BARRY LEVINE: One quick quiz before school starts

Ten days.

That’s all that remains of summer vacation for the Dougherty County School System’s students. Ten days? Where did the summer go?

To get the students in a return-to-school mood, here’s a seven-question history lesson on who sang some of the No. 1 hits from the 1950s. Good luck and I hope you ace your first test of the school year.

1 – She was the first female singer to have a No. 1 hit in the rock ‘n’ roll era when “Rock and Roll Waltz” climbed to the top of the charts in February 1956. Who sang it?

A – Connie Francis

B – Gogi Grant

C — Kay Starr

D – Gale Storm

2 – Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, had 18 No. 1 hits. But which song was his first chart topper in April 1956?

A – “Don’t Be Cruel”

B – “Heartbreak Hotel”

C – “Hound Dog”

D – “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You”

3 – Marty Robbins had a Top 20 hit with “Singing the Blues” in 1956. But who had the No. 1 hit with that song the same year?

A —Tennessee Ernie Ford

B –- Guy Mitchell

C –- Ricky Nelson

D —- Johnny Ray

4 – As with “Singing the Blues,” two singers had major hits with “Young Love.” Sonny James’ version climbed to No. 4 in March 1957. But who had to No. 1 hit with “Young Love?”

A – Perry Como

B – Tab Hunter

C – Buddy Knox

D – Jimmie Rodgers

5 – The Chipmunks were the only musical trio who had a No. 1 hit during the 1950s and still be popular enough during the 1980s to have a Saturday morning television show.

The Chipmunks had the nation’s No. 1 hit with “The Chipmunk Song” in December 1958. But who were the three Chipmunks?

A – Alvin, Ross and Theodore.

B – Alvin, Simon and Theodore.

C – Ross, Simon and Theodore

D – Alvin, Ross and Simon.

6 – This TV actor had a No. 1 hit in 1958 with “Purple People Eater.”

“The Purple People Eater” was about a strange creature (described as a “one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple people eater”) who came to Earth because it wanted to be in a rock ‘n’ roll band. Who performed the song?

A – Clint Eastwood

B – Lorne Greene

C – Ricky Nelson

D – Sheb Wooley

7 – Bobby Darin was one of the era’s most successful performers during the late 1950s and early 1960s, producing 22 Top 40 hits. But only one climbed to No. 1. Which was it?

A — “Beyond the Sea”

B — “Dream Lover”

C — “Mack the Knife”

D — “Splish Splash”

The Answers

1 – Kay Starr.

“Rock and Roll Waltz” was Starr’s second No. 1 hit. She also topped the charts in the pre-rock ‘n’ roll era with “Wheel of Fortune” in 1952. The tune was one of four Top 40 hits for Starr in the rock ‘n’ roll era.

2 – “Heartbreak Hotel.”

“Heartbreak Hotel became Elvis Presley’s first No. 1 hit in April 1956. “I Want You, I Need You, I love You” reached No. 1 in July 1956 and “Hound Dog/”Don’t Be Cruel”” in August 1956.

3 – Guy Mitchell.

Mitchell’s version of “Singing the Blues” hit the top spot in December 1956 and remained there for nine weeks. It became the first song to stay in the top spot for nine weeks or more in the rock ‘n’ roll era. This was the first of two No. 1 hits for Mitchell. The other was “Heartaches by the Number” in December 1959.

4 – Tab Hunter.

Known more as an actor than a singer, Hunter had two other Top 40 hits — “Ninety-Nine Ways” in 1957 and “Apple Blossom Time” in 1959. Among the more than 40 movies in which Hunter appeared were Battle Cry, 195l; Damn Yankees, 1958; They Came to Condura, 1959: The Pleasure of His Company, 1961; Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, 1972; and Grease 2, 1982.

5 – Alvin, Simon and Theodore.

The Chipmunks were created by Ross Bagdasarian who named them after three executives at Liberty Records. Under the name David Seville, Bagdasarian had a No. 1 hit earlier in 1958 with “Witch Doctor.”

6 – Sheb Wooley.

Wooley, who wrote “Purple People Eater” in one hour, starred in “Rawhide” as Pete Nolan, scout, from the show’s inception in 1959 through its conclusion in 1966. He also appeared in such movies as “High Noon,” 1950; “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” 1976; and “Hoosiers,” 1986.

7 – “Mack the Knife.”

Written in 1928 as “A Theme from The Three Penny Opera,” “Mack the Knife” was No.1 for nine weeks in 1959. “Dream Lover” jumped to No. 2 in 1959, “Splish Splash” No. 3 in 1958 and “Beyond the Sea” No. 6 in 1960.

This week in rock history — Elvis Presley opened at the International Hotel in Las Vegas on July 26, 1969, for a four week-engagement which netted him $1 million. … The Everly Brothers had the top song with “Bye Bye Love” on July 27, 1957. …The Crew Cuts reached the top spot on the charts with “Sh-Boom” on July 28, 1954, a song that many consider to be the premier forerunner of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll. The tune stayed at the top for seven weeks. … The Isley Brothers recorded their second single, “Shout,” on July 29, 1959. The song did not achieve great chart success, but would sell more than 1 million copies and became a rock classic.

Jim Reeves, whose biggest hit was “He’ll Have To Go” in 1960, was killed when the small plane he was piloting crashed near Nashville, Tenn., on July 31, 1964. He was 39. …Era Records released “To Know Him Is To Love Him” by The Teddy Bears on Aug. 1, 1958. The song was written by group member Phil Spector, who was inspired by the words on his father’s tombstone.

Barry Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].