Billboard Hot 100 Hit Songs 1967 - 1969 Quiz

Answer: Ted Nugent And The Amboy Dukes

The answer is "Ted Nugent And The Amboy Dukes". It was none other than the Motor City Madman himself and his band, The Amboy Dukes. The song was on jukeboxes everywhere and peaked at number 16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968. Ted was only 19 years old when "Journey To The Center Of The Mind" was released, but his tremendous ability to play the guitar was already quite obvious.
This type of song was not the kind Ted wanted to release because of the obvious drug connection. It seems hard to believe, but he claims he had no idea of its actual meaning. He allegedly thought the song was about looking inside of yourself. Ted has always been anti-alcohol and anti-drug, and has always been very outspoken about it.
Ted and band were invited to play at the original Woodstock festival in 1969. They said no because Ted didn't like hippies or promoters. He figured that he'd never get paid either.
As far as the wrong answers go, The Electric Prunes were known for their song "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night", Steppenwolf was known for "Magic Carpet Ride" and "Born To Be Wild" and Frijid Pink was known for their rendition of "House Of The Rising Sun".
In January 2014, Ted got himself into a little trouble because of how outspoken he is. In an interview, he referred to President Obama as a "subhuman mongrel". Needless to say, he did apologize.

Answer: The Status Quo

The Status Quo from England is the answer. Their song, "Pictures Of Matchstick Men", peaked at Number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968. In an interview with Songfacts, lead singer Francis Rossi said that the song was basically about his wife. He also said "I'd just got married, and I thought, Oh, this is a mistake, what have I done"?
"Pictures Of Matchstick Men" was released in mono and stereo. Mono is the better of the two recordings because it contains the trademark wah-wah lead guitar in the song. It's a definite highlight and cannot be heard on the stereo version.
As far as the bands go that were the wrong answers to this question, Fever Tree was known for their song "San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native)", Bubble Puppy was known for their song "Hot Smoke and Sassafras" and Beau Brummels was known for their song "Laugh Laugh".

Answer: Desmond Dekker And The Aces

It was Desmond Dekker And The Aces who released "The Israelites" in 1968. The song peaked at number nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1969. Desmond was from Kingston, Jamaica and he had a hard-to-understand Jamaican patois accent. Lyrics to "The Israelites" were misunderstood quite a bit because of this.
It was very unusual for a ska song to be a top ten hit and "The Israelites" was one of the first to do so. It was also the first ska song to peak at number one on the U.K. Singles Chart.
Of the wrong answers, Timmy Thomas was known for "Why Can't We Live Together", Prince Buster was known for his songs "Al Capone" and "Whine and Grine", and The Beginning Of The End was known for their song "Funky Nassau".

Answer: Kenny Rogers and The First Edition

The answer is Kenny Rogers and The First Edition! "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" peaked at number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968.
This song is unusual in that it's so unlike any other hit songs that Kenny Rogers is known for. Typically his genres are country, pop, and soft rock. "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is an extremely psychedelic song. It contains backwards guitar in the introduction and afterwards some distorted fuzz guitar with tremelo, as well as other sound effects.
"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is about an LSD trip and the dangers of taking one. The lyrics are bizarre and bring to mind a psychedelic trip on LSD. A few lyrics:
"I found my mind in a brown paper bag within",
"I tripped on a cloud and fell-a eight miles high,
I tore my mind on a jagged sky".
"I pushed my soul in a deep dark hole and then I followed it in,
I watched myself crawling out as I was a-crawling in".
"I got up so tight I couldn't unwind,
I saw so much I broke my mind".
Of the wrong answers, The New Riders Of The Purple Sage were known for their song "Panama Red", Dr. John And The Night Trippers were known for "Right Place Wrong Time", and Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen were known for "Hot Rod Lincoln".

Answer: Sonny Charles and The Checkmates, Ltd.

It was Sonny Charles and The Checkmates, Ltd. who brought "Black Pearl" to number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also reached number eight on the U.S. Billboard R&B Singles chart and it peaked at number 66 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 Singles chart of 1969.
"Black Pearl" was written by Toni Wine, Irwin Levine, & Phil Spector. Spector didn't actually do any of the writing but was credited with it because he produced it. Spector was famous for his song production technique which was known as the "Wall Of Sound".
"Black Pearl" is a song paying homage to African American women. It's a man singing to his girl but goes out to all Black women.
The wrong answers are: Chairmen Of The Board who were known for the song "Give Me Just A Little More Time", Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes were known for "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and The Chambers Brothers were known for their 11 minute long song, "Time Has Come Today".

Answer: Ray Stevens

In 1968 Ray Stevens brought "Mr. Businessman" to number 28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Ray was predominantly a novelty and country song singer but this song was pop. He was known as the Comedy King of Music City which is in Nashville, Tennessee.
Some of the other songs Ray has recorded are "The Streak", "Gitarzan",
"Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills", "Ahab The Arab", "Along Came Jones", and others.
As far as the wrong answers go, C.W. McCall was known for his song "Convoy", Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots was known for "Disco Duck", and Loudon Wainwright III was known for "Dead Skunk".

Answer: Donovan

Donovan is the answer. "Atlantis" peaked at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1969. His surname is Leitch but he is and always has been called just Donovan. Many of his songs were in the psychedelic folk genre. Among his well known songs there are: "Hurdy Gurdy Man", "Sunshine Superman", "Mellow Yellow", "Season of the Witch", "Jennifer Juniper", "Wear Your Love Like Heaven", "Universal Soldier", and a few others.
The song "Atlantis" was released on Donovan's L.P. titled "Barabajaga". The song had lyrics in the mystical realms. For instance: "The great Egyptian age is but a remnant of the Atlantian culture, The antediluvian kings colonized the world, All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas, In all legends from all lands were from far Atlantis".
"Atlantis" was used in the movie "Goodfellas" during a violent scene in which a man was severely beaten in a bar.
The artists who were the wrong answers were known for the following songs: Scott McKenzie was known for "San Francisco", Crispian St. Peters was known for "Pied Piper" and Barry McGuire was known for "Eve of Destruction".

Answer: The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown

In 1968, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown released the single, "Fire". It rose to number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Fire" was also released on the band's debut L.P. titled "The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown" in 1968. This L.P. peaked at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Pop Albums chart.
The band at this time had no guitar or bass player. Its music consisted of the interplay between Brown on vocals and his outstanding Hammond organ player, Vincent Crane.
Brown was quite the showman. At his live concerts he would come onstage wearing a flaming hat. A concert attendee recalled that at one of Brown's concerts in Florida in 1968, he came out of a giant egg completely nude and later sang dressed as the pope.
Of the three wrong answers, Captain Beyond was known for the song "A Thousand Days Of Yesterday (Time Since Come And Gone)" which was on their self titled L.P. with the 3D cover. Iron Butterfly was known for "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" which was just over 17 minutes long and took up the whole side two of their L.P. titled "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". King Crimson was known for their songs "The Court Of The Crimson King" and "21st Century Schizoid Man".

Answer: The Cowsills

The Cowsills released this song which was a wonderful example of sunshine pop music. It peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It would have been number one but "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees was released and took the number one spot.
In October of 1967 The Cowsills performed "The Rain, The Park, & Other Things" on "The Ed Sullivan Show". Being on Ed Sullivan was a sure sign of success for The Cowsills and many other bands. The Cowsills were a family band whose actual surname was Cowsill. The Partridge Family was influenced by them.
In 1968 a U.K. pop rock band, Vanity Fare, who were known for their hit "Hitchin' A Ride", released an L.P. poking fun at The Cowsills. It was titled "The Sun, the Wind, and Other Things".
Of the wrong answers, The Young Rascals, later known as The Rascals, were known for many songs such as "Good Lovin", "Groovin'", "A Beautiful Morning", nd other songs. The Lovin' Spoonful were known for "Summer in the City", "Do You Believe In Magic", and several others. Spanky And Our Gang were known for "Sunday Will Never Be the Same", "Lazy Day", and a few others.

Answer: The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is the answer. In December of 1968 "The Worst That Could Happen" entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 98. By January of 1969 it peaked at number three. Had it not been for the number one song, "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells and the number two song, "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone, "The Worst That Could Happen" would have been number one. It was a sad but beautiful song.
Lead singer Johnny Maestro has previously been with the band The Crests, who had a hit with "16 Candles".