Music trivia questions

All 30 music trivia questions, with answers

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1. 1. What is the best-selling album of all time?

   • Back in Black
   • The Dark Side of the Moon
   • Thriller
   • Rumours
   Show answer

   Thriller. Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982) has sold an estimated 70 million copies worldwide.

2. 2. Which band recorded the album Abbey Road?

   • The Rolling Stones
   • The Beatles
   • The Kinks
   • The Who
   Show answer

   The Beatles. The cover's zebra crossing outside Abbey Road Studios is now a protected English heritage site.

3. 3. Who was the lead singer of Queen?

   • David Bowie
   • Robert Plant
   • Freddie Mercury
   • Roger Daltrey
   Show answer

   Freddie Mercury. He was born Farrokh Bulsara on the island of Zanzibar in 1946.

4. 4. Which artist recorded 'Rocket Man' and 'Tiny Dancer'?

   • Billy Joel
   • Elton John
   • Rod Stewart
   • Cat Stevens
   Show answer

   Elton John. Longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics — Elton typically composes the music after the words exist.

5. 5. Which artist has won the most Grammy Awards?

   • Quincy Jones
   • Georg Solti
   • Beyoncé
   • Stevie Wonder
   Show answer

   Beyoncé. Beyoncé passed conductor Georg Solti's long-standing record in 2023.

6. 6. Which musician won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016?

   • Leonard Cohen
   • Bob Dylan
   • Paul Simon
   • Joni Mitchell
   Show answer

   Bob Dylan. He was the first songwriter to win it, 'for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.'

7. 7. What instrument does Yo-Yo Ma play?

   • Violin
   • Piano
   • Cello
   • Viola
   Show answer

   Cello. His main cello, made in 1733, is nicknamed 'Petunia' — a name suggested by a student.

8. 8. What was Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough album?

   • Bleach
   • In Utero
   • Nevermind
   • Incesticide
   Show answer

   Nevermind. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was named after a deodorant brand — Kurt Cobain didn't know that when he wrote it.

9. 9. Who is known as the 'King of Rock and Roll'?

   • Chuck Berry
   • Elvis Presley
   • Little Richard
   • Jerry Lee Lewis
   Show answer

   Elvis Presley. His Memphis home, Graceland, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.

10. 10. What label does Taylor Swift attach to her re-recorded albums?

    • (Redux)
    • (Taylor's Version)
    • (Re-recorded)
    • (Vault Edition)
    Show answer

    (Taylor's Version). She re-recorded her early albums to own the new masters after her originals were sold.

11. 11. Which composer continued writing symphonies after going deaf?

    • Mozart
    • Bach
    • Beethoven
    • Haydn
    Show answer

    Beethoven. He composed the Ninth Symphony — including 'Ode to Joy' — when almost completely deaf.

12. 12. ABBA comes from which country?

    • Norway
    • Denmark
    • Sweden
    • Finland
    Show answer

    Sweden. They broke through by winning Eurovision 1974 with 'Waterloo'.

13. 13. What does 'a cappella' mean?

    • Singing without instruments
    • Singing in harmony
    • Singing solo
    • Singing in Italian
    Show answer

    Singing without instruments. The Italian phrase literally means 'in the manner of the chapel'.

14. 14. Bob Marley is most associated with which genre?

    • Ska
    • Calypso
    • Reggae
    • Dancehall
    Show answer

    Reggae. His greatest-hits album Legend is one of the best-selling albums ever released.

15. 15. Which artist released the album Purple Rain?

    • Prince
    • Michael Jackson
    • Stevie Wonder
    • Rick James
    Show answer

    Prince. Purple Rain was also a film — Prince won an Oscar for its original song score.

16. 16. Who is the lead singer of the Rolling Stones?

    • Keith Richards
    • Mick Jagger
    • Charlie Watts
    • Ronnie Wood
    Show answer

    Mick Jagger. The band formed in London in 1962 and was still touring stadiums six decades later.

17. 17. How many strings does a standard guitar have?

    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • 7
    Show answer

    6. Standard tuning is E-A-D-G-B-E, low to high.

18. 18. Which musician is nicknamed 'The Boss'?

    • Tom Petty
    • Bob Seger
    • Bruce Springsteen
    • John Mellencamp
    Show answer

    Bruce Springsteen. The nickname came from his early bar-band days, when he collected and distributed the band's pay.

19. 19. Who wrote 'I Will Always Love You', later a hit for Whitney Houston?

    • Dolly Parton
    • Carole King
    • Diane Warren
    • Linda Ronstadt
    Show answer

    Dolly Parton. Parton wrote it in 1973 as a farewell to her mentor Porter Wagoner — and took it to #1 twice herself.

20. 20. Which band did Dave Grohl form after Nirvana ended?

    • Queens of the Stone Age
    • Audioslave
    • Foo Fighters
    • Them Crooked Vultures
    Show answer

    Foo Fighters. On the first Foo Fighters album, Grohl played nearly every instrument himself.

21. 21. In what year did the Woodstock festival take place?

    • 1967
    • 1969
    • 1971
    • 1973
    Show answer

    1969. It was billed as 'three days of peace and music' — and the site was a dairy farm in Bethel, New York.

22. 22. Beyoncé first rose to fame as a member of which group?

    • TLC
    • En Vogue
    • Destiny's Child
    • SWV
    Show answer

    Destiny's Child. Destiny's Child's final lineup was Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams.

23. 23. What is the highest female voice type?

    • Alto
    • Mezzo-soprano
    • Contralto
    • Soprano
    Show answer

    Soprano. The four standard choir parts are soprano, alto, tenor, and bass — SATB.

24. 24. Which artist is known as the 'Queen of Soul'?

    • Diana Ross
    • Aretha Franklin
    • Tina Turner
    • Etta James
    Show answer

    Aretha Franklin. In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

25. 25. What was Mozart's first name?

    • Johann
    • Ludwig
    • Wolfgang
    • Franz
    Show answer

    Wolfgang. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his first symphony at age eight.

26. 26. Which group released 'Dynamite', their first all-English single, in 2020?

    • BLACKPINK
    • EXO
    • BTS
    • Stray Kids
    Show answer

    BTS. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — a first for a South Korean act.

27. 27. Which country legend was known as 'The Man in Black'?

    • Willie Nelson
    • Johnny Cash
    • Waylon Jennings
    • Merle Haggard
    Show answer

    Johnny Cash. Cash said he wore black for the poor and the prisoner — and recorded a live album at Folsom Prison.

28. 28. Which instrument has 88 keys?

    • Organ
    • Harpsichord
    • Piano
    • Accordion
    Show answer

    Piano. 52 white and 36 black — a range of just over seven octaves.

29. 29. Adele has named her albums after what?

    • Her age
    • London streets
    • Months
    • Her relatives
    Show answer

    Her age. 19, 21, 25, and 30 mark the age she was when she wrote each one.

30. 30. What instrument did jazz great Louis Armstrong play?

    • Saxophone
    • Trumpet
    • Clarinet
    • Trombone
    Show answer

    Trumpet. Nicknamed 'Satchmo', he was also one of the most influential singers in jazz.

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