May 2014 in Music History

Events in Music

May 10 59th Eurovision Song Contest: Conchita Wurst for Austria wins singing "Rise Like a Phoenix" in Copenhagen

May 18 21st Billboard Music Awards: Justin Timberlake wins 7; Imagine Dragons win 5; Pharrel Williams wins 4; Daft Punk & Miley Cyrus also win

May 23 "Pauline" a chamber opera by Margaret Atwood and Tobin Stokes premieres at the York Theatre in Vancouver

May 31 Psy's "Gangnam Style" becomes the first video to reach 2 billion views on YouTube

May 9 Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland (33) weds manager Tim Witherspoon in Costa Rica

May 24 Rapper and record producer Kanye West (36) weds model Kim Kardashian (33) at Fort di Belvedere in Florence, Italy

May 31 American rock singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge (53) weds American TV actress Linda Wallem (53) at San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California

May 2 Jessica Cleaves, American soul singer and songwriter (The Friends of Distinction - "Grazing In The Grass"; Earth, Wind & Fire; Parliament Funkadelic), dies of complications from a stroke at 65
May 3 Bobby Gregg, American drummer and record producer (Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"), dies at 78
May 6 Antony Hopkins [Reynolds], British composer, pianist, conductor (Intimate Opera Company, 1954-62), writer, and radio broadcaster (Talking About Music, 1954-92), dies at 93
May 7 Will Gaines, American-British tap dancer, dies at 86
May 11 Ed Gagliardi, American bass guitarist (Foreigner, 1976-79 - "Feels Like The First Time"), dies from cancer at 62
May 12 H. R. Giger, Swiss surrealist artist (album cover art for ELP - "Brain Salad Surgery"; Debbie Harry - "'KooKoo"), and Oscar-winning special effects designer (Alien), dies from injuries from a fall at 74
May 18 Jerry Vale [Gennaro Vitaliano], American pop singer ("Arriverderci Roma"; "Have You Looked Into Your Heart"), dies at 83
May 21 Teodor Grigoriu, Romanian composer, dies at 87
May 28 David Nadien, American concert and session violin virtuoso, dies of pneumonia at 88
May 28 James K. Randall, American composer, dies at 84
May 29 Stefans Grové, South African composer (Nonyana, The Ceremonial Dancer; Cyclops; Glimpses), dies at 91