Billboard Number One Songs of 1971 Quiz

Answer: Dawn

Still known simply as Dawn, Tony Orlando, along with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent, had already seen chart success the previous year with "Candida". Tony got his start as a doo-wop singer in New York and eventually became a demo singer for Don Kirshner.

He released a couple of solo efforts without major success. He remained in the publishing business and did favor for a friend by recording the lead vocals for a song done by a new group called Dawn. The song was "Candida". He then followed up with "Knock Three Times" but still hadn't met the girls, who recorded at West Coast studios.

Although reluctant to join Tony at first, the group's chemistry produced several hits and a TV show. The Bee Gees were number four the same week with "Lonely Days" and Fifth Dimension had the number three spot with "One Less Bell to Answer". Three Dog Night had number one hits such as "Mama Told Me Not To Come".

Answer: The Honey Cone

Edna White, Carolyn Willis and Shellie Clark comprised The Honey Cone. They had worked together with Burt Bacharach on television specials. Edna is Darlene Love's sister. She had previously worked with Johnny Rivers and was one of Ray Charles' Raelettes. Carolyn had done work with Phil Spector and was a member of the band Girlfriends.

She also worked with Lou Rawls and O.C. Smith. Shellie sang with Little Richard and was one of Tina Turner's Ikettes. "Want Ads" had been recorded by other bands on the new Hot Wax label before The Honey Cone did their version.

Theirs was released and went to the top of the charts. They followed with two minor hits. The Jackson Five had a string of hits in 1970 such as "I'll Be There". The Osmonds hit number one in February, 1971, with "One Bad Apple".

The Partridge Family's number one was "I Think I Love You".

Answer: Brown Sugar

The Stones had gone from being the scruffy looking bad boys of rock to a slick jet setting group by the beginning of the seventies. Andy Warhol had not only designed their "Sticky Fingers' album cover, he had also designed their famous tongue logo. "Brown Sugar" was recorded at the Muscle Shoals studio.

The meaning has been rumored to be about dark heroin as well as a sexist slur. The band maintains the secret. Jagger purposely slurred the words and had the vocals mixed heavily into the instrumental tracks.

He had recently wed Bianca and was starting his film career at the time with "Performance". "It Don't Come Easy" was number five the same week for Ringo. "All Right Now" was by Free and Eric Burden minus the Animals did "Spill the Wine".

Answer: Raiders

The Raiders had charted nine top twenty hits as Paul Revere and The Raiders before hitting number one with "Indian Reservation". They had been the house band for Dick Clark's TV show, "Where the Action Is", and had signed with Columbia Records. The label was known for artists with a softer style, such as Andy Williams and Steve Lawrence.

The Raiders were their first rock and roll act, and at the time "Indian Reservation" was their biggest selling record to date. Other artists had recorded the John D. Loudermilk composition. Don Fardon's version was number three on the British charts. "Indian Reservation" was The Raider's last top twenty hit. Tommy James and The Shondells had several number one songs, such as "Crimson and Clover". Sugarloaf had a top ten with "Green Eyed Lady" the previous year and Bread's first number one was "Make It With You" in 1970.

Answer: You've Got A Friend

"You've Got A Friend" was from the album "Mud Slide Slim and The Blue Horizon". It won two Grammys, one for Jim as Best Pop Male Vocal Performance and one for Carole for Song of the Year. James had seen his share of problems while singing in various bands.

He was having difficulty shaking a drug habit and had been in hospitals for depression. He personally wrote "Fire and Rain" about a friend's suicide while in one of his hospital stays. He was the first male solo artist signed by Apple Records. Paul McCartney and George Harrison played on parts of the album.

He went on to wed Carly Simon and has had a successful career. "Rainy Days and Mondays" was a carpenters 1971 release and "Draggin' The Line" was a Tommy James song that hit number five the same week.

Answer: Go Away Little Girl

"Go Away Little Girl" was the first song on the Billboard Hot 100 to go to number one by two different artists. Steve Lawrence had a hit with it in 1963. It was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Carole King was also enjoying chart success with her "Tapestry" album at the time. Donny went on to record a few other top twenty releases doing covers of such songs as Paul Anka's "Puppy love" and Nat "King" Cole's "Too Young". Donny was born the seventh son of George and Olive Osmond and broke into singing early with his older brothers.

They reached a national audience on "The Andy Williams Show". "Mr. Big Stuff" hit number four for Jean Knight in July, 1971. "Don't Pull Your Love" was a top five in July for Hamilton, Joe,Frank and Reynolds. "Spanish Harlem" was right behind Donny at number two for Aretha Franklin.

Answer: Isaac Hayes

"Theme From Shaft" was the third number one single to win an Academy Award for Best Song. Isaac Hayes composed the theme and also performed on it. When he was originally contacted by MGM to be involved in the movie score, he was also being considered for the lead.

The role went to Richard Roundtree but Hayes fulfilled his obligation to complete the score. Isaac had been a session player on many of the Stax-Volt label recordings and had co-written such songs as Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Comin'".

His album, "Hot Buttered Soul" was released on the heels of the success of "Shaft". Bill Withers recorded "Ain't No Sunshine" in 1971. Al Green charted in the top five with "Let's Stay Together" a few months later and Nilsson sang "Without You" and other hits.

Answer: Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves

Originally titled "Gypsies and White Trash", the Bob Stone composition was changed to "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves". Famed producer Snuff Garrett worked with Cher after she signed with Kapp records in 1971. He had known Cher from being Sonny and Cher's neighbor in Bel Air. Johnny Musso of Kapp Records thought they would work well together and Snuff believed a story style song would be best for Cher.

He started soliciting material and her number one was in the making. Snuff said in an interview that "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" and Walter Brennan's "Old Rivers" were the two favorite songs of all the records he produced. "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" hit number two in April, 1966. "You Better Sit Down Kids" was her last chart entry before "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves". "All I Really Want To Do" was her very first solo entry into the charts.

Answer: Family Affair

By the time "Family Affair" topped the charts, Sylvester "Sly" Stewart was becoming unreliable and lawsuits over his failure to appear at concerts were frequent. Columbia Records had also suspended his contract. The lack of income resulted in his getting evicted from his opulent Los Angeles home.

Despite all his problems he and the band recorded an album called "There's A Riot Goin' On" that produced the single "Family Affair". It was the first chart entry by Stewart's band in 18 months. He eventually sought help for drug addiction in 1984 but never returned to the popularity he enjoyed previous to "Family Affair". "Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)" reached number one in February of 1970. "I want to Take You Higher" and "You Can Make It If You Try" were performed by the band during their Woodstock appearance.

Answer: Maggie May/Reason To Believe

"Maggie Mae" was written by Rod along with Martin Quittenton. Tim Hardin wrote "Reason to Believe", which was supposed to be the "A" side of the release. After the sixth week on the charts "Maggie Mae" was listed as the "A" side because radio stations were playing both sides regularly.

The same week the album which contained the two songs, "Every Picture Tells A Story", also hit number one on the album charts. Rod had been around the business since the mid-sixties, and had recorded a cover of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" in 1966.

He had been working steadily with Jeff Beck, Ronnie Lane and other band-mates with the Faces. "Stay With Me" went to number 17 in 1972. Rod was heard by Long John Baldry while singing on a train and started singing with his band, Hoochie Coochie Men.