dall.

Answer: Kenny G

Kenneth Gorelick learned saxophone from a trumpet player and mostly taught himself by listening to records. He was initially rejected when he tried to join the high school jazz band. He got accepted the following year and by age 20 he was playing sax for the Love Unlimited Orchestra.

The Central Washington University rejected Kenny when he applied to get a music degree, but he persevered and got one from the University of Washington. After performing with various bands, Arista Records executive Clive Davis offered him a record deal.

He has since released several hit albums and worked with artists such as Toni Braxton, Steve Miller and Natalie Cole. Chuck Mangione is a flugelhorn player who enjoyed a big hit with "Feels so Good". Englishman Kenny Ball had a hit with "Midnight in Moscow" and John Coltrane called North Carolina home growing up.

Answer: Merrilee Rush

Merrilee grew up in the Northern Section of Seattle and took 10 years of piano studies. She played local dances and after high school fronted a number of bands. In the mid-sixties Merrilee the Turnabouts were invited to open for Paul Revere and the Raiders.

She recorded "Angel of the Morning" in 1967 and the song reached number seven on the charts. Rush was nominated for a Grammy Nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year, but she was up against Barbra Streisand, Nancy Hopkin, Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin.

The hit did lead to considerable television exposure and other recordings. Merrilee resides at a country home near Seattle and occasionally tours with nostalgia-themed revues. Melba Montgomery and Juice Newton also had successful recordings of the song. Newton's cover reached number one. Kim is from California, Sheena Easton is a Scottish singer and Yvonne Elliman was born in Hawaii.

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

Jimi grew up in Seattle with little to his name. In 1957 he saw an Elvis concert. In 1959 his dad gave him an electric guitar without an amp. He constantly practiced although, ironically, the only class he was failing at the time was music. He didn't graduate high school and after a couple of brushes with the law he enlisted to become an Army Ranger.

He was discharged after an injury reportedly ruined his hopes of being a paratrooper. Hendrix decided to move to Nashville and ended up working as a sideman for several artists and bands.

He then meandered to New York in the mid-sixties and after stints with various bands he was spotted by Animals bass player Chas Chandler, who brought him to England. Alvin Lee was with Ten Years After and also wowed the crowd at Woodstock. New York guitarist Joe Satriani gave lessons to fellow New Yorker Steve Vai.

Answer: Queensryche

Queensryche had their genesis with bands called Cross+Fire and The Mob, in Bellevue, Washington. While still called The Mob they did a number of demos. One of them was titled "Queen of the Reich" and their manager suggested they change their name. In 1981 EMI released "Queensr˙che" as a four-song EP and it reached a lukewarm number 81 on the Billboard chart.

In September, 1984, their first full-length album, "The Warning" was released and reached number 61. The band was adopting more of a glam rock persona and despite an occasional lineup change continued to crank out LPs in the nineties. "Sign of the Times" was released in 2007. Original singer Geoff Tate fronted the band into the new century. Motorhead and Whitesnake are British bands and Slayer is from California.

Answer: Keith Godchaux

Keith Godchaux had been playing with Dave Mason when he was introduced to Jerry Garcia in 1971. He joined the Grateful Dead and worked as a piano player with the band until 1979. He was adept at the Fender Rhodes piano and frequently worked out impromptu arrangements with Garcia's guitar solos.

When his days with Garcia ended, he freelanced and worked with the New Riders of the Purple Sage and wrote songs that were done by other bands. Shortly after forming the Heart of Gold Band with his wife, singer Donna, Keith died in an auto accident at the young age of 32. Lowell George of Little Feat collaborated with Keith on songs recorded by Little Feat. Alabama native Leavell starting playing keys with The Allman Brothers band and has toured with Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones. David Krusen was born in Tacoma, Washington.

He is the original drummer for Pearl Jam.

Answer: Gregg Rolie

Gregg Alan Rolie is from Seattle, Washington. In 1966 he joined Carlos Santana and others to form the Santana Blues Band. After a name change to Santana they catapulted to success and appeared at Woodstock. In the early seventies Rolie left the band and returned to Seattle to open a restaurant.

In 1973 his Santana band mate Neal Schon asked him to play keys in a new band he was forming. The band became Journey. Rolie enjoyed incredible success with Journey and left the band in 1980. He released several solo efforts including the "Greg Rolie" album in 1985.

He has formed other bands with various lineups and is a staunch advocate of musical education for children. Olympia native Calvin Johnson has formed Cool Rays, Beat Happening and The Go Team. Dylan Carlson was born in Seattle and is the front man for the metal group Earth.

The late Michael Clarke is from Spokane and was the drummer for The Byrds between 1964 and 1968.

Answer: The Ventures

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band The Ventures began when two construction workers from Tacoma decided to form a band. They got a record deal with a new label, located two other musicians and recorded "Walk Don't Run" in 1960. The song became an international success.

The Ventures released instrumental albums for the next three decades, including the theme to "Hawaii 5-0". The band was also part of the sixties surf music scene and had a hit with "Diamond Head". The list of musicians who have cited the group as an influence is virtually endless and includes such greats as George Harrison, Carl Wilson, Gene Simmons and many more. Dick Dale moved from Boston to California and got in on the surfing music craze with The Deltones. Johnny and the Hurricanes did "Red River Rock" and "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)" was by The T-Bones.

Answer: Stone Temple Pilots

The Grammy-winning Stone Temple Pilots formed in San Diego, California. Alice in Chains formed in Seattle in 1987 and is known for the vocal harmony of of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. Screaming Trees was formed in Seattle in 1985 by Mark Lanegan, Gary Lee Conner and Van Conner.

They perform a fusion of grunge, rock and psychedelic music. Forming in Seattle in 1984, Soundgarden was one of the first bands to identify with the Grunge genre and possibly one of the first Grunge bands to get a major label deal.

Their "Superunknown" album contained the Grammy Award-winning releases "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman". While Grunge gained widespread popularity in the nineties and slowly lost prominence in the forefront of the music scene, many Grunge bands continue to tour and maintain a following of hard-core fans.