1
1970s
1970s
2
People
People
3
Songs
Songs
4
Styles
Styles
5
1980s
1980s
100
The year 1970 was very sad for fans of rock music. Besides the April breakup of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix died in September. In October, Janis Joplin died. Nine months after that, Jim Morrison, lead singer of the acid-rock group the Doors, died of heart failure. All 3 were how old when they died?
A) 26 years old
B) 27 years old
C) 28 years old
27 years old
100
The "Godfather of Soul" was so experimental that he is also credited with developing the genre of Funk. Who is considered the "Godfather of Soul"?
A) James Brown
B) Michael Jackson
C) Stevie Wonder
James Brown
100
Which British performer gave us "Your Song"?
A) Elton John
B) Elvis Costello
C) Freddie Mercury
Elton John
100
In 1968, three of the genre's most famous acts, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple were founded. Before the end of the decade, fans of what style of music became known as "metalheads" or "headbangers"?
A) Disco
B) Heavy Metal
C) Punk Rock
Heavy Metal
100
Which famous musician was killed by a crazed fan in New York City in 1980? [Hint: he has a memorial in Central Park called 'Strawberry Fields']
A) Elvis Presley
B) John Lennon
C) Stevie Wonder
John Lennon
200
When John Lennon of the Beatles left America just before the band broke up, he ran into a new British performer arriving for the very first time in America. Who did John Lennon pass his torch to?
A) David Bowie
B) Elton John
C) Robert Plant
Elton John
200
Who are considered one of the most popular American punk bands; which played at the CBGB club for the first time in 1974?
A) The Clash
B) Donna Summer
C) The Ramones
The Ramones
200
Southern rock developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues. Some of the original early 1970s hard rock Southern rock groups are Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and ZZ Top. Which of these songs is from Lynyrd Skynyrd?
A) Fortunate Son
B) Free Bird
C) La Grange
Free Bird
200
What style of music only existed in the 1970s? Well-known performers included: Donna Summer, the Bee Gees, KC and the Sunshine Band, and the Village People. What genre of music 'died out' at a baseball game held in Chicago on July 12, 1979?
A) Arena Rock
B) Disco
C) Punk Rock
Disco
200
At first, cassette players were big and bulky, such as the Boombox. Sony changed that in 1979. What was small and light, had great sound, and could be portable?
A) The Boombox
B) The CD Player
C) The Walkman
The Walkman
300
One of the last major groups to sign with Motown Records was a group that had Michael Jackson as its lead singer. What group was that?
A) The Four Tops
B) The Jackson 5
C) The Supremes
The Jackson 5
300
Which guitar god used his guitar to wail about Layla?
A) Duane Allman
B) Eric Clapton
C) Prince
Eric Clapton
300
What song, by the Police, is considered romantic and gets played at a lot of weddings, but is actually a song about a stalker?
A) Every Breath You Take
B) Message in a Bottle
C) Roxanne
Every Breath You Take
300
Not every emerging music genre came from American artists. What Swedish Pop group were a huge success during the 1970s, and in the 1990s the songs turned into a Broadway musical?
A) ABBA
B) Duran Duran
C) Fleetwood Mac
ABBA
300
In August 1981, a new and different TV channel appeared on screens across the United States. All it aired was rock music videos, at first. What was this channel called?
A) BET
B) MTV
C) VH1
MTV
400
Country rock reached its greatest popularity in the 1970s with artists such as the Allman Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. What state did this genre come out of?
A) California
B) Tennessee
C) Texas
California
400
Glam rock's biggest star, at first, used an alter ego character known as Ziggy Stardust. What rock musician was Ziggy Stardust?
A) Alice Cooper
B) David Bowie
C) Gene Simmons
David Bowie
400
What Soft Rock song seems to become rediscovered and a hit again every 5 to 10 years? [Hint: the band seems to like traveling]
A) All Out of Love, by Air Supply
B) Don't Stop Believing, by Journey
C) In the Air Tonight, by Phil Collins
Don't Stop Believing, by Journey
400
KISS, David Bowie, and Alice Cooper were bands that often wore fancy costumes, stage makeup, and high platform boots. What genre of music did these groups fall into?
A) Arena Rock
B) Glam Rock
C) Soft Rock
Glam Rock
400
The 1980s were known for a lot of charity events endorsed by people in the entertainment industry. One of the biggest was a benefit concert held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia on Saturday July 13, 1985. What was the name of this benefit concert?
A) Band Aid
B) Farm Aid
C) Live Aid
Live Aid
500
While they found a success in the mid-to-late 1960s, what original British Invasion band gained greater success in the the 1970s?
A) Iron Butterfly
B) The Kinks
C) The Who
The Who
500
What performer from New Jersey is known as "The Boss"?
A) Bruce Springsteen
B) Don Henley
C) Eric Clapton
Bruce Springsteen
500
What Michael Jackson music video was the first to be shown on MTV?
A) Beat It
B) Billie Jean
C) Thriller
Billie Jean
500
Arena rock originated in the mid-1970s. With bands designing their material for large audiences, with fireworks displays, use of smoke, and lighting effects. Which Arena Rock band came out first?
A) Bon Jovi
B) Queen
C) Van Halen
Queen
500
Motown Records reunited many of their old performers together in a 25th Anniversary Special. This is where Michael Jackson first performed what dance?
A) The Breakdance
B) The Moonwalk
C) The Smooth Criminal
The Moonwalk
600
What Heavy Metal band of the 1970s became the biggest band of the 1970s? [Hint: they had a Stairway to Heaven]
A) ABBA
B) Led Zeppelin
C) Queen
Led Zeppelin
600
Former members of Linda Ronstadt's backing band went on to form one of the most successful rock acts of all time, producing albums that included Desperado (1973) and Hotel California (1976). What band did they form?
A) The Allman Brothers
B) The Eagles
C) Lynyrd Skynyrd
The Eagles
600
The 1980's was the era where movie theme songs were taken seriously. Which movie about a group of parapsychologists scored one of the decade's biggest hit songs from a movie?
A) Back to the Future
B) Ghostbusters
C) Top Gun
Ghostbusters
600
Blondie was another hard-driving '70s New York punk band. Blondie took punk rock and mixed it with other styles of music, like pop. This created something new, called what?
A) Hip Hop
B) New Wave
C) Soft Rock
New Wave
600
True or False: The first few years of MTV programming featured almost no black musicians, until after David Bowie asked this question while being interviewed on MTV?
A) True
B) False
True. The president of CBS Records got very, very angry and threatened to pull all videos with CBS performers from MTV, MTV quickly put Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" video into heavy rotation.
700
Many of Motown Record's greatest artists broke away from the Motown style in the early 70s, and went on to define their careers including Marvin Gaye and who? [Hint: he had a superstition]
A) James Brown
B) Michael Jackson
C) Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
700
Who is the "King of Pop"?
A) Michael Jackson
B) Prince
C) Van Halen
Michael Jackson
700
What Bruce Springsteen song was about the hard times facing US soldiers coming home from a far-off war in Vietnam? [Hint: very patriotic]
A) Born in the U.S.A.
B) Born to Run
C) Dancing in the Dark
Born in the U.S.A.
700
Writing Movie Tunes was another way that some famous musician found success. Queen wrote songs for the movie Flash Gordon, and David Bowie wrote some for the movie Labyrinth. Huey Lewis and the News wrote a couple of songs for what movie about time?
A) Back to the Future
B) The Big Chill
C) Footloose
Back to the Future
700
What Michael Jackson music video forever changed the way people thought about music videos? [Hint: it becomes a hit every Halloween]
A) Beat It
B) Billie Jean
C) Thriller
Thriller
800
What TV show, hosted by Don Cornelius, primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, dance/pop, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists also appeared?
A) American Bandstand
B) Midnight Special
C) Soul Train
Soul Train
800
What guitar god could make 'doves cry' and rain purple?
A) Bruce Springsteen
B) Huey Lewis
C) Prince
Prince
800
A charity single, originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa, brought together some of the most well-known music industry artists in 1985. These artists included Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel, Tina Turner, and many others. What was the name of the song that recorded?
A) Band Aid
B) Do They Know It's Christmas?
C) We Are the World
We Are the World
800
True or False: The Hip-Hop genre of music was called Hip-Hop because of the song Rappers Delight? The song began with the lyrics 'Hip Hop' and no one knew the name of the song when requesting it on the radio; so kids kept asking for that 'hip-hop' song?
A) True
B) False
True
800
1980's found a different type of album to help showcase both newer and older musicians. What type of album did this? [Hint: some even won Oscars from these]
A) Greatest Hits Albums
B) Photo Albums
C) Soundtracks
Soundtracks
900
After vinyl records of the 1950s and 1960s, the 1970s evolved to using a big bulky cassette tape called what?
A) Cassettes
B) 8-Tracks
C) Compact Discs
8-Tracks
900
What New Jersey hair band 'Gives Love a Bad Name,' and are 'Wanted Dead or Alive'?
A) AC/DC
B) Bon Jovi
C) Guns N Roses
Bon Jovi
900
A-ha, is a Norwegian synth-pop band, took their biggest hit song and turned into the number 1 music video of the 1980s. The music video used the method of rotoscoping to create realistic animated sequences. What was the name of the song used for the music video?
A) Girls On Film
B) Hungry Like the Wolf
C) Take On Me
Take On Me
900
What musical genre arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene, pioneered by bands such as Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi?
A) Grunge
B) Hair Bands
C) Pop
Hair Bands
900
When MTV began to advertise for customers, what slogan did they use?
A) For Those About to Rock, We Salute You
B) I Want My MTV
C) Peace, Love, and Soul Train
I Want My MTV
1000
Punk rock took off in the United States in part because of a New York City rock-and-roll club that opened in 1973. What was the name of the club?
A) CBGB
B) MTV
C) Studio 54
CBGB
1000
Early MTV stars included the rock groups Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, and Aerosmith, and pop stars Cyndi Lauper and "The Material Girl". Who was the "Material Girl"?
A) Madonna
B) Pat Benatar
C) Whitney Houston
Madonna
1000
What classic Aerosmith song did the Hip-Hop group Run DMC choose to do a cover of in 1986?
A) Dream On
B) Sweet Emotion
C) Walk This Way
Walk This Way
1000
What 1990's music genre ended the age of the Hair Bands?
A) Alternative
B) Gangster Rap
C) Grunge
Grunge
1000
The first ceremony of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fall began in 1986 in New York City. A permanent home where a museum about rock could be built was opened in 1995 in what city?
A) Cleveland, Ohio
B) Detroit, Michigan
C) Los Angeles, California
Cleveland, Ohio
