Events in Music
Music Release
Jan 5 Buddy Holly releases his last record "It Doesn't Matter"; he was killed in a plane crash 29 days later
Motown Founded
Jan 12 Berry Gordy Jr.'s Tamla Records (later Motown) begins operating in Detroit, Michigan
- Jan 17 "Say, Darling" closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 332 performances
Music History
Jan 20 Dmitri Shostakovich's Moscow-Tsjerjomoesjki premieres in Moscow
- Jan 22 Buddy Holly makes his last recordings in his NYC apartment, alone with an acoustic guitar; he tapes five songs including "Peggy Sue" and "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", which were embellished, overdubbed, and released posthumously by Coral Records
- Jan 24 Dmitri Shostakovich's comedy "Cheryomushk" premieres in Moscow
- Jan 24 Musical revue "A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green" closes at John Golden Theatre, NYC after 38 performances
Music Premiere
Jan 30 Paul Hindemith's symphony "Pittsburgh" premieres
Birthdays in Music
- Jan 3 Rusty Golden, American pop, country, and gospel singer-songwriter and musician (The Boys Band; The Goldens), born in Brewton, Alabama
- Jan 4 Vanity [Denise Matthews] Canadian-American pop and R&B singer, Prince protégé, and actress (52 Pick Up), born in Niagara Falls, Ontario (d. 2016)
- Jan 6 Kathy Sledge, American vocalist (Sister Sledge - "We are Family"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jan 7 Kathy Valentine, American bassist (Go-Go's - "We Got the Beat"), born in Austin, Texas
- Jan 8 Paul Hester, Australian drummer (Split Enz; Crowded House, 1985-94 -"Don't Dream It's Over"; "It's Only Natural"), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2005)
- Jan 9 Cristi Minculescu, Romanian musician, born in Pitești, Romania
- Jan 10 Curt Kirkwood, American rock guitarist, singer and songwriter (Meat Puppets), born in Amarillo, Texas
- Jan 12 Blixa Bargeld, German singer and musician (Einstürzende Neubauten; Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds), born in West Berlin; West Germany
- Jan 12 Per Helmstad Gessle, Swedish pop singer (Roxette - "Must Have Been Love"), born in Halmstad, Sweden
- Jan 13 James Lomenzo, American heavy metal bassist (White Lion; David Lee Roth; Megadeth, 2006-10), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jan 14 Chas Smash, English rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (Madness - "Our House"), born in Fitzrovia, London
- Jan 14 Geoff Tate, German-born American singer & musician (Queensryche - "Breaking the Silence"), born in Stuttgart, Germany
- Jan 15 Pete Trewavas, British bassist, (Marillion - Clutching at Straws), born in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
- Jan 16 Sade [Helen Folasade Adu], Nigerian-born British singer-songwriter, arranger, and record producer ("Soldier of Love"; "Smooth Operator"), born in Ibadan, Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria
- Jan 17 Momoe Yamaguchi, Japanese singer & actress, born in Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan
- Jan 17 Susanna Hoffs, American actress & musician (Bangles-Walk Like an Egyptian), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 18 Bob Rosenberg, American musician (Will To Power - "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jan 19 Jeff Pilson, American rock bassist (Dokken, 1983-88 & 1995-2000; Dio 1993-2004 ; Foreigner (2006-present), born in Lake Forest, Illinois
- Jan 23 Earl Falconer, British reggae bassist (UB40 - "Red, Red Wine"), born in Meriden, England
- Jan 28 Bill Ware III, American jazz vibraphonist (The Jazz Passengers), born in East Orange, New Jersey
- Jan 28 Burkhard Dallwitz, German-Australian film and television score composer (The Truman Show), born in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany
- Jan 28 Dave Sharp, British rock guitarist (The Alarm - "Rain In the Summertime"; "68 Guns"), born in Salford, Lancashire, England
- Jan 30 Jody Watley, American R&B singer (Shalamar; "Looking For a New Love"), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 30 Mark Eitzel, American guitarist and singer-songwriter (American Music Club - "Wish the World Away"), born in Walnut Creek, California
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers