Leader of the Bands Trivia Quiz

Answer: Natalie Maines

Natalie Maines is the lead singer for the American country music band The Dixie Chicks, formed in 1989 in Dallas, Texas; the other members include sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire. Aside from winning over a dozen Grammy Awards, The Dixie Chicks obtained a good deal of notoriety in London in March 2003 (right before the invasion of Iraq), when Maines said "We don't want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas". The reaction in the US to Natalie's comment by conservatives was mostly negative and involved boycotts, which The Dixie Chicks later followed up with the song "Not Ready To Make Nice".

BTW, the wrong answers were all in The Dixie Cups.

Answer: The Chiffons

Did you get the hint? The Chiffons originated in the Bronx, New York in 1960. Their lead singers were Judy Craig and Sylvia Peterson, and other members Patricia Bennett and Barbara Lee were both schoolmates with Judy Craig at James Monroe High School (putting the 'girl' in girl bands).

Besides "One Fine Day", written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, the group had another Goffin and King hit song, "Sweet Talkin' Guy"; but it was their very first single "He's So Fine" which hit number one in the U.S., sold over a million copies and received 'a gold disc', which would have been platinum by today's standards.

Answer: Silver Convention

Moving along to the 1970s, Silver Convention was a popular Euro disco act from Munich, Germany originally calling themselves Silver Bird Convention. They started out as a studio group featuring Linda G. Thompson, Penny McLean (was there a barber showing photographs?) and Jackie Carter.

In 1975 they produced a successful single in the UK called "Save Me" and expanded to later add Ramona Wulf as lead singer, Zenda Jacks and Rhonda Heath. That same year they made a number one hit single with "Fly, Robin, Fly" which used only sin words in the whole song, i.e., "Fly, Robin, Up, To, The, Sky".

They followed that in 1976 with another number one, "Get Up and Boogie" - only six words ("That's, Right").

Answer: Ronnie Spector

Ronnie Spector, originally Veronica Bennett, was a member of The Ronettes along with her older sister Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley. They originally called themselves The Darling Sisters and, as The Ronettes, released such hits as "Be My Baby" and "Walkin' in the Rain". The Ronettes were the only girl group to tour with the Beatles.

Shirley Alston Reeves was the main lead singer for The Shirelles, made up of Beverly Lee, Addie Harris and Doris Kenner Jackson; it was Jackson who sang lead for one of their greatest hits, "Dedicated to the One I Love". The Shirelles had all been classmates from Passaic High School in New Jersey.

Answer: Destiny's Child

In 1999, Destiny's Child released the smash hit "Say My Name" which not only won them two Grammy Awards - for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song - it made them a household name! The most famous line-up of Destiny's Child included Beyonce Knowles as lead singer, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, with backing vocals by Farrah Franklin, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson. Among the group's many hits were "Independent Women (Part I)", "Bootylicious" and "Survivor".

In June 2005 the group disbanded (good pun!) and, unless you've been living on another planet, you know how Beyonce dropped her last name and went on to even greater fame.

Answer: The Pointer Sisters

While all the choices above include sister acts, June, Bonnie and Anita formed The Pointer Sisters; between 1973 and 1985 they scored 13 US top 20 hits. Did you know that June and Bonnie started out singing in clubs in 1969 as Pointers, a Pair? When Anita joined they became a trio and, in December 1972, when Ruth joined, they became a quartet.

Their greatest success came in the 1980s as a trio with June, Anita and Ruth, performing such great hits as "Jump (for My Love)", "Automatic", "He's So Shy" and "Neutron Dance". Over time the group has evolved to include Ruth's daughter, Issa Pointer, and her granddaughter Sadako Pointer...still keeping it in the family!

Answer: Bananarama

In London in 1979, Siobhan Fahey, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward teamed up to form Bananarama. As of 2015, they were still listed in "The Guinness Book of World Records" as 'the all female group with the most chart entries in the world'. You could not turn on a radio in the 1980s without hearing a Bananarama song; their hits included "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" (1983), "Cruel Summer" (1983) and their number one hit in the United States, "Venus" in 1987. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jackie O'Sullivan for three years. Since 1992, Woodward and Dallin have continued Bananarama as a duo.

Answer: Belinda Carlisle

All of the choices above were part of the Go-Go's band, but it was Belinda Carlisle who sang the lead for most of the band's songs, e.g., "We Got the Beat" and "Vacation", before going out on her own as a solo performer. I think it is interesting to note that The Go-Go's were the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments.

They were formed as a 'new wave' punk band in L.A. and Carlisle had briefly been a member of The Germs but, due to a bout with mononucleosis, she left The Germs (does anyone else think this is funny?). Belinda had a solo number one hit "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" and wrote a memoir "Lips Unsealed" in 2010.

Answer: Tionne Watkins

The Atlanta band was formed in 1990 and originally called itself '2nd Nature'; it was comprised of Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins, Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes and Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas - TLC. T-Boz was the founder and usually the lead singer. Between 1996 and 2000, the group won five Grammy Awards: for "CrazySexyCool" (Best R&B Album), "Creep" (Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal), "Fanmail" (Best R&B Album), and "No Scrubs" (Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal).

In 1996 they were also nominated for my favorite ("Waterfalls") but did not win. On April 25, 2002 Lopes was killed in a car accident in Honduras; in 2013, they won an MTV "Legend" Award.

Answer: The Bangles

The Bangles started out as The Bangs, a trio from Los Angeles, California comprising Susanna Hoffs and sisters Debbie and Vicki Peterson. The band had several hits in the 1980s including 'Billboard' magazine's number one hit of 1987, "Walk Like an Egyptian" (which had everybody walking like an Egyptian), "Manic Monday", "Hazy Shade of Winter" (my personal favorite) and their 1989 number one hit single "Eternal Flame".

As far as the incorrect answers: The Runaways was a precursor of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts with Lita Ford; Lady Antebellum has only one lady in a band of three and Barenaked Ladies are neither bare nor ladies.