January 1976 in Music

Events in Music

  • Jan 1 "Musical Jubilee" closes at St James Theater NYC after 92 performances
  • Jan 4 "Candide" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 740 performances
  • Jan 9 C. W. McCall CB song "Convoy" hits #1 on the country music charts
  • Jan 11 "Pacific Overtures" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 193 performances
  • Jan 11 Stephen Sondheim's musical "Pacific Overtures" premieres in NYC
  • Jan 13 Sarah Caldwell is 1st woman to conduct at NYC Metropolitan Opera House as she led orchestra in a performance of "La Traviata"
  • Jan 16 "Donny & Marie" [Osmond] musical variety show premieres on ABC TV

Music release#1 in the Charts

Jan 17 "I Write the Songs" by Barry Manilow hits #1

Musician Barry Manilow
Musician
Barry Manilow
  • Jan 31 "Love Rollercoaster" by Ohio Players hits #1

Music awardsMusic Awards

Jan 31 3rd American Music Awards: Olivia Newton-John & John Denver win

Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John
Singer and actress
Olivia Newton-John
Country Singer John Denver
Country Singer
John Denver

Birthdays in Music

  • Jan 5 Matt Wachter, American bassist (30 Seconds to Mars)
  • Jan 12 Miki Nakatani, Japanese actress and singer
  • Jan 17 Aga Zaryan [Agnieszka Skrzypek], Polish jazz singer (A Book of Luminous Things), born in Warsaw

Person of interestEmma Bunton

Jan 21 Emma Bunton [Baby Spice], English singer (Spice Girls), born in London

Pop Star Emma Bunton
Pop Star
Emma Bunton
  • Jan 23 Angelica Lee, Taiwanese actress and singer
  • Jan 26 Willie Adler, American guitar player
  • Jan 27 Ruby Lin, Taiwanese actress and singer
  • Jan 28 Jarrod Montague, American drummer (Taproot)

Deaths in Music

  • Jan 3 Malcolm "Mal" Evans, British Beatles roadie and assistant, dies in a confrontation with the police at 40
  • Jan 3 Mateusz Glinski, composer, dies at 83
  • Jan 5 Georges E Migot, French composer, dies at 84
  • Jan 10 Chester Arthur Burnett, US blues pianist/harmonica player, dies at 65
  • Jan 10 Howlin' Wolf, singer/guitarist, dies following brain surgery at 65
  • Jan 23 Paul Robeson, American singer (Old Man River), actor and civil rights activist, dies in Philadelphia at 77
  • Jan 28 Chris Kenner, American R&B singer-songwriter (I Like it Like That), dies at 46
  • Jan 30 Mance Lipscomb, American blues musician (Shine On, Harvest Moon), dies at 80