180 Fun Facts About 60s Music

On 9 February 1964 the Beatles made their first live US television appearance on which program?

The broadcast is usually treated as the opening shot of the British Invasion; the band did a second Sullivan appearance from Florida a week later.

Roughly how many viewers watched the Beatles' February 1964 debut on Sullivan's show?

The record stood for three years until the series finale of The Fugitive beat it.

Which song was the Beatles' first US number one, entering the Hot 100 at 45 in January 1964?

It had been planned for a mid-January release to coincide with the band's US TV debut, but radio play forced Capitol to rush it out early.

What was the Beatles' first hit single, released in late 1962 after they signed with EMI?

Producer George Martin was unimpressed with Pete Best's drumming at the audition; Ringo Starr had joined by the time the single came out.

The Beatles played their last commercial concert on 29 August 1966 at which venue?

A year earlier they had opened a US tour before a world-record crowd of 55,600 at Shea Stadium; by 1966 the screaming meant nobody could hear them play.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band won the 1968 Grammy for Album of the Year. What milestone was that?

It picked up four Grammys that night, including Best Album Cover, and was later added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.

Which pop artist designed the Sgt. Pepper cover with Jann Haworth?

Hamilton would go on to design the plain white sleeve of the follow-up, The Beatles (the White Album).

What was the working title of 'Yesterday' before Paul McCartney wrote the lyrics?

The finished track used a string quartet and no other Beatles, and has since drawn more than 2,000 cover versions.

'Hey Jude' spent how many weeks at number one on the Hot 100 in 1968, tying the record?

McCartney began it as 'Hey Jules', a song to comfort John Lennon's young son Julian during his parents' split.

On 30 January 1969 the Beatles gave their final public performance from the roof of which building?

The unannounced lunchtime set on the roof of their own company's London office was cut short by police after complaints about the noise.

Which album was the last the Beatles recorded, even though Let It Be came out later?

Let It Be had been taped earlier but was held up by production problems; the zebra-crossing cover became one of the most imitated in music.

Brian Jones named his new band after 'Rollin' Stone', a track on an LP by which bluesman?

The band's early sets were mostly covers of Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Howlin' Wolf and Bo Diddley.

Which 1965 single gave the Rolling Stones their first US number one?

Keith Richards said the fuzz-tone riff came to him in his sleep; he taped it, went back to bed and found it on the cassette in the morning.

Which Ray Davies-written 1964 single was the Kinks' breakthrough, topping the UK chart?

Dave Davies got the distorted guitar sound by slashing the speaker cone of his amplifier with a razor blade.

Roger Daltrey's vocal on the Who's 'My Generation' (1965) is famous for what distinctive delivery?

Pete Townshend reworked the song after hearing John Lee Hooker's 'Stuttering Blues'; the line 'Hope I die before I get old' followed.

Which guitarist joined Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce in the 1966 supergroup Cream?

'Sunshine of Your Love' became their biggest US hit, reaching number five.

Led Zeppelin, formed in London by Jimmy Page after the Yardbirds folded, came together in which year?

The quartet of Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham briefly toured as the New Yardbirds to fulfil leftover bookings.

Berry Gordy founded Motown in 1959 in which US city, whose nickname it became?

The name is a blend of 'motor' and 'town'; the Hitsville U.S.A. house on West Grand Boulevard served as studio, office and Gordy's home.

Under what label name did Berry Gordy first found his company on 12 January 1959?

The Tamla name lived on as the imprint for artists including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.

How many Hot 100 number ones did the Supremes score, a record for an American vocal group?

'Where Did Our Love Go' started the run in August 1964, to the surprise of the group, who were touring with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars.

Little Stevie Wonder signed to Motown at what age?

His 1963 live single 'Fingertips' pushed the album Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius to number one, making him the youngest artist to top the Billboard album chart.

Which act released the first recording of 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' in 1967?

Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote the song in 1966; the Miracles also cut a version before Gaye's became the label's biggest hit to date.

How many weeks did Marvin Gaye's 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' top the Billboard pop chart from December 1968?

Berry Gordy had resisted releasing it as a single at all; it went on to overtake the Gladys Knight version as Motown's biggest seller to that point.

The Temptations' October 1968 hit 'Cloud Nine', produced by Norman Whitfield, pioneered which style?

David Ruffin, the lead voice on 'My Girl' and 'Ain't Too Proud to Beg', had left the group earlier that year.

Aretha Franklin's 1967 'Respect' was a rearranged cover of a 1965 song by whom?

Franklin's version earned two Grammys in 1968 and is in the National Recording Registry; she flipped the song's plea into a demand.

What chart milestone did Redding's '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' achieve in 1968?

He recorded it days before his death in a plane crash in December 1967; the whistling was reportedly a placeholder for a verse he never wrote.

Aretha Franklin's career took off after she signed in 1966 with which record label?

Her earlier Columbia years had pushed her toward jazz and pop standards; at Atlantic she was recorded playing piano and singing gospel-rooted soul.

James Brown's free televised Boston Garden concert on 5 April 1968 was staged to keep the peace after which event?

City officials had wanted to cancel the show; broadcasting it live is credited with keeping Boston calm while other cities burned.

Which soul singer, shot dead in a Los Angeles motel in 1964, wrote 'A Change Is Gonna Come'?

Rolling Stone placed the song at number 3 on its 2021 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

The Jackson 5 formed in 1964 in which Indiana city?

After signing to Motown they became the first group to debut with four straight Hot 100 number ones, starting with 'I Want You Back' in 1969.

At the Newport Folk Festival on 25 July 1965, Bob Dylan was booed by some fans for doing what?

His backing band was drawn from the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; the Fender Stratocaster he played that night sold for $965,000 in 2013.

On 'Like a Rolling Stone', the famous Hammond organ riff was improvised by which rookie session musician?

Kooper had turned up hoping to play guitar; when Mike Bloomfield took that chair he slipped onto the organ instead.

Bob Dylan was born in 1941 under which name?

His 1963-64 songs 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'The Times They Are a-Changin'' became anthems for the civil rights and antiwar movements.

After a 1966 motorcycle crash, Bob Dylan stopped touring for how many years?

He returned to the road in January 1974 with the Band for a 40-date North American tour.

The Byrds' April 1965 debut single, released just after Dylan's own version, was which song?

Its jangly 12-string Rickenbacker sound is usually credited with launching folk rock.

After 'The Sound of Silence' flopped in 1964, what did producer Tom Wilson do to make it a number one?

The duo had already split up; the remix was made without their knowledge and sent them back into the studio together.

Fragments of Simon & Garfunkel's 'Mrs. Robinson' first appeared in which 1967 film?

The full song only came out on the 1968 album Bookends and went on to win the Grammy for Record of the Year.

As teenagers in 1957, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had a minor hit under what name?

Garfunkel called himself Tom Graph, a nod to his love of mathematics; Simon was Jerry Landis, after a girl he had dated.

Which couple wrote 'California Dreamin'' during a cold New York winter?

The famous flute solo was played by jazz musician Bud Shank.

Pet Sounds, the 1966 album that inspired Sgt. Pepper, was recorded by which band?

Brian Wilson wrote it largely without the touring band, using the Wrecking Crew session players; 'Caroline, No' was issued as his solo debut.

The eerie sliding tone on 'Good Vibrations' (1966) came from which instrument?

Not a true theremin (it is played with a slider), it nonetheless sparked new interest in theremins and synthesizers.

'Surfin' U.S.A.' (1963) reused the melody of which Chuck Berry song?

Brian Wilson simply wrote new surf-spot lyrics over Berry's tune; the credit was added after Berry's publisher complained.

Which act made its first major American appearance at Monterey in June 1967, ending with a burning guitar?

The same weekend brought the Who's US breakthrough, Janis Joplin's first big-stage show and Otis Redding to a mass white audience.

The 1969 Woodstock festival was held on whose dairy farm in Bethel, New York?

The site was 60 miles from the town of Woodstock itself; the festival ran 15 to 18 August.

Delayed by rain, Woodstock's final performer took the stage at 8:30 on Monday morning. Who was it?

Most of the crowd had already gone home; the set included his feedback-drenched 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.

Janis Joplin rose to fame at Monterey in 1967 as lead singer of which San Francisco band?

She left after two albums for a solo career; her cover of 'Me and Bobby McGee' reached number one months after her death.

Before picking their name from a dictionary, the Grateful Dead played bars in 1965 as what?

They changed it on learning another band had released a record as the Warlocks; the Velvet Underground had to drop the same name.

'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit' come from which 1967 Jefferson Airplane album?

Both songs arrived with new singer Grace Slick, who replaced Signe Anderson in late 1966.

The Doors took their name from The Doors of Perception, a book by which English writer?

Huxley's title in turn quotes William Blake; the band formed in Los Angeles in 1965 with Ray Manzarek's keyboards standing in for a bassist.

Although credited to the whole band, 'Light My Fire' was written mainly by which member of the Doors?

The edited single spent three weeks at number one in 1967 and re-charted the next year on the back of José Feliciano's cover.

Which pop artist managed the Velvet Underground from 1966 and put a banana on their debut cover?

The Velvet Underground & Nico sold poorly on release in 1967 but is now routinely called one of the greatest albums ever made.

The Rolling Stones' 1969 Altamont concert is remembered for using which group as security?

Concertgoer Meredith Hunter was killed in front of the stage, and the day is often cast as the end of the sixties dream.

Chubby Checker's 'The Twist' hit number one in 1960 and again in what year, a first for any single?

The song was originally a 1958 Hank Ballard B-side; Baltimore DJ Buddy Deane recommended it to Dick Clark.

What is Chubby Checker's real name?

The stage name is a play on Fats Domino, whom he was thought to resemble as a teenager.

Which falsetto singer fronted the Four Seasons on 'Sherry' and 'Big Girls Don't Cry'?

The group formed in 1960 when Valli and Tommy DeVito joined forces with songwriter-keyboardist Bob Gaudio.

Who recorded 'Oh, Pretty Woman', which spent three weeks at number one in the autumn of 1964?

It was his second and last US number one after 'Running Scared'; he co-wrote it with Bill Dees.

'Be My Baby' (1963) was produced at Gold Star Studios in the 'Wall of Sound' style by which producer?

Ronnie Spector is the only Ronette actually singing on the record; the session players became known as the Wrecking Crew.

Which husband-and-wife duo spent three weeks at number one in August 1965 with 'I Got You Babe'?

Cher was 16 when she met Salvatore Bono in a Los Angeles coffee shop in 1962; the pair sold over 40 million records.

The Monkees' first single, released in August 1966 weeks before their TV show debuted, was which song?

It became the first of three number ones for the made-for-television band, followed by 'I'm a Believer' and 'Daydream Believer'.

The Kingsmen's 1963 recording of 'Louie Louie' triggered a 31-month FBI investigation into what?

The Bureau concluded it was 'unable to interpret any of the wording'; the drummer later admitted yelling a swear word after fumbling a fill.

'Sugar, Sugar', the top-selling US single of 1969, was credited to which fictional cartoon band?

Written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, it topped the Hot 100 for four weeks and the UK chart for eight.

Which one-hit-wonder duo spent six weeks at number one in 1969 with 'In the Year 2525'?

The Nebraska pair never charted again; the song imagines humanity's fate through the year 9595.

The 5th Dimension's 1969 number one 'Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In' came from which musical?

It won the Grammy for Record of the Year, the group's second after 'Up, Up and Away'.

Elvis Presley's December 1968 TV special, later nicknamed the Comeback Special, aired on which network?

Director Steve Binder scrapped the planned Christmas show for a raw concert, with Presley in black leather, that relaunched his career.

Marvin Gaye is commonly referred to by which regal nickname?

His duets with Tammi Terrell, including 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', ran alongside a string of solo hits.

Which English band's 1964 recording of 'The House of the Rising Sun' has been called the first folk-rock hit?

It was also the first British Invasion number one unconnected with the Beatles.

Who wrote and produced Petula Clark's 1964 hit 'Downtown'?

Hatch had taken over as Clark's producer in 1963; the song reached number one on the Hot 100 in early 1965.

Which group's 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' was the first song by a girl group to top the Hot 100?

The Gerry Goffin–Carole King song was released in November 1960; King later recorded it herself on Tapestry.

The Shangri-Las' 1964 number one 'Leader of the Pack' is a classic example of what genre?

It tells of a girl named Betty and her doomed biker boyfriend, and was written by Shadow Morton, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

Which Motown star co-wrote 'Dancing in the Street' for Martha and the Vandellas?

The 1964 single stalled at No. 2 behind Manfred Mann's 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy'.

What was the first Motown song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

The Marvelettes' debut single topped the chart in late 1961; the Carpenters took it to No. 1 again in 1975.

Which 1960 Miracles hit was Motown's first million-selling record?

Smokey Robinson co-wrote it with Berry Gordy; it hit No. 2 on the Hot 100.

Who wrote 'My Girl', the Temptations' first US number one?

Robinson wrote it about his wife Claudette; it was the first Temptations single with David Ruffin on lead.

Which Four Tops single topped the Hot 100 in October 1966?

It was Motown's second UK chart-topper after the Supremes' 'Baby Love'.

Little Stevie Wonder's 1963 hit 'Fingertips' was recorded live at which Chicago venue?

It was essentially an instrumental showcasing the 12-year-old's bongos and harmonica during a Motortown Revue show.

What was the first Supremes single to reach number one on the Hot 100?

It began a run of five straight number ones in 1964–65 for the trio.

Which duo first made 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' a hit in 1967?

Writers Ashford & Simpson refused to give the song to Dusty Springfield, saving it to win a Motown deal.

Where in Memphis did Wilson Pickett and Steve Cropper write 'In the Midnight Hour'?

The same motel became the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in April 1968.

Who first recorded 'When a Man Loves a Woman' in 1966, taking it to number one?

It was cut at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama; Michael Bolton took it to No. 1 again in 1991.

How old was Booker T. Jones when he wrote the organ riff of 'Green Onions'?

The 1962 Stax instrumental was largely improvised in the studio and defined the Memphis soul sound.

Ben E. King co-wrote 'Stand by Me' with which famous songwriting duo?

The pair used the pseudonym Elmo Glick; King based the title on a Sam Cooke spiritual.

Ray Charles's 1960 recording of 'Georgia on My Mind' appeared on which album?

Georgia made it the official state song in 1979.

Who wrote 'Hit the Road Jack', Ray Charles's 1961 number one?

Mayfield first cut it as an a cappella demo in 1960; Margie Hendrix of the Raelettes sings the sassy retort.

Which 1965 James Brown single is considered seminal in the emergence of funk?

It was his first Hot 100 top ten and won him his first Grammy.

On which 1963 album was 'Blowin' in the Wind' first released?

Peter, Paul and Mary released their hit cover three weeks after the album came out.

Which folk trio formed in New York City in 1961 and helped popularize early Bob Dylan songs?

Their debut album topped the charts for weeks; Mary Travers died in 2009.

On what date was Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison recorded?

Cash played two shows that day backed by June Carter, Carl Perkins and the Tennessee Three.

Which country singer died in a March 1963 plane crash alongside Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins?

The plane went down near Camden, Tennessee, about 90 miles from Nashville.

Who co-wrote 'Stand by Your Man' with Tammy Wynette in 1968?

The producer's song stayed three weeks at No. 1 on the country chart and crossed over to pop No. 19.

Who wrote 'Wichita Lineman' for Glen Campbell in 1968?

Webb was inspired by a lineman atop a telephone pole on the Oklahoma panhandle; Dylan called it the greatest song ever written.

The Tornados' 1962 US number one 'Telstar' was named after what?

Producer Joe Meek named it after the satellite launched on 10 July 1962; it featured a clavioline.

Which instrumental band had a 1960 hit with 'Walk, Don't Run', a tune by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith?

Their arrangement was inspired by a 1956 Chet Atkins version.

Which surf guitarist's 1962 version of 'Misirlou' popularized the Eastern Mediterranean folk tune?

The song had been played by Arabic, Greek and Jewish musicians since the 1920s.

Jan and Dean's 'Surf City' (1963) was the first surf song to hit number one. Who co-wrote it?

Wilson had a working title of 'Goody Connie Won't You Come Back Home' and handed it off after refusing to give away 'Surfin' U.S.A.'.

Which garage band topped the Hot 100 in October 1966 with '96 Tears'?

Question Mark (Rudy Martinez) wrote it in 1962; the band recorded it in Bay City, Michigan.

Roughly how long is Iron Butterfly's album version of 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'?

It fills the whole second side and includes a two-and-a-half-minute Ron Bushy drum solo.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the only Pink Floyd album made under whose leadership?

Barrett wrote all but three tracks on the 1967 debut, recorded at Abbey Road with producer Norman Smith.

'Sunshine of Your Love' appears on which 1967 Cream album?

Jack Bruce came up with the bass riff after seeing a Jimi Hendrix concert, according to Eric Clapton.

'Purple Haze' was released as the Jimi Hendrix Experience's what?

It came out in the UK on March 17, 1967 and opened the North American edition of Are You Experienced.

Which former bassist of Eric Burdon's band signed Hendrix and brought him to London?

Chandler recruited the Experience to showcase the guitarist; their debut album arrived in May 1967.

'All Along the Watchtower', later made famous by Hendrix, comes from which 1967 Bob Dylan album?

The twelve-line lyric stages a conversation between a joker and a thief.

Ringo Starr joined the Beatles in August 1962, replacing which drummer?

Ringo left Rory Storm and the Hurricanes to take the job.

Who directed the Beatles' 1964 film A Hard Day's Night?

The film portrays a fictional 36 hours in the band's life and was nominated for two Oscars.

'Eleanor Rigby' was issued as a double A-side single with which song?

George Martin's double string quartet arrangement marked a sharp break with pop convention.

In which London newspaper did John Lennon's 'more popular than Jesus' remark first appear in 1966?

It caused no fuss in Britain, but sparked record burnings when republished in the United States.

The White Album was the Beatles' first LP released on which label?

Released on 22 November 1968, it is the band's only double album.

Where did Brian Epstein first see the Beatles play in 1961?

The Liverpool record-shop manager put them in suits and won them a Parlophone deal.

How old was Brian Epstein when he died of an accidental overdose in 1967?

The Beatles were at the Maharishi's seminar in Bangor, Wales, when the news reached them.

In which Indian town did the Beatles study Transcendental Meditation in February 1968?

The trip was their most productive songwriting period, feeding much of the White Album.

Which actress was among the celebrity meditators with the Beatles at the Maharishi's ashram?

Donovan, Mike Love and Paul Horn were also on the course; 'Dear Prudence' was written for Farrow's sister.

How did Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones die in July 1969?

He was 27 and had been dismissed from the band less than a month earlier.

The Stones' free Hyde Park concert on 5 July 1969 was planned to introduce which new guitarist?

Brian Jones's death two days earlier turned it into a tribute; the crowd was estimated at up to 500,000.

Which instrument, played by Brian Jones, gives 'Paint It Black' its distinctive sound?

The 1966 raga-rock single opened the US version of Aftermath.

'Jumpin' Jack Flash' (1968) was seen as the Stones' return to blues rock after which psychedelic album?

Rolling Stone called it "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London."

Jagger and Richards wrote 'Honky Tonk Women' while on holiday in which country?

The country version, 'Country Honk', appeared on Let It Bleed.

The Who's 1969 rock opera Tommy was inspired by which Indian spiritual teacher?

Pete Townshend tried to translate Baba's ideas into music on the double album.

The Who's 'My Generation' peaked at number two in the UK. What was its highest US position?

The 1965 single later appeared in an extended version on Live at Leeds.

'Waterloo Sunset' appears on which 1967 Ray Davies-led album?

It reached No. 2 in Britain but failed to chart in North America.

Which Zombies member wrote their 1964 debut single 'She's Not There'?

The keyboardist built the lyric from the title of a John Lee Hooker song, 'No One Told Me'.

Which Zombies song from Odessey and Oracle became a surprise US hit in 1969 after the band had split?

CBS producer Al Kooper recommended releasing it on Date Records.

On which label did Van Morrison release 'Brown Eyed Girl' in June 1967?

Bert Berns's label; the song peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100 with the Sweet Inspirations on backing vocals.

Them's 'Gloria' was originally released in 1964 as the B-side of which single?

A 1966 Shadows of Knight cover reached No. 10; Patti Smith reimagined it on Horses.

Who wrote the lyrics to Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'?

The Bach-derived music was by Brooker and Fisher; the single spent six weeks at UK No. 1 in 1967.

'Nights in White Satin' first appeared as the segment 'The Night' on which Moody Blues album?

Written by Justin Hayward, it peaked at 19 in the UK in 1967 and hit No. 2 in the US only on a 1972 reissue.

Which Bee Gee sang lead on 'Massachusetts', the group's first UK number one in 1967?

The brothers had never been to Massachusetts when they wrote it.

'Sunshine Superman' was the only single by which Scottish singer to top the Hot 100?

A contractual dispute delayed the UK release until December 1966.

Scott McKenzie's 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)' was written to promote what?

John Phillips wrote it and Lou Adler produced it in May 1967 ahead of the June festival.

'Summer in the City' was the only number one for which folk-rock band?

The 1966 single was a harder-rocking departure from the group's lighter sound.

Which band scored its only US chart-topper with 'Happy Together' in 1967?

Writers Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon had seen the song rejected by many artists first.

'Crimson and Clover' was a 1969 number one for which group?

It was released as a rough mix after a radio station leaked it; Joan Jett later covered it.

'Proud Mary' appeared on which 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival album?

It peaked at No. 2, the first of five CCR singles to stall at that spot.

Which Sly and the Family Stone song was the band's first Hot 100 number one, in early 1969?

The plea for racial harmony held No. 1 for four weeks.

Which two singles came from Crosby, Stills & Nash's 1969 debut album?

The album was the trio's only release before Neil Young joined.

Whose 1968 recording of Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides, Now' made the US singles chart first?

Mitchell's own version followed on her 1969 album Clouds; a Saul Bellow novel inspired the song.

Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention debuted in 1966 with which album, often cited as an early concept album?

Producer Tom Wilson reportedly signed the band believing they were a white blues act.

Which 1960 single is Elvis Presley's biggest hit, with 20 million copies sold?

It spent five weeks at No. 1 in the US and eight in the UK.

What was Elvis Presley's 18th and final Hot 100 number one, in 1969?

Songwriter Mark James's own version had flopped before Presley cut it with Chips Moman.

What was Del Shannon's real name?

His 1961 number one 'Runaway' featured Max Crook's clavioline-based Musitron.

'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' (1961) was adapted from 'Mbube', a 1939 song by which South African musician?

The Tokens added English lyrics; Linda had sold his rights and died poor.

Dion's 1961 number one 'Runaround Sue' was recorded after he split from which group?

He co-wrote it with Ernie Maresca after improvising the lyrics at a birthday party.

Which Everly Brothers song, written by Don Everly, was their best-selling single?

The 1960 hit has an unusual structure — it begins with a chorus and has bridges but no verses.

Which singer had a 1960 number one with 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool'?

Her German-language version, a polka, also topped the West German chart.

'Take Five', the Dave Brubeck Quartet's hit, was written by which band member?

Drummer Joe Morello had challenged the saxophonist to write something in 5/4 time.

Whose vocal debut features on Stan Getz's hit recording of 'The Girl from Ipanema'?

The song won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965.

Louis Armstrong's 1964 number one 'Hello, Dolly!' won which Grammy?

It also won Male Vocal Performance and made Armstrong the oldest artist to top the chart.

Which father-and-daughter duet topped both the Hot 100 and the UK chart in 1967?

Frank and Nancy Sinatra's version was a cover of a 1966 record by C. Carson Parks and his wife.

Who wrote Nancy Sinatra's 1966 hit 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin''?

It was inspired by a Frank Sinatra line in the 1963 western 4 for Texas.

Bobbie Gentry's 1967 chart-topper 'Ode to Billie Joe' concerns a suicide off a bridge in which state?

The half-spoken narrative reached No. 1 five weeks after release.

Jeannie C. Riley's 'Harper Valley PTA' (1968) was written by which country songwriter?

It made Riley the first woman to top both the Hot 100 and the country chart with the same song.

Which patriotic 1966 song spent five weeks at number one and topped Billboard's year-end chart?

Barry Sadler's ballad was one of the few Vietnam-era hits to cast the military positively.

Which Scottish singer's 'To Sir with Love' was the best-selling US single of 1967?

She also acted in the Sidney Poitier film; Mickie Most produced the record.

'It's Not Unusual' was intended as a demo for which singer before Tom Jones kept it?

The BBC initially rejected the record over Jones's sexual image, so it first aired on pirate radio.

The Singing Nun's 1963 US number one 'Dominique' honours which religious figure?

Belgian nun Jeanne Deckers, 'Sœur Sourire', belonged to his Order of Preachers.

Which Japanese singer topped the Hot 100 in 1963 with 'Sukiyaki'?

The song's real title, 'Ue o Muite Arukō', means 'I Look Up as I Walk'.

Which British band took 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy' to number one in the US and UK in 1964?

The Exciters had recorded the Barry–Greenwich song first in 1963.

Which 1969 supergroup united Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech?

They made one album and toured for a summer before splitting.

Which 1969 film cemented Steppenwolf's 'Born to Be Wild' as a biker anthem?

The lyric 'heavy metal thunder' is the first use of the term in rock, though it referred to a motorcycle.

The Band's 1968 debut Music from Big Pink is named after a house in which New York town?

Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson shared the pink house where much of the music was written.

Which 1969 Bob Dylan album unveiled a soft country croon after he temporarily quit smoking?

It gave Dylan his fourth UK No. 1 album.

Who wrote the Monkees' 'I'm a Believer', the biggest-selling single of 1967?

Micky Dolenz sang lead; it held No. 1 for seven weeks from the last week of 1966.

Where in Memphis was 'Sweet Caroline' recorded in 1969?

Diamond later said the inspiration was a photo of a young Caroline Kennedy.

Which Stax songwriting team wrote Sam & Dave's 'Soul Man'?

Hayes was inspired by news coverage of the 1967 Detroit riot, where 'soul' was painted on Black-owned businesses.

For which singer did Burt Bacharach and Hal David write 'Walk On By' in 1963?

Isaac Hayes's 1969 version turned it into a 12-minute epic.

'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' was written for which 1969 film?

B. J. Thomas's single became the first American No. 1 of the 1970s.

Which teenage singer's gruff vocal fronted the Box Tops' 1967 number one 'The Letter'?

Chilton later led the cult band Big Star; Joe Cocker's 1970 cover was his first US top ten.

Which psychedelic band hit number one in November 1967 with 'Incense and Peppermints'?

The song later turned up in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

Before Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick performed with which San Francisco band?

She brought 'White Rabbit' with her to the Airplane.

Who originally recorded 'Piece of My Heart' in 1967, before Janis Joplin's famous version?

Aretha's older sister earned a Grammy nomination for it after Big Brother's cover made it famous.

Producer John Simon added what to Cheap Thrills to make it sound live?

Only 'Ball and Chain' was actually recorded live, at the Winterland Ballroom.

Who was the opening act at Woodstock in 1969?

The Brooklyn-born folk singer was later the voice of GeoSafari toys.

How old was Meredith Hunter, killed by Hells Angels at Altamont in December 1969?

The concert at Altamont Speedway had been billed as a 'Woodstock West'.

Which sitar virtuoso made his first major American appearance at Monterey in 1967?

The festival ran June 16–18 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds.

The Stooges' 1969 debut album was released on which label?

The proto-punk landmark peaked at only No. 106 but spawned 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' and '1969'.

David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' was rush-released in July 1969 to capitalise on which event?

The BBC used it as background music during its coverage of the landing.

Otis Redding's plane crashed into which body of water in December 1967?

He had recorded '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' with Steve Cropper days earlier.

'Son of a Preacher Man' appears on which 1968 album, later added to the US National Recording Registry?

Born in West Hampstead, London, Springfield became an icon of the Swinging Sixties with her peroxide beehive and heavy eye make-up.

In which English city were Herman's Hermits, fronted by Peter Noone, formed in 1963?

In 1965 they spent 24 straight weeks in the US top ten with five singles, including two number ones, 'Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter' and 'I'm Henry VIII, I Am'.

Which 1964 Righteous Brothers hit was BMI's most-played song on US radio and TV of the 20th century?

It had racked up more than 8 million airplays by 1999 and held the top spot until 2019, when 'Every Breath You Take' overtook it.

Which Dave Clark Five single knocked the Beatles off the top of the UK chart in January 1964?

Formed in Tottenham in 1958, the DC5 were the second British Invasion group to appear on American TV's biggest variety show, in March 1964.

Who co-wrote 'Oh, Pretty Woman' (1964) with the singer who recorded it?

Released on Monument Records, it spent three weeks at number one from September 26, 1964, his second and last US chart-topper after 'Running Scared'.