Who Put The Ram In The Rama Lama Ding Dong? Quiz

Answer: Tutti-Frutti

"Tutti-Frutti" reached number 17 on the US pop chart for Little Richard in 1956. It reached number 29 on the UK chart in 1957.

Little Richard had been using a risque version of "Tutti-Frutti" similar to a 1938 song "Tutti Booty" by Slim & Slam in his stage act. Song writer Dorothy LaBostrie was brought in to tone down the lyrics for the recording. The credits on the record are Penniman/LaBostrie/Lubin. Lubin may be a pseudonym used by Art Rupe, the owner of Speciality Records, as a device to claim songwriting royalties. On the other hand the name Lubin may refer to songwriter Joe Lubin. To add more mystery, songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie claimed that Penniman (Little Richard) did not write any of "Tutti-Frutti" and she was still receiving royalties from the song into the '80s. Little Richard's nemesis Pat Boone took his version to number 12 on the US pop chart in 1956. It did not chart in the UK. Little Richard did not like Pat Boone recording his songs and having hits with them on the US pop chart. Even though he received royalties he felt it restricted his recordings to the US R&B chart.

Answer: Frankie Lymon

The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon had a number six hit on the US pop chart with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" in 1956. It was a number one hit for three weeks on the UK chart the same year.

The Frankie Lymon story is just one more sad tale among many in the music world. Born Franklin Joseph Lymon in Harlem N.Y. in 1942. At 12 years of age he joined a group named The Coup Devilles who were now known as The Ermines and The Premiers. They changed their name again in 1955 and became The Teenagers, releasing their first single "Why Do Fools Fall On Love" in 1956. In 1957 Frankie went solo after the group's final chart hit "Goody Goody". Although "Goody Goody" was issued as by The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon it was in fact a solo recording backed by session singers. He had one more US hit, "Little Bitty Pretty One" which had been recorded in 1957. Neither Frankie Lymon nor The Teenagers had any more chart success. After a bigamous marriage and the death of his daughter soon after birth he began an affair with Zola Taylor of The Platters. She claimed to have married him in Mexico in 1965, the same year he was drafted into the US Army. In 1967 he married Elmira Eagle (again bigamously) and was also given a dishonourable discharge after consistently being AWOL. At the age of 25 in 1968 he was found dead from a heroin overdose in his grandmother's bathroom; he had been addicted since the age of 15.

Answer: Witch Doctor

"Witch Doctor" reached number one for three weeks on the US pop chart in 1958. It reached number 11 on the UK chart the same year.

David Seville, born Ross Bagdassarian in 1919 in Fresno, California, was an actor/singer/songwriter/pianist/record producer. He also created the cartoon characters The Chipmunks who were named after Liberty records executives Alvin Bennett, Simon Waronker and Theodore Keep. He appeared in small roles in movies such as "The Greatest Show On Earth" with Charlton Heston in 1952, "Viva Zapata" with Marlon Brando in 1952, "Stalag 17" with William Holden in 1953 and "Rear Window" with James Stewart in 1954. 1958 proved to be the best year for novelty/comedy songs on the US pop chart. "Witch Doctor" by David Seville was number one for three weeks, "The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooly was number one for six weeks and "The Chipmunk Song" by David Seville & The Chipmunks was number one for four weeks.

Answer: Blue Angel

Roy Orbison had a number nine hit on the US pop chart with "Blue Angel" in 1960. It reached number 11 on the UK chart the same year.

Roy Orbison formed the group The Wink Westerners with some friends while still in high school. Later while studying geology at college he formed The Teen Kings and they played on the same radio show as Johnny Cash. After a suggestion from Cash they went to Memphis to see Sam Phillips at Sun Records and he signed them up in 1956. Phillips had them re-record "Ooby Dooby", a song that they had previously released on the Je-Wel record label written by Dick Penner and Wade Moore. "Ooby Dooby" sold over 200,000 copies and reached number 59 on the Billboard pop chart in 1956. It was the only hit record The Teen Kings had and they later parted ways after disputes involving song writing credits and royalties. Roy Orbison stayed at Sun Records but was later told by a producer that he would never make it as a ballad singer. He left Sun Records and recorded unsuccessfully for RCA. He moved to Monument Records and after a couple of false starts he and songwriter Joe Melson came up with "Only The Lonely" which reached number two on the Billboard pop chart and number one on the UK and Australian charts in 1960.

Answer: Blue Moon

"Blue Moon" was number one for three weeks on the US pop chart for The Marcels in 1961. It was number one for two weeks on the UK chart the same year.

The Marcels formed in 1959, were Cornelius "Nini" Harp (Lead vocals), Gene Bricker and Ronald "Bingo" Mundy (Tenors), Richard Knauss (Baritone) and Fred Johnson (Bass). The group got its name from Priscilla Johnson the younger sister of Fred Johnson. She named them after the Marcel wave, a popular hair style at the time. By 1962 there was only Fred Johnson left from the original group members. "Blue Moon" was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1934 movie "Manhattan Melodrama". Richard Rodgers hated The Marcels' version so much that he placed adverts in the music press urging people not to buy the record. As the record sold over 1,000,000 copies and won a Gold Disc I guess Richard Rodgers' efforts were in vain. I wonder if he refused to accept any of the royalties?

Answer: Language Of Love

John D. Loudermilk had a number 32 hit on the US pop chart with "Language Of Love" in 1961. It reached number 13 on the UK chart in 1962.

Singer/songwriter John D. Loudermilk was born in Durham, North Carolina USA in 1934. He has also performed as Johnny Dee, Johnny Dee & The Blue Notes and Ebe Sneezer & His Epidemics. Many various artists have recorded his songs such as George Hamilton IV with "Abilene", Eddie Cochran with "Sittin' In The Balcony", The Everly Brothers with "Ebony Eyes", Bobby Vee with "Stayin' In" and The Nashville Teens with "Tobacco Road" to name but a few. He had five minor hits on the US pop chart, the biggest two were "Sittin' In The Balcony" as Johnny Dee which reached number 38 in 1957 and "Language Of Love" which was also his only chart hit in the UK.

Answer: Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka had a number one hit for two weeks on the US pop chart with "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" in 1962. It reached number seven on the UK chart the same year.

This was the first US number one hit for Neil Sedaka who was a songwiter in the famous Brill Building in New York. It was written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Neil Sedaka recorded a slower version in 1975 and it reached number eight on the US pop chart in 1976. It did not chart in the UK. This was only the second time that a performer had reached the US top ten with two different versions of the same song. Sedaka and Greenfield started to collaborate when they were neighbours in Brighton Beach in Brooklyn New York. As well as hits for Neil Sedaka they wrote many hits for other singers such as, "Stupid Cupid" and "Where The Boys Are" for Connie Francis and "Crying in The Rain" for The Everly Brothers.

Answer: The Rivingtons

The Rivingtons reached number 48 on the US pop chart with "Papa Oom Mow Mow" in 1962. It did not chart in the UK.

The Rivingtons were Al Frazier, Sonny Harris, Carl White and Turner Wilson Jr. They were previously know as The Sharps and The Crenshaws. They had backed Thurston Harris on "Little Bitty Pretty One" in 1957 and supplied the rebel yells on various Duane Eddy records. The Trashmen had a number four hit on the US pop chart with "Surfin' Bird" in 1963. It was based on "Papa Oom Mow Mow" and "The Bird's The Word" by The Rivingtons. It did not chart in the UK. The Beach Boys' version of "Papa Oom Mow Mow" was track one on side two of the album "Beach Boys Concert". This was their seventh US album, their first live album and their first number one album. It was number one for four weeks on the Billboard album chart in 1964. The Persuasions recorded "Papa Oom Mow Mow" in the '70s, also as an album track.

Answer: The Chiffons

The Chiffons had a number one for four weeks on the US pop chart with "He's So Fine" in 1963. It reached number 16 on the UK chart the same year.

The Chiffons were Patricia Bennett, Judy Craig and Barbara Lee from the Bronx, New York and they formed the group while in high school. Sylvia Peterson joined the group in 1962. The songwriter Ronnie Mack asked the group to record some demos of his songs then took them around the record companyies but to no avail. He went to the office of The Tokens ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight") and they were keen to sign him but could not afford a recording session so they played the instruments on the record themselves. Ronnie Mack collapsed in the street not long after the record went to number one. The Tokens presented him with a Gold Disc in his hospital bed but shortly after he died from Hodgkin's Disease. In 1976 George Harrison was found guilty of subconscious plagiarism of "He's So Fine" when writing his world wide number one hit "My Sweet Lord". I have heard songs that sound more alike than these two and there is no "Do lang do lang" in "My Sweet Lord". Never the less, he had to pay substantial royalties to Bright Tune Music who owned the rights to the song. The Chiffons later recorded "My Sweet Lord" and George Harrison later bought the rights to "He's So Fine". All's well that ends well.

Answer: Major Lance

Major Lance reached number five on the US pop chart with "Um Um Um Um Um Um" in 1964. It reached number 40 on the UK chart the same year and was his only UK chart entry. Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders reached number five on the UK chart with a cover version in 1964. It did not chart in the US.

Major Lance (his real name) was born in 1939 in Winterville, Mississippi, USA. His first record was "I Got A Girl" released on the Mercury record label in 1959. Although it was written and produced by Curtis Mayfield it did not chart and he went back to the day job. In 1962 he signed up to the Okeh record label and had a hit with his second single, another Curtis Mayfield song "The Monkey Time", which reached number eight on the US pop chart in 1963. He only had one more US Top 20 hit and left the Okeh record label in 1968. Before this he had toured the UK where he had been backed by among others one Reginald Dwight (Elton John). His music became popular in the UK among fans of "Northern Soul" and Major Lance relocated to the UK in 1972. He became somewhat of a phenomenon on the UK club circuit and recorded a live album "Major Lance's Greatest Hits Recorded Live at the Torch". The Golden Torch is a club in Stoke-on-Trent, a city in Staffordshire UK. He returned to the US in 1974 but did not have any success and in 1978 received a four year prison term after being convicted of cocaine possession. He had a heart attack in 1987 and gave his last performance in June 1994 at the Chicago Blues Festival. He died of heart disease in September 1994 aged 55.

Answer: The Scaffold

The Scaffold had a number 38 hit with "Gin Gan Goolie" on the UK chart in 1969. It did not chart in the US.

The Scaffold were a comedy/music/poetry group from Liverpool UK. The three members were Roger McGough, John Gorman and Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, brother of Paul McCartney). They had five hits on the UK chart which included the number one hit "Lilly The Pink" and "Thank You Very Much" their only US chart hit, which reached number 69 on the Hot 100 in 1968. Their last UK hit was "Liverpool Lou" which reached number seven in 1974. Roger McGough has become a renowned poet and is one of the "Liverpool Poets". John Gorman remained in showbusines and moved into television. Mike McGear moved into photography. The original song "Ging Gang Goolie" is supposed to have been written by Lord Robert Baden-Powell at the first world Scout Jamboree in London UK in 1920. He was a lieutenant-general in the British army and founder of the Scout movement.

Answer: The Goons

The Goons had a double A-sided number three hit on the UK chart with "Bloodnok's Rock'N'Roll/Ying Tong Song" in 1956. It did not chart in the US.

The Goons were Michael Bentine, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers. The "Goon Show" ran from 1951 to 1960 on BBC radio. Michael Bentine left the show in 1953. Most of the scripts were written by Spike Milligan or with various collaborators such as Eric Sykes, Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire and John Antrobus. The main characters were: Neddie Seagoon voiced by Harry Secombe; Eccles, Count Jim Moriarty and Minnie Bannister voiced by Spike Milligan; Hercules Grytpype Thynne, Bluebottle, Major Dennis Bloodnok and Henry Crun voiced by Peter Sellers. There were other minor characters such as Private Bogg and Nugent Dirt (Harry Secombe), Throat and Little Jim (Spike Milligan) and Willium "Mate" Coblers and Fred Nurke (Peter Sellers) to name but a few. "The Goon Show" opened a completely new era of British comedy and its influence has been immense on comedians and comedy shows down through the years.

Answer: What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For

Emile Ford & The Checkmates had a number one hit for six weeks on the UK chart with "What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For" in 1959/60. It did not chart in the US.

Emile Ford was born Emile Sweetman in 1937 in St. Lucia, West Indies. He moved to England with his parents and attended Paddington Technical College in London. He is a self taught muti-instrumentalist. He was the first black British singer to sell 1,000,000 copies of a 45 single record. The Checkmates were John Cuffley, George Ford and Ken Street. The song written by McCarthy/Johnson/Monaco in 1916 is to date the longest question title song to reach number one on the UK chart. Strange but true, it followed "What Do You Want" by Adam Faith to the number one position. It even shared the number one spot for one week with Adam Faith's record; they were the last two records to do so. The song returned to the UK charts when Shakin' Stevens had a number five hit with it in 1987.

Answer: Lucinda

"Bama Lama Bama Loo, got a girl named Lucinda we call her the great pretender" sang Little Richard. It gave him a number 82 hit on the US pop chart in 1964. It reached number 20 on the UK chart the same year.

I am glad to say that Pat Boone, great singer that he was, had long ago given up copying Little Richard songs by this time. He did however follow Little Richard into gospel singing when his hits stopped after the British invasion. While on tour in Australia Little Richard claimed to have seen signs to quit Rock and Roll and follow God. He threw some expensive jewelry into Sydney harbour to show that he was serious. The confirmation that he had made the right decision came when the plane that he was originally booked on at the end of the tour crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Although he bounced between Christianity and Rock and Roll he became an ordained minister after gaining a BA at Oakfield Theological College in Huntsville, Alabama USA.

Answer: Barry Mann

Barry Mann had a number seven hit on the US pop chart with "Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" in 1961. It did not chart in the UK.

Written by Mann/Goffin "Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" was covered by and a UK hit for The Viscounts when their version reached number 21 in 1961 and Showaddywaddy when their version reached number 37 in 1982. Neither version charted in the US. The Mann/Goffin song is not to be confused with The Edsels hit "Rama Lama Ding Dong" which was a number 21 hit on the US pop chart in 1961. It was originally released in 1958 as "Lama Rama Ding Dong". Neither version was a hit in the UK. It was covered by and a number 17 hit for Rocky Sharpe and the Replays on the UK chart in 1978. It did not chart in the US.