Which 1999 Macy Gray debut album includes the hit single "I Try"?
Answer
On How Life Is
200 R&B Trivia Questions with Answers
200 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
This R&B trivia collection covers several generations of soul, funk, contemporary R&B, new jack swing, and influential vocal groups. Questions range from Isaac Hayes and the Motown era to Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Janet Jackson, Keith Sweat, Macy Gray, and SZA, with clues about albums, Grammy-winning singles, producers, rappers, and breakthrough releases.
You may need to connect I Try with Macy Gray’s debut album, identify the Temptations’ famous lead singers, or name Janet Jackson’s album containing Nasty and What Have You Done for Me Lately. The broad scope makes this set useful for music game nights, pub quizzes, R&B listening sessions, and classroom units on popular-music history.
Which 1969 Isaac Hayes album opens with an 18-minute version of “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”?
Answer
Hot Buttered Soul
Which 1987 Keith Sweat album includes the new jack swing hit “I Want Her”?
Answer
Make It Last Forever
Which 1984 Tina Turner single won the Grammy for Record of the Year?
Answer
What's Love Got to Do with It
Which 1960s vocal group had Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin among its lead singers?
Answer
The Temptations
Which Chaka Khan hit featured a rap by Grandmaster Melle Mel?
Answer
I Feel for You
Which Philadelphia soul producers formed the songwriting team Gamble and Huff?
Answer
Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff
Which magazine journalist coined the term "rhythm and blues" in 1948?
Answer
Jerry Wexler
Which 1973 Roberta Flack song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks?
Answer
Killing Me Softly with His Song
Which singer released the 2006 album "Back to Black"?
Answer
Amy Winehouse
Which girl group recorded the 1960 hit "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"?
Answer
The Shirelles
Which singer had a 1996 debut single titled "Pony"?
Answer
Ginuwine
Which Four Tops hit has the subtitle "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch"?
Answer
I Can't Help Myself
Which city gave Motown Records its name?
Answer
Detroit
What Detroit house served as Motown's first headquarters and studio?
Answer
Hitsville U.S.A.
Which 1996 Maxwell album helped define the neo soul movement?
Answer
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Which 1971 Bill Withers single was his debut and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100?
Answer
Ain't No Sunshine
Which singer released the 2021 album Heaux Tales?
Answer
Jazmine Sullivan
Which New Jack Swing producer formed the group Guy in 1987?
Answer
Teddy Riley
Which singer released the 1985 album Rapture, featuring "Sweet Love"?
Answer
Anita Baker
Which 1975 Earth, Wind & Fire album shares its title with a film starring the band?
Answer
That's the Way of the World
Which 1966 Percy Sledge single became his signature song and a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit?
Answer
When a Man Loves a Woman
Which singer released the 2019 album Cuz I Love You?
Answer
Lizzo
Which R&B trio released the 1990 album Poison?
Answer
Bell Biv DeVoe
Which Canadian singer released the 2017 R&B album Freudian?
Answer
Daniel Caesar
Which singer released the 2016 album Lemonade?
Answer
Beyoncé
Which group released the 1978 hit single "September"?
Answer
Earth, Wind & Fire
Which 1979 Sister Sledge album was produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards?
Answer
We Are Family
Which 1962 Ray Charles album paired country songs with soul arrangements?
Answer
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Which radio format took its name from a 1975 Smokey Robinson song?
Answer
Quiet storm
Which singer's 1994 album My Life is often credited as a landmark of hip hop soul?
Answer
Mary J. Blige
Which R&B group released the 1991 album Cooleyhighharmony?
Answer
Boyz II Men
Which Mary J. Blige album won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album?
Answer
The Breakthrough
Which 2003 Beyoncé solo debut album includes "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy"?
Answer
Dangerously in Love
R&B trivia — quick answers
What are good R&B trivia questions?
Good R&B trivia questions cover artists, albums, singles, vocal groups, songwriting, production, and musical eras. Examples include identifying the album that contains I Try, naming the Temptations’ lead singers Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin, and recognizing SZA’s 2017 debut album Ctrl.
How hard is R&B trivia?
This R&B set ranges from approachable to challenging because it spans multiple decades and styles. Familiar hits provide entry points, while questions about album openers, Grammy categories, new jack swing, featured rappers, and session collaborators test listeners with deeper knowledge of soul and contemporary R&B.
Which 1999 Macy Gray album includes I Try?
Macy Gray’s 1999 debut studio album On How Life Is includes I Try. The song became her signature hit and helped introduce her distinctive raspy vocal style to a broad international audience. The album combines elements of soul, R&B, jazz, and pop.
Which 1986 Janet Jackson album includes Nasty and What Have You Done for Me Lately?
Those songs appear on Janet Jackson’s breakthrough album Control, released in 1986. Produced primarily by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Control established a sharper, more assertive sound and became a defining album of the new jack swing and contemporary R&B era.
Which singer released the 2017 debut album Ctrl?
SZA released Ctrl in 2017. The album was her debut studio record and received critical acclaim for its candid songwriting about relationships, insecurity, self-image, and independence. It helped establish SZA as a leading voice in contemporary R&B.