US Seventies Geographical Tour Quiz

Answer: Kentucky

"Kentucky Rain" reached Number 16 on the US Billboard charts for Elvis. The song was penned by Eddie Rabbitt and Dick Heard and featured a then-unknown pianist named Ronnie Milsap. The song went right to single release and was not included on the original "From Elvis in Memphis" album released the previous year. Later re-packaged versions included the song.

The song also made the Top Forty on the US Country charts. Brooks Benton had a Top Ten hit with his recording of "Rainy Night in Georgia" in 1970.

The Band took "Up on Cripple Creek" to Number 25 and "Montego Bay" by Bobby Bloom was a Top Ten release the same year.

Answer: Matthews' Southern Comfort

Ian Matthews was born Iain Matthew McDonald in England. He became a member of Fairport Convention in 1967. Two years later he released his solo project, Matthews' Southern Comfort. Their version of "Woodstock" topped the charts in the UK but only made it to Number 23 in the US.
Matthews' Southern Comfort went through several personnel changes and Matthews left after their third albums was released. He became involved in several other solo projects and occasionally joined Fairport Convention for reunion shows.
"You've Got to Crawl (Before You Walk)" was a 1971 Top Forty single by The 8th Day. Tin Tin recorded the Number 20 "Toast and Marmalade for Tea" and "She's Not Just Another Woman". Ashton, Gardner and Dyke barely broke the Top Forty with "Resurrection Shuffle".

Answer: Albert Hammond

Albert Hammond's family was from Gibraltar but relocated to England during World War II. They returned to Gibraltar where Albert formed a band and began writing songs that were recorded by several British Invasion groups. In the early seventies he began recording some of his own compositions. His first release as a solo artist was "It Never Rains in Southern California", co-written with Mike Hazelewood.
Hammond continued composing hits such as Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", the Nelson/Iglesias duet "To All The Girls I've Loved Before" and Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time", which became the 1988 Olympics theme.
In 1972 Leon Russell took "Tight Rope" to Number 11. "Spaceman" was a Number 23 Nilsson release and "Something's Wrong With Me" made it to Number 11 for Austin Roberts.

Answer: Texas

China Grove is a small unincorporated town in Bexar County, Texas, Zip Code 78263. The first two lines of the of the song are "When the sun comes up on a sleepy little town down around San Antone". "China Grove" was composed by lead singer Tom Johnston before he was replaced by Michael McDonald in 1975. Keyboardist Billy Payne was playing an oriental sounding lick and challenged Johnston to compose a song inspired by it. "China Grove" was included on their 1973 album, "The Captain and Me". While the actual location of the town is real, many of the details depicted in the song are fictional. Worthy of note is the fact that it would be unlikely that a Chinese sheriff would carry a Japanese samurai sword.

Answer: False

"Sweet Home Alabama" reached the Number Eight position in the US. The song was a single release from their second album, "Second Helping". "Free Bird" was released the same year but was not as successful, topping out at Number 19. "Sweet Home Alabama" was the band's highest charting US single.
"What's Your Name?" was released in 1977 and made it to unlucky 13.
The Noble Five, One Percent and My Backyard were early names considered for the band before settling on Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Band member and co-composer of "Sweet Home Alabama", Ed King, was formerly a member of Strawberry Alarm Clock.

Answer: Michael Martin Murphey

Michael Martin Murphey also took "Wildfire" to Number Three the same year. The Dallas native is known for releasing several albums featuring Cowboy and Western style songs, several of which have achieved Gold Record status. Murphey also composed New Mexico's state ballad titled "The Land of Enchantment".
Michael Nesmith joined Murphey as part of a Folk band called Trinity River Boys in the early sixties before Nesmith joined The Monkees.
"Wolf Creek Pass' and "Convoy" were Top Forty releases by C.W. McCall. "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" was a 1975 hit for John Denver and "Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" was one of several chart releases by Mac Davis.

Answer: Czech Republic

In 1918 the Slovaks and the Czechs united to create the Republic of Czechoslovakia. Bohemia became the western province as well as the industrial area of the region.
During World War II the entire region was annexed by Hitler. After the war Bohemia remained the Western section of the region.
In 1993 Czechoslovakia separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Bohemia still comprised the central and western portions of the region.
Freddie Mercury is listed as the sole composer of "Bohemian Rhapsody". The band's label was reluctant to release the sing as a single because it was so long. The other members of Queen had to rehearse their vocal parts for several days before laying down their tracks.

Answer: Waylon Jennings

Waylon released the hit but he did not compose "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)". It was written by Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons. The song reached the Number One slot on the Country charts. "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" made reference to other country artists including Hank Williams and also mentioned the song, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain".
Luckenbach, Texas had become a virtual ghost town in the sixties. Waylon's song put the nine-acre town back on the map.
Buck Owens established a style dubbed "The Bakersfield Sound" in the sixties. Kris Kristofferson was part of the "Outlaw" Country sound in the seventies along with Waylon, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Jr. and others. Willie was a guest artist who recorded the final verse of the tune with Waylon.

Answer: Tuxedo Junction

Tuxedo Junction took their Disco style version of the song to the Number 32 slot. Mack Gordon and and Harry Warren wrote "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" while actually riding on a train and it was featured in the film, "Sun Valley Serenade", in 1941. By December of the same year Glenn Miller's 78 RPM version was the Number One song in America.
Tuxedo Junction band recorded updated versions of several Big Band era classics. Tuxedo Junction is also the name of another Big band tune recorded in 1939 by The Glenn Miller orchestra.
Chic released "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" and "Everybody Dance" in 1978. "Dance Across the Floor" by Jimmy "Bo" Horne made it to Number 38. "Let's All Chant" was a Top Forty 1978 release by Michael Zager Band.

Answer: Savannah Nights

"Savannah Nights" was a Tom Johnston tune that reached Number 34 on the Billboard charts. The song was a single release from his "Everything You've Heard Is True" LP. Tom left The Doobie brothers in 1975 because of health issues when the band was scheduled to go on tour in support of their "Stampede" album.
After his health rebounded he released two solo albums, "Everything You've Heard Is True" and "Still Feels Good". He supported the releases by touring with fellow Doobie Brothers band mate John Hartman as drummer when he formed The Tom Johnston Band.
In 1987 other original members of the band reunited for a short tour in support of veterans. The reunion resulted in Tom rejoining the band.
The other Georgia songs are fictitious.