Country Quizzin’, the Debut
January 5, 2009
Knowledge makes you sassy!
I’ve been doing some thinking lately about the role blogs like this one ought to be playing in our changing world. The rise of internet technology has been something of a double-edged sword where public knowledge is concerned: information is easier to access than ever, but it’s also easier to tune out. Media outlets used to be much more limited in the ways consumers could go about using them; there were fewer radio or television stations, fewer major newspapers, certainly no websites. It sounds boring in retrospect, but it did mean that attentive people were more likely to be exposed to certain valuable information simply because it was all that was available.
Not the case today, when users have unprecedented control over which information they are exposed to. You can be a daily Internet user and know zilch about the news, if that’s how you want to roll. You can even be a music fan and know zilch about anyone or anything besides your favorite artist.
And that freedom is all good and well, of course, but it can make for some pretty boring conversations. And those are no fun. So in an effort to provide readers (and myself) with a well-rounded country music education – and fun! – I’m stealing Chet Flippo’s “Test Your Country Knowledge” idea and offering y’all a little quiz.
Here’s the deal: 20 questions on country music both past and present, and all you have to do is reply with your answers in the comments. Don’t be ashamed if you don’t know some or even a majority of answers; this is a learning opportunity, and I’m trying to make this challenging for as many people as possible. Just fill in what you know and leave the rest blank (or guess!). You are welcome to post anonymously or with a different name, but don’t chicken out! Also: no cheating with search engines, books, liner notes, Wikipedia, nothing. You may only use your current brain! Cheaters never prosper!
Finally: everyone’s comments but yours will be invisible to you until tomorrow at 7 EST, so as to make for a little suspense. At that time, I’ll update the post to include the answers, plus some external references for you to learn about your wrong answers so that we can all leave here a little wiser!
I’m thinking of making this a weekly feature, so please be sure to say “yay” or “nay” on that when you comment. (And also please feel free to e-mail me if you have any ideas for future questions or other suggestions to make it better! Save me some work!) If it does become a regular thing, I might start giving away prizes for good grades or improvement or something. For now, though, your prize is the satisfaction of personal enrichment!
Without further ado:
1. After duetting with Kenny Rogers on the single “My World is Over,” a song she wrote, this artist appeared on Nashville Star and parlayed her exposure there into a deal with her current label home, Warner Bros. Records.
ANSWER: Whitney Duncan
IMPORTANCE: Low. Despite her poppy potential, Duncan hasn’t yet made much of an impact as a recording artist, so this question was really just a bit of trivia to warm everyone up.
2. This 1968 album was considered a colossal commercial failure upon its release because of the popularity of the rock band who released it, but has since gone down in history as one of the key works in the formation of alt-country and country-rock. Name the album and the band.
ANSWER: Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The Byrds
IMPORTANCE: High. This album truly is a key point in the now-normative junction of rock ‘n’ roll and country music, and as Ben pointed out in the comments, it’s one important piece of Gram Parson’s legacy.
3. This well-regarded singer-songwriter had a Top-20 hit back in 2005 called “Don’t Ask Me How I Know” and is now noteworthy as a co-writer on several of Sugarland’s recent singles (among other things).
ANSWER: Bobby Pinson
IMPORTANCE: Moderate. Pinson hasn’t made much of a commercial dent as a recording artist (and I honestly hated the one hit he did have), but the songwriting talent he’s demonstrated in his albums and some of his co-writes for other artists’ work is worthy of recognition.
4. These two artists hold the current record for the most wins in the CMA Entertainer of the Year category, with four apiece.
ANSWER: Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney
IMPORTANCE: Moderate. I don’t think awards show trivia is necessarily crucial to an understanding of the genre, but for this particular category, it’s not a bad idea to know who the big-wigs are.
5. This artist got her start as the demo singer for then-husband Harlan Howard and went on to produce big 60′s hits like “Evil On Your Mind” and the largely-spoken “For Loving You” (alongside Bill Anderson).
ANSWER: Jan Howard
IMPORTANCE: Moderate. Howard is a good artist to know if you want to have an understanding of that era of country music. She’s still a solid singer today, too.
6. This legendary singer met her husband of over forty years on her first day in Nashville when he honked his car horn at her while driving by, prompting her to wave back. Hint: the husband is famously unfamous.
ANSWER: Dolly Parton
IMPORTANCE: Low. This is pure trivia; I just thought it was an amusing story that people might enjoy. Incidentally, I read the story in Robert K. Oermann’s excellent book Behind the Opry Curtain, which I won through C. Eric Banister’s Music Tomes blog. Thanks, Rob ‘n’ Eric.
7. Charles Kelly and Hillary Scott of rising act Lady Antebellum attribute much of their success to the group’s third member, whose guitar work on tracks like “Love Don’t Live Here” reportedly built the foundation for their signature sound. What is this member’s name?
ANSWER: Dave Haywood
IMPORTANCE: Low to Moderate. Lady Antebellum isn’t quite a household name yet, so you can be forgiven for not knowing the individual band members’ names. But you never know – if Capitol continues its current marketing blitz for the band, they could become inescapable.
8. Although his/her first record (featuring “Little Old Log Cabin Down the Lane” and “The Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster’s Gonna Crow”) was dismissed as “pluperfect awful” by New York record executives, this instrumentalist would go on to sell over 500,000 units, effectively becoming the first statistical indication that so-called “hillbilly music” had a viable place in the music market. Name the artist.
ANSWER: Fiddlin’ John Carson
IMPORTANCE: High. If Carson, a Georgia-state fiddling champion, had never cut those sides, country music may have taken a good deal longer to grow commercial legs when Jimmie Rodgers and the Carters started playing it. That’s a hypothetical, of course, and Carson’s overall accomplishments probably aren’t great enough to merit him ever being inducted into the Hall of Fame. But as one of my college professors would say, this is a good thing to know if you ever get asked at a snobby country music-themed party.
9. This was Johnny Cash’s first label home, a Memphis-based independent establishment founded and run by Sam Phillips.
ANSWER: Sun Records
IMPORTANCE: High. Even if you’re no good at following labels, Sun is definitely one to know: aside from Cash, it also launched Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Quite a lot of history there.
10. This artist first rose to the national spotlight on the wildly popular television show American Idol and became the first contestant from the program to make an impact in mainstream country music. Bonus points for naming artist’s record label.
ANSWER: Josh Gracin, and for the bonus, Lyric Street Records
IMPORTANCE: Low to Moderate. Gracin hasn’t proven to be a hugely enduring artist (which is probably mostly due to the lag in releasing his second album), but it’s worth noting that his initial success paved the way for future signings like Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington, Phil Stacey and, on the indie side, fellow second-season also-ran Carmen Rasmusen.
11. This was the most-played song on country radio in 2008. Name the song and artist.
ANSWER: “Just Got Started Lovin’ You”, James Otto
IMPORTANCE: Low to Moderate. It’s trivia, but it is pretty telling.
12. A uniquely brilliant songwriter, he/she is perhaps most famous for penning several of Glen Campbell’s classic pop-country hits, including “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.”
ANSWER: Jimmy Webb
IMPORTANCE: High. Those hits were iconic, and Webb’s roster of classics doesn’t even stop there.
13. Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood have made history by becoming the second and third women, respectively, to score four #1 singles from one album (with The Woman in Me and Carnival Ride being the ones that did it for ‘em). Who was the first artist to achieve this, and with what album?
ANSWER: Rosanne Cash, with King’s Record Shop
IMPORTANCE: Moderate. Again, the numerical aspect of it makes it seem like trivia, but it’s not a bad thing to know if you want to put recent successes like Underwood’s in a historical context or talk about the success rates of women in country music. And this is also a really solid album, even if a lot of the production sounds a bit dated. Check it out.
14. The development of this technology, which reports the total, unbiased sales figures for recorded music, helped pave the way for country music’s commercial boom in the 90′s by dispelling the incorrect assumption that it couldn’t compete with pop music at retail.
ANSWER: Nielsen SoundScan (or just SoundScan)
IMPORTANCE: High. You should be familiar with this technology if you want to have a grip on any kind of music, and it’s important to country in particular for the reason mentioned in the question.
15. This artist became a pioneer of the music video format in country music with long-form, dramatic “mini-movies” that took liberty with their interpretations of the songs’ narratives.
ANSWER: I was thinking Reba McEntire, but since I didn’t specify a time period, Garth Brooks is a pretty good guess, too.
IMPORTANCE: Moderate to High. It really depends on how important you think music videos have been to country music’s development, which seems like a pretty debatable topic to me. In any case, McEntire’s work in clips like “Is There Life Out There?” (a slightly guilty favorite of mine, I’ll admit) certainly served as a clear precursor to her later forays into Broadway and sitcom-land.
16. This artist received a great deal of backlash for his/her progressive crossover into pop music in the late 90′s and early 2000′s before finally “returning” to country music with an “I’m still me”-themed hit and a different hair color.
ANSWER: Faith Hill
IMPORTANCE: Moderate to High. Hill is a classic case of crossover backlash that warrants some study. By the way, the song in question is “Mississippi Girl,” which I once read a critic (pretty sure it was Jonathan Keefe, too lazy to check) refer to as her version of “Jenny From the Block.”
17. This artist, a legend in his/her home state of Texas, has received similar backlash from his/her once-doting fans for a musical and physical departure from his/her roots. The album usually pointed to as the beginning of the artist’s “selling out” is entitled Wave On Wave.
ANSWER: Pat Green
IMPORTANCE: Moderate. If Texas music means anything to you, you probably already have an opinion on the iconic Green and his progressive move towards the mainstream.
18. A noted guitar wizard, he is credited with helping to establish the pop-friendly “Nashville Sound” heard in records like Eddy Arnold’s “Make the World Go Away” and managing the famous RCA Studio B.
ANSWER: Chet Atkins
IMPORTANCE: High. For all the reasons mentioned above, and then some. Look him up, and watch a few videos of his guitar-playing.
19. 50′s hits like “I’m Moving On” and “The Golden Rocket” made this artist the most successful to emerge out of Canada in country music’s early decades.
ANSWER: Hank Snow
IMPORTANCE: High, especially from an artistic standpoint – he’s influenced lots of folks. Again, look him up.
20. This group takes its name from a song popularized by Vernon Dalhart and is recognized as one of the premiere modern alt-country acts.
ANSWER: Old 97′s
IMPORTANCE: Moderate. History may one day treat them and fellow travelers Whiskeytown as highly important, but for now I’ll just call them quite noteworthy. They’ve put out some great records. By the way, the song is “Wreck of the Old 97.”
Best of luck!
Category: Discussion
41 Comments so far
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This is a test comment to make sure the anonymous thing works. Sha na na na na na na na na.
Wow…I’m feeling like a mental midget right now…
1. Dunno
2. Will the Circle Be Unbroken/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3. Bobby Pinson
4. George Strait and Garth Brooks
5. Nope
6. Dolly Parton
7. Should know but don’t
8. Ralph Stanley
9. Sun Records
10. Josh Gracin/Lyric Street
11. James Otto/Just Got Started Lovin’ You
12. Kris Kristofferson
13. I wanna say Tammy Wynette, but no idea for sure
14. Soundscan
15. Reba McEntire
16. Faith Hill
17. Pat Green
18.Owen Bradley
19. And I finish poorly
20. With a whimper
1. Whitney Duncan
3. _____ Pinson (forgot his first name)
7. Dave Haywood
10. Josh Gracin, Lyric Street records
11. Just Got Started Loving You, James Otto
12. Jimmy Webb
16. Faith Hill?
17. Pat Green
19. Hank Snow
20. Dixie Chicks? stupid, but I know their first single was about Johnny Cash
1. Whitney Duncan
2.
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney
5.
6. Dolly Parton???
7. Dave Haywood
8.
9.
10. Josh Gracin, Lyric Street Records (totally guessing on this one!)
11. “Just Got Started Lovin You” by James Otto
12. Jimmy Webb??
13. Reba McEntire
14. Soundscan
15.
16. Faith Hill
17.Pat Green
18.
19.
20.
Haha this is fun! I like quizzes….even though I probably didn’t do too great! Haha I say let’s keep doing this!
Wow, I am so going to fail utterly. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve only listened to country music seriously for 2 years. xD
1. Miranda Lambert?
2. I really don’t know…
3. Bobby Pinson?
4. Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks?
5. No idea.
6. Loretta Lynn?
7. Dave Haywood? I know I spelled that wrong…
8. No idea.
9. Zero ideas. xD I feel pathetic.
10. Carrie Underwood seems too obvious… But I’ll say her anyway. She’s on Arista Nashville.
11. James Otto’s “I Just Got Started Lovin’ You”.
12. ?
13. I really don’t know so I’ll guess Dolly parton. No idea on an album to pick…
14. Soundscan?
15. …
16. Faith Hill.
17. Pat Green.
18. …
19. …
20. Random guess time… Reckless Kelly?
Yeah, I utterly failed. I wouldn’t be surprised if I got kicked off of My Kind Of Country, not to give anyone any ideas…
I know I got a couple, but still… Checking my answers, so far I got 7 right. But I did miss the American idol one, it was Gracin, right?
Trivia is fun, so I say, yay, this is a fun idea to continue.
1. Miranda Lambert
2. Creedence Clearwater Revival, ????
3.
4. Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney
5. Lynn Anderson
6. Tammy Wynette
7.
8. Ricky Skaggs
9. Sun
10. Carrie Underwood, Arista
11. Just Got Started Loving You – James Otto
12.
13. Barbara Mandrell
14. soundscan
15.Toby Keith
16. Faith Hill
17. Pat Green
18.
19.
20.
1. Whitney Duncan
2. The Byrds – ?
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks
5. Jan Howard
6. Dolly Parton
7. Dave Haywood
8. Buck Owens
9. Sun Records
10. Josh Gracin (Lyric Street)
11. Just Got Started Lovin’ You by James Otto
12. Jimmy Webb
13. Rosanne Cash – King’s Record Shop
14. SoundScan
15. Reba McEntire
16. Faith Hill
17. Pat Green
18. Chet Atkins
19. Hank Snow
20. Drive By Truckers
Despite potentially damaging my awesome country blog cred, and bringing shame on Brady, Brody, Jim and co. over at the9513 with my ignorance, I will accept your challenge Dan Milliken.
1. Have never really watched, my best guess is Miranda Lambert
2. This one I got The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo (bonus knowledge: the one and only Byrd record featuring the Grievous Angel himself, Gram Parsons)
3. I remember the video, but can’t remember the guys name, I hated the song though. All the advice in it was absurd and plus it was no great mystery how he knew, it’s like “don’t drink the water in Mexico, don’t ask me how I know” “uhh, did you go to Mexico and drink the water?” “yes” wtf, over. Wait…Bobby Pinson, is that right?
4. Garth and Kenny
5. just a guess based on last name, Jan Howard?
6. hmm….she has to be 60+, I really don’t know, Anne Murray?
7. absolutely no idea, but is he the one that loves the Jonas Brothers? Also, nice of them to throw him a bone like that.
8. sorry man, Vernan Dalhardt (sp?) is as far back as I go as proving hillbilly commercial viability
9. Sun Records,
10. Carrie Underwood and I hate label trivia but I’ll guess Warner Bros
11. hmmm……”All I want to do” by Sugarland?
12. damn your eyes I should really know this one, Jimmy Webb? Isn’t that a senator?
13. this is a toughie, Dolly Parton on 9 to 5? I don’t really know any chart/label trivia.
14. Soundscan
15. Reba?
16. Faith Hill maybe, and was the song Mississippi Girl
17. Pat Green
18. Chet Atkins
19. Hank Snow?
20. could this be a reference to the Old 97′s? If so, I’m not sure it’s fair to say the song was popularized by Johnny Cash since “Wreck of the Old 97″ was one of the sides that the aforementioned Vernon Dalhardt released which went on to become country music’s first “hit record” supposedly.
this was fun, I’m for it.
1. After duetting with Kenny Rogers on the single “My World is Over,” a song she wrote, this artist appeared on Nashville Star and parlayed her exposure
there into a deal with her current label home, Warner Bros. Records.
Whitney Duncan
2. This 1968 album was considered a colossal commercial failure upon its release because of the popularity of the rock band who released it, but has since
gone down in history as one of the key works in the formation of alt-country and country-rock. Name the album and the band.
I feel like this is just out of the reach of my memory right now.
3. This well-regarded singer-songwriter had a Top-20 hit back in 2005 called “Don’t Ask Me How I Know” and is now noteworthy as a co-writer on several of
Sugarland’s recent singles (among other things).
Bobby Pinson (”All I Want To do” No!)
4. These two artists hold the current record for the most wins in the CMA Entertainer of the Year category, with four apiece.
Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney? I’m sure about Chesney and am kinda guessing on Garth.
5. This artist got her start as the demo singer for then-husband Harlan Howard and went on to produce big 60’s hits like “Evil On Your Mind” and the largely-spoken
“For Loving You” (alongside Bill Anderson).
Jan Howard? (I don’t know..)
6. This legendary singer met her husband of over forty years on her first day in Nashville when he honked his car horn at her while driving by, prompting
her to wave back. Hint: the husband is famously unfamous.
Dolly Parton
7. Charles Kelly and Hillary Scott of rising act Lady Antebellum attribute much of their success to the group’s third member, whose guitar work on tracks
like “Love Don’t Live Here” reportedly built the foundation for their signature sound. What is this member’s name?
Ha! Funny question! And a valid one too, since I don’t know his last name at the moment. David Somebody… Dang it, I really can’t think of his last name!
8. Although his/her first record (featuring “Little Old Log Cabin Down the Lane” and “The Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster’s Gonna Crow”) was dismissed as
“pluperfect awful” by New York record executives, this instrumentalist would go on to sell over 500,000 units, effectively becoming the first statistical
indication that so-called “hillbilly music” had a viable place in the music market. Name the artist.
9. This was Johnny Cash’s first label home, a Memphis-based independent establishment founded and run by Sam Phillips.
Sun?
10. This artist first rose to the national spotlight on the wildly popular television show American Idol and became the first contestant from the program
to make an impact in mainstream country music. Bonus points for naming artist’s record label.
Josh Gracin. Capitol?
11. This was the most-played song on country radio in 2008. Name the song and artist.
James Otto, “Just Got Started Lovin’ You”
12. A uniquely brilliant songwriter, he/she is perhaps most famous for penning several of Glen Campbell’s classic pop-country hits, including “Wichita Lineman,”
“Galveston,” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.”
I’m not much for Campbell’s poppy stuff, but Jimmy Webb’s name comes to mind…
13. Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood have made history by becoming the second and third women, respectively, to score four #1 singles from one album (with
The Woman in Me and Carnival Ride being the ones that did it for ‘em). Who was the first artist to achieve this, and with what album?
I should know this…but I guess I don’t…
14. The development of this technology, which reports the total, unbiased sales figures for recorded music, helped pave the way for country music’s commercial
boom in the 90’s by dispelling the incorrect assumption that it couldn’t compete with pop music at retail.
Sound Scan?
15. This artist became a pioneer of the music video format in country music with long-form, dramatic “mini-movies” that took liberty with their interpretations
of the songs’ narratives.
Garth Brooks?
16. This artist received a great deal of backlash for his/her progressive crossover into pop music in the late 90’s and early 2000’s before finally “returning”
to country music with an “I’m still me”-themed hit and a different hair color.
Faith Hill? I’m thinkin’ of “Mississippi Girl”…
17. This artist, a legend in his/her home state of Texas, has received similar backlash from his/her once-doting fans for a musical and physical departure
from his/her roots. The album usually pointed to as the beginning of the artist’s “selling out” is entitled Wave On Wave.
Pat Green (I really like those albums from Texas and I even like the Three Days album. I could live without his subsequent albums though.)
18. A noted guitar wizard, he is credited with helping to establish the pop-friendly “Nashville Sound” heard in records like Eddy Arnold’s “Make the World
Go Away” and managing the famous RCA Studio B.
19. 50’s hits like “I’m Moving On” and “The Golden Rocket” made this artist the most successful to emerge out of Canada in country music’s early decades.
20. This group takes its name from a song popularized by Johnny Cash and is recognized as one of the premiere modern alt-country acts.
Old 97’s
I’m not expecting to do very well here. I’m not exposed to country music that much, except online (I’m not in the US), and I only got into it a few years ago.
1. Whitney Duncan (an educated guess)
2. Not a clue
3. Eek…
4. Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks?
5. Oh dear…
6. Oh crap, I saw this on TV… Dolly Parton?
7. Hm… he’s a man…
8. No idea
9. I watched Walk the Line literally last week and I can’t remember!
10. Carrie Underwood – Arista Nashville
11. Wow… hm… a Taylor Swift song probably… Love Story?
12. Don’t know
13. Reba? And as for album, I don’t know, maybe Whoever’s In New England.
14. Nielsen Soundscan?
15. No idea
16. Faith Hill
17. Don’t know
18. Nope…
19. Bah
20. Oh dear… A total guess – Reckless Kelly.
Okay, that was bad, I’ve seriously got about 2 right.
First of all, I love the idea..how abouta matching now and then, fill in the black, name the song from the lyrics, or a true false
ok here’s my answers. Guesses are indicated, but if i didnt have a clue, I didnt makea wild guess.
1. Whitney Duncan
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney
5. Guess: Jan Howard
6. Dolly Parton
7. Dave Haywood
9. Sun
10 Carrie underwood
12. Jimmy Webb
14. Guess: soundscan
15 Guess: Reba Mcentire
17. Pat Green
19 Hank Snow
1. After duetting with Kenny Rogers on the single “My World is Over,” a song she wrote, this artist appeared on Nashville Star and parlayed her exposure there into a deal with her current label home, Warner Bros. Records.
WHITNEY DUNCAN
2. This 1968 album was considered a colossal commercial failure upon its release because of the popularity of the rock band who released it, but has since gone down in history as one of the key works in the formation of alt-country and country-rock. Name the album and the band.
THE BYRDS – SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO
3. This well-regarded singer-songwriter had a Top-20 hit back in 2005 called “Don’t Ask Me How I Know” and is now noteworthy as a co-writer on several of Sugarland’s recent singles (among other things).
BOBBY PINSON
4. These two artists hold the current record for the most wins in the CMA Entertainer of the Year category, with four apiece.
GARTH BROOKS & KENNY CHESNEY
5. This artist got her start as the demo singer for then-husband Harlan Howard and went on to produce big 60’s hits like “Evil On Your Mind” and the largely-spoken “For Loving You” (alongside Bill Anderson).
???
6. This legendary singer met her husband of over forty years on her first day in Nashville when he honked his car horn at her while driving by, prompting her to wave back. Hint: the husband is famously unfamous.
DOLLY PARTON
7. Charles Kelly and Hillary Scott of rising act Lady Antebellum attribute much of their success to the group’s third member, whose guitar work on tracks like “Love Don’t Live Here” reportedly built the foundation for their signature sound. What is this member’s name?
NO CLUE
8. Although his/her first record (featuring “Little Old Log Cabin Down the Lane” and “The Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster’s Gonna Crow”) was dismissed as “pluperfect awful” by New York record executives, this instrumentalist would go on to sell over 500,000 units, effectively becoming the first statistical indication that so-called “hillbilly music” had a viable place in the music market. Name the artist.
RICKY SKAGGS
9. This was Johnny Cash’s first label home, a Memphis-based independent establishment founded and run by Sam Phillips.
SUN RECORDS
10. This artist first rose to the national spotlight on the wildly popular television show American Idol and became the first contestant from the program to make an impact in mainstream country music. Bonus points for naming artist’s record label.
JOSH GRACIN, LYRIC STREET
11. This was the most-played song on country radio in 2008. Name the song and artist.
JAMES OTTO, “JUST GOT STARTED LOVIN’ YOU”
12. A uniquely brilliant songwriter, he/she is perhaps most famous for penning several of Glen Campbell’s classic pop-country hits, including “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.”
13. Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood have made history by becoming the second and third women, respectively, to score four #1 singles from one album (with The Woman in Me and Carnival Ride being the ones that did it for ‘em). Who was the first artist to achieve this, and with what album?
ROSANNE CASH, not sure of the album name
14. The development of this technology, which reports the total, unbiased sales figures for recorded music, helped pave the way for country music’s commercial boom in the 90’s by dispelling the incorrect assumption that it couldn’t compete with pop music at retail.
SOUNDSCAN
15. This artist became a pioneer of the music video format in country music with long-form, dramatic “mini-movies” that took liberty with their interpretations of the songs’ narratives.
REBA MCENTIRE
16. This artist received a great deal of backlash for his/her progressive crossover into pop music in the late 90’s and early 2000’s before finally “returning” to country music with an “I’m still me”-themed hit and a different hair color.
FAITH HILL
17. This artist, a legend in his/her home state of Texas, has received similar backlash from his/her once-doting fans for a musical and physical departure from his/her roots. The album usually pointed to as the beginning of the artist’s “selling out” is entitled Wave On Wave.
PAT GREEN
18. A noted guitar wizard, he is credited with helping to establish the pop-friendly “Nashville Sound” heard in records like Eddy Arnold’s “Make the World Go Away” and managing the famous RCA Studio B.
NO CLUE
19. 50’s hits like “I’m Moving On” and “The Golden Rocket” made this artist the most successful to emerge out of Canada in country music’s early decades.
NO CLUE
20. This group takes its name from a song popularized by Johnny Cash and is recognized as one of the premiere modern alt-country acts.
NO CLUE
OK, let me try this …
1. I am not sure – but I am going to say Whitney Duncan. I think I remember her doing a song with KR.
2. I can’t name any of their albums, but I am going to guess on this one too – The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons.
3. Bobby Pinson (easy one)
4. Garth Brooks & Kenny Chesney
5. Jean Shepard?
6. Dolly Parton
7. Dave Haywood – the one who digs the Jonas Brothers …
8. Don’t know – I am going to guess Bill Monroe. (These are tough questions!)
9. Sun Records (okay, that one was easy)
10. I am probably wrong on this one, but I am going to say Carrie Underwood and she’s on Arista Records of course.
11. James Otto – Just Got Started Loving You
12. Jimmy Webb (I admit, I only know that because Reba recorded ‘By The Time I Get to Phoenix’)
13. I think you’re asking what woman had 4 #1′s from the same album – but I don’t know. And I do know that Rodney Crowell had 4 from his Diamonds and Dirt album.
14. SoundScan
15. Reba
16. Faith Hill
17. Pat Green (Todd Snider still digs him tho …)
18. Chet Atkins?
19. Hank Snow
20. This is wrong I know because it’s not a Johnny Cash song – but I am guessing the only band I can think of … The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash.
[...] Dan Milliken put together a challenging, 20-question country music quiz at Country Universe. Leave your answers in the comments and he’ll publish the correct answers this afternoon. [...]
1. Whitney Duncan
2. Sweetheart of the Rodeo by The Byrds
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks
5. Jan Howard
6. Loretta Lynn
7. Dave Haywood
8. Bill Monroe
9. Sun Records
10. Josh Gracin and Lyric Street Records
11. James Otto – Just got Started Loving You
12. Jimmy Webb
13. Rosanne Cash with King’s Record Shop
14. Sound Scan
15. Reba McEntire
16. I have no clue but I will guess Faith Hill
17. Pat Greene
18. Chet Adkins
19. Hank Snow
20. Riders in the Sky
yikes
1.
2.
3.bobby pinson
4.Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney
5.Jan Howard
6.Dolly!
7.
8.Fiddlin John ….something
9.Sun records
10.
11.Just got started loving you??? james otto?
12.Jimmy Webb
13.Roseanne Cash “Kings Record Shop”
14.Neilsen Sound Scan
15.Reba McEntire
16.Faith Hill
17.Pat Green
18.Chett Atkins
19.Hank Snow
20.
1. Whitney Duncan
2. ?
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Garth Brooks/Kenny Chesney
5. Jan Howard
6. ?
7. ?
8. Fiddlin’ John Carson?
9. Sun
10. Carrie Underwood-Arista
11. ? I’m sure it’s crap though
12. Jimmy Webb
13. ?
14. Soundscan
15. Reba McEntire
16. Faith Hill
17. Pat Green
18. Chet Atkins
19. Hank Snow
20. ?
1. Angela Hacker
2. Sweethearts Of The Rodeo – The Byrds
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Garth Brooks & Kenny Chesney
5. the former Mrs. Howard
6. Dolly Parton
7. Dave Haywood
8. Earl Scruggs
9. Sun Records
10. Carrie Underwood, SONY/BMG
11. Just Got Started Lovin You – JAMES OTTO
12. Jimmy Webb
13. Reba McEntire – For My Broken Heart
14. Soundscan
15. Garth Brooks
16. Faith Hill
17. Pat Green
18. Chet Atkins
19. Hank Snow
20. Whiskeytown
my guesses:
1. Whitney Duncan
2. The Byrds
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Chesney & Strait?
5. Jan Howard
6. Dolly
7. no clue
8. Mother Maybelle?
9. Sun
10. Josh Gracin
11. no clue
12. Jimmy Webb
13. Reba?
14. SoundScan
15. no idea
16. Faith Hill
17. Pat Green
18. Chet Atkins
19. Hank Snow
20. no idea
i think i’m more comfortable with the classic country questions!
This is a fun idea, keep up the good work!
1. Whitney Duncan
2. The Byrds, can’t think of the album name
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Garth Brooks & Kenny Chesney
5. Jan Howard
6. Dolly Parton
7. Dave Haywood
8. ??
9. Sun Records
10. Josh Gracin, Lyric Street
11. James Otto- Just Got Started Lovin’ You
12. Jimmy Webb
13. Rosanne Cash- King’s Record Shop, 1987
14. SoundScan
15. Reba McEntire
16. Faith Hill
17. Pat Green
18. Chet Atkins
19. Hank Snow
20. ??
QUIZ ANSWERS: (1) WHITNEY DUNCAN(2)’SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO’(3)BOBBY PINSON(4) KENNY CHESNEY & GARTH BROOKS(5)JAN HOWARD(6)DOLLY PARTON(7)DAVE HAYWOOD(8)FIDDLIN’ JOE CARSON(9)SUN RECORDS(10) CARRIE UNDERWOOD/ARISTA LABEL(11)’OUR SONG” BY TAYLOR SWIFT(12)JIMMY WEBB(13)
RODNEY CROWELL “DIAMONDS AND DIRT”(14) BDS (15) EMMYLOU HARRIS (16)
FAITH HILL(17) PAT GREEN(18)CHET ATKINS(19)HANK SNOW(20)BASTARD SONS OF JOHNNY CASH
1.
2. Sweetheart of the Rodeo -The Byrds
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney
5.
6.
7. Dave Haywood
8.
9. Sun Records
10. Carrie Underwood on Universal
11. James Otto’s “Just Got Started Loving You”
12. Jimmy Webb
13. Coat of Many Colors- Dolly Parton
14.
15. Garth Brooks
16. Faith Hill
17. Pat Green
18. Chet Atkins
19. Roger Miller
20. Boys Named Sue
1. Whitney Duncan
2. Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the Byrds
3. Bobby Pinson
4. Garth Brooks? and ???
5. Jan Howard?
6. Dolly Parton
7. Pass
8. Pass
9. Sun
10. Josh Gracin, Lyric Street
11. Pass
12. Jimmy Webb
13. Reba?
14. SoundScan
15. Garth Brooks?
16. Faith Hill?
17. Pat Green
18. Chet Atkins
19. Hank something
20. Pass
what time is it?
I’m running very late thanks to my crappy internet connection, but it should be up in about ten minutes. Hold tight!
FYI, question #10 is not in the answers section, it’s the American Idol question.
Good, I’m not alone in doing terribly. xD
Thanks for the catch, Chris! I fixed it.
Wow, I may have missed the answer deadline, but I did try… and I did terrible. And I agree, #10 is missing.
haha wow 11 out of 20 for me is really good! haha a lot better than I had expected to do!
I am so ashamed I miss #13. I should have known that …
Looking forward to another installment of this next week.
Sorry I missed the first week of this!! I must have gone to bed right before you put it up last night. I think I would have gotten about 1/2 (maybe 2/3rds but I doubt it).
I look forward to the next installment and can hopefully participate!!!
Cool idea, I wish I would have had time to complete it this morning. I probably would have only known 13 or 14 of them. I even read the Robert K. Oermann book, but that Dolly trivia didn’t jump out at me.
Bobby Pinson has actually released a couple of albums and I thought both of them were pretty good. He does have talent, but he also writes some absolute crap. He was a co-writer on Sugarland’s “All I Want To Do,” Toby Keith’s “She’s A Hottie,” and Rascal Flatts’ “It’s Not Supposed To Go Like That.”
The Old 97′s question threw me. I’m not sure Johnny Cash popularized that song, as Ben mentioned, Vernon Dalhart recorded it back in the ’20s and it’s supposedly the first million selling country song and it has become a standard of sorts since them. I don’t think Cash even released it as a single.
Anyways, cool idea! Keep it up.
Now, the problems with self-reported scores are well-documented, but I would have gotten a 15.5. Hopefully next time I’ll be around to actually take it along with all the cool people. I like the idea of having this as a regular feature.
I only missed 4 – so I am damn proud.
I only know the Cash version of the song and had never heard of the other version that you guys mentioned. So, Cash popularized it for me.:) Anyway, I just guessed that answer because I’ve read that that was the reason for their name when I read about them in the past. Plus, I couldn’t think of anyone else.
Ben and Brady,
Y’all got me there – I wasn’t familiar with Dalhart’s version or that sales nugget, so I assumed Cash had the most popular version since his was on San Quentin. Thanks for the edification.
When I spoke well of Pinson’s resume, I was referring both to the the stuff on his own albums and some of his co-writes for others’ work, though I understand how the word “resume” might have made it sound like I was referring just to the latter. Sloppy semantics on my part, I guess; I’ll tweak it a bit.
Sorry to everyone who missed it – I’ll try to get it up earlier in the day next time. Thanks for the feedback!
“Sorry to everyone who missed it – I’ll try to get it up earlier in the day next time. “
awww don’t believe C.M. and Brady for a second with their whole “I wish I would have participated” routine. They was scurred.
Bring it on Ben!
I didn’t mean to make it seem like I was disputing anything you said about Pinson, Dan. Just thought I’d offer up an opinion on him.
“They was scurred.”
Ah, so that’s what’s afoot? A little country quiz cowardice in our midst?
Thanks for the clarification, Brady. I’m no good at interpreting comment subtexts. But your remark did illuminate that I wasn’t clear about Pinson’s work in the original post, which I thought was a good point to make, so I appreciated it nonetheless. No offense taken or anything.
Oh, the random places my name turns up… But yes, the “Jenny from the Block” line was mine.
“awww don’t believe C.M. and Brady for a second with their whole “I wish I would have participated” routine. They was scurred.”
I didn’t see this until now, but it makes me look forward to schooling Ben next time.