May 1978 in Music History

Events in Music

  • May 9 Musical review of Fats Waller songs "Ain't Misbehavin'" starring Nell Carter and Irene Cara, opens at Longacre Theater, NYC; runs for 1604 performances, winning 3 Drama Desk and 3 Tony Awards
  • May 10 "Angel" opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 5 performances
  • May 13 "Angel" closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 5 performances
  • May 13 Musical "Runaways" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 199 performances, with Elizabeth Swados
  • May 14 "Working" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 25 performances

Birthdays in Music

  • May 2 Steve Bays, Canadian rock musician (Hot Hot Heat - "In The Middle Of Nowhere"), and record producer
  • May 3 Paul Banks, English-American vocalist (Interpol), born in Clacton-on-Sea, England
  • May 5 Marcus Lewis, American jazz trombonist, composer, arranger, and band leader, born in Augusta, Georgia
  • May 5 Ola Gjeilo, Norwegian composer (Dreamweaver), born in Skui, Norway
  • May 7 Nagash [Stian Arnesen], Norwegian black metal musician (Dimmu Borgir; Troll), born ion Norway
  • May 8 Jang Woo Hyuk, Korean singer, rapper, and dancer (HOT; JTL), and actor, born in Daegu, South Korea
  • May 11 Perttu Kivilaakso, Finnish cellist (Apocalyptica), born in Helsinki, Finland
  • May 12 Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer (formerly Morning Musume), born in Sopporo, Japan
  • May 12 Wilfred [Le Bouthillier], Acadian singer, born in Tracadie-Sheila, New Brunswick
  • May 15 Zoltan Bathory, Hungarian-born American musician and martial artist (Five Finger Death Punch), born in Szentendre, Hungary
  • May 16 David Ford, English singer-songwriter (Songs for the Road), born in Dartford, Kent, England
  • May 16 Jim Sturgess, British actor ("Across the Universe"; "The Way Back"), and singer-songwriter, born in Wandsworth, London, England
  • May 23 Scott Raynor, American drummer (Blink-182, 1992-1998), born in Poway, California
  • May 25 Adam Gontier, Canadian rock singer-songwriter (Three Days Grace), born in Peterborough, Ontario
  • May 26 Jaheim [Hoagland], American R&B singer ("Put That Woman First"), born in New Brunswick, New Jersey
  • May 26 Phil Elverum, American singer-songwriter
  • May 29 Per "Howlin' Pelle" Almqvist, Swedish musician (The Hives - "Hat To Say I Told You So"; "Walk Idiot, Walk"), born in Fagersta, Sweden

Weddings in Music

  • May 8 Singer Donny Osmond (20) weds Debra Glenn (19) at Salt Lake Temple in Utah

Divorces in Music

Mick Jagger

May 1 Actress and model Bianca Jagger files for divorce from Rolling Stone rocker Mick Jagger after 7 years of marriage on the grounds of his adultery with model Jerry Hall

Deaths in Music

  • May 1 Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer (Masquerade Suite, Gayane), dies at 74
  • May 16 William Steinberg, German-American conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony, 1952-76; Boston Symphony, 1969-71), dies at 78
  • May 20 Ivan Harold Browning, American stage and screen actor and singer (Shuffle Along - "I'm Just Wild About Harry"), dies at 87
  • May 22 Bjarne Brustad, Norwegian composer, dies at 83