It’s time for the annual bluegrass quiz, which fills some readers with excitement, others with dread, and still others with the urge to ignore it and move on to one of Bluegrass Today’s other top stories: “Oral Surgery Postponed For Jason Trimble.”
Last year, there was a name change for the quiz, which was generally well-received (when it was noticed) and it’s now actually referred to as a “quiz.” So welcome to The Bluegrass Quiz. As I mentioned last year, that was a name drawn up after a lengthy committee meeting. It was deemed preferable to the other proposed names: The Grass Exam, The Bessie Lee Mauldin Memorial Bluegrass Music Proficiency Test (or BLMMBMPT), and the redundant Bluegrass Assessment Test Exam (BATE).
It should be clear why Bluegrass Quiz was the winner in that field. It’s short, snappy, can be abbreviated to the breezy “BQ,” and it doesn’t carry the judgmental weight of the word “test.”
We also introduced a letter grade system last year, which might negate all that was gained by no longer referring to this as a “test,” since the reminder of that C- in 9th grade science might still be traumatic to some. Did that grade from the heavily biased Mrs. Comfrey really matter in the end, though? It’s doubtful, and these letter grades won’t matter at all.
This year, we have new a new guide for what each letter grade means which will either clarify them for you, or if they were clear before, make them murkier and more confusing. They won’t matter either, but here they are:
A (Seven correct answers): You are a full-fledged bluegrass music expert/geek. You probably know which recording of the Stanley Brothers’ Christmas is Near came out first, and you may have a book about the Lilly Brothers coming out this year. You were often picked last when choosing teams, but Jimmy Martin once named a dog after you.
B (five of six correct answers): This is kind of a sweet spot for bluegrass knowledge: you know the music well enough to really appreciate the fine points, but you’re not considered (very) weird, and you don’t toss and turn at night wondering what month Jim Smoak joined Bill Monroe’s band.
C (three or four correct answers): You’re a casual fan of the music with some core knowledge. You know enough to correct people in jam sessions or in social media posts, but not enough to necessarily be right. You love bluegrass music, but you also have a life. You’ve also been known to listen to Huey Lewis & The News and like it.
D: (one or two correct answers): You’re either new to this music or you rely on Facebook or YouTube for your information about everything. You’re pretty sure Lester Flatt played guitar and Earl Scruggs played the banjo, but you’re not sure which one was the lead singer. You don’t actually care who wrote Fox on the Run (see question 3).
F: Better luck next time. Please play again. If you even care.
Here it is. Please don’t Google the answers because what would be the point? Also, don’t use AI for assistance; AI doesn’t know anything about bluegrass yet.
The Bluegrass Quiz (BQ):
1. Jimmy Martin got his start playing in which well-known band:
A. Roy Hall and his Blue Ridge Entertainers
B. Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys
C. The Foundations
D. Chick Webb and his Orchestra
E. Chick Corea and his Texas Playboys
2. The Muleskinner Blues, popularized in bluegrass music by Bill Monroe, was originally recorded by . .
A. Vernon Dalhart
B. The Beach Boys
C. Jimmie Rodgers
D. Little Jimmy Dickens
E. William Shattner
3. Who wrote Fox on the Run?
A. Tom T. Hall
B. Bill Emerson
C. Ernest Hemingway
D. Tony Hazzard
E. Harlan Hazzard
4. During a brief period in the early 1950s, when the Stanley Brothers weren’t playing together, Ralph Stanley considered a career change. What was he interested in becoming?
A. A veterinarian
B. A judge
C. A stunt driver
D. A non-banjo player
E. A mobster
5. Which of these bands/artists did Melvin Goins not play with:
A. The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers
B. The Goins Brothers
C. The Stanley Brothers
D. The Coen Brothers
E. Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys
6. In Mitch Jayne and Dean Webb’s Old Home Place, what town in Virginia did the singer run away to?
A. Newport News
B. Charlottesville
C. Pound
D. Assawoman
E. Skinquarter
7. Which of the following instruments did Bill Monroe not record with:
A. Piano
B. Dobro
C. Trombone
D. Drums
E. Vibraphone
Answers:
1:B, 2:C, 3:D, 4:A, 5:D, 6:B, 7:C
