- Jan 1 "Musical Jubilee" closes at St James Theater NYC after 92 performances
- Jan 4 "Candide" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 740 performances
- Jan 9 C. W. McCall CB song "Convoy" hits #1 on the country music charts
- Jan 11 "Pacific Overtures" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 193 performances
- Jan 11 Stephen Sondheim's musical "Pacific Overtures" premieres in NYC
- Jan 13 Sarah Caldwell is 1st woman to conduct at NYC Metropolitan Opera House as she led orchestra in a performance of "La Traviata"
- Jan 16 "Donny & Marie" [Osmond] musical variety show premieres on ABC TV
#1 in the Charts
Jan 17 "I Write the Songs" by Barry Manilow hits #1
Barry Manilow
Album Release
Jan 23 RCA releases "Station to Station", David Bowie's 10th studio album, recorded in Los Angeles; it peaks in the U.S. charts at No.3, and No. 5 in the U.K.
David Bowie
- Jan 31 "Love Rollercoaster" by Ohio Players hits #1
Music Awards
Jan 31 3rd American Music Awards: Olivia Newton-John & John Denver win
Olivia Newton-John
John Denver
Event of Interest
Feb 6 George Harrison releases "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)"
George Harrison
Grammy Awards
Feb 28 18th Grammy Awards: "Love Will Keep Us Together" Record of the Year, Natalie Cole 1st African American to win Best New Artist
Natalie Cole
Music Awards
Mar 1 11th Academy of Country Music Awards: Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn win
Loretta Lynn
- Mar 2 "Bubbling Brown Sugar" opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 766 performances
- Mar 2 Holgate, Kemp & Lopez' musical premieres in NYC
- Mar 25 "My Fair Lady" opens at St James Theater NYC for 384 performances
- Mar 25 "Rex" opens at Lunt-Fontaine Theater NYC for 48 performances
- Mar 26 Wings release "Wings at the Speed of Sound" album
- Apr 3 21st Eurovision Song Contest: Brotherhood of Man for United Kingdom wins singing "Save Your Kisses for Me" in The Hague
Event of Interest
Apr 6 1st quadrophonic movie track: "Ladies & Gentlemen The Rolling Stones"
Charlie Watts
- Apr 20 George Harrison sings lumberjack song with Monty Python
- Apr 27 "So Long 174th St" opens at Harkness Theater NYC for 16 performances
- Apr 30 "Silly Love Songs" single released by Wings (Billboard Song of the Year 1976)
- May 4 "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" opens at Mark Hellinger NYC for 7 performances
- May 8 "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" closes at Mark Hellinger NYC after 7 performances
- May 9 "So Long 174th St" closes at Harkness Theater NYC after 16 performances
- May 15 Fonz Song by Heyettes hits #91
- May 15 Kentucky Moonrunner by Cledus Maggard hits #85
- May 27 "Something's Afoot" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 61 performances
Event of Interest
May 29 "One Piece At A Time" by Johnny Cash hits #29
Johnny Cash
- May 31 The Who set the record for the loudest concert of all time, 120 decibels at 50 metres, at The Valley in Charlton
- Jun 3 Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" goes gold
- Jun 5 "Bigfoot" by Bro Smith hits #57
- Jun 10 67,000 fans attends Wings concert at Seattle's Kingdome
- Jun 11 Beatles "Rock & Roll Music" LP is released in USA
Event of Interest
Jun 12 "Yes, Yes, Yes" by Bill Cosby hits #46
Bill Cosby
Event of Interest
Jun 13 Bob Marley performs in Amsterdam
Bob Marley
Event of Interest
Jul 3 Brian Wilson performs with the Beach Boys after 12 years apart
Brian Wilson
- Jul 18 "Something's Afoot" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 61 performances
- Jul 19 British rock group Deep Purple disbands
- Jul 21 "Guys & Dolls" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 239 performances
- Jul 22 "Let My People Come" opens at Morosco Theater NYC for 106 performances
- Jul 23 Wings release "Let 'em In"
Event of Interest
Aug 11 "The Who" drummer Keith Moon collapses and is hospitalized in Miami
Keith Moon
Event of Interest
Sep 6 Jerry Lewis' 11th Muscular Dystrophy telethon, Dean Martin appears
Jerry Lewis
Dean Martin
- Sep 7 US courts find George Harrison guilty of 'subconsciously' plagiarizing "He's So Fine" for his song "My Sweet Lord"
- Sep 19 "Going Up" opens at John Golden Theater NYC for 49 performances
- Sep 20 Sid Berstein offers $230 million charity concert for Beatle reunion
Oh! Calcutta! - The Bare Facts
Sep 24 "Oh! Calcutta!" revival opens at Edison Theater NYC for 5,959 performances, Broadway’s longest-running musical revue
Read Article
- Sep 25 George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess" opens at Uris Theater NYC for 122 performances
Event of Interest
Sep 25 Bono, David Evans, his brother Dik and Adam Clayton respond to an advertisement on a bulletin board at Mount Temple posted by fellow student Larry Mullen Jr. to form a rock band, which would eventually become U2
Bono
Adam Clayton
- Sep 28 A&M sues George Harrison who fails to meet deadline for LP completion
Album Release
Sep 28 "Songs in the Key of Life" 18th studio album by Stevie Wonder is released (Billboard Song of the Year 1977)
Stevie Wonder
Event of Interest
Sep 29 Boy George expelled from school
Boy George
Event of Interest
Sep 29 Jerry Lee Lewis, attempting to shoot soda bottles hits his bass player Norman Owens twice in the chest
Jerry Lee Lewis
- Oct 2 "Let My People Come" closes at Morosco Theater NYC after 106 performances
Music Single
Oct 15 Ringo Starr releases single "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll"
Ringo Starr
- Oct 30 "Going Up" closes at John Golden Theater NYC after 49 performances
- Nov 1 "Don't Step on My Olive Branch" opens at Playhouse NYC for 16 performances
- Nov 14 "Don't Step on My Olive Branch" closes at Playhouse NYC after 16 performances
- Nov 19 George Harrison releases "This Song"
- Nov 20 George Harrison appears on "Saturday Night Live": haggling with Lorne Michaels; performing "Here Comes the Sun" and "Homeward Bound" with Paul Simon; and airing two music videos
- Nov 25 The Band's farewell concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom
- Nov 26 German DR deprives singer/poet Wolf Biermann citizenship
Music Single
Nov 26 Sex Pistols release their debut single "Anarchy In The UK"
Steve Jones
- Dec 1 Sex Pistols using profanity on TV, gets them branded as "rotten punks"
Film Premier
Dec 18 Second remake of "A Star is Born" film, directed by Frank Pierson and starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, premieres
Barbra Streisand
- Dec 20 "Music Is" opens at St James Theater NYC for 8 performances
- Dec 22 "Your Arm's Too Short..." opens at Lyceum NYC for 429 performances
- Dec 22 East Germany grants rock singer Nina Hagen her request to leave the country, after refusing her stepfather re-entry
- Dec 26 "Music Is" closes at St James Theater NYC after 8 performances
- Dec 28 "Fiddler on the Roof" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 167 performances