WHAT’S MY LINE?

For those youngsters out there who don’t recognize the name in the title, “What’s My Line” was a weekly TV program that aired from 1950 until 1967.  The premise was people with unusual or unique occupations were interviewed by four panelists and the panels’ questions could only be answered by a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  If ‘no’, the contestant got a little more money and the next panelist got to ask a question and so on.  Since “What’s My Line” survived for 17 years, it was obviously a popular television show (as well as being fairly inexpensive to produce).

    

This weeks’ quiz is all about previous jobs or occupations of successful musicians and singers.  For example, before Jimi Hendrix became a ‘guitar superstar’, he played in bands for The Isley Brothers “Twist & Shout” and Joey Dee & The Starlighters (“Peppermind Twist”) and prior to those gigs, he worked for ‘Uncle Sam’ in the U.S Army.  Rick Springfield (“Jessie’s Girl”) was an actor who appeared on the U.S. daytime soap opera “General Hospital”.  You get the picture.  So take this job...and guess it.    

QUESTIONS

1.  This ‘70’s/80’s/90’s music star charted over 20 hits on Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 singles chart, but his original occupation was the family business – the New York City Police Department.  His father, grandfather and brother were all NYC police officers.  Our mystery singer/songwriter (real name Edward Joseph Mahoney) was a NYPD cop for 2 years before moving to San Francisco and kick starting his music career.  His early Top Ten hits include “Two Tickets To Paradsie” and “Baby Hold On”.  Can you name this former NYC police officer?                                

2.  Singer Bonnie Tyler has often been called the female version of this singer.  His raspy vocal style took him to the top of the singles charts four times, his first came in 1971.  He was formerly in a band with a member of The Rolling Stones.  A myth about this singer is that he was once a gravedigger, but he had planned on becoming a soccer star, but music made him a star first.  Some guys have all the luck.  He’s sold over 200 million records during his career so far.  Who is this soccer loving musical superstar?          

                

3.  Long before “Every Breath You Take” and “Roxanne”, this former Police-man had a totally different occupation.  Sting, aka Gordon Sumner, took his vocation seriously while continuing to play in bands.  He made music his full time occupation after The police took off.  Can you guess Stings’ previous job?            

4.  This musician KISSed his way to fame and fortune with his music, his long tongue and his marketing expertise.  But before he co-created his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, he briefly taught elementary school.  Who is this fire breathing rock and roller?         

    

5.  This singer has had great success on the record charts, but not a lot with her personal life.  Her first marriage (to a wild and crazy actor/comedian) lasted less than a year and she’s been dating (off and on) a notorious ‘Ladies Man’.  Her music career however has only grown bigger with every record.  She comes from a very religious family (her real last name is Hudson).  She even released an album of spiritual/religious songs before her pop career really ‘roared’.  Who is this singer?                                                 

 ANSWERS

1.  That would be Eddie Money, who was a New York City police officer making arrests before he was making gold records.  Eddie’s sold more than 28 million records.  His early Top Forty hits include “Baby Hold On” and “Two Tickets To Paradise”, but his only Top Ten  (according  to Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 chart) was 1986’s “Take Me Home Tonight” with Ronnie Spector (lead singer of The Ronettes).  That one made it to # 4 in November 1986.  Eddie still tours today and has no plans to rejoin the NYPD.  

2.  Rod Stewart was NEVER a gravedigger.  He did mark grave plots at Highgate Cemetery in England, plus he also worked in a North Finchley (England) funeral home.  Somehow the myth began that he dug graves as well, but that wasn’t the case.  Rod actively encouraged this erroneous fact.  Rod did work as a silk screener printer, he erected fences and was a sign painter, but football was his true calling (or so he thought).  He went to trials for the Brentford Football Club, but says he never got a call back.  One of Rod’s early successful bands was The Faces (aka Small Faces).  Another member of The Faces was future Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.  Rod left The Faces for a solo career, which included 4 # 1 hits, “Maggie May” (1971); “Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (1976); “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” (1979) and “All For Love” (1994), from the motion picture “The Three Musketeers”.  “All For Love” also featured Bryan Adams and Sting.  “Rod: The Autobiography” was released in 2012.  More recently, Stewart achieved platinum sales status with his “Great American Songbook” series of albums 1 through 4.                             

3.  Sting, aka Gordon Sumner, was a certified primary school teacher in England.  He also taught English at St. Paul’s First School, a secondary school near Newcastle, Sting’s home town.  One of Stings’ most successful songs, “Every Breath You Take” (it came to him in a dream), brings in approximately $2000.00 a day in royalties.  And that’s just one of his many hits.  It’s also one of the most requested songs at radio today.  As a member of The Police, Sting was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2003.  The previous year, Sting had been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  His net worth has been estimated at slightly under 300 million dollars.  

                    

4.  Before he became a fire breathing, marketing maven, Gene Simmons (real name Chaim Witz) was an elementary school teacher in New York City.  He was also briefly an assistant to an editor at Vogue Magazine.  The first national television appearance by KISS was on the daytime Mike Douglas Show, which was very popular with housewives, in June 1974.  The original members of KISS were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year (2014).                            

5.  While Katy Perry has been on top in the music business for quite a while, prior to her success with “I Kissed A Girl”, “California Gurls”, “Roar” and “Dark Horse”, she spent the better part of a decade as a singer of religious songs under her real name Katy Hudson.  Her parents, both pastors, did not allow young Katy to listen to secular music, but a slumber party at a friends’ house changed all that.  In March of 2001, Katy Hudson released a self titled album of religious songs, including “Faith Won’t Fail”, “Trust in Me” and “When There’s Nothing Left”.  Her first pop album, “One of The Boys” was released in January of 2008 and included her # 1 hit “I Kissed A Girl”.  Since then, the former Katy Hudson has never looked back, although her personal life has taken a few lumps.  Her marriage to British comedian and actor Russell Brand lasted less than a year and she was criticized for dating John Mayer, the ‘serial dater’ whose list of ladies he’s been linked with include singers Taylor Swift and Jessica Simpson to actresses Jennifer Love Hewitt, Minka Kelly and Jennifer Aniston.