• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Unusual Rock Trivia?

#1,601
Eli_Kyiv said:
Sam Brown, known for her 1988 smash hit "Stop", is a daughter of a singer Vicki Brown, who's voice can be heared all over the 70's, including Pink Floyd, The Who, The Kinks, Elton John, Nazaeth, Carravam, etc.
Click to expand...

... and her dad was even more famous (in the UK at least)

Joe Brown (singer) - Wikipedia

In the Beatles’ Gear book there’s a great story about George Harrison sneaking in the dressing room to play Joe’s ES-335 when Joe and the Bruvvers were headlining and the Beatles were way down the bill. They went on to be great friends in later life as they were both really keen ukulele players.

Sam still sings with Jools Holland and her voice is still fantastic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: -Asdfgh-, RedVee and Eli_Kyiv
#1,602
Richland123 said:
Did you ever wonder who the first European acts were who hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Record Charts?

The first European act to top the U.S. charts was an Italian named Domenico Modugno who reached the top in 1958 with “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)” which won Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year.

Next was German band leader Bert Kaempfert with “Wonderland by Night” in 1961.

The first British artist to score a U.S. No.1 single was Acker Bilk with “Stranger On The Shore” in 1962.

The first U.K. group to top the US charts was The Tornados with “Telstar” in December, 1962. Telstar won an Ivor Novello Award and is estimated to have sold at least five million copies worldwide. Clem Cattini, who played drums on “Telstar” went on to become well known for his work as a session musician, appearing on hundreds of recordings by artists as diverse as Engelbert Humperdinck and Lou Reed, and has featured on 44 different UK number one singles.

The second British group to top the U.S. charts was The Beatles in 1964 with “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. The group notched up 20 No.1 hits between 1964 and 1970.

Petula Clark became the first British female to top the American chart with “Downtown” in 1964 (the song also gave future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page a No.1 as he played on the track).









Click to expand...


I’d love to see the same done with Australian acts.
 
#1,603
Engelbert Humperdinck (not his real name) was one of India's biggest selling artists of the 1970s, having been born in Madras. His success was not in India, though. In the previous decade it had been Cliff Richard (not his real name), born in Lucknow in India. Freddie Mercury (not his real name) was not one of the biggest Indian rock stars of the 1970s and 80s as although of Indian descent, he was born in Zanzibar, thus technically African, a birth continent shared with Roger Whittaker (not his real name).
 
  • Like
Reactions: FilterFunk, Richland123, GregC and 2 others
#1,604
George Harrison was a member of the George Formby Society due to his love of the man and the ukelele and tried to buy one of Formby's instruments. George Formby's banjolele sells at auction for £28,500, and Brian May currently owns one.

The Queen wished to be society president: The Queen wanted to be president of a fan club, but was told she was 'too important', noting she could sing all his hit songs.

Other fans include comedians Harry Hill and Frank Skinner and politician Ed Balls, all of whom can play 'in the style'.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Richland123, RayWithFlats and Eli_Kyiv
#1,606
RedVee said:
I’d love to see the same done with Australian acts.
Click to expand...

Ask, and ye shall recieve.

Aussies who have landed a U.S. number one hit Pop Chart Hit.

Australians have had 28 chart toppers in America shared between ten acts.

THE BEE GEES:

The Bee Gees were the first Australian act to top the US charts in 1971 with How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and still the most successful with a total of nine chart toppers including Jive Talkin, You Should Be Dancing, How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin' Alive, Night Fever, Too Much Heaven, Tragedy and Love You Inside Out.

ANDY GIBB:

Andy Gibb was the first Australian male solo artist to chart three consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with I Just Want to Be Your Everything, (Love Is) Thicker Than Water and Shadow Dancing.

HELEN REDDY:

Helen Reddy enjoyed massive success in the US in the 1970s with fifteen singles in the top 40, including three number ones: I Am Woman, Delta Dawn and Angie Baby. She was the first Australian born artist to hit number one (the Bee Gees were born on the Isle of Man) as well as the first Australian female solo artist and the first to win a Grammy.

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN:

Olivia Newton-John topped the US charts five times, first with the ballad I Honestly Love You in 1974, followed by Have You Never Been Mellow, You're the One That I Want (from Grease), Magic (from Xanadu) and Physical.

RICK SPRINGFIELD:

Rick Springfield hit #1 in 1981 with Jessie's Girl. Springfield followed it with four more top 10 US hits, I've Done Everything for You, Don't Talk to Strangers, Affair of the Heart and Love Somebody.

AIR SUPPLY:

Soft rock duo consisting of Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock that had eight top ten hits in the US including number one song The One That You Love in 1981.

MEN AT WORK:

Who Can It Be hit number one in the US in 1982, with the parent album topping the charts for 15 weeks and second single Down Under following the first to number one.

INXS:

The band became global megastars with Kick, which yielded four US top ten singles including the number one hit Need You Tonight. Follow up album X produced two top ten US hits Suicide Blonde and Disappear.

SAVAGE GARDEN:

Pop duo Savage Garden hit number one in the US with their third single, Truly Madly Deeply which topped the charts in 1998 followed by I Knew I Loved You in 2000 (which was also the most played song on US radio that year).

GOTYE:

Goyte may be the latest Australian to hit number one in the US with Somebody That I Used to Know in 2011.



















 
  • Like
Reactions: mikewalker, MonetBass, felonious69 and 3 others
#1,615
Richland123 said:
Ask, and ye shall recieve.

Aussies who have landed a U.S. number one hit Pop Chart Hit.

Australians have had 28 chart toppers in America shared between ten acts.

THE BEE GEES:

The Bee Gees were the first Australian act to top the US charts in 1971 with How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and still the most successful with a total of nine chart toppers including Jive Talkin, You Should Be Dancing, How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin' Alive, Night Fever, Too Much Heaven, Tragedy and Love You Inside Out.

ANDY GIBB:

Andy Gibb was the first Australian male solo artist to chart three consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with I Just Want to Be Your Everything, (Love Is) Thicker Than Water and Shadow Dancing.

HELEN REDDY:

Helen Reddy enjoyed massive success in the US in the 1970s with fifteen singles in the top 40, including three number ones: I Am Woman, Delta Dawn and Angie Baby. She was the first Australian born artist to hit number one (the Bee Gees were born on the Isle of Man) as well as the first Australian female solo artist and the first to win a Grammy.

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN:

Olivia Newton-John topped the US charts five times, first with the ballad I Honestly Love You in 1974, followed by Have You Never Been Mellow, You're the One That I Want (from Grease), Magic (from Xanadu) and Physical.

RICK SPRINGFIELD:

Rick Springfield hit #1 in 1981 with Jessie's Girl. Springfield followed it with four more top 10 US hits, I've Done Everything for You, Don't Talk to Strangers, Affair of the Heart and Love Somebody.

AIR SUPPLY:

Soft rock duo consisting of Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock that had eight top ten hits in the US including number one song The One That You Love in 1981.

MEN AT WORK:

Who Can It Be hit number one in the US in 1982, with the parent album topping the charts for 15 weeks and second single Down Under following the first to number one.

INXS:

The band became global megastars with Kick, which yielded four US top ten singles including the number one hit Need You Tonight. Follow up album X produced two top ten US hits Suicide Blonde and Disappear.

SAVAGE GARDEN:

Pop duo Savage Garden hit number one in the US with their third single, Truly Madly Deeply which topped the charts in 1998 followed by I Knew I Loved You in 2000 (which was also the most played song on US radio that year).

GOTYE:

Goyte may be the latest Australian to hit number one in the US with Somebody That I Used to Know in 2011.



















Click to expand...


Of the 'neutron bomb':

Newton-John is the youngest of three children, following brother Hugh (1939–2019), a medical doctor, and sister Rona (1943–2013) (an actress who was married to Grease co-star Jeff Conaway from 1980 until their divorce in 1985). In 1954, when she was six, her family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, where her father worked as a professor of German and as master of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne.[11]
 
  • Like
Reactions: mikewalker, MonetBass, RedVee and 2 others
#1,616
-Asdfgh- said:
Of the 'neutron bomb':

Newton-John is the youngest of three children, following brother Hugh (1939–2019), a medical doctor, and sister Rona (1943–2013) (an actress who was married to Grease co-star Jeff Conaway from 1980 until their divorce in 1985). In 1954, when she was six, her family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, where her father worked as a professor of German and as master of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne.[11]
Click to expand...
Oh man, Jeff Conaway--a very talented guy who also starred in the TV series Taxi. Massive addiction problems, apparently related to a very tough childhood, really hurt his career and eventually took his life.
 
#1,617
Richland123 said:
Ask, and ye shall recieve.

Aussies who have landed a U.S. number one hit Pop Chart Hit.

Australians have had 28 chart toppers in America shared between ten acts.

THE BEE GEES:

The Bee Gees were the first Australian act to top the US charts in 1971 with How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and still the most successful with a total of nine chart toppers including Jive Talkin, You Should Be Dancing, How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin' Alive, Night Fever, Too Much Heaven, Tragedy and Love You Inside Out.

ANDY GIBB:

Andy Gibb was the first Australian male solo artist to chart three consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with I Just Want to Be Your Everything, (Love Is) Thicker Than Water and Shadow Dancing.

HELEN REDDY:

Helen Reddy enjoyed massive success in the US in the 1970s with fifteen singles in the top 40, including three number ones: I Am Woman, Delta Dawn and Angie Baby. She was the first Australian born artist to hit number one (the Bee Gees were born on the Isle of Man) as well as the first Australian female solo artist and the first to win a Grammy.

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN:

Olivia Newton-John topped the US charts five times, first with the ballad I Honestly Love You in 1974, followed by Have You Never Been Mellow, You're the One That I Want (from Grease), Magic (from Xanadu) and Physical.

RICK SPRINGFIELD:

Rick Springfield hit #1 in 1981 with Jessie's Girl. Springfield followed it with four more top 10 US hits, I've Done Everything for You, Don't Talk to Strangers, Affair of the Heart and Love Somebody.

AIR SUPPLY:

Soft rock duo consisting of Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock that had eight top ten hits in the US including number one song The One That You Love in 1981.

MEN AT WORK:

Who Can It Be hit number one in the US in 1982, with the parent album topping the charts for 15 weeks and second single Down Under following the first to number one.

INXS:

The band became global megastars with Kick, which yielded four US top ten singles including the number one hit Need You Tonight. Follow up album X produced two top ten US hits Suicide Blonde and Disappear.

SAVAGE GARDEN:

Pop duo Savage Garden hit number one in the US with their third single, Truly Madly Deeply which topped the charts in 1998 followed by I Knew I Loved You in 2000 (which was also the most played song on US radio that year).

GOTYE:

Goyte may be the latest Australian to hit number one in the US with Somebody That I Used to Know in 2011.



















Click to expand...


thank you. I thought Sia may have got a no 1 recently?
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back