1960s Music Quiz

Music-related events during the 1960s:

• The 1960s saw the evolution of rock and the beginnings of the album era in North America and Europe.

• Rock and roll in its purest form was gradually overtaken by pop rock, beat, psychedelic rock, blues rock, and folk rock in the early 1960s.

• The latter half of the 1960s saw the rise of country- and folk-influenced style, which spawned a generation of popular singer-songwriters who wrote and performed their own work.

• Genres such as Baroque pop, sunshine pop, bubble gum pop, and progressive rock started to grow popular towards the decade's end.

• Latin American, Jamaican, and Cuban music achieved a degree of popularity throughout the decade, with genres such as bossa nova, the cha-cha-cha, ska, and calypso being popular.

• The 1960s saw the development of electronic, experimental, jazz, and contemporary classical music, notably minimalism and free improvisation.

• In Japan, the decade saw the rise in popularity of several Western popular music groups such as The Beatles, which started a new genre known as Group Sounds.

• South America witnessed the rise of genres such as bossa nova, Nueva canción, Nueva ola, rock music, and salsa.

• In the UK, the late 1950s marked the emergence of a flourishing culture of groups that led to the British Invasion of the American pop charts in the period after 1964.

• British blues scene was developing in the late 1950s and early 1960s, which helped to form many of the subgenres of rock, including psychedelic rock and heavy metal music.

• British psychedelia emerged during the mid-1960s, was influenced by psychedelic culture and attempted to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs.

• The folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s was launched by instrumental figures such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Joan Baez, and many others.

• Psychedelic rock particularly took off in California's emerging music scene as groups followed the Byrds from folk to folk rock from 1965.Music in the 1960s: A Genre Overview

• Surf rock was a popular form of rock and roll in the early 1960s, characterized by being nearly entirely instrumental and featuring heavy use of reverb on the guitars.

• Garage rock was a raw form of rock music, prevalent in North America in the mid-1960s, characterized by aggressive lyrics and delivery, with growled or shouted vocals, and ranging from crude one-chord music to near-studio musician quality.

• Blues-rock was pioneered by guitarist Lonnie Mack in the early 1960s, but the genre began to take off in the mid-'60s as acts developed a sound similar to British blues musicians.

• Roots rock was a move away from the excesses of the psychedelic scene, to a more basic form of rock and roll that incorporated its original influences, particularly country and folk music, leading to the creation of country rock and Southern rock.

• Progressive rock was an attempt to move beyond established musical formulas by experimenting with different instruments, song types, and forms, and was characterized by including harpsichords, wind and string sections, and full orchestras.

• Pop music in the early 1960s was dominated by the Brill Building in New York City, which nurtured many prolific songwriting partnerships like Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who wrote numerous number-one hits.

• The Monkees were a made-for-TV band, inspired by the Beatles in A Hard Day's Night, but were not allowed to play their own instruments due to contractual reasons, leading to many feuds between the bandmates and music supervisor Don Kirshner.

• R&B, Motown, and soul music continued to gain popularity, with artists like James Brown, Sam Cooke, and Aretha Franklin dominating the charts.

• Country music in the 1960s saw the rise of the Nashville Sound, a style that emphasized string sections, background vocals, crooning lead vocals, and production styles seen in country music, with artists like Jim Reeves, Eddy Arnold, Ray Price, Patsy Cline, and Roger Miller achieving great success.

• The 1960s was a decade of triumph and great tragedy in country music, with several top stars dying under tragic circumstances, including several who were killed in plane crashes.

• The British Invasion of 1964-66 greatly influenced garage bands, providing them with a national audience and leading many to adopt a British Invasion lilt, while encouraging many more groups to form.

• Psychedelic rock emerged in the mid-'60s, with key recordings including Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow and the Doors' Strange Days, but by the end of the decade, psychedelic rock was in retreat, with many surviving acts moving away from psychedelia into more back-to-basics "roots rock", the wider experimentation of progressive rock, or riff-laden heavy rock.

• The founders of Southern rock are usually thought to be the Allman Brothers Band, who developed a distinctive sound largely derived from blues rock but incorporating elements of boogie, soul, and country in the early 1970s.Country Music in the 1960s: Artists, Trends, and Tragedies

• Countrypolitan style of music emerged in the 1960s, with artists like Glen Campbell, Dottie West, and Charley Pride adopting it.

• Johnny Cash became one of the most influential musicians of the 1960s and was labeled "The Man In Black."

• Pride became the first African-American superstar in country music in the latter half of the 1960s.

• Bakersfield sound emerged in the 1960s, with artists like Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Wynn Stewart adopting it.

• Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly Parton were the most successful female country artists.

• Several TV programs, such as The Porter Wagoner Show and Hee Haw, were produced to allow country music to reach a wider audience.

• The 1960s saw several tragic deaths of pioneering country stars, including Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and Ira Louvin.

• The 1960s saw a proliferation of No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

• 60s fashion trends began to make their way into country music circles in the latter half of the decade.

• Bossa Nova, Nueva ola, Nueva canción, salsa, tango, and música cebolla were the emerging trends in Latin America, Spain, and Brazil.

• The 1960s saw increasing interest in electronic music in Australia and New Zealand.

• The legacy of the 1960s country music includes the emergence of new styles, the rise of female artists, the expansion of TV programs, and the tragic loss of pioneering stars.The Impact of 1960s Music on Popular Culture

• A 2010 European survey rated the 1960s as the best tune decade in the last 50 years by only 19% of the 11,000 participants.

• An American landline survey rated the 1960s as the best decade in music by 26% of the participants.

• The song Vivo cantando was joint winner of the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest for Spain along with the UK's "Boom Bang-a-Bang," the Netherlands' "De troubadour," and France's "Un jour, un enfant."

• It was Spain's second winning entry in the contest and the last to date.

• The 1960s saw the rise of rock and roll, psychedelic, and folk music.

• The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones were among the most influential and popular artists of the decade.

• The 1960s also saw the emergence of protest songs, reflecting the social and political changes of the time.

• Woodstock, a music festival held in 1969, became a symbol of the counterculture movement.

• Motown, a record label that produced soul and R&B music, was also prominent in the 1960s.

• The influence of 1960s music can still be seen in popular culture today, with many contemporary artists citing it as an inspiration.

• The 1960s also saw the introduction of new recording technologies, such as multitrack recording and stereo sound.

• The era was marked by a sense of experimentation and creativity in music.

Test your knowledge of the music-related events that took place during the 1960s with our quiz! From the rise of rock and roll to the emergence of protest songs, explore the various genres and trends that defined this iconic decade in music. From the Beatles to Motown, discover the most influential and popular artists of the time, and learn about the impact of 1960s music on popular culture. Whether you're a music buff or just looking to expand your knowledge, this quiz is sure