About This Quiz
Put your glad rags on and join the fun. We're going to take a trip back to the 1950s, when rock & roll was still believed to be dangerous. It was a time when the kids rocked around the clock, listened to Elvis, and danced on American Bandstand.Jerry Lee Lewis, the Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash were just a few of the big names who made their mark on the decade. Unfortunately, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper perished on the "day the music died" and did not live to see the end of the decade. However, their records made a huge contribution to the future of rock & roll.
Songs from the 1950s have been covered by everyone from the Beatles to the Stray Cats. Many songs were covered multiple times by contemporary artists of the decade and topped the charts with different renditions. It wasn't uncommon for an Elvis song to have originated with another artist. How much do you know about 1950s rock and roll?Â
"Well, it's one for the money. Two for the show. Three to get ready. Now go, cat, go!" Test your knowledge of these classic 1950s rock & roll songs!
Ricky Valens' "La Bamba" was adapted from the Mexican folk song of the same name. In 2004, "Rolling Stone" magazine named it 354 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Peggy Sue" started life as "Cindy Lou." Cindy Lou was the name of Buddy Holly's niece. The name was changed at the suggestion of Jerry Allison, who changed it to his then-girlfriend's name.
Harry Belafonte released his version of "Day-O" in 1956. The song is a traditional Jamaican folk song.
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Carl Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes." His version topped the country chart, the rhythm & blues chart and the pop chart. However, Elvis's version would go on to sell more copies.
Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" was released in 1958. It mentions "Lollipop," "Peggy Sue" and "Good Golly Miss Molly" from other period songs.
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote "Hound Dog." Big Mama Thornton recorded the song in 1953. In 1956, Elvis would release his version.
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Dale Hawkins released "Susie Q" in 1957. In the 1960s, Both Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Rolling Stones recorded cover versions.
Hank Williams recorded "Your Cheatin' Heart" in 1952. The song would see chart success in 1953, shortly after his death.
While in the studio, Bill Haley & His Comets only had two takes to capture the song. The first tape was unusable because Haley's vocals could not be heard, so the second take had minimal backing. An engineer was able to salvage the tapes through splicing together segments from the two takes.
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"Blueberry Hill" was originally released in the 1940s, when Gene Autry recorded a version. Fats Domino's rock and roll version became popular in the 1950s.
On July 13, 1968, Johnny Cash recorded a live album inside Folsom Prison. "Folsom Prison Blues," the song that started it all, was inspired by the film "Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison."
In 1955, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" was first recorded by Big Maybelle. Jerry Lee Lewis would record his well-known version in 1957.
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When "Earth Angel" was released by the Penguins, it became more popular than its A-side, "Hey Señorita." The two songs were released in October 1954.
"Maybellene" is Chuck Berry's interpretation of a traditional country tune called "Ida Red." He originally named his song "Ida Mae," but Leonard Chess, the owner of Chess Records, didn't like the name. After spotting a mascara box with "Maybelline" written on it, he suggested the song could be called "Maybellene."
Little Richard wrote "Tutti Frutti" with Dorothy LaBostrie. The original lyrics were racier, but a cleaned-up version was released in 1955. Elvis Presley would record a version that was released the following year.
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The Isley Brothers recorded "Shout" as a response to Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops." The song peaked at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Bobby Helms released "Jingle Bell Rock" in 1957. The song's B-side was "Captain Santa Claus (and His Reindeer Space Patrol)."
"Love Me Tender" shares its melody with the Civil War song "Aura Lee." Elvis released "Love Me Tender" in 1956.
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In 1956, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps recorded "Be-Bop-A-Lula." It has since been covered by David Cassidy, Queen, the Stray Cats and many other artists.
"I Got a Woman" became Ray Charles' first number one in 1955. The Beatles recorded a version of the song in 1963 for BBC Radio.
Willie Dixon wrote "Hoochie Coochie Man." Muddy Waters recorded the song in 1954.
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"Love Potion No. 9" is another song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. This song was originally recorded by the Clovers. The song's initial release was in July 1959.
"Long Tall Sally" was written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson and Richard Penniman. Little Richard recorded it in 1956.
The Big Bopper released his version in 1958. The B-side was "The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor."
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"Rolling Stone" considers "Johnny B. Goode" to be the first rock & roll hit about rock & roll stardom. The song came about in April 1958 and was based on Chuck Berry's experiences.
In 1956, Johnny Cash scored his first big hit with "I Walk the Line." The song stayed on the charts for well over six months.
Jerry Lee Lewis recorded "Great Balls of Fire" at Sun Studio. It was released on November 11, 1957.
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Eddie Cochran co-wrote "Summertime Blues" with his manager Jerry Capehart. It was originally released as a B-side. In September 1958, the song peaked at 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Jailhouse Rock" shares its name with the 1957 movie it appears in. It was Elvis's third movie.
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote "Poison Ivy." The Coasters recorded a version in 1959 that went to the top of the R&B chart.
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Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers saw chart success with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Lymon died of an overdose at the age of 26.
In 1956, "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" were released on two sides of the same 45 RPM record. They are still two of Elvis's biggest hits.
"Shake, Rattle and Roll" was written in 1954 by Jesse Stone. Big Joe Turner, Bill Haley & His Comets, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis all recorded versions of the song.
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Chuck Berry released his version of "Back in the U.S.A" in 1959. Almost 20 years later, Linda Ronstadt would release her version as a single.