Bringing Them All Back Home Part 1 Quiz

Answer: New York City

Harry Chapin was born in Brooklyn in December 1942 and died at Jericho, New York, in June 1981; Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, in January 1941; Billy Joel was born in The Bronx in May 1949; Alicia Keys was born in Hell's Kitchen in January 1981.

Harry Chapin was noted for his 'story songs'. These were poetic masterpieces in which he could turn the simplest insight into a person's character into a musical story. His only number one single was "Cat's In The Cradle", but he also earned a lot of radio airplay with his paean to radio deejays, "W*O*L*D". [See more in the trilogy of quizzes "The Harry Chapin Story" on this site.]

For a man who took 53 songs into the Billboard Hot 100, amazingly Neil Diamond had only three number one hits. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck worldwide, he changed the lyrics of his number four hit "Sweet Caroline" to offer some great advice:
"Hands...washing hands,
Reaching out...
Don't touch me, I won't touch you..."

Despite being one of the best live performers of his era, Billy Joel only had three number one hits among 42 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2014, he began a residency at Madison Square Guardians in New York City and had reached 73 concerts by the time this quiz was written in March 2020. [The 74th, due on March 19, was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.]

Alicia Keys scored four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100. Keys (birth name Alicia Augello-Cook) made her TV debut at the age of four in an episode of "The Cosby Show" and was signed up for a recording contract at the age of 16.

Answer: Canada

Gordon Lightfoot was born in Orillia, Ontario, in November 1938; Michael Bublé was born in Burnaby, British Columbia, in September 1975; Bryan Adams was born in in Kingston, Ontario in November 1959; Rick Danko was born in Blayney County, Ontario, in December 1943 and died in Marbletown, New York in December 1999.

Gordon Lightfoot began singing publicly at the age of 12. He sang with local outfits in Ontario before wider inspiration came from the folk music revival of the early 1960s. In 1964, established Canadian stars Ian & Sylvia added two Lightfoot songs to their repertoire and suddenly he became a man in demand. In 1970 "If You Could Read My Mind" was the first of three Canadian number ones. The second "Sundown" also topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the third "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" reached number two on the Hot 100.

Michael Bublé began singing in nightclubs at the age of 16 but began to become disillusioned by his lack of progress. His breakthrough to the big time began after Canada's prime minister Brian Mulroney and his wife became fans. He sang at their daughter's wedding in 2000. Within a few years international success and fandom ensued.

The son of a diplomat, Bryan Adams was another who discovered music at an early age. He became noted for his British 16-week number one "( Everything I Do) I Do It For You". After that, as a "Guardian" interview noted "his name became shorthand for a certain kind of gloopy naffness."

Rick Danko left school at the age of 14 to become a musician. He joined The Hawks, and when Bob Dylan asked them to play with him they became The Band. After their time with Dylan, they recorded and toured in their own right but never achieved the commercial success many felt they deserved. Danko returned to his folk roots in his solo career.

Answer: Northern Ireland

Paul Brady was born in May 1947 and raised in Strabane Co Tyrone; Nadine Coyle was born in Derry-Londonderry in June 1985; Sir George Ivan Morrison was born in Belfast in August 1945; Brian Kennedy was born in Belfast in October 1966.

Many sources give Paul Brady's place of birth as Strabane, but his own website states Belfast. His early musical influences were in rock and roll and blues, but Brady then moved into traditional Irish music, must notably with the band Planxty. Going solo, his music has been categorised as Irish rock. His songs have been covered by artists such as Bonnie Raitt, John Prine (with whom he wrote "Beautiful World"), Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Art Garfunkel, and Tina Turner.

Nadine Coyle rose to fame as a member of the band "Girls Aloud", which was formed as part of the TV talent show "Popstars: The Rivals" in 2002. Over the next 10 years they had 21 UK top 10 singles, including four number ones. Coyle was less successful as a solo artist.


Van Morrison became one of the most respected songwriters of his generation. After early success with the band "Them", his solo body of work was widely admired. He was inducted into both the "Songwriters Hall of Fame: and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame".

In the early years of his career Brian Kennedy was a backing singer for Van Morrison. He released a series of critically acclaimed albums and represented Ireland in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 10th.

Answer: Oklahoma

David Gates was born in Tulsa in December 1940; Gary P. Nunn was born in Okmulgee County in December 1945; Wanda Jackson was born in Maud in October 1937; Vince Gill was born in Norman in April 1957.

David Gates first got involved in band music at high school. Gates was lead singer of the group Bread. For about 10 years from about 1957 he worked with many leading names in the the business, as backing singer (for Buddy Holly among others) as well as writing songs. In 1968 he was a co-founder of Bread. They had six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the number one "Make It With You". When the band broke up in 1973 Gates went into retirement from the business.

Gary P. Nunn played in a number of bands in Texas before joining Jerry Jeff Walker's Lost Gonzo Band. In a productive period, he produced one of his best-known songs "London Homesick Blues", which was to become the theme songs for the long running TV show "Austin City Limits". He recorded numerous solo albums until about 2012.

Wanda Jackson started singing even before leaving high school. In the early 1950s. Her style earned her the nickname "queen of rockabilly". She continued to record and sing until announcing her retirement in 2019.

Vince Gill developed guitar skills that made him a popular sideman for the likes of Ricky Skaggs. He even turned down a chance to join Dire Straits. He was to become successful in his own right as a lead singer and became the first performer to win five consecutive Country Music Awards for Best Male Vocalist - 1991 to 1995. When the Eagles toured in 2017 and 2018, Gill sang the vocal parts that Glenn Frey had sung.

Answer: New York State

Jerry Jeff Walker was born in Oneonta in March 1942; Eric Adams was born in Auburn, County in July 1952; Ani DiFranco was born in Buffalo in September 1970; Jen Chapin was born in Nassau County in March 1971.

Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby) was an early exponent of country rock with the band Circus Maximus. As a songwriter, his most famous composition was "Mr Bojangles". Walker settled in Austin, Texas, and boosted the career of many singer and songwriters by recording their numbers and through hosting the TV show "Austin City Limits".

Eric Adams (birth name Louis Marullo) began playing in bands at a young age and in 1980 became lead singer of heavy metal band Manowar.

Ani DiFranco was a product of the New York City folk scene from about 1960. Although never signed to a major label, she had a respectable series of album releases on the Billboard 200. An eight-time Grammy nominee, she won for "Evolve" in 2004.

Jennifer Chapin was a daughter of singer/songwriter Harry Chapin and released seven albums between 2002 and 2013. Chapin also sang with other members of the Chapin Family including her uncles Tom and Steve, and various cousins. She continued her father's humanitarian word to reduce world hunger by serving on the board of World Hunger Year, the organisation he co-founded.

Answer: Australia

Helen Reddy was born in Melbourne in October 1941; Nick Cave was born in Victoria in September 1957; Rick Springfield was born in Sydney in August 1949; Kylie Minogue was born in Melbourne in May 1968.

Helen Reddy was the first woman singer from Australia to win a Grammy. She had three number one singles in the USA. Reddy also hosted a talk show in the USA and turned to the movies. She was nominated for Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer - Female for "Airport 1975".

Described by some critics as "one of rock's treats", Nick Cave had a colourful life that included excesses of alcohol and drugs. Although noted for his concert and album performances, his most successful single was a duet "Where The Wild Roses Grow" with Kylie Minogue. It reached number two in Australia and number 11 in the UK.

Rick Springfield played in various bands in England before returning to his native Australia. He scored five top 30 hits in Australia, including the number one "Jessie's Girl" in 1981. It won a Grammy. He also had chart success in the USA and embarked on a busy TV and silver screen acting career.

Singer, actress, and cancer-campaigner: Kylie Minogue had a busy life. She sprang to fame in the Aussie soap opera "Neighbours" and turned to pop stardom. She notched up 10 number one singles in Australia and seven in the UK.

Answer: MIchigan

Bob Seger was born in Detroit in May 1945; Sonny Bono was born in Detroit in February 1935 and died in January 1998 at Stateline, Nevada; Glenn Frey was born in Detroit in November 1948; Diana Ross was born in Detroit in March 1944.

(Phew, four random choices and all born in Detroit!)

Bob Seger performed with various bands in the 1960s and The Bob Seger System got national attention with "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" (a number 17 on the Hot 100). With The Silver Bullet Band he had 16 singles reach the top 30, including one number one, "Shakedown" in 1987.

Sonny Bono had been singing for a while in Los Angeles when he met 16-year-old Cherilyn Sarkasian. As Sonny & Cher, they had just one Hot 100 topper, "I Got You Babe", but appeared regularly in the Hot 100. They went on to star in a TV show before divorcing.

Glenn Frey had an ambition of becoming a musician from the time he was taken to a Beatles concert. He was mentored by Bob Seger and Jackson Browne and tried to get a contract with Asylum. They told him to go away and form a band, he did - the Eagles. The band went on to have 21 songs on the Hot 100, including five number ones.

Diana Ross began singing as a teenager and was founder member of the Supremes, one of Motown's most successful acts. There was some bad feeling among the other singers when the band was renamed "Diana Ross and the Supremes". Ross went solo in 1969. She had six number one hits on the Hot 100 as a solo artist and 12 with the Supremes.

Answer: New Zealand

Kimbra Lee Johnson was born in Hamilton in March 1990; Hayley Dee Westenra was born in Christchurch in April 1987; Hollie Smith was born in Auckland in November 1982; Lorde (Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor), was born in Auckland in November 1966.

At the age of 14, Kimbra gained second place in a singing contest in New Zealand. With a wide range of influences, Kimbra was also noted for her dramatic costumes. In the USA she became a regular on the late night TV talk shows.

Hayley Westenra was a child star in musical shows. While usually pigeon-holed as a classical singer, she was to have cross-over success.

Hollie Smith's songs fused elements of soul, jazz and R&B. Her first recording, at the age of 16, was of Celtic music made with her step-father. Most of her success came in her native land and incudes two number one albums by 2016 and a number two single, "Team, Ball, Player, Thing".

Lorde was just 16 when her debut single "Royals" topped the charts in New Zealand, the USA and the UK in 2013. David Bowie said hearing her songs was "like listening to tomorrow". Her 2017 album "Melodrama" was a chart topper in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the USA.

Answer: Republic Of Ireland

Bono was born Paul David Hewson in Dublin in May 1960; Mary Black was born in Dublin in May 1955; Dolores Keane was born in Sylane, County Galway, in September 1953; Andrea Corr was born in Dundalk, Co Louth in May 1974.

Bono joined the band U2 while still at school and they went on to become one of the longest-lasting bands with an original line up in rock history. They scored two number ones among six hits in the Billboard Hot 100 and had eight albums top the Billboard 200 by 2017. They topped the Irish charts on 21 occasions.

Described by "The San Francisco Chronicle" as "One of the best interpretative singers around", Mary Black sang with many at the top of the music business internationally. Her singing career began with the traditional band De Danann, but she went on to find success as a solo artist in Europe and North America.

Dolores Keane was another singer who served an apprenticeship with De Danaan. Her solo career took her to England and to North America. She was one of a number of women singers who joined John Prine for his album of duets "In Spite Of Ourselves". She also joined Tommy Sands for a haunting cover of "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?" on the tribute album of the same name to Pete Seeger.

Andrea Corr started singing at an early age and was a member of the family band "The Corrs". They were probably more successful on the UK charts than in Ireland.

Answer: Texas

Freddy Fender was born in San Benito in June 1937 and died in October , 2006 at Corpus Christi, Texas; Guy Clark was born in Monahans in November 1941 and died in Nashville, Tennessee, in May 2016; Lydia Mendoza was born in Houston in May 1916 and died in December, 2007 in San Antonio,; and John Townes Van Zandt was born in Fort Worth in March 1944 and died in Smyrna, Tennessee, in January 1997.

Freddy Fender (birth name Baldemar Huerta) left school at the age of 16 to join the US Maines. His first recording was in Spanish. After a period in jail and almost 20 years out of the business, success came in the 1970s and he had a number two hit with "Living It Down" in 1976.

Guy Clark was largely brought up by his grandmother in West Texas. He started out professionally on the Houston folk circuit, where he met Townes Van Zandt and began to tour with him. His songwriting soon came to the attention of others, among them Jerry Jeff Walker who had a hit with "L A Freeway". Soon Clark's songs and recordings were everywhere. "Rolling Stone" magazine placed Clark at number 68 on a list of "100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time" in 2017.

"Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that": Steve Earle's assessment summed up the brilliant, though erratic, Texan troubadour. In truth, Van Zandt's career was blighted by a lack of competent management, allied to a lack of personal drive on his own behalf.

Born into a musical family, Lydia Mendoza was prominent in Tejano music. She sang mainly in Spanish with her family group and as a solo artist.