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Big Band Singers Trivia Quiz

Your job is to identify the featured vocalist of some of the great bands from the 30's and 40's... or vice versa.

A multiple-choice quiz by maddogrick16. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
maddogrick16

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
165,910

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1022

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 73 (8/10), Guest 67 (10/10), Guest 50 (4/10).

One at a Time - Single Page

Question 1 of 10

1. Glenn Miller's band reached its peak of popularity from 1939 until his untimely death in 1944. He primarily utilized the singing talents of two people. One was Tex Beneke. Who was the other one? Hint

Perry Como

Frank Sinatra

Don Cornell

Ray Eberle

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Question 2 of 10

2. Ella Fitzgerald was the lead singer of this man's big band. Hint

Chick Webb

Duke Ellington

Fletcher Henderson

Count Basie

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Question 3 of 10

3. Over the years, this orchestra leader had several female lead singers. Among them - Helen Ward, Martha Tilton, Peggy Lee, Helen Forrest and Patti Page. Hint

Lawrence Welk

Woody Herman

Artie Shaw

Benny Goodman

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which Lombardo brother did the singing for the Royal Canadians on almost every one of its hits from the band's formation in 1927 through to 1941? Hint

Guy himself

Rocco

Claudio

Carmen

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Question 5 of 10

5. Teddy Wilson's Orchestra had a nice run of hits from 1935 to 1938. Who was the vocalist on almost every one of them? Hint

Bessie Smith

Billie Holiday

Louis Armstrong

Fats Waller

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Question 6 of 10

6. This singer was enormously popular from 1929 to 1936 in front of the Ray Noble Orchestra. Hint

Al Bowlly

Eddie Howard

Buddy Clark

Kenny Sargent

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Question 7 of 10

7. This singer had several big hits as the singer for Les Brown's Band of Reknown. She departed the group in the late 40's and went on to an enormous movie career and still dabbled in music as a solo singer. Hint

Dorothy Lamour

Debbie Reynolds

Doris Day

Betty Grable

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Question 8 of 10

8. Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell shared the lead vocals and often sang duets for this band leader. Their biggest hits were "Green Eyes", "Amapola" and "Tangerine" Hint

Tommy Dorsey

Jimmy Dorsey

Lee Dorsey

The Dorsey Brothers

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Question 9 of 10

9. Interesting trivia! Marjorie Hughes became the lead singer for her father's orchestra in 1945. Who was he? This is tough (I think)so a clue might be in order. Two of the bands songs "Oh, What It Seemed To Be" and "Rumor's Are Flying" spent a total of 20 weeks at the top of the charts in 1946! Hint

Charlie Barnett

Stan Kenton

Frankie Carle

Ted Fio Rito

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Question 10 of 10

10. Frank Sinatra achieved stardom in the early 40's as the lead vocalist for Tommy Dorsey's band. Prior to joining Dorsey, he had a brief stint with this man's band in 1939. Hint

Red Norvo

Bob Crosby

Harry James

Leo Reisman

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 19 2024 : Guest 73: 8/10
Oct 13 2024 : Guest 67: 10/10
Oct 02 2024 : Guest 50: 4/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Ray Eberle

Tex Beneke also played tenor sax in the orchestra and led the band briefly after Miller's death. Eberle was voted as most popular male vocalist in the Billboard College Surveys of 1940 and 1942.

2. Ella Fitzgerald was the lead singer of this man's big band.

Answer: Chick Webb

He originally was resistant to hiring her but her style and voice won out as proven when "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" rocketed to #1 for ten weeks in 1938, four months after she joined the band! After Webb's death in 1939, she fronted the band until 1942.

3. Over the years, this orchestra leader had several female lead singers. Among them - Helen Ward, Martha Tilton, Peggy Lee, Helen Forrest and Patti Page.

Answer: Benny Goodman

Strangely, no male singer ever made his mark singing with Goodman's band.

4. Which Lombardo brother did the singing for the Royal Canadians on almost every one of its hits from the band's formation in 1927 through to 1941?

Answer: Carmen

In 1941, the singing duties fell to Kenny Gardner (a more contemporary 40's crooner).

5. Teddy Wilson's Orchestra had a nice run of hits from 1935 to 1938. Who was the vocalist on almost every one of them?

Answer: Billie Holiday

Billie went on to sing occasionally with other groups, Artie Shaw and Count Basie among them, but mostly did solo work in front of "all-star" bands of jazz musicians. Teddy played on into the 1970's with various small jazz combos.

6. This singer was enormously popular from 1929 to 1936 in front of the Ray Noble Orchestra.

Answer: Al Bowlly

The Noble Orchestra was England's most popular but Noble moved to the States in 1934 and Bowlly preferred to stay in England. He permanently left the group in 1936 and sadly was killed in his London flat in 1941 during an air raid.

Answer: Doris Day

A wise career move!

8. Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell shared the lead vocals and often sang duets for this band leader. Their biggest hits were "Green Eyes", "Amapola" and "Tangerine"

Answer: Jimmy Dorsey

They sang together from 1938 to 1942.

Answer: Frankie Carle

Marjorie Hughes was actually Margie Carle and wanted desperately to sing with her father's band. He wasn't interested in such an arrangement and given the life style of touring bands of the day, perhaps with justification. Eventually, he needed a new vocalist and Margie and her mother colluded together and sent Frankie a couple of demo records under the Hughes name.

He offered her the job and only when she showed up to rehearse did he realize he hired his daughter!

10. Frank Sinatra achieved stardom in the early 40's as the lead vocalist for Tommy Dorsey's band. Prior to joining Dorsey, he had a brief stint with this man's band in 1939.

Answer: Harry James

One of James' biggest hit's in 1943, "All Or Nothing At All" was actually recorded in 1939 when Sinatra was with the band. The song was re-released to capitalize on Sinatra's popularity!

Source: Author maddogrick16

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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