ROCK ROYALTY

Royal watchers are calling it 'the Wedding of the Century' as Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot April 29th.Congratulations to the newlyweds. But that got us here at Rock Talk to thinking about the royalty in rock, so the following 5 questions are all about rock's elite...those that have nicknames of King or Queen or some sort of royal title in their name or in one of their song titles.That's a fairly simple explanation and all 5 of the following questions are fairly simple to answer - IF you know your rock'n'roll. So let's see now, shall we?

QUESTIONS.

1. This performer currently lives in Detroit and for decades has been known simply as 'The Queen of Soul'. She gets all of the 'respect' she deserves from the recording industry with award after award. She was the first female performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1985. Who can she be now?

2. Our next question is about the man who formerly drove a truck for a living. He stopped into a Memphis recording studio one day...and the rest is rock'n'roll history. Somewhere along the way someone nicknamed him 'The King of Rock 'n' Roll'. It was not a title he'd ever give himself as he was from humble southern roots. Y'all know who we're talkin' about here?

3. This artist was a country/pop crossover who in the early 1960's, seemingly came from nowhere with hit after hit on the charts. His first Top Ten song was called "When Two Worlds COllide" on RCA Victor Records, but his most famous hit came in 1965 and was about a hobo who travelled the country, riding the rails, doing what he wanted. Some of the lyrics from this Top 4 hit were 'No phone, no pool, no pets....ain't got no cigarettes." What's the 'royal name of this hit and who was the writer/performer?

4. He survived and prospered after a 'Purple Rain'. He even survived having no name for a while. This incredibly talented superstar surrounded himself on stage with beautiful women and for a time, used a uniquely shaped guitar. No more clues, but can you name this one-name star?

5. Twenty five years before there was Lady Ga-Ga...there was "Radio Gaga". This British group had hit after hit on the charts and first became famous in the mid 1970's. Their lead singer was a flamboyant performer who was fearless on stage. While their musical styles changed over the years, the hits never stopped. The movie "Wayne's World" brought them to a new generation of fans. So who is this 'royal' British group?

ANSWERS

1. 'The Queen of Soul' is Aretha Franklin, but you knew that right away, didn't you?

2. He died in August of 1977, but his legend lives on decades past his death. Long live 'The King of Rock'n'Roll'...Elvis Presley. In May of 1994, his daughter Lisa Marie, married the self nicknamed 'King of Pop', Michael Jackson. Their marriage lasted less than two years. By the way, that truck that Elvis drove was for his job at the Crown Electric Company in Memphis.

3. That would be the "King of The Road' himself, Mr. Roger Miller. Miller's other Top Ten hits included "Dang Me", "Engine Engine # 9", "Chug-A-Lug" and "England Swings". In 1965, he won 6 Grammy Awards. He also wrote the music for the 1985 Broadway hit, "Big River". Roger Miller died of cancer in October 1992 at the age of 56.

4. Prince Rogers Nelson, yep that's his real name, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1958. His hits included "Purple Rain", "Little Red COrvette", and his 5 number one's, "When Doves Cry", "Let's Go Crazy", "Kiss", "Batdance" and "Cream". He insisted on using an unpronounceable symbol instead of a name from 1993 until 2000. The media dubbed him, 'the artist formerly known as Prince'. He resumed using the Prince name in 2000.

5. Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Brian May and Freddie Mercury were Queen, whose hits included "Bohemian Rhapsody", We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (a # 1 hit), "Another One Bites The DUst" (another # 1) and the aforementioned "Radio Ga-Ga" in 1984. Lead singer Freddie Mercury died on November 24, 1991.