Year 1935 in Music History

Events in Music

Film Premier

Feb 22 "The Little Colonel" premieres starring Shirley Temple, Lionel Barrymore and Bill Robinson, featuring famous stair dance with Hollywood's first interracial dance couple

Actress and Diplomat Shirley Temple — Actress and Diplomat
Shirley Temple

Tap Dancer and Actor Bill Robinson — Tap Dancer and Actor
Bill Robinson

Actor Lionel Barrymore — Actor
Lionel Barrymore

Event of Interest

Apr 8 Béla Bartok's 5th String quartet premieres in Washington, D.C.

Composer and Pianist Béla Bartok — Composer and Pianist
Béla Bartok

Apr 10 Vaughan Williams' 4th Symphony premieres in London

Event of Interest

Jul 13 Richard Strauss resigns as chairman of Reichskulturkammer

Composer and Conductor Richard Strauss — Composer and Conductor
Richard Strauss

Event of Interest

Sep 30 George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" premieres in Boston

Composer and Pianist George Gershwin — Composer and Pianist
George Gershwin

Oct 10 George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess" opens on Broadway NY

Music Premiere

Oct 12 Cole Porter's musical "Jubilee" premieres in NYC

Composer and Lyricist Cole Porter — Composer and Lyricist
Cole Porter

Nov 15 "A Night at the Opera", directed by Sam Wood, starring the Marx Brothers, is released

Music Premiere

Nov 16 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's musical "Jumbo" premieres in NYC

Composer Richard Rodgers — Composer
Richard Rodgers

Birthdays in Music

Jan 1 Harold Martina, Netherland Antilles, pianist/conductor
Jan 6 Nino Tempo [Antonino LoTempio], American session saxophonist and pop vocalist ("Deep Purple"; "Sister James"), born in Niagara Falls, New York
Jan 6 Paul Wilson, American R&B-singer (Flamingos-Lovers Never Say Goodbye)
Jan 7 Noam Sheriff, Israeli composer, born in Ramat Gan, Israel (d. 2018)
Jan 7 Kenny Davern, American jazz clarinetist, born in Huntington, New York (d. 2006)
Jan 7 Tommy Johnson, American orchestral tubist (Jaws theme), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2006)

Elvis Presley

Jan 8 Elvis Presley, American singer and King of Rock and Roll (Blue Suede Shoes, Hounddog), born in Tupelo Mississippi (d. 1977)

Jan 8 Ian Bargh, Scottish-born Canadian jazz pianist and composer, born in Prestwick, Scotland (d. 2012)
Jan 9 Buddy Scott, American blues guitarist, born in Goodman, Mississippi (d. 1994)
Jan 10 Georg Katzer, German composer (electro-acoustic music), born in Habelschwerdt, Silesia (d. 2019)
Jan 10 Sherrill Milnes, American operatic baritone, born in Downers Grove, Illinois
Jan 10 Ronnie Hawkins, American-Canadian rock musician, born in Huntsville, Arkansas
Jan 10 Eddy Clearwater [Edward Harrington], American blues musician (West Side Strut), born in Macon, Mississippi (d. 2018)
Jan 11 Chuck Barksdale, American singer (Dells-I Can Sing a Rainbow)
Jan 12 William Lee Gloden, American country music singer (Oak Ridge Boys), born in Brewton, Alabama
Jan 15 Malcolm Frager, American concert pianist, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1991)
Jan 19 [Augustus] Owsley Stanley III, American audio engineer and LSD cook who worked with the Grateful Dead, born in Kentucky (d. 2011)
Jan 26 Peter Ronnefeld, German composer and conductor (Die Nachtausgabe), born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1965)
Jan 26 Zbigniew Penherski, Polish composer (Little Music for the End of Century), born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 2019)
Jan 28 Leonid Grabovsky, Ukranian contemporary classical composer (Meditation and Pathetic Recitative), born in Kiev, Ukraine
Jan 31 Bojidar Dimov, Bulgarian pianist and composer ( Die Hochzeit von Susa), born in Lom, Bulgaria (d. 2003)
Feb 3 Johnny "Guitar" Watson, rock guitarist
Feb 5 Alex Harvey, rocker (Just Visiting This Planet)
Feb 10 Salvator Pueyo, Spanish composer (Abstracciones), and educator (Barcelona Conservatory, 1987-present), born in Barcelona, Spain
Feb 10 Theodore Antoniou, Greek conductor and composer (Paean, Celebration), born in Athens (d. 2018)
Feb 11 Bent Lorentzen, Danish orchestral, electronic, and opera composer, born in Stenvad, Denmark (d. 2018)
Feb 11 Gene Vincent [Vincent Eugene Craddock], American rock guitarist and vocalist (Be-Bop-A-Lula), born in Norfolk, Virginia (d. 1971)
Feb 12 Gene McDaniels, American vocalist ("A Hundred Pounds Of Clay"), songwriter ("I Feel Like Making Love") and actor (Young Swingers), born in Kansas City, Kansas (d. 2011)
Feb 16 Salvatore "Sonny" Bono, American musician, vocalist, (Sonny & Cher), actor, and politician (US Congress (R)-CA, 1995-98), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1998)
Feb 17 Johnny Bush, American country singer, born in Houston, Texas (d. 2020)
Feb 18 Bosko Petrovic, Croatian jazz musician, founder of the Zagreb Jazz Quartet, born in Bjelovar (d. 2011)
Feb 18 Sergei Cortez, Chilean-Belarusian composer (Jubilee and The Bear; Giordano Bruno), born in San Antonio, Chile (d. 2016)
Feb 20 Raven Wilkinson, American ballerina, first African American woman to dance with major ballet company, born in New York City (d. 2018)
Feb 27 Alberto Remedios, British opera & concert singer, born in Liverpool, England (d. 2016)
Feb 27 Mirella Freni, Italian lyric soprano (Madame Butterfly), born in Modena, Italy (d. 2020)
Mar 4 Nancy Whiskey, Scottish folk singer (d. 2003)
Mar 12 Helga Pilarczyk, German soprano (Salome; Lulu), born in Schöningen, Germany (d. 2011)
Mar 14 Jo van den Booren, composer
Mar 16 Teresa Berganza, Spanish soprano
Mar 17 Adam Wade, American singer & actor (The Writing On The Wall), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mar 20 Sam Lay, American drummer and vocalist (Original Thunderbirds, Howlin' Wolf Tribute), born in Birmingham, Alabama
Mar 21 Antonio Membrado, Spanish-French classical guitarist and composer, born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2016)
Mar 24 Carol Kaye, American session bassist (Beach Boys, Sonny & Cher, Simon & Garfunkel), born in Everett, Washington
Mar 25 (Juan) "Johnny" Pacheco, Dominican-American salsa flutist, bandleader, composer, record producer and label executive (Fania Records), born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic (d. 2021) [1]
Mar 29 Ruby Murray, Irish pop singer ("Heartbeat"; "Softly, Softly"), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland (d. 1996)
Mar 30 Gordon Mumma, American pianist, composer, and educator (University of California, 1975-94), born in Framingham, Massachusetts
Mar 30 John Charles Eaton, composer
Mar 30 Karl Berger, German jazz pianist, vibraphone player, and musicologist, born in Heidelberg, Germany
Mar 31 Herb Alpert, American jazz trumpeter and bandleader (Tijuana Brass - "This Guy's In Love With You"), and record executive (A & M), born in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
Apr 4 François-Bernard Mâche, French composer, born in Clermont-Ferrand, France
Apr 5 Peter Grant, English rock band manager (Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin), born in South Norwood, England (d. 1995)
Apr 7 Bobby Bare, American country singer ("500 Miles Away From Home"; "Come Sundown"; "Marie Laveau"), born in Ironton, Ohio
Apr 9 Aulis Sallinen, Finnish composer, born in Salmi, Russia
Apr 9 Reuben Wilson, American jazz organist ("Got to Get Your Own"), born in Mounds, Oklahoma
Apr 10 Jorge Mester, Mexican conductor (Louisville Orchestra, 1967-79), born in Mexico City, Mexico
Apr 11 Father Abraham [Pierre Kartner], Dutch singer (Smurf Song), born in Elst, Netherlands
Apr 11 Richard Berry, American doo-wop bass vocalist and songwriter ("Louie, Louie"), born in Extension, Louisiana (d. 1997)
Apr 15 Gene Cherico, American jazz bassist, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1994)
Apr 16 Bobby Vinton, American pop singer, known as "The Polish Prince" ("Roses Are Red (My Love)"; "Blue Velvet"; "My Melody Of Love"), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Apr 16 Haskell Sadler, American blues singer and guitarist, born in Denver, Colorado (d. 1994)
Apr 18 Paul A. Rothchild, American record producer (produced Janis Joplin's final album Pearl), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1995)

Dudley Moore

Apr 19 Dudley Moore, English comedian, actor (10; Arthur; Bedazzled), jazz pianist, and composer, born in London (d. 2002)

Apr 22 Paul Chambers, American jazz bassist, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1969)
Apr 23 Bunky Green, American jazz musician, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Apr 29 Otto Zykan, Austrian composer, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2006)
Apr 29 Otis Rush, American blues musician (Right Place, Wrong Time), born in Philadelphia. Mississippi (d. 2018)
May 5 Edward "Kidd" Jordan, American jazz saxophonist and music educator, born in Crowley, New Orleans
May 9 Nole "Nokie" Edwards, American surf-rock guitarist (The Ventures) and actor (Deadwood), born in Lahoma, Oklahoma (d. 2018)
May 10 Henry Fambrough, American singer (Spinners)
May 10 Larry Williams, American musician (Dizzy, Miss Lizzie), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1980)
May 11 Christopher "Kit" Lambert, British record producer and manager of The Who, born in Knightsbridge, London (d. 1981)
May 12 Gary Peacock, American jazz bassist (Keith Jarrett Trio), born in Burley, Idaho (d. 2020)
May 13 Nigel Butterley, Australian pianist and composer (The True Samaritan), born in Sydney, Australia
May 13 Yizhak Sadai, composer
May 13 Dominic Cossa, American baritone
May 15 Gordon Mills, British songwriter (Tom Jones - "It's not Unusual"), born in Madras, India (d. 1986)
May 21 Terry Lightfoot, British clarinetist and bandleader (New Orleans Jazzmen), born in Potters Bar, England (d. 2013)
May 24 Valerie Capers, American jazz pianist, composer (Sing About Love; Sojourner), and educator, born in New York City
May 27 Elias Gistelinck, Flemish composer
May 27 Ramsey Lewis, American jazz-pop pianist (Hang On Sloopy), born in Chicago, Illinois
May 27 Mal Evans [Malcolm Frederick Evans], British Beatles roadie and assistant, born in Liverpool, England (d. 1976)
Jun 3 Ted Curson [Theodore], Jazz Trumpeter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2012)
Jun 5 Peter Schat, Dutch opera composer (Labyrint, Houdine, Symposion)
Jun 6 Misha Mengelberg, Dutch jazz pianist and composer (Reconstruction), born in Kiev, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (d. 2017)
Jun 6 Grant Green, American jazz guitarist, born in St. Louis (d. 1979)
Jun 19 Tommy Devito, American rock baritone vocalist and guitarist (Four Seasons - "Sherry"), born in Montclair, New Jersey (d. 2020)
Jun 24 Terry Riley, American minimalist composer (In C, A Rainbow In Curved Air), born in Colfax, California
Jun 24 Jiří Teml, Czech composer (People and Sources Symphony), born in Vimperk, Czechoslovakia
Jun 25 Eddie Floyd, American singer and composer (California Girl, Falcons), born in Montgomery, Alabama
Jun 25 Kurt Schwertsik, Austrian composer, born in Vienna, Austria
Jun 29 Johnnie Richardson, American R&B musician (Johnnie & Joe), born in Montgomery, Alabama (d. 1988)
Jul 1 James Cotton, American blues vocalist and harmonica player, born in Tunica, Mississippi (d. 2017)
Jul 2 Gilbert Kalish, pianist/professor (SUNY Stony Brook), born in Brooklyn, New York
Jul 8 Steve Lawrence [Sidney Leibowitz], American singer and actor (Go Away Little Girl, Lonely Guy), born in Brooklyn, New York
Jul 9 Mercedes Sosa, Argentinian singer (exponent of nueva canción), born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina (d. 2009)
Jul 11 Frederick Hemke, American classical saxophonist and educator, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2019)
Jul 17 P D Q Bach [Peter Schickele], American composer (5th of Beethoven), born in Ames, Iowa
Jul 21 Kaye Stevens, American singer/comedienne (Jerry Lewis Show), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2011)
Jul 24 Les Reed, English songwriter (It's Not Unusual), born in Woking, Surrey
Jul 29 Peter Schreier, German tenor and conductor (Dresden State Opera, 1962-2000), born in Meissen, Saxony, Germany (d. 2019)

Weddings in Music

Wedding of Interest

Aug 19 French singer Édith Piaf (19) weds Andrew Johnseppe in Belleville, Paris

Deaths in Music

Jan 14 Heinrich Schenker, Austrian musicologist (Urlinie) know for his Schenkerian analysis of music, dies at 66
Jan 16 Richard Wetz, German composer (Requiem, Op. 50 in B minor), dies of lung cancer at 59
Jan 28 Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, Russian composer and musician (Armenian Rhapsody), dies at 75
Feb 9 Karl Nef, Swiss musicologist, dies at 61
Feb 28 Chiquinha Gonzaga, Brazilian composer (b. 1847).
Mar 30 Romanos Hovakimi Melik'yan, composer, dies at 51
Apr 5 Emil Młynarski, Polish conductor and composer, dies at 64
Apr 24 Paul Klengel, German pianist, violinist, composer and educator, dies at 80
Apr 28 Alexander Campbell Mackenzie, Scottish composer, dies at 87
Apr 29 Leroy Carr, American blues piano player and singer-songwriter ("How Long, How Long Blues"), dies of nephritis of the kidneys at 30
May 17 Paul Dukas, French composer, dies at 69
May 19 Charles Martin Tornow Loeffler, French composer, dies at 74
May 29 Josef Suk, Czech violinist/composer, dies at 61
May 30 Lothar Windsperger, composer, dies at 49
Jun 1 Alberto Cametti, Italian composer, dies at 64
Jun 6 Jacques Urlus, tenor (Opera of Leipzig, Song of the Earth), dies at 68
Jun 18 August Reusner, German composer, dies at 64

Carlos Gardel

Jun 24 Carlos Gardel, Argentine singer and the most prominent figure in the history of tango, dies in a plane crash at 44

Aug 6 Alexander Winkler, Russian composer, dies at 70
Aug 15 Gerard Brucken Fock, Dutch composer and painter, dies at 75
Aug 20 Otakar Ostrcil, composer, dies at 56
Aug 21 Josef Cyril Sychra, composer, dies at 76
Aug 29 Charles Lee Williams, English composer (Gloucester Cathedral), dies at 82
Sep 22 Karl Schroder, composer, dies at 86
Sep 27 Alan Gray, British composer, dies at 79
Oct 4 Marie Gutheil-Schoder, German soprano (b. 1874)
Oct 6 Frederic Hymen Cowen, composer, dies at 83
Oct 22 Komitas [Soghomon Soghomonian], Armenian priest and composer, dies at 66
Oct 26 Akos Buttykai, Hungarian composer, dies at 64
Nov 4 Miklos Radnai, composer, dies at 43
Nov 16 Kurt Schindler, composer, dies at 53
Nov 28 Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist (b. 1877)
Dec 4 Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, conductor (Nationaltheatret Orchestra, 1899-1929), and composer (Bergensiana), dies at 71
Dec 24 Alban Maria Johannes Berg, composer, dies at 50