Leader of the Band Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Heywoods

Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods are known for their seventies hits, "Billy Don't Be A Hero" and "Who Do You Think You Are". The band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1965 and was initially called "The Heywoods". They derived the name from the last name of a songwriter on a Rolling Stones album because they liked the sound of the name.

They opened for The Osmonds on tour in the early seventies and signed with Family Productions. In 1972 they released their first single, "Special Someone". Their big break came after signing with ABC Records and being paired with producer Steve Barri in 1973.

In 1974 the band released the songs "Billy Don't Be A Hero" and "Who Do You Think You Are". "The Heartbreak Kid" and "Our Last Song Together" soon followed.

The hits stopped coming and by 1978 they were known as "The Bo Donaldson Band". They split up after trying country music without success in the eighties. They reformed as a nostalgia act and still make appearances. The Heartbreakers back Tom Petty. Doctor Bone & The Hepcats is a jazz band.

The Howard Band is Samford University's original marching band.

Answer: The Mindbenders

Wayne Fontana founded the Mindbenders with Bob Lang, Ric Rothwell and Eric Stewart in 1963. The group was later joined by Grahame Foote. The name of the group was inspired by the title of a 1963 film called "The Mind Benders", starring the British actor Sir Dirk Bogarde.

They released a few unsuccessful singles before recording "Um Um Um Um Um Um" in 1964. It became a major hit in Britain and led to a tour with Brenda Lee. They soon had a hit in the US with "Game of Love". Fontana left the band in the middle of a concert in 1965. Guitarist Eric Stewart then became the lead singer of the band and they dropped "Wayne Fontana" from the band's name. The Moonglows were an influential doo-wop group from Cleveland, Ohio. Masterminds is a trio of rappers who met as students at Wesleyan University in 1994.

The Mocking Birds are a Rhode Island based Alternative Band with a mix of Country twang.

Answer: The Starliters

The most famous lineup of Joey Dee and The Starliters is considered to be Joey Dee, David Brigati, Larry Vernieri, Carlton Lattimore and Willie Davis. Members of the touring group would include Eddie Brigati, Gene Cornish and Felix Cavaliere. They would go on to form The Young Rascals. Guitarist Jimmy James (later known as Jimi Hendrix) and Charles Neville of The Neville Brothers also performed as Starliters.

The group was booked at The Peppermint Lounge in 1960 for a weekend gig. The band was so popular that they ended up becoming the house band and remained there for over a year. Joey wrote "Peppermint Twist" with Henry Glover as a tribute to the famous lounge and the song went all the way to the top spot in 1961. Statesmen Quartet is one of Southern gospel's longest-running groups. Star Room Boys is the name of an Alternative Folk band.

The Steeles are a Tennessee-based Southern gospel group.

Answer: The Midnighters

The Midnighters began their career as the Royals in the early fifties. The original lineup is said to have included Levi Stubbs and Jackie Wilson. Hank Ballard joined the band in 1953. They recorded "Work With Me Annie" and changed their name to the Midnighters to avoid confusion with the Five Royals.

In 1958 Ballard wrote "The Twist". Dick Clark was impressed with the song and had Ernie Evans record the song using the name Chubby Checker. Ballard and the Midnighters benefited from the exposure. By the middle of 1960 they had hits in the top 40 including "Finger Poppin' Time", "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" as well as their original version of "The Twist". After the twist craze waned it was difficult to get gigs and members started to depart the group. Hank was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and passed in 2003.

The Moonlighters are a country rock band that was active in the seventies and eighties fronted by Bill Kirchen. The Twilighters are a marching band. The Lamplighters were formed in South Central LA in 1952.

Answer: The Aces

Desmond Dekker is a Jamaican ska and reggae singer and songwriter. His backing group, The Aces, included Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard. Dekker had one of the first Jamaican hits with "Israelites". Other hits include "007 (Shanty Town)" and "It Mek". Before the ascent of Bob Marley, Dekker was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians.

In the seventies Dekker spent most of his time touring and moved to the UK, where he continued to record. Among his best known songs of this period was "You Can Get It If You Really Want", written by Jimmy Cliff. The Wailers were a ska and reggae group formed in Kingston, Jamaica in 1963. Members included Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, Bunny Livingston, Bob Marley, Peter McIntosh and Cherry Smith.

The Pioneers are a Jamaican reggae vocal trio whose main period of success was in the 1960s. The Skatalites are a ska supergroup from Jamaica that played together between 1963 and 1965.

Answer: The Stingers

B. Bumble and the Stingers is an instrumental ensemble active in the early sixties. They recorded rock and roll arrangements of classical melodies. Their biggest hits were "Bumble Boogie" and "Nut Rocker". In 1959 Louisiana musicians Earl Palmer, René Hall and Plas Johnson were the house band at Rendezvous Records in Los Angeles. Hall came up with the idea for B. Bumble and the Stingers to do "Bumble Boogie". Producer Ken Fowley recorded pianist Ernie Freeman on two tracks, one using a grand piano for the rhythm part and another on a doctored upright with thumb tacks attached to the hammers.

The other musicians on the session were Palmer on drums, Red Callender on bass and Tommy Tedesco on guitar. "Bumble Boogie" went to number 21 on the Billboard charts in June, 1961.

The Bees are an English band from Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. They are known in US as A Band of Bees. The Boogie Men are a 9-piece dance band from New Orleans. The Hornets are fictitious.

Answer: The First Edition

The First Edition consisted primarily of former New Christy Minstrels members who wanted to explore different musical directions. In 1967 they signed with Reprise and recorded their first single, "I Found A Reason". It was a minor hit. Their follow-up, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)", was sung by Kenny Rogers.

The single became a number five hit early in 1968. Glen Campbell plays the backwards guitar intro. As Kenny Rogers and The First Edition the group had several hits including "Ruby" and "Reuben James".

The band reached the peak of their fame with the number 11 hit, "Something's Burning", in 1970. After having their own television show for a short time, Kenny Rogers left the group in 1975 for a successful solo career. New Edition is a R&B/Pop band formed in Boston in 1978.

The Fifth Dimension had hits with hits "Up, Up and Away" and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In". Special Edition Band is a Dallas/Ft. Worth area party band.

Answer: The Zodiacs

Maurice Williams was born and raised in Lancaster, South Carolina. He formed a gospel group called The Junior Harmonizers but doo-wop became their primary interest and they changed their name to The Royal Charms. While on tour their station wagon broke down and the band came across a small car known as "The Zodiac" and changed their name.

In 1959 they recorded some tracks in a Quonset Hut in Columbia, South Carolina. One of the last songs they recorded was "Stay," a song that Maurice Williams had written a couple of weeks earlier.

After taking the demo of "Stay" to Herald Records in New York City the song was released in early 1960. At 1:39 "Stay" became the shortest recording ever to reach number one. The Diamonds recorded "Little Darlin'".

Answer: The Drells

Archie Bell & The Drells is a Houston, Texas, based vocal group and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records. Some of the band's hits include "Tighten Up" and "I Can't Stop Dancing" from 1968. "Tighten Up" was written by Archie Bell with Billy Butler.

It became a local hit in Houston and was picked up by Atlantic Records in April, 1968. By summer it topped both the Billboard R&B and pop charts and had sold a million copies. "Here I Go Again" was a UK hit in 1972. "Soul City Walk" was released in 1976, followed by "Everybody Have A Good Time" the following year. The Archies are a fictional bubble gum band founded by "Archie" comic book characters Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. Lonny Fame and the Belltones is an often-imitated rock band from the fifties. "The Bells" is a famous poem by Edgar Allan Poe.

Answer: The Innocents

Kathy was discovered in the audience of "The Wink Martindale Show", a daily LA teenage dance program when she was only 15. Other guests on the program were the Innocents, a local trio who had recorded "Honest I Do". Young introduced herself while they were signing autographs and asked how to go about making a record.

The Innocents' manager told her to call when he had more time. Young later arranged to meet The Innocents at a recording studio and arrived as they were finishing. Young went through an audition and was given the remaining studio time to record. Lee was more interested in having her sing "A Thousand Stars", which had been a minor hit for the Rivileers in 1954. Lee suggested that the Innocents provide vocal backing for Young. After the recording they all knew they had something special. "A Thousand Stars in the Sky" was their biggest hit and Kathy's only Top 25 single.

The Elegants had a hit with "Little Star". The Medallions were a Los Angeles doo-wop quartet that did songs about fast cars.

The Skyliners did "Since I Don't Have You" in 1959.