50 free Hanson trivia questions with answers — music quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Three brothers from Tulsa were 16, 14 and 11 when MMMBop went to number one in a dozen countries. Thirty years later they still tour, run their own label and brew their own beer. These Hanson trivia questions cover the indie tapes, Middle of Nowhere, the label fight, Underneath, The Walk, String Theory and the Russian Dolls. Every answer is sourced, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which Oklahoma city is Hanson's hometown?
Tulsa
The brothers' first professional show was at the city's Mayfest Arts Festival in 1992.
Q 02Which brother plays drums?
Zac
All three started on piano; Isaac moved to guitar, Taylor stayed on keys and Zac took the drums.
Q 03How old were the three brothers when the MMMBop video was shot?
16, 14 and 11
Their major-label debut earned three Grammy nominations before the youngest had turned 13.
Q 04What was the title of Hanson's 1997 major-label debut album?
Middle of Nowhere
It sold 10 million copies worldwide and was kept off the top of the Billboard 200 by the Spice Girls.
Q 05Which label released Hanson's 1997 debut?
Mercury
The label was later merged into Island Def Jam, where the band made one more album before going independent.
Q 06Which production duo reworked MMMBop into its upbeat hit version?
The Dust Brothers
The song first appeared at a slower tempo on the band's 1996 independent album of the same name.
Q 07For how many weeks did MMMBop top the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997?
Three
It reached number one on the chart dated May 24, 1997, and hit the top in at least 12 countries.
Q 08Who directed the MMMBop music video?
Tamra Davis
The clip has the brothers in a suburban living room, on a beach, on the Moon and spliced into old Einstein footage.
Q 09At which Austin music festival was Hanson discovered by manager Christopher Sabec?
South by Southwest
Sabec shopped the boys to record companies, most of which dismissed them before Mercury signed them.
Q 10Which date did Oklahoma's governor declare 'Hanson Day' in 1997?
May 6
It was the debut album's release date; the one-off proclamation became an annual fan party in Tulsa.
Q 11What was the title of Hanson's 1997 Christmas album?
Snowed In
Mercury rushed it out in the wake of their summer breakthrough; a second Christmas record followed 20 years later.
Q 12What did MOE, the band's fan club magazine, stand for?
Middle Of Everywhere
It ran for 12 issues, and the 25th anniversary tour in 2017 borrowed the name.
Q 13Which Grammy category was NOT among Hanson's three 1998 nominations?
Song of the Year
Zac, at 12 years and 126 days, became the youngest songwriter ever nominated for a Grammy.
Q 21At which New York venue did the 2003 acoustic tour end?
Carnegie Hall
The tour previewed songs from the album the brothers would release independently the following April.
Q 22Which 2004 album debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart?
Underneath
It sold 37,500 copies in its first US week and reached number 25 on the Billboard 200.
Q 23In which South African township did Hanson record 'Great Divide' with a school choir?
Soweto
Proceeds from the 2006 single went to AIDS research and prevention in Africa.
Q 14What was the name of Hanson's 1998 stadium and arena tour?
Albertane
The live album and the documentary The Road to Albertane both came out the following fall.
Q 15Which album kept Hanson's debut from reaching number one on the Billboard 200?
Spice Girls' Spice
The album still hit number one in the UK, Australia, Germany and Taiwan and went four times platinum in the US.
Q 16Which hidden track sits at track 21 of the debut album, after eight tracks of silence?
Man from Milwaukee
It was left off every cassette and vinyl pressing, and later reissues simply made it track 13.
Q 17What was the title of Hanson's second major-label album, released in May 2000?
This Time Around
The label pulled tour funding, so the brothers toured the Americas that year on their own money.
Q 18Roughly how many Hanson songs did label executives reject before the band walked away?
Over 80
The three-year fight with the label is the subject of the documentary Strong Enough to Break.
Q 19Which documentary chronicles Hanson's split from their major label?
Strong Enough to Break
They screened it on college campuses in 2005 and held Q&A sessions about independent artists.
Q 20What is the name of Hanson's own independent label?
3CG Records
The name nods to 3 Car Garage; distribution runs through ADA in the US and Cooking Vinyl in Europe.
Q 24How far did fans walk at the 'Take the Walk' events during the 2007 tour?
One mile
The walks raised money and awareness for HIV/AIDS in Africa, and the band partnered with TOMS to give away shoes.
Q 25Which shoe company partnered with Hanson to give shoes to children in Africa?
TOMS
For every pair sold during the 'Shoe Drop', the company donated another pair.
Q 26A free 2010 Hanson show at which New York venue ended in a riot when 20,000 fans showed up?
South Street Seaport
The venue held about half that many, and rapper Drake was also on the bill.
Q 27At which New York theater did Hanson play their 'Five of Five' album-a-night residency in 2010?
Gramercy Theatre
Each of four nights covered a past album in full, and the fifth unveiled the new record Shout It Out.
Q 28Which 2011 single gave Hanson its first US top 40 hit since 2000's 'If Only'?
Give a Little
It reached the top 40 on the Hot AC chart as the second single from Shout It Out.
Q 29Which Canadian singer toured Canada with Hanson in early 2012?
Carly Rae Jepsen
That was months before 'Call Me Maybe' became the song of the summer.
Q 30What was the name of the beer Hanson launched with Mustang Brewing in 2013?
Mmmhops
It toasted the band's 21st anniversary and was first poured at the premiere of The Hangover Part III.