Billboard Number 1 Songs of 1962 Quiz

Answer: Joey Dee and the Starlighters

Joseph DiNicola fronted the Starlighters and had a hit with his composition "Peppermint Twist-Part 1." They were performing at the Peppermint Lounge in New York. Dee took his twist fame to two movies, "Hey, Let's Twist" and "Two Tickets to Paris." Joey worked with a female group at the Starlight Lounge who later became The Ronettes.

His backing band included Felix Cavaliere, Gene Cornish and Eddie Brigati who went on to form The Young Rascals. Hank Ballard and the Midnighters originally recorded "The Twist." Maurice Williams and the Zodiaks hit number one with "Stay" in 1959, while Ruby and The Romantics recorded "Our Day Will Come."

Answer: Duke of Earl

Gene Chandler anointed himself "The Duke of Earl" and had a big hit with a song of the same name. Born Eugene Dixon, he started his career as the singer for The Dukays. He changed his name to Gene Chandler so he could record "Duke of Earl" because he was already signed to another label.

The song was a huge hit and when Gene performed he dressed up as a Duke, complete with monocle and cape. He appeared in the movie "Don't Knock the Twist." "Her Royal Majesty" was a hit for James Darren, "Queen of the Hop" was sung by Bobby Darin and "From a Jack to a King" was a country hit by Ned Miller.

Answer: Shelley Fabares

Shelley Fabares was on "The Donna Reed Show" along with Paul Peterson. Paul Peterson had a hit with "My Dad." In the tradition of Ricky Nelson premiering "I'm Walkin'" on "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," the songs were written into the script of the show.

The session musicians for "Johnny Angel" included Glen Campbell on guitar and famed drummer Hal Blaine. The Blossoms provided background vocals. The only other record Shelley charted after "Johnny Angel" was "Johnny Loves Me" which reached number 21.

After "The Donna Reed Show" Shelley starred in three Elvis pictures and the beach movie, "Ride The Wild Surf." Johnny Crawford played Lucas McCain's son on "The Rifleman" and recorded "Cindy's Birthday."

Answer: Stranger on the Shore

"Stranger on the Shore" was a dreamy instrumental by clarinetist Bernard Stanley Bilk. Acker is rural slang for "mate." He was the first British performer to ever reach number one in the US. Acker Bilk composed the song, which was originally titled "Jenny" after one of his children.

While stationed in Egypt, Bilk fell asleep on guard duty and was imprisoned for three months, where he learned to play the clarinet. Upon his discharge he began wearing his trademark bowler hat when he appeared on the BBC with his jazz ensemble, The Paramount Jazz Band. "Wonderland By Night" was by Bert Kaempfert. "Theme from A Summer Place" was a hit for Percy Faith and the Village Stompers did "Washington Square."

Answer: Roses Are Red

"Roses are Red" was Bobby's breakout hit. His label was about to drop him after two unsuccessful album releases, but he insisted that they owed him two more sides. He selected "Roses are Red" from the rejected song submissions. The original arrangement was done in an R&B style and didn't work for Bobby.

The Epic label agreed to have a lush string arrangement done and the rest is history. "Sealed with a Kiss" was by Brian Hyland and "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'" was by Johnny Tillotson. "Gong Show" creator and host Chuck Barris wrote "Palisades Park," which was a 1962 hit for Freddy Cannon.

Answer: Loco-Motion

Eva Narcissus recorded "Loco-Motion" as Little Eva. She was a $35-a-week baby sitter for Gerry Goffin and Carole King when they heard her singing while cleaning one day. They were impressed with her voice and she recorded their dance song composition.

There was no such dance so Eva made one up. The song was covered later by several groups, including Grand Funk, who also took it to number one in 1974. "Wah-Watusi" was by the Orlons, "Mashed Potatoes" was a dance craze song by Dee Dee Sharp, and "Pony Time" was a Chubby Checker follow-up to "The Twist."

Answer: He's a Rebel

Originally slated to be recorded by Vikki Carr, Phil Spector took the demo to his Gold Star studios and recorded it with Darlene Love, Fanita James and Gracia Nitzshe doing the vocals. They weren't the real Crystals, but Phil was eager to beat Vikki Carr's rendition to the charts.

The authentic Crystals went on to have hits with "Do Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me". "Be My Baby," "Baby I Love You" and "Walking in the Rain" were hits for the Ronettes. Phil Spector married The Ronettes' vocalist, Veronica Bennett, aka Ronnie.

Answer: The Monster Mash

Massachusetts native Bobby Pickett won talent contests imitating Boris Karloff. He headed for California and joined a group called The Cordials. He incorporated his Karloff impression into some of the stage material. Bobby and Leonard Capizzi eventually wrote the song and it was recorded in one take, complete with sound effects.

He shopped it around to local DJs and it took off. "The Purple People Eater" was an earlier hit by Sheb Wooley. "The Monster Twist" and "Mean Monster Mashed Potato" were two of the original working titles for "The Monster Mash." The song made additional chart appearances in 1970 and 1973.

Answer: Sherry

"Sherry" climbed to the top of the charts in four weeks. Lead singer Frankie Valli had been singing with various groups for ten years and finally had success when he joined The Four Seasons. Their first single as The Four Seasons was titled "Bermuda" and failed to chart. Band member Bob Gaudio composed "Sherry" in fifteen minutes.

The Four Seasons also took "Big Girls Don't Cry" to number one November 17th of 1962. "Hey Baby" was a hit for Bruce Chanel with Delbert McLinton playing harmonica. "Breaking Up is Hard To Do" was sung by Neil Sedaka and "Things" was by Bobby Darin.

Answer: Telstar

The Tornadoes song was named after the first communications satellite. Producer Joe Meek wrote the song. He hand-picked the band to back a singer named Billy Fury. He wanted to rival the instrumental band, The Shadows, so he had the band record "Telstar." It was the band's second release but their first chart success.

The Tornadoes lineup continued performing with minor changes until Meeks' death in 1967. "The Stripper" was a number one for David Rose in July, 1962. Rose also composed the theme to the television show "Bonanza." "The Happy Organ" was done by Dave (Baby) Cortez and "Apache" was charted by Jorgen Ingman in 1961 and later covered by other bands.