100 1950s Music Trivia Questions and Answers: Rock 'n' Roll's First Decade

Somewhere in the house there was always a radio playing — on the kitchen counter, out in the garage, or tucked under a teenager’s pillow and turned down low after lights-out. And when the right song came on, the whole afternoon changed. The 1950s was the decade the music got loud, got young, and never quite settled down again.

Here are 100 trivia questions about the music of the 1950s — the singers, the songs, the record labels and the moments that turned rhythm and blues, country and pop into something brand new called rock ’n’ roll. Read the question, see if the answer comes to you, then check it just below. Play on your own or read them aloud, and if you get the itch to name a few tunes, try our Name That Tune oldies quiz when you are through.

The Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll

1. Which 1955 record by Bill Haley & His Comets is often called the first rock ’n’ roll single to top the US pop chart?

“Rock Around the Clock.”

2. Which 1955 film sent “Rock Around the Clock” to a huge new audience by playing it under the opening credits?

Blackboard Jungle.

3. Which radio disc jockey is widely credited with popularizing the phrase “rock and roll”?

Alan Freed.

4. Which solid-body electric guitar, introduced by Leo Fender in 1954, became a rock ’n’ roll workhorse?

The Fender Stratocaster.

5. Which Memphis record label, owned by Sam Phillips, first recorded Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis?

Sun Records.

6. The celebrated 1956 jam session of those four stars at Sun Studio became known as which “quartet”?

The Million Dollar Quartet.

7. Which teenage dance show, hosted by Dick Clark, went national in 1957 from Philadelphia?

American Bandstand.

8. In what year was the first Grammy Awards ceremony held, honoring the recordings of 1958?

1959.

9. “Nel blu dipinto di blu,” which won Record of the Year at the first Grammys, is better known by what one-word name?

“Volare.”

10. Who was the Italian singer behind “Volare”?

Domenico Modugno.

11. Which crooner won a Grammy at that first 1959 ceremony for “Catch a Falling Star”?

Perry Como.

12. “Catch a Falling Star” earned another milestone in 1958: it was the first single ever to receive what certification?

The first RIAA gold record.

The King: Elvis Presley

13. In which Mississippi town was Elvis Presley born in 1935?

Tupelo.

14. What was the title of Elvis’s first single, cut for Sun Records in 1954?

“That’s All Right.”

15. What was Elvis’s first single for RCA Victor, released in 1956?

“Heartbreak Hotel.”

16. Which song did Elvis take to number one for eleven weeks in 1956, sharing its name with a breed of dog?

“Hound Dog.”

17. Which rhythm-and-blues singer recorded “Hound Dog” first, back in 1952–53?

Big Mama Thornton (Willie Mae Thornton).

18. Which 1957 Elvis number one had the whole country “all shook up”?

“All Shook Up.”

19. On which Sunday-night variety program did Elvis first appear in 1956?

The Ed Sullivan Show.

20. By what regal nickname is Elvis known?

The King of Rock and Roll.

21. What is the name of Elvis’s Memphis mansion?

Graceland.

22. Which 1957 Elvis number one shared its title with the movie it came from, set behind bars?

“Jailhouse Rock.”

23. What was the title of Elvis’s first motion picture, released in 1956?

Love Me Tender.

24. What pulled Elvis away from recording in 1958?

He was drafted into the US Army.

The Men Who Built the Beat

25. What was Chuck Berry’s first hit, released in 1955?

“Maybellene.”

26. Which 1958 Chuck Berry classic, about a guitar-playing country boy, was later placed aboard the Voyager Golden Record and launched into space?

“Johnny B. Goode.”

27. Which 1956 Chuck Berry hit cheekily told a famous composer to “roll over”?

“Roll Over Beethoven.”

28. What crouching, scooting stage move was Chuck Berry famous for?

The duck walk.

29. Which explosive 1955 single was Little Richard’s breakthrough?

“Tutti Frutti.”

30. Which 1956 Little Richard hit is named for a “long tall” woman?

“Long Tall Sally.”

31. By what grand nickname is Little Richard known?

The Architect of Rock and Roll.

32. Which instrument did Little Richard, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis all pound away on?

The piano.

33. Which city is Fats Domino forever tied to?

New Orleans.

34. What was Fats Domino’s first pop chart hit, in 1955?

“Ain’t That a Shame.”

35. Which clean-cut singer’s 1955 cover of “Ain’t That a Shame” became his first number one?

Pat Boone.

36. Which 1956 Fats Domino hit found a thrill on a certain hill?

“Blueberry Hill.”

37. By what one-word nickname was the wild pianist Jerry Lee Lewis known?

The Killer.

38. Which 1957 Jerry Lee Lewis hit promised “a whole lotta shakin”?

“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”

39. Which blazing 1957 record became Jerry Lee Lewis’s signature song?

“Great Balls of Fire.”

Rhythm, Blues and the Dawn of Soul

40. Which 1959 Ray Charles record blended gospel and rhythm and blues and helped give birth to soul music?

“What’d I Say.”

41. Which 1957 debut single, a number one, introduced the voice later called the King of Soul?

“You Send Me,” by Sam Cooke.

42. Which 1958 Coasters hit turned a list of household chores into a hit record?

“Yakety Yak.”

43. Which songwriting duo wrote “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Yakety Yak”?

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

44. Which 1958 single made a star of the dynamic singer Jackie Wilson?

“Lonely Teardrops.”

45. Which 1959 Lloyd Price number one retold the tale of a legendary brawl?

“Stagger Lee.”

46. Which 1958 number one by The Silhouettes was built around the nagging words “get a job”?

“Get a Job.”

47. What do we call the close-harmony vocal style, often sung on street corners, that produced so many of these groups?

Doo-wop.

48. Which group, led by a teenage singer, hit in 1956 with “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”?

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

Buddy Holly and the Day the Music Died

49. What was the name of Buddy Holly’s band?

The Crickets.

50. In which Texas city did Buddy Holly grow up?

Lubbock.

51. Which 1957 Crickets hit became their first number one?

“That’ll Be the Day.”

52. Which 1957 Buddy Holly hit carries a girl’s name, “Peggy ___”?

“Peggy Sue.”

53. On what date in 1959 did the plane crash remembered as “the day the music died” occur?

February 3, 1959.

54. Besides Buddy Holly, which two stars died in that crash?

Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.

55. What was the Big Bopper’s real name?

J. P. Richardson.

56. Which 1971 Don McLean song gave the crash the name “the day the music died”?

“American Pie.”

Latin Beats, Teen Idols and Rockabilly

57. Which 1958 Ritchie Valens recording reworked a traditional Mexican folk song into rock ’n’ roll?

“La Bamba.”

58. “La Bamba” was the B-side to which Ritchie Valens ballad?

“Donna.”

59. Which 1958 hit was the Big Bopper’s signature tune?

“Chantilly Lace.”

60. Which 1957 hit launched teen idol Paul Anka?

“Diana.”

61. Which 1958 Eddie Cochran hit grumbled about the “summertime blues”?

“Summertime Blues.”

62. Which 1956 rockabilly hit by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps had a nonsense-syllable title?

“Be-Bop-A-Lula.”

63. Which 1958 number one by Danny and the Juniors was all about dancing “at the hop”?

“At the Hop.”

64. Which 1958 novelty tune, about a fellow in the bathtub, was Bobby Darin’s first hit?

“Splish Splash.”

65. Which 1959 Bobby Darin recording of a song from The Threepenny Opera won him two Grammys?

“Mack the Knife.”

66. Which 1956 Carl Perkins song, later recorded by Elvis, warned you not to step on a prized pair of shoes?

“Blue Suede Shoes.”

Vocal Groups and Close Harmony

67. Which vocal group reached number one in 1955 with “The Great Pretender”?

The Platters.

68. Which 1955 Platters ballad, their first pop Top Ten hit, is simply titled “Only You”?

“Only You (And You Alone).”

69. Which 1958 Platters number one borrowed its title from an older song about “smoke”?

“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”

70. Which close-harmony duo, brothers Don and Phil, sang “Bye Bye Love”?

The Everly Brothers.

71. In what year did the Everly Brothers release their first hit, “Bye Bye Love”?

1957.

72. Which 1958 Everly Brothers ballad is all about escaping into a daydream?

“All I Have to Do Is Dream.”

73. Which 1954 Chordettes hit asks Mr. Sandman to bring a dream?

“Mr. Sandman.”

Crooners, Country and Pop

74. Which velvet-voiced jazz pianist had the number one song of 1950 with “Mona Lisa”?

Nat King Cole.

75. In 1956 Nat King Cole became one of the first Black Americans to host his own national program of what kind?

A network television variety show.

76. Which singer’s 1950 recording of “Tennessee Waltz” sold millions and later became a Tennessee state song?

Patti Page.

77. Which 1953 Dean Martin hit is remembered by its title, “That’s ___”?

“That’s Amore.”

78. Which country legend died on New Year’s Day, 1953, at just 29 years old?

Hank Williams.

79. Name the Hank Williams song that warns “your cheatin’ heart” will tell on you.

“Your Cheatin’ Heart.”

80. Which 1956 Doris Day song, from a Hitchcock film, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song?

“Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).”

81. Which Alfred Hitchcock film introduced “Que Sera, Sera”?

The Man Who Knew Too Much.

82. Which singer, the “King of Calypso,” had a breakthrough 1956 album, Calypso, often called the first LP by a single artist to sell a million copies?

Harry Belafonte.

83. Which song from that album opens a dockworker’s morning with the call “Day-O”?

“The Banana Boat Song (Day-O).”

84. Which 1951 Les Paul and Mary Ford recording of “How High the Moon” showed off pioneering multitrack guitar?

“How High the Moon.”

85. Which “Man in Black” recorded for Sun Records before becoming a country giant?

Johnny Cash.

86. Which Johnny Cash song topped the country charts and became one of his signature tunes?

“I Walk the Line.”

87. Which 1958 Kingston Trio hit helped spark the folk-music revival?

“Tom Dooley.”

88. Which 1958 revival of an older tune was Connie Francis’s breakthrough hit?

“Who’s Sorry Now.”

Early Hitmakers and Novelties

89. Which 1955 number one by Tennessee Ernie Ford told the weary tale of a coal miner?

“Sixteen Tons.”

90. Which 1950 number one by The Weavers, featuring Pete Seeger, bid “goodnight” to a woman named Irene?

“Goodnight, Irene.”

91. Which emotional 1951 number one was the biggest hit for singer Johnnie Ray?

“Cry.”

92. Which 1958 instrumental by The Champs, built around a single spoken word, topped the chart?

“Tequila.”

93. What is the only word spoken in “Tequila”?

“Tequila.”

94. Which 1955 mambo instrumental by Pérez Prado was Billboard’s number one song of the year?

“Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.”

95. Which 1958 novelty number one by Sheb Wooley was named after a comical space monster?

“The Purple People Eater.”

96. Which 1958 Christmas novelty number one introduced three helium-voiced characters created by Ross Bagdasarian?

“The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late).”

97. Which 1958 number one found Bagdasarian trading lines with a sped-up “Witch Doctor”?

“Witch Doctor.”

98. Ross Bagdasarian recorded those novelty hits under what stage name?

David Seville.

99. What was the full name of the band behind “Rock Around the Clock”?

Bill Haley & His Comets.

100. Name the four musicians of the Million Dollar Quartet.

Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

Frequently asked questions

What year did rock ’n’ roll really take off?

Most people point to 1955, the year Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” became the first rock ’n’ roll record to top the pop chart. But the ingredients — rhythm and blues, country and gospel — had been simmering for years before that.

Who really invented rock ’n’ roll?

No single person did. Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Bill Haley and others each added something, often building on the Black rhythm-and-blues artists who came before them. Disc jockey Alan Freed helped give the music its name on the radio.

Where can I find more songs to test my memory?

If you love the vocal groups best, our doo-wop trivia questions and answers dig deeper into the street-corner harmony sound of the era.

Are these facts accurate?

Every artist, title and year above was checked against the reputable sources listed just below.

Sources

• Rock Around the Clock — Wikipedia
• The Day the Music Died — Wikipedia
• 1st Annual Grammy Awards — Wikipedia

Still got the beat? Play our trivia quizzes and see how many of the old hits you can name.