Musicians who Passed in 2020 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The First Edition

Kenny Rogers' career began as a teen Pop singer in 1957 with "That Crazy Feeling" before joining a Jazz group called the Bobby Doyle Three until the mid sixties. In 1966 Kenny became a member of the New Christy Minstrels playing bass and singing. Members of the group joined Rogers in forming The First Edition the following year. After working with The First Edition until they disbanded in 1976 he released a solo album titled "Love Lifted Me" the same year. The title track dented the US charts at Number 97. In 1980 "Lady" became his first US chart topper.
In 1978 his recording of the US Number 16 single "The Gambler" led to acting roles including "Kenny Rogers as The Gambler" (1980) and "Six Pack" (1982). Rogers was 81 when he passed at his Sandy Springs, Georgia, home.
Holy Modal Rounders was a New York based sixties psychedelic group. The Limeliters launched the career of Glen Yarbrough and LA based The Rose Garden was active in the mid-sixties.

Answer: The Supremes

Barbara Martin was a Detroit native along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard when she joined the Primettes in 1960 with Greenville, Mississippi, native Mary Wilson. She replaced Betty McGlown who had been an original member when the group formed the year before.

After Martin joined the quartet they signed a contract with Motown as The Supremes. The girls sang backing vocals on Motown recordings until releasing their debut album in 1962 titled "Meet the Supremes". Barbara became pregnant and left the group after the release of the album leaving the girls to carry on as a trio.

She went on to earn a psychology degree. She was 76 when she passed in March, 2020. The Velvelettes had a Number 45 single with "Needle in A Haystack" in 1964. The same year Martha and the Vandellas released the US Number Two "Dancing in the Street".

In 1961 The Marvelettes released Motown's first Number One single, "Please Mr. Postman".

Answer: True

Woking, Surrey, England native Ian Timothy Whitcomb began working in a Skiffle group in 1957 and later formed a Rock and Roll band called The Ragtime Suwanee Six in 1959. He later worked with a band called Bluesville. "You Turn Me On" (1965) was an improvised song recorded as Ian Whitcomb and Bluesville for Tower Records.

When the song reached Number Eight in the US Whitcomb began supporting such acts as The Kinks, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones. He followed up with the US Number 59 "N-E-R-V-O-U-S!".

After his fourth album he retired from performing but remained active in the industry as a producer while also acting, producing documentaries and writing books including "Rock Odyssey: A Chronicle of the Sixties: Ian Whitcomb" (1983). He settled in California where he played accordion and ukulele with his band, The Bungalow Boys, before passing in April, 2020.

Answer: The Mindbenders

Glyn Geoffrey Ellis took his stage name from the name of Elvis' drummer D.J. Fontana. In 1963 he formed The Mindbenders and eventually signed with Fontana Records. The band name was derived from a 1963 film of the same name. They hit the top of the US charts in 1965 for one week with the Clint Ballard Jr. composition "Game of Love" but were never able to repeat the success of the song. Wayne left the group later the same year but remained with Fontana Records. He left the music business in 1975 after failing to achieve chart success. He performed in oldies revival shows until he died in August, 2020, at the age of 74.
The Mindbenders remained together with guitarist Eric Stewart as lead vocalist and released a US Number Two single "Groovy Kind of Love (1965). Stewart went on to form 10CC with Graham Gouldman.
Guitarist Dick Taylor of The Pretty Things was an early bass player for The Rolling Stones. The Merseybeats released "I Think Of You" in the early sixties. The Shadows backed Cliff Richards.

Answer: The Four Seasons

Before becoming part of The Four Seasons Gaetano "Tommy" DeVito had success when he performed "You're the Apple of My Eye" on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1956 with The Four Lovers. The Belleville, New Jersey, native learned guitar and left school in the eighth grade to begin playing music with a number of local bands. DeVito joined Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi backing Bob Crewe.

In 1961 they left Crewe and formed The Four Seasons, releasing the unsuccessful single "Bermuda". Bob Gaudio composed "Sherry" which went to Number One on Vee-Jay Records in 1962. "Sherry" was followed by a string of hits but in 1965 the group underwent personnel changes when Massi parted ways. DeVito grew weary of touring and left five years later.

In 1990 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2005 DeVito joined Valli and Gaudio for the Broadway premiere of "Jersey Boys", a play about the group.

He was 92 when he passed in 2020. The Ad Libs formed in Bayonne, New Jersey,and had a 1965 single titled "The Boy from New York City".

The Happenings from Paterson, New Jersey,formed in 1966 and had success with "See You in September". Joey Dee and the Starliters formed in Lodi, New Jersey, and released "The Peppermint Twist" in 1961.

Answer: I Am Woman

Helen Maxine Reddy was born in Melbourne, Australia, into a show business family. Her father served as a troop entertainer in WWII and her mother acted in television and on stage. When she was four Helen joined her parents on stage. She didn't want to be a performer and married when she was young becoming a single mother after her divorce.

She turned to singing to support herself and her daughter and got a chance to go to New York for an audition. She didn't pass the audition but remained in America eventually relocating in Los Angeles releasing "I Don't Know How to Love Him" in 1971 for Capitol Records.

The following year "I Am Woman" garnered Helen a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and became the first of three US Number One singles between 1972 and 1974.

In addition to performing live and on television shows she also acted on stage and in films including "Airport 1975" and "Pete's Dragon" (1977). Helen Reddy died in September, 2020, in Los Angeles at age 78.

Answer: The Great Society

Gerald Robert Slick was born in Berkeley, California, and relocated to Palo Alto. After a stint in the Army Jerry married a neighbor, model Grace Barnett Wing, in 1961. Four years later Grace was inspired to form a band so Jerry and Grace, along with Jerry's brother Darby and David Miner, formed The Great Society and developed a following in the Bay area. Darby composed "Somebody to Love" and the band released it on a local label.

In 1966 Grace joined Jefferson Airplane. The Great Society released the three albums they had recorded before Grace left that were produced by Sylvester Stewart, later to become Sly Stone. Jerry Slick joined a band called the Final Solution for a short time. Jerry and Grace divorced in 1971 and Jerry returned to film making, marrying another film maker and enjoying a successful career.

He kept the drum kit in his house, playing them as a hobby. He passed in March, 2020, at age 80. Big Brother and The Holding Company helped launch Janis Joplin's career. Quicksilver Messenger Service featured guitarist John Cipollina and Texas transplants Mother Earth featured singer Tracy Nelson.

Answer: The Girl Can't Help It

Jayne Mansfield and Tom Ewell starred in "The Girl Can't Help It" which featured Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent in addition to Little Richard. Little Richard released a single of the title song the same year.
Born in Macon, Georgia, into a religious family Richard Wayne Penniman learned how to play saxophone with the school marching band. While selling soda at a concert he sang a song by Sister Rosetta Tharpe who heard him and allowed him to open the show. Before long he performed at clubs and eventually signed with Specialty Records, releasing the US Number 21 "Tutti Frutti" in 1955. He released a string of hits and appeared in Rock and Roll movies such as "The Girl Can't Help It", "Don't Knock the Rock" and "Mister Rock and Roll". Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He passed at his Tennessee home at age 87 and is considered one of the first crossover artists.
"Baby Doll" was a 1956 dramatic film starring Carroll Baker, Karl Malden and Eli Wallach. Abbot and Costello starred in "Dance with Me, Henry" the same year. Rock, Rock, Rock! was a 1956 film featuring Chuck Berry, Teddy Randazzo and Tuesday Weld.

Answer: Fleetwood Mac

London native Peter Allen Greenbaum was playing in a number of bands as a teen while working for shipping companies. His first recording was "If You Wanna Be Happy" with Peter B's Looners where he met Mick Fleetwood. In 1965 he filled in for Eric Clapton with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers and when Eric left he became their guitarist.

He played on their "A Hard Road" (1967) album but left after the album to form his own band called Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac featuring Jeremy Spencer. He began composing songs including "Black Magic Woman" for the group.

In 1970 Green left to join a commune while dealing with drug issues. Green passed at age 73 in England and has been cited as an influence by many guitarists. Peter Green along Mick Fleetwood and John McVie played with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers before forming Fleetwood Mac. Peter did not play in Manfred Mann or The Yardbirds.

Answer: The Netherlands

Edward Lodewijk van Halen and his brother, Alex, were born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Their father was a musician and the family moved to Pasadena in 1962. Eddie won piano contests but preferred the guitar, practicing for hours. The brothers began playing music together and formed local bands with names like The Broken Combs, Mammoth, The Trojan Rubber Co. and Genesis.

When they learned Genesis was taken they became Van Halen. The band became part of the seventies LA club scene featuring Eddie's finger tapping style and they released their debut eponymous album in 1978 featuring "Eruption" and "Running With the Devil". Eddie also worked on projects with artists including Michael Jackson, Brian May and Gene Simmons. Eddie Van Halen donated 75 of his guitars to Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation providing instruments to low-income students.