Ray Charles was born on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia, and died on June 10, 2004 in Beverley Hills, California.
He began to learn piano at a very young age, though started to lose his sight at the age of four and was blind from the age of seven.
As a pupil of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, he began to develop his musical talents. While his lessons were in classical music, he preferred to play jazz, or even country music.
From about 1947, he became a peripatetic piano player in the bands of other musicians. In 1950 he signed his first record deal and had several minor hits before hooking up with Atlantic Records. In the years that followed, the hits started to flow.
Charles kept busy, though his career took a dip in the 1970s and early 1980s.
After a troubled personal life that included substance abuse, he died of complications after a hip operation.
Among the songs closely associated with Ray Charles were "Georgia on My Mind" (1960); "Hit the Road Jack" (1961); and "Unchain My Heart" (1961).
2. "King of Skiffle"
Answer: Lonnie Donegan
Anthony James Donegan was born on April 29, 1931 in Bridgetown, Glasgow, and died on November 3, 2002 at Market Deeping, Lincolnshire.
Jazz, country and western and the blues all interested the young Donegan, and his first musical job was as a banjo player in a traditional jazz band.
After National Service in the army, he formed the Tony Donegan Jazzband. [SIC]
At about this time, he adopted his nickname as a tribute to the blues musician Lonnie Johnson, for whom Donegan's band opened shows.
By the end 1950s, he had moved away from jazz to the new "skiffle' music.
Skiffle is a music genre dating back to the turn of the 19th/20th Century jug and string band traditions of the American South. Musicians used improvised instruments, such as washboards and broom handle basses.
Donegan had two UK number one singles in 1957, "Cumberland Gap" and "Gamblin' Man". These were covers of American songs. "My Old Man's a Dustman" was also a number one, in 1960.
In 1962, "Pick A Bale of Cotton" was Donegan's last chart entry, at number 11. By then the days of skiffle were over and pop was king.
3. "First Lady of Country"
Answer: Loretta Lynn
Loretta Webb was born on April 14, 1932 in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky.
She came from a large family and her singing career started at a young age in a local church choir. She married Oliver Lynn the the age of 16 and took his family name.
They moved to Custer, Washington, where Loretta started to sing at local venues. She released her first single, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl," in early 1960 and it became a minor hit.
They moved to Nashville and in 1962 Loretta scored her first top ten hit with "Success."
Over the next 50 years, she secured 11 number one hits in the US Country Charts.
Well-known songs included "Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone)" (1969); "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1970); and "Trouble in Paradise" (1974.)
She was a multi-award winner in the Country Music Association Awards and the Grammys.
4. "The Forces Sweetheart"
Answer: Vera Lynn
Vera Margaret Welch was born on March 20, 1917, in East Ham, London.
By the age of seven she had started singing in working men's clubs and was soon earning more than her father, a plumber, and her mother, a dressmaker.
She adopted her grandmother's maiden name, Lynn, at the age of 11
At 19, she released her first solo record "Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire" and by 22 had sold more than a million records.
During WW2, her fame soared. She began to entertain service personnel at concerts and earned the nickname "The Forces' Sweetheart."
Her most iconic songs, "We'll Meet Again" and "(Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" struck an immediate chord with the British populace; extolling a sense of hope, and of defiance in very bleak wartime days.
During WW2, she toured everywhere British forces served.
She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1969; made a Dame in 1975; and a Companion of Honour in 2016.
She made numerous records, and in March 2017 a compilation album, "Vera Lynn 100" featured many of her best-known songs in re-orchestrated form.
5. "King of Reggae"
Answer: Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945 in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica and died all too young on May 11, 1981 in Miami, Florida.
He learned to play guitar at an early age and was influenced by such performers as Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, and the Drifters.
In 1963, he formed his first band, The Wailing Wailers. Their big break came nine years alter when they signed a contract with Island Records.
Tours of the USA followed and the Wailers performed as an opening act for Bruce Springsteen and for Sly & the Family Stone.
Working in the USA, London and Jamaica, the Wailers' fame grew, they recorded several well-received albums, and brought reggae music to new audiences.
Well-known songs included "No Woman, No Cry" (a UK number eight in 1975) and "One Love/People Get Ready" (UK number five in 1977. "Buffalo Soldier" peaked at number four in the UK in 1983.
6. "Prince of Darkness"
Answer: Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael Osbourne was born on December 3, 1948 in Birmingham, England.
Osbourne has claimed that listening to the Beatles inspired him to a musical career.
In 1967, Osbourne joined the short-lived band "Rare Breed". He then joined with others to form a band called "Earth", which had to be renamed "Black Sabbath."
Their breakthrough album was their third, "Master of Reality", released in 1971. It was a top ten entrant in both the UK and USA.
More successes followed over a long career although Osbourne left the band for a few months.
Their brand of heavy metal made them popular with concert goers and a reputation as one of the most entertaining bands around (except among bats, I presume.)
Black Sabbath continued their extensive touring into the 21st Century, although there were periods of inactivity.
7. "White Queen of Soul"
Answer: Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien was born in London on April 16, 1939 and died in Oxfordshire on March 2, 1999.
In the early 1960s, a love of music led Dusty, her brother Dion, and a friend Tom Spring to found a band that they called "The Springfields"
They had several top five hits in 1962 and 1963 but disbanded in late 1963.
In her solo career, Dusty had several quick hits in "Some of Your Lovin'," "Little by Little," and "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me," a UK number one in 1966.
Her 1968 album "Dusty in Memphis," produced the smash hit "Son Of A Preacher Man". It reached number 9 in the UK and number 6 in the US.
A move to the USA proved to be unsatisfactory and Dusty endured personal problems, with her career stalling. She returned to the UK, where she was diagnosed with cancer.
8. "The Boss"
Answer: Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born on September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey.
His musical career began in 1964 when Springsteen founded a band called the Rogues. He has credited the Beatles and Elvis Presley as key influencers on a musical career.
Several other bands followed but it was not until 1972 when, signed to Capitol Records,that his career path settled, with the creation of the E Street Band.
Their debut album "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.", was released in January 1973. Although sales were slow, they established Springsteen as a singer who demanded to be heard.
Springsteen's songs often focussed on the blue collar workers of his native New Jersey.
Critical acclaim led to commercial success with the 1975 release of the album "Born to Run", and the single of the same name.
While Springsteen enjoyed only modest success in the singles charts, his albums sold well, with 15 scoring top 10 places in the Billboard charts by 2014.
Springsteen mounted hugely successful tours, with and without the E Street Band, over the years.
Song such as "Streets of Philadelphia" earned him Grammy and Oscar awards, and several albums alco notched up awards.
9. "King of Calypso"
Answer: Harry Belafonte
Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. was born on March 1 1927 in Harlem, New York City, although he grew up in Jamaica.
He returned to the US in 1940 and saw service during WW2 in the US Navy.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he began to sing in clubs around New York City to pay for acting classes.
His recording career took off with the release of the album "Calypso" in 1956.
One track, "Banana Boat Song" reached number five on the pop charts, and was to be a 'keeper' throughout his career.
He maintained a busy recording career, though was put out of fashion by the new pop sound inspired by the Beatles.
Apart from performing and recording, he made many television appearances and in 1968 guest-hosted "The Tonight Show." Among his interview subjects were Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
Those guests were typical of the political views Belafonte espoused, in particular his support for Civil Rights in the USA.
He remained a supporter of humanitarian causes and a vocal opponent of the US foreign policy.
10. "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul"
Answer: Mary J. Blige
Mary Jan Blige was born on January 11, 1971 in New York City. She moved as a child to Richmond Hill, Georgia, where she sang in a Pentecostal church.
Returning to New York, she worked as a backing singer. In 1982 , her debut album "What's the 411?", peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Her second album "My Life" entered the Billboard album charts at number two in 1993 and number one of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
While she recorded regularly and her albums were critical and commercial successes, she had only one number one on the Billboard Hot 100, "Family Affair" in 2001. Up to April 2017, all 13 of her albums reached the top 10 of the Billboard charts, including four at number one.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor 1nn1 before going online.
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