Soul Artists/Bands and their Hit Songs Quiz

Answer: "Groovy Situation"

"Groovy Situation" peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970. It also hit number eight on the Billboard R&B chart. Gene Chandler was mostly known for his number one Billboard Hot 100 chart hit, "Duke Of Earl", which was released in January of 1962.

Answer: "Give Me Just A Little More Time"

"Give Me Just a Little More Time" was a big hit for The Chairmen Of The Board. It was released in 1970 and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The B side of the 45 RPM record contained the song "Since the Days of Pigtails & Fairytales" on it. The Chairmen Of The Board were extremely talented, hence their name.

Answer: "Time Has Come Today"

The Chambers Brothers' song "Time Has Come Today" peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained there for five weeks. When it debuted in August, it hit the chart at only number 95. It was recorded in 1966 but not released on LP until 1967.
"Time Has Come Today" has a very psychedelic sound. There is echo and other sound effects in the song and a cowbell is heard clanging throughout, as the word time is yelled out again and again. It gives the feeling that time is running out and we have to do something now. The cowbell is representative of a ticking clock. The song is telling the youth of the day that they need to bring about change. At the time there was a Hippie movement and the Vietnam War. Women's rights movements were happening too as was Black Power and there were environmental concerns.
"Time Has Come Today" was a powerful song with an urgent message.

Answer: "(If You Let Me Make Love to You Then) Why Can't I Touch You"

Ronnie Dyson was an R&B success and was also a success on the stage. He was the lead actor in the Broadway musical "Hair."
"If You Let Me Make Love to You Then) Why Can't I Touch You" was his most well known song. It hit number eight on the Billboard R&B Singles chart on 8/29/1970.
The song was written by Charles Courtney and Peter Link. It appeared on Dyson's debut album and came from the musical, "Salvation."

Answer: "I've Found Someone Of My Own"

"I've Found Someone of My Own" is a song written by Frank F. Robinson and performed by The Free Movement. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, number seven on the adult contemporary chart, and number 20 on the R&B chart in 1971. The song was featured on their 1972 album, "I've Found Someone of My Own."
The song "I've Found Someone of My Own" ranked number 27 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles chart of 1971.

Answer: "Tell Me Something Good"

"Tell Me Something Good" is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan. It was written by Stevie Wonder and released in 1974. The single was a hit in the U.S. which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent a week at number one on the Cash Box Top 100.
"Tell Me Something Good" was one of the earliest hits to use the guitar talk box. The guitar talk box was made very famous by Peter Frampton in the 1970s, especially with the line "Do you feel like I do?"
Per Jane McGrath: "The talk box device takes advantage of the unique qualities of the human mouth and vocal tract and lends them to instruments." In Frampton's case, his guitar was the instrument speaking to the audience.

Answer: "So Very Hard To Go"

"So Very Hard To Go" was the biggest hit for Tower of Power, reaching number 17 on the Hot 100 and number 11 on the R&B chart.
This song was written by Tower of Power saxophone players Emilio Castillo and Stephen "Doc" Kupka and was about an especially hard goodbye. Castillo, who is the group's leader, came up with the lyrics. They were inspired by a girl named Sharon.

Answer: "Funky Nassau"

The Beginning Of The End was a band that hailed from The Bahamas. Their hit song, "Funky Nassau - Part 1" is a killer funk cut that's truly unlike anything else in the world of music that has stood the test of time.
It was a huge hit for the band, reaching number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number seven on the Billboard Black Singles chart.
It took awhile for the Beginning of the End to come up with their sound which is described as a funky blend of rock, R&B, funk, jazz, and Latin music.
The 45 RPM single of "Funky Nassau" had a B-side titled "Gee Whiz It's Christmas." In Nassau the record sold more than 5,000 copies in two weeks. Eventually it sold over a million copies worldwide.

Answer: "Why Can't We Live Together"

Timmy Thomas was sitting in his study and heard Walter Cronkite say, "35,000 Viet Cong died today as did 15,000 Americans." He thought to himself that "this many mothers' children died today? Why can't we can't come together and sit down and talk about this". 'Why Can't We Live Together?' Right then and there he sat down and began writing the song.
'No more wars, we want peace in this world, and no matter what color, you're still my brother.'
Thomas taped his song and took it to a local radio station that played songs by local talent. After it was played for the first time the phone calls began rolling in. Thomas thought the world was ready for change and that 'Why Can't We Live Together?' helped bring about that change.
Timmy Thomas was a one man band on the song. His left hand played guitar and his foot played bass. 'Why Can't We Live Together?' became a big hit in the U.S. during the early part of 1973. It reached the number one spot on the Billboard R&B chart, number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually sold over two million copies.

Answer: "Emma"

Hot Chocolate was a British soul band that crossed into funk, soul, pop, blues. Their song "Emma" is a tear-jerker which tells the story of a wannabe actress who commits suicide.
Errol Brown, who fronted Hot Chocolate, explained to the "Mail On Sunday" January 25, 2009 that the story is tied to the death of his mother who passed away when she was just 38 years old. "Emma" was almost not released because the band's producer thought it was too slow and quite morbid. The girls at his RAK Records office changed his mind.
"Emma" did reach number three on the U.K. Singles and Album chart on June 6 of 1974. It would have reached number one but was held back by the number two hit "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" by Paper Lace and the number one smash hit, that drove a lot of people crazy, "Seasons In The Sun" by Terry Jacks.