About This Quiz
The 1960s was a time of peace, love and rock 'n' roll. But it also spawned soul, saw the rise of R&B and witnessed the British Invasion. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of the musicians of that turbulent decade."Hey Jude," released in September 1968, came in at the No. 2 position, and "I Want to Hold Your Hand," from February 1964, was No. 5.
The Jordanaires, primarily a gospel group before Elvis got hold of them in 1956, sang back up for The King for most of his career.
"Georgia on My Mind," written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, became the official state song of Georgia in 1979.
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"Honky Tonk Women," released in 1969, followed a string of '60s Stones hits, including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," but it was the only one of their songs to make the Top 20 for the decade.
It was the first of five consecutive No. 1 hits for the group: "Baby Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Come See About Me" and "Back in My Arms Again."
Chubby Checker hit solid gold twice with "The Twist," which danced its way to the No. 1 spot on the charts in 1960 and again in 1962.
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Marvin Gaye hit it big with songs like "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Can I Get a Witness" after years as a drummer on other singers' hits.
The Archies were a cartoon group from the show of the same name. The four band members all went on to musical success as humans, following their stint in the animated world.
"Please Please Me" featured 14 songs, six covers and eight original tunes. It showed off the band's range and highlighted their influences, from rhythm and blues to girl groups.
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He didn't live to see his song hit the top of the charts. That happened in 1968, after he and four members of his band were killed when their plane crashed in Wisconsin.
Neil Diamond wrote that song — along with The Monkees' hit "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" — for this foursome that was put together as a TV show first, band second.
In 1964, at age 63, Armstrong became the oldest artist to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. He also sang "Hello, Dolly!" with Barbra Streisand in the 1969 movie.
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She also won her first two Grammys for the song "Respect," which went to No. 1 on both the pop and R&B charts. In 1987 the Queen of Soul became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra also recorded the theme to the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice."
Bob Dylan's music from the '60s, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-changin'," are the standard-bearers of folk rock to this day.
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The songs were "Homeward Bound," "I Am a Rock" and "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel.
The lyrics of "Bad Moon Rising" are not about trying to find your drunken way to the bathroom — "there's a bathroom on the right." Instead, they were inspired after John Fogerty watched the movie "The Devil and Daniel Webster," in which a hurricane wipes out a town — there's a "bad moon on the rise."
Elvis called Orbison "the greatest singer in the world," while George Harrison said of Orbison's wooden stage presence, "he never even twitched." But Orbison captivated the world with songs like "Only the Lonely" and "Oh, Pretty Woman."
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Joplin died of an accidental heroin overdose in 1970. Her biggest hit, "Me and Bobby McGee," was released in 1971.
Also confusing, Cash released the song "Folsom Prison Blues" in 1955, although "At Folsom Prison" wasn't recorded until 1967 and released in 1968.
The Doors released six studio albums in six years before lead singer Jim Morrison died of a heart attack at age 27.
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This group of brothers, sisters and cousins got its biggest hit in the '70s with "Midnight Train to Georgia." True fans know you can get chicken and waffles at Gladys Knight's restaurant in Atlanta.
His 1969 hit "Sweet Caroline" was rumored to be about John F. Kennedy's daughter, but in 2014, Diamond admitted he'd written it about his wife.
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" isn't about the world's first man purse, but it did launch a whole new genre of music — funk, an offshoot of soul — that Brown was already the godfather of.
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While their early hits may have seemed like simple odes to a life of fun (e.g., "Surfin' Safari," "Surfin' USA" and "Surfer Girl"), their complex harmonies and arrangements endure to this day.
Gentry's hit was made into a movie of the same name in 1976.
Hendrix died in 1970 from drug-related complications, but not before leaving his mark on the music world with songs like "Purple Haze," "The Wind Cries Mary" and "All Along the Watchtower."
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Springfield peaked with the 1968 album "Dusty in Memphis," produced by Jerry Wexler.
The song earned 15-year-old Lee a Grammy nomination and gold record. She petitioned the court to have access to the money she was making and won, moving her mother and brother out of a trailer park.
"Stand By Your Man," released in 1968, became the best-selling country song by a woman, with more than 2 million copies sold. That year also marked the first of three Country Music Association female vocalist of the year awards for Wynette.
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