Are you searching for some music trivia questions? If there is one thing that all of us can agree on, it is the importance of music in life. It has the power to evoke emotions, bring back memories, and connect people across generations. Music connects us, calms us, and engages us in a way that nothing else can, whether we are fans of jazz, metal, country, or hip-hop. It can make us think, dance, or hold up lighters (or, you know, iPhones).

We’ve put up a list of the top music trivia questions and answers to test your friends’ knowledge and possibly get you in the mood to make some amazing new playlists that you can share with them. The genres covered include pop, rock, country, hip-hop, and more.

See how many of these music trivia questions you can answer correctly and maybe learn something new along the way!

Classical Composers

Question: Which composer, often called the “Dean of Afro-American Composers,” wrote the opera “Troubled Island”?

Answer: William Grant Still.

Question: Who was the first African American composer to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra in the United States?

Answer: Florence Price.

Question: Which composer and pianist, known for his contributions to both classical and jazz music, composed “A Black Pierrot”?

Answer: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Rock And Roll Legends

Question: Which legendary musician, known for his dynamic stage performances and hits like “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally,” is considered a founding father of rock and roll?

Answer: Little Richard.

Question: Which guitarist and singer, famous for his rendition of “Hound Dog,” significantly influenced the development of rock and roll?

Answer: Big Mama Thornton.

Question: Which pioneering rock and roll artist, known for his song “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” helped lay the groundwork for the genre?

Answer: Roy Brown.

Pop Music Icons

Question: Which pop superstar, dubbed the “King of Pop,” released the best-selling album “Thriller” in 1982?

Answer: Michael Jackson.

Question: Who was the first African American female artist to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, recognized for her hit single “Vision of Love”?

Answer: Mariah Carey.

Question: Which artist, known for her powerful vocals and hit songs like “Respect” and “Think,” is often referred to as the “Queen of Soul”?

Answer: Aretha Franklin.

Question: Which artist holds the record for the most Grammy Awards won by a female artist?

Answer: Beyoncé. As of 2021, she has won 28 Grammy Awards.

Jazz And Blues Greats

Question: Who is often referred to as the “Empress of the Blues”?

Answer: Bessie Smith. She was one of the most popular female blues singers of the 1920s and 1930s.

Question: Which jazz musician is known for playing the trumpet and for his gravelly voice?

Answer: Louis Armstrong. He was a pioneering figure in jazz and known for songs like “What a Wonderful World.”

Question: What famous jazz piece did Duke Ellington write?

Answer: “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” This song is a jazz standard.

Country Music Legends

Question: Which Black country singer’s hits include “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” and “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone”?

Answer: Charley Pride.

Question: Which country music artist, the first African American woman to sign a major label recording contract in the genre, released the album “Black Like Me”?

Answer: Mickey Guyton.

Question: Who was the first African American artist to chart a number one country hit with “Let Me Down Easy”?

Answer: Billy Swan.

Hip Hop And Rap Pioneers

Question: Who is considered the “Godfather of Hip Hop”?

Answer: DJ Kool Herc. He is credited with originating hip hop music in the Bronx, New York City, in the early 1970s.

Question: Which rapper released the album “The Blueprint”?

Answer: Jay-Z. Released in 2001, it is considered one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.

Question: What is Tupac Shakur’s stage name?

Answer: 2Pac. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time and a central figure in West Coast hip hop.

Question: Which rapper, known for his album “The Message,” is considered one of the pioneers of socially conscious rap?

Answer: Grandmaster Flash (and the Furious Five).

One-Hit Wonders

Question: Which Black artist topped the charts in 1986 with the hit song “Word Up!”?

Answer: Cameo.

Question: Who is the artist behind the 1968 one-hit wonder “Harper Valley PTA”?

Answer: Jeannie C. Riley.

Question: Which duo had a one-hit wonder with the song “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” in 1971?

Answer: The New Seekers.

Iconic Music Festivals

Question: Which 1969 music festival, held at Max Yasgur’s farm, featured performances by artists like Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone?

Answer: Woodstock.

Question: Where was the original Woodstock Music Festival held in 1969?

Answer: Bethel, New York. The festival is often associated with the counterculture of the 1960s.

Question: Which influential festival, known for showcasing jazz legends, took place annually in Rhode Island starting in 1954?

Answer: Newport Jazz Festival.

Question: Which music festival, held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977, celebrated African culture and featured performances by Fela Kuti?

Answer: FESTAC ’77.

Question: What is the name of the famous annual music festival held in the California desert?

Answer: Coachella. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has become one of the most famous music festivals in the world.

Question: Which festival, held in 1985, was organized to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia?

Answer: Live Aid. The concert was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia.

Album Milestones

Question: What is the best-selling album of all time?

Answer: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” It has sold over 66 million copies worldwide.

Question: Which artist’s album “Songs in the Key of Life,” released in 1976, is considered one of the greatest albums of all time?

Answer: Stevie Wonder.

Question: Which rapper’s 1994 debut album “Illmatic” is widely regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums ever?

Answer: Nas.

Question: Which album, released by Whitney Houston in 1985, became the best-selling debut album by a female artist at that time?

Answer: “Whitney Houston.”

Miscellaneous Music Trivia

Question: What does the term “a cappella” mean?

Answer: Singing without instrumental accompaniment. The term is Italian for “in the manner of the chapel”.

Question: Which musical note is also known as the “dominant” in a major scale?

Answer: The fifth note. In the C major scale, for example, the dominant is G.

Question: What is the highest female singing voice called?

Answer: Soprano. It is typically the highest vocal range for women.