Events in Music
Music Concert
Jan 1 Johnny Cash plays first of many free concerts behind bars
Johnny Cash
- Jan 2 Roger Sessions' 4th Symphony, premieres
Elvis Presley in the Army
Jan 14 US Army promotes Elvis Presley to Sergeant
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- Feb 4 Lionel Bart's musical "Fings ain't wot they used t'be" premieres
- Feb 10 "Unsinkable Molly Brown" closes at Winter Garden NYC after 532 performances
- Feb 13 "Beg, Borrow or Steal" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 5 performances
- Feb 13 "Saratoga" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 80 performances
- Feb 25 John Cage's "Music for Amplified Toy Pianos" premieres
Event of Interest
Mar 5 Elvis Presley ends 2-year hitch in US Army
Elvis Presley
- Mar 8 "Greenwillow" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 95 performances
- Mar 18 5th Eurovision Song Contest: Jacqueline Boyer for France wins singing "Tom Pillibi" in London
- Mar 19 "Redhead" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 455 performances
- Mar 29 Darius Milhaud's 9th Symphony, premieres
- Apr 14 "Bye Bye Birdie" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 607 performances
- Apr 20 "From A to Z" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 21 performances
- Apr 28 "Christine" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 12 performances
- May 3 Musical "Fantasticks" by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, premieres in NYC (world's longest running musical)
- May 7 "Christine" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 12 performances
- May 7 "Flower Drum Song" closes at St James Theater NYC after 602 performances
- May 7 "From A to Z" closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 21 performances
- May 12 Elvis Presley appears on a Frank Sinatra special
- May 14 "At the Drop of a Hat" closes at John Golden NYC after 216 performances
- May 23 "Finian's Rainbow" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 12 performances
- May 23 "Got A Girl" by The Four Preps hits #24
- May 28 "Greenwillow" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 95 performances
- May 29 Everly Brothers "Cathy's Clown" hits #1
- Jun 1 "Finian's Rainbow" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 12 performances
Event of Interest
Jun 6 "Steve Allen Show" last airs on NBC-TV
Steve Allen
- Jun 18 "Destry Rides Again" closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 472 performances
Music Recording
Jun 19 Loretta Lynn records "Honky Tonk Girl"
Loretta Lynn
- Jul 2 "Once Upon a Mattress" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 460 performances
Event of Interest
Aug 1 Aretha Franklins 1st recording session
Aretha Franklin
- Aug 18 The Beatles give their 1st public performance at the Kaiserkeller in Hamburg
- Sep 2 William Walton's 2nd Symphony, premieres
- Sep 12 "Vintage '60" opens at Brooks Atkinson Theater NYC for 8 performances
- Sep 17 "Vintage '60" closes at Brooks Atkinson Theater NYC after 8 performances
- Sep 19 Chubby Checker's "Twist" hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
- Sep 28 "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" by Connie Francis hits #1
- Sep 29 "lrma La Douce" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 527 performances
- Oct 10 "Laughs & Other Events" opens at Barrymore Theater NYC for 8 performances
- Oct 15 "Laughs & Other Events" closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 8 performances
- Oct 17 "Tenderloin" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 216 performances
- Oct 27 Singer Ben E King records "Spanish Harlem" & "Stand By Me"
- Nov 3 Tammy Grimes' "Unsinkable Molly Brown" opens at Winter Garden NYC for 532 performances
#1 in the Charts
Nov 14 Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind" reaches #1
Ray Charles
Event of Interest
Dec 1 Paul McCartney and Pete Best arrested then deported from Hamburg, Germany for accusation of attempted arson.
Paul McCartney
- Dec 3 "Camelot" opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 873 performances
Music Premiere
Dec 11 Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh's musical "Wildcat" with Lucille Ball premieres in New York City
Lucille Ball
Music Recording
Dec 19 Frank Sinatra's 1st session with Reprise Records (Ring-A-Ding-Ding)
Frank Sinatra
- Dec 26 Musical "Do re mi" with Phil Silvers premieres St James Theater in NYC
Birthdays in Music
Birthdays 1 - 100 of 154
Michael Hutchence
Jan 22 Michael Hutchence, Australian rock vocalist/actor (INXS, Dogs in Space), born in Sydney, New South Wales (d. 1997)
Michael Hutchence
- Jan 26 Charlie Gillingham, American musician (Counting Crows)
- Jan 29 Cho-Liang Lin, Taiwan, violinist (Queen Sophia 1st prize)
- Jan 29 Eddie Jackson, bassist (Queensryche-Breaking the Silence)
- Jan 29 J. G. Thirlwell, Australian-born musician
- Feb 4 Tim Booth, British singer (Heat, The World's End), born in Leeds, England
- Feb 4 Jonathan Larson, American composer (Rent), born in White Plains, New York (d. 1996)
- Feb 5 Aris Christofellis, Greek countertenor
- Feb 7 Steve Bronski, rock synthesizer (Bronski Beat-Smalltown Boy)
- Feb 9 Holly Johnson, rock vocalist (Frankie Goes To Hollywood), born in Liverpool, England
- Feb 10 Lionel Cartwright, American country music artist (I Watched it on the Radio, Leap of Faith), born in Gallipolis, Ohio
- Feb 13 Michael Craig, English musician and DJ (Culture Club-Do You Want to Hurt Me), born in Hammersmith, London
- Feb 15 Mikey Craig, English musician and DJ (Culture Club-Do You Really Want to Hurt Me), born in Hammersmith, London
- Feb 16 Peter "Pete" Willis, British musician and songwriter (Def Leppard), born in Sheffield, England
- Feb 20 Kee Marcello [Kjell Hilding Löfbom], Swedish rock musician and singer (Europe-Final Countdown, Easy Action), born in Ludvika, Sweden
- Feb 21 Steve Wynn, American singer (
- Feb 26 Jaz Coleman, British musician (Killing Joke), born in Cheltenham
- Feb 27 Bolik Dahan, Suriname singer/radio host (Radio KBC)
- Feb 27 Paul Humphreys, rock synthesizer (OMD-Crush, Pacific Age)
- Feb 29 Ian McKenzie Anderson, British musician
- Feb 29 Khaled, Algerian raï musician
- Mar 5 David Tibet, English musician (Current 93)
- Mar 5 Nicolas Launay, British record producer, composer and recording engineer (YYeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, Kate Bush, Talking Heads), born in London, England
- Mar 12 Kipp Lennon, American singer
- Mar 12 Minoru Niihara, Japanese singer
- Mar 12 Maki Nomiya, Japanese singer (Pizzicato Five)
- Mar 13 Adam Clayton, English-Irish musician and rock bassist (U2-I Will Follow), born in Chinnor, England
- Mar 21 Guy Chadwick, English singer/songwriter (House of Love)
- Mar 21 Robert Sweet, American drummer
- Mar 22 Laurie Sargent, rock vocalist (Face To Face)
- Mar 24 Nena, German pop singer
- Mar 25 Steve Norman, rock sax (Spandau Ballet-True), born in London, England
- Apr 3 Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Dutch singer and songwriter, born in Hilversum, Netherlands
- Apr 3 Marie Denise Pelletier, Canadian singer (Entre la tête et le cœur), born in Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Apr 4 Jane Eaglin, English dramatic soprano, born in Lincoln, England
- Apr 6 Warren Haynes, rock and blues guitarist (The Allman Brothers Band), born in Asheville, North Carolina
- Apr 10 Katrina Leskanich, American musician and singer (Katrina and the Waves), born in Topeka, Kansas
- Apr 14 Brian Forster, rocker (Partridge Family Drums)
- Apr 18 Ocl Sweda, rocker (Bulletboys)
- Apr 23 Steve Clark, English rock guitarist (Def Leppard), born in Hillsborough, England (d. 1991)
- Apr 26 Roger Taylor, English rock drummer (Duran Duran-Hungry Like the Wolf), born in Birmingham, England
- Apr 28 Wally Langdon, bassist (Bob Color)
- Apr 29 Gerard Joling, Dutch singer (Love is in Your Eyes)
- Apr 29 Phil King, English bassist
- May 6 Bart de Boer, Dutch guitarist (Ivy Green)
- May 6 Larry Steinbachek, rock synthesizer (Bronski Beat-Smalltown Boy)
- May 6 John Flansburgh, American musician
- May 6 Phyllis Treigle, American soprano
- May 7 Adam Bernstein, American music video and television director, born in Princeton, New Jersey
- May 8 Eric Brittingham, American rock bassist (Cinderella-Heartbreak Station), born in Salisbury, Maryland
- May 14 Anne Clark, English singer
- May 19 Yazz, [Yasmin Evans], singer (Fine Time), born in London, England
- May 20 Susan Cowsill, rock vocalist (The Cowsills - We Can Fly), born in Newport, Rhode Island
- May 24 Guy Fletcher, British musician and keyboardist (Dire Straights), born in Maidstone, Kent
- May 30 Stephen "Tea Tower" Duffy, rocker (Lilac Time-Paradise Song)
- Jun 1 Simon Gallup, English bassist (The Cure)
- Jun 2 Tony Hadley, rock vocalist (Spandau Ballet-True)
- Jun 6 Steve Vai, Carle Place, New York, American guitarist (Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth Band, Whitesnake)
- Jun 8 Mick Hucknall, rocker (Simply Red-Every Time We Say Goodbye)
- Jun 18 West Arkeen, American musician, best known for co-writing several Guns N' Roses songs (It's So Easy, The Garden), born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France (d. 1997)
- Jun 19 Simon Wright, heavy metal drummer (AC/DC)
- Jun 19 Luke Morley, British guitarist
- Jun 20 John Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran), born in Solihull, Warwickshire
- Jun 23 Donald Harrison, American jazz saxophonist, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jun 23 Tatsuya Uemura, Japanese arcade game musician and programmer, born in Japan
- Jun 26 Zachary Breaux, American jazz guitarist, born in Port Arthur, Texas (d. 1997)
- Jun 29 Kevin "The Caveman" Shirley, South African music producer, born in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Jun 29 "The Caveman" Kevin Shirley, South African music producer and mixer (Journey, Iron Maiden, Europe, Led Zeppelin), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Jun 30 Murray Cook, Australian children's singer (The Wiggles)
- Jul 1 Evelyn "Champagne" King, disco singer (Shame, I'm in Love), born in The Bronx, New York
- Jul 11 David Baerwald American songwriter/composer
- Jul 12 Corynne Charby [Corinne Charbit], French model, actress and pop singer, born in Paris, France
- Jul 14 Ray Herndon, Scottsdale Ar, singer (McBride & Ride-Can I Count on You)
- Jul 16 Eus van Someren, Dutch pop guitarist (Scene, Blaauw), born in Beverwijk, Netherlands
- Jul 17 Dawn Upshaw, American soprano
- Jul 22 Jon Oliva, American musician (Savatage)
- Aug 1 Chuck D [Chuck Ridenhour], US rapper (Public Enemy), born in Queens, New York
- Aug 2 Neal Morse, American musician (Spock's Beard, Transatlantic)
- Aug 2 David Yow, American musician (Scratch Acid, The Jesus Lizard)
- Aug 4 Robbin Crosby, American heavy metal rock guitarist/vocals (Ratt-Round & Round), born in La Jolla, California (d. 2002)
- Aug 5 Calvin Hayes, British musician (Johnny Hates Jazz)
- Aug 5 Mike Nocito, American rocker (Johnny Hates Jazz), born in Wiesbaden, West Germany
- Aug 5 Seth Swirsky, American songwriter
- Aug 7 Jacquie O'Sullivan, rocker (Bananarama-Venus)
- Aug 12 Morty Black, heavy metal rocker (TNT-7 Seas)
- Aug 13 Koji Kondo, Japanese composer
- Aug 14 Sarah Brightman, actress/singer (Phantom of the Opera)
- Aug 14 Cecilia Gasdia, Italian soprano
- Aug 17 Stephan Eicher, Swiss singer
- Aug 19 Dan "Woody" Woodgate, rocker
- Aug 26 Branford Marsalis, jazz saxophonist (Bring on the Night, Tonight Show)
- Aug 26 Nancy Martinez, rocker
- Aug 30 Chalino Sanchez, Mexican musician (d. 1992)
- Aug 31 Chris Whitley, American musician (d. 2005)
- Sep 4 Kim Thayil, American guitarist (Soundgarden, Probot)
Weddings in Music
Deaths in Music
- Jan 7 Luis da Costa, composer, dies at 80
- Jan 25 Rutland Boughton, British composer (The Immortal Hour), dies at 82
- Jan 28 Jacques de Menasce, composer, dies at 54
- Feb 2 Jeno Huszka, Hungarian composer, dies at 84
- Feb 3 Ferdinando "Fred" Buscaglione, Italian singer and actor, dies in an automobile accident at 38
- Feb 5 Rudolf Nelson, composer, dies at 81
- Feb 6 Jesse Belvin, rocker, dies at 26 in a car crash
- Feb 9 Ernő Dohnányi, Hungarian composer and conductor, dies at 82
- Feb 22 Hubert Cuypers, composer/choir conductor (Missa Populi), dies at 86
- Feb 24 Jean Binet, composer, dies at 66
- Mar 4 Leonard Warren, American baritone (Met-1939-60), dies on stage at 48
- Mar 27 Ian Whyte, Scottish composer and conductor (BBC Scottish Orchestra), dies at 58
- Mar 30 Joseph Haas, German opera composer (Totenmesse), dies at 81
- Mar 31 Joseph Haas, German (opera)composer (Totenmesse), dies at 81
- Apr 10 Arthur Benjamin, Austral composer/pianist (Devil Take Her), dies at 66
- Apr 17 Eddie Cochran, rocker, dies at 21 in a car crash
- Apr 25 Ilmari Henrik Reinhold Krohn, composer, dies at 92
- May 5 Sulho Ranta, Finnish composer, dies at 58
- May 6 Paul Abraham, Hungarian composer (Blume von Hawaii), dies at 67
- May 8 Hugo Alfven, Swedish composer (Midsommarvaka), dies at 88
- May 12 Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, English composer, dies at 70
- Jun 14 Vladimir Nikolayevich Kryukov, composer, dies at 57
- Jun 30 Clarence Cameron White, composer, dies at 79
- Jul 3 Alfred Henry Ackley, American composer, dies at 73
- Jul 9 Edward Burlingame Hill, composer, dies at 86
- Jul 15 Lawrence Mervil Tibbett, baritone, dies after surgery at 63
- Jul 24 Carl Deis, composer, dies at 77
- Jul 31 Karl Hasse, German composer, dies at 77
- Aug 7 Vaino Hannikainen, composer, dies at 60
- Aug 20 Rudolf Moser, composer, dies at 68
- Aug 23 Oscar Hammerstein II, American lyricist who worked with Richard Rodgers, dies at 65
- Aug 26 Mark Hambourg, composer, dies at 81
- Aug 28 Anton Lajovic, composer, dies at 81
- Sep 3 Joseph Lamb, American ragtime composer, dies at 72
- Sep 9 Armas Toivo Valdemar Maasalo, Finnish composer and organist, dies at 75
- Sep 9 Jussi Björling, Swedish tenor (b. 1911)
- Sep 13 Leo Weiner, Hungarian composer (Toldi), dies at 75
- Sep 17 Jose Sancho Marraco, composer, dies at 81
- Sep 20 Michel Brusselmans, composer, dies at 74
- Sep 24 Mátyás Seiber, composer (Scherzando), dies at 55
- Oct 2 Jaroslav Doubrava, Czech composer, dies at 51
- Oct 19 Gunther AR Raphael, German composer (Busskantate), dies at 57
- Oct 25 José Padilla, Spanish composer and pianist (La Violetera - City Lights, Ça c'est Paris - Moulin Rouge), dies at 71
- Oct 30 Alfred Hill, New Zealand Australian composer (Hinemoa), dies at 90
- Nov 2 Dimitri Mitropoulos, Greek/US conductor/composer, dies at 64
- Nov 5 Johnny Horton, American country and rockabilly singer (The Battle of New Orleans), dies in a car accident at 33
- Nov 7 Alvin Carter, vocalist (Carter Family), dies at 69
- Nov 10 Isadore Freed, composer, dies at 60
- Dec 1 Ion Vasilescu, composer, dies at 57
- Dec 3 Hermann Stephani, composer, dies at 83
- Dec 7 Clara Haskil, Swiss pianist (b. 1895)
- Dec 31 Semyon Semyonovich Bogatiryov, composer, dies at 70