January 1955 in Music History

Events in Music

Music History

Jan 7 Marian Anderson becomes the 1st African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera, singing the role of Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera"

Jan 14 Heitor Villa-Lobos' 8th Symphony premieres by the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by the composer, in Carnegie Hall, New York City

Music History

Jan 15 Dmitri Shostakovich's "From Jewish Folk Poetry" premieres in Leningrad

Jan 27 "Plain & Fancy" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 476 performances
Jan 31 RCA demonstrates 1st music synthesizer

Birthdays in Music

Jan 4 Kathy Forester, American country singer (Forester Sisters - "Mama's Never Seen Those Eyes"), born in Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Jan 4 Mark Hollis, British synth-pop musician (Talk Talk), born in London, England (d. 2019)
Jan 7 Bruce Kaphan, American recording engineer, composer, session (American Music Club) and new age music (Hybrid) pedal steel guitar player, born in San Francisco, California
Jan 8 Mike Reno [Ryanoski], Canadian rock vocalist (Loverboy - "Working For The Weekend"), born in New Westminster, British Columbia
Jan 10 Michael Schenker, German heavy metal guitarist (MSG; UFO; Scorpions), born in Sarstedt, Germany
Jan 13 Fred White, American drummer (Earth Wind & Fire, 1974-84 - "Shining Star"; "September"), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2023)
Jan 13 Paul Kelly, Australian singer-songwriter (The Messengers), born in Adelaide, South Australia
Jan 13 Trevor Rabin, South African-American rock guitarist (Yes, 1983-94 - "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"), and film score composer (National Treasure), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
Jan 17 Kazumasa Akiyama, Japanese jazz-fusion guitarist (Dig My Style), born in Tokyo, JApan
Jan 17 Steve Earle, American roots-rock singer-songwriter (Guitar Town), born in San Antonio, Texas
Jan 18 Frankie Knuckles {Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr.], American DJ and record producer who popularized house music in Chicago during the 1980s, born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2014)
Jan 19 Simon Rattle, English orchestra conductor (Birmingham Symphony Orchestra), born in Liverpool, United Kingdom
Jan 20 Hiromi Ōta, Japanese pop singer (Momen no handkerchief), born in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Jan 23 Reginald Calloway, American trumpet player (Midnight Star - "No Parking On The Dance Floor"; "Operator"), born in Cincinnati, Ohio

Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020)

Jan 26 Dutch-American rock guitarist (Van Halen - "You Really Got Me"; "Jump"), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Jan 26 Lucia Mendez, Mexican actress and singer (Lucia es Luna Moreno), born in León, Guanajuato, Mexico
Jan 27 Richard Young, American country singer (Kentucky Headhunters - "Davy Crockett"), born in Glasgow, Kentucky
Jan 28 Dan Higgins, American session saxophone and woodwind player, born in Boston, Massachusetts