Happy Bluegrass New Year! The first column of the year is almost always devoted to the annual Bluegrass Quiz. This is its third year under that name (it used to be referred to as the Bluegrass Knowledge Test, which some found intimidating, either because of the word “test” or the word “knowledge”). Response to the updated name has been consistently positive, but we ran into an unexpected snag in 2025: a new band in Oregon decided to name themselves “The Bluegrass Quiz.” I did what any self-respecting businessman (which I am not) would do: I took them to court. I hired Bluegrass Today’s top lawyer, Randolph “Elbows” Anwaltkopf—the same legal mastermind who wrested control of the name “Bluegrass Today” from a bot farm in Belarus—to represent me. In the end, rather than force a name change, The Bluegrass Quiz band (new single, I’m More Lonesome Than You, out March 13) was finally convinced to settle, and I now own a controlling interest in their band and will retain 40% of their annual profit (zero).
All that is to say that this is the 2026 Bluegrass Quiz, the quiz, not the band. We now assign a letter grade to participants based on the number of correct answers. Here, reprinted from last year are what these letter grades mean in terms of your level of bluegrass geekiness:
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 at school, but Jimmy Martin once named a dog after you.
B (five or 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.
F: Better luck next time. Please play again. If you even care.
Good Luck! As always, questions start off easy and get progressively more difficult, just like Beaumont Rag.
1. Before forming their own band, what were Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs doing?
- A – Working as auctioneers
- B – Making their living by carrying the mail
- C – Playing in Charlie Parker’s band
- D – Playing in Bill Monroe’s band
- E – Absolutely nothing
2. Mac Wiseman went by which of the following nicknames:
- A – “The heart with a voice”
- B – “The voice with a heart”
- C – “The heart with a ventricle”
- D – “That guy named Mac”
- E – “The Crown Prince of Crimora”
3. Which of the following was one of the major stories covered by Bluegrass Today in 2025:
- A – Alison Krauss named Ambassador to the Philippines
- B – Jacob Clayton to Lonesome Foyer
- C – Benny Martin to Johnnie & Jack
- D – The long-running festival Bluegrass Near a River to fold
- E – Molly Tuttle dissolves Golden Highway, forms new band
4. In Bruce Phillips’ Rock Salt and Nails, the singer vows to fill up his shotgun with rock salt and nails if “the ladies” were what?
- A – Blackbirds, thrushes, or squirrels
- B – Sparrows, puffins, or turtles
- C – Chipmunks, ferrets, or weasels
- D – Brandishing switchblade knives
- E – Impolite
5. Which of the following is a relatively new duo in bluegrass music?
- A – Throneberry and Kranepool
- B – Black and Decker
- C – Pitney Meyer
- D – Pitney Bowes
- E – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
6. In the original recording of the bluegrass classic co-written by Bill Monroe and Hank Williams, I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome, what does the singer say he wants to do when he hears “that whistle blow”?
- A – Plug his ears
- B – Pack his clothes and go
- C – Pack his suitcase and go
- D – Hop that freight train to Shanghai
- E – Go to the free throw line
7. Which musical instrument, rarely used in bluegrass music, was played on Larry Sparks’ first album back in 1970:
- A – The drums
- B – The fife
- C – The bagpipes
- D – The saw
- E – The Water Pik
Answers: 1:D, 2:B, 3:E, 4:A, 5:C, 6:B, 7:D
