Addresses and Streets In Songs Quiz

Answer: Twelfth Street and Vine

In the second verse of "Kansas City" the lyrics state the singer will be "On the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine". "Kansas City" was composed by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in the early fifties. It was one of their first collaborations. The song was recorded in 1952 by Little Willie Littlefield under the title of "K C Lovin'".
It became a smash hit seven years later when Wilbert Harrison recorded a version as "Kansas City". The guitar solo was done by Wild Jimmy Spruill. Since Harrison recorded the song it has been covered by artists from The Beatles to James Brown. Little Richard recorded the version that added the "Hey, hey, hey, hey" phrase.
The city of Kansas City adopted "Kansas City" as its official song in 2005 and a plaque in a park commemorates the address of Twelfth Street and Vine.

Answer: The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones derived their name from the title of a Muddy Waters song. Muddy recorded at Chess Records and the Rolling Stones eventually got to record at Chess Records and meet Muddy Waters.
The Rolling Stones composed "2120 South Michigan Avenue" under the fictitious collective band pseudonym of Nanker Phelge. The song was the lead cut on side two of the "12 X 5" album. The album also included their hits, "Time is on my Side" and "It's All Over Now".
In his 2002 book, "Rolling with the Stones", Bill Wyman revealed that a Nanker was the name for a weird face that the band members would sometimes make and that Jimmy Phelge was a roommate when the band lived in a London flat.

Answer: Eddy Grant

Edmond Montague "Eddy" Grant was born in Plaisance, British Guiana. His family relocated to London when he was young. In 1968 Eddy had his first Number One UK hit while he was a member of The Equals with "Baby Come Back". He became ill from complications of a collapsed lung which necessitated a hiatus from performing. When he recovered he began a solo career. In 1981 he moved to Barbados and built his own studio complex called Blue Wave. His album, "Killer on the Rampage" contained "I Don't Wanna Dance" and "Electric Avenue".
Peter Tosh was a member of The Wailers before going solo.
In addition to his own hits Horace Andy released a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine".
Maxi Priest has had a successful solo career and recorded a version of Cat Stevens' "Wild World".

Answer: Colorado Boulevard

"The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" was written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry and Roger Christian. The last lines of the chorus are "She drives real fast and she drives real hard, she's the terror of Colorado Boulevard". The little old lady drove a shiny red Super Stock Dodge.
Kathryn Minner was the little old lady featured on the album cover. She was featured in many Dodge commercials in the sixties. Her line was "Put a Dodge in your garage, honey!".
La Cienega Boulevard is in El Segundo. Hollywood Boulevard begins at Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

Answer: South Street

"South Street" was a Top Ten hit for the Orlons. Audrey and the Teenettes formed as an all-girl group in Philadelphia in the late fifties. By 1960 three of the girls had joined with Stephen Caldwell and re-named themselves The Orlons. Singer Len Berry was singing with The Dovells and convinced the group to audition for his label, Cameo-Parkway Records.

They started their professional career providing backup vocals for artists such as Dee Dee Sharp and in 1962 they released their own album, "The Wah-Watusi".

The single release of the same name was a smash hit and the group followed the success of "The Wah-Watusi" with "Don't Hang Up". "South Street" became a Number Three hit in 1963 and the band had two more Top Forty hits. After enduring some personnel changes the group finally broke up in 1968.

Answer: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band

Dearborn, Michigan, native Bob Seger's first band was The Bob Seger System. They released the "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" album in 1969. By the time "Mainstreet" was included on his "Night Moves" album in 1976 the band had evolved into Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.
The unique guitar into and solo work on "Mainstreet" was performed by Jimmy Johnson of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.
After releasing several albums "Night Moves" was Seger's first Top Ten success and garnered him national attention and acclaim. Rolling Stone gave the album a very favorable review. In addition to "Mainstreet" and the title song, the LP also contained the Number Four single, "Rock and Roll Never Forgets". The single release of "Night Moves" topped out at Number 41.

Answer: Blue Jay Way

"Blue Jay Way" was written by George Harrison and included on the Beatles' 1967 "Magical Mystery Tour" album. The song "Blue Jay Way" was inspired by a street in the Hollywood Hills where Harrison was staying in Los Angeles. George was moved to write it while waiting for Derek Taylor to arrive at the house.

The windy road was difficult to navigate in the fog. "There's a Place" was a cut from their 1963 "Please Please Me" album. "When I Get Home" was included on the 1964 "A Hard Day's Night" LP. Strawberry Fields was a house run by the Salvation Army in Woolton, Liverpool, where John Lennon played as a child. "Penny Lane" was another Beatles song about a street where Paul McCartney and John Lennon would meet to take a bus to downtown Liverpool.

Answer: Harpers Bizarre

Harpers Bizarre started out as The Tikis in Santa Cruz, California, in the early sixties. By the time they recorded a cover version of "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" their name had changed to Harpers Bizarre. On the heels of the success of the song the band released their debut album, "Feelin' Groovy", in 1967.

Although some of the group's subsequent releases broke the Top Forty, the band never had another Top Twenty hit in the US. They followed up with two albums in 1968 and another in 1969 before dissolving. "Back On the Street Again" was a 1967 Top Forty hit by The Sunshine Company. Spanky and Our Gang had a Top Twenty hit with "Lazy Day" in 1967 and Sopwith Camel charted at Number 24 with "Hello, Hello" the same year.

Answer: Bruce Hornsby and the Range

"Look Out Any Window" and "The Valley Road" were both successful cuts from Bruce Hornsby and the Range's "Scenes From The Southside" LP. "Scenes From The Southside" was the group's second album and "The Valley Road" would be their final US Top Ten hit.
Hornsby formed The Range in 1984 and signed with RCA Records the same year. Two years later "The Way It Is" topped the US charts. Their next Top Ten hit was "Mandolin Rain" in 1987.
Huey Lewis wrote "Jacob's Ladder", another cut from "Scenes From The Southside". "The Living Years" was a 1989 hit by Mike and The Mechanics. In 1984 "On The Dark Side" was released by John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band.

Answer: Stealers Wheel

In 1972 Paisley, Scotland, native Gerry Rafferty formed Stealers Wheel with Joe Egan. Their first album was released the same year and contained the US hit, "Stuck in the Middle With You".
By 1978 Rafferty had gone solo, recorded his "City to City" album and released "Baker Street" as a single. The song was inspired by his days busking near a station on Baker Street. Raphael Ravenscroft played the sax solo on the song. The album also contained the US Number 12 hit, "Right Down the Line".
In the eighties Rafferty released three other albums but his reluctance to perform live resulted in his later work being less successful than his "City to City" LP.
Gary Wright of "Dream Weaver" fame was one of the notable members of Spooky Tooth. Exile had a 1978 hit with "Kiss You All Over". Player hit the 1978 charts with "This Time I'm in It for Love".