Bringing Them All Back Home Part 2 Quiz

Answer: Merseyside

Paul McCartney was born in Walton, Liverpool, in June 1942, just three months before Gerry Marsden, who was born in Toxteth, Liverpool; Jacqui Abbott was born in St Helen's, Merseyside, in November 1973; George Melly was born in Liverpool in August 1926 and died in London in July 2007.

Paul McCartney was a member of The Beatles and co-wrote most of their best-known songs with John Lennon. At the time this quiz was written, he had recorded 22 number one songs in the United Kingdom with The Beatles, with Wings, in duets or as a solo artist. In the US, he had 20 number one hits with The Beatles on the Billboard Hot 100 and nine with Wings or other singers.

Gerry Mardsen was lead singer of the Beatles contemporaries Gerry And The Pacemakers. They had three UK number one hits, all in 1963.

Jacqui Abbott took over as lead female singer with The Beautiful South after Brianna Corrigan left the band. (Their only number one was "A Little Time", which featured Dave Hemingway and Corrigan on vocals.) Some years after the break-up of The Beautiful South, Abbott reunited in concert and in the studio with founder member Paul Heaton. [See more in the quiz "Happy Hour Again: The Music Of Paul Heaton" on this quiz site.]

George Melly was one of Britain's leading jazz and blues singers. He joined the hard drinking and sexually promiscuous jazz scene in Britain of the 1950s. Melly was noted musically for his covers of other artists. His enjoyment of the the finer parts of the music scene earned him the nickname "Goodtime George".

Answer: Germany

Sarah Connor was born in Delmenhorst in June 1980; Lou Bega was born in Munich in April 1975; Roy Black was born Gerhard Höllerich in Bavaria in January 1943 and died in Heldenstein in October 1991; Jackson Browne was born in Heidelberg in October 1948.

Jackson Browne was born in Germany, where his father was in the US services. From the age of three he lived in Los Angeles and cut his teeth on the California folk scene. A keyboard virtuoso, chart success, strangely, eluded him. He had just two top ten hits on the Hot 100. His 1978 album "Running On Empty" reached number three on the Billboard 200 and remains one of this quiz writer's favourite albums.

Sarah Connor came from German-American heritage and started singing in a church choir at the age of six. She went on to become one of the best-selling singers on the German music scene in her generation, with 21 hits in the German top 30, including six number ones. She also spent time on a TV reality show with her then husband Marc Terenzi.

Lou Bega hit the top of the charts right across Europe with his 1999 hit "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" It was also a number three in the USA. It was to be his biggest hit, with little chart success thereafter, although he remained popular as a performer.

Roy Black was a chart topper in his native land and had several million-selling singles under his belt. He also starred in several film comedies.

Answer: California

Billie Eilish was born in Los Angeles in December 2001; Gwen Stefani was born in Fullerton in October 1969; Paula Abdul was born in San Francisco in June 1962; Bonnie Raitt was born in Burbank in November 1949.

Billie Eilish was a child prodigy, writing her first song at the age of four. At eight she was singing with the Los Angeles Children's Chorus. Her first songs were released when she was 15. She had 18 songs on the Hot 100 between August 2018 and August 2019, including the number one "Bad Guy". And she won five Grammys at the 2020 awards into the bargain.

In 2001 Gwen Stefani won the first of her three Grammy awards. A host of other awards followed. While her records sold well, her sole Billboard chart topper at the time this quiz was written was "Hollaback Girl" in 2005. In 2014 she became judge on the TV talent show "The Voice".

As a cheerleader in her teenage years, Paula Abdul became used to mass attention. On the music scene, she had six Billboard Hot 100 toppers and went on to become a judge on the TV talent shows "American Idol" and "The X Factor".

Bonnie Raitt came from a showbusiness family. Her father was a Broadway singer and her mother was a singer and pianist. Raitt defied classification as a singer and built up an appreciative audiences for her concerts and albums. "Nick of Time" and "Longing in Their Hearts" topped the Billboard 200 album charts in 1989 and 1994 respectively. She had won 11 Grammys by 2013.

Answer: Illinois

Curtis Mayfield was born in Chicago in June 1942 and died in Roswell, Georgia, in December 1999; Peter Cetera was born in Chicago in September 1944; Minnie Riperton was born in Chicago in November 1947 and died in Los Angeles in July 1979; Alison Krauss was born in Decatur, Macon County, in July 1973.

Curtis Mayfield cut his teeth with his band The Impressions on the 1960s R&B scene, before crossing over into the world of pop. Throughout his career with the band and as a solo artist, Mayfield's early involvement in gospel music were evident. He was deeply involved in civil rights and other social campaigns.

Peter Cetera was a founder member of the band Chicago and was also their bassist between 1967 and 1984. In 1968, they were 'discovered' by Jimi Hendrix, who took the band on tour with him. On going solo, Cetera had a Hot 100 number one with "Glory Of Love", which was on the soundtrack of the move "The Karate Kid: Part II". He continued to record and tour until announcing his retirement in 2019.

A trained opera singer with a five-octave singing range, Minnie Riperton was to inspire Stevie Wonder. Early in her career she sang with the Gems and later with Rotary Connection. Riperton had one Billboard number one with "Lovin' You" in 1975. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age and campaigned for better information and treatment of the illness.

Alison Krauss was an award winner in singing contests before the age of 10 and kept up that winning habit, adding 27 Grammys in later years. With the band Union Station, her blend of bluegrass country brought her many fans.

Answer: France

Vanessa Paradis was born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Paris, December 1972; Sacha Distel was born in Paris in January 1933 and died in Rayol-Canadel in July 2004; Catherine Ringer was born in Suresnes, Paris, in October 1957; Jean-Philippe Léo Smet was born in Paris in June 1943 and died in Marnes-la-Coquette, in December 2017.

Vanessa Paradis was a child star who seemed to be years older than her age. She was aged 14 when her first hit "Joe le taxi" topped the French charts and was a number three in the UK. She moved on to modelling and acting and had a well-publicised relationship with Hollywood star Johnny Depp.

Sacha Distel was a French heart throb as well as best-selling singer. He released more than 200 songs, among them his cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" - a UK number ten in 1970. He also had a series of TV shows in the USA and appeared on the London West End stage in the musical "Chicago".

In 1983, Catherine Ringer shot to fame with the band Les Rita Mitsouko. She had been a dancer and actor in her younger years. Ringer recorded several best-selling French songs with her musical partner Fred Chichin and started a solo career after his death in 2007.

Jean-Philippe Léo Smet adopted the name Johnny Hallyday for his rock and roll career. He had almost 30 number ones on the French charts and as many top tens in a long career. He recorded more than 1,000 songs and sold more than 110m records. As the "Guardian" newspaper noted in an obituary, Johnny Hallyday was "One of rock'n'roll's great showmen whose immense popularity in France never waned". It added that outside France, he was regarded as mirroring the style and substance of major US and British performers as their career timelines matched his own.

Answer: London

Amy Jade Winehouse was born in Southgate in September 1983 and died in Camden in July 2011; Ralph McTell (birth name Ralph May) was born in Croydon, Greater London, in December 1944; David Robert Jones was born in Brixton in January 1947 and died in New York City in January 2016; Florence Welch was born in Camberwell in August 1986.

In 2019, the "Guardian" newspaper polled critics to find "The 100 best albums of the 21st century" and they put "Back To Black" by Amy Winehouse at the top. Released in 2006 it was the second, and final long player from the troubled musician who died from accidental blood poisoning. Her 2006 single "Rehab" was a UK number eight and number nine on the hot 100 and was probably an anthem for a tragic life - her own.

Ralph McTell was a jobbing musician before he released "The Streets Of London" as a single in 1974. It was to be a monster UK hit. (In 2020, he added a new verse supporting homeless people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic). Ironically the song was written while he lived in Paris. McTell recorded regularly after that and also co-hosted a children's television series. He was also behind a project to provide guitars to inmates in UK prisons.

In March 2020, the "Guardian" newspaper listed the 50 greatest songs of David Bowie and described him as "one of the most bizarre, unnerving and outlandish musicians of all time". Bowie scored five number one singles in the UK during a career in which he reinvented himself several times. He had two songs top the Billboard Hot 100.

With her band Florence + The Machine, Florence Welch built up an impressive career. The band's music has been described as indie rock and they had two UK number one singles while three albums topped the charts. Just one song breached the Billboard Hot 100, "Sweet Nothing" was a number ten in 2013.

Answer: Manchester

Lisa Jane Stansfield was born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. in April 1966; Freddie Garrity was born in Crumpsall, Manchester, in November 1936 and died in Bangor, Wales, in May 2006; Kevin Godley was born in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, in October 1945; Noel Thomas David Gallagher was born in Longsight, Manchester, in May 1967.

From the age of four, Lisa Stansfield became absorbed by music, at that time her mother's Tamla Motown records. She named Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Billie Holiday as musical heroes, and those influences were reflected in her music. At 15 she was earning good money singing in a social club. She went on to have 16 UK top 40 hits, two of them reached the top. She had two top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

Freddie Garrity and his band The Dreamers were one of many bands that shot to prominence on the British pop scene in the 1960s. They had a style of their own, infusing their music with comedy, much of that from Garrity. He also starred in a number of movies. The band had four top ten hits in the UK, none reaching number one, while their sole Hot 100 top ten was their number one "I'm Telling You Now" in 1963.

Kevin Godley was one of the creative influences behind 10cc, along with Lol Creme. Eleven of their singles reached the UK top ten and they had three chart toppers. One of these "The Things We Do For Love" came after Godley and Creme left, and was to be the band's best performer on the Hot 100, a number five. Godley and Creme continued to sing as a duo, and also became involved in directing music videos.

Noel Gallagher and his brother Liam were the frontmen of Oasis, the Manchester band that thought they were their generation's answer to The Beatles. Certainly they had 23 UK top ten hits, eight reaching number one. They also had eight number one albums. They had two number one singles on the Hot 100. Ultimately the band broke up amid an acrimonious fall-out between the brothers. Liam sued Noel over something he had said. "Me and our kid still don't speak," Liam said after appearing at the Glastonbury Festival in 2013.

Answer: Edinburgh

Kate Victoria Tunstall was born in June 1975; David William Logan Johnstone was born on May 1951; Stuart Sutcliffe was born in June 1940 and died in Berlin in April 1962; Scott Hutchinson was born in November 1981 and died in Queensferry, Edinburgh, in May 2018.

K. T. Tunstall spent ten years of a low-key career singing in coffee houses and to small crowds before she got her big break in 2004. Then an American rapper dropped out of one of the UK's premier TV music shows, "Later With Jools Holland". Tunstall was called in and that performance turned her career around. Two UK top tens in 2005 kick started her career and she remained in demand thereafter.

Stuart Sutcliffe was the original bass player for The Beatles and was already an accomplished painter when the band formed. He and John Lennon thought up the name. He played with the band - then a fab five - in Hamburg from 1960. However when the others decided (or were required) to leave Germany, Sutcliffe stayed behind with his local girlfriend to continue his art. Stuart Sutcliffe died aged 21 of a cerebral haemorrhage on April 10, 1962.

Davy Johnstone joined the English folk group Magna Carta in 1970. Shortly later, at the age of 19, he recorded with Elton John and was part of his original backing band eventually playing in some 3,000 concerts. Between times, Johnstone became a guitarist in demand, playing with the likes of Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper, as well as releasing several solo albums.

Scott Hutchinson was chief songwriter and singer with the indie rock band Frightened Rabbit. While they never achieved a chart breakthrough, the band generated a loyal following. Scott Hutchinson suffered from depression, though, and took his own life.

Answer: Wales

Mary Hopkin was born in Ystradgynlais, Swansea, in May 1950; David William Edmunds was born in Cardiff in May 1944; John Davies Cale was born in Garnant, Carmarthenshire, in March 1942; Cerys Matthews was born in Cardiff in April 1969.

After Mary Hopkin won the TV talent show "Opportunity Knocks", she became one of the first artists with the Beatles to sign for Apple Records. Paul McCartney produced her first single, 'Those Were the Days'. It was a UK number one and a Billboard Hot 100 number two.

Dave Edmunds gigged around Wales before wider exposure with Love Sculpture. After leaving the band, he had a solo Christmas number one with "I Hear You Knocking" in 1970. Noted for his guitar skills, Edmunds also released a series of albums recorded at his own studio in Wales, often playing most of the instruments himself.

John Cale should not be confused with the American singer J. J. Cale. The Welsh Cale was a founder member of The Velvet Underground with Lou Reed. They were together for four years. His solo career produced music that defied categorisation. Cale's songs often pushed limits and his stage performances could be provocative: at a concert in San Francisco he decapitated a dead chicken mid-performance.

Cerys Matthews had a distinctive singing voice that highlighted her Welsh accent. With her band Catatonia she had ten songs in the UK top 40 between 1992 and 2001. In her solo career, Matthews moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to record there. She returned to Wales and recorded in the Welsh language. In later years she became a successful radio presenter.

Answer: Glasgow

Sadenia Reader was born in August 1959; Bert Jansch was born in November 1943 and died in London in October 1977; Maggie Bell was born in January 1945; Anthony James Donegan was born in April 1931 and died in Lincolnshire, England in November 2002.

Eddie Reader began her musical career in the folk clubs of Glasgow. She eventually moved on to London where she became a sought-after backing singer. With the band Fairground Attraction she had a number one single, "Perfect". Her range of music was wide and she recorded an album of songs based on the poems of Robert Burns. She won a Brit award in 1997 for Best British Female singer.

Bert Jansch was one of the best British guitarists of his era. In London in the early 1960s he wrote and recorded his own songs. He later joined the folk group Pentangle. Although commercial success eluded him, Jansch remained one of the most revered guitarist around. In an obituary, the "New York Times" noted Jansch had inspired folk and rock guitarists such as Donovan, Jimmy Page, Neil Young, and Paul Simon.

While comparisons can be invidious, Maggie Bell was at times described as the "British Janis Joplin". Her singing caught the attention of Scottish rocker Alex Harvey, who got her a job with The Kinning Park Ramblers. She later had a solo career, as well as singing with Stone The Crows and the Jon Lord Blues Project. She sang the song "No Mean City" that played over the closing credit for the Glasgow-based TV cop show "Taggart".

In the words of one obituary, Lonnie Donegan was "The founding father of British pop". He sang in a number of genres, but skiffle was the one for which he was most noted. Covers of American songs such as Leadbelly's "Rock Island Line" (1954) brought him huge success. He also recorded novelty songs such as "My Old Man's A Dustman" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)". Sadly for Donegan, by the end of 1962 skiffle was dead. He never stopped performing, but attempts to restart his career were short-lived.