The OTHER 60s Beat Groups Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Nashville Teens

Mostly from Weybridge, Surrey, the Nashville Teens were one of the few groups in this quiz to make an impression in the US, with their major hit "Tobacco Road" being featured, along with the Supremes, in the movie "Beach Ball". They played extensively in Hamburg, a little after the Beatles were there, and were Jerry Lee Lewis's backing band when he made his "Live At The Star Club" album.

After "Google Eye" at the end of 1964, they only managed two small hits.

Answer: The Honeycombs

Legendary producer Joe Meek helped the Honeycombs to No.1 in 1964 with "Have I The Right" but after that they couldn't get back into the Top 10. Having a female drummer was regarded as a "gimmick" in those days and Honey Lantree was easily the most interviewed member of the group, constantly fielding questions like "What's it like to be a girl drummer/travel with all the guys?" etc.

Another contemporary group had a female bass player but that's for a different question.

Answer: The Four Pennies

Featuring former members of Joe Brown's Bruvvers and Johnny Kidd's Pirates, The Four Pennies were heralded as being the "next big thing" when "Juliet" became a monster hit in the spring of '64 but the star quickly faded. Their best effort at a follow-up was their next release. "I Found Out The Hard Way" made Top 20 but it was all downhill after that.

Answer: The Applejacks

This is where the female bass player comes in; The Applejacks, from Solihull, featured Megan Davies on bass. Despite being given a Lennon/McCartney song ("Like Dreamers Do") to follow-up their first hit, they couldn't continue to capture the interest of the record buying public.

While Applejacks fans have been thin on the ground for decades, their version of "Like Dreamers Do" was long sought after by collectors because no Beatles version of the song surfaced until the release of "Anthology" in 1995.

Answer: Hedgehoppers Anonymous

Made up of RAF pilots, the Hedgehoppers took their name from an Air Force slang term for low level flyers. Jonathan King discovered them and suggested they add "Anonymous" to their name. The song is heavily ironic, its jaunty beat and light delivery juxtaposed with a catalogue of anticipated "Good News" events like; "Someone's dropped a bomb somewhere, contaminating atmosphere and blackening the skies". Sadly, they were never heard from again.

Answer: The Ivy League

The Ivy League were a three piece vocal group, originally featuring John Carter, Ken Lewis and Perry Ford. Later, they were a pitstop in the career of Tony Burrows, who was also the voice, sometimes simultaneously, of Edison Lighthouse, White Plains, Brotherhood Of Man, The Pipkins and others.

When they resurfaced as the Flowerpotmen with the double-sided "Let's Go To San Francisco" in the Summer Of Love of 1967, many thought they were FROM San Francisco but they were British session singers.

Answer: Pinkerton's Assorted Colours

Sharing The Fortunes' management and The Moody Blues' production team still only worked once for the former Liberators from Rugby. The name was changed to match their outrageously coloured stage costumes. After several line up changes and a gradual shortening of the name - ending up as simply "Pinkertons" - they had permanently disbanded by the end of the 60s.

Answer: Unit Four Plus Two

Originally a largely acoustic group, they were known as simply "Unit Four" until Rod Garwood (bass) and Hugh Halliday (drums) joined in late 1963. It took three releases to get the big break with "Concrete And Clay" and there were big hopes for the future.

The song was a huge international hit but the group had no solid material to capitalize on. Two members, Russ Ballard and Bob Henrit, became members of Argent in later years but we heard no more from "The Unit" after 1965.

Answer: The Fortunes

Changing musical direction to cash in on the revolution that had begun in Liverpool, name (from the "Cliftones") and adding two members paid off for the Fortunes in the Summer of '65 when the classic "You've Got Your Troubles" went Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic.

After a gap of about five years in the late 60s, they re-emerged in 1971 with "Freedom Come Freedom Go" and had another short run of success. A version of the band, featuring ex-Badfinger keyboardist Bob Jackson was still playing the nostalgia circuit in the late 90s.

Answer: Migil 5

Often cited as the first "Bluebeat" hit in the UK, and certainly the first by a white group, "Mockingbird Hill" was a surprise hit in '64, riding on the success of Millie's "My Boy Lollipop" which introduced Bluebeat, now known as Ska, to mainstream UK audiences.

The group had been playing in their native London for several years before this hit and were a multi-faceteded outfit, playing all kinds of music in all kinds of venues. Their only major hit, "Mockingbird Hill" was a reworking of an earlier success for Les Paul and Mary Ford.