Getting your questions ready
Getting your questions ready
Beat the crowd
10 questions No timer
60 free Natalie Cole trivia questions with answers — music quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Natalie Cole trivia quiz follows the singer from Hancock Park and "the black Kennedys" through the Aretha Franklin rivalry, the 1980s comeback and the virtual duet with her father that swept the 1992 Grammys. The easy questions cover Nat King Cole, Inseparable, Best New Artist, Pink Cadillac and Unforgettable... with Love. Medium questions dig into Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, the Franklin feud, Everlasting, Miss You Like Crazy, the Joe Guercio duet idea and When I Fall in Love. The hard and expert questions are for people who know the deep cuts: Larkin Arnold, Black Magic, The Chipettes, Michael Masser, Ike Cole's piano, the Howie Richmond Award, Big Break, Super Bowl XXVIII and her final show in Manila. Every answer was checked against a reference page and each question carries its citation, so the dates, chart positions and names can be trusted. Difficulty is shown on every question, which makes it easy to build a round for a music quiz night or play the whole set. When you finish, try our other R&B and jazz vocalist quizzes.
30 of 60 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Natalie's father was which legendary singer and jazz pianist?
Nat King Cole
Her mother, Maria Hawkins Ellington, had sung with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Q 02What was the title of Natalie Cole's 1975 debut album?
Inseparable
Its title track and "This Will Be" both went to No. 1 on the R&B chart.
Q 03Natalie Cole was the first African-American act to win which Grammy Award?
Best New Artist
She won it at the 18th Grammys in 1976, the first R&B act to do so.
Q 04Which songwriting and producing duo discovered Cole and wrote her early hits?
Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy
Yancy later became her first husband and the father of her son Robbie.
Q 05Whose Chicago studio did Cole record her first demos in?
Curtis Mayfield's
The tapes won her a deal with Capitol, her father's old label.
Q 06Which singer claimed songs like "This Will Be" were offered to her first, sparking a rivalry with Cole?
Aretha Franklin
Cole beat her for the Best Female R&B Vocal Grammy in 1977, ending an eight-year run.
Q 07How high did "This Will Be" climb on the Billboard Hot 100?
6
It topped the R&B chart and reached the UK Top 40.
Q 08Which Capitol Records executive finally agreed to release "This Will Be"?
Larkin Arnold
Jackson and Yancy wrote the song at the end of the sessions, just as they were about to leave town.
Q 09"This Will Be" plays over the end titles of which 1998 Lindsay Lohan film?
The Parent Trap
It also turns up in While You Were Sleeping and Bride Wars.
Q 10Which 1976 Cole hit beat her rival's "Something He Can Feel" for the Best Female R&B Vocal Grammy?
Sophisticated Lady
It came from her second album, Natalie.
Q 11Cole's third album Unpredictable went platinum on the strength of which No. 1 R&B hit?
I've Got Love on My Mind
Its closer "I'm Catching Hell" became a live favourite despite never being a single.
Q 12Cole was the first female artist to achieve what feat in 1977?
Two platinum albums in one year
Unpredictable and Thankful were the two albums.
Q 13With which singer did Cole record the 1979 duet album We're the Best of Friends?
Peabo Bryson
She received her Hollywood Walk of Fame star the same year.
Q 21Cole was the first African-American woman to win which top Grammy, for her 1991 tribute to her father?
Album of the Year
The title track also won Record of the Year.
Q 22How was the famous "Unforgettable" duet between Natalie and Nat King Cole created?
His 1951 recording was edited to fit her vocal
Elvis Presley's musical director Joe Guercio had the idea.
Q 23Which relative played piano on her 1991 collection of her father's standards?
Her uncle Ike Cole
Q 14In which state did Cole spend six months in a rehab facility in 1983?
Connecticut
She entered after the release of her Epic album I'm Ready.
Q 15Cole's 1987 comeback album Everlasting featured a dance-pop cover of which Bruce Springsteen song?
Pink Cadillac
Producer Dennis Lambert suggested it; Cole thought she was "too old to be doing this kind of stuff".
Q 16Which fictional girl group covered Cole's Springsteen cover on a 1988 album?
The Chipettes
The album was The Chipmunks and The Chipettes: Born to Rock.
Q 17What was the lead single from Everlasting, a No. 2 R&B hit?
Jump Start
The album returned her to platinum status for the first time in a decade.
Q 18Which 1989 single became Cole's biggest UK hit, reaching No. 2 there?
Miss You Like Crazy
It was her fifth and last US top-ten hit, peaking at No. 7.
Q 19Which producer, known for Whitney Houston's early ballads, produced Cole's 1989 hit ballad?
Michael Masser
Music Week praised his "dramatic and highly polished production".
Q 20What was the title of Cole's 1991 album of songs made famous by her father?
Unforgettable... with Love
It went 7× platinum and won Album of the Year.
Cole herself produced the vocal arrangements.
Q 24How many times platinum was the 1991 album of her father's songs certified by the RIAA?
7×
Nielsen counted 6.2 million US copies by 2016.
Q 25On which label was the 1991 album released after Cole left EMI?
Elektra
Her EMI-Manhattan and Elektra catalogues were later sold to Concord.
Q 26Where did the "Unforgettable" duet peak on the Billboard Hot 100?
14
It also hit No. 10 on the R&B chart and went gold.
Q 27Cole's 1996 album Stardust featured a second virtual duet with her father on which standard?
When I Fall in Love
It earned her the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Q 28How many Grammy Awards did Natalie Cole win in her lifetime?
9
She sold more than 30 million records worldwide.
Q 29Where did Cole earn her degree in child psychology in 1972?
UMass Amherst
She minored in German and briefly attended USC, where she pledged Delta Sigma Theta.
Q 30What was the name of the band Cole sang with in small clubs after graduating in 1972?
Black Magic
Clubs booked her as Nat's daughter, then were disappointed she sang R&B and rock covers.