Year 1928 in Music History

• Mar 13 Rudolph Friml's musical "Three Musketeers" premieres in NYC

• Aug 31 Brecht & Weil's play " The Threepenny Opera " premieres
• Sep 15 Stothard, Kalmar & Ruby's musical "Good Boy" premieres in NYC
• Sep 24 Cohan and Lardner's musical "Elmer the Great" premieres in NYC

• Oct 8 Joseph Szigeti debuted Alfredo Casella's Violin Concerto.

• Nov 8 George and Ira Gershwin's musical "Treasure Girl" premieres in NYC

• Dec 4 Walter Donaldson & Gus Kahn's musical "Whoopee!" premieres on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, NYC
• Dec 13 George Gershwin's "An American In Paris" premieres (NYC)
• Dec 28 Last recording of Ma Rainey, "Mother of the Blues," made

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 190

• Jan 2 Tiberiu Olah, composer
• Jan 2 Alberto Zedda, Italian opera conductor and musicologist, born in Milan, Italy (d. 2017)
• Jan 9 Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter, born in Polignano A Mare, Apulia (d. 1994)
• Jan 10 Wallace Berry, Canadian-American composer (d. 1991)
• Jan 12 Ruth Brown, American actress & singer sometimes known as the "Queen of R&B" (So Long, Teardrops from My Eyes), born in Portsmouth, Virginia (d. 2006)
• Jan 14 Gerald Arpino, American dancer & choreographer, born in Staten Island, New York (d. 2008)
• Jan 16 Ezra Sims, American composer of microtonal music, born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2015)
• Jan 16 Pilar Lorengar [Lorenza Pilar García], Aragones soprano, born in El Gancho, Zaragoza, Spain (d. 1996)
• Jan 17 Jean Barraqué, French composer, born in Hauts-de-Seine, France (d. 1973)
• Jan 19 Gerard Schurmann, Dutch-British conductor, and composer of classical music (The Double Heart), and film scores, (The Bedford Incident), born in Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 2020) dies at 96
• Jan 20 Robert Satanowski, Polish opera conductor and general, born in Łódź, Poland (d. 1997)
• Jan 27 Jean-Michel Damase, French pianist and composer, born in Bordueax (d. 2013)
• Jan 29 Bengt Hambraeus, Swedish Canadian composer and organist, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 2000)
• Jan 30 Harold Prince, American producer & director (West Side Story, Evita), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2019)
• Jan 30 Mitch Leigh, American musical composer (Man of La Mancha), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2014)
• Jan 31 Chuck Willis, American rock vocalist (C C Rider), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 1958)
• Feb 2 Alan Fluck, musical educationalist
• Feb 9 Frank Frazetta [Frazzetta], American fantasy illustrator of comic book, paperback, album cover art, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2010)
• Feb 11 Conrad Janis, American jazz trombonist and actor (Mork & Mindy, Quark, Bonino), born in NYC, New York
• Feb 11 Raoul Cita, R&B pianist and songwriter (Harptones), born in NYC, New York (d. 2014)
• Feb 15 (Mary) Norma Procter, British contralto, born in Cleethorpes, Engand (d. 2017)
• Feb 17 Marta Romero, Puerto Rican actress & singer (La Divina Infiel, The Shadow of the Bat), born in Ponce, Puerto Rico (d. 2013)
• Feb 26 Aldonis Kalnins, Latvian composer, born in Užava parish, Soviet Union

• Feb 26 Monique Leyrac, French Canadian singer and actress (Lights of My City, Act of the Heart), born in Montreal, Quebec
• Feb 29 Alan Loveday, New Zealand and British violinist, born in Palmerston North, New Zealand (d. 2016)
• Feb 29 McHenry Boatwright, American operatic singer, born in Tennille, Georgia (d. 1994)
• Mar 2 John Manduell, British-based South African composer and educator (Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, 1973-96), born in Johannesburg, Union of South Africa (d. 2017)
• Mar 4 Samuel Adler, composer
• Mar 6 Ronald Stevenson, composer
• Mar 8 Frank Michael Beyer, composer
• Mar 8 Judy Johnson, singer (Your Show of Shows), born in Norfolk, Virginia
• Mar 9 Keely Smith [Dorothy Keely], American jazz and pop singer (w/ husband Louis Prima -"That Old Black Magic"; "I Wish You Love"), born in Norfolk, Virginia (d. 2017)
• Mar 10 Sara Montiel, Spanish actress and singer (The Last Torch Song, The Violet Seller), born in Campo de Criptana, Ciudad Real, Spain (d. 2013)
• Mar 12 Aldemaro Romero, Venezuelan musician (d. 2007)
• Mar 13 Ronnie Hazlehurst, English television composer (Are You Being Served?, The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin), born in Dukinfield, England (d. 2007)
• Mar 15 Nicolas Flagello, composer
• Mar 16 Christa Ludwig, German soprano (Vienna State Opera, 1955-94; Metropolitan Opera, 1959-93), born in Berlin, Germany
• Mar 16 Ramon Barce, Spanish composer, born in Madrid (d. 2008)
• Mar 17 Edino Krieger, composer
• Mar 19 (Allan Thomas) "Tom" Paley, American folk musician (New Lost City Ramblers), born in NYC, New York (d. 2017)
• Mar 19 Clarence Paul [Pauling], American songwriter, and record producer (Motown; Stevie Wonder - "Fingertips"), born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (d. 1995)
• Mar 21 Ruth Anderson, American flutist, classical and electronic music composer (I Come Out of Your Sleep), born in Kalispell, Montana (d.2019)
• Mar 24 Byron "Yanks" Janis, American concert pianist (debut with NBC Symphony Orchestra at age 15), born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
• Mar 26 Carole Carr [Carless], British singer and actress (Down Among the Z Men), born in London, England (d. 1997)
• Mar 27 Antonín Tučapský, Czech composer, teacher, and choral conductor, born in Opatovice, Moravia, Czechoslovakia (d. 2014)
• Mar 28 José Luis de Delás, Spanish composer, born in Barcelona (d. 2018)
• Mar 29 Václav Felix, Czech composer, and pedagogue, born in Prague (d. 2008)
• Mar 29 Derek Simpson, British cellist (Aeolian String Quartet, 1956-81; Beatles - "Strawberry Fields Forever), and teacher, born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England (d. 2007)
• Mar 30 John Heddle Nash, English operatic singer, born in London (d. 1994)
• Mar 30 Diether de la Motte, German composer and music theorist, born in Bonn, Germany (d. 2010)
• Apr 2 Serge Gainsbourg, Russian-French singer (Ford Mustang), born in Paris (d. 1991)
• Apr 3 Don Gibson, American country musician and songwriter ("Sweet Dreams"; "I Can't Stop Loving You"), born in Shelby, North Carolina (d. 2003)
• Apr 4 Monty Norman, English singer and film composer (James Bond Theme), born in London
• Apr 4 Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, Cuban jazz trumpeter (Orchestra Harlow; Eddie Palmieri), born in Santa Clara, Cuba (d. 2016)
• Apr 5 David Farquhar Andress, New Zealand composer (Ring Around the Moon; A Unicorn for Christmas), born in Cambridge, New Zealand (d. 2007)
• Apr 5 Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters, 1953-59 - "Only You"; "The Great Pretender"), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey (d. 1992)
• Apr 6 Will Gaines, American-British tap dancer, born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2014)
• Apr 6 Bob Efford, British jazz and session baritone saxophonist and reed player, born in London (d. 2019)
• Apr 8 Fred Ebb, American musical theater lyricist, with John Kander (Cabaret; Chicago; New York, New York; Funny Lady), born in New York City (d. 2004)
• Apr 9 Monty Sunshine, British jazz clarinetist and bandleader (Petite Fleur), born in Stepney, London (d. 2010)
• Apr 9 Tom Lehrer, American musician ("The Elements"), satirist (That Was The Week That Was), and mathematician, born in NYC, New York
• Apr 10 Rosco Gordon, American R&B pianist, singer, and songwriter ("Booted"; "No More Doggin'"), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2002)
• Apr 12 Jean-François Paillard, French conductor, born in Vitry-le-François, France (d. 2013)
• Apr 16 Walt Dickerson, American jazz vibraphone player, and composer ("To My Queen"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2008) [1]
• Apr 18 Ken Colyer, British New Orleans jazz devotee trumpeter, cornetist, and bandleader, born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England (d. 1988)
• Apr 19 Alexis Korner, British blues musician (Blues Inc - "Bootleg Him"), born in Paris, France (d. 1984)
• Apr 24 Gustav Krivinka, Czech composer, born in Doubravice nad Svitavou, Czech Republic (d. 1990)
• Apr 24 Johnny Griffin III, American jazz saxophonist (A Blowin' Session), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2008)
• Apr 29 Carl Gardner, American rock vocalist (Coasters-Yakety Yak), born in Tyler, Texas (d. 2011)
• May 3 Dave Dudley, American country singer (Six Days on the Road), born in Spencer, Wisconsin (d. 2003)
• May 4 Maynard Ferguson, Canadian jazz trumpeter (Roulette), born in Verdun, Quebec (d. 2006)
• May 5 Marshall Grant, American bassist (Johnny Cash's Tennessee Two), born in Bryson City, North Carolina (d. 2011)
• May 8 William Jay Sydeman, American avant-garde composer, born in New York City
• May 9 Páll Pampichier Pálsson, Austrian-Icelandic composer, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1966)
• May 12 Burt Bacharach, composer (I'll Never Fall in Love Again), born in Kansas City, Missouri
• May 12 Henry Cosby, African-American songwriter, musician and producer for Motown (Tears of a Clown), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2002)
• May 14 Will "Dub" Jones, American bass singer (The Coasters - Charlie Brown), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2000)
• May 22 Roscoe Robinson, American gospel singer, born in Dermott, Arkansas
• May 23 Rosemary Clooney, American singer (Come On-a My House) and actress (White Christmas), born in Maysville, Kentucky (d. 2002)
• May 23 Jeannie Carson [Shufflebottom], British-born comedian, actress, singer and dancer (As Long as They're Happy, An Alligator Named Daisy), born in Yorkshire, England
• May 23 Pauline Julien, French Canadian singer (d. 1998)
• May 25 Frigyes Hidas, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2007)
• May 27 Thea Musgrave, Scottish composer (Mary Queen of Scots, Pontalba), born in Barnton, Edinburgh
• May 30 Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch harpsichordist, organist and conductor, born in 's-Graveland, Netherlands (d. 2012)
• May 31 Jacob Lateiner, pianist/professor (Juiliard), born in Havana, Cuba
• Jun 4 Lloyd Lambert, American bassist (Guitar Slim), born in Thilbodaux, Louisiana (d. 1995)
• Jun 7 Charles Strouse, American composer (Bye Bye Birdie, Annie), born in NYC, New York
• Jun 12 Richard Sherman, American composer and lyricist (The Sherman Brothers - Mary Poppins), born in NYC, New York
• Jun 12 Vic Damone [Vito Farinola], American singer (On the Street Where You Live), entertainer, actor and TV presenter (Vic Damone Show), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2018)
• Jun 16 Sergiu Comissiona, Buch Romania, conductor (Haifa Symph 1959-64)
• Jun 20 Eric Dolphy, jazz musician, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1964)
• Jun 21 Judith Raskin, American soprano (Susanna-Le Nozze di Figaro), born in NYC, New York (d. 1984)
• Jun 25 William Joseph Russo, American trombonist, jazz, classical and theater composer (Titans Symphony) and educator, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2003)
• Jun 25 Jacob Druckman, American composer (Animus; Windows), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1996)
• Jun 28 Andrew Gordon Speedie-Pask, English cybernetician stage producer and lyricist, born in Derby (d. 1996)
• Jul 1 Volker Wangenheim, German conductor and composer (Sinfonia Notturna), born in Berlin (d. 2014)
• Jul 4 Cathy Berberian, American mezzo-soprano and composer (Stripsody), born in Attleboro, Massachusetts (d. 1983)
• Jul 8 Norma Donaldson, American singer and actress (Poetic Justice, 5 Heartbeats), born in Harlem, New York (d. 1994)
• Jul 9 Vince Edwards, American actor, director, and singer (Ben Casey, The Devil's Brigade, Matt Lincoln, Firehouse), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1996)

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• Jan 8 Dumitru Kiriac-Georgescu, composer, dies at 61
• Feb 16 Eddie Foy Sr. [Edwin Fitzgerald], Irish-American actor, singer and dancer (A Favorite Fool), dies at 71
• Mar 1 Herbert Brewer, English composer, dies at 62
• Mar 1 Jacob Adolf Hägg, Swedish composer, dies at 77
• Mar 27 Leslie Stuart [Thomas Barrett], British musical theater composer (Florodora), dies at 64
• Mar 28 Giuseppe Ferrata, composer, dies at 63
• Apr 13 Luis Iruarrizaga Aguirre, Basque priest, organist and composer of religious music, dies at 36
• Apr 18 Henryk Melcer-Szczawiński, Polish pianist, composer, and conductor, dies of a heart attack at 58
• Apr 24 Ferdinand Hummel, German composer, dies at 72
• May 7 Alexander Spendiaryan, Russian-Soviet composer, dies at 56
• May 9 Constantin Dimitrescu, Romanian composer (Dans ţănănesc), dies at 81
• May 19 Henry Franklin Belknap Gilbert, American composer, dies at 59
• Jun 6 Heinrich Gottlieb Noren, Austrian violinist and composer, dies at 67
• Jun 13 Damaso Ledesma, composer, dies at 60
• Jun 23 Thomas H. Rollinson, American composer, dies at 84
• Aug 6 W. H. Grattan Flood, Irish author and composer, dies at 68
• Aug 12 Leoš Janáček, Czech composer, dies at 74
• Aug 13 Fernand de La Tombelle, French organist and composer, dies at 74
• Oct 30 Oscar George Theodore Sonneck, American musicologist, dies at 55
• Nov 19 Achille Simonetti, Italian violinist and composer, dies at 71
• Dec 18 Lucien Capet, French composer and violinist, dies at 55