Question 1

True or false: Oscar Peterson's trio with Ray Brown and Herb Ellis was famous for never using a drummer.

Accepted Answer

True. The 1953-1958 trio of Oscar Peterson (piano), Ray Brown (bass), and Herb Ellis (guitar) famously operated without a drummer, creating a distinctive, tight-knit sound.

Question 2

True or false: Peterson recorded over 200 albums and won eight Grammy Awards during his career.

Accepted Answer

True. Oscar Peterson recorded more than 200 albums and won eight Grammy Awards total, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997, cementing his legacy as a jazz legend.

Question 3

True or false: Oscar Peterson was a self-taught pianist who never took a formal lesson in his life.

Accepted Answer

False. He studied classical piano rigorously as a child with Hungarian teacher Paul de Marky, focusing on scales and technique.

Question 4

True or false: Oscar Peterson was born in Montreal, Canada, and learned piano from his father, a railway porter and amateur musician.

Accepted Answer

True. Oscar Peterson was born in Montreal in 1925. His father, Daniel Peterson, worked as a railroad porter and was an amateur musician who taught him classical piano.

Question 5

True or false: Peterson lost the use of his left hand after a stroke in 1993 but continued performing with just his right hand.

Accepted Answer

False. Peterson's stroke weakened his left side, but he regained some use of his left hand and later performed with both hands, not just his right.

Question 6

True or false: Oscar Peterson was the first jazz musician to be awarded the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor.

Accepted Answer

True. Oscar Peterson was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1972, making him the first jazz musician to receive the honor. No earlier Canadian jazz musician was appointed to the order since its inception in 1967.

Question 7

True or false: Peterson refused to perform with any musician who used electric instruments, calling them 'inauthentic.'

Accepted Answer

False. Oscar Peterson frequently collaborated with electric guitarist Barney Kessel in his trios, and occasionally with electric bassists. He never made such a blanket refusal.

Question 8

True or false: Oscar Peterson was once named 'the Maharaja of the keyboard' by Duke Ellington.

Accepted Answer

True. Duke Ellington indeed called him that, a rare honor from one jazz giant to another, reflecting Peterson's regal piano command.

Oscar Peterson Trivia Questions