May 1980 in Music History

Events in Music

May 1 "Day in Hollywood, A Night..." opens at John Golden NYC for 588 performances

May 1 15th Academy of Country Music Awards: Larry Gatlin and Crystal Gayle win

May 2 Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in Wall (Part II)" is banned in South Africa

May 16 Paul McCartney releases "McCartney II" album

May 17 Paul & Linda McCartney appear on "Saturday Night Live"

May 21 "Star Wars Episode V - Empire Strikes Back", produced by George Lucas opens in cinemas in UK and North America

May 23 33rd Cannes Film Festival: "All That Jazz" directed by Bob Fosse and "Kagemusha" directed by Akira Kurosawa jointly awarded the Palme d'Or

May 24 "Rock Lobster" by B-52s hits #56
May 25 "Musical Chairs" closes at Rialto Theater NYC after 15 performances
May 29 John MacLachlan Gray's musical "Billy Bishop Goes to War" opens at Morosco Theater, NYC; runs for 12 performances, then moves to Off-Broadway
May 31 "Love Stinks" by J. Geils Band peaks at #38

May 1 Zaz [Isabelle Geffroy], French singer-songwriter (Je veux), born in Tours, France
May 6 Taebin, Korean singer (1TYM)
May 8 Michelle McManus, Scottish pop singer ("All This Time"), born in Glasgow, Scotland
May 13 Mau Marcelo, Filipina-American soul and R&B singer, born in Lucena, Philippines
May 17 Dallas Taylor, American Christian metal singer (Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Underoath), born in Ocala, Florida
May 18 Ali Zafar, Pakistani singer and model (Channo), born in Lahore, Pakistan
May 21 Gotye [Wouter De Backer], Belgian-Australian rock singer-songwriter ("Someone That I Used to Know"), born in Bruges, Belgium
May 22 Rhett Fisher, American actor and musician, born in Indianapolis, Indiana
May 24 Cecilia Cheung, Hong Kong-Australian actress (Fly Me To Polaris) and cantopop singer, born in Hong Kong
May 28 Mark Feehily, Irish pop singer (Westlife - "Flying Without Wings"), born in Sligo, Ireland
May 31 Andy Hurley, American drummer (Fall Out Boy - "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race"), born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

May 12 Lillian Roth [Rutstein], American singer and actress (Animal Crackers; Alice Sweet Alice), dies at 69
May 14 Wilhelm Weismann, German composer, dies at 79
May 18 Ian Curtis, English rock vocalist (Joy Division), commits suicide at 23
May 30 Carl Radle, American bass guitarist (Derek and the Dominoes), dies of a kidney infection at 37