Trivia questions about popular music and musical instruments.
Which metal-keyed electric percussion instrument resembles a
xylophone?
A: Vibraphone.
Which record producer created the 'wall of sound' for the Crystals
and the Ronettes?
A: Phil Specter.
How many reeds does an oboe have?
A: Two.
Who was bass guitarist in the Beatles?
A: Paul McCartney.
For which rock group was Charlie Watts the drummer?
A: The Rolling Stones.
What was the first free rock festival, held in New York state in
1969?
A: Woodstock.
What is the name of the metal discs set in the rim of a tambourine?
A: Jingles.
Which US pioneer of rock and roll played with the Comets?
A: Bill Haley.
Which popular singer was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and died in
Memphis, Tennessee?
A: Elvis Presley.
Which guitarist burned his guitar at the Monterey festival in 1967?
A: Jimi Hendrix.
Which group was fronted by guitarists Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir for
three decades?
A: Grateful Dead.
Who collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber to write Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat?
A: Tim Rice.
What was the electric tone-wheel organ invented in 1934?
A: Hammond Organ.
What was the name of the hard-rock group formed by David Bowie in the
late 1980s?
A: Tin Machine.
Which song was a number 1 hit for Esther and Abi Ofarim?
A: Cinderella Rockerfella.
Which rock group's original pianist Ian Stewart died in 1985?
A: Rolling Stones.
In which American state were both Buddy Holly and Janis Joplin born?
A: Texas.
Who created the character of Ziggy Stardust in his glam-rock period
of the 1970s?
A: David Bowie.
What is a bass xylophone called?
A: Marimba.
Which singer won an Oscar for acting in Form Here to "Eternity?
A: Frank Sinatra.
Who was the 'Forces' Sweetheart' of World War II?
A: Vera Lynn.
Which Canadian singer / songwriter recorded the albums Blue and
Hejira?
A: Joni Mitchell.
Which guitarist formed the rock group whose album, Brothers in Arms,
has sold over 20 million copies?
A: Mark Knopfler.
What was the title of Brecht's adaptation of the Beggar's Opera,
which included the song 'Mac the Knife'?
A: The Threepenny Opera / Die Dreigroschenoper.
Alto, tenor, bass, and contra-bass are all sizes of which brass
instrument?
A: Trombone.
Which 1965 Beatles song was covered by 1,186 performers in ten years?
A: Yesterday.
What was Bing Crosby's real first name?
A: Harry.
Who collaborated with /'Elvis Costello on his recording of 'Back on
My Feet', and with Michael Jackson on 'Say, Say, Say?
A: Paul McCartney.
Which type of music developed from the folk music of English, Irish
and Scottish settlers in the USA?
A: Country and western / country music.
What was the title of the theme song used for the film The Blackboard
Jungle?
A: Rock Around The Clock.
Which country singer recorded an album at Folsom Prison in 1968?
A: Johnny Cash.
Which group of brothers had their first US hit with 'I Want You Back'
in 1969?
A: The Jackson Five.
Who founded Motown 'Records?
A: Berry Gordy Jr.
Which pop group once consisted of Sarah Dallin, Keren Woodward and
Jackie O'Sullivan?
A: Bananarama.
What is the syncopated music in 2/4 time, usually played on the
piano?
A: Ragtime.
Which modern instrument was developed from the sackbut?
A: Trombone.
Who released the album Natty Dread in 1975?
A: Bob Marley.
What is the better-known name of the drummer Richard Starkey?
A: Ringo Star.
What stage name was taken by the rapper Stanley Kirk Burrell?
A: M C Hammer.
Which coarse-voiced Texan was the lead singer with the San Francisco
group Big Brother and the Holding Company?
A: Janis Joplin.
Who wrote the atmospheric scores for such films as A Fistful of
Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
A: Ennio Morricone.
What is the name for a record label that is completely separate from
the large conglomerate companies?
A: Indie / Independent.
Which Memphis label recorded both Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash?
A: Sun.
Which group had Keith Moon on drums?
A: The Who.
Which is the only straight member of the saxophone family in common
use?
A: Soprano saxophone.
