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The Godfather of Soul Trivia Quiz

Hello, everyone. One of the very first quizzes I made at this site was for Rick James. However, it was James Brown who paved the way for Rick to do his thing, so this quiz is all about giving Mr. Brown his due. Enjoy.

A multiple-choice quiz by jbug1262. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
jbug1262

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
283,067

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
557

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. James Brown was born on May, 5, 1933.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. James Brown's first number one hit on the Billboard R & B chart was "Please, Please, Please", in 1956.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Which one of these nicknames was James Brown not known by? Hint

'The Boss'

'Minister of the New New Super Heavy Funk'

'The Hit Man'

He is known by all of them

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. In Brown's 1976 song "Get Up Offa That Thang", the artist makes mention of several big acts of the 1970s. Which one of these names does James not call out in the tune. Hint

Ohio Players

Barry White

He mentions them all

KC and the Sunshine Band

5. What is the correct word that completes the following lyrics to this top five R & B hit by James Brown, from 1971?

"What we need is ______ power
What we we want is ______ power
Got to have it, ______ power."

Answer: (One Word)

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Which of the following songs did James Brown take to number one on both the R & B and Pop charts, according to Billboard? Hint

None of these

I Got You (I Feel Good)

Living in America

It's A Man's Man's Man's World

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. In what year was James Brown inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Hint

1990

1992

1986

1988

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. In 1968, James Brown had a number three R & B hit with a song called "There Was A Time" in which he named several popular dances of the day. Which one of these dances was not mentioned in the song? Hint

The Mashed Potato

The Camel Walk

The Swim

The Boogaloo

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. When Eddie Murphy was on "Saturday Night Live" during the early part of the 1980s, he did a classic skit while impersonating the 'Godfather of Soul'. What was the name of it? Hint

The Godfather of Soul's 'I've Got Ants in My Pants' Special featuring Gumby, Dammit!

James Brown Sings the Songs of Buckwheat

Mr. Brown's Neighborhood

The James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. On which of the following holidays did James Brown pass away?

Hint

Labor Day

Independance Day

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Day

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. James Brown was born on May, 5, 1933.

Answer: True

James Brown was born May 5, 1933, in Barnwell, South Carolina to Susie and Joe Gardner Brown. He was an only child. He grew up in Augusta, Georgia and was actually named after his father; however, the birth certificate was printed incorrectly and instead of it reading 'Joseph James Brown, Jr', it read 'James Joseph Brown, Jr'. To avoid confusion, he was called 'Little Junior' within the family because he had an older cousin who was also named Junior.

2. James Brown's first number one hit on the Billboard R & B chart was "Please, Please, Please", in 1956.

Answer: False

While "Please, Please, Please" was Mr. Brown's first hit on the Billboard R & B chart (it peaked at number five), he did not have his first number one hit until 1958 with "Try Me". He would go on to have a total of 17 number ones on the R & B chart during his long career.

3. Which one of these nicknames was James Brown not known by?

Answer: He is known by all of them

James Brown was not only known by all of these titles, but many others as well, like 'Mr. Dynamite', 'The Hardest Working Man in Show Business', 'Soul Brother Number One', and 'The Creator'.

4. In Brown's 1976 song "Get Up Offa That Thang", the artist makes mention of several big acts of the 1970s. Which one of these names does James not call out in the tune.

Answer: He mentions them all

"Get Up Offa That Thang" was a top five hit for Brown on the R & B Billboard chart, in 1976 (it peaked at number four). In the song, Brown mentions all of these artists, as well as Johnny Taylor.

5. What is the correct word that completes the following lyrics to this top five R & B hit by James Brown, from 1971? "What we need is ______ power What we we want is ______ power Got to have it, ______ power."

Answer: soul

The correct word which finishes these lyrics is 'soul' from Brown's 1971 hit, "Soul Power Pt. 1".

6. Which of the following songs did James Brown take to number one on both the R & B and Pop charts, according to Billboard?

Answer: None of these

I was really blown away when I found this out. Although he had 17 number one hits on the R & B chart during his illustrious career, James Brown never had a number one hit on the Billboard Pop charts. In fact, the closet he ever came to doing so was in 1965, with the song "I Got You (I Feel Good)".

7. In what year was James Brown inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Answer: 1986

Among the first group of people within the music industry to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986, James Brown entered into the shrine along with a veritable 'Who's Who' of entertainers. This initial group included Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Every Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Little Richard.

Also included in the group were Robert Johnson, Jimmie Rodgers, Jimmy Yancey and non-performers Alan Freed, Sam Phillips, and John Hammond.

Answer: The Swim

All of these dances, along with the The Jerk, were mentioned in "There Was A Time", the Swim was not.

9. When Eddie Murphy was on "Saturday Night Live" during the early part of the 1980s, he did a classic skit while impersonating the 'Godfather of Soul'. What was the name of it?

Answer: The James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub

"The James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub" was a skit that poked fun at, not only Mr. Brown's singing and on-stage performances, but also many of the daytime talk shows that were extremely popular during the mid to late 1970s. In the skit, Murphy gives a dead-on impersonation of Brown's moves and his oftentimes indecipherable pronunciations of his musical lyrics.

The 'talk show' was to have taken place inside a hot tub in the studio, but every time Murphy stuck his toe into the water he'd yell, "Heyyyyy! It's too hot in the hot tub!" Finally, he settled in just before the 'show' went to commercial break exhorting us to "stay tuned for more Celebrity Hot Tub!".

His 'guest' was supposed to have been Dr. Joyce Brothers. If you've ever seen this skit, you'll never forget it.

10. On which of the following holidays did James Brown pass away?

Answer: Christmas Day

On December 25, 2006, James Brown passed away after being hospitalized due to a bout of pneumonia. He was 73 years old.

Source: Author jbug1262

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