January 1941 in Music History

Events in Music

Jan 3 Sergei Rachmaninoff's final composition "Symphonic Dances" premieres in Philadelphia, with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra

Jan 20 Béla Bartók's 6th string quartet, premieres in NYC

Jan 4 John Bennett Perry, American actor (Falcon Crest), and singer, born in Williamstown, Massachusetts
Jan 5 Grady Thomas, American rock vocalist (Parliaments, Funkadelic, Maggot Brain), born in Newark, New Jersey
Jan 7 Iona Brown, British violinist and conductor, born in sSalisbury, England (d. 2004)
Jan 7 Rod Hicks, American bassist (Paul Butterfield Blues Band), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2013)
Jan 8 Little Anthony [Anthony Gourdine], American rhythm and blues singer (Little Anthony and the Imperials - "Goin' Out of My Head"), born in Brooklyn, New York

Jan 9 American folk singer ("Diamonds & Rust"), and human rights advocate, born in Staten Island, New York

Jan 12 "Long" John Baldry, English blues vocalist ("Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll"), born in East Haddon, United Kingdom (d. 2005)
Jan 15 Captain Beefheart [Don Van Vliet], American singer-songwriter ("Bongo Fury"; "Shiny Beast"), born in Glendale, California (d. 2010)
Jan 17 Dame Gillian Weir, New Zealand organist, born in Martinborough, New Zealand
Jan 18 Bobby Goldsboro, American pop and country singer-songwriter (Honey), born in Marianna, Florida
Jan 18 David Ruffin, American soul musician and early lead singer for The Temptations ("My Girl"; "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"), born in Whynot, Mississippi (d. 1991)
Jan 20 Pierre Lalonde, Canadian singer and television host, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2016)

Jan 21 Spanish opera and Latin tenor, conductor and artistic director (Verdi's "Otello"), born in Madrid, Spain

Jan 21 Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter, and guitarist who opened the Woodstock Festival ("Freedom"; "Here Comes the Sun"), born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York (d. 2013)
Jan 23 (Perry) "Buddy" Buie, American rock songwriter, and record producer (Atlanta Rhythm Section - "So Into You"; "Imaginary Lover"), born in Marianna, Florida (d. 2015)
Jan 24 Aaron Neville, American Grammy Award-winning R&B, soul, and pop singer, and keyboardist (Neville Brothers; "Don't Know Much"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Jan 24 Michael Chapman, British progressive folk-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter (Looking for Eleven; Fully Qualified Survivor), born in Leeds, England (d. 2021)

Jan 24 American singer-songwriter ("Sweet Caroline"; "I'm A Believer"; "Solitary Man"), born in Brooklyn, New York

Jan 27 Bobby Hutcherson, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player ("Little B's Poem"; SFJAZZ Collective), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2016)
Jan 28 King Tubby [Osbourne Ruddock], Jamaican sound engineer and record producer, born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 1989)
Jan 30 Joe Terry (Terranova), American Doo-wop singer (Danny & The Juniors - "At The Hop"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2019)
Jan 31 Jerry Scheff, American session and touring bassist (Elvis Presley, 1969 to 1977), born in Denver, Colorado

Jan 2 Mischa Levitzki, Russian-born American pianist & composer (The Enchanted Nymph), dies of a heart attack at 42
Jan 10 Frank Bridge, British violinist andcomposer (Sea), dies at 61
Jan 23 Dobri Khristov, Bulgarian composer, dies at 65
Jan 27 Iver Holter, Norwegian conductor (Oslo Philharmonic, 1886-1911), and composer (St. Hans Kveld), dies at 90