1966 in Music

• Jan 1 Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
• Jan 7 Dance Theatre of Harlem debuts
• Jan 8 The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 6 weeks
• Jan 8 The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks
• Jan 8 The Who & the Kinks perform on the last "Shindig" TV show on ABC

• Jan 29 "Sweet Charity" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 608 performances
• Feb 28 Cavern Club (Beatles hangout) in Liverpool closes

• Mar 5 11th Eurovision Song Contest: Udo Jurgens for Austria wins singing "Merci, Cherie" in Luxembourg
• Mar 7 "Wait A Minim!" opens at John Golden Theater NYC for 457 performances
• Mar 8 "Golden Boy" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 569 performances
• Mar 12 Love's 1st album released "Love"

• Mar 18 "Pousse Cafe" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 3 performances
• Mar 19 "Poussé Cafe" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 3 performances
• Mar 25 Beatles pose with mutilated dolls & butchered meat for the cover of the "Yesterday & Today" album, It is later pulled
• Mar 29 "It's a Bird... It's Superman" opens at Alvin NYC for 129 performances

• Apr 12 Rocker Jan Berry crashes his corvette into a parked truck
• Apr 15 Rolling Stones release "Aftermath"
• Apr 27 Dmitri Shostakovitch completes his 2nd cello concert
• May 1 Last British concert by Beatles (Empire Pool in Wembley)
• May 7 Mamas & Papas "Monday Monday" hits #1
• May 13 Rolling Stones release "Paint it Black"
• May 14 A Lover's Concerto by Mrs Miller hits #95
• May 21 "Downtown" by Mrs Miller hits #82
• May 21 "Time for Singing" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 41 performances
• May 21 Louie Louie by The Kingsmen reentered the chart & hits #97
• May 23 The Beatles release "Paperback Writer"
• May 24 "Mame" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 1508 performances
• May 28 "Ballad Of Irving" by Frank Gallop hits #34

• Jun 10 Beatles "Paperback Writer" is released in UK
• Jun 10 Beatles record "Rain" 1st to use reverse tapes

• Jun 11 "On A Clear Day You..." closes at Mark Hellinger NYC after 280 performances

• Jun 11 "Skyscraper" closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 248 performances
• Jun 11 "Sloop John B" by The Beach Boys hits #1 in UK
• Jun 11 Janis Joplin plays her 1st gig (San Francisco)
• Jun 25 Beatles' "Paperback Writer" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 2 weeks
• Jun 25 Dmitri Shostakovitch's 13th Symphony, premieres in Leningrad
• Jun 26 "Time for Singing" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 41 performances
• Jun 30 Beatles land in Tokyo for a concert tour

• Jul 16 "Half a Sixpence" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 512 performances
• Jul 17 "It's a Bird... It's Superman" closes at Alvin NYC after 129 performances


• Jul 25 Brian Jones final perfomance as a Rolling Stone
• Jul 25 Supremes release "You Can't Hurry Love"

• Jul 30 Beatles' "Yesterday... & Today" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 5 weeks
• Jul 31 Alabamans burn Beatle products due to John Lennon's anti-Jesus remark
• Aug 3 South African government bans Beatle records
• Aug 5 The Beatles release their "Revolver" album in the UK
• Aug 5 Beatles release single "Yellow Submarine" with "Eleanor Rigby" in UK
• Aug 8 South African Broadcasting bans Beatles (Lennon's anti-Jesus remark)
• Aug 9 The Beatles release their "Yellow Submarine" single and its album "Revolver" in the US
• Aug 11 Last Beatle concert tour of US begins
• Aug 14 Cleveland Stadium's 1st rock concert is held, featuring Beatles
• Aug 20 Beatles pelted with rotten fruit during Memphis concert
• Aug 22 The Beatles arrive in New York
• Aug 29 The Beatles' last public concert (Candlestick Park, San Francisco)
• Sep 3 Donovan hits #1 with "Sunshine Superman"
• Sep 10 Beatles' "Revolver," album goes #1 & stays #1 for 6 weeks in the UK
• Sep 11 Rolling Stones perform on Ed Sullivan Show
• Sep 16 Metropolitan Opera House opens in Lincoln Center, New York
• Sep 25 Dmitri Shostakovitch's 2nd Cello Concert premieres in Moscow
• Oct 9 Rolling Stones 1st LP recorded "Got Live if you Want It"

• Oct 18 "Apple Tree" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 463 performances
• Oct 25 Jimi Hendrix Experience play their first UK gig as a private showcase at The Scotch of St. James in London

• Nov 9 "Let's Sing Yiddish" opens at Brooks Atkinson NYC for 107 performances
• Nov 20 "Cabaret" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 1166 performances
• Nov 24 The Beatles began recording sessions for their album "Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
• Nov 26 "Walking Happy" opens at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC for 161 performances
• Dec 5 "I Do! I Do!" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 561 performances
• Dec 15 "Joyful Noise" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 12 performances
• Dec 16 The Beatles release "Everywhere it's Christmas" in UK
• Dec 16 Jimi Hendrix Experience releases its 1st single, "Hey Joe," in the UK
• Dec 23 Britain's rock TV show "Ready Steady Go" last program
• Dec 24 "Joyful Noise" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 12 performances
• Dec 26 Jimi Hendrix writes "Purple Haze" backstage at the Upper Cut Club
• Dec 27 "At the Drop of Another Hat" opens at Booth Theater NYC for 105 performances
• Dec 31 Monkee's "I'm a Believer" hits #1 & stays there for 7 weeks

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 139

• Jan 3 Martin Galway, Northern Ireland composer
• Jan 4 Deana Carter, American country singer, born in Nashville, Tennessee
• Jan 5 Kate Schellenbach, musician (Luscious Jackson)
• Jan 6 A. R. Rahman, Indian composer
• Jan 7 Ehab Tawfik, Egyptian singer
• Jan 8 Andrew Wood, Columbus Mississippi, American singer (Mother Love Bone) (d. 1990)
• Jan 17 Shabba Ranks [Rexton Gordon], Jamaican dancehall musician and reggae deejay (X-tra Naked ), born in St. Ann, Jamaica
• Jan 19 Lena Philipsson, Swedish singer
• Jan 20 Tracii Guns, rock guitarist (LA Guns-It's Over Now)
• Jan 31 Al Jaworsky, [Alan Doughty], pop bassist (Jesus Jones)
• Feb 2 Robert DeLeo, American bass player, songwriter and backing vocalist (Stone Temple Pilots, Army of Anyone, Hollywood Vampires), born in Montclair, New Jersey
• Feb 4 Spike, rocker [or Sep 18]
• Feb 6 Rick Astley, rock vocalist (Never Gonna Give You Up)
• Feb 9 Amanda Roocroft, opera singer
• Feb 13 Freedom Williams, US hip hop and dance music performer (C&C Music Factory-Everbody Dance Now), born in Brooklyn, New York
• Feb 17 Melissa Brooke-Belland, rocker (Voice of the Beehive-Let it Bee)
• Feb 17 Quorthon, Swedish musician (Bathory) (d. 2004)
• Feb 17 Michael Lepond, American musician
• Feb 19 Prince Markie D, [Mark Morale], rocker (Fat Boys-Jail House Rock)
• Feb 21 Tommy Hendricks, rocker
• Feb 21 Wendy James, vocalist (Transvision Vamp-Velveteen), born in London, England
• Feb 22 Suave [Waymond Anderso], American R&B singer (covered The Temptations' "My Girl"), born in Los Angeles, California
• Feb 23 Mark Abrahamian, American guitarist (Starship), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2012)
• Feb 26 Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer
• Mar 2 Stevie Rachelle, rock vocalist (Tuff-What Comes Around Goes Around)
• Mar 3 Tone-Loc, [Anthony Terrell Smith], rocker (Let's Do It), born in Los Angeles, California
• Mar 3 Timo Tolkki, Finnish musician (Stratovarius)
• Mar 4 Patrick Hannan, English pop drummer (Sundays-Can't Be Sure)
• Mar 4 Grand Puba, American rapper
• Mar 9 Brendan Canty, American musician (Fugazi), born in Teaneck, New Jersey
• Mar 10 Edie Brickell, Mrs Paul Simon/rocker (& New Bohemians)
• Mar 10 Gráinne Mulvey, Irish composer
• Mar 18 Jerry Cantrell, US rock guitarist (Alice in Chains-Dirt)
• Mar 19 James "Big Jim" Wright, American record producer
• Mar 20 Alka Yagnik, Indian singer
• Mar 25 Jeff Healey, Canadian blind pop guitarist (See the Light), born in Toronto, Canada (d. 2008)
• Mar 28 Salt [Cheryl James], American singer (Salt-n-Pepa), born in Brooklyn, New York
• Mar 30 Joey Castillo, American drummer (Queens of the Stone Age)
• Apr 2 Garnett Silk [Garnet Damion Smith], Jamacian reggae musician, born in Manchester, Jamaica (d. 1994)
• Apr 4 Mike Starr [Michael], musician (Alice in Chains bassist), born in Honolulu, Hawaii (d. 2011)
• Apr 5 Michael "Mike" McCready, American musician and lead guitarist (Pearl Jam), born in Pensacola, Florida
• Apr 11 Lisa Stansfield, English pop singer (Around the World), born in Manchester, England
• Apr 13 Marc Ford, American musician
• Apr 15 Graeme Clark, bassist (Wet Wet Wet-Angel Eyes, Love is All Around)
• Apr 15 Samantha Karen Fox, East End singer (Touch Me), born in London, England
• Apr 19 Véronique Gens, French soprano
• Apr 21 Michael Franti, American musician
• Apr 28 Too Short, American rapper
• May 1 Johnny Colt, Cherry Point NC, rock bassist (Black Crowes)
• May 5 Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer (Megadeth)
• May 8 Marta Sánchez, Spanish singer
• May 11 Christoph Schneider, German drummer (Rammstein)
• May 12 Bebel Gilberto, Brazilian singer
• May 13 Darius Rucker, American singer (Hootie & the Blowfish), born in Charleston, South Carolina
• May 13 Alison Goldfrapp, English musician (Goldfrapp), born in London
• May 14 Fab Morvan, French singer-songwriter (Milli Vanilli with Rob Pilatus)
• May 14 Mike Inez, US rock bassist (Alice in Chains-Facelift)
• May 14 Raphael Saadiq, American musician (Tony! Toni! Toné!)

• May 18 Michael Tait, American musician (dc Talk, Tait)
• May 22 Kenny Hickey, American guitarist (Type O Negative)
• May 27 Sean Kinney, US rock drummer (Alice in Chains-We Die Young)
• May 30 Stephen Malkmus, American musician (Pavement)
• Jun 2 Pedro Guerra, Spanish songwriter and singer
• Jun 4 Cecilia Bartoli, Italian mezzo-soprano
• Jun 6 Angela Cavagna, singer, born in Genoa, Italy
• Jun 6 Sean Yseult, American musician (White Zombie)
• Jun 8 Doris Pearson, Essex, rocker (5 Star-Silk & Steel)
• Jun 15 Idalis DeLeon, American actress/singer
• Jun 19 Silje Nergaard, Norwegian jazz singer (Tell Me Where You're Going), born in Steinkjer, Norway
• Jun 23 Chico DeBarge, American musician (DeBarge)
• Jun 23 Richie Ren, Taiwanese actor (Breaking News, Life Without Principle), born in Changhua, Taiwan
• Jul 7 Gundula Krause, German folk violinist
• Jul 11 Mel Appleby, rocker (Mel & Kim-Coming to America)
• Jul 13 Gerald Levert, American singer (d. 2006)
• Jul 14 Tayna Donelly, rocker (Belly)
• Jul 14 Ellen Reid, Canadian musician (Crash Test Dummies)
• Jul 25 Maureen Herman, American bassist
• Jul 25 Lynda Lemay, French Canadian singer
• Jul 28 Shikao Suga, Japanese singer/songwriter
• Jul 29 Martina McBride, country singer
• Aug 7 Kristin Hersch, US singer/songwriter (Throwing Muses)
• Aug 10 Hansi Kürsch, German singer
• Aug 15 Shirley Kwan, Hong Kong singer
• Aug 17 Maysa Leak, American Jazz Singer
• Aug 19 Lee Ann Womack, American musician
• Aug 20 Dimebag Darrell, heavy metal guitarist (Pantera)
• Aug 22 Mark Michaels, heavy metal guitarist (Teach Yourself Rhythm Guitar)
• Aug 22 GZA [Gary Grice], American rapper (Wu-Tang Clan), born in Brooklyn, New York
• Aug 25 Derek Sherinian, American keyboardist
• Aug 26 Shirley Manson, Scottish singer
• Aug 28 Jerry Fehily, rocker (Hothouse Flowers-Don't Go)
• Aug 29 Dan Truman, St George Utah, singer (Diamond Rio-Meet in the Middle)
• Sep 2 Dino Cazares, American musician
• Sep 4 Bireli Lagrene, French jazz guitarist, born in Alsace
• Sep 7 Christopher Acland, musician
• Sep 8 Carola, Swedish singer
• Sep 8 Peter Furler, musician (Newsboys)
• Sep 12 Ben Folds, American musician
• Sep 14 Mike Cooley, American guitarist

• Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next

• Jan 9 Haro Levoni Step'anyan, composer, dies at 68
• Jan 29 Pierre Mercure, composer, dies at 38
• Feb 6 Johan Algot Haquinius, composer, dies at 79
• Feb 9 Sophie Tucker [Kalish] "last of the red hot mammas", Russian-born American singer/actress (My Yiddish Mama), dies at 79
• Feb 18 Casimir von Paszthory, composer, dies at 79
• Mar 4 Janis Medins, Latvian composer, dies at 75
• Mar 6 Richard Hageman, Dutch born American pianist, composer and conductor (Caponsacchi), dies at 84
• Mar 7 Mike Millward, English musician (The Fourmost), dies of leukaemia at 23
• Mar 15 Heinrich Lemacher, composer, dies at 74
• Mar 17 Walter Lang, Swiss composer, dies at 69
• Apr 30 Richard Farina, American writer and folk rocker, dies on his birthday in a motorcycle accident
• May 4 Juan Maria Thomas Sabater, composer, dies at 69
• May 9 Alfred Mendelsohn, composer, dies at 56
• Jun 1 Papa Jack Laine, American musician (b. 1873)
• Jun 6 Claudette Orbison, wife of singer Roy, dies in a motorcyle crash
• Jun 12 Hermann Scherchen, German conductor/music publisher, dies at 74
• Jun 12 Thomas Chalmers, American opera singer, actor, and filmmaker (Blind Alleys, Outrage), dies at 81
• Jun 19 Marjan Kozina, composer, dies at 59
• Jun 29 Arthur Meulemans, Belgian composer, dies at 82
• Jul 3 Andre Gailhard, composer, dies at 81
• Jul 3 Joseph Deems Taylor, composer, dies at 80
• Jul 17 August Baeyens, Flemish composer (Piranesi-suite), dies at 71
• Jul 18 Bobby Fuller, American rock singer and guitarist (I Fought the Law), found dead at 23
• Jul 18 German Germanovich Galinin, composer, dies at 44
• Jul 23 Donald Novis, British singer and actor (Monte Carlo, The Singing Plumber), dies at 60
• Jul 29 Pal Jardanyi, composer, dies at 44
• Aug 1 Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell, American jazz pianist and composer, dies at 41
• Aug 9 Gosta Nystroem, composer, dies at 75
• Aug 15 Jan Kiepura, Polish vocalist and actor (Her Wonderful Lie, Give Us this Night), dies of heart attack at 64
• Aug 22 Apolinary Szeluto, composer, dies at 82
• Sep 6 Luigi Perrachio, composer, dies at 83
• Sep 9 Antonio Massana, composer, dies at 76
• Sep 17 Fritz Wunderlich, German tenor (Stuttgart 1955-58), dies at 35
• Sep 18 Fernand Lamy, composer, dies at 85
• Sep 18 Jeno Vecsey, Hungarian composer, dies at 57
• Sep 28 Lucky Millinder, bandleader/singer, dies
• Oct 7 Johnny Kidd, rocker (Johnny Kidd & Pirates), dies at 26 in a car crash
• Oct 7 Smiley Lewis, [Overton Amos Lemons], rocker, dies at 46
• Oct 12 Arthur Vincent Lourie, composer, dies at 74
• Oct 14 Arcady Dubensky, composer, dies at 75
• Oct 17 Wieland Wagner, German opera director, dies
• Oct 26 Alma Cogan, English singer (b. 1932)
• Nov 2 Mississippi John Hurt, American blues singer and guitarist, dies at 73
• Nov 3 Eric Spear, British composer for film and TV (Coronation Street theme)
• Nov 12 Quincy Porter, US composer, dies at 69
• Nov 18 Bela Tardos, Hungarian composer, dies at 56
• Nov 26 Harold Burrage, US singer/pianist (Got to Find a Way), dies at 35
• Nov 28 Vittorio Giannini, composer, dies at 63
• Dec 6 Hermann Heiss, German composer, dies at 69
• Dec 9 Yury Alexandrovich Shaporin, composer, dies at 79
• Dec 10 Boris Koutzen, composer, dies at 65
• Dec 17 Gustaf Paulson, composer, dies at 68
• Dec 24 Gaspar Cassado Moreu, composer, dies at 69
• Dec 26 Noel Gallon, French composer, dies at 75

• Share On Facebook
• Share On Twitter