What A Charlie! Great Musicians Called Charles Quiz

Answer: Elvis Presley

Charlie Feathers and The King were fellow Mississippians; Charlie was from Holly Springs, and Elvis from Tupelo. Our Charlie got a gig as session musician at Sun Records and claimed to have arranged a couple of songs recorded by Elvis, but he didn't get any credit until the song "I Forgot To Remember To Forget", which was mostly written by Stan Kesler.

Charlie Feathers' approach has been lauded (and often copied) by those with a baleful, threatening delivery, and even Elvis was no exception, his approach on the track being somewhat ominous.

Although Feathers has never really been forgotten amongst the rockabilly fraternity, he has been lost to the mists of time for most people. His music enjoyed an all too brief revival when Quentin Tarantino used a couple of his songs on the "Kill Bill" soundtracks, but he wasn't able to revel in the flattery as he'd already been in the grave five years.

Answer: Charlie Parker

Charlie Parker apparently got the nickname Yardbird, which became simply Bird, due to his fondness for chicken, known as yard-birds in the Deep South. He rolled with it, and even used the bird motif in several of his compositions, such as "Ornithology".

Charlie Parker was one of those rare breeds in music; genius, a term that is bandied about willy-nilly by pundits who should know better.

Parker was born in Kansas City in 1920. He practiced tirelessly in his early years, and then earned his stripes playing with a host of stars, before moving to New York in 1939, where he made a name for himself. He is intrinsically linked with the development of bebop, although his scope was much wider than one style of jazz.

Having become addicted to morphine as a youth, he quickly got into heroin on the drug-riddled jazz scene. He later developed alcoholism too, and these vices almost ruined his career due to his inevitable unreliability and rather unpredictable behaviour giving promoters and fellow musicians too many headaches and testing their patience. He died aged just 34, although according to the coroner's reports his body was like that of a quinquagenarian.

Answer: U.K. Subs

Charlie Harper is a seemingly unstoppable force, still gigging incessantly and blaring out "I wanna be teenage". He was no spring chicken when punk was the zeitgeist in the mid-1970s, but his energy and vigour couldn't, and cannot, be denied.

The Subs formed in London in 1976 and have remained a name that brings a beaming grin to any punk worth his/her salt's face when mentioned. They never quite reached the commercial heights some of their lesser contemporaries did, but struck gold in 1993 when punk wannabes Guns N' Roses did "Down on the Farm" on the album "The Spaghetti Incident?". Our Charlie must have been grinning all the way to the bank, and also reveled in a nice touch of flattery.

All the other options were also formed in 1976: punk band Abrasive Wheels in Leeds, heavy-metallers Ethel The Frog (great name, awful music) in Hull, and The Cure in a cold, dark bedsit somewhere in the south.

Answer: Yesterday

According to Ray's hilarious autobiography, he was never "in love with the Beatles", but he had a blast at these songs anyway, and did a sterling job.

"Yesterday" has been covered by all and sundry, the results falling into the "good, the bad, and the ugly" categories. Michael Bolton, Bob Dylan, Liberace, Wet Wet Wet, Plácido Domingo, and David Essex have all put in their pennyworth, but Ray's version is the funniest as he totally overdoes it, and to these ears even preferable to the rather smug original.

The other Beatles songs were impossible choices as they came out later.

"What'd I Say" is a Ray Charles original that was a staple of the Beatles set-list in the early days.

Answer: Scream Bloody Gore

New York-born but Floridian-based Chuck Schuldiner's first attempt at a band was with Mantas in 1983. Chuck then scarpered off to Canada to join the to-be brilliant thrash nutters, Slaughter. That didn't work out, so he went back to Florida and made heavy metal history by forming Death.

Despite having a somewhat unstable line-up, Death managed to release the monumental albums "Scream Bloody Gore" (1987), "Leprosy" (1988), and "Spiritual Healing" (1990) before Chuck stopped even pretending it was a proper band and Steely Danned, i.e. just hired folk to play.

Chuck died in 2001 from complications after suffering from a brain tumour for years. He and his family had been unable to foot the medical bills, and despite a huge effort on the part of musicians of various ilks to help out, the US medical system won.

All the other albums were released in 1987. "Scum" was Napalm Death's first album release, "Yo! Bum Rush The Show" was by Public Enemy, and "Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)" was the Happy Mondays first weird yet wonderful album.

Answer: Charlie Chaplin

Ragga and dancehall singer Charlie Chaplin came to prominence in the 1980s, initially through his work with toasting and DJing groundbreaker, U-Roy (aka The Originator), and then as a solo artist. His debut as a solo artist, "Presenting Charlie Chaplin " came out in 1982 and he became quite a star in his homeland, and also made waves in the UK, but he has never really become a household name, more's the pity.

Film star and comedian extraordinaire Charlie Chaplin, who was born in England (most probably on a gypsy camp), was one of the biggest names in film history. He moved to the USA in 1913 and didn't leave until 1952. He was somewhat forced to leave due to the FBI and the US Immigration Service keeping tabs on him and threatening to revoke his permit to stay in the country, due to his left-wing leanings. Chaplin ended up settling in Switzerland, where he died in 1977.

Everyone's favourite hard-man, actor Chuck Norris was born Carlos Norris in 1940. He is not of Hispanic stock, and his name is something of an anomaly.

Answer: Charles Aznavour

French Charlie was born Shahnour Aznavourian, in Paris in 1924 to Armenian parents. He was already performing at a very young age, but his big break came when Édith Piaf took him under her wing in 1946. He went on to have one of the most successful careers in popular music, enjoying the enviable position of being a huge seller, garnering critical acclaim, and reaching hero status amongst performers and fans alike.

The cynical might cite the fact that singing in English, Spanish, Italian, and his native French could be the key to his success, but who would want to deny such a star his due? Nobody can help but admire the panache and style of his delivery on songs such as "Jezebel" or "Je m'voyais déjà ", where he disperses any comparisons to middle of the road also-rans like Frank Sinatra, and leaves them for dust.

Charlie Patton is often referred to as the father of the delta blues and is recommended listening.

Charles Trenet was a wonderful French singer and songwriter.

Black Flag's Chuck Dukowski was a fake Charlie, really being called Gary McDaniel, but made up for the misdemeanor by being such a cracking bass player.

Answer: Danzig

Chuck was born in Canada and was a founding member of hardcore punk stalwarts D.O.A. in 1978. He played alongside his brother Dimwit (bass) in D.O.A. for a while, but ended up leaving in1982 to join one of the other hardcore punk pioneers, Black Flag, down in California, although he never recorded with the band.

When Glenn Danzig formed Danzig in 1987, which was practically an extension of his post-Misfits act Samhain with a new name and the backing of recording engineer/producer Rick Rubin, Glenn picked Chuck as his number one drummer. His choice was rather astute as anyone who has heard Biscuits' versatile approach to the fine art of skin-pounding can attest, he takes no prisoners and yet can also provide the creepy '50s mood that Glenn sometimes demands.

Chuck left the band in 1994 and was last seen playing drums in the fabulous country rock band Social Distortion. Brother Dimwit passed away in 1994 of a drug overdose.

If anybody knows what Mr Biscuits is up to these days, please get in touch.

Answer: First Western artist to perform behind the Iron Curtain

What can be said about Chuck Berry, born Charles Edward Anderson Berry, that hasn't already been said? Undoubtedly amongst the all-time greats of popular music, rock n roll just wouldn't be the same without him.

Chuck has led a colourful life. He spent three years in prison for armed robbery as a youth. He was back in the slammer in 1962 for having sex with a fourteen year old girl who he'd taken over state lines, thus being arrested under the Mann Act. In 1979 he got into trouble for tax evasion, and spent another four months in prison. In the 1990s he narrowly avoided another spell of porridge when customers at one of his restaurants claimed he had filmed them whilst they were using the latrines. He wiggled his way out of it with rather generous settlements, and a guilty plea to a drugs charge.

Who the first Western rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain is a moot point, claims being made by Manfred Mann, Mungo Jerry, The Rolling Stones, and Rob Storm and the Whispers. One thing is clear though; it wasn't Chuck.

Answer: Come On

Charlie Watts replaced Tony Chapman in 1963, and has been in The Rolling Stones ever since. His jazz-tinged swing is as much a part of what makes the band so special as Mick Jagger's drawl and Keith Richards' licks despite not getting quite as much attention as the Glimmer Twins.

"Come On" was written by Chuck Berry. The B side to the Stones' debut was Willie Dixon's "I Want To Be Loved". It was followed by another cover version, "I Wanna Be Your Man", written by Lennon and McCartney. The Stones' version had "Stoned" on the B side, the first original they released. The Beatles also recorded "I Wanna Be Your Man", with Ringo Starr singing (badly).

"Street Fighting Man" was on The Rolling Stones' 1968 album "Beggars Banquet".

"Surfin' Bird" was released in 1963 by The Trashmen, who had a hit with it. It remains their trademark song.