Testing Rock Trivia

It's time for some rock trivia. Sorry if the test seems dated: the questions are largely '60s oriented. I guess that's what happens when a geezer compiles a trivia quiz. The questions are pretty trivial, but I thought you might enjoy some "off the beaten path" info. Do your best. Don't cheat -- the answers are provided after the quiz. Report your scores if you like. Have fun.

Test of Rock Trivia

1. What soul singer was criticized for performing at Richard Nixon's 1969 inaugural?

2. Whose address did the Rolling Stones borrow for the title of "2120 South Michigan Avenue"?

3. Strat and Hendrix, Rickenbacher 12-string and Rober McGuinn. Over the years, certain big-time musicians have been closely identified with specific instrument brands and models. Name the guitar most associated with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones.

4. Prior to backing Paul McCartney in Wings, Denny Laine was the guitarist/vocalist in another group. He sang lead on that band's 1965 international smash. Name the group. Name the song.

5. What loud professional wrestling manager (World Wrestling Federation and others) sang with the Gentrys of "Keep On Dancing" fame? He was also on Hulk Hogan's Hulk Rules album as part of the band The Wrestling Boot Band and helped write and sing many of the album's songs.

6. This group is considered the Netherlands' most successful and longest-lived rock export. The group's drummer led a group of 1,000 drummers who performed on pontoons in the harbor of Rotterdam, Holland, for an ultrapercussive version of their biggest hit. Name the group and their big hit song.

7. Signe Anderson married one of the '60s Merry Pranksters, and she sang on this durable, volatile group's first major album. But, she left the group in the summer of '66 because to have a baby (and some say because of group hostilities towards her husband). Name the group.

8. This guitar player vehemently denies this story about the explanation for his flashy, effects-laden playing style, but it is a great rock legend. So, here it is. Allegedly, while a teenager, he was in Montreal hospital recovering from illness, drug overdose, or an auto accident (depending upon the version of the story) when he lapsed into a deep coma. Upon awakening several days later, he claimed he had been visited by the spirit of Jimi Hendrix. Although a nonmusician, he then picked up the guitar and began playing a lot like Jerry Garcia and Jimi Hendrix. Name him.

9. This rocker pounded his overamped Hammond organ and screamed his vocals, backed only by an enormous, awesome drummer called Frosty (Bartholomew Eugene Smith-Frost). Frosty and he toured as a duo and sold out major halls across the U.S. in the late '60s until Frosty left to form his own band Sweathog. This performer kept at it and had two hits in 1971 Name the artist. 

10. He was ranked 8th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."A virtuoso on fretted instruments -- slide guitar, mandolin, banjo, Mexican tiple -- this artist claims to have provided the main riff for the Stones' "Honky Tonk Women." Name the guitarist.

11. This bluegrass/rock band from the Ozarks helped pave the way for country rock. On a 1965 tour with the Byrds, they reportedly helped Roger McGuinn arrange vocal harmonies on "Mr. Tambourine Man." By then their lineup included national fiddling champion Byron Berline. Name the band.

12. A seven-piece group with horns from the suburbs of Chicago, they were often accused of being Blood, Sweat and Tears or Chicago imitators, but they had actually formed long before BST or Chicago. They had their one big hit in 1970 with a song penned by James Peterik, who over a decade later hit the charts with Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger."  Name the band. Name their hit song.

13. Jimmy Webb wrote a song about his work -- the work of a singer/songwriter that tended to be largely dismissed. Still, this artist along with partner Steve Barri wrote songs that included "Eve of Destruction" for Barry McGuire and "You Baby" for the Turtles. He even wrote surf songs and disguised himself with the group the Fantastic Baggys (big in South Africa). Name him.

14. This band was formed by sixteen year-old Steve Cropper along with bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1957. They helped develop the Memphis sound, and, of course, Cropper and Dunn later became a part of Booker T. and MG's. Name the band. 

15. After hearing him sing one of his songs, Little Richard reportedly remarked: "My! You sing good for a white boy!" At a press conference for the launching of the Apple label, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were asked who their favorite American artist and group were. They gave this artist's name for both answers. Name him.

16. Always a huge proponent of an anti-drug lifestyle (but, in his younger days, he did confess to be addicted to women), this artist grew up in Detroit, and by the time he was 14, he and his band, the Lourdes, played Cobo hall and opened for the Supremes and the Beau Brummels. Name him.

17. This American country-rock band was originally named after a famous comic strip character but had to change its name after cartoonist Walt Kelly objected to the use of the name and threatened to sue. Name the band. Extra credit for defining the meaning of the band's name.

18. The leader of this band, who was never photographed without sunglasses, claimed to be a Martian who lived with dinosaurs in a past life. He legally changed his name to a symbol (long before Prince). To this day, he has never revealed his background. From Bay City, Michigan, his band was likely the first Latino group to have a mainstream hit record in the U.S. and were perhaps the first band to be described as Punk Rock.They were a "one hit wonder."  Name the band and the hit song.

19. He collaborated with Norman Whitfield on many of the songs that revolutionized Motown's sound in the late '60s and early '70s -- "Ball of Confusion," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone, "Just My Imagination," "Smiling Faces Sometimes," "War." His only big hit as a singer was "Money" in 1961. Name him.

20. She was a member of the '60s group the Sweet Inspirations. She first sang with a family gospel group, the Drinkard Singers, which sometimes included her nieces Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick. She was the first to record "Midnight Train To Georgia," which became a huge hit single for Gladys Knight. Name her.

Answers:

1. James Brown. Brown also endorsed Nixon's reelection campaign and took even more heat for that move.
2. Chess Records in Chicago. The Stones recorded at Chess Studios in June 1964 (12x5 album).
3. Vox Phantom, commonly known as the Teardrop. He later switched to a Gibson Firebird.
4. Moody Blues. Denny Laine was an original member, and he sang on "Go Now!"
5. Jimmy Hart, the Mouth of the South.
6. The band-- Golden Earring, the song-- "Radar Love," and the drummer-- Cesar Zuiderwijk.
7. Jefferson Airplane.
8. Frank Marino (Mahogany Rush).
9. Lee Michaels. The hits were "Do You Know What I Mean," (#6) "Can I Get a Witness" (#39).
10. Ry Cooder.
11. The Dillards.
12. The Ides of March. The song -- "Vehicle."
13. Philip (P.F.) Sloan. 
14. The Mar-Keys.
15. Harry Nilsson.
16. Ted Nugent.
17. Poco (Changed from Pogo). The name comes from a musical term meaning "a little" or "by small measures."
18. ? and the Mysterians. The song -- "96 Tears."
19. Barrett Strong.
20. Cissy Houston

Sources: 

Holly George-Warren and Patricia Romanowski, The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll, 2005. 
Ira Robbins, Test Your Rock IQ: The '60s, 1993.