Events in Music
- Jan 4 Billboard magazine publishes its 1st music hit parade
Music History
Jan 9 Noël Coward's stage drama "Astonished Heart" premieres in London
Music Recording
Jan 24 Benny Goodman and His Orchestra record "Stompin' at the Savoy" for Victor Records in Chicago, Illinois
Music History
Jan 26 Joseph Stalin views Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "Lady Macbeth" but he and his officials leave early and the play is denounced in state press
Music History
Jan 28 Pravda criticizes Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District"
Birthdays in Music
Roger Miller (1936-1992)
Jan 2 American country singer-songwriter ("King of the Road"; "Dang Me"), born in Fort Worth, Texas
- Jan 3 Jos Kunst, Dutch composer, born in Roermond, Netherlands (d. 1996)
- Jan 6 Ebo Taylor, Ghanaian highlife and Afrobeat musician and composer, born in Cape Coast, Gold Coast
- Jan 7 (Edward) Hunter Davies, Scottish-British journalist, author (The Beatles: The Authorised Biography), and broadcaster, born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland
- Jan 7 Eldee Young, American jazz upright bassist (Ramsey Lewis Trio, 1956-66 'The In Crowd"; Young-Holt Unlimited - "Soulful Strut"), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2007)
- Jan 7 Richard Podolor, American session guitarist, sound engineer and, record producer (Three Dog Night; Steppenwolf), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 8 Zdeněk Mácal, Czech conductor, born in Bmo, Czech Republic
- Jan 9 Peter Fletcher, British orchestral and choral conductor, and music teacher (d. 1999)
- Jan 11 Katie Webster [Kathyrne Jewel Thorne], American boogie pianist (The Swamp Boogie Queen), born in Houston, Texas (d. 1999)
- Jan 13 Ami Maayani, Israeli composer and conductor, born in Ramat Gan, Israel
- Jan 13 Renato Bruson, Italian operatic baritone
- Jan 14 Clarence Carter, American blues singer-songwriter ("Patches"), born in Montgomery, Alabama
- Jan 19 Elliott Schwartz, composer, born in New York City
- Jan 20 Luther Tucker, American blues guitarist, born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1983)
- Jan 24 Daniel Goode, American composer, and clarinetist (Gamelan Son of Lion), born in New York City
- Jan 24 Doug Kershaw, American Cajun, folk and bluegrass fiddle player, born in Cameron Parrish, Louisiana
- Jan 24 Jack Scott, Canadian rock and roll singer-songwriter (My True Love), born in Windsor, Ontario (d. 2019)
- Jan 28 Robert Suderburg, American pianist, composer, and conductor, born in Spencer, Iowa (d. 2013)
- Jan 29 James Jamerson, American session pop and R&B bass guitarist (Motown Records), born in Edisto, South Carolina (d. 1983)
- Jan 29 Malcolm Binns, English concert pianist, born in Nottingham, England
- Jan 30 Horst Jankowski, German jazz and easy listening pianist ("A Walk In The Black Forest"), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1998)
- Jan 31 Marvin Junior, American R&B baritone singer (The Dells - "Oh What a Nite"), born in Harold, Arkansas (d. 2013)
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers