Hot Songs on the US Billboard Charts Quiz

Answer: LaDonna Gaines

Boston native LaDonna Adrian Gaines became involved in musicals in high school and went to Germany as part of the Munich production of "Hair" after landing the role of Sheila. She worked with a variety of German artists, married Helmuth Sommer and after meeting producer Giorgio Moroder signed a contract with Oasis Records.

Her name was misspelled as Donna on her 1974 LP "Lady of the Night". The following year she recorded "Love to Love You" which was distributed in the US by Casablanca Records. The single reached Number Two in the US and began a string of 14 Top Ten US singles. Donna won five of her 17 Grammy nominations and six of her 12 American Music Award nominations.

She was also the first American artist to release three consecutive Number One double albums. Francine Hurd Barker was the first of seven Peaches in the Peaches and Herb duo. Marie Dionne Warrick was Dionne Warwick's birth name. Lynda Cheryl Smith released "Got to be Real" under the name Cheryl Lynn in 1979.

Answer: Sly and The Family Stone

Sly and the Family Stone topped the charts in 1968 with "Everyday People" before reaching Number two in 1969 with "Hot Fun in the Summertime". The San Francisco area band formed three years before Woodstock and hit the US Top Ten in 1967 with "Dance to the Music".

Originally called Sly and the Stoners and Sly Brothers and Sisters, they were signed to Epic Records and released the critically acclaimed "Whole New Thing" LP in 1967. Their "Stand!" album was released in 1969 and featured hits including "I Want to Take You Higher", "Everyday People" and "You Can Make It If You Try" securing them an invitation to Woodstock. "Spinning Wheel" was a 1969 release by Blood, Sweat and Tears. "Somebody to Love" was one of the songs on Jefferson Airplane's set list at Woodstock.

The "Crosby, Stills and Nash" LP was released in May 1969, three months before Woodstock.

Answer: Sweeney Todd

Nick Gilder enjoyed Number One success in Canada in 1975 with Sweeney Todd when they released "Roxy Roller". The single went on to win a Juno Award for "Best Selling Single". After the success of "Roxy Roller" Gilder embarked on a solo career and had a Number One hit when the single release "Hot Child in the City" topped the charts from his second album, "City Nights" (1978). Although subsequent chart singles failed to achieve the same success Gilder has composed songs for other artists including Joe Cocker, Pat Benatar and Bette Midler.
When his composition "The Warrior" by Scandal went to Number One in 1984 Gilder became the first Canadian to have chart topping success as solo artist, band member and songwriter in that country.
Singer/guitarist Myles Goodwyn was an original member of April Wine. Honeymoon Suite formed in Niagara Falls in 1981. Kid Wikkid formed 1983 in Toronto and featured a young Sebastian Bach.

Answer: True

In 1984 David Lee Roth was embarking on a solo career with his "Crazy from the Heat" LP. The album featured a remake of The Beach Boys' "California Girls" that went to Number Three in the US as well as the Number 12 "Just a Gigolo". Van Halen's final album featuring Roth was "1984" and the fourth and final single release was "Hot For Teacher".

The music video featured the band as teenage school children and later as adults. Eddie Van Halen asked Patty Smyth to become the band's singer when Roth left and when she declined Sammy Hagar accepted the invitation.

In 1986 their "5150" album was released, becoming Van Halen's first Number One album on the US charts.

Answer: Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed's first US Pop Top Ten success was "Amos Moses" in 1970. The song also reached Number 16 on the Country charts. Atlanta native Jerry Reed Hubbard was singing and writing songs in high school. Right after graduation he was signed by a publisher and record producer.

In 1958 Gene Vincent released a recording of Reed's composition "Crazy Legs". After a stint in the military Reed did session work and finally released a moderate hit in 1967 titled "Guitar Man" which Elvis also recorded using Reed as the guitarist. Reed recorded a string of successful singles and embarked on a film career in 1972. "Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)" was released by Daddy Dewdrop in 1971. Freddie Hart released "Easy Loving" the same year and "Groove Me" was a single by King Floyd.

Answer: Buster Poindexter

David Roger Johansen was born in New York on Staten Island. He began his recording career with The New York Dolls, writing much of their material with fellow member Johnny Thunders. In 1977 David went solo releasing five live and studio albums and opened for the Who in 1982.

In the late eighties he adopted the pseudonym Buster Poindexter featuring music with Calypso and Jazz influences backed by The Uptown Horns. He released his version of Arrow's 1982 single "Hot Hot Hot" from his 1987 "Buster Poindexter" album and recorded three more albums over the next ten years under that name.

He also embarked on an acting career. Gregory Abbott released "Shake You Down" in 1987, "C'est La Vie" was a 1987 Robbie Nevil single and Levert released "Casanova".

Answer: Reno

Mike Reno was born Joseph Michael Rynoski in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada and fronted Moxy before becoming a founding member of Loverboy in 1979. In November of that year they opened for for Kiss at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. After being turned down by several US labels the group signed with Columbia Records of Canada and made their eponymous debut album in early 1980.

Their first release, "Turn Me Loose", was a Top Ten Canadian hit and broke the US Top Forty at Number 35. They began a hectic touring schedule with bands including ZZ Top, Def Leppard, Kansas and Cheap Trick.

They were touring with Journey the following year when their second album, "Get Lucky" came out featuring the single "Working for the Weekend". The group garnered a record-setting six Juno Awards in one year.

Answer: The Power Station

John Taylor and Andy Taylor from Duran Duran teamed up with Genesis vocalist Robert Palmer and Chic drummer Tony Thompson to form Power Station. Their name was taken from the name of the studio where their album was recorded. In early 1985 the group sang "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" and "Some Like it Hot" on "Saturday Night Live".

Their debut album reached Number Six on the US album chart. Later in 1985 Robert Palmer released a solo album titled "Riptide" and left The Power Station. He was replaced by Michael Des Barres but by 1986 the band had folded and the members became involved in other projects.

They reunited a decade later and released the "Living in Fear" album but dissolved because of personnel changes. Formed in 1984 The Firm featured Paul Rodgers, Jimmy Page, Chris Slade and Tony Franklin.

The Highwaymen was a Country Music super group formed in 1985. Traveling Wilburys featured Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.

Answer: Hot Line

The Sylvers were a family vocal group from the Watts section of Los Angeles, California. In 1972 as the siblings began growing the group changed their name from The Little Angels to The Sylvers. Between 1972 and 1974 the group released three albums for MGM along with seven singles that didn't fare well on the charts. In 1976 they released "Boogie Fever" and "Hot Line". "Boogie Fever" topped the charts while "Hot Line" made it to Number Five. The following year "High School Dance" reached Number 17 and would be the group's final US Top Forty single.
Due in part to the decline in popularity of dance music the band dissolved after releasing their 1984 album "Bizarre" and various members attempted solo projects.
"Hot 'Lanta" was a 1971 Allman Brothers instrumental. "Hotter than Hell" was a 1974 single and the title of Kiss' second album. "Hot Dog" is a track from Led Zeppelin's 1979 album "In Through the Out Door".

Answer: His Lost Planet Airmen

In 1967 Frayne adopted the stage name Commander Cody and his backing band's name was inspired by a fifties serial "King of the Rocket Men" released as "Lost Planet Airmen" when they formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They played in local bars until relocating to San Francisco and releasing their first album, "Lost in the Ozone", in 1971. "Hot Rod Lincoln" was released as a single and reached the US Top Ten. George's brother Chris did the cover art for "Lost in the Ozone".

The band released five more albums before dissolving in 1975. The Stone Canyon Band backed Rick Nelson. Gary Puckett fronted The Union Gap and "We Got More Soul" was a 1969 release from Dyke and The Blazers