December 1944 in Music History

Events in Music

Music Premiere

Dec 1 Béla Bartòk's Concerto for orchestra, premieres in Symphony Hall, Boston, by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky

Music History

Dec 15 American bandleader Major Glenn Miller, lost over the English Channel

Music Premiere

Dec 28 Leonard Bernstein's musical "On the Town" premieres in NYC

Dec 30 Sergei Prokofjev's 8th Piano sonata, premieres in Moscow

Birthdays in Music

Dec 1 Eric Bloom, American rock vocalist/guitarist (Blue Öyster Cult), born in Brooklyn, New York City
Dec 2 Gabriel Mekler, Israeli-American songwriter and record producer (Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Janis Joplin, Etta James), born in Palestine (d. 1977)
Dec 3 António Variações [António Joaquim Rodrigues Ribeiro], Portuguese singer-songwriter (Dar & Receber), born in Braga, Portugal (d. 1984)
Dec 4 Anna McGarrigle, Canadian folk music singer-songwriter, born in Montreal, Quebec
Dec 4 Chris Hillman, American bluegrass, folk-rock, and country bassist, mandolin player, guitarist, singer, snd songwriter (The Byrds; THe Flying Burrito Brothers, Desert Rose Band) - Turn Turn Turn), born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 4 Craig Doerge, American session keyboard player, session musician, songwriter (Crosby, Stills & Nash; Jackson Browne), and record producer, born in Cleveland, Ohio
Dec 4 Dennis Wilson, American drummer and vocalist (The Beach Boys), born in Hawthorne, California (d. 1983)
Dec 4 Lynford "Hux" Brown, Jamaican session and touring guitarist (Jimmy Cliff; Paul Simon; Toots and the Maytals), born in Port Antonio, Jamaica (d. 2020)
Dec 6 David "Fritz" Fryer, British pop guitarist and songwriter (The Four Pennies -"Juliet"), born in Oldham, Lancashire (d. 2007)
Dec 6 Jonathan King, English singer and songwriter ("Everyone's Gone To The Moon") and record producer, born in London
Dec 7 Daniel Chorzempa, American organist, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Dec 8 George Baker [Johannes Bouwens], Dutch singer and songwriter (Paloma Blanca, Little Green Bag), born in Hoorn, Netherlands
Dec 9 Guy Darrell [John Swail], British singer (I've Been Hurt), born in Kent, England
Dec 11 Brenda Lee [Brenda Mae Tarpley], American pop and country singer ("I'm Sorry"; "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"), born in Atlanta, Georgia
Dec 11 David Ashley White, American composer and educator, born in San Antonio, Texas
Dec 11 Jon Garrison, American tenor, born in Higginsville, Missouri

Dec 12 (Alejandro) "Alex" Acuña, Peruvian-American session and touring drummer and percussionist (Weather Report, Lee Ritenour; Joni Mitchell), educator and producer, born in Pativilca, Peru
Dec 12 Rob Tyner [Robert Derminer], American hard rock singer (MC5 - Kick Out The Jams), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1991)
Dec 16 John Abercrombie, American jazz guitarist, born in Portchester, New York (d. 2017)
Dec 17 Giedrė Lukšaitė-Mrázková, Lithuanian–Czech harpsichord player, organist, and educator, born in Kaunas, Lithuania
Dec 18 (Roger) "Deke" Leonard, Welsh rock musician (Man), born in Llanelli, Wales (d. 2017)
Dec 19 Alvin Lee, British rock vocalist and guitarist (10 Years After), born in Nottingham, England (d. 2013)
Dec 19 Steve Tyrell [Bilao], American jazz and standards singer ("The Way You Look Tonight"), and Grammy Award-winning record producer (Rod Stewart; B.J. Thomas), born in Palo Pinto, Texas
Dec 19 Zal Yanovsky, Canadian rock guitarist (Lovin' Spoonful - "Do You Believe in Magic?"), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2002)
Dec 20 Robert "Bobby" Colomby, American rock drummer (Blood Sweat & Tears - "Spinning Wheel"), born in NYC, New York
Dec 21 Michael Tilson Thomas, American conductor (San Francisco Symphony, 1995-2020), and composer (Shówa/Shoáh), born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 22 (Michael) "Mo" Foster, British session and touring rock bassist and producer, born in Byfleet, Surrey, England
Dec 22 Colin "Barry" Jenkins, English rock drummer (Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"), born in Leicester, United Kingdom
Dec 24 Mike Curb, American pop singer, chorale master, and producer (Mike Curb Congregation - "Sweet Gingerbread Man"), born in Savannah, Georgia
Dec 25 Emory Gordy Jr., American musician & music producer, born in Atlanta, Georgia
Dec 25 Henry Vestine, American guitarist (Canned Heat), born in Takoma Park, Maryland (d. 1997)
Dec 27 Mick Jones, English rock guitarist (Foreigner - "I Want to Know What Love Is"), born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Dec 27 Tracy Nelson, American blues rock singer (Mother Earth), born in Madison, Wisconsin