60s Brain Teasers and Quizzes

1960s Rock and Roll Bands Geography Test

When you listen to 1960s rock and roll music, do you ever wonder where in the U.S. the bands that recorded these hits originated? There were, of course, hundreds of rock groups that had their genesis during the decade, conceived in small-town America to in the nations largest cities. There were also regions of the country from which a prolific number of bands emerged. In many cases, the geographic area from which a band originated had an effect or influenced in varying degrees the sound and style of each groups music, e.g., the "Motown Sound" from Detroit.

How well do you really know your 60s bands and their geographic site of origin? Listed below in the left column are eleven sets or groupings of popular 1960s artists, each set having their musical start in the same geographic location. In the right column are seven major U.S. cities, one state, and three regions of the country, all well-known as being the "birthplace" for a large number of 60s groups. Match the artists with the geographic area from where they had their beginnings. Hey, what the heck! Give it a try..... you may surprise yourself!

GROUPS GEOGRAPHIC BIRTHPLACES

1. The Buckinghams                      A. Philadelphia
   The Shadows Of Knight
   Ramsey Lewis Trio
   Spanky And Our Gang

2. The Four Tops                         B. The South
   Martha and The Vandellas
   Mary Wells
   Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

3. The Fifth Dimension                  C. New York City
   The Turtles
   The Association
   Steppenwolf

4. Booker T. & The MG's                D. The Pacific Northwest
   The Box Tops
   Wilson Pickett
   Rufus and Carla Thomas

5. The McCoys                           E. New Jersey
   The Trashmen
   Tommy James And The Shondells
   Jr. Walker & The All Stars

6. The 4 Seasons                        F. Chicago
   Lesley Gore
   The Shirelles
   The Happenings

7. The Chiffons                          G. Los Angeles
   The Shangri-Las
   Dion
   Simon & Garfunkel

8. The Ventures                         H. The Midwest
   The Kingsmen
   The Wailers
   Paul Revere And The Raiders

9. The Orlons                            I. Detroit
   Len Barry
   The Delfonics
   Chubby Checker

10. The Beau Brummels              J. Memphis
    Jefferson Airplane
    The Grass Roots
    Sly & The Family Stone

11. Otis Redding                       K. San Francisco
    Dale & Grace
    Billy Jo Royal
    Bobbie Gentry

Scroll down for the answers

ANSWERS:

1.F 2.I 3.G 4.J 5.H 6.E 7.C 8.D 9.A 10.K 11.B

1960s ROCK and ROLL GENRES TEST - Part 1

The major focus of "CQ Hams Still Groovin' In The 60s" is, of course, the rock and roll music of this extraordinary decade. As 60s rock afficionados, we generally enjoyed all the music played on our favorite rock and roll radio station, regardless of genre. But without getting into the technical aspects of music, how do you think your listening skills are in being able to discern and identify the specific Rock and Roll genre for various 60s groups based on their style of music.

Listed below are 10 sets of well-known bands who were prominent in the 60s music scene. The bands in each set have been categorized or placed in the same genre. Match each set of groups with the genre in which they belong. Before taking the test, you may want to read the DID YOU KNOW..... article "1960s Rock and Roll Genres". GOOD LUCK!

BANDS GENRES

1. The Ohio Express                                  A. Surf Pop
   1910 Fruitgum Company
   The Lemon Pipers
                                                            B. Garage Rock

2. The Shangri-Las
J. Frank Wilson C. Instrumental Rock

3. Bob Dylan                                           D. Power Pop
   The New Christy Minstrels
   Donovan
                                                           E. Bubblegum Pop

4. The Kingsmen
The Rivieras F. Folk Rock
Shadows of Knight

                                                           G. Psychedelic Rock
5. The Ventures
   Duane Eddy
   Lonnie Mack                                        H. Surf Rock

6. The Who                                           I. Sunshine Pop
   The Zombies
   The Beau Brummels
                                                           J. Death Rock

7. Iron Butterfly
   The Doors
   The Byrds

8. The Fifth Dimension
The Mamas & The Papas
Spanky & Our Gang

9. The Beach Boys
Jan and Dean
The Trashmen

10.Dick Dale and The Del-Tones
The Surfaris
The Chantays

Scroll Down for the Answers

ANSWERS:

1.E 2.J 3.F 4.B 5.C 6.D 7.G 8.I 9.A 10.H

1960s ROCK and ROLL GENRES TEST - Part 2

Listed below are 9 sets of well-known bands who were prominent in the 60s music scene. The bands in each set have been categorized or placed in the same genre. Match each set of groups with the genre in which they belong. Before taking the test, you may want to read the DID YOU KNOW..... article "1960s Rock and Roll Genres". GOOD LUCK!

BANDS GENRES

1. The Beatles                                    A. Novelty Pop
   The Rolling Stones
   The Animals
                                                       B. Progressive Rock

2. Trini Lopez
Santana C. Swamp Rock

3. Tommy James & The Shondells           D. Hard Rock
   Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs
   The Swingin' Medallions
                                                       E. Chicano Rock

4. The Who
The Yardbirds F. Frat Rock
The Kinks

                                                      G. British Rock
5. Ronny and The Daytonas
   The Rip-Chords
   The Hondells                                  H. Soft Rock

6. Ray Stevens                                  I. Hot Rod Rock
   Alan Sherman
   Rolf Harris


7. Cream
   The Moody Blues
   Procol Harum

8. The Cowsills
The Archies
The Cuff Links

9. Creedence Clearwater Revival
Bobbie Gentry
Roy Head

Scroll Down for the Answers

ANSWERS:

1.G    2.E    3.F    4.D    5.I    6.A    7.B    8.H    9.C

Girls, Girls, Girls Record Test- Part 1

Recently I was reflecting on the pop-rock hits of the 1960s and came to realize something I guess I had actually known for a long time and that is a lot of these hits were about girls! Not only do the lyrics indicate this, but so do the many record titles having a girls name. Though some of these records charted in the second tier of hits, many, however, peaked in the Top 20.

Listed below on the left are 12 pop-rock hits from the period all having a girls name as/in the title. Match the title with the recording artist or band listed on the right and see how well you do with the "Girls, Girls, Girls Record Test" So take out and see if you can recall who recorded these gems.

1. "Sherry"

2. "Diane"

3. "Help Me, Rhonda"

4. "Andrea"

5. "Jennifer Juniper"

6. "Sweet Caroline"

7. "Georgie Girl"

8. "Along Comes Mary"

9. "Sheila"

10. "Carrie Anne"

11. "Jean"

12. "Bella Linda"

A. Oliver

B. The Sunrays

C. The Grass Roots

D. The Hollies

E. The Bachelors

F. The Seekers

G. Tommy Roe

H. The Association

I. The 4 Seasons

J. Neil Diamond

K. The Beach Boys

L. Donovan

ANSWERS: 1.I 2.E 3.K 4.B 5.L 6.J 7.F 8.H 9.G 10.D 11.A 12.C

Girls, Girls, Girls Record Test - Part 2

Listed below are 12 pop-rock hits from the period all having a girls name as/in the title. Match the title with the recording artist or band and see how well you do with the "Girls, Girls, Girls Record Test".

1. "Valleri"

2. "Abigail Beecher"

3. "Cherry Cherry"

4. "Take A Letter Maria"

5. "Little Diane"

6. "Georgia On My Mind"

7. "Susie Q"

8. "Judy's Turn To Cry"

9. "Candy Girl"

10. "I Saw Linda Yesterday"

11. "Michelle"

12. "Bernadette"

A. R.B. Greaves

B. The 4 Seasons

C. Ray Charles

D. Lesley Gore

E. The Monkees

F. The Four Tops

G. Dickie Lee

H. Neil Diamond

I. The Beatles

J. Dion

K. Freddy Cannon

L. Creedence Clearwater

ANSWERS: 1.E 2.K 3.H 4.A 5.J 6.C 7.L 8.D 9.B 10.G 11.I 12.F

Girls, Girls, Girls Record Test - Part 3

Recently I was reflecting on the pop-rock hits of the 1960s and came to realize something I guess I had actually known for along time and that is a lot of these hits were about girls! Not only do the lyrics indicate this, but so do the many record titles having a girls name. Though some of these records charted in the second tier of hits, many, however, peaked in the Top 20.

All of these songs reflect an integral part of 60s music and the importance of girls being a central musical theme. This, too was a decade dominated by young, male bands and we all know the import of girls by males, right? RIGHT!!!

Listed below are 12 pop-rock hits from the period all having a girls name as/in the title. Match the title with the recording artist or band and see how well you do with the "Girls, Girls, Girls Record Test".

1. "Bristol Twistin' Annie"

2. "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Grows)"

3. "Cecilia"

4. "Ronnie"

5. "Remember Diana"

6. "To Susan On The West Coast Waiting"

7. "Billy And Sue"

8. "My Bonnie (My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean)"

9. "Donna The Prima Donna"

10. "Eleanor"

11. "Heather Honey"

12. "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet"

A. The 4 Seasons

B. Donovan

C. The Beatles

D. The Dovells

E. Tommy Roe

F. Dion

G. The Reflections

H. Edison Lighthouse

I. Paul Anka

J. The Turtles

K. B.J. Thomas

L. Simon & Garfunkle

ANSWERS: 1.D 2.H 3.L 4.A 5.I 6.B 7.K 8.C 9.F 10.J 11.E 12.G

Girls, Girls, Girls Record Test - Part 4

1. "Gloria"

2. "Hooray For Hazel"

3. "C'mon Marianne"

4. "Hey Paula"

5. "I've Got Bonnie"

6. "Runaround Sue"

7. "Tell Laura I Love Her"

8. "Cindy's Birthday"

9. "Walk Away Renee"

10. "Caroline, No"

11. "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)"

12."Bonnie Came Back"

A. Bobby Rydell

B. Dion

C. The Beach Boys

D. John Fred & His Playboy Band

E. Johnny Crawford

F. The 4 Seasons

G. Ray Peterson

H. Shadows Of Knight

I. Duane Eddy

J. The Left Banke

K. Tommy Roe

L. Paul and Paula

ANSWERS: 1.H 2.K 3.F 4.L 5.A 6.B 7.G 8.E 9.J 10.C 11.D 12.I

60's Instrumental Hit Record Test- Part 1

Unlike todays music, the pop music world of the 1960s often had instrumental records that were quite popular, frequently making the Billboard Top 20 charts and even the Top 10. Some of these hits were from big name recording artists and orchestras while others the work of one-hit wonder groups. Nevertheless, all these instrumentals form an integral part of the pop music scene of the 1960's.

Listed below are 15 instrumental hits from the period. Take the "60's Instrumental Hit Record Test" and see how well you do on these classics. Take out a sheet of paper and test your knowledge.

Choices

A. Let There Be Drums

B. Wipe Out

C. Java

D. A Walk In The Black Forest

E. Spanish Flea

F. Green Onions

G. Classical Gas

H. Hawaii Five-O

I. Tall Cool One

J. Grazing In The Grass

K. The Theme From "A Summer Place"

L. Desafinado

M. Out Of Limits

N. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

O. Cast Your Fate To The Wind

60s Instrumental Hit Record Test Part 1

1. Booker T & The MGs # 3 record that helped lead the way to Southern Soul Music.

2. One of the big hits for the Ventures that charted #4 in 1969.

3. Orchestra leader Percy Faith had a huge hit with this record from a movie of the same name.

4. Performed by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, it was also the theme song from the TV's "Dating Game."

5. The Marketts had a #3 hit with this "surf-ized" hit from a TV series theme song.

6. Al Hirt, the trumpet virtuoso from New Orleans, had a Top 5 hit with this instrumental in 1964.

7. Sounds Orchestral, a British studio group, had this hit piano-orchestra record in 1965.

8. A teenage rock and roll instrumental group from Tacoma, Washington, The Wailers had this Top 40 charting record.

9. Conductor/composer Hugo Montenegro had a monster hit with this instrumental that was also the title song for a Clint Eastwood movie in 1968.

10. German jazz pianist Horst Jankowski had a #12 hit record with this piece in June 1965.

11. One of the greatest tenor sax players, Stan Getz had a Top 20 hit with this instrumental in 1962.

12. In 1963, The Surfaris had this #2 rock instrumental hit record.

13. An instrumental pop or easy listening piece from 1968 by Mason Williams.

14. Californian Sandy Nelson had a major instrumental hit in the early 60's with this record.

15. Trumpeter Hugh Masekela had a #1 hit record with this instrumental.

ANSWERS: 1.F 2.H 3.K 4.E 5.M 6.C 7.O 8.I 9.N 10.D 11.L 12.B 13.G 14.A 15.J

60's Instrumental Hit Record Test - Part 2

Listed below are 15 instrumental hits from the period. Take the "60's Instrumental Hit Record Test" and see how well you do on these classics.

60's Instrumental Hit Record Test - Part 2

1. Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra had this #1 pop music hit at the end of 1960.

2. This major record launched the Ventures into becoming the best selling instrumental rock band in musical history.

3. A native of Denmark, Jorgen Ingmann had this instrumental pop hit that charted to #2 in 1961.

4. This was Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass' second Top 10 hit record.

5. The T-Bones, a studio production band, had one big hit that went all the way to #3 on the charts and was later used as the music for an Alka Seltzer television advertisement.

6. Al Hirts second Top 20 instrumental hit from May 1964.

7. In January 1965, The Waikikis, a Belgian instrumental group, had this hit record.

8. The Village Stompers, a band from Greenwich Village, New York, had this #2 charting record .

9. German-born band leader-composer Bert Kaempfert had a big hit with this instrumental in 1965.

10. The Pyramids, a one-hit wonder surf band from southern California, had a record that charted to #18 in February 1964.

11. Although Ramsey Lewis is considered a jazz musician, he had this huge pop hit in August 1965.

12. The Marketts had a hit record with this instrumental that also was the theme song for a very popular TV series.

13. The Dave Brubeck Quartet, one of Americas all-time most popular jazz groups, had this instrumental pop hit that charted to #25.

14. Floyd Cramer, Nashville's top session pianist, had this huge piano pop hit in March 1961.

15. Young-Holt Unlimited, a Chicago instrumental soul group, found success with this record that went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Pop Chart.

Choices

A. "Apache"

B. "Washington Square"

C. "Batman Theme"

D. "Soulful Strut"

E. "On The Rebound"

F. "Walk, Don't Run"

G. "Red Roses For A Blue Lady"

H. "Calcutta"

I. "A Taste Of Honey"

J. "Take Five"

K. "Cotton Candy"

L. "The In Crowd"

M. "No Matter What Shape(Your Stomach's In)"

O. " Penetration"

P. "Hawaii Tattoo"

ANSWERS: 1.H 2.F 3.A 4.I 5.M 6.K 7.P 8.B 9.G 10.O 11.L 12.C 13.J 14.E 15.D

60's Instrumental Hit Record Test- Part 3

Listed below are 15 instrumental hits from the period. Take the "60's Instrumental Hit Record Test" and see how well you do on these classics.

60s Instrumental Hit Record Test - Part 3

1. One of many hit singles for Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass.

2. The Electric Indian, an instrumental group assembled from top Philadelphia studio musicians, had this #16 hit in 1969.

3. Bob Crew was one of the top music producers of the 1960s who also wrote and produced most of the hits by The 4 Seasons. In 1967 he brought together an aggregation of studio musicians who had this very popular hit record.

4. Longtime conductor, composer, and arranger David Rose's #1 mega hit record of 1962.

5. The well-known piano duo of Ferrante & Teicher had a Gold Single in 1960 with this record that was also the theme song for a movie of the same name.

6. In 1969, Ferrante & Teicher had another Top 10 charting instrumental that also served as the title song for a movie of the same name.

7. In 1969, leading movie and TV composer, arranger, and conductor, Henry Mancini, scored a major hit record with this instrumental.

8. Though "The In Crowd" was Ramsey Lewis' highest charting hit, this instrumental made it to #19 in August 1966.

9. This #1 hit instrumental by Dave "Baby" Cortez serves as the music for the Homepage of "CQ Hams Still Groovin' In The 60's". It technically missed being a part of the 60s music scene by just eight months (peaked 3/30/1959), but was played throughout the 60s.

10. There never really was a recording artist by the name of Whistling Jack Smith, however, incognito whistler and British record producer Noel Walker was the main whistler on this #20 instrumental and novelty hit of June 1967.

11. In early 1963, pianist Bill Pursell had his only charting hit instrumental that peaked at #9 and was in the Top 40 for 10 weeks.

12. Cannonball Adderly was a jazz musician and saxaphone player who had but just one U.S. charting hit single. The record reached #11 in February 1967.

13. The String-A-Longs, an 1nstrumental quartet from Plainview, Texas, had this #3 Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1961.

14. French orchestra leader Paul Mauriat had this sensational instrumental hit record in January 1968 that stayed at #1 for five consecutive weeks.

15. The Tornadoes, an English surf-rock instrumental quintet organized by producer Joe Meek, had only one major hit during their existence. The record, however, topped the charts at #1 for three weeks and is considered one of the classic surf instrumentals of the period.

Choices

A. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy"

B. "Exodus"

C. "The Happy Organ"

D. "Our Winter Love"

E. "The Work Song"

F. "Telstar"

G. "Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet"

H. "Keem-O-Sabe"

I. "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman"

J. "Music To Watch Girls By"

K. "Midnight Cowboy"