Q 01/05

Before it named a music genre, what did the word 'funk' originally refer to?

A) A type of dance hall

B) A card game

C) A strong odor

D) A cheap wine

Answer · why

C) A strong odor

In Black communities the sweaty connotation was a compliment: honest, hard-working effort on the bandstand produced a superlative performance.

Q 02/05

James Brown's command 'On the one!' told his band to hammer which count?

A) The backbeat on two and four

B) The first beat of every measure

C) The last beat before a bar line

D) Every off-beat eighth note

Answer · why

B) The first beat of every measure

Traditional soul accented the backbeat; shifting the weight to the downbeat is the single most-cited definition of what makes funk funk.

Q 03/05

Which 1964 James Brown single is credited with launching his one-three beat shift toward funk?

A) Think

B) Prisoner of Love

C) Out of Sight

D) Night Train

Answer · why

C) Out of Sight

Two 1965 hits followed and cemented the style; by 'Cold Sweat' in 1967 he had thrown out the twelve-bar blues form altogether.

Q 04/05

In which city were Dyke and the Blazers, who released 'Funky Broadway' in 1967, based?

A) Phoenix, Arizona

B) Detroit, Michigan

C) Memphis, Tennessee

D) Houston, Texas

Answer · why

A) Phoenix, Arizona

Wilson Pickett covered the song the same year and took it into the pop top 10.

Q 05/05

What is Tower of Power's 1970 debut album, titled after the band's home turf, called?

A) Back to Oakland

B) East Bay Grease

C) Bump City

D) Urban Renewal

Answer · why

B) East Bay Grease

The band formed in Oakland in 1968; the other three titles are real later Tower of Power albums.