Q1. In what year were The Coasters officially formed after members left The Robins?
A. 1953
B. 1955
C. 1957
D. 1959
Answer: B. 1955
Q2. Why were The Coasters named as such?
A. After their love for surfing on the California coast
B. Because they were the first group to tour by train along coastal routes
C. Due to their relocation from the West Coast to the East Coast
D. Inspired by a popular board game from the era
Answer: C. Due to their relocation from the West Coast to the East Coast
Q3. Who were the primary songwriters and producers behind The Coasters’ most memorable hits?
A. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson
B. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
C. Phil Spector and Brian Wilson
D. Ahmet Ertegun and Nesuhi Ertegun
Answer: B. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Q4. What was The Coasters’ first single as a group, released in 1956?
A. Yakety Yak
B. Searchin’
C. Down in Mexico
D. Charlie Brown
Answer: C. Down in Mexico
Q5. Which 1957 double-sided single featured “Searchin'” on one side and “Young Blood” on the other, marking The Coasters’ breakthrough?
A. It topped both pop and R&B charts
B. It was banned for its controversial lyrics
C. It featured guest vocals from Elvis Presley
D. It was recorded in a single take
Answer: A. It topped both pop and R&B charts
Q6. Who served as the lead tenor saxophonist on many of The Coasters’ recordings, earning him the nickname the “Fifth Coaster”?
A. Junior Parker
B. King Curtis
C. Plas Johnson
D. Lee Allen
Answer: B. King Curtis
Q7. What was The Coasters’ only No. 1 hit on both the pop and R&B charts in 1958?
A. Poison Ivy
B. Charlie Brown
C. Yakety Yak
D. Along Came Jones
Answer: C. Yakety Yak
Q8. Which 1959 hit by The Coasters was inspired by a real-life high school troublemaker and reached No. 2 on both pop and R&B charts?
A. Little Egypt
B. Charlie Brown
C. Framed
D. Run Red Run
Answer: B. Charlie Brown
Q9. “Poison Ivy,” a 1959 No. 1 R&B hit for The Coasters, uses the title as a metaphor for what?
A. A contagious dance craze
B. A villain in a comic book story
C. The dangers of young love and venereal disease
D. An allergic reaction to fame
Answer: C. The dangers of young love and venereal disease
Q10. Which Western-themed 1959 hit by The Coasters parodied TV cowboy shows and peaked at No. 9 on the pop chart?
A. Smokey Joe’s Cafe
B. Shoppin’ for Clothes
C. Riot in Cell Block No. 9
D. Along Came Jones
Answer: D. Along Came Jones
Q11. What was the original lineup of The Coasters in 1955, excluding the guitarist?
A. Carl Gardner, Billy Guy, Bobby Nunn, Leon Hughes
B. Carl Gardner, Will “Dub” Jones, Cornell Gunter, Earl “Speedo” Carroll
C. Billy Guy, Ronnie Bright, Jimmy Norman, Young Jessie
D. Carl Gardner, Bobby Nunn, Richard Berry, Ty Leonard
Answer: A. Carl Gardner, Billy Guy, Bobby Nunn, Leon Hughes
Q12. Which original member of The Coasters provided the deep bass vocals and later passed away in 1986?
A. Billy Guy
B. Leon Hughes
C. Bobby Nunn
D. Cornell Gunter
Answer: C. Bobby Nunn
Q13. Who replaced Leon Hughes as tenor in The Coasters around 1957 for some early recordings?
A. Earl “Speedo” Carroll
B. Young Jessie
C. Ronnie Bright
D. Jimmy Norman
Answer: B. Young Jessie
Q14. In 1958, which two members joined The Coasters to form the classic hit-making lineup?
A. Ronnie Bright and Thomas “Curley” Palmer
B. Adolph Jacobs and King Curtis
C. Vernon Harrell and Earl “Speedo” Carroll
D. Will “Dub” Jones and Cornell Gunter
Answer: D. Will “Dub” Jones and Cornell Gunter
Q15. Which longtime guitarist played on The Coasters’ early hits until 1959 and passed away in 2014?
A. Thomas “Curley” Palmer
B. Sonny Forriest
C. Adolph Jacobs
D. J. W. Lance
Answer: C. Adolph Jacobs
Q16. Who became a key baritone vocalist for The Coasters from 1955 to 1973 and died in 2002?
A. Carl Gardner
B. Billy Guy
C. Will “Dub” Jones
D. Jimmy Norman
Answer: B. Billy Guy
Q17. Which Coasters member, famous for his bass voice on “Mr. Bass Man,” joined in 1968 and stayed until 2009?
A. Bobby Nunn
B. Dennis Anderson
C. Earl “Speedo” Carroll
D. Ronnie Bright
Answer: D. Ronnie Bright
Q18. Who was the lead singer of The Coasters from 1955 until his death in 2011, and holder of the group’s legal name rights?
A. Cornell Gunter
B. Carl Gardner
C. Leon Hughes
D. Jimmy Norman
Answer: B. Carl Gardner
Q19. Which former Cadillacs lead singer joined The Coasters in 1961 and performed until 1979?
A. Earl Carroll
B. Young Jessie
C. Vernon Harrell
D. Primotivo Candelaria
Answer: A. Earl Carroll
Q20. As of 2023, who is the lead vocalist for the official Coasters group, performing since 2001?
A. Carl Gardner Jr.
B. J. W. Williams
C. Robert Fowler
D. James Williams
Answer: B. J. W. Williams
Q21. Which pre-Coasters hit by The Robins in 1955, produced by Leiber and Stoller, helped attract Atlantic Records’ attention?
A. Down in Mexico
B. Riot in Cell Block No. 9
C. Smokey Joe’s Cafe
D. Framed
Answer: C. Smokey Joe’s Cafe
Q22. What was the B-side to The Coasters’ 1959 hit “Charlie Brown,” which also became popular?
A. Three Cool Cats
B. I’m a Hog for You
C. That Is Rock & Roll
D. Wake Me, Shake Me
Answer: A. Three Cool Cats
Q23. Which 1960 Coasters single, peaking at No. 36 on the pop chart, told a story of escaping from prison?
A. Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)
B. Run Red Run
C. What About Us
D. T’ain’t Nothin’ to Me
Answer: B. Run Red Run
Q24. The Coasters’ 1961 hit “Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)” reached No. 23 on the pop chart; what was its theme?
A. A belly dancer’s allure
B. A wild party gone wrong
C. A detective’s mishaps
D. Parental arguments
Answer: A. A belly dancer’s allure
Q25. Which Leiber-Stoller composition was originally written for The Coasters in 1959 but first recorded by The Clovers?
A. Shoppin’ for Clothes
B. Besame Mucho
C. Love Potion No. 9
D. Wait a Minute
Answer: C. Love Potion No. 9
