Dance Records and Crazes of the Sixties Quiz

Answer: The Champs

"Limbo Rock", "Too Much Tequila" and "La Cucaracha" were follow up singles by the Champs after winning a Best Rhythm and Blues Recording Grammy in 1959 for "Tequila". The Champs recorded "Train to Nowhere" as the intended release but when radio stations began playing the flip-side "Tequila" became a sensation, topping the charts in 1958.
The Busters had a 1962 Top Forty hit with "Bust Out". "Out Of Limits" was a Top Ten single from The Marketts and "Washington Square" by The Village Stompers reached Number Two.

Answer: Twisting the Night Away

Sam Cooke wrote and recorded "Twistin' the Night Away". It was his only Top Ten single for the year in 1962. Sam topped the charts in 1957 with "You Send Me" and made it to Number Two in 1960 with "Chain Gang". He released 26 Top Forty hits before his death in 1964 at the age of 33. "A Change Is Gonna Come" was released posthumously and made the Top Forty.
In 1973 Rod Stewart recorded a cover of "Twistin' the Night Away" on his "Never a Dull Moment" LP.
"Twistin' Postman" by The Marvelettes reached Number 34 in 1962. "Twistin' Matilda" was a Number 22 release by Jimmy Soul and "Twist, Twist Senora" by Gary "U.S." Bonds made the Top Ten.

Answer: Do the Clam

"You'll Be Gone" was the flip-side to Elvis' single "Do the Clam". Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman and Dolores Fuller composed "Do the Clam. Dolores Fuller had a major role in the 1953 film, "Glen or Glenda", as the main character's girlfriend. "Do the Clam" was the only successful US Billboard single release from the "Girl Happy" soundtrack album. "Girl Happy" was one of three films that featured Shelley Fabares with Elvis.
The flip side of "Do the Clam", "You'll Be Gone", was written by Elvis along with Red West and Charlie Hodge.
"The Duck" was released by Jackie Lee in 1965. "The Fly" was a single by Chubby Checker and "Do the Bird" was a Top Ten by Dee Dee Sharp in 1963.

Answer: The Cinnamon Cinder (It's a Very Nice Dance)

"The Continental Walk", "The Hoochi Coochi Coo" and "The Switch-a-Roo" all reached the Top Forty in 1961 for Hank Ballard and The Midnighters. "The Cinnamon Cinder (It's a Very Nice Dance)" reached Number 25 for The Pastel Six in 1962.
"Work With Me, Annie" "Annie's Aunt Fannie" and "Annie Had a Baby" were fifties releases by Hank Ballard when he was with a group called The Royals. In 1959 he composed and released the first single of "The Twist" as Hank Ballard and The Midnighters. They enjoyed chart success with "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" and "Finger Poppin' Time".
Ballard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. He passed away in 2003.

Answer: The Majestic

Dion reached Number One in 1961 with "Runaround Sue" and had a Number Two hit with "The Wanderer". He released the Top Forty "The Majestic" the same year. The lyrics named places all over the country where teens were doing the dance. The lyrics also implied The Majestic replaced The Shimmy and The Slop.
The Madison was a line dance that became popular in the fifties. "Hitch Hike" was a 1962 Marvin Gaye Dance hit and "The Stroll" was a dance craze made popular by The Diamonds.

Answer: Danny and The Juniors

Danny and The Juniors had a smash hit in 1957 with "At the Hop". They appeared on "American Bandstand" and Dick Clark signed them to his Swan Records label. After signing with Swan they had their final US hit single with "Twisting USA". They signed with various labels during the sixties and re-released "Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Stay" in 1968 for Capitol Records.
The Dovells formed in Philadelphia in 1965 and released "Bristol Twistin' Annie" and "Bristol Stomp" in 1961.
Formed in Philadelphia The Delfonics hits include "La-La (Means I Love You)" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)". The Stylistics formed in Philadelphia in 1968. Their hits included "You Make Me Feel Brand New" and "Break Up to Make Up".

Answer: True

Archie Bell and the Drells formed in Houston, Texas, in 1966. Their first single, "Tighten Up", reached Number One in the US during the summer of 1968. "Tighten Up" had been composed as an instrumental for the T.S.U. Toronadoes. A local disc jockey arranged for Archie Bell to connect with the T.S.U. Toronadoes and Archie received credit for composing the lyrics.

The lyrics include the line "In Houston we just started a new dance called the 'Tighten Up'".

Answer: Ray Barretto Y Su Charanga Moderna

"El Watusi" had the distinction of becoming the first Latin Instrumental single to enter the Billboard charts. Ray Barretto was born in New York a few years after his parents had moved from Puerto Rico. In 1949 Charlie Parker asked Baretto to play percussion in his band.

By the early sixties he had become a session player for a number of labels and recorded "El Watusi" for United Artists as Ray Barretto Y Su Charanga Moderna. He went on to record over 30 jazz albums but did not have another Billboard Top Forty Pop hit in the US. Maria Elena was a 1963 Number Six hit from Los Indios Tabajaras. "Watermelon Man" by Mongo Santamaria was a Top Ten Instrumental in 1963. "Wiggle Wobble" by Les Cooper and The Soul Rockers reached Number 22 the same year.

Answer: Joey Dee and The Starliters

Joey Dee and The Starliters released "Lorraine" in 1958. In 1960 the group was recruited to play at New York's Peppermint Lounge. Before long crowd control was required because of the band's popularity. Joey Dee co-wrote the US Number One "Peppermint Twist" that propelled the club into national attention. After appearing in "Hey, Let's Twist" the group released Twist albums including "Doin' The Twist At The Peppermint Lounge" and "All The World's Twistin' With Joey Dee and The Starliters". In 1962 Joey Dee and The Starliters starred in "Two Tickets to Paris".
Early members of Joey Dee's band included Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati and Gene Cornish who would go on to form The Young Rascals. Jimi Hendrix once backed Dee as Jimmy James. Charles Neville of The Neville Brothers and Joe Pesci were also members of the band at one time.
The Trashmen released 'Bird Dance Beat" in 1964. Gary U. S. Bonds had a US Top Ten hit with "Dear Lady Twist" in 1962. "Cool Jerk" by The Capitols made it to Number Seven in 1966.

Answer: Swim

Bobby Freeman first hit the charts in 1957 with "Do You Want To Dance?". Bobby began a singing career when he was only 14 working with a group called The Romancers. He was only 17 when he recorded "Do You Want To Dance" for Josie Records. In 1960 he released the Top Forty Dance single "(I Do the) Shimmy Shimmy".
He signed with with Autumn Records and released "C'mon and Swim" in 1964. He followed up "C'mon and Swim" with "S-W-I-M" but the Swim dance craze was waning and the follow up only reached Number 66. His last single, "Everything's Love", failed to chart in 1974.