I love to surf music-related websites and one of my favorites is the The Smile Shop message board which in 2005 changed its format from a strictly Beach Boys Smile emphasis to general rock 'n roll. I was always finding interesting little trivia tidbits answered by one of the board regulars, Ian. So, I approached Ian with the offer of hosting a regular column for EAR CANDY where he answers any trivia questions that come in. Needless to say, Ian agreed and this is the first installment of what we hope will become a regular feature!

So, join me now as we "Ask Ian"...

Is Linda Eastman, the first wife of Paul McCartney, really an heiress to the Eastmans of EASTMAN-KODAK fame?

IAN: No! This rumor has to be attibutable to her status as a pre-eminent photographer.

What was the first album release without the artist’s name anywhere on the cover?

IAN: Hmmm. I believe the first Rock and Roll LP without the artist's name was the classic For L.P. Fans Only by Elvis. Classic cover.

I once heard that Ed McMahon (formerly of Tonight Show fame) was once a member of the Four Seasons? Is that for real?

IAN: What? You're high. He may have stayed at The Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas on a cocaine binge with a few prostitutes. But you didn't hear it from me.

What exactly was the first “rock and roll record”? I’ve heard it was a recording with Ike Turner on it?

IAN: No one agrees. Some say it was Fats Domino's The Fat Man in 1949. Some say it was Jackie Brenston's Rocket 88 in 1951 (the record with Ike on it). Me, I say that was rhythm and blues and that only one man synthesized country, R&B, jump swing, hard blues and pop. Mr. Elvis Presley with That's All Right on the Sun label in 1954.

Was Chevy Chase really a member of Steely Dan?

IAN: Nope, but an early Becker-Fagen project was The Leather Canary, which Chevy indeed sat in with on a couple of occasions.

Did Alan Freed coin the phrase “rock and roll”?

IAN: No, but he did associate the new hybrid music with the term. Rock was a term used since the swing days to describe hoppin' music, and English blacks used the full rock and roll term as a euphemism for intercourse. Freed's epochal radio show "Moondog's Rock And Roll Party" indelibly associated the phrase with the new music, however.

Is it true that “Bobbie Gentry” isn’t her real name that she took it from a movie? Also, is it true that she was once married to a millionaire gambler?

IAN: She was born Roberta Lee Streeter and changed her name to after she saw the film Ruby Gentry. She was married in 1969 (for 3 weeks!) to William Harrah, owner of Harrah's, the hotel and casino chain.

Who was the only person to drum live for The Who before Kenney Jones drummed for the group after Keith Moon’s death?

IAN: Scott Halpin, on November 20, 1973, on the opening night of the US leg of the Quadrophenia tour. Moon collapsed near the end of the show after overdosing on horse tranquiliser. The 3 remaining members played a couple of songs as a 3 piece, then asked for a drummer from the audience to finish the show. 18 year old Scott came up and played Roadrunner and Naked Eye with the band, and became a footnote in rock history.

Did George Harrison play guitar on Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman”?

IAN: That's what they say! I'll say yes.

Is it true that Bob Dylan was in the audience for Buddy Holly’s very last live performance?

IAN: No, but he did see him 3 days earlier, in Duluth, Minnesota on January 31, 1959. Holly died February 3rd after a show in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Who was the only guest on “American Bandstand” to play his songs live instead of lip-syncing?

IAN: Who other than the man with Chicago with the guitar named Lucille? B.B. King himself, automatically making him COOLEST GUY EVER.

[Note from editor: I also found two sources that said that Jerry Lee Lewis did not lyp-sinc on the show. One is in "Thirty Years of Rock 'n Roll Trivia" by Fred L. Worth. The other is in "AMERICAN BANDSTAND: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock 'n' Roll Empire" by John A.Jackson, which tells how Jerry Lee Lewis refused to lip-sync like everyone else. "I ain't no puppet," he said. "I didn't come all the way up from Memphis to play charades." Maybe Lewis was simply the first guest to refuse to lip-sync.]

Three of the Beatles (John, George, and Ringo) recorded together in 1973 for Ringo’s “I’m the Greatest”. Did John Lennon and Paul McCartney ever record together after The Beatles “Abbey Road” album? Was there anything released?

IAN: They recorded just once, a truly awful jam session at John's LA beach house on March 31 1974. Harry Nilsson and Stevie Wonder were also in attendance. Drunken, stoned, shambolic, unlistenably bad. Nothing has been released, and hopefully nothing shall be.

About Ian:

When Ian was just a toddler, he could be found sitting in front of his stereo with headphones on, memorizing every detail of the music he was listening to. By the time he was 7, he was one of the foremost authorities on the history of rock and roll and could play several instruments. He started his performing career playing guitar in his parents' punk band. This was the start of a wild ride in the oft-times nightmarish world of show-business, with stints in bands like the infamous Butt Trumpet. He is currently planning a world takeover with two bands, Altar X and Switchblade Kittens He currently resides in Reseda, Ca with his lovely girlfriend Roseanna. He loves you.