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Quiz about The Birth of the Blues
Quiz about The Birth of the Blues

The Birth of the Blues Trivia Quiz


If the extent of your history of the blues goes "all the way back" to Stevie Ray Vaughan, this quiz may not be for you. We're exploring the roots of the blues... the '20's and '30's.

A multiple-choice quiz by maddogrick16. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
maddogrick16
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
173,420
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
1911
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 24 (8/10), Guest 47 (4/10), Guest 62 (5/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Widely regarded as the "Father of the Blues", this gentleman wrote the first song ever to use the word "blues" in the title, "Memphis Blues". He was? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The first "blues" recording was "Crazy Blues" recorded on August 10, 1920. Who was the performer? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Bessie Smith's first big hit was "Down Hearted Blues" which topped the charts for four weeks in 1923. This and her subsequent recordings proved so popular that ___________________. Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. All these "Blind" singers were seminal blues artists of the 1920's and 1930's except for one. Which one have I inappropriately designated as blind? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Robert Johnson is probably the most famous of the old blues men largely due to the massive success of "The Complete Recordings" in 1990. This disc was a compilation of everything Johnson ever recorded including alternate versions of songs. Altogether there were 29 songs and 12 alternate versions for a total of 41 tracks. Which of the following songs was NOT a Johnson original? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Robert Johnson is considered for classification purposes, a "Delta Blues" performer. Most historians agree that the roots of all blues music would begin here... the Mississippi Delta. All but one of the following artists would be deemed to be a "Delta Bluesman". Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Certain styles of blues and jazz music are essentially interchangeable. They fit both genre's definitions. Billie Holiday is one singer where this case can be made. Perhaps her most famous song was written by a young white man who personally gave it to Holiday to perform. It was a protest song and anti-racist statement pertaining to the lynchings of black folks. It was entitled? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. "Piedmont", "Chicago", "Delta" and "Texas" styles of the blues are among the most widely known. There are several other styles. Of the four options given, which is not deemed to be a blues style? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. All of these instruments have been traditionally used in blues music except for one? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Historians of blues music believe that it stems largely from the fusion of three root musical forms. Which of these would not be one of those roots? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 19 2024 : Guest 24: 8/10
Mar 19 2024 : Guest 47: 4/10
Mar 13 2024 : Guest 62: 5/10
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Feb 05 2024 : Guest 47: 4/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Widely regarded as the "Father of the Blues", this gentleman wrote the first song ever to use the word "blues" in the title, "Memphis Blues". He was?

Answer: W.C. Handy

Handy was born in 1873 and wrote "Memphis Blues" in 1912. Some of his other notable compositions were "St. Louis Blues", "Beale St. Blues" and "Yellow Dog Blues". He was noted more as a composer rather than as a performer but eye problems more or less forced his retirement in both areas in the late 1930's. He died in 1958. Joplin, of course, was known for his "ragtime" music.
2. The first "blues" recording was "Crazy Blues" recorded on August 10, 1920. Who was the performer?

Answer: Mamie Smith

Mamie was more of a jazz singer than a traditional blues artist. It is reported that Tucker was originally slated to record the song, was unable to make the session and Smith filled in, a fortuitous circumstance that made her a wealthy woman. The record sold over a million copies in just six months and because of it's remarkable success, the way was paved for other artists such as Bessie Smith to get into the recording studio.
3. Bessie Smith's first big hit was "Down Hearted Blues" which topped the charts for four weeks in 1923. This and her subsequent recordings proved so popular that ___________________.

Answer: she virtually saved Columbia Records from bankruptcy.

Columbia was on the verge of collapse at the time. Victor had been the juggernaut label of the day and Smith's successful recordings gave the moribund Columbia label new life. Regarding the other answers, very few records were million sellers then... even "Down Hearted Blues" only sold 750,000 copies in 1923. Columbia may have owed her a debt of gratitude but business would be business.

Her contract was, as usual, renewed on a year to year basis and when her records stopped selling, she was released from the label in 1931.
4. All these "Blind" singers were seminal blues artists of the 1920's and 1930's except for one. Which one have I inappropriately designated as blind?

Answer: Blind Bill Broonzy

McTell, Blake and Fuller were indeed all blind and sang in the "Piedmont Blues" style popular in Georgia and the deep Southeast. Bill Broonzy, however, was a "Chicago Blues" performer and was not blind at all. Instead, his nickname was "Big", for he was... both physically and in the musical sense.

He toured extensively in Great Britain in the early 1950's when he was over fifty years old himself and developed a cult following. Muddy Waters followed him there a few years later also sowing the seeds of "the blues".

The result? John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Cream, etc.
5. Robert Johnson is probably the most famous of the old blues men largely due to the massive success of "The Complete Recordings" in 1990. This disc was a compilation of everything Johnson ever recorded including alternate versions of songs. Altogether there were 29 songs and 12 alternate versions for a total of 41 tracks. Which of the following songs was NOT a Johnson original?

Answer: Manish Boy

"Manish Boy" was a Muddy Waters original. Johnson died at the age of 27 in 1938 and although his body of work which has survived to this time is limited indeed, the legend continues to grow.
6. Robert Johnson is considered for classification purposes, a "Delta Blues" performer. Most historians agree that the roots of all blues music would begin here... the Mississippi Delta. All but one of the following artists would be deemed to be a "Delta Bluesman".

Answer: Blind Lemon Jefferson

Blind Lemon Jefferson (1897-1929) is considered a "Texas Bluesman", having been born there and spending most of his life in Galveston. The "Father of the Delta Blues" is deemed to be Patton (1887-1934). Almost everyone who came out of Mississippi in the early years, Robert Johnson included, learned at the foot of Patton or his protegé's. Son House and Tommy Johnson were the big names in "Delta Blues" during the late 1920's and early 1930's, essentially just after Patton's hay day and before Johnson's.
7. Certain styles of blues and jazz music are essentially interchangeable. They fit both genre's definitions. Billie Holiday is one singer where this case can be made. Perhaps her most famous song was written by a young white man who personally gave it to Holiday to perform. It was a protest song and anti-racist statement pertaining to the lynchings of black folks. It was entitled?

Answer: Strange Fruit

"Strange Fruit" was recorded in 1939 and although it only achieved a #16 ranking on the charts of the day, it was an extraordinally powerful song, especially the way she sang it. Throughout the song, the "fruit" hanging from the tree is a metaphor for black men after a lynching.
8. "Piedmont", "Chicago", "Delta" and "Texas" styles of the blues are among the most widely known. There are several other styles. Of the four options given, which is not deemed to be a blues style?

Answer: Minneapolis

Memphis, beyond being mentioned in the first written blues song, was, with Chicago, the place where blues men congregated in the early years to play the clubs and record in studios. B.B.King, Howlin' Wolf and Little Milton were among the famous artists who are identified with the Memphis sound.

The West Coast stream primarily consisted of Texas blues artists who found their way west, stayed and created a slightly more mellow blues sound than found in Texas. T. Bone Walker is deemed to be the "father" of the West Coast style. Louisiana Blues is something of a mish mash of piano music(a la Professor Longhair), guitar, and traditional zydeco and cajun music... a very distinct blues style indeed. Minneapolis? There doubtlessly is a "blues" scene there but I think "the blues" would be more associated with the color of the resident's faces during -40 degree winter days!
9. All of these instruments have been traditionally used in blues music except for one?

Answer: Trumpet

The trumpet is mostly an orchestral, jazz or military instrument. It has no roots in traditional blues music.
10. Historians of blues music believe that it stems largely from the fusion of three root musical forms. Which of these would not be one of those roots?

Answer: Hillbilly Music

Griots were musicians and traditional storytellers in West Africa. Griots and blues singers could be considered "cousins" in some respects. The influences of "hollers" and Gospel music seem obvious. Meanwhile, hillbilly music would be one of the roots of today's country music.
Source: Author maddogrick16

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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