"Signature Songs" of Singers or Groups-Part 4 Quiz

Answer: Van Morrison

Van Morrison was born August 31, 1945 in Belfast. He is known to some as "The Belfast Cowboy" and legions of his fans simply refer to him as "Van, the Man".
Between 1967 and 2007 he recorded more than 40 albums and over 70 singles. Here's part of what he wrote about the girl he loved:
"So hard to find my way now that I'm all on my own, I saw you just the other day my, how you have grown!
Cast my memory back there, Lord, sometime I'm overcome thinking about making love in the green grass behind the stadium with you, my brown-eyed girl".

A six-time Grammy Award winner, Van Morrison was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (R&RHOF) in 1993 and into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.

Interesting fact: "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked Van Morrison at number 42 on their list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (2004).

Answer: Chuck Berry

Born October 18, 1926, Chuck Berry would go on to have a great career which has lasted over seven decades. "Maybellene" was the first single that he recorded, and it would quickly claim the Number One spot on Billboard's Rhythm & Blues Best-Seller list. It would not relinquish that position until it had been there for nine weeks, (August 20, 1955-October 15, 1955). He would later entertain fans of R&R with such hits as "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), and "Sweet Little Sixteen" (1958). His version of Maybellene was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1988 and Chuck Berry became a member of the R&RHOF in its first year, 1986.

Interesting fact: In 2004 "Rolling Stone" magazine listed Chuck Berry number five on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All-Time.

Answer: Carly Simon

Billboard magazine has "You're So Vain" ranked 72nd on their list of The Greatest Songs of All-Time. Ms. Simon was married to fellow singer-songwriter James Taylor from 1972-1983. Carly Simon, whose career began in the early 1970s, has recorded over 30 albums, five of which went Platinum, including "No Secrets". She has turned out such popular singles as "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" (1971), "Anticipation" (1971), and "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" (1974).

Interesting fact: Her rendition of "Nobody Does It Better" (1977), the theme song from "The Spy Who Loved Me" (the tenth film in the James Bond series) was number two for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 list that same year.

Answer: The Rolling Stones

Vocalist Mick Jagger and lead guitarist Keith Richards co-wrote the song that would sit atop the Billboard Hot 100 list from July 10, 1965 to August 6, 1965.
It also reached Number One in the U.K. In 2004, "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked "...Satisfaction" second on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time. (Bob Dylan's 1965 mega-hit, "Like a Rolling Stone", was first). In 2012 when The Stones celebrated their 50th anniversary they had more than 25 albums, over 100 singles, and 40 something tours behind them. The Rolling Stones were inducted into the R&RHOF in 1989.

Interesting fact: ("I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was named the Number One Greatest Rock Song of All-Time by VH-1 in 2000.

Answer: Johnny Cash

Known as "The Man in Black", Johnny Cash also wrote "I Walk the Line". It became his first song to hit the top of the Country charts, and when it did it stayed there for six weeks, and also remained on the chart for three and a half months. It sold over 200 million copies and also reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1957, it was track nine on his album, "With His Hot and Blue Guitar". His appeal to different groups of song lovers earned him induction into the Songwriter's, Rock & Roll and Gospel Music Halls of Fame. During his career he recorded more than 140 albums, 160 singles and collected over 15 Grammy Awards. A couple of Johnny Cash's top singles were "Ring of Fire" (1963), "Folsom Prison Blues" (1968) and "A Boy Named Sue" (1968).

Interesting fact: Johnny Cash was married to Grammy winning country singer-songwriter June Carter-Cash for over 35 years (1968-2003).

Answer: Rosemary Clooney

Mitch Miller, with whose orchestra Ms. Clooney recorded it, was the man who gave her the ultimatum. In retrospect, I'd say she made a wise choice. One of the co-writers of the song was Pulitzer Prize winning playwright William Saroyan,("The Time of Your Life", 1940)...by the way, he declined to accept the prize. Rosemary Clooney was one of the most popular singers of the 1950s and had three more Number One hits that decade. On the heels of her big '51 hit, came "Half as Much" (1952), "Hey There" and "This Old House" both in 1954. Another popular song of hers was "Mambo Italiano" (1955). She was granted a Grammy Lifetime Award in 2002. Rosemary Clooney died of cancer, June 29, 2002, six months after giving the final performance of her career in Hawaii. The last song she ever sang was "God Bless America".

Interesting fact: Rosemary Clooney is the aunt of Academy Award winning actor, George Clooney.

Answer: Gene Autry

Gene Autry,(born Orvon Grover Autry), wrote "Back in the Saddle Again" in 1939. He recorded such hits as "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds" (1935), "Don't Fence Me In" (1945), "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (1949), and "Frosty the Snowman" (1950). He and his famous steed Champion also performed live at rodeos for over 20 years. Autry served his country during WWII as an Army pilot. An astute businessman, Autry owned numerous radio and TV stations and even owned the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels of baseball's American League (A.L.) from 1961-1997. In fact he served as V.P. of the A.L. from 1983 until 1998. At the time of his death his net worth was estimated at over $300 million.

Interesting fact: On February 8, 1960, Gene Autry became the first person to have five stars (the most possible) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the end of the 20th century he was still was the only one with more than four.

Answer: The Beach Boys

"California Girls" was written by Brian Wilson and his first cousin, Mike Love in 1965. It was track number one, on side two of their album "Summer Days (and Summer Nights". Founded as a quintette in 1961, The Beach Boys have been one of America's most popular groups for over half a century. In that time they have recorded over 65 albums and more than 80 singles. Four of their singles made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 list: "I Get Around" (1964), "Help Me Rhonda" (1965), "Good Vibrations" (1966), and "Kokomo" (1988). Two of their albums got to number two: "Surfin' U.S.A." (1963) and "Summer Days...(And Summer Nights! !")" (1965).
The Beach Boys surfed their way into the R&RHOF in 1988.

Interesting fact: "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked the Beach Boys at number 12 on their list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (2004).

Answer: Connie Francis

Concetta Franconero, who at the suggestion of Arthur Godfrey changed her name to Connie Francis, recorded "Who's Sorry Now" 35 years after it was originally written (1923). Bolstered by its debut on "Dick Clark's New American Bandstand" on New Year's Day, 1958, it quickly shot up to number four on the American charts and Number One in the U.K. Connie Francis' career has spanned eight decades and it all began when she appeared on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" at age 11. The height of her popularity came in the 1950s and 1960s. She appeared as a guest 26 times on "The Ed Sullivan Show" during that time. She also appeared in several Hollywood films, "Where the Boys Are" (1960), being her most popular. A few of her other familiar tunes are, "My Happiness" (1958), "Lipstick on Your Collar" (1959), and "Among My Souvenirs" (1959).

Interesting fact: As Connie Francis has traveled the globe giving concerts, she has sung in 15 languages. Mama Mia!

Answer: Don McLean

"American Pie" was released as track number one on the album of the same name in 1971. In addition to topping the Billboard chart, it also reached Number One on the singles charts in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia and was tops on the European Hot 100 as well. In 2001 the Recording Industry Association of America ranked it number five on their list of the 365 Songs of the Century.

Don McLean, who also wrote "And I Love You So", which Perry Como took to number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.

Here's a nostalgic reminder of part of "American Pie's" haunting melody:
"And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most-
the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost-
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died".

Interesting fact: At the end of the 20th century, Don McLean's "American Pie" was the longest song ever to hit number one. The softly, melodic tune runs for eight minutes and thirty-six seconds.