A Rainbow of Bands Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rednex

The song is a traditional American country song, and was taken to the top of many European charts, including Austria, Germany and the UK. Rednex came from Sweden, and this was their only chart topper on the UK Singles chart - it also reached number twenty-five on the US Billboard Hot 100. In Europe, the band continued their success, particularly in Austria and Germany. Redbone were active in the 1970s, and had success with 'The Witch Queen of New Orleans'. Simply Red were popular for many years, particularly in the 1980s, with 'Holding Back the Years' hitting the charts in 1985. Among the many chart entries for Red Hot Chili Peppers are 'Under the Bridge' (1991) and 'By the Way' (2002).

Red is the first colour of the rainbow.

Answer: Rip it Up

'Rip it Up' reached number eight on the UK Singles chart, and should not be confused with the song of the same name recorded by Bill Haley and Little Richard in 1956. The band originated in Glasgow and founder member Edwyn Collins went on to have solo success in 1995 with 'A Girl Like You' - again, not the same song as Foreigner's 'Waiting for a Girl Like You'. 'Torn' was a 1997 hit for Natalie Imbruglia, and 'Cuts Both Ways' was released by Gloria Estefan in 1990. 'Slash 'n' Burn' was a 1992 hit for Manic Street Preachers.

Orange is the second colour of the rainbow.

Answer: Switzerland

Specialising in electronic music, Yello were formed in 1979 in Zurich. They had success on the US Hot Dance Club Songs charts with 'Vicious Games' in 1984 and again in 1988 with 'Tied Up'. They also reached number seven on the UK Singles chart in 1988 with 'The Race'. Since 1983, the band members have been Dieter Meier and Boris Blank, who have continued to perform and record into the twenty-first century. They released an album, called 'Touch Yello', in 2009.

Yellow is the third colour of the rainbow.

Answer: Drums

You probably won't be surprised to learn that Tré Cool is not his real name. He is actually called Frank Edwin Wright III, and he has been the drummer for Green Day since 1991, taking over from John Kiffmeyer. Tré can also play guitar, accordion and piano, but his main role is to play drums. Among the band's successes are the albums 'Dookie' from 1994 and 'American Idiot' in 2004. They have also had singles success, notably with 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' in 1994 and 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' (2004).

Green is the fourth colour of the rainbow.

Answer: Blue Mink

The band was formed in 1969, recruiting the American gospel singer Madeline Bell as one of the lead vocalists. She was joined by Roger Cook, who was also a well known song writer, in partnership with Roger Greenaway. Cook and Greenaway wrote the jingle for Coca-Cola, which became 'I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony) in 1971. Blue Mink had several hits in the UK. As well as the songs mentioned in the question, both of which reached number three on the UK Singles chart, they charted with 'Good Morning Freedom' in 1970 and 'Stay with Me' in 1972. The only single to make any impact at all in the USA was 'Our World', which reached a lowly 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.

Blue is the fifth colour of the rainbow.

Answer: Folk rock

Emily Saliers and Amy Ray first performed together at High School in Georgia, USA, before becoming the Indigo Girls in 1985. They have released numerous albums, including 'The Indigo Girls' in 1989 and 'Holly Happy Days' in 2010. Singles success has been modest, but the Indigo Girls tour regularly. They are known for being politically active, supporting environmental issues and gay rights (they are both lesbians, although not a couple) among others.

Indigo is the sixth colour of the rainbow.

Answer: Hush

'Down in the Boondocks' and 'Hush' were both originally recorded by Billy Joe Royal in the 1960s. His version of 'Hush' reached only the lower reaches of the US Billboard Hot 100. Deep Purple recorded the song for their first album and it proved a big hit for them in the USA, while sinking without trace in their home country. This didn't deter them, though, and they went on to establish themselves as one of the world's top hard rock bands. All the songs listed were written by South, and he took 'Games People Play' into the charts himself. 'Rose Garden' was another 1970 hit, sung by Lynn Anderson.

Violet is the final colour of the rainbow.

Answer: Delilah

The band got together in Chicago in 1998 formed around Tom Higgenson on vocals and guitar and Ken Fletcher on bass guitar. Fletcher left in 2002, and there were various other changes in personnel before the band hit the big time. 'Hey There Delilah' reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100, and was also a number one on the Canadian Hot 100. It managed number two on the UK Singles chart. The other girls were also sung about in the 2000s. 'Ruby' was a 2007 hit for the Kaiser Chiefs, and Lady Gaga sang about 'Bloody Mary' in 2011. Amy Winehouse did a version, with Mark Ronson, of The Zutons' song 'Valerie' in 2007.

White is the mixture of all the colours of the rainbow.

Answer: Since You Been Gone

The band was formed by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who had previously played for Deep Purple. The band was originally called Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, but the name was soon abbreviated, and initially had Ronnie James Dio as vocalist. Their commercial success came in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when all the songs listed made the UK Singles chart. Graham Bonnet was the singer on 'Since You Been Gone' which managed number six in the UK in 1979, with only 'I Surrender' in 1981 getting higher. The band has gone through numerous changes of personnel, and broke up completely between 1984 and 1994 before getting back together.

Rainbow covers all the colours mentioned in this quiz.

Answer: Liquid Gold

Liquid Gold were around from 1977 until 1984 in the disco era. 'Dance Yourself Dizzy' was their biggest hit, when it reached number two on the UK Singles chart. It also managed to creep up to number twenty-six on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. The band had one further top ten hit in the UK, also in 1980, with 'Substitute'. Golden Earring are probably best remembered by most of us for their 1973 hit 'Radar Love'. Goldfrapp were much later, being formed only in 1999 and Fool's Gold are a group of musicians in Los Angeles (OK, I was struggling to find another well known band to represent gold).

If you're lucky, gold is what you will find at the end of the rainbow - and what you've discovered at the end of this quiz. I hope you feel suitably enriched.