IT’S CANADA DAY, UP CANADA WAY

Thanks to the late, great Stompin’ Tom Connors for our title this week.  Tom was a proud Canadian..and Canada should always be proud of him.  Although Tom was more of a ‘home  grown’ star, there are many more Canadians musicians and singers who’ve also done well, not only in Canada, but internationally.  So, all things Canadian in America is the theme for this quiz.  

As amazing a singer/songwriter as she is, Joni Mitchell doesn’t have one.  Montreal’s Gino Vannelli came close in the late ‘70’s.  Rush may be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but they don’t had one.  Even Alanis Morissette doesn’t have one and neither does Shania Twain.  What are we talking about?  Why a U.S. # 1 hit single of course.  

   

Over the decades, quite a few Canadians have topped Billboards’ Hot 100 chart.  For this quiz, you’ll have to guess, from the supplied questions and clues, which Canadian performer we’re talking about.    

Remember, all these artists had # 1 hit songs, so it really won’t be that hard.  Now, whip out your Canadian flag, wave it around a few times, then have at it.  For those reading this from other parts of the globe than the Great White North, take a shot anyway.  These are all well known artists.  Maybe you didn’t even know they were Canadian.  They ARE!   

   

QUESTIONS:

1.  This singer/songwriter had his first Billboard # 1 in 1957 and his last in 1974.  While he did have plenty of other hits, he only had one other # 1.  The song was also a # 13 hit for Donny Osmond in the fall of 1972.  A National Film Board of Canada documentary short uses this songs’ title.  His hometown is Ottawa and there’s a street there named after him.  Throughout his career, he’s always done things ‘his way’.  This star also has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, is a member of the Order of Canada and has had his autobiography published within the last few months.  Who is he and what’s the name of his # 1 Billboard hit?      

 His last came in 1974.  hH

2.  Originally, this performer was a high school phys ed teacher until a spot on a national CBC television program whisked her to stardom.  Her first hit, which did not go to # 1 in the U.S., happened in 1970.  Since then, she’s had many CBC/CTV TV specials and was a regular on “Glen Campbell’s Good Time Hour” TV series in the summer of 1974.  She’s now retired from singing, but can still swing a mean golf club.  Who is this legendary Canadian superstar?   

         

3.  In 2007, this singer/songwriter who hails from Napanee, Ontario topped the Billboard singles chart for the first time, although she was certainly no stranger to the charts.  Her 2002 debut album, “Let Go” yielded two Top Ten U.S. hits – “Complicated” (# 2) and “Sk8er Boi” (# 10).  On June 29^th (yes just a few days ago), she married (for the second time).  Her first husband was Deryck Whibley, from the band Sum 41.  Her groom this time was Chad Kroeger, lead singer for Nickelback.  We’re looking for the name of this chart topper and the song that took her to the top of the singles chart...and this time she wasn’t singing about ‘boi’s’, but about ‘girls’.  Who is she and what’s the song?  Here’s a hint:  Her father named her after the French pronunciation of the fourth month of the year. 

  

4.  Early in their career, they wished they ‘had a million dollars’.  Most likely they have that now (and more) after their runaway success.  The band formed in Toronto and released their first album “Gordon” in 1992.  Every Thursday night, you can hear them perform the opening theme (which they also wrote) to TV’s hottest sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory” (in syndication, the show airs every day somewhere).  They first hit Billboards’ Hot 100 in 1997 with “The Old Apartment” (# .  Their only # 1 (thus far anyway) happened a year later.  This song was the # 1 song on Billboard for ‘one week’ in 1998.  What’s the name of the band and their U.S. # 1 hit? 

     

5.  This singer is one of Canada’s most successful exports.  She’s sung several theme songs for movies, but her most famous was “My Heart Will Go On”, the end theme from fellow Canadian/director James Cameron’s blockbuster, “Titanic”.  Her first Billboard # 1 in 1994 had the same title as a Huey Lewis # 1 hit from 1985 (although it was not the same song).  This should be easy...so who is she and what was her first # 1 Billboard hit? 

               

ANSWERS

1.  That would be Paul Anka.  His first Billboard # 1 was “Diana” in 1957.  His last was 1974’s “(You’re) Having My Baby”.  In between he had dozens of hits, but his only other U.S. # 1 was 1959’s “Lonely Boy”.  The song was featured in the 1959 motion picture, “Girls Town” starring Mamie Van Doren, Mel Torme and Anka.  As an actor, Paul has also appeared in “The Longest Day” (1962) and “Captain Ron” (1992) among many other movie and TV appearances.  Paul Anka Drive is in the south end of Ottawa.  In 2005, Paul was doubly honoured with the Order of Canada and a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in Toronto.  “My Way”, Paul’s autobiography, was published in April of this year by St. Martin’s Press.  

             

2.  Anne Murray’s first U.S. hit was 1970’s “Snowbird”.  It peaked at # 8.  She entered the Top Ten again in 1973 with “Danny’s Song” (# 7) and once more in ’74 with her version of The Beatles song, “You Won’t See Me”.  Anne’s only Billboard Hot 100 # 1 was 1976’s “You Needed Me”.  Her big break came as cast member of CBC TV’s “Singalong Jubilee”.  She was signed to Arc Records in Toronto, but had her first real success with Capitol Records, the label she stayed with for a quarter of a century.  Since1970, Anne’s charted 28 ‘Pop’ hits, 41 ‘Adult Contemporary’ hits and 54 ‘Country’ hits.  She has the Order of Canada, a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  She’s won 4 Grammy Awards, and 24 JUNOs.  During her career, Anne has sold over 50 MILLION (records/cassettes/CDs) worldwide.  
  

3.  Avril Ramona Lavigne has sold over 30 million albums and 50 million singles.  She has a clothing line, plus not one, but two perfumes on the market.  Her 2007 # 1 hit was “Girlfriend”.  It survived at the top for only one week, but she joined an exclusive club of Canadian females, that includes Anne Murray, Celine Dion and Nelly Furtado, who’ve had # 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  In 2005, Avril won 3 JUNO Awards, including ‘Artist of the Year’.  Her clothing line, Abbey Dawn, is based on her childhood nickname.  Her two perfume lines are called Black Star and Forbidden Rose.  Hearty congratulations to newlyweds Avril and Chad.  

                    

4.  The Barenaked Ladies are the group.  “One Week” is the song (from the 1998 album “Stunt”).  The BNL have had a few line up changes over the years.  Andy Creeggan, the keyboard player, left in 1995 and co-founding member Steven Page departed in 2009.  Early in their career, they received a huge publicity boost in 1991, when a staffer for then Toronto mayor June Rowlands took them off the bill at the News Year’s Eve concert because of their name.  In February of this year, the Barenaked Ladies and Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield (commander of the International Space Station) came together on what was billed as the ‘first space-to-earth musical collaboration’ with the song “I.S.S.” (Is Somebody Singing”). 

            

5.  If you didn’t know it was Celine Dion, you should hand in your Canadian passport.  Her first Billboard # 1 was “The Power of Love”.   She first hit the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1990 with “Where Does My Heart Beat Now”.  The song climbed up to # 4.  Her four # 1’s are:  “The Power of Love” (1994), “Because You Loved Me” (1996), “My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic) (1998) and “I’m Your Angel”, a duet with R. Kelly (1998).  Celine has won far too many awards and accolades to write about here, but she received her star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 1999 and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.  Celine married her long time manager, Rene Angelil in Montreal in 1994.  The couple renewed their vows in Las Vegas in a lavish ceremony in 2000.