Rock Music and Rock ’n’ Roll

Question: What British rock band pioneered the use of the light show?

Answer: A "psychedelic" rock band, Pink Floyd began to use light shows in its act in 1967. Today the lights include laser beams.

Question: Which funk style originated in Washington in the 1970s?

Answer: Go-go, a style of funk heavy on bass and percussion, originated in Washington, D.C., in the late 1970s. Go-go bands were large ensembles with multiple percussionists who could maintain a steady beat for hours at a time. By 1982, it was the most popular music of the dance halls in the black parts of the capital. The go-go pioneers were Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, who cultivated the steady, rigid use of the funk beat, and Trouble Funk, who packaged their powerful shows into some of the best studio recordings of the go-go era.

Question: Which American musician won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016?

Answer: Bob Dylan or Robert Allen Zimmerman is an American folksinger who moved from folk to rock music in the 1960s. Hailed as the Shakespeare of his generation, Dylan sold tens of millions of albums, wrote more than 500 songs recorded by more than 2,000 artists, performed all over the world, and set the standard for lyric writing. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.

Question: The 1991 album Nevermind is associated with which rock group?

Answer: Nirvana, American alternative rock group whose breakthrough album, Nevermind (1991), announced a new musical style (grunge). Nevermind, featuring the anthemic hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” was the first full expression of punk concerns to achieve mass-market success in the United States.

Question: Who was the first rock-and-roll superstar?

Answer: Elvis Presley was the first rock-and-roll superstar. He became popular in the mid-1950s and introduced rock music to many listeners.

Question: Which rock group was Ozzy Osbourne a member of before starting his solo career?

Answer: Black Sabbath was the British band whose one of the principal members was Ozzy Osbourne. He left the band in the late 1970s and started his solo career, which earned him with best-selling albums, and a hugely popular MTV reality show The Osbournes (2002–05).

Question: Charles Michael Kitteridge Thompson IV, also known as Black Francis and Frank Black, is a member of which rock band?

Answer: With a unique blend of punk rock’s aggression and pop music''s infectious melodies Pixies, helped establish the sound that would define alternative rock in the 1990s. The Pixies formed in Boston in 1986, when singer-guitarist Charles Michael Kitteridge Thompson IV (also known as Black Francis and Frank Black) and his former Boston University roommate, guitarist Santiago, decided to put together a band. In 1989 the group released Doolittle, the most revered album that became its greatest legacy.

Question: What are the instruments in a classic three-piece rock band?

Answer: The guitar voices chords, the bass plays low notes that propel a song’s chord progression, and the drums provide rhythm.

Question: Who was Australia’s first international rock-and-roll superstar?

Answer: Stevie Wright, British-born Australian pop singer-songwriter, frontman for the Easybeats (1964–69). Easyfever was Australia’s first international rock-and-roll superstars and the focal point of “Easyfever,” the band that dominated the national pop charts in the mid-1960s with 14 Top-40 hits. In 2005 the Easybeats, including Wright, were inducted into the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Hall of Fame.

Question: Name the heavy metal band that was formed by guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich in 1981.

Answer: The influential American heavy metal band, Metallica was formed by guitarist Hetfield and drummer Ulrich in 1981. Metallica drew upon punk and early 1980s British metal styles for their first album, "Kill ’Em All" (1983). The band followed with Ride the Lightning (1984), an album that shattered notions of what defined heavy metal.

Question: Name the band formed in 1965 as a bar band in Detroit

Answer: The MC5, American rock group, one of the most controversial and ultimately influential bands of the late 1960s. Formed in suburban Detroit in 1965 as a bar band that played mostly cover versions of other performers’ songs, the MC5 (Motor City Five) developed a chaotic, heavy, explosive sound that borrowed from avant-garde jazz, rock, and rhythm and blues. The MC5 were extremely influential despite their limited popularity, and their sound can be heard in heavy metal, punk rock, and grunge.

Question: This Academy Award winner, for his performance in "Dallas Buyers Club," also co-founded the popular alternative rock band called 30 Seconds to Mars.

Answer: Jared Leto, American actor and musician who won an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club (2013). He also co-founded and led the popular alternative rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. He started the band 30 Seconds to Mars in 1998 with his elder brother, drummer Shannon Leto. Jared Leto served as a songwriter and frontman.

Question: "God Save the Queen," the song which became a symbol of the United Kingdom''s social and political turmoil, was released by:

Answer: The Sex Pistols released their second single, "God Save the Queen," in June 1977 to coincide with Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. Although banned by the British media, the single rose rapidly to number two on the charts. The song became a symbol of the United Kingdom’s social and political turmoil.

Question: What was the first rock song to become famous around the world?

Answer: Country artist Bill Haley and his band the Comets had an international hit in 1955 with their rock song "Rock Around the Clock." Elvis Presley and other rock artists soon followed.

Question: This Canadian musician established herself as alternative rock’s foremost female vocalist with the album "Jagged Little Pill":

Answer: Alanis Morissette, in full Alanis Nadine Morissette, Canadian musician known for her confessional lyrics and a layered rock-influenced sound. Her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill established her as one of alternative rock’s foremost female vocalists of the 1990s. In 1996 Morissette won four Grammy Awards, with Jagged Little Pill named album of the year and best rock album and “You Oughta Know” earning honors for best rock song and best female rock vocal performance.

Question: Which single was the last number one given by Elvis Presley in 1969?

Answer: Elvis Presley, an American popular singer widely known as the King of Rock and Roll, was one of rock music dominant performers from the mid-1950s until his death. He dominated the best-seller charts and ushered in the age of rock and roll. In 1969 he released a single, Suspicious Minds, which went on to become number one. This song was his last number one on the charts before his death.

Question: The quintessential college rock band of the 1980s, named after a dream-state condition is:

Answer: R.E.M., American rock group, the quintessential college rock band of the 1980s. The members were Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry. The group was formed in 1980 and named for a dream-state condition (rapid eye movement). Their single “Losing My Religion” became an enormous hit and also earned a Grammy.

Question: What is the fundamental rhythmic characteristic of rock ’n’ roll?

Answer: Rock songs usually put a heavy accent on beats two and four, typically on the drummer’s snare drum.

Question: In 2009, British rock band Radiohead released this single as a tribute to one of Britain’s last surviving World War I veterans.

Answer: The British rock band Radiohead released the 2009 single “Harry Patch (In Memory Of),” as a tribute to one of Britain’s last surviving World War I veterans. Formed in the mid-1980s at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire, UK, Radiohead made some of the most majestic—if most angst-saturated—the music of the postmodern era.

Question: This heavy metal rock band is known for Eddie Van Halen''s signature electric guitar playing style:

Answer: Van Halen, American heavy metal band distinguished by the innovative electric-guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen. The original members were guitarist Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth. In 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Question: Name the song from the album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," for which Red Hot Chili Peppers won the Grammy Award.

Answer: The American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers released its successful album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” in 1991. It included the band’s first top-ten single, “Under the Bridge,” as well as the Grammy Award-winning “Give It Away.” Red Hot Chili Peppers, an American rock band that combined funk and punk rock to create a new musical style in the 1980s.

Question: Which instrument did Jimi Hendrix play?

Answer: Jimi Hendrix, American rock guitarist, singer, and composer who fused American traditions of blues, jazz, rock, and soul with techniques of British avant-garde rock to redefine the electric guitar in his image. He was an instrumentalist who radically redefined the expressive potential and sonic palette of the electric guitar. He was the composer of a classic repertoire of songs ranging from ferocious rockers to delicate, complex ballads.

Question: Who was the self-proclaimed architect of rock and roll?

Answer: Little Richard, flamboyant American singer and pianist, whose hit songs of the mid-1950s were defining moments in the development of rock and roll. He continued to appear at concerts and festivals until 2013, after which he announced his retirement. Little Richard survived not only as the self-proclaimed “architect of rock and roll” but also as a living treasure of 20th-century American culture.

Question: Marianne Joan Elliot-Said, a female punk rock pioneer, who also formed the band X-Ray Spex, is better known by the stage name:

Answer: Poly Styrene (Marianne Joan Elliot-Said), British musician, a punk rock pioneer. She took the stage name Poly Styrene and, in 1976, formed the band X-Ray Spex, for which she served as songwriter and vocalist. Its best-known song was “Oh Bondage, Up Yours!” (1977).

Question: The movie "Walk the Line" is based on which American singer''s life?

Answer: Johnny Cash or J.R. Cash, American singer and songwriter whose work broadened the scope of country and western music. Known as the Man in Black, he was famous for wearing black clothes and had a rebellious persona. The movie Walk the Line, which was released in 2005, is based on his life.

Question: Vocalist and guitarist Chad Allan is the lead singer for this famous Canadian rock band:

Answer: The Guess Who, the Canadian rock group that was the most successful band in Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s and the country’s first rock superstars. The principal members were Chad Allan (original name Allan Kobel), Randy Bachman, Garry Peterson, Jim Kale, Burton Cummings, Kurt Winter, and Greg Leskiw.

Question: This British rock group debuted with their album "Mr. Fantasy" (1967):

Answer: The British rock band, Traffic, first debut album, "Mr. Fantasy" reached the British Top Ten, was a psychedelic pop released in 1967. The rock group is known for incorporating lengthy jazz-like improvisation into rock-music structures.

Question: What is the original name of American rock musician Alice Cooper?

Answer: Alice Cooper, original name Vincent Damon Furnier, born February 4, 1948, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. American rock musician who pioneered a theatrical form of heavy metal music performance that fused onstage horror dramatics with a raw, dynamic sound, and that eventually earned him the sobriquet “the godfather of shock rock.”

Question: Coldplay won their first Grammy award for which album?

Answer: Coldplay, British rock group whose melodic piano-driven anthems lifted it to the top of the pop music world in the early 21st century. The group was formed in 1998 at University College, London, with the pairing of pianist-vocalist Chris Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland. Their full-length debut Parachutes sold millions and earned the band its first Grammy Award.

Question: The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Jersey Boys" (2006; film 2014) is based on which American music group?

Answer: The Four Seasons, American rock-and-roll group that was among the best-selling recording artists of the early and mid-1960s. Best remembered for lead singer Frankie Valli’s soaring falsetto, the Four Seasons had a string of more than 25 hits over five years that began with “Sherry” in 1962. The principal members were Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio, and Nick Massi. The story of the Four Seasons was dramatized in the long-running Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Jersey Boys (2006; film 2014).

Question: Name the rock band that was originally named after basketball player Mookie Blaylock?

Answer: Pearl Jam came into being in Seattle in 1990 when Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament of the glam-influenced rock combo Mother Love Bone decided to form a new band following the death of their group’s lead singer, Andrew Wood. The band was originally named Mookie Blaylock, after a professional basketball player, but settled on the words pearl and jam separately—the latter reportedly after seeing musician Neil Young in concert and admiring his “jam session” style.

Question: Nine Inch Nails is the stage name for which singer and multi-instrumentalist?

Answer: Nine Inch Nails, American alternative rock act, known for dark and tortured industrial rock songs, was essentially a stage name for singer and multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor. He had a legal battle with his recording company, TVT. After this, he set up his label and released the EP Broken (1992), which earned a Grammy Award.

Question: This Texan rock band performed at the inauguration ceremony of President George W. Bush, 2001:

Answer: ZZ Top, American rock group famous for its rugged blues-driven guitar work, irreverent music videos as well as for their distinctive facial hair. The band''s breakthrough came in 1973 when the single “La Grange,” from Tres Hombres, became a radio hit. In 2001, ZZ Top performed at the inauguration ceremony of President George W. Bush.

Question: In which year did Psychedelic rock emerge?

Answer: Psychedelic rock, style of rock music popular in the late 1960s that was largely inspired by hallucinogens, or mind-expanding drugs such as marijuana and LSD that reflected drug-induced states through the use of feedback, electronics, and intense volume. It emerged in 1966, and the music became the soundtrack of the wider cultural exploration of the hippie movement. Its influence was evident in later genres, from punk to rap to trip-hop, a 1990s mixture of hip-hop and contemporary psychedelia.

Question: Which rock band was formed in 1985 by Rose and Stradlin?

Answer: Guns N'' Roses, American band that invigorated late 1980s heavy metal music with its raw energy. Guns N’ Roses was formed in Los Angeles in 1985 by Rose and Stradlin. After personnel changes, the band’s lineup stabilized with Rose as the vocalist, McKagan on bass, Adler on drums, and Slash and Stradlin on guitar.

Question: In which year did the Lollapalooza rock festival start?

Answer: Lollapalooza, an annual Chicago rock festival, features dozens of hip-hop, techno, and alternative rock performers over four days. Lollapalooza was begun in 1991 by Jane’s Addiction leader Perry Farrell as a multicity venue for his band’s farewell tour. The two-day format was a success. In 2006 the band added the third day, and it became an annual event. In 2016 it became a four-day festival.

Question: In which year was Iggy and the Stooges inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Answer: Iggy and the Stooges, American rock band, initially active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, that helped define punk music. Both with the Stooges and in his subsequent solo career, Iggy Pop had a far-reaching influence on later performers. The band members were vocalist Iggy Pop, bassist Dave Alexander, guitarist Ron Asheton, and drummer Scott Asheton. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Question: Which American poet, songwriter, and singer wrote the memoir "Just Kids"?

Answer: Patti Smith, American poet, rock songwriter, and singer who precipitated punk rock in New York, London, Los Angeles, and beyond. A pioneer in the fusion of the bohemian sensibility with rock, she was able to translate the incantatory power of Beat writers such as Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs into the rock mainstream. In 2010 Smith published the memoir Just Kids, which focused on her relationship with Mapplethorpe. The critically acclaimed work won the National Book Award for nonfiction.

Question: Name the band that recorded the 1987 album "The Joshua Tree."

Answer: U2, Irish post-punk band had established itself not only as one of the world’s most popular bands but also as one of its most innovative. The members are singer Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr. With the multimillion-selling success of The Joshua Tree album (1987) and the number one hit With or Without You and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, U2 became pop stars. U2 won more than 20 Grammy Awards throughout its career and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005

Question: Which musical movement began in England in the 1970s?

Answer: Glam rock, also known as glitter rock, a musical movement that began in Britain in the early 1970s and celebrated the spectacle of the rock star and concert. Often dappled with glitter, male musicians took the stage in women’s makeup and clothing, adopted theatrical personas, and mounted glamorous musical productions frequently characterized by space-age futurism.

Question: Which member of the Beatles was known as “the quiet Beatle"?

Answer: George Harrison, British musician, singer, and songwriter who gained fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Harrison was the youngest of the “Fab Four” and was known as “the quiet Beatle.” He later achieved singular success as a songwriter and performer.

Question: For which track, the Australian rock band AC/DC received their first Grammy Award in 2010.

Answer: The Australian rock band AC/DC reached a milestone in 2010 when it collected its first Grammy Award, in the category of best hard rock performance for the single “War Machine.” Formed in 1973, this Australian heavy metal band whose theatrical, high-energy shows placed them among the most popular stadium performers of the 1980s.

Question: Which rock band was designated by Guinness Book of Records as the world’s loudest band in 1972?

Answer: Jon Lord cofounded and played keyboard for the British rock band Deep Purple. The band pioneered earsplitting metal and hard rock. The group earned a designation by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s loudest band in 1972.

Question: The song "Born in the U.S.A." (1984) is associated with which singer?

Answer: Bruce Springsteen, American singer, songwriter, and bandleader who became the archetypal rock performer of the 1970s and 80s. In 1984, His album Born in the U.S.A. and a subsequent 18-month world tour cinched his reputation as the preeminent writer-performer of his rock-and-roll period. The album produced seven hit singles, most notably the title track, a sympathetic portrayal of Vietnam War veterans widely misinterpreted as a patriotic anthem.

Question: In which year was John Lennon''s notable album "Imagine" released?

Answer: John Lennon, leader or co-leader of the British rock group the Beatles, author, and graphic artist, and solo recording artist. Lennon released the album "Imagine" in the year 1971, is a major work keynoted by its beloved title track, a hymn of hope whose concept he attributed to Yoko Ono. “Imagine” is living proof of the political orientation that dominated Lennon’s public life with Ono.

Question: Which rock band did the 1970 film "Gimme Shelter" by Albert and David Maysles document?

Answer: The 1970 film "Gimme Shelter" by Albert and David Maysles, covered Rolling Stones 1969 U.S. tour and Altamont Speedway concert.

Question: What was the world’s first "rock opera"?

Answer: Tommy, by The Who, was released in 1969. Hair was a rock musical, but did not style itself as a "rock opera."

Question: In which year was the American rock group Aerosmith inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Answer: Aerosmith, an American heavy metal band and the biggest arena-rock attractions of the late 1970s. Aerosmith became even more popular with its career revival in the mid-1980s. The rock group was formed in 1970. In 2001, the rock group was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Question: Lite metal and Death metal are sub-genres of:

Answer: Heavy metal, genre of rock music that includes a group of related styles that are intense, virtuosic, and powerful. Driven by the aggressive sounds of the distorted electric guitar, heavy metal is arguably the most commercially successful genre of rock music. Heavy metal fragmented into subgenres such as lite metal, death metal, and even Christian metal in the 1980s.

Question: Who replaced Ozzy Osborne as Black Sabbath‘s lead singer?

Answer: Ronnie James Dio, an American rock singer who fronted the heavy metal bands Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio. He first gained notice in 1975 with Rainbow, with which he recorded four albums. In 1979 he was chosen to replace Ozzy Osbourne as the frontman for the band Black Sabbath.

Question: Which summer rock festival is held annually in Chicago’s Union Park?

Answer: Pitchfork Music Festival, annual summer rock festival held in Chicago’s Union Park, focuses primarily on independent artists from the alternative rock, electro-pop, and hip-hop genres. Pitchfork Media, a Chicago-based Internet publisher of music news and reviews, curated the Intonation Music Festival in 2005. The following year the company organized its own Pitchfork Music Festival. It was held over two days in July and attracted more than 36,000 fans to hear some 40 bands. In 2007, the festival expanded to three days.

Question: In 1977, a plane carrying this rock band crashed in Gillsburg, Mississippi:

Answer: Lynyrd Skynyrd, the American rock band that rose to prominence during the Southern rock boom of the 1970s on the strength of its triple-guitar attack and gritty working-class attitude. The principal members were Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, Bob Burns, and Artimus Pyle. In 1977, a plane carrying the band crashed in Gillsburg, Mississippi, killing singer Van Zant and guitarist Gaines, after which the group disbanded.

Question: The famous British rock group Led Zeppelin was initially known as:

Answer: Led Zeppelin is a British rock band that was extremely popular in the 1970s. Initially called the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin was formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page, the final lead guitarist for the legendary British blues band the Yardbirds. They came to be well known for their influence on the development of heavy metal.

Question: In 1990, who won the Grammy Award for the Album of the Year for "Nick of Time"?

Answer: Bonnie Raitt, American singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose wide musical range encompassed blues, folk, rhythm and blues, pop, and country-rock. Touring and recording with some of the leading session musicians and songwriters of her day, she became a successful recording artist in the 1970s but did not achieve stardom until 1990, when she won four Grammy Awards, including album of the year, for Nick of Time (1989).

Question: Which of these singers was inducted three times in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Answer: Eric Clapton, a British rock musician who was a highly influential guitarist in the late 1960s and early ’70s and later became a major singer-songwriter. Clapton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992, as a member of Cream in 1993, and as a solo artist in 2000.

Question: The rock band that won Grammy Awards for the track "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" for the film "Batman & Robin":

Answer: Smashing Pumpkins, one of the most popular and influential alternative American rock groups of the 1990s. Founded by guitarist and songwriter Billy Corgan in Chicago in 1988, the group created a postpunk blend of progressive rock, grunge, and psychedelia that incorporated the brooding atmospherics of goth rock and the adventurous melodiousness of dream-pop bands. In 1998, the band received the Grammy for “The End Is the Beginning Is the End,” for the film Batman & Robin.

Question: What is the lead instrument in most rock ’n’ roll bands?

Answer: The amplified, or "electric guitar," made it possible for the guitar to become the lead instrument in pop music during the 1950s and 1960s.