1960s Music

The 1960s gave us more great music than any ten years have a right to. The decade opened with teenagers doing the Twist in their living rooms and closed with half a million people camped on a farm in upstate New York. In between came four young men from Liverpool, the polished sound of Detroit, the raw soul of Memphis, folk singers with something to say, and surf songs that made every kid in Ohio wish for a woodie wagon and a board.

These were the records we played until the grooves wore thin, the songs on the car radio on the way to the drive-in, the 45s stacked on the spindle at every party. Many of us can still tell you where we were the first time we heard a certain song, and who we were with. That music still sounds good today, and the stories behind it are worth remembering.

Here are four quizzes of ten questions each: the British Invasion, Motown and Memphis soul, the folk singers and big festivals, and the American pop of surf, dance crazes and teen idols. There is no timer and no rush. Pour yourself something cold, put on a favorite record if you like, and see how much of the decade you remember.