Oldies but Goodies: The 1950s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bill Haley and His Comets

Going back to the beginning (arguably), Bill Haley and his Comets band began in 1952 and, in 1954, recorded the most successful rendition of "Rock Around the Clock", the song most consider to have "brought rock and roll into mainstream culture around the world".

The original full title was "We're Gonna Rock Around the Clock Tonight", and the song was ranked 158 on Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". BTW, the "A" side was called "Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town)", and it was not until "Rock Around the Clock" was played during the opening credits of the 1955 film "Blackboard Jungle" that the song really became famous.

Answer: Carl Perkins

Carl Lee Perkins was born in Tennessee in 1932, the son of "poor sharecroppers", and recorded with Sam Philips of Sun Records Studio in Memphis beginning in 1954. Often called "The King of Rockabilly", had it not been for some very bad luck and a horrendous car crash which prevented Perkins from performing "Blue Suede Shoes" on the "Perry Como Show" in 1956, we might be saying "Elvis, Who?". Elvis got to sing "Blue Suede Shoes" on "The Milton Berle Show" while Carl was still recuperating and, as they say, "the rest is history".

But Perkins got his due, singing with some of the most famous performers of all time and being inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1987.

Answer: Heartbreak Hotel

What can you say about an icon, a legend, "The King"? "Heartbreak Hotel" was his first of many number one hits; that same year Elvis took "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You", "Don't Be Cruel" "Hound Dog" and "Love Me Tender" all to number one! The incorrect choices were also number one hits for Elvis in 1957. Actually, his last number one came in 1969 with "Suspicious Minds". I don't need to tell you about the fact that he was a truckdriver or was born with a twin or his marriage to Priscilla or his stint in the US Army or (somewhat less admirably) his movies. Suffice it to say he was certainly one of a kind and changed the face of music..."Elvis has left the building".

Answer: Paris

Yes, Ricky had a girl in many ports, but according to the song, none in Paris, France. Ricky (later Rick) was one of the stars of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" with his parents and his brother David from 1952-1966. We watched him grow up and couldn't wait until his next record came out. Among his greatest hits are "Hello Mary Lou", "Garden Party", and his hit single "Fools Rush In" in 1963.

He also has the distinction of not only being the son of entertainers, but being the father of the singing group "Nelson". Sadly, he died in an airplane crash in 1985.

Answer: Walk, Don't Run

Duane Eddy created a sound all his own...known as the "twangy" sound. In 1957 he recorded the intrumental "Movin' and Groovin" using his guitar's "base strings to produce a low, reverberant...sound" which was enhanced by a large water gallon tank used as an echo chamber. "Rebel-Rouser" became Eddy's big, signature hit in 1958 and, in fact, "Duane Eddy and the Rebel-Rousers" was the opening act on the first Saturday night "Dick Clark Show".

In 1994 Duane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the same year his song "Rebel-Rouser" was featured in the movie "Forrest Gump". "Walk, Don't Run" is an instrumental recorded by Johnny Smith in 1954 and later by The Ventures.

Answer: Charles Hardin Holley

No, I didn't misspell his last name on all of the choices. When Buddy Holley was signed by Decca Records in 1956, they spelled his name incorrectly on the contract; Buddy chose to adopt the mistake and use it as his name for his professional career. Buddy set the pattern for the "standard rock and roll band", i.e., two guitars, bass and drums.

He was one of the first to write, produce and perform his own songs and has been described as "the single most creative force in early rock and roll". His work influenced such great musicians as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, etc.

His plane crashed on February 3, 1959..."The Day the Music Died"!

Answer: Maybellene

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1926. His first hit "Maybellene" came in 1955, reaching number one on "Billboard's Rhythm and Blues Chart". It was quickly followed by "Roll Over Beethoven" in 1956, and "Johnny B. Goode" and "Sweet Little Sixteen" in 1958.

He was at the top until it came crashing down in January 1962 when he was sentenced to three years in prison for a violation of the Mann Act, transporting a minor across state lines. Although he had several hits after his release, he never achieved quite the same success; however, he was one of the very first musicians to be inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1986.

Answer: Fats Domino

Born in New Orleans in 1928, Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr. was French Creole (his first language). His father was a well-known violinist and his uncle was a jazz guitarist, inspiring him to become a singer, songwriter and pianist. He was another innovator in the early rock and roll scene, releasing five million-selling records before 1955.

He crossed over to mainstream pop in 1955 with the Top Ten hit "Ain't That a Shame", though Pat Boone hit number one with the song due to wider radio airplay and racial segregation.

By the end of his career, he had more charted Rock hits than anyone besides Elvis. He was among the first group inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1986.

Answer: Ray Charles

Although all the choices above were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, its inaugural year, only Ray Charles helped pioneer soul music in the 1950s by combining rhythm and blues, gospel, country, jazz and pop into a brand new style of music. And talk about your obstacles...he was black, he was blind, he was an addict and he was a genius! His birth name was Ray Charles Robinson but, not to be confused with "Sugar Ray Robinson" a champion boxer of the time, Ray simply omitted his surname and became the "Great Ray Charles" whose hits, like "What'd I Say" in 1959 and "Georgia on My Mind" in 1960, became legendary like the man himself!

Answer: The Everly Brothers

Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (1937) and Philip "Phil" Everly (1939) were known as the Everly Brothers, and were the only duo inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1986. The softer side of Rock and Roll, the Everly Brothers were known for "steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing".

Their hits from the 1950s, e.g., "All I have to Do Is Dream" (1953), "Wake Up Little Susie" (1957), "Bye Bye Love" (1958) and "Cathy's Clown" (1959) remain perennial classics.

The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Simon and Garfunkel were all inspired and influenced by the Everly Brothers. In 1997 they were awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.