May 1973 in Music History

Events in Music

May 4 Wings release "Red Rose Speedway" in UK

Album Release

May 5 Columbia Records releases "There Goes Rhymin' Simon", the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon; it features songs "Loves Me Like a Rock", "Kodachrome", and "American Tune"

May 12 Dueling Tubas by Martin Mull hits #92
May 13 "Cyrano" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 49 performances
May 17 "Nash at Nine" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 21 performances

#1 in the Charts

May 17 Stevie Wonder releases the music single "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", goes to #1 and wins him a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

May 19 "Daisy A Day" by Jud Strunk hits #14
May 19 "Smith" opens at Eden Theater, NYC: runs for 17 performances
May 20 "2 Gentlemen of Verona" closes at St James Theater NYC after 613 performances

Music Single

May 25 George Harrison releases single "Give Me Love" in UK

May 26 "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players hits #15
May 26 "Super Fly Meets Shaft" by John & Ernest hits #31
May 26 Beatles' "Beatles 1967-1970" album (the blue one) goes #1
May 26 British composer Michael Tippett's 3rd Piano Sonata premieres
May 30 George Harrison releases his fourth studio album "Living in the Material World" in the US

Birthdays in Music

May 4 Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, Lithuanian composer (In Search Of Lost Beauty...), born in Leningrad, Russia
May 14 Natalie Appleton, Canadian pop singer (All Saints -"Never Ever"), born in Mississauga, Ontario
May 14 Shanice [Wilson], American R&B and soul vocalist ("I Love Your Smile"; "Saving Forever For You"), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
May 17 Jenny Scheinman, American jazz and session violinist (Bill Frisell; Allison Miller), and singer, born in San Francisco, California
May 17 Josh Homme, American musician and songwriter
May 17 Steve Barakatt, Canadian pianist and composer, born in Quebec City, Canada
May 20 Elsa [Lunghini], French singer ("T'en va pas" - "Don't Go Away") and actress, born in Paris, France
May 23 (Gerald) Maxwell [Rivera], American Grammy Award-winning neo-soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer ("Fortunate"; "Pretty Wings"), born in Brooklyn New York City
May 24 Ruslana [Lyzhychko], Ukrainian pop singer and songwriter, born in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR (now Ukraine)
May 29 Mark Lee, American contemporary Christian guitarist (Third Day - "Nothing At All"; "Soul On Fire"), born in Powder Springs, Georgia
May 29 Massimo Tagliata, Italian jazz accordionist and composer, born in Syracuse, Sicily

Deaths in Music

May 2 June Hutton [Cowan], American pop vocalist (The Pied Pipers, 1944-50; Afterglow), dies at 52
May 6 Ernest MacMillan, Canadian organist, conductor and composer, dies at 79
May 21 Vaughn Monroe, American singer and orchestra leader (Vaughn Monroe Show), dies at 61
May 28 Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, German composer and conductor (Hassan), dies at 73
May 29 P. Ramlee, Malaysian film actor, director, singer and songwriter, dies of a heart attack at 44
May 29 Voltaire "Volly" De Faut; American jazz reed player (New Orleans Rhythm Kings; Jean Goldkette), dies at 69
May 30 Hal Hastings, American orchestra leader (Chevrolet on Broadway), dies at 66