Number One Hits of 1966- Part 4 Quiz

Answer: The Lovin' Spoonful

The Lovin' Spoonful headed by singer songwriter John Sebastian took "Summer in the City" to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Earlier in 1966 they reached number two on the Hot 100 with "Daydream" and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind". "Summer in the City" made the top ten in Australia reaching number seven. Over in the UK the record reached number eight.

"Daydream" as mentioned reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 but Cashbox credits it with the number one spot for one week. This song made number two in both Australia and the UK.

Answer: Bobby Hebb

Bobby Hebb hit the right note with his tune "Sunny" which went to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Cashbox chart. The song was covered locally in Australia, but that version only made the bottom of the chart, while Bobby Hebb's hit version got to number nine.

In the UK the record made it to number twelve. A version by Georgie Fame made it to number thirteen and another version by Cher made it to thirty two. All three versions were in the UK chart at the same time. Bobby Hebb had a few more chart entries but nothing ever came close to the success of "Sunny". On his "Whisky A Go-Go Revisited" album released in 1967 Johnny Rivers does a very good version of "Sunny".

Answer: Verdelle Smith

A genuine one hit wonder, Verdelle Smith from New York made it to number one in Australia with "Tar and Cement". The song was given an updated treatment and English lyrics by the song writing team of Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. The record made it to number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: The Easybeats

"Sorry" / "Funny Feelin'" topped the Australian charts for the Easybeats in 1966. The Easybeats continued having hit after hit during 1965 continuing until they left to try their luck in England in July 1966. In that time the group placed nine records on the charts, most of them double sided hits, and one EP topped the singles chart. In this period, they only charted in Australia and New Zealand.

Answer: The Seekers

The Seekers recorded "The Carnival Is Over" in mid 1965 and released it in time for it to be number one leading into Christmas in the UK. The record was the last number one of 1965 and stayed in that position for the first two weeks of 1966 in The Seekers' native Australia.

The record did not make the Billboard Hot 100. The song itself was written by Tom Springfield (brother of Dusty), the melody taken from an old Russian folk song.

Answer: Barry Sadler

Staff Sgt Barry Sadler's "The Ballad of the Green Berets" was released during the Vietnam conflict; some hated the song and others loved it enough to send it to the top of the Billboard Hot100. In Australia the record was a top ten and peaked at number seven. In the UK the best it managed was position twenty four on the British chart.
Barry Sadler had another brush with the Billboard Hot 100 later in 1966 when "The A Team" reached the top thirty, after that he became a writer and published a series of fictional novels.
The 1968 John Wayne movie "The Green Berets" used this song.

Answer: The Kinks

The Kinks had their third number one hit on the UK chart when "Sunny Afternoon" scored for the group in July of 1966. The Kinks had a big following in Australia and this single went to number eleven and two other records made the top ten in 1966, "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and "A Well Respected Man".
In the USA "Sunny Afternoon" climbed to number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: Simon and Garfunkel

"The Sound of Silence" was the first number one hit for Simon & Garfunkel. Released in late 1965 the record went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the first week of 1966. The song was a top ten for the duo in Australia peaking at number three. The record did not chart in the UK but a cover version by the Bachelors went to number three.
Simon and Garfunkel had further top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 later in 1966 with "Homeward Bound" and "I Am A Rock".

Answer: Donovan

"Sunshine Superman" gave British folk-rock singer Donovan his one and only number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The record was a number two hit in both the UK and Australia. Ironically in the UK and Australia "Sunshine Superman" was held out of the top spot by the Beatles with "Eleanor Rigby"/"Yellow Submarine". Donovan followed with another worldwide top ten later in 1966 with "Mellow Yellow".

Answer: The Walker Brothers

The Walker Brothers' "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" was a number one hit for the group in the UK. Although they were American and not brothers, they were more popular in the UK. This record did get to thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100. On the Australian chart the Walker Brothers made it to the top ten rising in fact to position ten.