Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad Trivia Quiz

Answer: Stewart Copeland

Originally a punk band and at one time with four members, The Police made just five albums before quitting in 1984 to pursue solo careers.

Andy Summers replaced Henry Padovani before the first album "Outlandos d'Amour" was released in 1978.

The trio had ten UK top ten singles, including five number ones. Six songs broke into the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, including one number one.

Answer: Carnie Wilson

The trio that made up Wilson Phillips were a second generation of musical families.

Sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson were daughters of Brian Wilson, of Beach Boys fame, while Chynna Phillips was a daughter of John and Michelle Phillips, of The Mamas & the Papas.

Formed in 1990, the trio saw three singles from their debut album hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100. But that success together was to be a flash in the pan. When their second album failed to produce any hits, the group broke up to begin solo careers.

They did reunite in 2004 for an album of Eagles and Fleetwood Mac covers. Several concert performances followed, then in 2012 they produced another album of covers by people they knew from the cradle...the Beach Boys and the Mamas & Papas.

Answer: Frank Beard

ZZ Top remained at the time this quiz was written one of the longest running bands with an unchanged lineup, having got together in 1969.

Few bands looked as visually idiosyncratic as ZZ Top - guitarists Gibbons and Hill first sported long beards in the late 1970s, while Frank Beard remained clean-shaven. Gibbons and Hill were once offered $1m by a razor company to shave their beards, but declined.

Initially known for their blues style, the band's music evolved over the years. ZZ Top charted regularly in the top 30 of the US Mainstream Rock charts, including five number ones.

Answer: Keren Woodward

Formed in 1981, Bananarama found success throughout that decade. Fahey left in 1988, and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan, who left in 1991. The others continued as a duo.

In all line-ups, they were noted by Guinness World Records as the female group with the most international hits.

They reached the UK top 40 on 25 occasions without having a number one, but had one chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986.

Answer: Paul Weller

Nicknamed "The Modfather", Paul Weller was the driving force behind The Jam.

The trio were friends at a school in Surrey, England, and formed The Jam in 1973.

While they were unashamed punk rockers, critics noted a nod back to the great rock bands of the 1960s. They also showed a biting social conscience in songs like "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", and "Eton Rifles".

For ten years they were much in demand in the UK, but their appeal did not seem to cross the Atlantic.
In the UK they scored nine songs in the top ten, with four of those at number one.

The Jam split up in 1988, when Weller formed The Style Council. Despite rumours and efforts to get the classic trio back together again, it came to nothing. Foxton and Weller remained friends, but lost contact with Buckler.

Answer: Chad Mitchell

The Chad Mitchell Trio were one of the top outfits around during the acoustic folk era of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Mitchell, Kobluk and Pugh got together at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, in 1958.

Others were to come and go into the trio over the years, including John Denver, although Tom Paxton was turned down (ironically their cover of his song "The Marvellous Toy" was to be their top hit, number 20 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1963.)

The Mitchell Trio, as it was renamed, continued to sing into the 21st Century, with Joe Frazier (no, not that Joe Frazier) combining with Mitchell and Kobluk.

Answer: Paul Stookey

Like their contemporaries The Chad Mitchell Trio and The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary tasted success on the crest of the 1960s folk scare.

Within a decade of getting together, PP&M had had 11 albums and 12 hit singles, including "If I Had a Hammer," "Lemon Tree," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff the Magic Dragon."

PP&M are credited as big encouragers of Bob Dylan's early career and sang a lot of his songs. By 1965 a change had come. Mary Travers explained: "We started singing songs of Bobby's because they meant something. We don't sing them anymore because he no longer writes anything that means anything to us."

The trio disbanded in 1970 but got back together eight years later and performed on and off until Mary Travers died in 2009.

Answer: Ginger Baker

The rise and fall of Cream is the story of how great egos collide.

Individually and collectively they were masters of their instruments. Clapton and Bruce are frequently placed in lists of great guitarists, and Baker, likewise, among drummers.

Formed in 1966, within two year frictions between Baker and Bruce made it impossible for things to continue. Baker had invited Clapton to join a new outfit: when Clapton suggested Bruce, Baker was not keen, but agreed when Clapton said that was his condition for joining.

Their music fused the personal styles of each of the trio - even if Clapton later admitted they played a lot of performances while on drugs: acid was their choice.

Clapton blamed a heavy work schedule as well as the friction between the other two for the break up of Cream. He later said he felt he was in a confrontational situation 24 hours a day. "Half my time was spent trying to keep the peace," he told "Uncut" magazine in 2012.

Jack Bruce died in 2014 and Ginger Baker in 2019.

Answer: Neil Peart

Hailing from Canada, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee formed Rush in 1968 in Toronto with drummer John Rutsey. In 1974, Neil Peart was brought in to replace Rutsey. That set up the longest-lasting combination until the band retired in 2016. Peart died in January 2020.

Described as rock's ultimate power trio, Rush were also regarded as boundary pushers. Their music was at times...difficult. Many critics and fans were left bewildered by the lyrics and the records. In 2018, Lee told the "Guardian" newspaper: "Even I can barely make sense of our concept albums".

The band was nominated for seven Grammys, without winning any.

Rush had five number one songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Twelve albums reached the top ten on the Hot 200. They were less successful in their homeland, topping the Canadian charts just once.

Answer: Tre Cool

Formed in Berkeley, California, in 1987, Green Day were punk rockers. The original line up was Armstrong, Dirnt and drummer John Kiffmayer.

In 1990, Kiffmayer began studies at Humboldt State University and the others asked Tre Cool to step in. This was a decision Kiffmayer was happy with.

Over the years, Green Day were declared America's most commercially successful punk band.

In doing that for over 30 years, Green Day not only kept their original fans on board, they also attracted many who had not even been born when they started out.

Green Day had just two songs in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, but as the 21st Century opened, frequently topped rock or alternative playlists on internet streaming services.