JUNO THE AWARDS ARE COMING SOON DON’T CHA?

Happy April everyone.  April means the annual JUNO Awards will soon be here.  The celebration of all things in Canadian music happens on Sunday April 21^st.  Regina Saskatchewan is JUNO headquarters this year and for 2013, k.d. lang will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.  The Hall was established in 1978 and honours Canadians musical artists who have achieved commercial success while having a positive impact on the Canadian music scene in Canada and around the world.  So, for the next few weeks, our questions will be about Canadian musicians and the JUNO Awards.  This week, we’ll see how good your memory is as we explore PREVIOUS inductees into the JUNO Hall of Fame.   

QUESTIONS:

1. Kicking off our quiz this week is a singer/songwriter who knew from an early age what he wanted to do.  He’s been performing since the 1950’s and shows no sign of slowing down.  He’s a native of Ottawa – his autobiography is out this month.  Throughout his career, he did it all ‘his way’.  The controversy with feminists over his 70’s hit, “You’re Having My Baby”brought him even more fame and fortune.  What’s the name of this singer/songwriter?     

2.  This Canadian power trio went into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994.  This year, they’ll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the U.S.  Their lead singer sang on Bob & Doug McKenzie’s (aka SCTV’s Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) 1982 novelty hit “Take Off”.  If you look “Closer To The Heart”, you’ll find the answer.  You’ll triumph if you know the name of this legendary Canadian band.  So what is it?         

3.  This Canadian singer lost her parents in a car crash when she was 21 and had to take care of her siblings while trying to work to bring in an income.  Her most famous Canadian gig was as a singer at the Deerhurst Inn in northern Ontario.  After moving to Nashville and an unscuccessful first album, she met and then co-wrote some of her hits with her former first husband Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange.  Her real name is Eileen Edwards, but her worldwide success only happened after she changed it.  Three of her Top Ten hits are: “You’re Still The One”, “From This Moment On” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much”.  So c’mon impress me much, who is this amazing singer who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2011?     

4.  In 1996, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences inducted 5 Canadian musical legends – Zal Yanovsky (The Lovin’ Spoonful), Domenic Troiano (The Guess Who, Bush), Denny Doherty (The Mamas & The Papas), John Kay (Steppenwolf) and this performer.  He had a troubled youth and was in and out of reform school and prison.  He cleaned up his act with music and scored several Canadian hits, such as “Boom Boom” and “Brainwashed” in the mid 1960’s before moving to New York, where he became the lead singer for a jazz rock fusion band that became world famous as Blood, Sweat & Tears.  Can you name this singer/songwriter?   

5.  She hails from Springhill, Nova Scotia and was one of Elvis Presley’s favourite singers.  This performer will be inducting k.d. lang into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame later this month.  Her start was on a CBC TV program out of Halifax called “Singalong Jubilee”.  After moving to Toronto, she had her first Top Ten North American chart hit with “Snowbird”.  Many other hits followed, including “You Needed Me’, a # 1 song in 1976.  She was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1993.  Who is she? 

ANSWERS

1.  That Ottawa native is Paul Anka, who was the fourth artist inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1980.  Anka’s first charted hit on Billboard in 1957 was also his first # 1 – “Diana”.  Since then, Paul has scored two more # 1’s, 1959’s “Lonely Boy” and “You’re Having My Baby” in 1974, although he has charted 53 songs.  Paul wrote Buddy Holly’s 1959  hit, “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”, 1971’s “She’s A  Lady” for Tom Jones and Paul w rote the English lyrics to a French melody that became the classic, “My Way”.  For those who remember the theme music from “The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson”, Paul wrote that as well.     

2.  I threw the name Triumph in the last line of the question to throw you off, but you weren’t fooled at all were you?  Rush were huge in Canada before they made it big in the U.S.   Their hits included “Closer To The Heart” (1977), “The Spirit of Radio” (1980), “Tom Sawyer” (1981) and “New World Man” (1982).  We congratulate Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson on their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this month.   

3.  Eileen Rogers changed her name to Shania Twain and never looked back.  The albums that Shania and her then husband, ‘Mutt’ Lange made together made country music history.  “The Woman In Me”, their second collaboration, sold nearly 20 million copies, making Shania the best selling country female artist of all time.  Twain and Lange were divorced in 200.  Three years later, Shania married 

Swiss businessman Frederic Thiebaud.                 

4.  David Clayton-Thomas first hit the Canadian record charts in 1964 with his version of the John Lee Hooker song, “Boom Boom”.  “Walk That Walk” followed, then “Take Me Back”, “Out of The Sunshine” and David’s only Canadian Top Ten hit, “Brainwashed”.  After moving to New York to work with Blood, Sweat & Tears, worldwide success followed with hits such as “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”, “Spinning Wheel”, “And When I Die” and “Hi-De-Ho”.  David moved back to Toronto several years ago and still performs occasionally.    

5.  Anne Murray is the lady in question and she’s done it all.  Had hit records, hit TV specials and sold out tours.  She liked to perform on stage barefoot.  Some of her hits on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart include: “Danny’s Song” (# 7 in 1973), “You Won’t See Me” (# 8 in 1974), “Broken Hearted Me” (# 12 in 1979) and “Daydream Believer” (#12 in 1980).  Anne has retired from performing, but her autobiography, “All of Me” was released by Random House in 2010.