The Musicians of the '50s, '60s and '70s Quiz

By: Robin Tyler
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
The Musicians of the '50s, '60s and '70s Quiz
Image: Electra Records via Wiki Commons

About This Quiz

They don't make them like they used to, do they? Well, if you are over the age of 50, you might agree with that statement, especially when it comes to music.

The music of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s brought us some of the greatest artists of our times. Just think about it - Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan all recorded at some point in these decades.  And what about bands from those three decades? The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Cream, the Byrds, the Beach Boys, Led Zepplin... we really could go on forever. 

Each and every one of them contributed so much to music. As we said in the beginning, they certainly don't make them like they used to. So, as a lover of music, you think your knowledge of music in those three decades is pretty good, right? Great, then this quiz is just for you! It has questions relating to all three of these decades, including some about both artists and songs from each decade. Do you think you could end up on "Top of the Pops"? Or will you finish at the bottom of the charts?

Of course, you can succeed!  What are you waiting for?

Good luck!

Which famous rock and roll artist was known to his fans as "The King"?
Elvis Presley
Chuck Berry
Jerry Lee Lewis
Bill Haley
Where did Fats Domino find his thrill?
At the roadhouse
On Blueberry Hill
At the tavern
At the drive-in
Queen, certainly a group considered to be rock royalty, had a hit with what song in 1975?
Feel Like Makin' Love
Fame
Bohemian Rhapsody
Island Girl

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Which of these '60s bands sang "California Dreamin'"?
The Ronettes
The Beatles
The Doors
The Mamas and the Papas
Who was the lead singer for the Doors in the 1960s?
Jim Morrison
Ray Davies
Robert Plant
Keith Relf
Can you name the drummer of the Beatles?
Paul McCartney
Charlie Watts
Ringo Starr
George Harrison

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What is Elton John's real name?
Reginald Kenneth Dwight
Robert Farley
Richard Starkey
David Robert Jones
Which of these bands was the first to make use of a billboard to advertise a new album release?
The Doors
The Beatles
The Shadows
Led Zeppelin
Which nickname does the vocalist and bass player of the Police, Gordon Sumner, go by?
Bee
Sting
Bez
Bono

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Can you name the country star known to his legions of fans as "The Man in Black"?
Waylon Jennings
Kris Kristofferson
Johnny Cash
Willie Nelson
"Hotel California," a massive hit in 1977, was recorded by which of the bands below?
Led Zeppelin
Cheap Trick
Sweet
The Eagles
Who died alongside J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens in a plane crash on February 3, 1959?
Carl Perkins
Chet Atkins
Buddy Holly
Bobby Rydell

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What rebellious form of music gained traction in the 1970s?
Punk
Disco
Ska
Reggae
Don McLean famously referenced the death of Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens in his song "American Pie." What did he call the event?
Teary-eyed serenade
Holly, Valens and the Bopper are gone
That shameful day
The day the music died
Queen guitarist Brian May famously made his own electric guitar, together with his father. What is it called?
Old Number 1
Red Special
The Whammy
Little L

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True or false? The term "rock and roll" was first used to describe a musical genre by disc jockey Alan Freed.
True
False
The lyrics, "All of my life, I've been a-waitin', tonight there'll be no hesitatin'," are found in which Buddy Holly song?
"Peggy Sue"
"Oh, Boy!"
"Rave On"
"That'll Be the Day"
What is the birth name of Freddie Mercury of Queen?
Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou
Farrokh Bulsara
Lewis Allen Reed
Robert Allen Zimmerman

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Can you name the massive music festival that began on August 15, 1969?
Lollapalooza
Woodstock
Glastonbury
Knebworth
About how many people attended Woodstock?
400,000
15,000
1 million
50,000
Chuck Berry started making music to fund equipment for his dream job. What was it?
Photographer
Cook
Fisherman
Jockey

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Which of these rock and roll singles was the first to reach the Billboard charts?
"Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley
"Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets
"Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis
"Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins
Cliff Richard first made a name for himself in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. Can you name his backing band?
The Drifters
The Shadows
The Juniors
The Shondells
Of the names listed below, who is not a member of Queen?
Roger Taylor
Freddie Mercury
Stewart Copeland
Brian May

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David Bowie's real name is what?
Reginald Kenneth Dwight
David Robert Jones
Brian Molko
Farrokh Bulsara
Can you identify the famed musician who died in London on September 18, 1970?
Jimi Hendrix
Art Garfunkel
Elvis Presley
Joan Baez
Paul Hewson is the lead singer with U2, an Irish band formed in 1976. What is he more popularly known as?
The Ox
The Edge
Aladdin Sane
Bono

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Which artist won two Grammy Awards for the hit "A Boy Named Sue" in 1969?
Waylon Jennings
Hank Williams
Johnny Cash
Willie Nelson
Crooner Frank Sinatra released one of his biggest hits in 1969. Can you name it from the list below?
"My Way"
"A Whiter Shade of Pale"
"Come Together"
"In the Ghetto"
Frank Sinatra, ever present on the charts in the '50s, '60s and '70s, was often called "Ol' Blue Eyes." Do you know his other nickname?
The Chairman of the Board
The King
The Edge
Slowhand

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Which album, released by the Beatles in 1967, is considered one of their greatest?
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Disraeli Gears
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Younger Than Yesterday
One of the world's guitar greats, Eric Clapton, was in which of the bands listed below in the 1960s?
Cream
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Led Zeppelin
The Byrds
John Lydon, lead singer with the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, was better known as _____?
Sid Vicious
Johnny Rotten
Ziggy Stardust
Slowhand

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Released by Chuck Berry in 1958, which song essentially made him famous?
"Blueberry Hill"
"Tutti Frutti"
"Johnny B. Goode"
"Roll Over Beethoven"
A band in the 1950s with Danny Rapp on lead vocals was known as what?
Danny and the Juniors
Danny and the Crickets
Danny and the Comets
Danny and the Beatles