Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Our first two drummers drumming were never the flamboyant stars of their bands. Though respected by their peers, they were generally content to let other stars shine brightly - and, tragically, burn out. Who were these rather understated drummers for the Beatles and the Rolling Stones?
2. Our third drummer drumming knows the value of holding down a gig. He has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since its inception on through its 2008 tour, and has led Conan O'Brien's house band since the red-haired comic took over NBC late night in 1992. Who is this mighty one?
3. Our fourth drummer drumming was an acknowledged jazz virtuoso who honed his breathtaking technique as an understudy to Jo Jones with Count Basie's band. He reached his greatest fame in the 1960s and '70s leading a revival of the big band sound - yet ironically may be best known for his drum battle with a puppet! Who was this percussive powerhouse?
4. Our fifth drummer drumming is the guy every drummer I ever knew wanted to be when I was a kid. Best known for his work with the Police, his characteristic influences include jazz, reggae, and other forms of "world" music. Who is this groove-oriented master of the trap set?
5. Our sixth drummer drumming came to prominence in the 1940s after a prolonged recording strike by the musicians' union. A new style of jazz, called "bebop", was bursting onto the scene, and this drummer steadily emerged as the percussive voice of this movement. Who was this archetypal bebop drummer?
6. The seventh drummer drumming is a longtime favorite of Funtrivia music sachems. Best known for his work with the Canadian rock group Rush, this well-respected performer had an artistic crisis in the early 1990s, which led to him completely reinventing his style along the lines of Buddy Rich. Who is this eclectic performer?
7. Our eighth drummer in line was probably the preeminent percussionist of the 1930s. As a longstanding member of Benny Goodman's groups, he played a major role in jazz's racial integration, anchoring small ensembles with Goodman on clarinet and great Black musicians like pianist Teddy Wilson, vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, and guitarist Charlie Christian rounding things out. Who was this drummer, perhaps best known for his opus "Sing, Sing, Sing"?
8. Our ninth drummer drumming first came to prominence in the house band for the country radio show "Louisiana Hayride". In 1954, a visitor to the program named Elvis Presley tabbed him to play for his embryonic touring band, and the rest was history. What seminal rock and roll drummer made his mark by playing on most of Elvis' best-known records, effectively setting the rock drumming standard for years to come?
9. The tenth drummer drumming in this corps of excellence is known less as a prodigy on skins than as a great leader and cultivator of talent. Known for the archetypal "hard bop" tune "Moanin'", this drummer's group, the Jazz Messengers, would be a training ground for trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Wynton Marsalis, as well as sax great Wayne Shorter and trombonist Curtis Fuller. Who was this jazz innovator?
10. Finally, our last two drummers round out the dozen that the proverbial true love is given on January 6. Both of these musicians were widely acclaimed as among the best of all rock artists of the 1960s and '70s, providing the rhythmic foundation for innovative hard rock groups The Who and Led Zeppelin. Unfortunately, both men embraced what has become the stereotypical wild lifestyle of the rock and roll drummer, and both died from chemical indulgences in 1978 and 1980, respectively. Who were these incredible, tragic talents?
Source: Author
stuthehistoryguy
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
gtho4 before going online.
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