Ready to Rock?
Think you know your rock history? Let’s see how deep your grooves run. From classic riffs to studio secrets, this quiz separates the casual listeners from the lifers.
Keep score:
12–15 right = rock god
8–11 = solid fan
4–7 = weekend warrior
0–3 = maybe stick to pop radio
The First Riff
Which 1951 song is often credited as the first rock and roll record?
A) Rock Around the Clock (Bill Haley & His Comets)
B) Maybellene (Chuck Berry)
C) Rocket 88 (Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats)
D) That’s All Right (Elvis Presley)
Edge4life42, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: Rocket 88
Recorded by Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner’s band, Rocket 88 featured distorted guitar and a driving rhythm years before Elvis or Chuck Berry broke through. The amp distortion happened by accident when a speaker got damaged in transit—but that “mistake” gave the song its revolutionary edge.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Stairway
It’s one of the most famous rock songs ever recorded, the anthem of an entire generation, and a staple of every guitar shop on Earth. But here’s the question: True or False—Stairway to Heaven was never officially released as a single.
Andrew Smith, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: True
Led Zeppelin refused to release Stairway to Heaven as a single, insisting fans hear it as part of Led Zeppelin IV. Radio stations played it anyway, helping it become one of the most requested songs ever. Ironically, a track that was never for sale became priceless.
Placeholder
What was the original title of The Beatles’ song Yesterday before Paul McCartney changed it?
A) Scrambled Eggs
B) Sunshine Eyes
C) Breakfast in Bed
D) Someday Soon
Rocknrollmemorabilia, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: Scrambled Eggs
McCartney wrote the melody in a dream and used “Scrambled eggs, oh my baby how I love your legs” as placeholder lyrics. It stuck until he found the perfect final word: Yesterday. Even geniuses start with nonsense sometimes—and this nonsense became the most-covered song ever written.
Jim Summaria, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Moon
Rock’s history is full of wild frontmen—but few drummers ever stole the spotlight like this one. Known for chaos on and off stage, which rock drummer once drove a car straight into a hotel pool?
A) John Bonham
B) Keith Moon
C) Ginger Baker
D) Ringo Starr
Answer: Keith Moon
The Who’s Keith Moon was chaos personified. He blew up toilets with cherry bombs, wrecked hotel rooms, and once passed out on stage mid-show. Brilliant behind the kit—disastrous behind the wheel—Moon’s drumming defined The Who’s sound as much as his antics defined rock excess.
Clapton
After the death of his close friend Jimi Hendrix, which famous song did Eric Clapton record using one of Hendrix’s own guitars as a tribute?
A) Layla
B) Tears in Heaven
C) River of Tears
D) Further on Up the Road
Answer: Layla
After Hendrix’s death, Clapton used one of his guitars to record Layla with Derek and the Dominos. The song—written about unrequited love—became a rock classic, its fiery guitar tone carrying both heartbreak and tribute.
Chris Hakkens, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Mercury
Freddie Mercury had one of the greatest voices in rock—but what degree did he earn before Queen made it big?
A) Physics
B) Art and Graphic Design
C) Architecture
D) Theater
Answer: Art and Graphic Design
Before Queen, Freddie studied art and graphic design at Ealing Art College in London. That creative eye helped him design the band’s famous crest logo—a mix of zodiac symbols that’s now instantly recognizable worldwide.
Fame
For years, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was dominated by male acts—until one powerhouse voice shattered that ceiling. Who was the first woman ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
A) Tina Turner
B) Aretha Franklin
C) Janis Joplin
D) Stevie Nicks
GordonMakryllos, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin made history in 1987 as the first woman in the Hall. Her unmatched voice could move from gospel to pop to politics. From demanding “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” to performing at presidential inaugurations, she redefined what power in music could sound like.
Woodstock
It was supposed to be a small festival in upstate New York—until half a million people showed up. How many people actually attended Woodstock in 1969?
A) 50,000
B) 100,000
C) 400,000
D) 1 million
Woodstock Whisperer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: 400,000
Nearly half a million people descended on a muddy New York farm for three days of peace and music. Despite rain, food shortages, and chaos, Woodstock became a defining symbol of unity, rebellion, and the beautiful mess of 1960s rock culture.
Sweet
Every legendary riff starts somewhere—but not all of them were meant to be heard by the world. True or False—Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine actually began as nothing more than a guitar warm-up exercise.
Delusion23, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: True
Slash was just fooling around with a warm-up riff when Axl Rose started humming along. That jam turned into Sweet Child O’ Mine, giving Guns N’ Roses their first number-one hit. The band almost left it off the album—then it made them stars.
Cover Story
Some artists beg to be on the cover of Rolling Stone—but not this one. Despite topping the charts and redefining pop music, which legendary performer refused to appear on the magazine’s cover for years, saying they wouldn’t be understood?
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Answer: Prince
Prince turned down Rolling Stone repeatedly, claiming the magazine couldn’t capture who he really was. “People think they know me,” he said. “They don’t.” When he finally did appear, it was entirely on his own terms—proof he never played by anyone’s rules.
Halen
Eddie Van Halen wasn’t just a guitar hero—he was a mad scientist of sound. What was the name of the guitar he famously built himself using spare parts, duct tape, and sheer ingenuity?
A) Frankenstrat
B) Telemaster
C) Hotshot
D) Supercaster
Answer: Frankenstrat
Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstrat was made from leftover guitar parts—a Fender-style body, Gibson pickups, and homemade wiring. He painted it with masking tape and spray cans. That DIY spirit led to a sound so new it practically invented ’80s hard rock.
Jagger
Which Rolling Stones hit was written in just ten minutes and became one of their most iconic songs?
A) Start Me Up
B) Satisfaction
C) Jumpin’ Jack Flash
D) Brown Sugar
Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music, Getty Images
Answer: Satisfaction
Keith Richards woke up from a dream, recorded the riff to Satisfaction on a tape recorder, and went back to sleep. The next morning, the band built an anthem around it—one of rock’s greatest happy accidents and a defining track of the 1960s.
Petty
Which Tom Petty hit almost didn’t make the album because the record label thought it was “too long”?
A) Free Fallin’
B) Refugee
C) American Girl
D) The Waiting
Richard E. Aaron, Getty Images
Answer: Free Fallin’
Petty’s label thought Free Fallin’ was too slow and wouldn’t work on radio. Instead, it became his most beloved song—a wistful, sun-drenched ode to Los Angeles heartbreak that still hits just right decades later.
Camtin at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
Zeppelin
What inspired the name “Led Zeppelin”?
A) A graffiti tag
B) A joke by Keith Moon
C) A failed balloon stunt
D) A Shakespeare quote
Atlantic Records, Wikimedia Commons
Answer: A joke by Keith Moon
Before Zeppelin formed, The Who’s Keith Moon joked their “supergroup” idea would “go over like a lead balloon.” Jimmy Page loved the phrase, dropped the “a,”
added “Zeppelin,” and turned sarcasm into rock mythology. Talk about making an insult legendary.
George Wilkes Archive, Getty Images
Berlin
Which David Bowie song was written in Berlin during the Cold War and inspired by lovers kissing by the Wall?
A) Heroes
B) Young Americans
C) Ashes to Ashes
D) Changes
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Answer: Heroes
Recorded at Hansa Studios in West Berlin, Bowie wrote Heroes after seeing two lovers embracing near the Berlin Wall. It captured hope and defiance in divided times, later becoming an anthem for unity when the Wall finally fell in 1989.
RCA Records, Wikimedia Commons
Encore
How’d you do? Whether you nailed every riff or blanked on a few deep cuts, remember—rock and roll isn’t about perfection. It’s about passion, rebellion, and a good guitar tone. Crank it up and give yourself an encore.
You Might Also Like:
.jpg){kind=link}