What Band Are They From? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nick Lachey

98 Degrees was a 'boy band' comprised of vocalists Nick Lachey, his brother Drew, Jeff Timmons, and Justin Jeffre. Unlike most such groups, they actually got together on their own and were later picked up by a recording label. They formed in 1996 and released their first album a year later, but only really made it big with their second studio release "98 Degrees and Rising" (1998).

In 2003, the band announced a hiatus to allow the individual members to work on solo projects, and it would not be until 2012 that they reunited, recording a new album and appearing sporadically in the years following.

In addition to the four studio albums by 98 Degrees, Nick Lachey also released solo albums in 2003 ("SoulO"), 2006 ("What's Left of Me"), 2013 ("A Father's Lullaby"), and 2014 ("Soundtrack of My Life").

Answer: AJ McLean

Alexander James "AJ" McLean was the first official member of the Backstreet Boys back in April of 1992, after he answered a newspaper ad looking for young men (aged 16-19) to audition for a new band. Even though McLean was only 14 years old at the time, he auditioned and was the first one selected to form the new band. It was not long before he was joined by Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell to complete the lineup.

The Backstreet Boys began performing in 1993, but would not release their first album until 1996, at which point they were launched into superstardom. McLean has continued as a member of the Backstreet Boys since its creation, and has also had the opportunity to pursue solo projects. In 2010, he released his first solo album, entitled "Have it All", in addition to a number of other single releases that are not associated with a studio album release.

Answer: Travis Barker

Drummer Travis Barker was not one of the original members of Blink-182, but his name has become synonymous with the group.

Blink-182 was formed in 1992 by guitarist Tom DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Scott Raynor, although at the beginning (after trying out some other options), they settled on simply 'Blink' as the band name. In 1993 they started to gig while working on their demo tape, and soon garnered enough attention that they got picked up by Cargo Records and they recorded and released their first album in 1995 ("Cheshire Cat"). With this new album release, they caught the attention of an Irish band already using the name Blink, who threatened to sue. Thus the name change to Blink-182.

While on tour in 1998, drummer Scott Raynor left the band and Travis Barker, who actually was playing drums with the band The Aquabats (on tour with them), took over the job, and was soon officially part of the band.

With Barker in the band, Blink-182 reached new heights of success, and Barker channeled that success into other ventures, including a clothing line and his own record label, amongst other business ventures. In 2005, citing the need to focus on their personal lives, the members of Blink-182 announced an indefinite hiatus.

But life would take a difficult turn for Barker when he narrowly survived a plane crash in 2008. After months in hospital and multiple surgeries, Barker eventually recovered enough to resume playing, and this resulted in a reunion for Blink-182, and the eventual release of his own solo album in 2011.

Answer: David Silveria

The original incarnation of Korn grew out of the band L.A.P.D., which existed from 1989 until 1992. David Silveria joined L.A.P.D. as their drummer at the age of 16, and together with James "Munky" Shaffer (guitar), Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu (bass), and Richard Morrill. When the group 'broke up' in 1992, Shaffer, Arvizu and Silveria stayed together and invited Brian "Head" Welch (guitar) and Jonathan "JDevil" Davis (lead singer) to join them in creating a new band. They called it 'Creep' at first, but that soon became Korn (stylized with a backwards capital R).

After a few years of success and seven studio albums, David Silveria left the band on an indefinite hiatus in 2006. He returned to drumming in 2012 with the band Infinika until its dissolution in 2015, and has continued to work with different bands since then.

Answer: Fred Durst

In 1996, vocalist Fred Durst, along with bassist Sam Rivers and drummer John Otto formed the initial group that would become Limp Bizkit and already wrote three songs before finding the fourth member of the band, guitarist Wes Borland. It was Durst who came up with the name 'Limp Bizkit', ostensibly meant to be a name that would be repelling to listeners.

The band first got a wider exposure when they were able to tour as an opening act for Korn during a couple of their tours. This led to Limp Bizkit signing with Flip Records in 1997 and the recording of their first studio album "Three Dollar Bill, Y'all". Mainstream success would arrive with their third studio album, "Significant Other" in 1999.

When the band went on a hiatus in 2005, Durst decided to turn his efforts to filmmaking. The band reunited in 2009 with the original members, and Durst has continued to concurrently work on films.

Answer: Raphael Saadiq

Raphael Saadiq (born Charles Ray Wiggins) originally made a name for himself with the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné! (four albums between 1988 and 1998) before deciding to pursue a solo career. At this time he approached Ali Shaheed Muhammad (formerly of A Tribe Called Quest) and Dawn Robinson (formerly of En Vogue) to collaborate as a new supergroup, which they named Lucy Pearl. (Robinson would be replaced by Joi in 2000).

Lucy Pearl was a short-lived group, although they did release one self-titled studio album in 2000 (and five singles), and included guest musicians like Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip, and Soulizm. The group broke up in 2001 to continue their solo endeavours.

Saadiq has released numerous solo albums in the years since, and has collaborated with many other artists. In 2003, he won his first Grammy for Best R&B Song (as songwriter) for "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)", performed by singer Erykah Badu and rapper Common.

Answer: Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani got started with No Doubt right at the very beginning (1986), at the prompting of her brother Eric, who was the one trying (along with lead singer John Spence) to put a group together. Spence would tragically end his own life in 1987, and Alan Meade would take over on lead vocals (when the group recovered and reformed after a brief hiatus). When Meade left soon after, Gwen took over as the lead singer.

The group's first, self-titled studio album (1992) did not do as well as they hoped, and it would not be until their third (1995) album "Tragic Kingdom" came out (along with superhit single "Don't Speak") that the band achieved mainstream success. Two more studio albums were released in the early 2000s before the band announced a hiatus, and Stefani turned her attention to a solo career.

In 2008 the band reunited, and alongside of their touring schedule, eventually produced another studio album in 2012 before going on another hiatus in 2013. Since then, the band has reunited for sporadic performances, and Stefani has continued to produce her own solo works, with her fourth studio album released in 2017. She has also parlayed her musical success into other business ventures, including a clothing line, a perfume, and even eyewear.

Answer: Joey Fatone

Joey Fatone became the fourth official member of NSYNC in 1995 after he became friends with Chris Kirkpatrick. It was Kirkpatrick who put together the group, beginning with himself (of course), then finding Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. The group's lineup was completed when they found Jason Galasso through an audition process. Fatone sang baritone with the group.

Over the next few years, the NSYNC grew in success, releasing four studio albums before taking a hiatus. The members have reunited since then, occasionally, for public performances.

Since his success with NSYNC, Fatone has moved on to film and television opportunities and to performing in musicals on Broadway. In 2013, he reunited with NSYNC for a special performance at the MTV Music Awards.

Answer: Eddie Vedder

Eddie Vedder got his start in the music industry in 1990 when he was invited to add vocals to a demo tape for a band looking for a singer. That band turned out to be 'Mookie Blaylock', and the members were (lead guitarist) Mike McCready, (rhythm guitarist) Stone Gossard, and (bassist) Jeff Ament. Vedder went to Seattle for an official audition and was quickly folded into the group. Dave Knusen joined them on drums, and they soon signed with Epic Records... who wanted them to change their name. Thus was born Pearl Jam.

Their first album, entitled "Ten", came out in 1991 and vaulted the band into the mainstream. After that album, the band cycled through different drummers, eventually settling with Matt Cameron in 1998. The group has continued to perform and record albums, with their 11th studio album released in 2020.

In addition to his duties with Pearl Jam, Vedder has also released a number of solo albums, has written and performed songs for movie soundtracks, and has collaborated with other musicians on various projects.

Answer: Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas

TLC was formed in 1990 by Crystal Jones, Tionne Watkins, and Lisa Lopes, originally going by the name of '2nd Nature'. When they were able to find a manager for their new group, the name was changed to TLC (for the initials of the girls' first names). Circumstances would see Jones leave the group, which opened up an opportunity for Rozanda Thomas, who signed onto the group in 1991.

In order to keep the 'TLC' name relevant, each of the three performers took on a nickname that fit with the initials. Tionne Watkins became 'T-Boz', Lopes chose 'Left-Eye', and Thomas picked 'Chilli'. The group found early success in 1992 with their first album, "Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip", and they were vaulted into stardom over the next decade plus.

After four studio albums (and some ups and downs along the way), Lisa Lopes was tragically killed in a car crash in 2006, and the remaining two group members chose not to find a replacement. They took a hiatus, but eventually returned to performing (sometimes with a guest singer to cover Lopes' parts) in the 2010s. In 2017, Watkins and Thomas released TLC's fifth studio album, entitled "TLC".