Which 1977 Brothers Johnson hit was written by Shuggie Otis and topped Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart?
Answer
Strawberry Letter 23
78 Funk Trivia Questions with Answers
78 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Funk trivia explores the bass-heavy, rhythm-first music that shaped soul, disco, jazz, rock, hip-hop and modern dance music. Questions span influential performers, producers, albums, record labels, regional scenes and the musicians behind iconic grooves.
Test your knowledge of songs such as the Brothers Johnson’s “Strawberry Letter 23,” written by Shuggie Otis, and Heatwave’s “Boogie Nights,” written by Rod Temperton. You may also encounter Washington, D.C. go-go, Betty Davis’s funk-rock work, Kool & the Gang’s “Summer Madness” and British jazz-funk. This set suits music-focused game nights, pub quizzes, DJ circles, record collectors and classroom discussions about popular music history.
Who produced Betty Davis's 1973 debut funk-rock album "Betty Davis"?
Answer
Greg Errico
Which Washington, D.C. go-go band released the 1979 album "Bustin' Loose"?
Answer
Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers
Which record label released Funkadelic's self-titled 1970 debut album?
Answer
Westbound Records
Which 1974 Kool & the Gang album contains the instrumental "Summer Madness"?
Answer
Light of Worlds
Which P-Funk keyboardist was nicknamed the "Wizard of Woo"?
Answer
Bernie Worrell
Which 1980 Lakeside funk song was a number-one hit on the Billboard R&B chart?
Answer
Fantastic Voyage
Which 1977 Parliament album includes the track "Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk"?
Answer
Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Which drummer co-founded The Meters and was nicknamed Zigaboo?
Answer
Joseph Modeliste
Which Zapp frontman was known for using the talk box in funk recordings?
Answer
Roger Troutman
Which band backed Prince on the 1984 album "Purple Rain"?
Answer
The Revolution
Which record label released Parliament's 1975 album "Mothership Connection"?
Answer
Casablanca Records
Which 1976 Parliament song is subtitled "Tear the Roof off the Sucker"?
Answer
Give Up the Funk
Which Herbie Hancock album includes the jazz-funk track "Chameleon"?
Answer
Head Hunters
Which Scottish funk band released the 1975 single "Cut the Cake"?
Answer
Average White Band
Which instrument is Maceo Parker best known for playing?
Answer
Saxophone
Which funk and soul group did Maurice White form in Chicago in 1969?
Answer
Earth, Wind & Fire
What was Sly Stone's birth name?
Answer
Sylvester Stewart
Which James Brown drummer performed the famous break on the 1970 single "Funky Drummer"?
Answer
Clyde Stubblefield
Which Chic bassist co-wrote "Good Times" with Nile Rodgers?
Answer
Bernard Edwards
Which 1980 single by Zapp was built around Roger Troutman's talk box vocals?
Answer
More Bounce to the Ounce
Which San Francisco funk band released the 1973 album "Tower of Power"?
Answer
Tower of Power
Which bandleader founded Parliament and Funkadelic and headed the P-Funk collective?
Answer
George Clinton
Which 1977 Parliament album contains the song 'Flash Light'?
Answer
Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Which 1979 Prince single became his first #1 on the R&B charts?
Answer
I Wanna Be Your Lover
Which 1972 Temptations song, produced by Norman Whitfield, is a landmark funk track?
Answer
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
Funk trivia — quick answers
What are good funk trivia questions?
Good funk trivia questions cover artists, songs, albums, producers, record labels and regional styles. Examples include identifying the writer of the Brothers Johnson hit “Strawberry Letter 23,” naming the label behind Funkadelic’s 1970 debut, and recognizing the Washington, D.C. band that released “Bustin’ Loose.”
How hard is funk trivia?
Funk trivia ranges from accessible to specialist. Casual players may know major artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic, Kool & the Gang and the Brothers Johnson, while harder questions focus on producers, session musicians, album details, record labels and connections between funk, jazz, disco, soul and go-go.
What is funk music?
Funk is a rhythm-centered style built around strong bass lines, syncopated drum patterns, repeated grooves and tightly coordinated instrumental parts. It developed from African American rhythm and blues, soul and jazz, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic and many others helped define its sound.
What is Washington, D.C. go-go?
Go-go is a Washington, D.C.-area style of funk known for continuous live grooves, prominent percussion, call-and-response vocals and extended performances that flow from one song into another. Chuck Brown is widely associated with its development, while bands such as Trouble Funk and Experience Unlimited helped bring the sound to wider audiences.