My Sincerest Apogees Trivia Quiz

Answer: He shot himself

On Christmas Day, John Marshall Alexander, Jr. died after a self inflicted gunshot would to the head with a .22 caliber revolver (although some sources claim it was a .32 caliber pistol). As witnesses were present, it was not deemed to be a suicide, but rather a case of misfortune. Band members said that he would often play with his gun between sets and often shot it at road signs when not performing. At first, it appeared to be that he was playing a game of Russian roulette with the revolver, but one witness, musician Big Mama Thornton, stated that:

"Johnny Ace had been drinking and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table and someone said 'Be careful with that thing...' and he said 'It's okay! Gun's not loaded... see?' and pointed it at himself with a smile on his face and 'Bang!'".

At the time of his death, Johnny Ace had been signed with Duke Records and was an up and coming blues musician. In 1954, he had recorded eight hits and was often found touring with Big Mama Thornton (a popular musician in her own right). It is believed that over 1.7 million copies of his recordings had been sold prior to his death. Unfortunately, tragedy struck that Christmas Day ending not only his life, but ending the career of a promising musician.

Answer: He married his 13 year old cousin

Marrying or having a relationship with a first generation family member is generally considered "taboo" in most cultures (particularly within the western world). Historians suggest that Lewis' decision to marry Myra Gale Brown, his first cousin once removed, was the downfall of his career in rock and roll. They were married in 1957 and was his third marriage in a span of just under five years. Prior to his marriage to Brown, Lewis had three top ten hits on the US Billboard Charts, four top ten hits on the US Country Charts (two of them going to number one), and two number one hits on the US R&B Charts.

After his 1957 marriage to Brown, Lewis never cracked another top ten hit on the US Billboard Charts or the US R&B Charts again during his career. It would take another ten years before Lewis would achieve a high degree of musical success when he scored various number one hits on the US and Canadian Country music charts between 1968 and 1972. Throughout his music career Lewis was a known alcoholic and was even arrested for allegedly trying to shoot Elvis Presley in 1976.

Answer: Ted Nugent

The Amboy Dukes were one of the rare exceptions of a psychedelic band that scored a top forty hit during the 1960s. Their song "Journey to the Center of the Mind" reached number sixteen on the US Billboard Charts in 1968. Nugent was the only constant member within the band and chose to embark on a solo career in 1975 after the band disbanded.

As a solo artist, he had one top forty hit with "Cat Scratch Fever" in 1977 that reached number thirty on the US Billboard Charts. In 1989, the song "High Enough" reached number three on the US Billboard Charts when he recorded an album with super-group Damn Yankees.

Since the early 1990s, Nugent has had little success in the music industry. Music historians have attributed some of this to the fact that his strong conservative beliefs may have turned some of his fans away. Throughout the 1990s, Nugent has taken a strong stance against alcohol and drugs, but supported the idea of legalizing marijuana. He has served on the Board of Directors of the controversial National Rifle Association. Nugent is also a strong advocate of the US Constitution's Second Amendment and the "right to bear arms". He once stated in a 2010 interview with Evan Smith of Texas Monthly regarding the murder of a shooting in Massachusetts that "Instead of her being hijacked and murdered, I'd rather she just shot the bastard dead... But in Massachusetts, somebody decided she can't do that. So she's dead. I would rather she was alive and the carjacker was dead."

Nugent has also had conflict with animal rights groups and has strong political views regarding US Congress. He is an avid hunter and gun owner and is an opponent of animal rights. In 2015, Nugent defended musician Kid Rock for his killing of a mountain lion by referring to protesters as "brain dead squawkers". He has been called out by many musicians regarding his hunting beliefs including Paul McCartney and the band Goldfinger. Politically, he is a supporter of the Republican Party and has criticized religions such as Judaism and Islam. During the 2016 Donald Trump campaigns, he performed numerous songs upon Trump's arrival in Nugent's home state of Michigan.

Answer: Sly Stone

After much success in the 1960s and 1970s, Sly Stone, like many musicians, found himself in a world of drugs and turmoil. In 1969, Sly Stone and many of his band mates were heavily involved in cocaine and PCP drug abuse. in 1971, the cohesion of the band began to dwindle and band mates were often in dispute with each other. Bass player Larry Graham and drummer Greg Errico were either fired from the band or had left by 1972. Eventually the entire band would disband in 1975.

Sly Stone would later embark on a solo career but with limited success. In 1983, we was charged with possession of cocaine while in Florida. During the 1980s and 1990s, Stone made sporadic appearances on compilation albums and concert performances. In 2003, after being invited to record a new album with the original members of Sly & The Family Stone, he declined. He often showed up to performances, would leave for a break, and then never return. In 2011, Sly Stone hit it was reported by The Guardian that he was "living off welfare" and "living in a campervan". A report by Roger Friedman claimed that Stone was not actually homeless, but choosing to live in a campervan by choice.

Answer: Asia

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Glitter's hit songs "Rock and Roll Pt. 2" and "Do You Wanna Touch Me" were played at sporting events around the globe. His popularity was virtually tarnished after being charged numerous times for exploitation of children in the United Kingdom in 1997 and was further damaged by the fact that he was once again charged for similar crimes in Vietnam and Cambodia.

In 2015, he was charged with crimes committed between 1975 and 1980 and has been required to be listed on an offenders registry for the remainder of his life.

Answer: Super Freak

Known mainly for his Top 10 hits on the US R&B Charts and US Dance Charts, Rick James scored two Top 20 hits on the US Billboard Charts in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Between 1978 and 1988, he scored six combined number one hits on the US R&B and US Dance Charts.

His reputation took a turn for the worst in the early 1990s when he admitted to spending thousands of dollars on crack cocaine. Further to this, he was accused of kidnapping and torture in 1993 for two separate incidences. He would spend two years in prison for some of these charges.

In 2004, James was found dead after cardiac arrest in his California apartment.

Answer: Willie Nelson

From 1975 to 1989, Willie Nelson had twelve number one hits as a solo artist on the US Country Charts. Unfortunately, a series of bad investments in the 1980s and unpaid taxes, the IRS claimed that Nelson owed over $32 million dollars to the government.

This amount would eventually be reduced to $16 million and then was negotiated to $6 million by his lawyer. Nelson would record the album "The IRS Files: Who'll Buy My Memories" in 1992 in which all profits were to help pay back the IRS. He would eventually win a lawsuit against Price Waterhouse (the accounting firm that had represented him) and cleared up his debts in 1993.

Answer: Milli Vanilli

Following a June 1989 concert in which their song "Girl You Know It's True" jammed and began to skip, it was ultimately revealed that the duo of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus had been lip-syncing their music. American rapper Charles Shaw revealed that the duo were actually impostors and that he (and musicians Brad Howell and John Davis) were the three true singers behind the music.

As a result, Milli Vanilli were forced to return a Grammy Award for "Best New Artist". The pressure of being discovered ultimately cost Rob Pilatus as he died of a suspected drug and alcohol overdone in 1998. Howell and Davis (Shaw was not able to participate due to legal obligations) recorded one album in 1991 titled "The Moment of Truth" as the group The Real Milli Vanilli, but the album achieved little success.

Answer: Phil Spector

Although Spector had not really been involved in the music scene in over three decades, his success in the music industry was unprecedented. Prior to the 1980s, Phil Spector had been one of the most success record producers in music history and has been acknowledged as one of the most influential figures in the history of pop music. Rolling Stone Magazine reported that by the age of 21, Spector was already a millionaire.

In 2003, actress Lana Clarkson had been found in a chair with a gunshot wound to the head.

Initially it was suspected that her death was self-inflicted. In 2009, however, the case was brought to trial and it took a jury just nineteen days to decide a guilty verdict. Spector was sentenced 19-years to life for the murder of Clarkson.

Answer: Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston began her music career as a gospel choir singer and then sang backup vocals as early as age 14. Between 1985 and 1995, she had released eleven number one hits on the US Billboard Charts. In 1992, she married R&B singer Bobby Brown and she would have a successful career as an actress. Brown, himself, would have many run-ins with the law and do jail time.

By the late 1990s, however, Whitney Houston's life began to take a tumultuous downward spiral. She was noticeably losing weight and was initially charged with possession of marijuana at an airport in 2000. Houston was scheduled to perform at the induction of Clive Davis into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but failed to show up for this performance.

In 2009 on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Houston admitted to using marijuana and rock cocaine. By 2011, Houston had entered a rehab center for drug and alcohol related issues.

Her last public performance was on February 9, 2012 where she sang with musician Kelly Price in Hollywood, California. Two days later, she was found dead in her bathroom in what authorities listed as an "accident".