Oldies Flashcards
Jenny, Lucille, Sally, and Molly (and also possibly Teddy) are women referenced in titles (and lyrics) of popular songs from the 1950s originally recorded by what artist?
Little Richard
The blues and folk legend self-dubbed the “King of the 12-string Guitar,” who recorded memorable versions of “Rock Island Line,” “Goodnight Irene,” and “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?,” has a stage name with conflicting origin stories (his physical toughness, extreme tolerance for moonshine, a play on his last name, et al.). What is that stage name?
Lead Belly
The term for what dance (and practitioner of such a dance) probably comes from the title of a 1934 Cab Calloway song, whose lyrics describe individuals consuming excessive amounts of alcohol (and the effects thereof)?
Jitterbug
What pop star racked up Top 40 hits early in his career by covering songs from black artists, including “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” “It’s Too Soon to Know,” and “Ain’t That a Shame.” Later in his career he attempted to deflect criticism by pointing out that, though his singles outsold the originals at first, his covers increased their audiences over time.
Pat Boone
The son of a tavern owner, Francis Albert Sinatra was born in this New Jersey city in December 1915.
Hoboken
What is Elvis Presley’s middle name?
Aaron
Good luck getting him to quiet down, but what progenitor of shock rock whose music dates back to the mid-1950s received attention for his bizarre performances and use of strange (often morbid) onstage props? He is likely best known for being the original artist behind “I Put a Spell on You.”
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
Comic songs and sounds were his forte as 1940s bandleader of the City Slickers.
Spike Jones
While singers Florence Austral and Elsa Stralia also chose those professional names to honor their upbringing Down Under, the most famous soprano to do such a thing was what opera superstar of the late Victorian era? She was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 1927, became the first Australian to appear on the cover of Time magazine that same year, and appears on the country’s one hundred-dollar note?
Nellie Melba
In 2018 the woman who was immortalized in this 1958 hit by schoolmate Buddy Holly passed away.
Peggy Sue
What dynamic and charismatic entertainer was featured wearing an eyepatch on the cover of his debut album released in 1955, after a car accident the previous year resulted in the loss of his left eye?
Sammy Davis Jr.
This is one of the best known Cuban songs ever. While there are many recordings of this song, it is best associated with versions by The Sandpipers and Celia Cruz.
Guantanamera
I hate to see the evening sun go down / I hate to see the evening sun go down / It makes me think I’m on my last go-round. These are the first three lines of what W.C. Handy song (as sung by Bessie Smith), whose title is also the name of a major professional sports franchise in the U.S.?
St. Louis Blues
This song by Otis Redding mentions “the Frisco Bay” & “Watchin’ the tide roll away”.
(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay
The 1954 song “It Should’ve Been Me”, written by Memphis Curtis and produced by Ahmet Ertegun, was Ray Charles’s first hit for what record label, which would release eleven of his albums and dozens of singles before his move to ABC in 1959?
Atlantic Records
1950’s “Rollin’ Stone” was the first single on the Chicago-based Chess record label by what artist, who was born McKinley Morganfield in (or around) 1915 and raised near Clarksdale, MS?
Muddy Waters
