Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The music scene in Liverpool was fertilised by skiffle, rock'n'roll and blues music. A number of groups got together, playing in the local clubs and dance halls, but some of these Merseybeat groups - including the Beatles - spent a lot of time in a foreign port city, playing in clubs and honing their acts. To which city did they go?
2. The Merseybeat sound developed further in a basement club in Liverpool, where crowds of young people went for the lunchtime gigs. What was the quite appropriate name of this club?
3. There were a lot of popular Merseybeat groups - too many to list here. However, which Merseybeat group was the first to hit Number One in the UK charts in 1963, with their first single release? The group went on to have Number One hits with their second and third singles, at that time a unique feat.
4. Another Merseybeat group hit Number One on August 8 1963 with a cover of a 1961 hit by the Drifters called "Sweets for my Sweet". What was the group called?
5. Another Merseybeat group reached the Number One spot on 22 August 1963, immediately after "Sweets for my Sweet". The group was called Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. What was the title of their first Number One single, which, despite the title, I thought was quite good?
6. On September 12 1963 - and then again on November 28 - a Beatles single hit the UK Number One spot, for a total of six weeks. It became not only the Beatles' best-ever selling single, but also the best-selling single of the entire 1960s decade. You don't really need a clue for the title, do you? - yeah? - so what was it called?
7. In 1962, in July 1963 and in September 1963 the Beatles recorded versions of a song called "The Hippy Hippy Shake", previously recorded in 1959 by the American singer Chan Romero. In December 1963 another Merseybeat group recorded the song, and it got to Number Two in the charts in early 1964. What was the name of this group?
8. Not all Merseybeat groups came from Liverpool; in fact one of the best, the Hollies, came from Manchester and other parts of Lancashire. Noted for their three-part harmonies, they had three UK Top 30 chart hits: the first two were "(Ain't That) Just Like Me" and "Searchin'", but what was the third? - would your Mama mind if we have another dance?
9. Not all Merseybeat groups were that good. One Manchester group in particular, despite scoring three Top Three UK chart hits in 1963, were basically a comedy act relying on a diminutive (1.60m) lead vocalist who went in for silly voices and even sillier dances. Can you name this group?
10. One man masterminded the careers of a number of these Merseybeat groups, having been introduced to the music scene in Liverpool while working in the records department of his father's music store, NEMS. A customer asked him for a copy of "My Bonnie" by the Beatles - and the rest is history. Who was this man?
Source: Author
Southendboy
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
agony before going online.
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