Question 1 of 20ElvisEasy
1950s music quiz
Put a nickel in the jukebox and see how well you know the decade that gave birth to rock 'n' roll. This 50s music quiz serves up 20 questions on rock 'n' roll pioneers, doo-wop groups, smooth crooners, cool jazz, country legends and chart history from both sides of the Atlantic. Whether you grew up with these records or just love the oldies, it's 1950s music trivia for the whole family.
A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Ultimate 1950's Quiz Book.
Question 2 of 20Rock 'n' rollEasy
Which band recorded the 1955 smash hit "Rock Around the Clock"?
Question 3 of 20Labels and producersMedium
Which record producer founded Sun Records in Memphis in 1952?
Question 4 of 20ElvisEasy
On which TV variety show did Elvis Presley appear in September 1956, drawing an estimated 60 million viewers?
Question 5 of 20Rock 'n' rollMedium
On February 3, 1959, a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and which other singer?
Question 6 of 20Rhythm and bluesHard
Which blues singer made the first recording of "Hound Dog" in 1952, four years before Elvis Presley's version?
Question 7 of 20Rock 'n' rollMedium
Which Cleveland disc jockey popularized the term "rock and roll" on mainstream radio in the early 1950s?
Question 8 of 20Rock 'n' rollEasy
Which signature stage move did guitarist Chuck Berry make famous?
Question 9 of 20Doo-wopMedium
Which Los Angeles doo-wop group had a hit in 1954 with its debut single, "Earth Angel"?
Question 10 of 20ChartsHard
When Billboard launched its Hot 100 chart on August 4, 1958, which singer held the very first No. 1?
Question 11 of 20British soundsMedium
Which 1950s British music craze, led by Lonnie Donegan, used homemade instruments such as washboards and tea-chest basses?
Question 12 of 20Rock 'n' rollEasy
Rock 'n' roll piano man Fats Domino was born and raised in which city?
Question 13 of 20CountryMedium
Which country music star, nicknamed "The Hillbilly Shakespeare", died in the back seat of a car on New Year's Day 1953, aged just 29?
Question 14 of 20JazzHard
Which pianist led the jazz quartet that recorded "Take Five" on its 1959 album Time Out?
Question 15 of 20ElvisMedium
After being drafted in 1958, Elvis Presley spent most of his US Army service stationed in which country?
Question 16 of 20JazzEasy
Which trumpeter released the landmark jazz album Kind of Blue in 1959?
Question 17 of 20CroonersMedium
Which jazz pianist and crooner hosted his own NBC variety series from November 1956, one of the first network TV shows hosted by a Black American?
Question 18 of 20British soundsHard
In 1959, Cliff Richard's British backing band, the Drifters, changed its name to avoid a clash with an American vocal group. What did it become?
Question 19 of 20CroonersMedium
Frank Sinatra won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing Private Angelo Maggio in which 1953 film?
Question 20 of 20ChartsHard
Which song won Record of the Year at the very first Grammy Awards, in May 1959?
Answer all 20 to see your score.
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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
- What is the name of the Memphis mansion that Elvis Presley bought in 1957? GracelandHe paid $102,500 for the estate, which was named after Grace, the daughter of the land's original owner, Stephen C. Toof.
- Which band recorded the 1955 smash hit "Rock Around the Clock"? Bill Haley & His CometsRecorded in April 1954, it only took off after playing over the opening credits of the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle, then spent eight weeks at No. 1.
- Which record producer founded Sun Records in Memphis in 1952? Sam PhillipsShort of cash, Sun sold Elvis Presley's recording contract to RCA Victor in 1955 for $40,000.
- On which TV variety show did Elvis Presley appear in September 1956, drawing an estimated 60 million viewers? The Ed Sullivan ShowThe host was recovering from a car accident, so British actor Charles Laughton stood in that night. The broadcast reached about 82.6 percent of TV viewers.
- On February 3, 1959, a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and which other singer? The Big BopperWaylon Jennings, then playing bass in Holly's touring band, gave up his seat on the plane to J.P. Richardson, who had the flu.
- Which blues singer made the first recording of "Hound Dog" in 1952, four years before Elvis Presley's version? Big Mama ThorntonWritten by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, her version spent seven weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's R&B chart in 1953.
- Which Cleveland disc jockey popularized the term "rock and roll" on mainstream radio in the early 1950s? Alan FreedHis Moondog Coronation Ball at the Cleveland Arena in March 1952, often called the first major rock 'n' roll concert, was shut down early amid overcrowding.
- Which signature stage move did guitarist Chuck Berry make famous? The duck walkHis 1958 hit "Johnny B. Goode" is the only rock 'n' roll song on the Golden Record carried into space by NASA's Voyager probes.
- Which Los Angeles doo-wop group had a hit in 1954 with its debut single, "Earth Angel"? The PenguinsIt began as a demo recorded in a garage in South Central LA, where a neighbor's barking dog interrupted many takes.
- When Billboard launched its Hot 100 chart on August 4, 1958, which singer held the very first No. 1? Ricky NelsonHe was already a TV star, playing himself on his family's sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. His chart-topper was "Poor Little Fool".
- Which 1950s British music craze, led by Lonnie Donegan, used homemade instruments such as washboards and tea-chest basses? SkiffleJohn Lennon's first group, the Quarrymen, was one of an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 such groups in Britain in the late 1950s.
- Rock 'n' roll piano man Fats Domino was born and raised in which city? New OrleansHis 1949 debut, "The Fat Man", had sold a million copies by 1951 and is often cited as the first rock 'n' roll record to do so.
- Which country music star, nicknamed "The Hillbilly Shakespeare", died in the back seat of a car on New Year's Day 1953, aged just 29? Hank WilliamsBorn in Alabama, he made his Grand Ole Opry debut in June 1949.
- Which pianist led the jazz quartet that recorded "Take Five" on its 1959 album Time Out? Dave BrubeckWritten by saxophonist Paul Desmond in 5/4 time, it is often called the biggest-selling jazz single of all time.
- After being drafted in 1958, Elvis Presley spent most of his US Army service stationed in which country? West GermanyHe left the Army as a sergeant in March 1960, having met his future wife, Priscilla Beaulieu, at a party in 1959.
- Which trumpeter released the landmark jazz album Kind of Blue in 1959? Miles DavisRecorded in just two sessions in spring 1959, it featured John Coltrane on tenor saxophone and was certified 5x platinum in the US in 2019.
- Which jazz pianist and crooner hosted his own NBC variety series from November 1956, one of the first network TV shows hosted by a Black American? Nat King ColeThe series never found a national sponsor, and the show ended after just over a year, in December 1957.
- In 1959, Cliff Richard's British backing band, the Drifters, changed its name to avoid a clash with an American vocal group. What did it become? The ShadowsThe renamed group topped the UK chart for five weeks in 1960 with the guitar instrumental "Apache".
- Frank Sinatra won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing Private Angelo Maggio in which 1953 film? From Here to EternityThe film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Fred Zinnemann.
- Which song won Record of the Year at the very first Grammy Awards, in May 1959? Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)Sung by Domenico Modugno, it also won Song of the Year that night. Ceremonies were held simultaneously in Beverly Hills and New York.
