Instrumental Songs with Geographical Titles Quiz

Answer: Lonnie Mack

Lonnie Mack was born Lonnie McIntosh in the Appalachian region of Kentucky. He began playing guitar when he was seven and as a young adult began playing as a session musician for small labels and working in bands. While working in a studio he was advised that he could have the remaining twenty minutes of studio time and hastily arranged and recorded "Memphis" with the other musicians.
Mack forgot about the recording and while on tour with Troy Seals he learned that "Memphis" had reached number five on the US charts.
In 1960 the Top Ten "Because They're Young" became the highest charting of Duane Eddy's many instrumental singles. Dick Dale was a pioneer of Surf genre rock with such hits as "Miserlou". Chet Atkins was one of the first to record "Walk, Don't Run", inspiring the Ventures to record the song.

Answer: Cliffs Of Dover

Austin native Eric Johnson combined elements of various styles in his playing style. He became an in-demand guitarist and released his debut album, "Ah Via Musicom" in 1990. The second cut on the LP was "Cliffs of Dover", which garnered Johnson a 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock instrumental Performance. The song, along with Eric's other work, has earned awards and praise by many guitar magazines. "Guitar World" magazine placed "Cliffs of Dover" at number 17 out of the top 100 guitar solos.
Eric has released nine albums and had played on many recording sessions for a number of artists.
"Swanee River Hop" was an instrumental recorded by Fats Domino. Buckethead recorded "Nottingham Lace" and Eric Johnson played on Kara Grainger's 2007 release, "Grand and Green River"

Answer: Thee Midniters

Thee Midniters were a Chicano band that formed in the early sixties in East Los Angeles. When the group used "thee" instead of "the" to avoid confusion with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters other bands followed such as Eddie Serrano and Thee Enchantments and Thee Headcoats.
Thee Midniters earned regional acclaim with a cover of "Land of a Thousand Dances" and released "Whittier Boulevard" as a follow-up. Local Dee-jays supported the song and the talented band became one of the most enduring acts to come from the LA area.
The Meters were based in New Orleans and recorded instrumental singles such as "Sophisticated Cissy" and "Cissy Strut". "Viva Tirado" was an instrumental by El Chicano from Colton, California. "University Boulevard" was recorded by the Nashville based Los Straitjackets.

Answer: The Viscounts

The Viscounts had Number 39 success with their version of "Harlem Nocturne". The song was originally written in 1939 by Earle Hagen and had been recorded by such artists as King Curtis, Harry James, Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington.
The Viscounts formed in New Jersey in 1958. A year later they recorded and released "Harlem Nocturne" and it peaked at number 52 and faded away. When it was re-released in 1966 it made the Top Forty. It was the only Top Forty single by the group.
"Harlem Nocturne" was the theme song chosen for the television series "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer" (1958).
"Baby, Scratch My Back" by Slim Harpo made it to number 16 in 1966. Neal Hefti and His Orchestra had a Top Forty instrumental with "Batman Theme" the same year. "A Hard Day's Night" and "Wade in the Water" were instrumentals released in 1966 by Ramsey Lewis.

Answer: The Mar-Keys

Originally called The Royal Spades, the group became The Mar-Keys when saxophone player Charles "Packy" Axton's mom suggested they change their name. They earned national chart success with the number three "Last Night" then released "Philly Dog" and "Popeye Stroll". Members of The Mar-Keys would later work with other renown Stax groups including The Packers, The Memphis Horns, and Booker T. and the M.G.'s. The Olympics formed in Los Angeles and recorded a dance song called "Baby Do The Philly Dog". "Soul Finger" was one of the singles by Stax artists The Bar-Kays and The Mad Lads were a Doo-Wop group from Memphis.

Answer: The Ventures

The Ventures had already been releasing hit singles for five years, beginning with "Walk, Don't Run", when they recorded "Diamond Head". They released an album the same year titled "Surfing with The Ventures". Three years later they had another major US hit with "Hawaii Five-0".
In 1963 The Chantays had a Top Ten hit with "Pipeline". Dick Dale and the Del-Tones were one of the earliest surf groups, releasing "Miserlou" in 1962. The Bel-Airs were known for their 1961 Surf single "Mr. Moto".

Answer: Mexico

"Mexico" was a breakthrough hit for session bassist Bob Moore. Moore had already been playing on sessions for artists such as Elvis when he formed his own ensemble and released the number seven "Mexico". He joined Fred Foster in forming Monument Records in the early sixties, backing Monument artists such as Roy Orbison.
Bob Moore worked with artists in various music styles including Bob Dylan, Moby Grape, The Boston Pops and Quincy Jones. In 1994 "Life" magazine dubbed him number one country bassist of all time.

Answer: True

Lawrence Welk was reluctant to record "Calcutta". At the urging of his music director he recorded the tune in one take for Dot Records. In 1961 the single topped the US charts and remained there for two weeks, toppling "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by the Shirelles. An album by the same name by Lawrence Welk also reached number one on the album charts.
Welk's dancers created a routine for the song that was featured on his weekly variety show.
Heino Gaze composed the music for "Calcutta". The song originally had lyrics written by Hans Bradtke.

Answer: Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen

Before English musician Kenny Ball recorded "Midnight in Moscow" it was titled "Moscow Nights". In 1957 "Moscow Nights" won first prize at the World Festival of Youth and Students held in Moscow. Kenny Ball had been working as a sideman for several bands and formed his own Dixieland band in 1957. His band recorded "Samantha" and "Midnight in Moscow". Both songs became favorites for the Dixieland genre.
In the US "Midnight in Moscow" earned Ball membership in the "One-Hit Wonder" category, but he remained popular in the UK.
"Asia Minor" was a 1961 Top Ten instrumental single by Kokomo. "Bonanza" was released as a single by Al Caiola and His Orchestra and reached the Top Twenty. In 1961 "Lost Love" was released as an instrumental by H.B. Barnum.

Answer: Washington Square

The Village Stompers were from Greenwich Village. They were influenced by Dixieland music and recorded "Washington Square" for Epic Records. The song was a surprising smash, peaking at number two in the US. The group recorded other geographically themed tunes such as "Turkish Delight, "From Russia With Love", "The Bridge Of Budapest" and "Moonlight On The Ganges".
"Glasgow Kiss" was recorded by John Petrucci. "Hot Lanta" was an instrumental by The Allman Brothers Band. "Deep In The Heart Of Texas" was a 1962 instrumental by Duane Eddy and has also been released as a vocal by several artists.