Songs With the Number Three in the Title Quiz

Answer: Two

Tony Orlando recorded "Candida" and "Knock Three Times" in 1970 under the name Dawn because of a contract conflict. When he recorded the tunes session background singers were used. When the song became a hit Tony Orlando asked Stax Records backing singers Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson to tour as Dawn and promote the record with him. Joyce's sister, Pamela, was unable to be part of the group because she was touring with Aretha Franklin at the time.
Their touring efforts paid off when "Knock Three Times" reached Number One. They released subsequent hits such as "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose?".
In 1974 the group was offered their own variety show. Their last Billboard Hot 100 Top Forty single came in 1976 with "Cupid". They continued to reunite for occasional concerts and benefit shows.

Answer: Blue Magic

Blue Magic took "Three Ring Circus" to Number 36 in 1974. They also released the Number Eight single, "Sideshow", the same year. MFSB guitarist Bobby Eli composed both songs and played guitar on the sessions. The group followed in 1975 with "We're On The Right Track" and "Chasing Rainbows" then embarked on a world tour. In addition to their smooth vocal ballads the members also included choreography in their performances. By the late seventies the Disco era had an adverse impact on the band's success and their string of hits ended.

Swedish group Blue Swede released a cover of "Hooked on A Feeling" in the seventies. Psychedelic band Blue Cheer had seventies hits including a cover of "Summertime Blues". Blue Oyster Cult formed in 1967 but didn't have a US Top Twenty hit until "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" hit the charts in 1974.

Answer: False

Although Lionel composed the song, he was still a member of The Commodores. The Commodores repeated their Number One success again in 1978 with "Still". They formed ten years earlier at Tuskegee Institute when Thomas McClary got the notion to form a band. Thomas and other students formed a group called The Mighty Mystics. They eventually merged with members of a college group called The Jays and decided on the name Commodores.
By the early seventies they were opening for Motown acts and eventually signed with the label. They hit the charts in 1976 with "Sweet Love" and after releasing more hits they eventually topped the charts with "Three Times a Lady".
Richie first hit the Number One slot in 1981 when he recorded "Endless Love" with Diana Ross. He then topped the charts with "Truly" the following year as a solo artist. He included a version of "Three Times a Lady" on a later greatest hits album.

Answer: Jimmy Brown

Although the song was titled "Three Bells", it was often called "Little Jimmy Brown". "Three Bells" was released by Dick Flood but the version by The Browns became the chart-topper. The Browns were a family group comprised of Jim Ed Brown with his sisters Maxine and Bonnie who garnered national attention singing on Ernest Tubb's radio show.
In the lyrics of the Grammy-nominated song the bells rang for Jimmy Brown's birth, wedding and funeral. A host of other artists have recorded cover versions including Roy Orbison, Ray Charles and Alison Krauss and Union Station.

"May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" was one of many novelty songs released by Little Jimmy Dickens. "Jimmy Mack" was a 1967 release by Martha and the Vandellas. Jimmy Jones co-wrote and released the original version of "Handy Man" in 1960.

Answer: The Dovells

Len was singing lead vocals for the Dovells before going solo. He began his singing career in a group called The Brooktones and used his birth name, Len Borisoff, when listed as a member of the group. They released a regional song titled "No, No, No" before breaking up and reforming as the Dovells. In addition to appearing on shows such as "American Bandstand" (1957) the Dovells also sang "Bristol Stomp" and "Do The New Continental" in the 1962 film, "Don't Knock the Twist".

The Dartells recorded the Number 11 hit, "Hot Pastrami", in 1962. A version of "You Belong to Me" was done by The Duprees in 1962. "Could This Be Magic" and "Don't Ask Me To Be Lonely" were late fifties hits for The Dubs.

Answer: Jenny

"867‒5309 (Jenny)" peaked at Number Four in 1982. The song was a single release from the band's 1981 "Tommy Tutone 2" LP. Although Tommy Tutone was frequently considered a San Francisco area band, they actually were from Willits, California.
Tommy Heath and Jim Keller formed the band in the late seventies.
They went through several musicians during the course of their recording and performing history. John Cowsill of The Cowsills sang backup and played the drums on the recording of "867‒5309 (Jenny)". The group broke up in 1984 and Tommy went into the computer field while Jim began working in music publishing. The band was reformed in 1992 and signed a recording contract with Spectra Records in 2007.

Answer: True

On June 26, 1961, Gary Anderson, going by the name of Gary U.S. Bonds, took "Quarter to Three" to the Number One spot.
The Florida native relocated to Norfolk, Virginia, as a boy and began singing with a Doo-Wop group called The Turks. He came to the attention of Frank Guida of Norfolk Recording Studios who invited Gary to record a version of "New Orleans". Gary was surprised to find out that Guida had billed him as Gary U.S. Bonds on the label of the single. "New Orleans" reached Number Six. Bonds released several more hits over the next couple of years and headlined with the Beatles.
In the late seventies he was playing in a New Jersey club and invited a local singer to join him singing "Quarter to Three". The singer turned out to be Bruce Springsteen, who frequently performed "Quarter to Three" in his concerts. Bonds subsequently recorded two albums with Springsteen.

Answer: The Rip Chords

Buoyed by the success of the Beach Boys' car songs the Rip Chords released other car-themed songs including "Bonneville Bonnie", "Hot Rod Holiday" and "This Little Woody". In 1963 the group released "Here I Stand", which hit Number 51 notionally. It wasn't until they released "Hey Little Cobra" that they broke the Top Ten. In 1965 the group appeared on film with Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Righteous Brothers and other artists in "A Swingin' Summer". They performed "Red Hot Roadster". The group broke up later in 1965 when Bruce Johnston joined The Beach Boys and Terry Melcher focused on producing records.

"G.T.O." was a hit by Ronny and the Daytonas in 1964. The Safaris were known for their instrumental, "Wipe Out", but they also released a car song titled "Boss Barracuda". The Gants released a cover of "Road Runner" in 1965.

Answer: Richard Chamberlain

Richard Chamberlain played Dr. Kildare in the Medical Drama that ran from 1961 to 1966. Dr. Kildare was a central character in several movies before Chamberlain was cast in the television series in 1961. He recorded the show's theme song and went on to record other albums and singles over the next couple of decades. In 1962 he followed "Three Stars Will Shine Tonight" with a cover of "Love Me Tender" that reached Number 21 on the US Billboard charts.

Beginning in 1961 Vince Edwards starred in "Ben Casey" and also released several music albums. Raymond Massey played Dr. Gillespie on "Dr. Kildare". Chad Everett had the role of Doctor Joe Gannon on "Medical Center" from 1969 to 1976.

Answer: The 1910 Fruitgum Company

In 1968 "Simon Says" was the first chart success for The 1910 Fruitgum Company. They imitated the style of the hit song, "Wooly Bully" when they did their arrangement and it became a hit for the band. They quickly released an album of the same name and followed with "1, 2, 3, Red Light" the same year. Buddah Records used studio musicians and formed a touring band that had so many personnel changes that by the time their last two albums were released the entire lineup had changed.
At the turn of the century original members Floyd Marcus and Frank Jeckell reformed the band and began playing at nostalgia shows.

The Ohio Express had a hit with "Yummy Yummy Yummy" in 1968. The Lemon Pipers' biggest hit was "Green Tambourine" the same year. The Music Explosion had a Number Two release with ""Little Bit o' Soul" in 1967.