Question 1

True or false: Elmore James’s distinctive slide style was heavily influenced by Robert Johnson’s recordings.

Accepted Answer

True. James directly adapted Johnson’s 'I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom' and transformed it into his own electric slide masterpiece, honoring Johnson's legacy.

Question 2

True or false: Elmore James performed with a full horn section on most of his 1950s recordings.

Accepted Answer

False. His classic sound was raw, with only guitar, bass, drums, and occasional piano; horns were rare, appearing mainly on later, less-known sessions.

Question 3

True or false: Elmore James was one of the first bluesmen to use a solid-body electric guitar as his main instrument.

Accepted Answer

False. He famously played a modified Kay hollow-body electric guitar, not a solid-body, to achieve his influential slide blues tone.

Question 4

True or false: Elmore James was the cousin of blues legend B.B. King.

Accepted Answer

False. They were not related; James was actually a cousin of slide guitarist Homesick James, not B.B. King.

Question 5

True or false: Elmore James never had a Billboard R&B chart hit during his lifetime.

Accepted Answer

False. His 1952 classic 'Dust My Broom' reached No. 9 on Billboard's R&B chart, making him a commercial success in the early 1950s.

Question 6

True or false: Elmore James was left-handed but played a right-handed guitar flipped upside down.

Accepted Answer

False. Elmore James was right-handed and played a standard right-handed guitar. The upside-down technique is associated with left-handed players like Albert King and Jimi Hendrix, not James.

Question 7

True or false: Elmore James's signature song 'Dust My Broom' was adapted from a Robert Johnson recording.

Accepted Answer

True. Robert Johnson first recorded 'I Believe I'll Dust My Broom' in 1936; Elmore James electrified it with slide guitar in 1951.

Question 8

True or false: Elmore James died of a heart attack while visiting his girlfriend in Chicago.

Accepted Answer

False. Elmore James died of a heart attack in Chicago, but this occurred at Elmore James's cousin's home, not a girlfriend's. The myth likely stems from Elmore James's wandering lifestyle.

Elmore James Trivia Questions