Canada Day is upon us but since we can't celebrate with concerts or fireworks, it's a good time to stay inside and find out how much you really know about Canadian music.
What follows are 40 questions about homegrown artists and bands spanning several decades. Challenge yourself or someone else — just don’t cheat by using Google or asking Siri!
When you’re done, scroll down for the answers and to see if you’re an aficionado of Canadian music.
1. Which Canadian singer goes "Home" to Noah, Elias and Vida?
2. Which Canadian country singer's breakthrough song was aptly titled "Started With a Song?"
3. Wesley Williams and Darrin O'Brien are better known by what names?
4. List three bands named for Canadian cities or towns.
5. For a song to be officially Canadian, a Canadian must be responsible for at least two of the elements in "MAPL." What does "MAPL" stand for?
6. Which Canadian pop star was born in the same city as actors Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling and Victor Garber?
7. Which Canadian singer was named Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards in 2018?
8. Who was both the youngest Canadian female artist to perform on Saturday Night Live and the only one to appear on the show three times?
9. Name the Canadian singer who is also the star of her own TV comedy series.
10. Eilleen Edwards was born in Windsor in 1965 but you know her better as…
11. Name four Canadian female artists with the initials “A.M.” who have won a Juno Award.
12. Which Canadian singer's middle names are Peter and Raul?
13. Which Canadian singer was married to Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher from 2008 to 2014?
14. The Jerry Cans are a band from what remote Canadian city?
15. Name two Canadian bands that have recorded songs with “Superman” in the title.
16. Which two Canadian music stars were married in France on Canada Day in 2012?
17. Daystar Peterson is the real name of what Canadian rapper-singer?
18. Toronto duo Dream Warriors sampled Quincy Jones’ “Soul Bossa Nova” in their 1991 hit single — the same instrumental that was used as the theme for which long-running Canadian game show?
19. Name the two Canadian music stars who appeared on both Degrassi: The Next Generation and Saturday Night Live.
20. Who was the first Canadian female solo artist to reach No. 1 on the U.S. charts?
21. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye and Keinan Abdi Warsame are better known to music fans as…
22. Bryan Adams sang back-up on which 1986 hit by Glass Tiger?
23. Name four Canadian music acts made up entirely of siblings.
24. Country singer Dallas Smith was once the frontman of what rock band?
25. Name the former MuchMusic host who co-wrote the Grammy-winning 1989 single “Black Velvet” for Alannah Myles.
26. What band won the Juno Award for Group of Year in 2017 — 27 years after winning Most Promising Group of the Year?
27. American singer Kelly Clarkson’s hit “Walk Away” was co-written by which Canadian music couple?
28. Name four Canadian recording artists with Portuguese roots.
29. Before doing away with gender-specific categories, which three female singers won the most Juno Awards?
30. What Canadian singer wrote the chart-topping 1969 single “Sugar Sugar” for virtual band the Archies?
31. What Canadian comedian, performing as M.C. Bones in a group called Organized Rhyme, had a Juno-nominated single called “Check the O.R.” in 1992?
32. What Grammy-winning Canadian composer-producer was previously the stepfather of Brody Jenner and Gigi Hadid?
33. Which former Canadian boy band member provided vocals for Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren’s hit single “This Is What It Feels Like”?
34. Put the following Canadian singer-songwriters in order from oldest to youngest: Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Anka.
35. What band shot the video for "Romantic Traffic" inside a Toronto subway station?
36. What 17-year-old pop star's first and middle names are John Vincent?
37. What is the only album by a Canadian singer to be adapted into a Broadway musical?
38. Eleven Canadians have been nominated in the Original Song category at the Academy Awards but only two have won the Oscar. Can you name them?
39. Which Canadian folk singer-songwriter was killed in 1983 in a fire onboard an Air Canada jet?
40. Name the city and colour of City and Colour.
Scroll down for the answers...
• • •
1. Michael Bublé
2. Brett Kissel
3. Maestro (or Maestro Fresh Wes) and Snow.
4. Chilliwack, Hedley, Toronto
5. MAPL: Music, Artist, Performance, Lyrics
6. Justin Bieber was born in London, Ont.
7. Alessia Cara
8. Avril Lavigne was 19 in 2003 when she made her first of three SNL appearances.
9. Jann Arden
10. Shania Twain
11. Amanda Marshall, Alanis Morissette, Anne Murray, Alannah Myles
12. Shawn Mendes
13. All Saints member Nicole Appleton of Hamilton, Ont.
14. Iqualuit, Nunavut
15. Our Lady Peace (1997’s “Superman’s Dead”), Crash Test Dummies (1991’s “Superman’s Song”).
16. Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger of Nickelback
17. Tory Lanez
18. Definition, which ran from 1974 to 1989.
19. Drake (cast member on Degrassi, host and musical guest on SNL) and Alanis Morissette (guest star on Degrassi, musical guest on SNL).
20. Anne Murray, with “Snowbird.”
21. The Weeknd and K’naan
22. “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone”
23. Choose from: The Moffatts (Bob, Clint, Dave and Scott); RyanDan (Ryan and Dan Kowarsky); Tegan and Sara (Tegan and Sara Quin); The Rankin Family; The Partland Brothers (G.P., Chris and Robin); BROS (Ewan and Shamus Currie).
24. Default
25. Christopher Ward
26. The Tragically Hip won the Juno for Most Promising Group of the Year in 1990 and won Group of the Year in 1995, 1997 and 2017.
27. Chantal Kreviazuk and her husband, Our Lady Peace singer Raine Maida.
28. Shawn Mendes, Shawn Desman, Danny Fernades, Tyler Medeiros, and Nelly Furtado.
29. Anne Murray (9), Celine Dion (6), Luba (3).
30. Montreal-born Andy Kim
31. Tom Green
32. David Foster
33. Vancouver’s Trevor Guthrie, formerly of soulDecision
34. Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Anka, Bruce Cockburn, Neil Young
35. The Spoons
36. Johnny Orlando
37. Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morisssette
38. Buffy Sainte-Marie (“Up Where We Belong”) 1982; Howard Shore (“Into the West”) 2003
39. Stan Rogers
40. Dallas and Green (singer Dallas Green records as City and Colour)
• • •
30 to 40 correct answers – Hallelujah! Put your toque on and get yourself to Tim Horton's immediately to treat yourself to a maple donut and a double-double. You're about as Canadian as they come!
20 to 30 correct answers – You're not quite a CanCon connoisseur but you're definitely in tune with homegrown music. A steaming bowl of poutine for you!
10 to 20 correct answers – To paraphrase Alanis Morissette, you oughta know more about Canadian music. Put down that "Stronger Beer" and "Let Your Backbone Slide" while you discover the pure joy of Northern Pikes and Chalk Circle.
0 to 10 correct answers – You might not even qualify for free health care, eh.