Question 1

True or false: Hancock’s album 'Head Hunters' is the first jazz album to go platinum.

Accepted Answer

True. Released in 1973, it fused jazz with funk and sold over one million copies, a first for jazz.

Question 2

True or false: Herbie Hancock is a practicing Nichiren Buddhist and has been since the 1970s.

Accepted Answer

True. He converted to Nichiren Buddhism in the early 1970s and credits it with his creative and personal growth.

Question 3

True or false: Herbie Hancock was the first black musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Score.

Accepted Answer

False. He won an Oscar in 1987 for 'Round Midnight', but not for Best Original Score; it was for Best Original Song. Others preceded him.

Question 4

True or false: Herbie Hancock served as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for cultural diplomacy.

Accepted Answer

True. Appointed in 2011, he promotes intercultural dialogue and music education through the UN agency.

Question 5

True or false: Hancock’s hit 'Watermelon Man' was originally composed for a TV commercial for a fruit juice brand.

Accepted Answer

False. 'Watermelon Man' was written for his debut album in 1962, inspired by a street vendor, not a commercial.

Question 6

True or false: Herbie Hancock studied electrical engineering at Grinnell College before switching to music.

Accepted Answer

True. He enrolled at Grinnell College in Iowa as an engineering major but later transferred to study music composition at Roosevelt University.

Question 7

True or false: Hancock invented the first portable synthesizer, the 'Hancock Synth', in 1979.

Accepted Answer

False. No such synthesizer exists. He popularized the use of synthesizers, especially the Yamaha DX7, but didn't invent them.

Question 8

True or false: Herbie Hancock was a member of the rock band The Rolling Stones for one tour in the 1970s.

Accepted Answer

False. He never toured with the Rolling Stones. He did collaborate with many rock artists, but not as a band member.

Herbie Hancock Trivia Questions