Pop Music Quick Quizzes

While we wait for Ken (just over a week to go), here's some teasers in the syle of Popmaster questions. Not long now my lovelies. And if you'd like to challenge me, I'd love to hear your questions.

1950s Food & Drink

Rationing continued after the end of World War II: sugar, butter, cheese, margarine, cooking fat, bacon, meat and tea were all still rationed when the Queen came to the throne in 1952. Sugar rationing ending in 1953 and meat rationing in 1954. The meagre choice of ingredients and flavourings, whilst concentrating the cook’s mind on creating filling and satisfying meals, would preclude even the best of cooks from creating cordon bleu dishes. Food was seasonal (no tomatoes in winter for example); there were no supermarkets, no frozen food or freezers to store it in and the only takeaway was from the fish and chip shop.

Meat and two veg was the staple diet for most families in the 1950s. It was the age of spam fritters, salmon sandwiches, tinned fruit with evaporated milk and fish on Fridays. Sunday lunch was a roast, then ham salad for high tea, followed by trifle or fruit cake. The only way to add flavour to this bland cooking was with tomato ketchup or brown sauce. Salad in the summer consisted of lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes, and the only dressing available was Heinz Salad Cream. In the winter, this was replaced with a coleslaw of thinly sliced white cabbage, onions and carrots, coated in Salad Cream. The average family rarely if ever ate out. The closest most people came to eating out was in the pub. There you could get potato crisps (three flavours only – potato, plain or salted – until Golden Wonder launched ‘cheese and onion’ in 1962), a pickled egg to go on top, and perhaps a pasty or some cockles, winkles and whelks from the seafood man on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening. Things started to change when the UK’s answer to the burger bars in America arrived in the 1950s to cater for that new group of consumers, the teenagers. The first Wimpy Bars opened in 1954 selling hamburgers and milkshakes and proved extremely popular.

These are some popular dishes in the 50s:

1950: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
Because sweet treats were in short supply during the years after the war, this amazingly colourful bake was welcomed with open arms when it burst onto the foodie scene in 1950. Made with tinned goods, pineapple upside down cake was an easy thing to whip up with your butter and sugar rations, and could make its way round a big family if sliced thinly enough.
1951: SPAM.
While fresh meat was still being heavily rationed, SPAM provided an unlikely source of protein to thousands of British families during the 1950s. Love them or hate them, SPAM fritters were the dish of the year. These crispy morsels were coated in batter, deep-fried and served up for many a supper.
1952: Baked Alaska.
To be a true child of 1952 you've got to have had a baked Alaska or two in your time. This science-defying pud wowed the masses when it was introduced in the 1950s with its hot outside and freezing cold inside. Made with a sponge bottom, a thick layer of jam, a mound of ice cream and a baked meringue shell it really was an impressive party centrepiece.
1953: Devilled Eggs.
Liberated from egg and sugar rations but still firmly in the grips of cheese and meat rationing British cooks of 1953 were keen to make the most of their new found culinary freedom. The result? Devilled eggs! These curried canapés were a real favourite for serving up as part of a party spread.
1954: Burgers and milkshakes.
1954 saw the end of rationing altogether and the opening of the first Wimpy Bars, selling burgers and milkshakes to Britain's teenagers - and they loved it.

1955: Black Forest Gateau.
With its layers of chocolate sponge, whipped cream and cherry syrup, Black Forest Gateau was the dish of the moment in 1955, after being invented in Germany some years earlier (known by its German title, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte). It appeared in recipe books everywhere following its inclusion on a list of best-known German cakes in 1949, and aren't we so glad of it? This classic cake is still a favourite for many today.
1956: Coronation Chicken.
Coronation chicken was invented for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 and gathered popularity with every year that passed. In 1956 this exotic mix of cooked chicken, mayonnaise and curry powder and truly become one of Britain's favourite lunchtime sandwich fillers and could even be found on the shelves of grocery shops, pre-made.
1957: Rice Pudding.
Ah, Rice pudding, a deliciously creamy dessert that was traditionally made in a pot but somehow found its way into a tin during the first world war. Despite the tinned version coming years earlier it was 1957 that marked a huge step change for the most popular brand, Ambrosia, when it had to open up a whole new factory to cope with the demand for its famous tinned pud. 1958: Chop Suey.
A rise in immigration during the 1950s and 60s gave Brits a real taste for strong flavours from further afield. 1958 was the year Chop Suey was introduced to the menu of Butlins' holiday camps - making it officially a British favourite!
1959: Arctic Roll.
Birds Eye inherited Arctic Roll in 1959, when it bought an Eastbourne ice cream factory and went on to have great success with this freezer staple of the time. Much like a traditional Swiss roll, this ice cream filled alternative captured the hearts of those who couldn't face having to make a pudding every evening.

Shops: due to food storage limitations and tight budgets, most food shopping in the 1950s was done every day and from local shops. Not every household owned a car or a refrigerator, so food shopping was part of the housewife's daily routine. It was normal to visit separate shops for bread (bakers), meat (butchers), vegetables (greengrocers), fish (fishmongers) etc. Most shops were family-owned businesses and traditional in character. The butcher wore a straw hat and a striped apron, used a thick wooden chopping block and sprinkled sawdust on the floor. Fresh fruit and vegetables were mainly grown in Britain (not imported), so strawberries would be in the shops for just a few weeks in the summer, and there were no fresh peas, beans or salad vegetables during the winter months. As a result, canned food was extremely popular, stretching beyond just beans and soup to include vegetables and fruit – everything from asparagus to pineapple – to fish and meat.
It was quite common too, for tradesmen to deliver their goods direct to the housewife. Groceries and greengroceries were often delivered each week in a motorised van and milk was delivered every day.

A shopping basket in the 1950s would have included items such as: wild rabbits, mangles, corsets, candles, wireless licence and gramophone records.


Huge thanks to https://nostalgiacentral.com/pop-culture/food-drink/shopping-in-the-1950s/ for stacks of this info.

1950s Top Thirteen – 56, 57

A definite move away from crooners as Rock ‘n’ Roll dominates the charts. A couple of these have made it into my top 13 because of their association with favourite movies: True Love from High Society (1956, with Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly), Jailhouse Rock (1957) and On The Street Where You Live from My Fair Lady (1964 with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison). Also, That’ll Be the Day (1973, starring David Essex and Ringo Starr) gave me Wake Up Little Susie & Great Balls Of Fire. And finally, Dirty Dancing wouldn’t be the same without Baby and Johnny lip-syncing to Love Is Strange, or the moody Still of the Night (not to be confused with the phenomenal Whitesnake version – same title, different song).

1. Doris Day - Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera) - 07-56 – Columbia
2. Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel - 03-56 –RCA
3. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall In Love? - 02-56 – Gee
4. The Everly Brothers - Wake Up Little Susie - 10-57 – Cadence
5. Mickey & Sylvia - Love Is Strange - 02-57 – Groove
6. Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly - True Love - 10-56 – Capitol
7. Vic Damone - On The Street Where You Live - 06-56 – Columbia
8. Jimmie Rodgers - Kisses Sweeter Than Wine - 12-57 – Roulette
9. Johnny Mathis - The Twelfth Of Never/Chances Are - 09-57 – Columbia
10. Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill - 10-56 - Imperial
11. Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes - 03-56 – Sun
12. Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue - 12-57 – Coral
13. Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line - 11-56 – Sun

And the ones not quite cool enough to make the grade
The Five Satins - In The Still Of The Night - 09-1956 - Ember
Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls Of Fire - 12-57 – Sun
Bill Haley & His Comets - See You Later, Alligator - 01-56 - Decca
Little Richard - Long Tall Sally - 04-56 - Specialty
Johnnie Ray - Just Walking In The Rain - 09-56 - Columbia
Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock - 10-57 - RCA
Billy Williams - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter - 07-57 - Coral

End of an Era - Tribute to Ken Bruce

Quick quiz: Who released the theme tune to Friends TV show – I’ll be there for you?

Friday 3rd March was a sad day for people all over the UK who have stopped what they're doing at 10:30 each weekday morning to challenge their knowledge of pop music with the kindest, most generous of hosts, whose gentle Scottish brogue and sharp wit have been a bright spot in uncertain times.
Like thousands of others, I've tuned in for a daily fix of warm, irreverent good-humour and a reminder about everything good about living in the UK as Ken entertains with witty throwaways. His gentle disparagement of the ridiculous schemes conjured up by those who think they have power over us always raises a smile as he puts the worst excesses into perspective, having the courage to say what those of us with a working brain cell are thinking. But it's all done in the best possible taste as a certain Mr Everett would say.
And what can you say about Popmaster? Other than the fact it’s really hard, except on the days it’s quite easy! The one time I got through, over a decade ago, I never got to speak to Ken, but I was responsible for Zoe Ball’s first tie-break on only 12 points. Thankfully, it was short and sweet as I bugged out on the first question - something to do with Eurovision. And that question above was the one I couldn’t remember on the day, but now will never forget – The Rembrants. Woulda got me another 6 points in the bonus topic of Hits from TV.

I must say, it's been quite a poignant swansong, ending as it did with the phenomenal Piano Room Month. For most of February, my daily five-mile walk has been accompanied by the fabulous shows featuring artists as diverse as Michael Ball, Raye and Haircut 100. For us oldies, there was Richard Marx, Belinda Carlisle and Simply Red - a real treat on Valentines' Day, covering Stylistics' You Make me Feel Brand New and Wings' My Love. If you haven't listened to them, I can thoroughly recommend every single show - I even enjoyed Stormzy's tracks. *Steady on, girl!* But he did wrap the whole thing up with a beautifully soulful rendition of Oleta Adams' Get Here. And for those of you who love a quiz but don't immediately recognise her, there's a snooker theme to the right hand pix which might help you guess the identity of the middle performer.

Also in February, Ken featured Chris Packham's Tracks of My Years - an eclectic mix which started with Puff the magic Dragon, Thunderbirds theme, and included Bowie, Eddie & the Hot Rods, and Psychedelic Furs. You have 9 days left to listen here. During the show, they chatted about the wonderful BBC Two documentary - Inside Our Autistic Minds. It features stories of two peoples' struggles with Autism, and one was Ken's son Murray. Well worth a watch, and you have 11 months to follow the link.

Ken feels like family to me - well I have been listening to him spinning discs for over half my life, so I got up in time to listen to all the fun. What an absolute gent. Professional to the last, Ken Bruce showed those less-than executives at the Beeb why he's the Nation's, if not the World's favourite radio presenter.
And what a day! I was already wobbling by the last half hour of Zoe's show and I have to say, she and her listeners did him proud. After playing Holding Out for a Hero, she described "the Mighty Bruce" as a super-smart class act, so supportive of everyone at Radio 2, self-deprecating, a true gent with razor-sharp wit and genuinely hilarious. She then played a tribute created by a couple of listeners, Dear Ken.
During his show, various people hijacked with tributes, including a clip from Rob Brydon's April Fool show. After some decidedly dodgy maths to calculate approximately how many hours he's invaded Ken's show, Jeremy Vine said this: “I’m gonna miss you so much. I’ve worked with some great people and you’re the best. I know you don’t like praise, but you’re the most generous, intelligent, talented colleague. For the presenters at Radio two, you are the Charlie Watts – the presenter we all want to be like.”

So now I have a long wait while the short-sighted people at R2 have put Ken on gardening leave because they're not happy about giving Greatest Hits Radio free advertising. They must be livid about losing Popmaster, even if they don't give a damn about any of their listeners over forty - or is it fourteen?
History repeats itself as I'm reminded of poor old Simon Mayo's disgraceful ejection back in 2018 from the drive-time show which is now an area I avoid like the plague along with many of my contemporaries. Looking at the plethora of GHR ads, his nose must be a tad out of joint, but GHR have billed themselves as "the home of Simon Mayo" for two years since he joined in March 2021. Interesting that when I searched for posters advertising this, they're nowhere to be found. Just saying.
But R2 seem determined to continue with this foot-shooting. That's me finished with daily shows.