Sing Me To Death Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jimmy Dean

"Big Bad John" was an enormous hit for Jimmy Dean. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot C&W Sides, the US Billboard Hot 100, the US Billboard Easy Listening, and rose to number two on the UK Singles Chart.

"Big Bad John" lost his life in the mine where he worked when a support beam cracked and gave way. John took hold of the timber, thus opening the way for the other miners to escape. Before they could return with equipment to rescue John, the mine collapsed, thus killing John and burying him deep under the ground.

Jimmy Ray Dean was born in 1928. He had his own TV show "The Jimmy Dean Show" where Jim Henson and his Muppets first appeared in comedy sketches. He was a guest on many TV shows, making an appearance in "Daniel Boone" among many others, and had a few movie roles as well. He founded the "Jimmy Dean Sausage Company". He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Jimmy Dean died in 2010 aged 81.

Answer: Banks of the Ohio

It is unknown who wrote "Banks of the Ohio" some time in the 19th Century. The song was first recorded in 1927 by "Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers". Since that time, the song has been recorded many times, often with slight changes to the lyrics, by artists such as The Carter Family, Blue Sky Boys, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Olivia Newton-John.

The version recorded by Olivia Newton-John reached number one in Australia and six in the UK but only made it to 94 in the US.

Answer: Paper Lace

"Billy, Don't Be a Hero" was a hit for Paper Lace who was formed in Nottingham UK in 1969. The song rose to number one on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for three weeks. Because of the song's release in the US by Bo Donaldson, the Paper Lace version only reached 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The Bo Donaldson version rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, but failed to chart in the UK.

The song is about the American Civil War and tells the story of a young woman who cries "Billy, don't be a hero" when her fiancé leaves town to go to war. Of course the inevitable happens, and Billy is killed.

Here is the first verse:

"The marchin' band came down along Main Street
The soldier-blues fell in behind
I looked across and there I saw Billy
Waiting to go and join the line
And with her head upon his shoulder
His young and lovely fiancee
From where I stood, I saw she was cryin'
And through her tears I heard her say

'Billy, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life'
'Billy, don't be a hero, come back and make me your wife'
And as he started to go she said 'Billy, keep your head lo-o-ow'
'Billy, don't be a hero, come back to me'."

Answer: Edison

Maxwell Edison is majoring in medicine and during the course of the song he manages to kill three people with his silver hammer, his girlfriend, his teacher and a judge.

The song appeared on the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, and was sung by Paul McCartney.

Here's the first part of the song:

"Joan was quizzical; Studied metaphysical
Science in the home.
Late nights all alone with a test tube.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.

Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine,
Calls her on the phone.
"Can I take you out to the pictures Joan?
But as she's getting ready to go
A knock comes on the door

Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon her head.
Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that she was dead."

Answer: Pat Boone

"Moody River" tells the story of a man who goes to meet his sweetheart at the river, only to find a suicide note from her because she can no longer live with her guilt at having cheated on him.

Pat Boone had a Billboard Hot 100 number one hit with this song. It has been covered by artists such as Johnny Rivers, Frank Sinatra and John Fogerty.

Answer: Goodbye England's Rose

"Candle in the Wind/Goodbye England's Rose" was altered and re-recorded as a tribute to Princess Diana of Wales after her tragic death in 1997. "Candle in the Wind" was originally written in 1973 as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, who had passed away some years earlier, in 1962. On the "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" the 1997 version is listed as number 347.

Elton John has said that he will never sing this version of "Candle in the Wind" again, unless requested so to do by either of the Late Princess's two sons, Prince William the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry Wales.

According to the 2007 "Guinness Book of Records", "'Candle in the Wind 1997' is the biggest selling single since records began, but that Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' has sold more copies."

Answer: Marty Robbins

"El Paso" tells the story of a cowboy visiting El Paso who falls in love with a beautiful Mexican girl, Felina. When another man makes a pass at her, the cowboy shoots and kills the man and flees, fearing reprisal from the man's family and friends. However, his love for Felina is so strong that he returns to El Paso for her, where he is shot and then dies in her arms.

"El Paso" reached number one on both the Billboard Pop and Country music charts. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording" in 1961.

Answer: Everly Brothers

There have been several songs called "Ebony Eyes" including the one that was a hit for the Everly Brothers. The song reached number eight in the US and a double-sided number one in the UK, where, initially it was banned by the BBC who considered that the lyrics were "too upsetting to play on the radio."

The song tells the story of a serviceman on a weekend pass waiting at an airport for his sweetheart, his beautiful "ebony eyes", to arrive so they can get married. However, the plane crashes and she is killed.

Answer: Georgie Fame

Georgie Fame (real name Clive Powell) had a hit with "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" reaching number one in the UK and number seven in the US.

The song tells the story of real-life criminals and bank robbers, Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow and their eventual death.

Bonnie and Clyde, with their gang, "the Barrow Gang", were active between 1931 and 1934 during the Great Depression in the US. After killing at least nine police officers and several civilians, they were eventually ambushed and killed in Louisiana.

A film "Bonnie and Clyde" starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway was released in 1967 Georgie Fame recorded the song after seeing this film.

Answer: Johnny Preston

"Running Bear" was recorded by Johnny Preston in 1959 and the song spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. This song was also number one in the UK.

JP Richardson and George Jones did the background chanting "ugo ugo" and the Indian war cries during the recording of this song.

The song tells the story of Running Bear a "young Indian Brave" and the love he shares with the "Indian maid, Little White Dove." However they are separated by two things: one, their respective tribes that are at war with each other; and two, the "raging river" that physically separates them. They both dive into the river from their respective sides and unite in the middle and share a kiss, after which the swift current pulls them under and they both drown.

In 1969 singer Sonny James covered "Running Bear" and his cover version rose to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart