Events in Music
Music History
Oct 6 Mick Jagger apologizes for racist lyrics in "Some Girls"
Country Music Association Awards
Oct 9 12th Country Music Association Award: Dolly Parton, Crystal Gayle, and Don Williams win
Music History
Oct 9 John Kander and Fred Ebb's musical "Ballroom" premieres in NYC
- Oct 10 Aerosmith's Steve Tyler & Joe Perry injured by a cherry bomb
- Oct 10 British pop music magazine "Smash Hits" first published
52nd Street
Oct 11 Columbia Records releases "52nd Street", singer-songwriter Billy Joel's sixth studio album; it becomes his 1st chart-topper, and wins 3 Grammy Awards
Murder of Interest
Oct 12 Sid Vicious charged with murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen
- Oct 13 "52nd Street" 6th studio album by Billy Joel is released (Grammy Award Album of the Year 1979)
- Oct 20 British ska-rock band The Police perform 1st US concert at CBGBs in NYC
- Oct 22 "King of Hearts" opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 48 performances
- Oct 23 Punk rock singer Sid Vicious attempts suicide while at Riker's Detention Center in NYC
Music History
Oct 24 Keith Richards convicted of heroin possession in Toronto
Birthdays in Music
- Oct 2 Ayumi Hamasaki, Japanese J-pop singer-songwriter ("Secret"), born in Fukuoka, Japan
- Oct 3 Jake Shears [Jason Sellards], American rock singer (Scissor Sisters), born in Mesa, Arizona
- Oct 5 James Valentine, American musician (Maroon 5), born in Lincoln, Nebraska
- Oct 7 Alesha Dixon, British pop singer (Mis-Teeq), born in Welwyn Garden City, England
- Oct 7 Nathaniel Rateliff, American roots-rock, R&B, and folk singer- songwriter (The Night Sweats - "S.O.B"), born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Oct 8 Mike Moreno, American jazz guitarist (First in Mind), born in Houston, Texas
- Oct 9 Nicky Byrne, Irish musician (Westlife -"You Raise Me Up"), born in Dublin, Ireland
- Oct 14 Justin Brannan, American musician (Most Precious Blood), born in Brooklyn, New York
Usher (44 years old)
Oct 14 American singer (My Way, Confessions) and actor, born in Dallas, Texas
- Oct 16 Abel Talamántez, American LAtin, pop, and Tex-Max singer (Menudo; Los Super Reyes), born in Pecos, Texas
- Oct 16 Ethan Luck, American rock musician (The O.C. Supertones; Demon Hunter; Relient K), born in Long Beach, California
- Oct 19 Chris Sellers, American rapper (Another Bad Creation), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Oct 19 Henri "Trollhorn"Sorvali, Finnish heavy metal muscian (Moonsorrow), born in Helsinki, Finland
- Oct 20 Paul Wilson, Scottish bass player (Snow Patrol), born in Kinlochleven, Scotland
- Oct 22 Ed Droste, American indie-rock singer-songwriter (Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"), born in Massachusetts
- Oct 26 Mark Barry, British pop musician (BBMak - "Back Here"), born in Manchester, England
- Oct 27 Dmitri Kogan, Russian concert violinist (Five Great Violins), born in Moscow, USSR (d. 2017)
- Oct 27 Vanessa-Mae [Vanakorn Nicholson], Singaporean-British violinist and Olympic alpine skier, born in Singapore
- Oct 28 Justin Guarini [Bell], American pop singer and actor (American Idol), born in Columbus, Georgia
Weddings in Music
Benny Andersson & Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Oct 6 ABBA member Anni-Frid Lyngstad (32) weds fellow ABBA musician Benny Andersson (31); separate in 1980, divorce in 1981
Merle Haggard
Oct 7 American country singer-songwriter Merle Haggard (41) weds his backup singer Leona Williams (35); divorce in 1983
Deaths in Music
- Oct 8 Tibor Serly, Hungarian violinist and composer (American Elegy), dies at 76
Jacques Brel (1929-1978)
Oct 9 Belgian singer, songwriter, actor, director and composer (Le Far West, Pain in the A__), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 49
- Oct 10 Ralph Marterie, Italian-American trumpeter and big band bandleader ("Skokiaan"; "Shish-Kebab"; "Dry Marterie"), dies at 63
Maybelle Carter (1909-1978)
Oct 23 American country singer (Johnny Cash Show), dies at 69
