March 1981 in Music History

Events in Music

Music Premiere

Mar 1 Duke Ellington's musical "Sophisticated Ladies" opens at Lunt-Fontanne, NYC; runs for 767 performances

Mar 5 Michael Stewart's musical "Bring Back Birdie" opens at Martin Beck Theater, NYC for 4 performances
Mar 7 Michael Stewart's musical "Bring Back Birdie" closes at Martin Beck Theater, NYC, after 4 performances
Mar 8 "Shakespeare's Cabaret" closes at Bijou Theater NYC after 54 performances
Mar 10 "Bette Davis Eyes" single released by Kim Carnes (Billboard Song of the Year 1981)

Music Premiere

Mar 12 Stephen Sondheim's musical revue "Marry Me a Little," premieres in NYC

Album Release

Mar 27 "Blizzard of Ozz", the debut solo album by English rock musician Ozzy Osbourne, is released in the United States

Music Single

Mar 27 John Lennon single "Watching the Wheels" released posthumously in UK

Mar 29 Peter Stone's musical "Woman of the Year" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 770 performances

Birthdays in Music

Mar 3 Eugene [Kim Yoo-Jin], South Korean K-pop singer (S.E.S.) and actress (A Hundred Year Legacy), born in Seoul, South Korea
Mar 3 Sung Yu Ri, South Korean K-pop singer (Fin.K.L.) and actress (Hong Gil-dong), born in Tübingen, West Germany
Mar 3 Tobias Forge, Swedish heavy metal singer (Ghost), born in Linköping, Sweden
Mar 4 Carol Banawa, Filipino singer and celebrity
Mar 4 Donny Tourette [Patrick Brannan], British punk rock singer (Towers of London), born in Liverpool, England
Mar 5 Zach Williams, American Christian rock musician (There was Jesus), born in Pensacola, Florida
Mar 11 LeToya Luckett, American R&B and pop singer (Destiny's Child, 1997-2000 - Bills, Bills, Bills), and actress, born in Houston, Texas
Mar 11 Paul Wall, American rapper
Mar 11 Russell Lissack, English musician (Bloc Party)
Mar 14 Mei-Ting Sun, Chinese concert pianist, born in Shanghai, China
Mar 15 Young Buck [David Brown] American rapper, born in Nashville, Tennessee
Mar 16 Danny Brown [Sewell], American rapper, born in Detroit, Michigan
Mar 17 Nicky Jam [Nick Caminero], American rapper, singer and actor (Travesuras), born in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Mar 18 Jang Nara, Korean singer and actress
Mar 22 (Shawn) Mims, American rapper (This Is Why I'm Hot), born in Manhattan, New York
Mar 26 Anaïs Mitchell, American singer-songwriter and playwright (Hadestown - 2019 Tony for Best Musical), born in Vermont
Mar 26 Jay Sean [Kamaljit Singh Jhooti], British pop, Bhaṅgṛā, and R&B singer, born in London, England
Mar 27 JJ Lin, Chinese singer (Music Voyager), born in Singapore
Mar 29 Edewede Oriwoh, Nigerian classical and liturgical composer, mostly for chorus (Baba, Ese; Play), born in Edo, Nigeria
Mar 29 Megan Hilty, American actress and singer (Wicked), born in Bellevue, Washington
Mar 29 P.J. Morton, American singer-songwriter and musician (Maroon 5; Gospel According to PJ), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 31 Ryan Bingham, American Academy Award-winning roots-rock singer-songwriter (Crazy Heart "The Weary Kind"), born in Hobbs, New Mexico

Deaths in Music

Mar 5 (Theodore) "Red" Saunders, American jazz drummer and bandleader, based in Chicago, dies at 69
Mar 5 Yip Harburg [Isidore Hochberg], American lyricist ("Over The Rainbow"; "It's Only A Paper Moon"), dies in a car crash at 84
Mar 7 Kirill Kondrashin, Russian conductor (Bolshoi Theatre, 1943-56; Moscow Philharmonic, 1960-75; Concertgebouw, 1978-81), dies at 67
Mar 10 Bill Hopkins, English composer, dies of a heart attack at 37
Mar 25 Felix de Nobel, Dutch orchestra leader and pianist, dies at 73