Sing Me Old Country and Western Quiz

Answer: Buck Owens

"Act Naturally" was recorded by Buck Owens in 1963, with the song reaching number one on the Billboard Country Singles Chart. This song has been covered many times by, among others, Loretta Lynn and Dwight Yoakam.

This song is included on the UK album "Help!" by the Beatles, with Ringo Starr singing lead vocals. The Beatles also performed the song on the "Ed Sullivan Show" in 1965. In 1989 the song was recorded as a duet by Buck Owens and Ringo Starr and it rose to number 27 on the Billboard Country Chart that year. That record was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

Alvis Edgar Owens Junior, (Buck Owens), was born in 1929 and died in 2006. He and his band, the "Buckaroos", had many hits on the Billboard Country Music Charts. He and Roy Clark co-hosted the TV series "Hee Haw" from 1969 to 1986. He is a member of both the "Country Music Hall of Fame" and the "Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame". He was married and divorced five times.

Answer: Behind Closed Doors

"Behind Closed Doors" was the first number one hit for Charlie Rich, rising to number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles and number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was also a hit in Australia, the UK, Canada, and Ireland. Charlie Rich received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for this song. The song has been covered many times by such artists as Perry Como, Percy Sledge, Tom Jones, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton.

Charles Rich was born in 1932 in Louisiana and died in 1965. His other big hit of 1973 was "The Most Beautiful Girl." In his older years his nickname was "The Silver Fox."

As well as the Grammy he won in 1973 for "Behind Closed Doors", he won a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for this song.

He died of a pulmonary embolism at a motel in 1995 whilst travelling with his wife to whom he had been married for 43 years.

Answer: Tammy Wynette

"D-V-O-R-C-E" rose to number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart and number 63 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It rose to number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks Chart. The song has been covered by Dolly Parton, Dottie West and Duane Allman, and the Hour Glass. Tammy Wynette's version of the song was used in the 1970 film "Five Easy Pieces" and the 2006 film "Brokeback Mountain".

The song has been parodied several times, including a comic version in 1975 by Billy Connolly which rose to number one on the UK Singles Chart.

Virginia Wynette Pugh, (Tammy Wynette) was born in 1942 and was known as "The First Lady of Country Music". Her biggest selling hit single was "Stand By Your Man" and a biographical TV movie of the same name was made in 1981.

Tammy Wynette won many, many Awards, including two Grammys and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

She suffered illness most of her life and was hospitalised numerous times and underwent many major operations. She died in 1998 from a blood clot in her lung. She was 55 years of age.

Answer: The Statler Brothers

"Flowers On The Wall" rose to number two on "Billboard Magazine" Hot Country Singles Chart and to number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also charted well in UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Singer Eric Heatherly released the song as his debut single in 2000, when it rose to number six on the Hot Country Songs chart and number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is used in the 1994 film "Pulp Fiction" where the character played by Bruce Willis sings along to the words "smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo". Bruce Willis also uses the line "smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo" in his 1995 film "Die Hard With a Vengeance" when his character is asked why he was suspended from the police force.

The Statler Brothers formed in 1955 in Virginia. They were mainly Gospel singers and their original name was "The Four Star Quartet", then "The Kingsmen" and then in 1963 they became the "Statler Brothers." Only two members of the group were actual brothers. They had a lot of comedy in their musical act and recorded two comedy albums under the name "Lester 'Roadhog Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys".

The Statler Brothers have won many Awards including the "Country Music Association Vocal Group of the Year" nine times. They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Hall of Fame and have won three Grammy Awards and three American Music Awards. The group retired and disbanded in 2002.

Answer: Hank Williams

Hank Williams was inspired to write "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" because of his ongoing troubles with his wife. "Rolling Stone Magazine" ranked this song at number 11 on their list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". This is the second-oldest song on this list.

The song has been covered by, among others, artists such as Johnny Cash with Nick Cave, Ray Charles, Dean Martin, Al Green, Marty Robbins. B J Thomas took the song to number eight on a US Chart.

Hiram King Williams (Hank Williams) was born in 1923. He is regarded as one of the most important country music artists of all time. He joined the "Grand Ole Opry" in 1949. He made many religious recording under the name "Luke the Drifter". He won many Awards including a Grammy Award. During the 40's and 50's he had many, many hit singles including several number one's on the US Country Chart, such as "Lovesick Blues", "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", Why Don't You Love Me", "Moanin' the Blues" and "Hey Good Lookin'" among others. He even had two posthumous number one hits on the US Country Chart.

He had problems with alcohol, morphine and other painkillers because of injuries and by 1952 his alcoholism had got worse and he was fired from "The Grand Ole Opry" because of his drinking. He died suddenly in 1953 at the age of 29. Over 15,000 people passed by his silver coffin and over 2,700 mourners attended his funeral.

Answer: Patti Page

Although first recorded in 1947 by Cowboy Copas, "Tennessee Waltz" did not become a hit until it was recorded by Patti page in 1950, when it reached number one on the US Pop Music Chart and stayed in that position for nine weeks. It also reached number two on the US Country chart. The song was covered by Les Paul with Mary Ford and Jo Stafford, both recordings doing well on the charts. The Fontaine Sisters also had a success with this song.

In 1959 the song again returned to the charts with versions by Bobby Comstock & The Counts, and Jerry Fuller. The song was recorded by Alma Cogan in 1964 where it had success in Sweden, Denmark and Germany. It has also been recorded by Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Leonard Cohen, Manfred Mann and Norah Jones, among others.

Clara Ann Fowler (Patti Page) was born in 1927. She was the best selling female artist of the1950's and was known as "The Singin' Rage Miss Patti Page." Between 1950 and 1965 she had over 14 million-selling singles. Some of her well-known hits are "I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine", "Mockin' Bird Hill", "You Belong to Me", "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?", "Allegheny Moon" and "Old Cape Cod", among others.

Answer: Merle Haggard

"Okie from Muskogee" was co-written by Roy Edward Burris and Merle Haggard after he was released from prison in 1960. In November 1969 the song was number one for four weeks on the "Billboard Magazine" Hot Country Singles Chart, and it reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The song rose to number three on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks Chart . In 1970 the single "Okie from Muskogee" was named the Country Music Association Single of the Year. Merle Haggard was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame for "Okie from Muskogee".

The song is heard in the background in the motion picture "Platoon" and is also referenced in the motion picture "An Officer and a Gentleman".

Merle Ronald Haggard was born in 1937 and, along with Buck Owens, created the "Bakersfield" sound, one of the characteristics of which is the "twang" of a "Fender Telecaster" electric guitar. He spent some of his early years in juvenile detention centres. In 1957 he was sent to the San Quentin prison for three years after being arrested for attempting to rob a tavern in Bakersfield. He published his autobiography "Sing Me Back Home" in 1981. In 2010 he was presented with a lifetime achievement Award for "outstanding contribution to American culture" from the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.

From 1966 on he had over 35 number one hits and has won many, many awards including "Top Male Vocalist" from the Academy of Country Music at least eight times, and he has won three Grammy Awards. He has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Answer: King of the Road

Roger Miller wrote "King of the Road" in 1964. When it was recorded and hit the charts in 1965, the song rose to number one on the UK and Norwegian Singles Charts, number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart, US Billboard Easy Listening Chart, and number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

The song has been covered by among others, George Jones, Dean Martin, Jack Jones, Boney M, Johnny Paycheck, and the Statler Brothers. The song has been included on the soundtrack of several films including "Brokeback Mountain" and "Into the Wild".

Roger Dean Miller was born in 1936. He had many hits including "Dang Me", Chug-a-Lug" and "England Swings". As a songwriter he wrote songs for artists such as Jim Reeves, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young and Ray Price. At one time, he played fiddle in Minnie Pearl's band. He put his music career on hold and became a fireman for a short time

In his later life he wrote both music and lyrics for the musical "Big River", which won seven Tony Awards in 1985. He was also one of the cast in this Broadway musical.

Roger Miller won 11 Grammy Awards. which at that time, was a record for the most wins by any artist. In the town where he grew up a street was renamed "Roger Miller Boulevard" and he was voted into the Nashville Songwriters' Hall of Fame

He was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame after his death from lung cancer in 1992

Answer: Patsy Cline

"I Fall to Pieces" was written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard and was Patsy Cline's first number one hit on the US Billboard Country Chart. The song rose to number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart and number two on the US Billboard Easy Listening Chart. Along with J Bobby Vee, Patsy Cline was proclaimed as one of the country's leading recording artists and she became a cast member of the "Grand Ole Opry" in Nashville.

"Rolling Stone Magazine" has ranked "I Fall to Pieces" at number 238 on their 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Many artists have covered this song such as, among others, Jim Reeves, Diana Trask, Linda Ronstadt, and Crystal Gale.

Virginia Patterson Hensley (Patsy Cline) was born in 1932. She was very successful in the early years of the "Nashville Sound" as a crossover singer. She helped pave the way for women to have hit songs in country music. Some of her big hits were "Walkin' After Midnight", "She's Got You" and of course "Crazy".

Patsy Cline died in 1963 when the plane in which she was travelling with her manager Randy Hughes and two other country musicians, crashed when it flew into severe weather over a forest. She was only 30 years old. In 1992 she appeared on a US postage stamp along with other country stars such as Hank Williams and the Carter Family. At the Grammy Awards in 1995, Patsy Cline was honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1997 her recording of "Crazy" was the "Number One Jukebox Hit of All Time". "I Fall to Pieces" was number two. In 1999 she received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

CMT (Country Music Television) named Pasty Cline as number one on its list of "40 Greatest Women of Country Music" in 2002, the ballot for which was by artists and members of the music industry. Tammy Wynette was voted as number two and Loretta Lynn number three.

Answer: Claude King

"Wolverton Mountain" was based on a real-life person, Clifton Clowers, who actually lived on Wolverton Mountain in Arkansas. The song was co-written by his nephew, Merle Kilmore Clowers, and Claude King. The song, as recorded by Claude King, made it to the number one position on the US Billboard Country Chart, number six on the US Billboard Pop Chart as a cross-over hit, and reached number three on the US Billboard Easy Listening Chart. Clifton Clowers lived to the age of 102 and on his 100th birthday he was visited by his nephew Merle along with Claude King.

The song has been covered several times by such artists as Jerry Lee Lewis and Bing Crosby. In 1962 an answer song, "I'm the Girl from Wolverton Mountain", was recorded by Jo Ann Campbell.

Claude King was born in 1923 in Louisiana. He joined the TV and radio show "Louisiana Hayride" and he performed many times with artists such as Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, Johnny Horton, Faron Young, Johnny Cash and Tex Ritter, to name but a few.

He was also an actor and worked in several feature films and the TV series "The Blue and the Gray".