Music History Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 62
Which group's 1966 hit 'Barbara Ann' featured Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean on vocals?
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beach boys
What Hawaiian instrument traces its origins to the Portuguese machete?
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ukulele
Which group's 1995 album 'Pulse' includes a live performance of all the songs from 'Dark Side of the Moon'?
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pink floyd
In 1996, Wayne Shorter and Dave Brubeck performed at Vienna's festival dedicated to which genre of music?
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jazz
What band's name was inspired by their gym teacher, Leonard Skinner, who disliked their long hair?
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lynyrd skynyrd
Who had their first Top 40 hit in 1963 with the song 'Danke Schoen' and reached No. 13 on the charts?
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wayne newton
Under what name did the singers Rob and Fab used to perform before they had to give it back?
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milli vanilli
Who formed the successful duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgely in 1982?
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george michael
What jazz pianist was the subject of the 1966 biography titled 'Ain't Misbehavin'?
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fats waller
Which singer performed a concert titled 'Lady Sings the Blues' at Carnegie Hall on November 10, 1956?
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billie holiday
Who had the No. 1 album in 1971 titled 'Tapestry'?
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carole king
Which heavy metal band from the 1970s included members Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne?
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black sabbath
What was the name of the singer who was born Holly Michelle Gilliam and married John Phillips before becoming a member of The Mamas & the Papas?
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michelle phillips
Which bluesman, known for his howling vocals, was born Chester Burnett?
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howlin' wolf
Which late composer's birthday gala in 1991 featured a performance of 'At Long Last Love' by Bobby Short?
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cole porter
What husband and wife singers had their first hit in 1975 with 'Love Will Keep Us Together', a song written by Neil Sedaka?
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captain & tennille
On the cover of their 1969 album, which road are the Beatles shown crossing outside the recording studio?
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abbey road
Which former leader of CCR was acquitted of plagiarizing himself in November 1988?
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john fogerty
Who became the first U.S.-born conductor to head the New York Philharmonic in the late 1950s?
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leonard bernstein
Which 'Island Girl' singer, also a notable white crossover artist, was featured on 'Soul Train' alongside David Bowie?
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elton john
Which group had its last top-20 hit in 1971 with the song 'Riders On the Storm'?
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doors
Which group's hit song 'Night Fever' topped the charts for 8 weeks in 1978, the longest of any single that year?
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bee gees
What method of wordless singing, involving a switch from a regular to a falsetto voice, originated in the Alps?
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yodeling
Who is the musical satirist that founded the Mothers of Invention in 1964?
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frank zappa
In the early '60s, which last name did Darlene Wright adopt, which she often sang about?
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love
Which singer became Bruce Springsteen's wife in 1991?
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patti scialfa
Who was named Conductor Laureate for life of the New York Philharmonic in 1969?
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leonard bernstein
What group recorded their first No. 1 hit, 'Cherish', in a garage that had been converted to a studio during the 1960s?
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association
What name did Sarah McLachlan give to a 1997 rock tour, inspired by a woman in Hebrew legend?
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lilith fair
Which 1998 Alanis Morissette album matched Boston's 'Boston' as the best-selling debut album ever?
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jagged little pill
Which singer is said to have written the song 'You're So Vain' about her ex-love Warren Beatty?
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carly simon
Which big band leader is honored with a festival each June in Clarinda, Iowa where the town gets 'In The Mood'?
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glenn miller
Which band featuring Eddie Vedder headlined the 1992 Lollapalooza tour?
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pearl jam
Which artist topped the charts in 1991 with a cover of Percy Sledge's 'When A Man Loves A Woman'?
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michael bolton
Which punk rocker died before being tried for the 1978 murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen?
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sid vicious
In which city did Jefferson Airplane's songs fill the air during the 1967 'Summer of Love'?
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san francisco
Which composer, nicknamed 'Papa,' worked under the patronage of the Esterhazy princes from 1761 to 1802?
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joseph haydn
Which music group, that included Lionel Richie, originally formed at Tuskegee University?
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commodores
What singer, whose last name is the same as that of a U.S. president, is known for the song '16 Tons'?
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tennessee ernie ford
In a 1961 record, Johnny Cash referred to which stringed musical instrument as a 'Tennessee flat-top box'?
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guitar
In 1907, Hungarian composer Bela Bartok was appointed professor of piano at the academy of music in the capital of which country?
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budapest
Which singer's song 'Maybellene' gave D.J. Alan Freed partial composer credit?
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chuck berry
Which singer, born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1912, originally had the first name Pierino?
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perry como
Which reggae star originally wrote and recorded the song 'I Shot The Sheriff' before it became a hit for Eric Clapton?
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bob marley
Who made his first solo tour of the U.S. in 1988 and became a smash success?
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george michael
Which dance, evolving from the landler, was among the first to have music composed for it by Josef Lanner?
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waltz
Which singer-composer known for the song 'Short People' premiered a musical about Faust in 1995?
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randy newman
Which band released the albums 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)' and 'Touch'?
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eurythmics
Which composer, who dreamed of Jeanie, is honored by the annual Jeanie festival in White Springs, Florida?
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stephen foster
During the Renaissance, from which country did the guitar-shaped instrument called the vihuela originate?
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spain
Which classical composer faced an audience's hisses at the 1904 La Scala premiere of 'Madama Butterfly'?
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giacomo puccini
Who became the lead vocalist of the Beach Boys in 1961?
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mike love
Who performed the biggest 1980s hit 'Love On The Rocks' from 'The Jazz Singer' soundtrack?
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neil diamond
Who was the drummer for The Who that passed away on September 7, 1978?
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keith moon
Which group's 'Vs.' album debuted at No. 1 in October 1993 with sales of 950,000 copies?
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pearl jam
What song did George Harrison say was inspired by 'O Happy Day', but others suggest it was inspired by 'He's So Fine'?
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my sweet lord
Which duo achieved their first hit with the 1957 song 'Bye Bye Love' instead of experiencing loneliness?
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everly brothers
Which Motown trio did Cindy Birdsong join in 1967 after singing with Patti LaBelle's Blue Belles?
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supremes
Which band had their first Top 10 hit with the song 'One' in 1969?
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three dog night
Which group appeared without their makeup on the cover of their 1983 album 'Lick It Up'?
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kiss
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