Music History & Milestones Quiz

Question 1

Woodstock (1969) is legendary as a music festival. Approximately how many people attended?

Accepted Answer

400,000

Answer

50,000

Answer

150,000

Answer

1 million

Question 2

The 'British Invasion' of 1964 refers to what cultural phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

The explosion of British rock and pop music in America, led by The Beatles' February 1964 arrival

Answer

British troops stationed in America during WWII listening to American music

Answer

British record companies buying American music labels

Answer

American musicians moving to Britain to record

Question 3

Which American city is considered the birthplace of the blues?

Accepted Answer

The Mississippi Delta region

Answer

Chicago

Answer

New York

Answer

Memphis

Question 4

Sam Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis and recorded early rock and roll. Which artist did he famously sign in 1954?

Accepted Answer

Elvis Presley

Answer

Chuck Berry

Answer

Jerry Lee Lewis

Answer

Little Richard

Question 5

Live Aid (1985) was a dual-venue benefit concert held in London and Philadelphia. What was it raising money for?

Accepted Answer

Ethiopian famine relief

Answer

AIDS research

Answer

Nuclear disarmament

Answer

Rainforest conservation

Question 6

What was the significance of Robert Johnson's 'Crossroads' legend?

Accepted Answer

The legend that he sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in exchange for his guitar skills

Answer

He pioneered the 12-bar blues structure

Answer

He was the first blues musician to record commercially

Answer

He invented the guitar slide technique

Question 7

Which country do the 'Five Black Presidents' — Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, etc. — come from, and what musical form emerged from the continent's diverse cultures?

Accepted Answer

Multiple African countries — Fela from Nigeria, Makeba from South Africa, Masekela from South Africa — all representing distinct regional traditions

Answer

Nigeria only — Afrobeats

Answer

Ghana only — highlife music

Answer

South Africa only — township jazz

Question 8

Motown Records, founded in Detroit in 1959, was built around what kind of artists and sound?

Accepted Answer

Black artists making polished, crossover soul and pop — The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Four Tops

Answer

Country music artists from the American South

Answer

White rock and roll artists

Answer

Jazz musicians

Question 9

The first music video ever played on MTV when it launched on August 1, 1981 was:

Accepted Answer

The Buggles' 'Video Killed the Radio Star'

Answer

Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean'

Answer

Duran Duran's 'Rio'

Answer

Pat Benatar's 'You Better Run'

Question 10

The '27 Club' refers to musicians who died at age 27. Who are the most famous members?

Accepted Answer

Robert Johnson, Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain

Answer

Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Freddie Mercury

Answer

Amy Winehouse, Buddy Holly, and Marc Bolan

Answer

Sid Vicious, Keith Moon, and John Bonham

Question 11

Hip-hop was born in the Bronx, New York in the 1970s. DJ Kool Herc is credited with a key innovation — what was it?

Accepted Answer

Isolating and extending the 'break' section of records by switching between two copies of the same record

Answer

Introducing rap vocals over instrumentals

Answer

Creating the first rap album

Answer

Organising the first rap battle

Question 12

The Monterey Pop Festival (1967) is remembered for a notorious performance by which guitarist?

Accepted Answer

Jimi Hendrix setting fire to his guitar at the climax of 'Wild Thing'

Answer

Eric Clapton setting fire to his guitar

Answer

Pete Townshend smashing his guitar

Answer

Jerry Garcia crowd-surfing from the stage

Question 13

Which decade saw the rise of 'payola' scandals in American radio?

Accepted Answer

1950s

Answer

1930s

Answer

1970s

Answer

1990s

Question 14

The phrase 'rock and roll' was popularised as a music genre term in the early 1950s by which influential radio DJ?

Accepted Answer

Alan Freed

Answer

Dick Clark

Answer

Murray the K

Answer

Wolfman Jack

Question 15

Napster (1999–2001) changed the music industry dramatically. What was it and what effect did it have?

Accepted Answer

A peer-to-peer file sharing service that enabled free music downloading, devastating CD sales and forcing the industry to confront the digital future

Answer

A digital music download store that legitimised MP3 sales

Answer

A music streaming service predating Spotify

Answer

A music video platform that replaced MTV

Question 16

The 'Summer of Love' (1967) was centred on which San Francisco neighbourhood?

Accepted Answer

Haight-Ashbury

Answer

The Mission

Answer

Castro

Answer

North Beach

Question 17

What was 'Beatlemania' and when did it begin?

Accepted Answer

The intense fan hysteria surrounding The Beatles, beginning in the UK in 1963 and the US in 1964

Answer

A 1960s fashion trend inspired by the Beatles' haircuts

Answer

A 1980s revival of Beatles music on radio

Answer

The phenomenon of bands covering Beatles songs in the 1970s

Question 18

Which event in 1991 is often cited as the moment hip-hop overtook rock as America's dominant pop music genre?

Accepted Answer

SoundScan showing rap/R&B outselling rock for the first time

Answer

Public Enemy's 'Fight the Power' topping the charts

Answer

Ice Cube's 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' selling more than any rock album

Answer

N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton going platinum

Question 19

What is the 'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame' and where is it located?

Accepted Answer

A museum and hall of fame in Cleveland, Ohio, inducting artists who shaped rock and popular music

Answer

A museum in New York City inducting artists who shaped rock music

Answer

A travelling exhibition that visits different US cities each year

Answer

A virtual museum at rockandrollhalloffame.org

Question 20

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' (1982) set records for music videos. What made its production unprecedented?

Accepted Answer

It was a 14-minute short film with a full narrative, professional make-up effects, and choreography by Michael Peters — a $500,000 production

Answer

It was the first colour music video ever made

Answer

It was the first music video broadcast on MTV

Answer

It was the first music video to feature special effects