Events in Music
- Oct 2 "Finian's Rainbow" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 725 performances
Music Premiere
Oct 6 "Polonaise" musical featuring works of Frédéric Chopin, opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 113 performances
- Oct 11 "Love Life" opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 252 performances
- Oct 11 Frank Loesser's musical "Where's Charley?", starring Ray Bolger, and directed by George Abbott, opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 792 performances and wins a Tony Award
- Oct 16 Revival of Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom's operetta "The Red Mill" opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; rums for 831 performances
- Oct 19 "My Romance" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 95 performances
- Oct 24 Francis Poulenc's "Sinfonietta" premieres
Birthdays in Music
- Oct 1 Ellen McIlwaine, American blues singer-songwriter, and slide guitarist ("Honky Tonky Angel"; “In My Time of Dying"), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 2021)
- Oct 1 Michael "Cub" Koda, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (Brownsville Station - "Smokin' In The Boys Room'), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2000)
- Oct 2 Chris LeDoux, American country singer ("Ridin' for a Fall"), born in Biloxi, Mississippi (d. 2005)
- Oct 5 Delroy Wilson, Jamaican ska and reggae singer ("Cool Operator"), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 1995)
- Oct 5 Lucius "Tawl" Ross, American pop guitarist (Funkadelic - "One Nation Under a Groove"), born in Wagram, North Carolina
- Oct 5 Russell Mael, American singer, engineer and director (Sparks), born in Santa Monica, California
- Oct 6 Glenn Branca, American avant-garde composer and guitarist, born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Oct 6 Paula Scher, American graphic designer, album cover designer (Boston; Bob James), painter and art educator, born in Washington, D.C.
Johnny Ramone (1948-2004)
Oct 8 American punk rock guitarist and songwriter (Ramones - "I Wanna Be Sedated"), born in Long Island, New York
- Oct 9 Caleb Quaye, British session and touring rock guitarist (Elton John; Hall & Oates), born in London, England
- Oct 9 Dave Samuels, American vibraphonist (Spyro Gyra - "Morning Dance"), born in Waukegan, Illinois (d. 2019)
- Oct 9 Jackson Browne, American rock singer-songwriter ("Running On Empty"; "The Pretender"), born in Heidelberg, Germany
- Oct 10 Cyril Neville, American singer and percussionist (Neville Brothers), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Oct 10 Ed Volker, American swamp-rock keyboardist (The Radiators), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Oct 10 Séverine [Josiane Grizeau], French singer (Un banc, un arbre, une rue), born in Paris
- Oct 12 Rick Parfitt, British pop guitarist and singer (Status Quo - "Wanderer"; "Pictures of Matchstick Men"), born in Surrey, England (d. 2016)
- Oct 13 John Ford Coley, American musician (England Dan & John Ford Coley - "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight"), born in Dallas, Texas
- Oct 13 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani qawwal (Sufi devotional music) vocalist, and composer, born in Lyallpur, Pakistan (d. 1997)
- Oct 13 Pete Spencer, British drummer and songwriter (Smokie, 1973-86 - "This Time We'll Get It Right"; "San Francisco Bay"), born in Leeds, England
- Oct 16 Jim Ed Norman [Edward James Norman], American musician and record producer, born in Fort Myers, Florida
- Oct 19 Chester "Chet" Biscardi, Italian-American composer, born in Kenosha, Wisconsin
- Oct 19 Patrick Simmons, American rock guitarist and songwriter (The Doobie Brothers - "Blackwater"), born in Aberdeen, Washington
- Oct 19 Peter Solley, British progressive rock session and touring Hammond organ player and keyboardist (Paladin; Procol Harum, 1975-77; Whitesnake, 1978), born in London, England
- Oct 24 Dale "Buffin" Griffin, English rock drummer (Mott The Hoople - "All Young Dudes"), born in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England (d. 2016)
- Oct 24 Keith Sykes, American folk-roots rock singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer, born in Murray, Kentucky
- Oct 24 Paul and Barry Ryan, British composers and singers, born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
- Oct 27 Byron Allred, American rock keyboardist (Steve Miller Band), born in Logan, Utah
- Oct 27 Sherman Robertson, American blues guitarist (I'm the Man), born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
- Oct 28 Rickie Lee Reynolds, American southern rock guitarist (Black Oak Arkansas - "Jim Dandy (To the Rescue)"), born in Manila, Arkansas (d. 2021)
- Oct 28 Telma Hopkins, American singer (Tony Orlando & Dawn - "Tie A Yellow Ribbon"), and actress (Family Matters), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- Oct 30 Toby Scott, American audio engineer and sound mixer (Bruce Springsteen), born in California
Composers
Drummers
Guitarists
Pianists
Singers
Songwriters