BRI's Top Ten Hits of 1962 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Soldier Boy

Impressed by the harmonies that they sang in gym class, a high school teacher encouraged he Shirelles to enter the school talent show. They became one of the first of the all-girl bands that were so popular in the '50s and early '60s, as well as one of the very few groups to write some of their own songs. Written by Dixon and Greenberg, "Soldier Boy" was their second number one hit.

Answer: Stranger on the Shore

Bernard Stanley Bilk made music history by being the first British musician to score a number one hit in America. In fact, Billboard pronounced it the number one hit for 1962.
Bilk chose Acker for his stage name, because it is an expression that means friend.

Answer: Let Me In

The Sensations were remarkable in that they were one of the first groups to feature male back-up singers with a female lead singer. The group split up in 1956 when the lead singer, Yvonne Baker, left to get married. They were persuaded to reform in '61, and had their biggest ever hit with "Let Me In', a song that was written by Baker, in '62.

Answer: The Loco-Motion

Little Eva was earning $35 a week baby-sitting for songwriting giants Carole King and Gerry Goffin. They heard her singing one of their songs, and were so impressed that they asked her to record "The Loco-Motion" for them. It was a number one hit for Little Eva, but proved to be her only real hit.

Answer: Johnny Angel

Shelley Fabares is a very talented woman. She starred in the very popular "Donna Reed Show", playing Reed's teenaged daughter, she had a hit single with "Johnny Angel", and she starred in no less than three movies with Elvis Presley. In 1984 she married Mike Farrell of "M*A*S*H" fame.

Answer: Big Girls Don't Cry

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were singing together for years before they changed their name in 1961. They called themselves after a bowling alley where they auditioned, but were not hired to play in the cocktail lounge. They took a few years to hit number one, but when they did they couldn't seem to do anything wrong, with hit after hit to their credit. "Big Girls Don't Cry", written by group tenor Bob Gaudio, was their second number one hit.

Answer: Roses are Red

Bobby Vinton formed his first group when he was only 16. He was able to earn enough from this group to pay for his education at Duquesne University, where he majored in music. Selling over 4 million copies, "Roses Are Red" was his first number one hit.

Answer: Mashed Potato Time

Dee Dee Sharp's musical career began when she saw an ad in the paper for Cameo-Parkway Records. They were looking for someone who could play piano, read music, and who could sing a song without hearing it played first. Written by Jon Sheldon and Harry Land, "Mashed Potato Time" proved to be Sharp's first, and biggest hit.

Answer: I Can't Stop Loving You

Born dirt poor in the height of the depression, Ray Charles lost his eyesight to glaucoma when he was seven years old. He was accepted as a charity student at St. Augustine, the Florida school for the deaf and blind. "I Can't Stop Loving You" won a Grammy for best R&B recording. Ray Charles passed away on June 11, 2004, from liver disease.

Answer: The Twist

Chubby Checker made rock and roll history with "The Twist" when it became the first song to make it to number one on the charts on two separate occassions. It was originally released in June of 1959, and took almost 14 months to make it to number one in the late summer of 1960. It reappeared on the charts again in the fall of 1961, reaching number one for a second time in January, 1962.