Minor Hits From Major Artists Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hollies

Although the Hollies had 12 songs that charted in the top 40, "Magic Woman Touch" only hit number 60 in 1973. Hailing from Manchester, England, the original Hollies lineup included Allan Clarke, Graham Nash, Tony Hicks, Eric Haydock and Bobby Elliott. Nash left the group in 1968 to form Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Answer: McCoys

Fronted by Rick Derringer, the McCoys formed in Indiana. Their first hit song, "Hang On Sloopy", was also their biggest hitting number one in 1965. "Beat The Clock" peaked at number 92 in 1967.

Answer: Herman's Hermits

Herman's Hermits, led by Peter Noone, charted 18 top 40 hits in the U.S., including "I Can Take Or Leave Your Loving", which peaked at number 22 in 1968. The group, from Manchester, England, was originally called the Heartbeats. Noone got his name from a cartoon on "The Bullwinkle Show", Peabody and Sherman.

Answer: Foreigner

Foreigner was comprised of both American and British musicians. They formed in New York City in 1976 with Lou Gramm as its lead singer. Gramm later went solo and had a hit with "Midnight Blue".

Answer: Four Tops

One of the biggest ever Motown groups, the Four Tops formed in Detroit in 1954. They signed with Chess Records, then the Red Bird label, then Columbia, before signing on with Motown in 1963. The late, great Levi Stubbs was the Tops' lead singer. He also provided the voice for the character Audrey in "The Little Shop of Horrors".

Answer: Manfred Mann

Michael Lubowitz was the real name of the lead singer and keyboardist for Manfred Mann. The group formed in England in 1964. They re-formed in 1971 as Manfred Mann's Earth Band and had their biggest hit, "Blinded By The Light", which hit number one and was written by Bruce Springsteen.

Answer: Donovan

Donovan Leitch was born in Glasglow, Scotland in 1946 and raised in London, England. Aside from being a singer, he was also a prolific songwriter. If you listen to the bridge of "Fakin' It" recorded by Simon and Garfunkel on their "Bookends" album, you'll hear a female voice say "good morning Mr. Leitch, have you had a busy day", a tribute to Donovan. Both of his children, Ione Skye and Donovan Leitch, Jr., are actors. Skye is best known for playing the female lead in "Say Anything" opposite John Cusack.

Answer: Steely Dan

Steely Dan was the creation of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. They met while attending Bard College in upstate New York. Although they are known as being basically a duet and then using a group of studio musicians, the original lineup included Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Denny Dias, Jim Hodder and David Palmer. Oddly, their original drummer while they were school was Chevy Chase. Yes, the actor-comedian-writer, Chevy Chase. Steely Dan got their name from a strap-on sex toy in William Burroughs' novel, "The Naked Lunch".

Answer: Four Seasons

Formed in Newark, New Jersey, the Four Seasons originally lineup was Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito. Their original name was the Four Lovers. Although they disbanded in the early '70's, the group reformed in 1975 with just Valli returning. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Answer: Paul Revere and the Raiders

Paul Revere and the Raiders, later known as simply the Raiders, originally consisted of Paul Revere, Mark Lindsay, Freddy Weller, Keith Allison and Joe Correro. They appeared as a regular on the 1965 television series "Where The Action Is", a daily music show on ABC. Three years later, they had their own show, "Happening".

Answer: Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones were comprised originally of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman. When Jones died in a drowning accident in 1969, he was replaced by Mick Taylor. Ron Wood replaced Taylor in 1975. They took their name from a Muddy Waters song, one of their greatest influences. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Answer: Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick was born in 1940 in East Orange, New Jersey. She is the niece of Cissy Houston and the first cousin of the late Whitney Houston. Warwick recorded dozens of songs written by the team of Hal David and Burt Bacharach. Although she charted 26 songs in the Billboard Top 40 as a solo artist, her only number one hits were collaborations, "Then Came You" (with the Spinners) and "That's What Friends Are For" (with Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder).

Answer: Beatles

This song came off the soundtrack of "A Hard Day's Night", and yet peaked at number 25. Early forms of the group included the names the Quarrymen, Johnny and the Moondogs, the Rainbows and the Silver Beatles. They finally settled on the Beatles in 1960. Arguably, the unluckiest man in the world is Pete Best, their original drummer who was fired from the group by their manager, Brian Epstein, at the urging of John Lennon.

Answer: Jay and the Americans

Jay and the Americans were formed in Brooklyn, New York. Original members were John "Jay" Traynor, Sandy Yaguda, Howie Kane and Kenny Vance (later of the Planotones and "Looking For An Echo"). Traynor left in 1962 and was replaced by David Blatt. Since the group was already named, David became Jay and he changed his last name to Black, hence, Jay Black. Prior to the Americans, Black was the lead singer for the Empires who recorded their only song "Time And A Place" for Epic Records in 1962.

Answer: Beach Boys

Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine were the founding members of the Beach Boys. The Wilsons were all brothers and Love is their cousin. Jardine was briefly replaced by David Marks from March of 1962 until March of 1963.

When Brian stopped touring with the band in 1964, he was replaced by Glen Campbell (yes, THAT Glen Campbell), who was replaced by Bruce Johnston on a permanent basis in 1965. Daryl Dragon, the Captain in the Captain and Tennille, was the keyboardist in their stage band. Dennis Wilson drowned in 1983 and Carl died from cancer in 1998. Carnie and Wendy Wilson (two-thirds of Wilson Phillips) are Brian's daughters.

The other third, Chynna Phillips, is the daughter of John Phillips (the Mamas and the Papas) from a marriage prior to Michelle Phillips.