90 Classic Country Music Trivia Questions and Answers: Cash, Dolly and the Opry

Somewhere a screen door bangs, a radio warms up, and a steel guitar bends a note that sounds like the whole country sighing. For a lot of us, that sound is Saturday night: the Opry on the dial, a fiddle, and a voice telling the truth in three chords.

These 90 questions walk through the golden years of country music — Hank and Patsy, Cash and Dolly, the outlaws and the Opry. The answer sits right under each question, so you can play along or read them aloud and let everybody shout out the next line.

The Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman

1. In what year did the Grand Ole Opry first go on the air?

1925.

2. What was the show first called, before 1927?

The WSM Barn Dance.

3. Which announcer coined the name “Grand Ole Opry”?

George D. Hay.

4. From which Nashville radio station has the Opry always been broadcast?

WSM.

5. The Opry is the longest-running program of its kind on what medium?

Radio.

6. Which downtown hall housed the Opry from 1943 to 1974?

The Ryman Auditorium.

7. The Ryman is nicknamed the “Mother Church” of what?

Country music.

8. A harmonica player was one of the Opry’s earliest stars. Name him.

DeFord Bailey.

9. Opry membership rivals induction into which hall?

The Country Music Hall of Fame.

Hank Williams

10. By what first name was Hiram Williams better known?

Hank.

11. In which state was Hank Williams born in 1923?

Alabama.

12. What was the name of Hank’s band?

The Drifting Cowboys.

13. The 1949 hit that earned six encores on his Opry debut was?

“Lovesick Blues.”

14. “Your Cheatin’ ___” — complete the title.

Heart.

15. “Hey, Good ___” — complete another Hank classic.

Lookin’.

16. Hank’s “Cold, Cold Heart” later became a hit for which pop singer?

Tony Bennett.

17. Under what pseudonym did Hank record his spoken-word recitations?

Luke the Drifter.

18. On what date did Hank Williams die at just 29?

January 1, 1953.

19. His son, also a country star, is known as?

Hank Williams Jr.

Johnny Cash, the Man in Black

20. By what nickname was Johnny Cash known?

The Man in Black.

21. In which state was Cash born in 1932?

Arkansas.

22. The Memphis label where he first recorded in 1955 was?

Sun Records.

23. “Hey, ___” was his first Sun single. Complete it.

Porter.

24. What was his backing band called?

The Tennessee Three.

25. His signature song about staying true is?

“I Walk the Line.”

26. Which 1968 live album was recorded inside a California prison?

At Folsom Prison.

27. His second famous prison album, from 1969, was recorded at?

San Quentin.

28. Whom did Cash marry in 1968?

June Carter.

29. “Ring of Fire” is credited to June Carter and which co-writer?

Merle Kilgore.

30. Cash’s novelty #1 about a boy with an odd name was?

“A Boy Named Sue.”

31. His ABC variety show, taped at the Ryman, was?

The Johnny Cash Show.

Patsy Cline and the Nashville Sound

32. Patsy Cline’s signature ballad “Crazy” was written by which future outlaw?

Willie Nelson. There’s plenty more in our Patsy Cline trivia questions and answers.

Dolly Parton

33. In which state was Dolly Parton born in 1946?

Tennessee.

34. Dolly was one of how many children?

Twelve.

35. Which TV star gave Dolly her big break as his duet partner?

Porter Wagoner.

36. In “Jolene,” Dolly begs another woman not to take her what?

Man.

37. Her autobiographical song about a homemade childhood garment is?

“Coat of Many Colors.”

38. The 1980 workplace comedy she starred in and wrote the title song for was?

9 to 5.

39. Her “9 to 5” co-stars were Jane Fonda and?

Lily Tomlin.

40. “9 to 5” topped the country chart and which other chart?

The pop chart.

41. Which Dolly-written ballad became a monster hit for Whitney Houston?

“I Will Always Love You.”

42. Dolly’s Smoky Mountains theme park is called?

Dollywood.

Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty

43. Loretta Lynn grew up in Butcher Hollow, in which state?

Kentucky.

44. Her signature song and life story share which title?

“Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

45. Who won an Oscar playing Loretta in the 1980 film?

Sissy Spacek.

46. “You Ain’t Woman Enough” made her the first country woman to do what?

Write a #1 hit.

47. Her feisty 1968 hit warning off a rival was?

“Fist City.”

48. Loretta’s longtime duet partner was?

Conway Twitty.

49. Their Grammy-winning duet was “After the Fire Is ___.”

Gone.

50. Loretta’s younger sister, also a star, is?

Crystal Gayle.

The Bakersfield Sound

51. Merle Haggard helped create a style named after which California city?

Bakersfield.

52. What was Merle’s band called?

The Strangers.

53. As an inmate, Merle watched which star perform at San Quentin in 1960?

Johnny Cash.

54. Which governor pardoned Haggard in 1972?

Ronald Reagan.

55. His defiant 1969 anthem was “Okie from ___.”

Muskogee.

56. “Mama ___” — complete Merle’s prison classic.

Tried.

57. Merle’s nickname was?

The Hag.

58. The other Bakersfield giant, who sang “Act Naturally,” was?

Buck Owens.

59. Which band covered “Act Naturally” in 1965, with Ringo Starr on lead?

The Beatles.

60. Buck Owens co-hosted which long-running country TV show?

Hee Haw.

61. Buck’s Hee Haw co-host, a guitar whiz, was?

Roy Clark.

Mr. and Mrs. Country Music: George Jones and Tammy Wynette

62. George Jones’s 1980 ballad, often called country’s greatest, is?

“He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

63. Jones’s first #1, “White Lightning,” was written by?

The Big Bopper.

64. Jones earned two nicknames: “the Possum” and “No ___ Jones.”

Show.

65. Jones’s 1974 #1 “The Grand ___” was?

Tour.

66. Tammy Wynette’s defiant 1968 anthem of loyalty was?

“Stand by Your Man.”

67. Tammy spelled out heartbreak in which 1968 #1?

“D-I-V-O-R-C-E.”

68. Which country star did Tammy marry in 1969?

George Jones.

69. Jones and Wynette’s 1976 #1 duet about a wedding band was?

“Golden Ring.”

Willie Nelson and the Outlaws

70. In what Texas town was Willie Nelson born?

Abbott.

71. Willie’s well-worn guitar has a name. What is it?

Trigger.

72. The 1976 album that became country’s first platinum record was?

Wanted! The Outlaws.

73. Willie made that album with which fellow outlaw?

Waylon Jennings.

74. Willie’s 1975 concept album was “Red Headed ___.”

Stranger.

75. His road anthem, from the film Honeysuckle Rose, is?

“On the Road Again.”

76. Did Willie Nelson write his hit “Always on My Mind”?

No — he recorded it; others wrote it.

77. His first #1 as a singer was “Blue Eyes Crying in the ___.”

Rain.

78. The farmer-benefit concert Willie co-founded in 1985 is?

Farm Aid.

More Country Legends

79. Kenny Rogers’s story-song that tells you to “know when to hold ’em” is?

“The Gambler.”

80. Kenny’s chart-topping duet with Dolly Parton was?

“Islands in the Stream.”

81. Which trio of brothers, the Bee Gees, wrote “Islands in the Stream”?

The Gibb brothers.

82. Before going solo, Kenny Rogers led which group?

The First Edition.

83. Glen Campbell’s 1968 hit about a telephone-line worker was?

“Wichita Lineman.”

84. Which songwriter wrote “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston” for Campbell?

Jimmy Webb.

85. Glen Campbell’s 1975 #1 was “Rhinestone ___.”

Cowboy.

86. Roger Miller’s cheerful hobo anthem was “King of the ___.”

Road.

87. Miller’s earlier Grammy winner, with a nonsense title, was?

“Dang Me.”

88. Country music’s first Black superstar was?

Charley Pride.

89. Charley Pride became a member of which institution in 1993?

The Grand Ole Opry.

90. Finally: which Nashville hall is known as the “Mother Church of Country Music”?

The Ryman Auditorium.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Grand Ole Opry?

It’s a weekly country music stage show, broadcast live on Nashville’s WSM radio since 1925 — the longest-running radio show of its kind in America. For decades it was staged at the Ryman Auditorium.

Who was country music’s first Black superstar?

Charley Pride, who charted more than 50 top-10 country hits and, in 1993, became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

What’s often called the greatest country song ever?

George Jones’s 1980 ballad “He Stopped Loving Her Today” sits at the top of many critics’ lists.

Where can I find more music trivia?

Keep the records spinning with our Name That Tune oldies questions and answers.

Sources

• Grand Ole Opry — Wikipedia
• Hank Williams — Wikipedia
• Johnny Cash — Wikipedia

How many did you get right? Play our trivia quizzes and keep the music playing.