Pop Music Jeopardy Review

Name one of the “big singers” of the post-war era

Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole

$200

In which city/state was Frank Sinatra born?

Hoboken, NJ

$300

What do you call the style of singing that greatly influenced the “big singers” of the post-war era?

Crooning

$400

Who was the most successful black recording artist of the postwar period?

Nat King Cole

$500

Nat King Cole was also very talented at playing which instrument, and became a strong influence on later jazz musicians?

Piano

Which musician/songwriter’s protest songs greatly influenced urban folk music?

Woody Guthrie

$200

Who was the first urban folk group to achieve commercial success?

The Weavers

$300

Who led The Weavers while singing and playing the banjo?

Pete Seeger

$400

All members of the Weavers were once accused of being supporters of what type of government/political affiliation?

Communism

$500

What was the title of the Weavers’ most successful recording?

“Goodnight Irene”

Who is credited for doing the most to popularize the mambo?

Damaso Perez Prado

$200

What famous song did Damaso Perez Prado write?

Mambo No. 5

$300

In 1999, who created and performed a popular cover of Mambo No. 5?

Lou Bega

$400

Name 1 similarity and 1 difference between Prado’s and Bega’s versions of Mambo No. 5

Similar- scream/grunt, use of horns, fast tempo
Differences- more instrumental in original

$500

The mambo was the most popular form of Latin dance music in the US just before the rise of what genre of music?

Rock n’ Roll

Rhythm and Blues became the new name for which genre of music?

Race Music

$200

R&B was primarily performed by who?

African Americans

$300

R&B was primarily sold to who?

African Americans

$400

R&B is a collection of styles that can be traced from folk traditions in what region of the US?

The South

$500

What is the term for recreating/exploiting a song originally recorded and performed by another artist?

Making a cover/ covering

What is the most common instrumentation for a jump band?

“combos”- piano, bass, drums, two trumpets, two saxophones

$200

What is the name of the most famous jump band?

The Tympany Five

$300

Who was the leader of the most famous jump band, the Tympany Five?

Louis Jordan

$400

In addition to his music, Louis Jordan was also a talented “what” which increased his appeal to the crowd?

Comedian

$500

What was the title of Louis Jordan’s biggest hit?

“Choo Choo Ch’ Boogie”

Blues crooning was a blend of what two styles?

Blues and pop singing

$200

Who was the most successful blues crooner of the later 1940s and early 1950s?

Charles Brown

$300

Why didn’t Charles Brown’s most successful song “Black Night” show up on the pop charts?

Dark mood, slow tempo, somber lyrics

$400

Charles Brown’s most successful song, “Black Night,” follows what common blues form?

12 bar blues

$500

Charles Brown studied what instrument as a child?

Classical Piano

The Chicago Electric Blues derived directly from what blue tradition?

Mississippi Delta Blues

$200

Who is the “Father of Chicago Blues?”

Muddy Waters

$300

Muddy Waters was a master of what guitar technique?

Bottleneck/slide guitar

$400

What was Waters’s biggest hit record for Chess Records?

“Hoochie Coochie Man”

$500

What is a word to describe Waters’ singing style, which is similar to Charley Patton’s from the Delta Blues?

Rough, growling, moaning, intensely emotional

Which female singer is also known as “Miss Rhythm?”

Ruth Brown

$200

What is a characteristic of Ruth Brown’s singing style as heard in “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean?”

Warm, husky, strong rhythmic feeling, upward squeals at the ends of words.

$300

What is the most notable characteristic of Big Mama Thornton’s voice and singing style?

Deep, raspy sound

$400

Who was the most popular black female vocalist of the early 1950s?

Ruth Brown

$500

“Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean” follows a blues form that is how many bars long?

16

Which female Country/Western artist sold more records than any other female singer of the early 1950’s?

Patti Page

$200

What was Patti Page’s biggest hit recording?

“Tennessee Waltz”

$300

What were Patti Page’s songs usually about?

Love/Nostalgia

$400

Country & Western is the new name for which previously studied genre?

Hillbilly Music

$500

Name another popular song recorded by Patti Page.

“The Doggie in the Window”

Who is the most popular country crooner?

Eddy Arnold

$200

What song was a turning point for Eddy Arnold, crossing him over into the pop music market?

“Bouquet of Roses”

$300

What aspects of country are heard in Eddy Arnold’s music?

Accompanied by typical country band (electric guitar, electric bass, drums, piano), slight southern accent, a little bit of rasp in voice.

$400

What popular aspects are heard in Eddy Arnold’s music?

Rich, smooth baritone voice; string orchestra accompaniment

$500

What do traditional country music fans still think of Eddy Arnold today?

They view him as a sell-out.

Who is the pioneer of bluegrass music?

Bill Monroe

$200

After performing with his brother, what was the name of the group that Bill Monroe started?

Blue Grass Boys

$300

Name 3 instruments commonly heard in bluegrass music

Fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass

$400

The improvisation in bluegrass music is influenced by what?

Country fiddle contests and/or black music such as jazz

$500

In bluegrass music, the string bass provides support by playing on which beats?

1 and 3

What is a honky-tonk?

A loud bar

$200

Name 3 instruments commonly found in a honky-tonk band.

Fiddle, steel guitar, lead guitar, string bass, piano.

$300

Who was one of the first honky-tonk performers?

Ernest Tubb

$400

Hank Thompson created a popular variation of honky-tonk music by combining it with elements of what genre?

Western swing

$500

“Slipping Around,” recorded by Ernest Tubb, was the first country song to be written about what topic?

Marriage infidelity