Events in Music
- Jan 6 Rolling Stones' 1st tour as headline act (with Ronettes)
- Jan 10 "Introducing the Beatles" released 1st Beatles album released in the US
- Jan 11 "She Loves Me" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 302 performances
- Jan 11 The Beatles single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" reaches #80 in US (Cashbox)
- Jan 16 "Hello, Dolly!" opens at St James Theater NYC for 2,844 performances
- Jan 18 The Beatles make their first appearance on US Billboard Chart with single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at #45
- Jan 20 "Meet The Beatles" album released in US
- Jan 25 The Beatles get their first US #1, "I Want to Hold your Hand" (Cashbox)
- Jan 29 Beatles record in German "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" & "Sie Liebt Dich"
- Feb 1 "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off..." closes at Shubert NYC after 556 performances
- Feb 1 The Beatles' 1st #1 hit "I Want to Hold Your Hand," topped the Hot 100, stays #1 for 7 weeks before being replaced by "She Loves You", also by The Beatles
- Feb 3 "Meet the Beatles" album goes Gold
- Feb 6 "Rugantino" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 28 performances
- Feb 7 Beatles land at NY's JFK airport, for 1st US tour
- Feb 7 Roger Sessions' 5th Symphony premieres
Music Premiere
Feb 8 Peter Shaffer's musical "Royal Hunt of the Sun" premieres in London
Peter Shaffer
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan
Feb 9 1st appearance of the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show", from New York, draws 73.7 million television viewers
Learn More
TV Show Appearance
Feb 16 The Beatles' 2nd appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show", from Deauville Hotel in Miami, Florida
Ed Sullivan
- Feb 19 UK flies ½ ton of The Beatles wigs to the US
- Feb 21 UK flies 24,000 rolls of Beatles wallpaper to US
- Feb 22 Beatles arrive back in England after their 1st US visit
- Feb 24 "My Heart Skips a Beat" single released by Buck Owens (Billboard no. 1 U.S. Hot Country Singles 1964)
- Feb 27 "What Makes Sammy Run?" opens at 84th St Theater NYC for 540 performances
- Feb 29 "Rugantino" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 28 performances
Event of Interest
Mar 2 Beatles begin filming "A Hard Day's Night", George Harrison meets Patti Boyd
George Harrison
Grammy Awards
Mar 12 6th Grammy Awards: Days of Wine & Roses, Barbra Streisand wins 2
Barbra Streisand
- Mar 14 "Girl Who Came to Supper" closes at Broadway NYC after 112 performances
- Mar 21 Beatles' single "She Loves You" goes #1 in the US & stays #1 for 2 weeks
- Mar 21 9th Eurovision Song Contest: Gigliola Cinquetti for Italy wins singing "Non ho l'eta" in Copenhagen
- Mar 22 Barbra Streisand appears on the cover of NY Times Magazine section
Historic Publication
Mar 23 "In His Own Write", a book of short stories, poems and drawings by John Lennon is published
John Lennon
- Mar 26 Jule Styne and Bob Merrill's musical "Funny Girl", starring Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice, opens at Winter Garden Theater, New York City; runs for 1,348 performances
- Apr 1 John Lennon is reunited with his father Freddie after 17 years
- Apr 3 Beatles hold top 6 spots on Sydney Australia record charts
- Apr 4 "Anyone Can Whistle" opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 9 performances
- Apr 4 Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 5 weeks
Music Premiere
Apr 7 Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray's musical "High Spirits", based on Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit", opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 375 performances
Noël Coward
- Apr 11 Stephen Sondheim's musical "Anyone Can Whistle" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 9 performances
- Apr 17 Albert Hague and Marty Brill's musical "Cafe Crown", starring Theodore Bikel, opens at Martin Beck Theater, NYC; runs for 3 performances
- Apr 18 Albert Hague and Marty Brill's musical "Cafe Crown", starring Theodore Bikel, closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 3 performances
- Apr 18 "Foxy" closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 72 performances
- Apr 19 Roger Sessions' opera "Montezuma" premieres in West Berlin
Theater Premiere
Apr 23 James Baldwin's play "Blues for Mr Charlie" premieres in NYC
James Baldwin
- Apr 27 John Lennon's book of poetry and sketches "In His Own Write" is published in US
- May 2 Beatles' "Beatles' 2nd Album" goes #1 & stays #1 for 5 weeks
- May 9 Peter & Gordon release "A World Without Love"
Event of Interest
May 18 David Frost interviews Paul McCartney on BBC
Paul McCartney
- May 24 Beatles' 3rd appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show"
- May 26 "Fade Out-Fade In" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 199 performances
Event of Interest
May 28 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 9th String quartet
Dmitri Shostakovich
- May 30 "Beyond the Fringe" closes at John Golden Theater NYC after 673 performances
- May 30 Beatles 1961 record of "Cry for a Shadow" is #1 in Australia
- May 30 The Beatles' "Love Me Do" single goes #1 in the United States
- Jun 2 "Folies Bergère" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 191 performances
- Jun 2 Rolling Stones 1st US concert tour debuts in Lynn, Massachusetts
- Jun 3 Rolling Stones begin 1st US tour (with Bobby Goldsboro & Bobby Vee)
- Jun 4 Beatles "World Tour" begins in Copenhagen Denmark
Event of Interest
Jun 5 Davie Jones & King Bees debut "I Can't Help Thinking About Me"; group disbands but Davie Jones goes on to success as David Bowie
David Bowie
- Jun 6 The Beatles arrive in Netherlands
- Jun 7 Beatles travel canals of Amsterdam
- Jun 8 "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)", recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean, is released
- Jun 10 Rolling Stones record their 12x5 album at Chess Studios in Chicago
- Jun 11 Chicago police break up Rolling Stones press conference
- Jun 11 Queen Elizabeth orders Beatles to her birthday party, they attend
- Jun 25 WMCA (NYC) plays Beatles' Hard Days Night Album (10 days prior to its scheduled release date), they decide to release it June 26th
- Jun 27 "Sie Liebt Dich (She Loves You)" by Die Beatles peaks at #97
- Jul 2 Cilla Black records Beatle's "Its For You", Paul McCartney plays piano
- Jul 4 Beachboys' "I Get Around" reaches #1
- Jul 6 The Beatles' film "Hard Day's Night" premieres in London
- Jul 10 The Beatles release "A Hard Day's Night", their 3rd studio album
- Jul 20 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 10th String quartet
- Jul 25 "Here's Love" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 338 performances
- Jul 25 Beatles' album "A Hard Day's Night" goes #1, stays #1 for 14 weeks
- Jul 31 Rolling Stone concert in Ireland halts after 12 minutes due to riot
- Aug 1 Beatles' single "A Hard Day's Night" goes #1 & stays #1 for 2 weeks
- Aug 5 Beatles record "Leave My Kitten Alone"
- Aug 8 "110 in the Shade" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 330 performances
- Aug 8 Dutch Opera forms in Amsterdam
- Aug 8 Rolling Stones 1st Dutch concert
- Aug 9 1st Rolling Stones concert in Netherlands
- Aug 11 "A Hard Days Night" a musical comedy film featuring the Beatles released in the US
- Aug 18 Beatles arrive in San Francisco, 2nd US visit
- Aug 22 Supreme's "Where Did Our Love Go" reaches #1
Film Premier
Aug 27 Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" directed by Robert Stevenson, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke premieres in Los Angeles
- Aug 29 "Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 965 performances
Music Recording
Sep 10 Rod Stewart records his 1st single "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl"
Rod Stewart
- Sep 11 George Harrison forms Mornyork Ltd music publishing company
- Sep 15 Beatles play at Public Auditorium in Cleveland
- Sep 17 Beatles are paid a then record $150,000 for a concert (Kansas)
Event of Interest
Sep 17 Mickey Mantle gets hits #1999, 2000 & 2001 & his 450th HR
Mickey Mantle
Event of Interest
Sep 17 The Supremes release "Baby Love"
Diana Ross
Birthdays in Music
- Jan 5 Ted Harris Poley, American rocker (Danger Danger-Screw It), born in Englewood, New Jersey
- Jan 6 Mark O'Toole, English musician (Frankie Goes to Hollywood-Relax), born in Walton, Liverpool
- Jan 6 Yuri, Mexican actress and singer, born in Veracruz, Mexico
- Jan 10 Brad Roberts, Canadian rock singer (Crash Test Dummies - "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm"), born in Winnipeg, Canada
- Jan 15 Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer, born in Suomussalmi, Finland
- Jan 19 Ricardo Arjona, Guatemalan singer, born in Jocotenango, Guatemala
- Jan 26 Susannah Melvoin, American songwriter and vocalist (The Revolution), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 27 Migi [Miguel Drummond], English pop musician (Curiosity Killed Cat)
- Jan 29 Roddy Frame, rock vocalist/guitarist (Aztec Camera-Stray)
- Jan 31 Remi Bouchard, Canadian composer (1989 India Open), born in Manitoba, Canada
- Jan 31 Jeff Hanneman, American rock guitarist (Slayer), born in Oakland, California (d. 2013)
- Feb 1 Jani Lane [John Oswald], American heavy metal rock songwriter, and singer (Warrant - "Cherry Pie"), born in Akron, Ohio (d. 2011)
- Feb 1 Dwayne Goettel, Canadian keyboardist and industrial-electronic music composer (Skinny Puppy), born in High Level, Alberta (d. 1995)
- Feb 1 Mario Pelchat, Canadian francophone singer, born in Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec
- Feb 4 Noodles [Kevin Wasserman], American guitarist (The Offspring), born in Los Angeles, California.
- Feb 5 Alexia Vassiliou, Cypriot singer & film score composer, born in Famagusta, Cyprus
- Feb 5 (Michael Andrew) "Duff" McKagan, American bassist (Guns N' Roses), born in Seattle, Washington
- Feb 6 Skip Ewing, American country vocalist (Coast of Colorado), born in Redlands, California
- Feb 6 Gordon Downie, Canadian rock singer-songwriter & musician (The Tragically Hip), born in Amherstview, Ontario (d. 2017)
- Feb 9 Rachel Bolan [James Southworth], American musician and songwriter (Skid Row), born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey
- Feb 14 Rob Jones "The Bass Thing", English musician (The Wonder Stuff), born in Stourbridge, West Midlands (d. 1993)
- Feb 18 Paul Hanley, British musician (The Fall, Tom Hingley and the Lovers), born in Manchester, England
- Feb 19 Doug Aldrich, American rock guitarist, born in Raleigh, North Carolina
- Feb 20 Terry Ilous, rock vocalist (XYZ, Cannibal Jacket) [or Jun 28]
- Feb 23 John Norum, Swedish rocker (Europe), born in Vardø, Norway
- Feb 27 Ewen Vernal, British pop bassist (Deacon Blue), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- Feb 28 Rihards Dubra, Latvian composer, primarily of sacred choral works, born in Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union (now Latvia)
- Feb 29 Jahred Shane, Afro-Brazilian rapper/singer of Hed PE
- Mar 1 Clinton Gregory, Martinsville, Virginia, American country and bluegrass singer-songwriter (Play, Ruby, Play)
- Mar 3 Duncan Phillips, Australian drummer (Newsboys)
- Mar 6 Reniet Vrieze, Dutch rock singer and guitarist (Pilgrims - "White Men")
- Mar 6 Madonna Wayne Gacy [Stephen Bier, Jr.], American musician (Marilyn Manson), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Mar 7 Jennifer McCarters, American country singer (McCarters - "The Gift"), born in Sevierville, Tennessee
- Mar 7 Denyce Graves, American mezzo-soprano (Carmen), born in Washington, D.C.
- Mar 8 Peter [Ped] Gill, British drummer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Relax"), born in Liverpool, England
- Mar 10 Neneh Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter and rapper (Money Love), born in Stockholm, Sweden
- Mar 11 Vinnie Paul, American drummer (Pantera), born in Abilene, Texas (d. 2018)
- Mar 12 Tony Terry, American soul singer and actor (With You), born in Pinehurst, North Carolina
- Mar 15 Rockwell [Kennedy Gordy], rock vocalist (Someone Watching Me), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Mar 16 Patty Griffin, American singer and songwriter (Downtown Church), born in Old Town, Maine
- Mar 18 Courtney Pine, British jazz saxophonist
- Mar 18 Rozalla, Zambian singer
- Mar 19 Yoko Kanno, Japanese composer
- Mar 20 Natacha Atlas, Belgian singer
- Mar 24 Patterson Hood, American rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera; The Unraveling), born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
- Mar 26 Barry "Baz" Warne, British rock guitarist and singer (The Stranglers, 2000 - present), born in Sunderland, England
- Mar 27 Clark Datchler, British vocalist, songwriter, and producer (Johnny Hates Jazz - "Shattered Dreams"), born in Sutton, Surrey, England
- Mar 30 Tracy Chapman, American singer-songwriter (Fast Car; Give Me One Reason), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Mar 31 Erik Turner, American rock guitarist (Warrant - "Cherry Pie"), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Apr 4 Robbie Rist, American actor (Oliver-Brady Bunch) and musician, born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 5 Christopher "Kid" Reid, American rapper (Kid 'n Play)
- Apr 6 Johnny Dee [DiTeodoro], American heavy metal drummer (Britny Fox - "Boys in Heat"; "King Kobra"), born in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
- Apr 8 Biz Markie [Marcel Hall], American rapper, DJ and record producer (Just a Friend), born in New York City
- Apr 9 Soyo Oka, Japanese musician, born in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo, Japan
- Apr 10 Reni [Alan John Wren], English pop drummer (Stone Roses - "Fools Gold"), born in Manchester, England
- Apr 10 Felicia Collins, American guitarist (David Letterman), born in Albany, New York
- Apr 11 Steve Azar, American country singer and songwriter ("I Don't Have to Be Me ('til Monday)"), born in Greenville, Mississippi
- Apr 11 Johann Sebastian Paetsch, American cellist and musician, born in Colorado Springs
- Apr 12 Amy Ray, American folk-rock singer and songwriter (Indigo Girls - "Closer To Fine"), born in Decatur, Georgia
- Apr 13 Bill D'Angelo, American heavy metal guitarist (Femme Fatale), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico (d. 2005)
- Apr 16 Dave Pirner, American rocker (Soul Asylum), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Apr 16 Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish jazz pianist (Seven Days Of Falling), born in Skultuna, Sweden (d. 2008)
- Apr 17 Maynard James Keenan, American singer (Tool; A Perfect Circle), born in Ravenna, Ohio
- Apr 18 Bez [Mark Berry], English percussionist and dancer (Happy Mondays), born in Bolton, Lancashire
- Apr 23 Gen [Simon Matthews], British pop drummer (Jesus Jones - "Right Here, Right Now"), born in Wiltshire, England
- Apr 25 Andy Bell, English rocker (Erasure - "Oh L'Amour"), born in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, England
- Apr 28 Noriyuki Iwadare, Japanese video game music composer, born in Matsumoto City, Nagano, Japan
- Apr 30 Barrington Levy, Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer ("Englishman"), born in Clarendon, Jamaica
- May 5 Lorraine McIntosh, Scottish pop singer (Deacon Blues) and actress, born in Cumnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland
- May 8 Dave Rowntree, British drummer (Blur - "Country House"; Coffee &TV"), and politician, born in Colchester, Essex, England
- May 16 Boyd Tinsley, American violinist (Dave Matthews Band)
Lenny Kravitz
May 26 Lenny Kravitz, American musician who holds the record for most Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance (1999-2002), born in Manhattan, New York
Lenny Kravitz
Tom Morello
May 30 Tom Morello, American guitarist (Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine), born in NYC, New York
Tom Morello
- May 31 Darryl "DMC" Matthews McDaniels, American Hip Hop musician (Run-DMC), born in NYC, New York
- May 31 Scotti Hill, rock guitarist (Skid Row-Psycho Love), born in Manhasset, New York
- Jun 3 Kerry King, American musician (Slayer)
- Jun 3 Doro Pesch, German singer
- Jun 4 Chris Kavanagh, British rocker (Sigue Sigue Sputnik-Love Missile F-111), born in Woolwich, London, England
- Jun 5 Mags, rocker (Fuzzbox-Into Rescue)
- Jun 5 Karl Sanders, American musician (Nile)
- Jun 6 Paul "Guru" Josh, British musician (Infinity), born in London, England (d. 2015)
- Jun 9 Hiroko Yakushimaru, Japanese actress and singer
- Jun 10 Jimmy Chamberlin, American musician (The Smashing Pumpkins)
- Jun 13 Christian Wilhelm Berger, Romanian composer and organist, born in Bucharest, Romania
- Jun 22 Kevin Sargeant, rocker (Thrashing Doves-Reprobate's Hymn)
- Jun 22 Mike Edwards, British rock vocalist (Jesus Jones-Devil you Know)
- Jun 22 Tommy Cunningham, rocker (Wet Wet Wet-Wishing I Was)
- Jun 23 Joey Allen, Ft Wayne Indiana, rock guitarist (Warrant-Cherry Pie)
- Jun 25 John McCrea, American singer and musician (Cake), born in Sacramento, California
- Jun 29 Stedman Pearson, English rock vocalist (Five Star-Silk & Steel), born in Islington, London
- Jul 1 Poi Burton, rocker (Transvision Vamp-Velveteen)
- Jul 2 Dave Parsons, rocker (Transvision Vamp, Sham 69-That's Life)
- Jul 3 Gary Ryan [Moss], American rock bassist (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts), born in California
- Jul 4 Mark Allen Slaughter, American guitarist (Slaughter-Stick it Live), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
Courtney Love
Jul 9 Courtney Love, American muscian (Hole) and actress (People vs Larry Flynt), born in San Francisco, California
Courtney Love
- Jul 13 Damon Johnson, American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter (Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders), born in Macon, Georgia
- Jul 17 Craig Morgan [Greer], American singer (My Kind of Livin'), born in Kingston Springs, Tennessee
- Jul 20 Chris Cornell, American musician (Soundgarden; Audioslave), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2017)
Weddings in Music
Wedding of Interest
May 18 Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (19) weds Margrit Volkmar
Ritchie Blackmore
Wedding of Interest
Jun 27 Broadway musical actress-singer Ethel Merman (56) weds Academy Award-winning actor Ernest Borgnine (47) in Beverly Hills, California
Ernest Borgnine
Wedding of Interest
Jul 2 Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson (52) weds Sigmond Galloway
Mahalia Jackson
Wedding of Interest
Aug 4 Jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane (35) weds Alice Macleod
John Coltrane
Wedding of Interest
Oct 14 Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts weds Shirley Shepherd
Charlie Watts
Divorces in Music
Divorce of Interest
Jul 28 Broadway musical actress-singer Ethel Merman (56) divorces Academy Award-winning actor Ernest Borgnine (47) after 32 days of marriage
Ernest Borgnine
Deaths in Music
- Jan 1 Otto Olsson, Swedish composer, dies at 84
- Jan 7 Colin McPhee, Canadian composer (H2O, Mechanical Principles) and musicologist (Bali), dies at 62
- Jan 7 Cyril Davies, American musician (b. 1932)
- Jan 15 Jack Teagarden [Weldon Leo Teagarden], American trombonist and actor (Meet Band Leaders), dies from bronchial pneumonia at 58
- Jan 20 Jan Rychlik, Czech composer, dies at 47
- Jan 22 Marc Blitzstein, American composer (Cradle Will Rock), dies at 58
- Jan 23 Louis Horst, American dance choreographer and composer, dies at 80
- Jan 27 Lieb Glantz, Ukrainian-born tenor, composer and Zionist, dies at 65
- Feb 9 Willie Bryant, American jazz singer, band leader, and disc jockey (Sugar Hill Times), dies of a heart attack at 55
- Mar 1 Sergius Kagen, American pianist & composer, dies at 54
- Mar 20 Jean Rogister, Belgian virtuoso violist and composer, dies at 84
- Mar 29 Ted Collins, pianist (Kate Smith Evening Hour), dies at 63
- Mar 30 Willem Andriessen, Dutch composer and pianist (Beethoven), dies at 76
- Apr 1 Božidar Kunc, Croatian composer, dies at 60
- Apr 18 Albe Vidaković, Croatian composer, dies at 49
- May 6 Harold Morris, American pianist and composer, dies at 74
- May 10 Carol Haney, dancer (Pantomime Quiz), dies at 35
- May 10 Ignace Lilien, Dutch-Austrian composer, dies at 66
- May 20 Rudy Lewis, American rocker (Drifters), dies at 27
- May 25 Vasily Andreyevich Zolotaryov, composer, dies at 92
- May 28 John Finley Williamson, conductor (Westminster Choir), dies at 76
- Jun 1 Rutkowski Bronislaw, composer, dies at 66
- Jun 10 Louis Gruenberg, Russian-American composer (Daniel Jazz), dies at 79
- Jun 18 Alexander Shamil'yevich Melik-Pashayev, Georgian conductor and composer (Bol’shoy Theatre, 1931-62), dies at 58
- Jun 27 Daniel Lazarus, French composer, dies at 65
- Jun 29 Milenko Živković, Yugoslavian composer, dies at 63
- Jun 29 Eric Dolphy, American jazz musician (b. 1928)
- Jul 1 Pierre Monteux, French-American conductor (Concert Bldg Orchestra), dies at 89
- Jul 31 Jim Reeves, American country singer and actor (Gun Fury, Kimberley Jim), dies in air crash at 39
- Aug 2 José María Castro, Argentine composer, dies at 71
- Aug 14 Johnny Burnette, American rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist ('Train Kept A-Rollin'"; "You're Sixteen"), drowns in nighttime boating mishap at 30
- Aug 24 Maurice Schoemaker, composer, dies at 73
- Aug 27 Alexey Semyonovich Zhivotov, composer, dies at 59
- Aug 31 Carole Coleman, singer (Make Mine Music), dies at 42
- Sep 1 George Georgescu, Romanian conductor and composer, dies at 76
- Sep 1 Otto Emanuel Olsson, Swedish organist and composer, dies at 84
- Sep 3 Joseph Marx, Austrian composer, dies at 82
- Sep 9 Charles O'Neill, Canadian composer, dies at 82
- Sep 14 Mary Howe, American composer and pianist (Sand), dies at 82
- Sep 16 Ernest Hill, American jazz double-bassist, dies at 64
- Sep 26 Ida Moore, American character actress (Mr. Music; Ma and Pa Kettle; Desk Set), dies at 82
- Sep 28 George Dyson, English musician and composer, dies at 81
- Sep 28 Nacio Herb Brown, American composer (Singin' In The Rain), dies at 68
- Oct 1 Ernst Toch, Austrian composer (Geographical Fugue), music theorist (Melodielehre), and Pulitzer Prize winner (1956), dies at 76
- Oct 10 Bedřich Havlík, Czech composer, dies at 71
- Oct 10 Russ Case, orchestra leader (Julius La Rosa Show), dies at 52
- Oct 10 Heinrich Neuhaus, Soviet pianist (The Art of Piano Playing), dies at 76
Cole Porter
Oct 15 Cole Porter, American composer and lyricist (Still of the Night), dies at 73
Cole Porter
- Nov 3 John Henry Barbee, American guitarist and singer (b. 1905)
- Nov 5 Alexander Uriah Boskovich, Israeli composer, dies at 57
- Nov 5 (Edwin) "Buddy" Cole, American jazz and session pianist, Hammond organist, orchestra leader, and composer ("Truth Or Consequences"), dies at 47
- Nov 11 Edward Steuermann, Austrian American composer, dies at 72
- Nov 16 Albert Hay Malotte, composer, dies at 69
- Nov 20 John Tasker Howard, American composer and music historian, dies at 73
- Nov 30 Don Redman, American jazz musician and orchestra leader (Sugar Hill Times), dies at 64
- Dec 11 Sam Cooke, American singer and entrepreneur described as "the inventor of soul music" (You Send Me), shot to death at 33
- Dec 22 Bonifacio Gil Garcia, Spanish composer and folklorist, dies at 66
- Dec 23 Arrigo Pedrollo, Italian composer, dies at 86
- Dec 29 Miroslav Krejčí, Czech composer, dies at 73