The Musicians of the 1970s Quiz

The Bee Gees began singing in Australia in the late 1950s as young boys, and by the 1970s they were already an international success. The decade featured multiple hits, such as “Stayin’ Alive,” “Too Much Heaven,” “Tragedy” and Night Fever.”

Stevie Wonder was born premature, a fact that contributed to the permanent loss of his sight as a baby. This has not stopped him from having worldwide sales of over 100 million records, winning 25 Grammy Awards and having over 30 top ten hits, so far. His long list of 1970s hits includes “Heaven Help Us All," “Superstition,” “Sir Duke” and “I Wish.”

John Lennon co-founded the Beatles in 1960 and spent the next ten years with the group as they achieved superstardom. After the Beatles broke up in 1970, Lennon embarked on a solo career that produced such hits as “Instant Karma” and “Imagine” in the 70s. Lennon then kicked off the 80s with the megahits “(Just Like) Starting Over” and “Woman.”

When Elton John first released “Candle in the Wind” in 1974, it was in tribute to the famous actress Marilyn Monroe who died in 1962. In 1997, after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Elton John adjusted the lyrics and rereleased the song as a tribute to her. The original song was inspired by the life of rock star Janis Joplin who died in 1970.

Donna Summer’s songs ruled the dance floor in the 1970s, so much so that she earned the title "The Queen of Disco." She also became known as "The First Lady of Love" thanks to her sultry vocals on songs like “I Feel Love,” “Last Dance,” “Love to Love You Baby” and “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough),” which was recorded with Barbra Streisand.

Billy Joel began singing professionally in 1965 and enjoyed moderate success until the release of his breakout album "Piano Man" in 1973. The title track became a big hit and Joel continued through the 70s with other top ten singles which included “Just the Way You Are,” “She's Always a Woman” and “My Life.”

Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been with The Rolling Stones since the group came together in 1962. The group has a long list of albums that have achieved Platinum status. They include an impressive streak of eight consecutive albums hitting number one in the US, beginning with "Sticky Fingers" (1971) and ending with "Tattoo You" (1981)

The Village People formed in 1977 and before the decade ended, they had churned out some of what would become the decade’s most memorable hits (and costumes!). Dressed as the Cop, Native American, Construction Worker, GI, Leather Man, and Cowboy, the group’s 1970s hits included “Macho Man,” “In the Navy,” “Go West” and “Y.M.C.A.”

Daryl Hall and John Oates have been harmonizing together since 1970 and have earned the distinction of being the music industry’s all-time best selling duo. Their first top ten hit was “Sara’s Smile” (1976) and almost a year later, they achieved their first chart-topper with “Rich Girl” (1977).

Throughout the 1970s, Barry Manilow tugged at heartstrings with hits which included “Mandy” and “I Write the Songs.” He also got fans moving on the dance floor with the likes of “Copacabana (At the Copa),” which won him his only Grammy Award, so far.

For over 20 years, Queen’s lineup consisted of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon. They came together early in the 1970s and belted out hits, such as “Killer Queen,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebody to Love” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” before the decade ended.

The Commodores formed in 1968 but it wasn’t until late in the next decade that they hit up their biggest success. Apart from “Three Times a Lady,” their other number one hits included “Still,” “Easy” and Slippery When Wet.”

Three Americans and two British guys came together in 1976 and formed the rock band Foreigner. Their biggest hit single may have been “I Want to Know What Love Is” in 1984, but they also had several top ten hits in the late 1970s. These included “Cold as Ice,” “Feels Like the First Time,” “Hot Blooded” and “Double Vision.”

Kenny Rogers took several of his singles to the number one position on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in the 1970s. Quite a few of them also fared very well on mainstream charts, making Rogers one of the decade’s most successful singers. Among his 70s hits were “Coward of the County,” “She Believes in Me,” “The Gambler” and “You Decorated My Life.”

At the beginning of the decade, Bowie created and revealed the character Ziggy Stardust who became hugely popular in his own right. Along with the success of Ziggy, Bowie also had high-ranking songs which included “Starman,” “The Jean Genie,” “Fame” and “Space Oddity.”

Brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael were the singing and dancing machines of the 1970s. Michael later embarked on a solo career becoming the “King of Pop,” but the group had already attained superstardom before he did. Apart from “ABC,” they scored other 70s chart-toppers with “The Love You Save,” “I'll Be There” and of course, “Dancing Machine” among others.

Rod Stewart's stylish way of dressing earned him the nickname Rod the Mod, but it was songs like “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” which landed him the moniker Rod the Bod. Other songs by Stewart to reach number one in the 70s include “Reason to Believe,” “The First Cut Is the Deepest” and “Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright).” He was knighted in 2016 and given the title Sir.

Teddy Pendergrass supplied lead vocals for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes from 1970 to 1976. He took the group through its most successful period with such hits as “To Be True” and “Wake Up Everybody.” Pendergrass completed the decade as a solo act and earned further distinction, making several appearances on the charts, including “Close the Door” and “Turn Off the Lights.”

When they formed in 1970, Aerosmith also had the "Hookers" and "Spike Jones" as possible band names. No doubt, the Steven Tyler-led group would have been an international success regardless of the name they chose. They sailed through the decade with several hit singles, including “Dream On,” “Walk This Way” and a remake of the Beatles classic “Come Together.”

With over 400 million records sold worldwide, ABBA goes down in history as one of the most successful groups in the history of music. They formed in 1972 and churned out hit after hit during the decade. Among them were “Take a Chance on Me,” “Chiquitita” and “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).”

Although lead singer Debbie Harry often gets referred to as Blondie, it is actually the entire group which goes by the name. They released their first album, aptly titled “Blondie” in 1976 and scored their first chart-topper in 1979 with “Heart of Glass.”

The height of success came for Lynyrd Skynyrd between 1973 and 1977 when their hits included “Sweet Home Alabama, “Free Bird” and “What’s Your Name?” Tragedy struck in October of 1977, however, when band members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, along with four others were killed in a plane crash. Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded for ten years after the crash.

Richard and Karen Carpenter began performing together in the mid-1960s but did not take on the stage name "Carpenters" until 1969. Their signature style was built around Karen’s distinctive voice and Richard’s music writing skills. Their biggest hits of the 1970s include “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “"Yesterday Once More” and “Top of the World.”

"Let’s Get It On” (1973) is one of Marvin Gaye’s most well-known songs. It was the title track of Gaye’s 13th album, going on to top the charts and be certified Platinum in the US. Another of Gaye’s most successful songs in the 70s is “Got to Give It Up” (1977), but his next Platinum record would be “Sexual Healing” in the next decade.

Barbra Streisand has spent six decades impacting nearly aspect of the entertainment industry as a successful singer, actress, songwriter, and filmmaker. Apart from “The Way We Were,” her other Platinum-certified songs of the 70s include “You Don't Bring Me Flowers” (with Neil Diamond) and “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (with Donna Summer).

Shock rock band Alice Cooper is led by Vince Furnier, who also uses the Alice Cooper name as his own. Furnier, known as the “The Godfather of Shock Rock,” and the band are noted for going all out to ensure their lyrics, appearance and stage performances live up to the genre. Thanks to their hits like “I’m Eighteen” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” they are often credited with bringing shock rock to mainstream audiences.

The Temptations group was founded in 1960, and since that time, over 20 singers have performed as a part of The Temptations’ lineup. Otis Williams is the only one of the five original members who is still performing with the group. The Temptations started off the decade with their top ten hit “Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today).”

James Brown’s career began in the early 1950s, and by the time the 70s rolled around, the tireless performer and prolific singer was still going strong. In fact, the 1970s proved to be a very successful decade for Brown who saw several of his songs taking the number one spot. These include “Make It Funky,” “Hot Pants” and “My Thang.”

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers officially formed in 1976 and the heartland rock group remained active until Petty’s death in 2017. Their debut, a self-titled album, produced one of their most memorable songs, “American Girl” and the group went on to chart other hits in the decade, such as “Don't Do Me Like That” and “Refugee.”

Diana Ross embarked on her solo career after achieving mega success as the lead singer of the Supremes in the 1960s – and reached even greater heights of fame. Her 70s hits included “Love Hangover,” “Touch Me in the Morning” and “Do You Know Where You're Going To” – the theme song from the 1975 film “Mahogany.”

Linda Ronstadt released “Hand Sown... Home Grown,” the first of her 28 studio albums, in 1969. In the decade that followed, her distinctive voice took her into the top ten with such hits as “When Will I Be Loved” and “You're No Good,” both of which took the number one slot in 1975.

When the husband-and-wife duo of “Captain” Daryl Dragon and Cathryn Tennille released their debut album “Love Will Keep Us Together” in 1975, it rose to number 2 on the charts. The title track did even better, rising to number one in the US, Canada, and Australia. It also went on to win the 1976 Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

The Reverend Al Green, as he came to be known, released “Let’s Stay Together” in 1972 as the title track to his fourth album. The song is one of those most fans readily associate with Green, but it also became known as the 1983 comeback hit of Tina Turner who, like Green, took the song to the number one position on the charts.

In the second half of the 1970s, The Police became one of the pioneers of new-wave rock. Their fusion of punk rock, jazz and reggae brought the genre into the mainstream with hits which included “Message in a Bottle,” “Walking on the Moon" and “Roxanne.”

The 1970s proved to be a very successful decade for Olivia Newton-John with many of her songs finding a spot in the top ten. She got the decade started with “If Not for You” in the number one spot and kept things going with hits which included “If You Love Me (Let Me Know),” “I Honestly Love You” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You” (one of her hits from the movie “Grease” (1978).