Year 1953 in Music History

Events in Music

• Feb 25 "Wonderful Town" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 559 performances
• Mar 8 "Two's Company" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 90 performances

• Mar 28 "New Faces (of 1952)" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 365 performances
• Mar 28 7th Tony Awards: "The Crucible" (Outstanding Play) & "Wonderful Town" (Outstanding Musical) win
• Apr 18 "Pal Joey" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 542 performances

• Aug 2 Betty Jack Davis, singer (w/Skeeter Davis), killed in car crash

• Sep 8 "Carnival in Flanders" opens at New Century Theater NY for 6 performances
• Sep 12 "Carnival in Flanders" closes at New Century Theater NYC after 6 performances
• Sep 19 "Hazel Flagg" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 190 performances
• Sep 24 "Take a Giant Step" opens on Broadway

• Nov 6 Masao Oki's symphony "Atomic Bomb" premieres
• Nov 13 Dmitri Shostakovich's 4th String Quartet premieres
• Nov 25 "Guys & Dolls" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 1,200 performances
• Nov 28 "Wish You Were Here" closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 597 performances
• Dec 3 Robert Wright and George Forrest's musical "Kismet" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 583 performances
• Dec 3 Premier of Dmitri Shostakovich' 5th String Quartet
• Dec 3 "In the Jailhouse Now" single recorded by Webb Pierce (Billboard Song of the Year 1955)
• Dec 10 "John Murray Anderson's Almanac" opens at Imperial NYC for 229 performances
• Dec 17 Dmitri Shostakovich's 10th Symphony premieres in Leningrad

Birthdays in Music

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 211

• Jan 1 Alpha Blondy [Seydou Kone], Ivory coast, reggae singer (Jerusalem)
• Jan 1 Kevin Hangon, composer
• Jan 1 Rochelle S Abramson, violinist
• Jan 1 Greg Carmichael, British guitarist (Acoustic Alchemy)
• Jan 5 Steve Archer, American singer (The Archers), born in Mojave, California
• Jan 6 Malcolm Young, Scottish guitarist (AC/DC-Highway to Hell), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2017)
• Jan 7 Earl Lindo, Jamaican reggae keyboardist (Bob Marley & the Wailers), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2017)
• Jan 10 Pat Benatar [Andrezejewski], American singer ("Hit Me with Your Best Shot";"Love Is A Battlefield"; "We Belong"), born in Brooklyn, New York
• Jan 15 Bob Clearmountain, American Grammy Award-winning sound engineer (Bruce Springsteen; Crowded House), and record producer (Brayn Adams; Bon Jovi), born in Connecticut
• Jan 15 Chris D. [Desjardins], American punk rock singer, and poet (The Flesh Eaters), born in Riverside, California
• Jan 19 Desi Arnaz Jr., American actor (Craig-Here's Lucy, Fakeout, Joyride) & musician, born in Los Angeles, California
• Jan 22 Myung-Whun Chung, South Korean pianist and conductor (Chung Trio), born in Seoul, South Korea
• Jan 23 Robin Zander, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Cheap Trick - "Dream Police"; "I Want You To Want Me"), born in Beloit, Wisconsin
• Jan 25 Malcolm Green, English-born drummer (Split Enz, 1976-81 - "I Got You"), born in United Kingdom
• Jan 26 Bert Heerink, Dutch rock vocalist, born in Utrecht, Netherlands
• Jan 26 Lucinda Williams, American roots singer-songwriter ("Passionate Kisses"; "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"), born in Lake Charles, Louisiana
• Jan 27 Bob Mintzer, American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader (Yellowjackets), born in New Rochelle, New York
• Jan 29 Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (d. 1995)
• Jan 29 Louie F. Pérez, Jr., American lyricist, percussionist, guitarist, and jarana player (Los Lobos - "Will The Wolf Survive?"), born in Los Angeles, California
• Jan 31 "Big Time" Sarah [Streeter], American blues singer, born in Coldwater, Mississippi (d. 2015)
• Feb 4 Kitarō [Masanori Takahashi], Japanese New Age composer (Thinking of You), born in Toyohashi, Japan
• Feb 5 Valerie Carter, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, and session vocalist, born in Winter Haven, Florida (d. 2017)
• Feb 7 Bruce Gaitsch, American session guitarist, songwriter, and record producer (Chicago; Richard Marx; Peter Cetera; Madonna), born in Chicago, Illinois.
• Feb 10 Carl Stone, American electronic composer, born in Los Angeles, California
• Feb 11 Alan Rubin, American musician (Blues Brothers) known as "Mr Fabulous", born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2011)
• Feb 11 Neil Henderson, Scottish pop guitarist (Middle Of The Road - "Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheap Cheap"), born in Glasgow, Scotland
• Feb 13 Rico J. Puno, Filipino pop singer, born in Manila, Philippines (d. 2018)
• Feb 14 Wayne Siegel, composer
• Feb 14 Carmine Rojas, American composer, musical director and bass guitarist (David Bowie, Joe Bonamassa), born in Brooklyn, New York City
• Feb 16 John "Brad" Bradbury, British ska drummer and record producer (The Specials), born in Coventry, England (d. 2015)
• Feb 18 Derek Pellicci, English-born Australian rock drummer (Little River Band - "Help Is On The Way"), born in London, United Kingdom
• Feb 18 Robin "Robbie" Bachman, Canadian drummer (Bachman-Turner Overdrive - "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"; "Takin' Care Of Business"), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Feb 20 Riccardo Chailly, conductor (West Berlin Symphony), born in Milan, Italy
• Feb 20 Poison Ivy {Kristy Wallace], American rock guitarist (The Cramps), born in San Bernadino, California
• Feb 22 Graham Lewis, English musician (Wire), born in Grantham, United Kingdom
• Feb 22 John Sparks, British rock bassist (Dr. Feelgood, 1971-82 - "She Does It Right"; "Milk And Alcohol"), born in Canvey, Essex, England
• Feb 24 Derek St. Holmes, American musician rock guitarist and singer (Ted Nugent band, 1975-78; 2011-14), born in Riverview, Michigan
• Feb 26 Michael Bolton, American rock vocalist (That's What Love Is All About), born in New Haven, Connecticut
• Mar 2 William Simmons, American R&B saxophonist and keyboardist (Midnight Star - "No Parking On The Dance Floor"; "Operator")
• Mar 3 Dave Amato, rocker (REO Speedwagon-Can't Fight this Feeling)
• Mar 7 Jules Shear, American rock musician and songwriter ("If She Knew What She Wants"), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Mar 7 Kenny Aronoff, American drummer (John Mellencamp), born in Albany, New York
• Mar 8 Bob Brozman, American musician
• Mar 10 Ronnie Earl [Ronald Horvath], American blues guitarist (The Broadcasters), born in Queens, New York
• Mar 11 Chet Catallo, American jazz guitarist (Spyro Gyra), born in Rochester, New York
• Mar 11 Bernie LaBarge, Canadian musician
• Mar 11 Jimmy Iovine, American record producer (Interscope Records), born in Brooklyn, New York
• Mar 12 Labamba [Richard Rosenberg], American rock trombonist (Asbury Jukes), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Mar 18 Jamie West-Oram, British rock guitarist (The Fixx - "One Thing Leads To Another"; "Saved By Zero")
• Mar 19 Billy Sheehan, American rock bassist (Talas; Mr Big - "To Be With You"; David Lee Roth), born in Buffalo, New York
• Mar 19 Ricky Wilson, American rock guitarist (B-52's - "Rock Lobster"; "Love Shack"), born in Athens, Georgia
• Mar 21 Robert "Shotgun" Johnson, American rock drummer (KC & the Sunshine Band - "That's The Way I Like It")
• Mar 23 Chaka Khan [Yvette Marie Stevens], American singer and songwriter (Rufus; "I Am Every Woman"), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Mar 26 Michael Bonagura, American country singer (Baille & Boys - "Oh Heart"), born in Newark, New Jersey
• Mar 26 Billy Lyall, Scottish rock keyboardist (Bay City Rollers, 1969-71; Pilot, 1973-76; Alan Parsons Project - Irobot), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1989)
• Mar 27 Walter "Wally" Stocker, British rock vocalist and guitarist (The Babys - "Missing You"), born in London, England
• Mar 31 Greg Martin, American singer (Kentucky Headhunters - "Davy Crockett"), born in Louisville, Kentucky
• Mar 31 Sean Hopper, American rock keyboardist (Huey Lewis & The News - "The Power Of Love"), born in San Francisco, California
• Mar 31 Dennis Kamakahi, Hawaiian Grammy Award-winning slack-key guitarist, born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii (d. 2014)
• Apr 2 David Robinson, American rock drummer (Cars; The Modern Lovers), born in Malden, Massachusetts
• Apr 3 Huub van der Lubbe, Dutch rock singer (Stampei - The Dike), born in Amsterdam
• Apr 3 Craig Taubman, Jewish-American singer (Friday Night Live), born in Millington, Tennessee
• Apr 3 Pattie D'Arcy, American musical theater, session and touring vocalist (Cher), born in Orange, New Jersey (d. 2007)
• Apr 4 Chen Yi, Chinese-American violinist, composer (From the Path of Beauty), and educator (UMKC Conservatory, 2006-present), born in Guangzhou, China
• Apr 6 Christopher Franke, German musician and composer (Tangerine Dream), born in Berlin, Germany
• Apr 6 Patrick Doyle, Scottish film composer (Artemis Fowl; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Thor), born in Uddingston, Scotland
• Apr 9 Hal Ketchum, American country singer ("Small Town Saturday Night"), born in Greenwich Village, New York (d. 2020)
• Apr 10 Terre Roche, American folk-rock singer (The Roches - "Hammond Song" ), born in New York
• Apr 11 Branimir "Johnny" Štulić, Croatian rock singer (Azra), born in Skopje, Yugoslavia
• Apr 12 Tony James, English rock bassist (Sigue Sigue Sputnik-Love Missile F-111), born in Shepherds Bush, London
• Apr 16 Peter Garrett, Australian environmentalist, activist, former politician (Labour Party), and musician (Midnight Oil), born in Wahroonga, Sydney
• Apr 19 Rod Morgenstein, American musician (Winger), born in NYC, New York
• Apr 20 Ollie Brown, American session and touring drummer and percussionist (Billy Preston; Ray Parker, Jr.), born in Detroit, Michigan
• Apr 20 James Chance [Siegfried], American punk-jazz saxophonist, keyboard player,(The Contortions), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Apr 22 Juhani Komulainen, Finnish composer, mostly of choral music, born in Jämsänkoski, Finland
• Apr 25 Zeriiya Zekkariyas [Linda Womack (née Cooke)], American soul songwriter and singer (Womack & Womack -"Teardrops"), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Apr 27 Arielle Dombasle, American-French singer and actress, born in Norwich, Connecticut
• Apr 28 Kim Gordon, American rock bassist (Sonic Youth - "100%"), born in Rochester, New York
• Apr 30 Merrill Osmond, American pop singer, and songwriter (Osmond Brothers - "One Bad Apple"; "Down by the Lazy River"), born in Ogden, Utah
• May 1 Felix Hanemann, American rocker (Zebra), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
• May 1 Glen Ballard, American songwriter and record producer (Alanis Morissette, Michael Jackson), born in Natchez, Mississippi
• May 2 Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor (Mariinsky Orchestra, 1988 -present; Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, 1995-2008), born in Moscow, USSR
• May 3 Bruce Hall, American rock bassist (Reo Speedwagon), born in Champaign, Illinois
• May 8 Billy Burnette, rock guitarist (Fleetwood Mac), born in Memphis, Tennessee
• May 8 Alex Van Halen, Amsterdam The Netherlands, Dutch drummer (Van Halen)
• May 10 Steve Thomas, rocker (Shooting Star)
• May 12 Phil Beer is an English multi-instrumentalist and composer (Show of Hands), born in Exminster, Devon
• May 14 Tom Cochrane, Canadian rock vocalist/guitarist (Red Rider), born in Toronto, Ontario
• May 15 Mike Oldfield, British musician and composer (Tubular Bells), born in Reading, Berkshire
• May 16 Richard Page, American singer and bassist (Mr Mister), born in Keokuk, Iowa
• May 17 George Johnson, rocker (Brothers Johnson), born in Los Angeles, California
• May 18 [Feliciano] Butch Tavares, rocker (Tavares)
• May 24 Mark Rivera, American saxophonist, musical director and corporate entertainment provider (Billy Joel), born in Brooklyn, New York
• May 25 Rich Alves, American singer (Pirates of Miss-Fred Jake), born in Pleasanton, California
• May 28 Arto Lindsay, American musician and producer (Cookie, Desperately Seeking Susan), born in Richmond, Virginia

• May 29 Rick Henderson, singer (Mason Dixon-Karen Comes Around), born in Beaumont, Texas
• Jun 4 Jimmy McCulloch, Scottish songwriter and guitarist (Wings), born in Dumbarton (d. 1979)
• Jun 4 Paul Samson, British guitarist (Samson) (d. 2002)
• Jun 7 Johnny Clegg, South African musician "The White Zulu", born in Bacup, Lancashire (d. 2019)

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Weddings in Music

• Jul 13 American bandleader Louis Prima (42) marries American singer Keely Smith (25), in Virginia Beach, Virginia (his 4th, her 2nd); divorce in 1961
• Sep 24 Singer Dick Haymes (35) weds Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth (34) at The Sands hotel-casino in Las Vegas

Divorces in Music

Deaths in Music

• Jan 1 Ludomir Różycki, Polish composer and conductor (Eros i Psyche; Pan Twardowski), dies at 69
• Jan 8 Heinrich Kaspar Schmid, German composer, dies at 78
• Jan 10 Theo Mackeben, German pianist/composer (Golden Cage), dies at 56
• Jan 12 Simeon Roncal, Bolivian composer, dies at 82
• Jan 15 Patrick Vretblad, Swedish composer, dies at 76
• Feb 2 Gustav Strube, composer, dies at 85
• Feb 25 Jesus Garcia Leoz, composer, dies at 49
• Feb 26 Elisabeth "Ilse" Kuyper, Dutch/US (opera)composer, dies
• Mar 5 Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer (Peter and the Wolf; Alexander Nevsky), dies at 61
• Mar 17 Conrado del Campo y Zabaleta, composer, dies at 73
• Mar 27 Narciso Garay, Panamanian composer, dies at 76
• Mar 29 Arthur Fields [Abraham Finkelstein], American singer-songwriter (Aba Daba Honeymoon) dies in a fire at his nursing home residence at 68 [1]
• Mar 30 Roderich Mojsisovics-Mojsvar, composer, dies at 75
• May 4 T. Tertius Noble, English composer, dies at 85

• May 17 Eric De Lamarter, American organist, composer and conductor (Chicago Symphony), dies at 73
• May 22 Vaclav Klicka, Czech composer, dies at 70
• May 26 Albert Spalding, American violinist and composer, dies at 64
• May 30 Dooley Wilson [Arthur Wilson], American musician and actor (Beulah, Casablanca), dies of natural causes at 67
• Jun 3 Florence Price, American composer (Wanamaker Prize 1932) and 1st African-American woman to have a composition played by a major orchestra, dies at 66
• Jun 10 Grzegorz Fitelberg, Polish composer, dies at 73
• Jun 17 Walter Niemann, German composer, dies at 76
• Jun 29 Jules van Nuffel, composer, dies at 70
• Jun 30 Gote Carlid, Swedish composer, dies at 32
• Jul 10 Sidney Homer, American composer, dies at 88
• Jul 12 Joseph Jongen, Belgian organist and composer (Symphonie concertante, Op. 81), dies at 79 [1]
• Jul 17 Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer, Dutch composer, dies at 65
• Aug 13 Dmitri Arakishvili, composer, dies at 80
• Aug 27 Nicolai Berezowsky, Russian-American composer, dies at 53
• Aug 30 Dimitar Nenov, Bulgarian composer, pianist and architect, dies at 51
• Sep 15 Jacques Thibaud, French violinist, dies
• Sep 17 Henry Holden Huss, American composer, dies at 91
• Sep 21 Roger Quilter, British composer, dies at 75
• Oct 3 Arnold Bax, English composer known for his orchestral music (Coronation March), dies at 69
• Oct 8 Kathleen Ferrier, English contralto singer (Orfeo Ed Evridice), dies at 41
• Oct 18 Federico Gerdes, composer, dies at 80
• Oct 24 Ernest Irving, English composer, dies at 74
• Oct 27 Zdzislaw Jachimecki, composer, dies at 71
• Oct 29 William Kapell, American pianist and recording artist, dies in a plane crash at 31
• Oct 30 Emmerich Kálmán, Hungarian composer of operettas, dies at 71
• Nov 4 Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, American pianist and philanthropist, dies at 89
• Nov 6 John Parsons Beach, American composer, dies at 76
• Nov 21 Larry Shields, American jazz clarinetist (Original Dixieland Jazz Band), dies at 60
• Nov 24 George Alexander Russell, American organist, composer and the first Frick Professor of Music for Princeton University, dies at 73
• Dec 4 Daniel Gregory Mason, American composer (Chanticker), dies at 80
• Dec 5 Jorge Negrete [Moreno], Mexican singer and actor (The Rebel, La madrina del diablo), dies of hepatitis at 42
• Dec 15 Kishio Hirao, composer, dies at 46
• Dec 27 Julian Tuwim, Polish poet and lyricist, dies at 59