Country Music
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128 free Country Music trivia questions with answers — music quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
100 free country music trivia questions with answers. From the hills of Appalachia to the stages of Nashville, country music has told the stories of America for over a century. From Johnny Cash to Zach Bryan, how well do you know the genre?
30 of 128 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and a female star died together in March 1963 in what kind of accident?
A plane crash
Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins died in a plane crash near Camden, Tennessee, on March 5, 1963, flying home to Nashville from a Kansas City benefit show.
Q 02Which 1974 single gave the singer of 'Jolene' her third solo country No. 1 that year?
Love Is Like a Butterfly
'Love Is Like a Butterfly' topped the country chart in November 1974, Dolly Parton's third solo No. 1 of that year.
Q 03Which Garth Brooks song became one of the best-selling country singles ever and a karaoke staple?
Friends in Low Places
Friends in Low Places was released in 1990 and became Garth Brooks' signature song. It spent four weeks at number one and became an anthem for country fans, especially at live shows and karaoke nights.
Q 04Which horizontal slide instrument, its strings bent by knee levers, gives country its weeping sound?
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar's foot pedals and knee levers bend individual strings mid-chord, producing the crying, swooping tone heard on countless country records.
Q 05Which band backed the singer of 'Act Naturally' on his 1960s Bakersfield number ones?
The Buckaroos
Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, led by guitarist Don Rich, cut a string of 1960s No. 1s in the stripped-down Bakersfield sound, keeping fiddle and pedal steel into the 1970s.
Q 06Which radio announcer founded the Grand Ole Opry in November 1925?
George D. Hay
George D. Hay, the self-styled 'Solemn Old Judge', launched the WSM Barn Dance on November 28, 1925; in December 1927 he renamed the programme the Grand Ole Opry.
Q 07The singer of 'Your Cheatin' Heart' died at 29 in the back seat of a car in which state?
West Virginia
Hank Williams was found dead in the back seat of his Cadillac at a filling station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, on January 1, 1953, aged 29.
Q 08The first CMA Awards, in October 1967, were held at which venue?
Municipal Auditorium
The first CMA Awards were presented at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium on October 20, 1967; the ceremony moved to the Ryman Auditorium the following year.
Q 09Shania Twain, one of the best-selling female artists of all time, is originally from which country?
Canada
Shania Twain was born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and grew up in Timmins, Ontario. She became the top-selling female country artist of all time with her album 'Come On Over' (1997), which sold over 40 million copies worldwide.
Q 10Which country star won CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1991, 1992, 1997 and 1998?
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks took CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1991, 1992, 1997 and 1998, then again in 2016, 2017 and 2019, a seven-win tally no other artist had matched by 2020.
Q 11Which singing contest's fourth season (2005) launched the era's best-selling female country artist?
American Idol
Carrie Underwood won American Idol's fourth season in May 2005 and went on to multi-platinum country albums, starting with 'Some Hearts' later that year.
Q 12Which country subgenre were Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson figureheads of in the 1970s?
Outlaw country
Outlaw country is the 1970s movement chronicled in Michael Streissguth's 2013 book 'Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville'; its artists insisted on choosing their own producers and bands.
Q 13Before becoming a country superstar, Taylor Swift released her self-titled debut album in what year?
2006
Q 21Which dance craze swept country venues after Billy Ray Cyrus' 'Achy Breaky Heart' in 1992?
Line dancing
Line dancing became hugely popular at country music venues in the early 1990s, especially with Billy Ray Cyrus' 'Achy Breaky Heart' (1992). Dancers perform choreographed steps in rows, all facing the same direction, without a partner.
Q 22Which George Jones recording has been named in several surveys as the greatest country song of all time?
He Stopped Loving Her Today
'He Stopped Loving Her Today', written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, topped the country chart in 1980 and revived George Jones' career; polls have repeatedly named it the greatest country song ever.
Q 23What was Miranda Lambert's major-label debut album?
Taylor Swift released her self-titled debut album on October 24, 2006, aged 16; it included 'Teardrops on My Guitar' and 'Our Song' and launched her into country stardom.
Q 14What is the name of the famous Nashville street known for its honky-tonk bars and live music?
Broadway
Lower Broadway in downtown Nashville is the iconic strip famous for its neon-lit honky-tonk bars, where live country music plays from morning until late at night. Venues like Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Robert's Western World, and The Stage are among its most famous.
Q 15Which album carried its singer to Album of the Year, Male Vocalist and New Artist at the 2015 CMA Awards?
Traveller
Chris Stapleton's 'Traveller' won Album of the Year at the 2015 CMA Awards, where his duet with Justin Timberlake sent the album to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 the following week.
Q 16Which Patsy Cline song, released in 1961, is considered one of the greatest country songs ever recorded?
Crazy
Patsy Cline's recording of 'Crazy,' written by Willie Nelson, was released in 1961. Though it only reached number 2 on the country chart, it became her signature song and is consistently ranked among the greatest country songs of all time.
Q 17What was the name of the duet by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash that won a Grammy in 1968?
Jackson
'Jackson', written by Billy Edd Wheeler and Jerry Leiber, won Johnny Cash and June Carter the Grammy for Best Country & Western Performance, Duet, Trio or Group in 1968.
Q 18Luke Combs' debut single topped the country airplay chart in May 2017 and held the spot for how long?
Two weeks
'Hurricane' spent two weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart in May 2017, the first of Luke Combs' run of consecutive chart-topping singles.
Q 19The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is located in which city?
Nashville, Tennessee
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum stands in downtown Nashville, Tennessee; founded in 1961, it moved into its purpose-built downtown home in 2001.
Q 20Which country artist is famous for the song 'Mama Tried' and was known as 'The Poet of the Common Man'?
Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard released 'Mama Tried' in 1968, drawing on his real-life experiences including time spent in San Quentin prison. He earned the nickname 'The Poet of the Common Man' for his songs about working-class life.
Kerosene
Miranda Lambert's major-label debut 'Kerosene' was released in 2005; its fiery title track reached the country Top 20 and the album went platinum.
Q 24Which small wind instrument is a traditional country music accompaniment, alongside banjos and fiddles?
Harmonica
The harmonica has been a country staple since DeFord Bailey played it on the Grand Ole Opry in the 1920s; the genre's other mainstays are strings: fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitars of every kind.
Q 25Which country star had a massive crossover hit with 'Old Town Road' alongside Lil Nas X in 2019?
Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus joined Lil Nas X on the April 2019 remix of 'Old Town Road'; together the versions held the Hot 100's No. 1 spot for 19 weeks, then the longest run in the chart's history.
Q 26The 'Nashville Sound' of the 1950s and 1960s added what elements to country music to broaden its appeal?
String sections and smooth vocals
The Nashville Sound of the late 1950s replaced fiddles and steel guitar with string sections and smooth vocals backed by vocal choruses, carrying country records onto the pop charts.
Q 27Which record did Morgan Wallen's Dangerous break on its January 2021 release?
Most first-week streams for a country album
Morgan Wallen's 'Dangerous: The Double Album' set the record for the most first-week streams for a country album with over 240 million on-demand streams. It also spent 10 weeks at number one on the all-genre Billboard 200.
Q 28Which country legend famously sang 'I Walk the Line' and performed concerts at Folsom Prison?
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash's 'I Walk the Line' was his first country No. 1 in 1956, and his 1968 live album 'At Folsom Prison', recorded before the inmates, revived a career that had stalled.
Q 29Which ABC variety series, taped at the Ryman, ran 58 episodes from 1969 to 1971?
The Johnny Cash Show
'The Johnny Cash Show' ran on ABC from June 1969 to March 1971, 58 episodes taped at the Ryman Auditorium, with guests ranging from Bob Dylan to Louis Armstrong.
Q 30Zach Bryan served in which branch of the US military before his record deal?
Navy
Zach Bryan enlisted in the US Navy at 17 and served eight years, posting the songs that made his name while still on active duty; he was honourably discharged in 2021.