1958 IN MUSIC

Events

• February - 45,000 peoplein one week watch performances of "rokabirī" music by Japanese singers at the first Nichigeki Western Carnival.
• February 14 – The Iranian government bans rock & roll, claiming that this form of music is against the concepts of Islam and is a health hazard. Iranian doctors warn of the risk of injuries to the hips from the "extreme gyrations" of rock & roll dances.
• March 12
  • Billie Holiday is given a year's probation by a Philadelphia court following her arrest and guilty plea on narcotics possession charges in 1956.
  • In Hilversum, Netherlands, "Dors, mon amour" sung by André Claveau (music by Pierre Delanoë, text by Hubert Giraud) wins the third annual Eurovision Song Contest for France. Domenico Modugno is placed third for Italy with "Nel blu, dipinto di blu", retitled "Volare", which will reach No. 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100, and will win two Grammy Awards next year for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for 1958.
• March 24 – Elvis Presley enters the U.S. Army.
• May 30 – Béla Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 1 is premiered in Basel, 50 years after it was composed
• August 4 – Billboard magazine launches its "Hot 100" singles chart, with Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool" as the #1 record.
• September 24 – Italian singers Natalino Otto and Flo Sandon's scout the young, talented Mina
• Cleo Laine marries John Dankworth.
• The Festival dei Due Mondi is founded by Gian Carlo Menotti.
• Marvin Gaye begins recording with his first group.
• Otis Williams & the Distants begin their musical career. They will later join with The Primes and become The Temptations.
• Phil Spector begins his recording career.
• Dalida receives the Music Hall "Bravos" along with Yves Montand.
• RCA introduces its first stereo LPs.
• The major record labels begin to cease production of 78rpm records.
• Kenny Rogers signs his first recording contract with a major record label and makes his first national TV performance on American Bandstand.
• Fred Foster opens Monument Records in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
• Ernesto Bonino leaves the USA and returns to Italy.
• Bob Bogle and Don Wilson founded the surf instrumental group The Ventures.
• The Country Music Association (CMA) is founded as the first trade association dedicated to a single music genre.

[edit]Albums released

Anita O'Day at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.

• Anita Sings the Winners – Anita O'Day
• Around the World – Bing Crosby
• As Long As There's Music – Eddie Fisher
• Ascenseur pour l'échafaud – Miles Davis
• Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley
• Breezin' Along – The Four Lads
• Christmas Carols – Johnny Cole and the Robert Evans Chorus
• Come Fly With Me – Frank Sinatra
• Destination Moon – The Ames Brothers
• Dream – The Mills Brothers
• Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport – Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday
• Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook – Ella Fitzgerald
• Ella Swings Lightly – Ella Fitzgerald
• Elvis' Golden Records – Elvis Presley
• Everybody Digs Bill Evans – Bill Evans
• Fancy Meeting You Here – Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney
• For Teenagers In Love – Teresa Brewer
• Foreign Affair – Frankie Laine and Michel LeGrand
• Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely – Frank Sinatra
• Freedom Suite – [Sonny Rollins]
• Give Him the Ooh-La-La – Blossom Dearie
• Gogi Grant – Welcome To My Heart – Gogi Grant
• Gondolier – Dalida
• Greatest Hits – Frankie Laine
• A Guy in Love – Guy Mitchell
• Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel – Duane Eddy (debut)
• He's So Fine – Jackie Wilson
• Hooray for Hollywood (Vol. 1) – Doris Day
• Hymns – Johnny Cole and the Robert Evans Chorus
• Johnny Horton Sings Free And Easy – Johnny Horton
• Julie Is Her Name, Volume II – Julie London
• Kate Smith Sings Folk Songs – Kate Smith
• King Creole (OST) – Elvis Presley
• King of Suriname - Ramdew Chaitoe
• The Kingston Trio – The Kingston Trio
• Last Night When We Were Young – Art Farmer
• Les Gitans – Dalida
• Little Girl Blue – Nina Simone
• Merry Christmas – Johnny Mathis with Percy Faith and his Orchestra
• Milestones – Miles Davis
• The Mills Brothers In Hi-Fi – The Mills Brothers
• The Mills Brothers Sing – The Mills Brothers
• Miss Music – Teresa Brewer
• Mmmm, The Mills Brothers – The Mills Brothers
• Music! Music! Music! – Teresa Brewer
• My Happiness – Connie Francis
• Oklahoma! (OST) – Original Cast
• One Dozen Berrys – Chuck Berry
• Our Gal Sal – Sally Starr (with The Comets)
• Paris Holiday – Bing Crosby
• Rhonda – Rhonda Fleming
• Ricky Nelson – Ricky Nelson
• Rockin' Around the World – Bill Haley & His Comets
• Rockin' the Joint – Bill Haley & His Comets
• Rockin' With Kay Starr – Kay Starr
• Saturday Night With Mr. C – Perry Como
• Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous – Johnny Cash
• Smoochin' Time – The Ames Brothers
• Some Pleasant Moments In The 20th Century – Oscar Levant
• Songs I Wish I Had Sung – Bing Crosby
• South Pacific – Original Soundtrack
• Star Dust – Pat Boone
• Surprise Package – The Crew Cuts
• Swingin' Down Broadway – Jo Stafford
• Teresa – Teresa Brewer
• Teresa Brewer At Christmas Time – Teresa Brewer
• Them There Eyes – Kay Starr
• This Is Sinatra Volume 2 – Frank Sinatra
• 'Til Morning – Johnnie Ray
• Time For Teresa – Teresa Brewer
• Torchin' – Frankie Laine
• Tormé – Mel Tormé
• Vaughan and Violins – Sarah Vaughan
• When You Come To The End of The Day – Perry Como
• Who's Sorry Now? – Connie Francis
• Yes Indeed! – Pat Boone

[edit]Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1958.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Domenico Modugno	Volare	1958		US BB 1 – Aug 1958, US CashBox 1 of 1958, Italy 1 of 1958, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Mar 1958, Grammy in 1958, Canada 2 – Jul 1958, Norway 2 – Oct 1958, South Africa 5 of 1958, Australia 6 of 1958, UK 10 – Sep 1958, RYM 29 of 1958, Europe 34 of the 1950s, DDD 56 of 1958
2	The Kingston Trio	Tom Dooley	1958		US BB 1 – Oct 1958, Canada 1 – Oct 1958, Norway 1 – Jan 1959, Australia 1 for 10 weeks May 1958, UK 5 – Nov 1958, Australia 5 of 1958, Italy 5 of 1959, South Africa 8 of 1958, Europe 18 of the 1950s, US CashBox 20 of 1958, US BB 37 of 1958, POP 37 of 1958, RYM 89 of 1958, DDD 94 of 1958, RIAA 197, Acclaimed 1001
3	The Platters	Smoke Gets in Your Eyes	1958		UK 1 – Jan 1959, US BB 1 – Dec 1958, Canada 1 – Dec 1958, Australia 1 for 9 weeks Jul 1958, Australia 3 of 1959, South Africa 3 of 1959, Italy 4 of 1959, RYM 6 of 1958, US CashBox 14 of 1959, Europe 25 of the 1950s, DDD 34 of 1958, RIAA 190, Acclaimed 1720
4	The Everly Brothers	Bird Dog	1958		US BB 1 – Aug 1958, Canada 1 – Aug 1958, Australia 1 for 3 weeks Mar 1958, UK 2 – Sep 1958, Australia 2 of 1958, US CashBox 5 of 1958, Norway 5 – Oct 1965, US BB 25 of 1958, POP 25 of 1958, RYM 30 of 1958, Europe 33 of the 1950s, DDD 35 of 1958, Italy 88 of 1959, Acclaimed 1925
5	Tommy Edwards	It's All in the Game	1958		UK 1 – Oct 1958, US BB 1 – Aug 1958, Canada 1 – Sep 1958, Australia 1 for 1 weeks May 1958, US CashBox 2 of 1958, US BB 6 of 1958, POP 6 of 1958, Australia 7 of 1958, RYM 9 of 1951, US 1940s 18 – Nov 1951, South Africa 20 of 1958, DDD 47 of 1958

[edit]Top Hits on record

• "All I Have To Do Is Dream" – The Everly Brothers
• "Big Man" – The Four Preps
• "Bird Dog" – Everly Brothers
• "Blast Off" – The Tyrones
• "Blue Boy" – Jim Reeves
• "Breathless" – Jerry Lee Lewis
• "Broke Down Baby" – The Tyrones
• "Catch a Falling Star" – Perry Como
• "Come Dance With Me" – Frank Sinatra
• "Come On Let's Go" – Ritchie Valens
• "Come Prima (Tu me donnes)" – Dalida
• "Dans le bleu du ciel bleu" – Dalida
• "The Day The Rains Came" – Jane Morgan
• "El Diablo" – Frankie Laine
• "Don't" – Elvis Presley
• "Fallin'" – Connie Francis
• "Fever" – Peggy Lee
• "Get a Job" – The Silhouettes
• "Gondolier" – Dalida
• "Great Balls Of Fire" – Jerry Lee Lewis
• "Guitare et tambourin" – Dalida
• "Hard Headed Woman" – Elvis Presley
• "Hava Naguila" – Dalida
• "Heartbeat" – Buddy Holly
• "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" – Laurie London
• "High Class Baby" – Cliff Richard and The Drifters
• "Hoots Mon" – Lord Rockingham's XI
• "I am a Mole and I Live in a Hole" – The Southlanders
• "I Can't Stop Loving You" – Don Gibson (B-side to "Oh, Lonesome Me")
• "It's All in the Game" – Tommy Edwards
• "I Have To Cry" – Frankie Laine
• "I Wonder Why" – Dion & the Belmonts
• "I'll Get By" – Connie Francis
• "I'm Not Just Anybody's Baby" – Mindy Carson
• "I'm Shook" – The Tyrones
• "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry" – Connie Francis
• "It's Only Make Believe" – Conway Twitty
• "Journey's End" – Frankie Laine
• "Johnny B. Goode" – Chuck Berry
• "King Creole" – Elvis Presley
• "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" – Jimmie Rodgers
• "Le jour où la pluie viendra" – Dalida
• "Left Right Out Of Your Heart" – Patti Page
• "Les Gitans" – Dalida
• "Little Star" – The Elegants
• "Maybe Baby" – Buddy Holly
• "Mexican Hat Rock" – Dave Appell/The Applejacks
• "Milord" – Édith Piaf
• "Move It" – Cliff Richard and The Drifters (Original B-side to "Schoolboy Crush")
• "My Happiness" – Connie Francis
• "Oh, Lonesome Me" – Don Gibson
• "One Summer Night" – Danleers
• "Partners" – Jim Reeves
• "Patricia" – Perez Prado
• "Poor Little Fool" – Ricky Nelson
• "Rave On" – Buddy Holly
• "Rawhide" – Frankie Laine
• "Return To Me (Rittorna A Me)" – Dean Martin
• "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay" – Danny & the Juniors
• "Rocka-Conga" – Dave Appell/The Applejacks
• "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" – Brenda Lee
• "Rockin' Robin" – Bobby Day
• "Scarlet Ribbons" – The Kingston Trio
• "Schoolboy Crush" – Cliff Richard and The Drifters (B-side to "Move It") (Original A-side to "Move It")
• "Short Shorts" – Royal Teens
• "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" – The Platters
• "Stupid Cupid" – Connie Francis
• "Sugartime" – The McGuire Sisters
• "Summertime Blues" – Eddie Cochran
• "Sweet Little Sixteen" – Chuck Berry
• "Teacher's Pet" – Doris Day
• "Tequila" – The Champs
• "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" – The Chipmunks with David Seville
• "The Happy Organ – Dave "Baby" Cortez
• "The Purple People Eater" – Sheb Wooley
• "To Know Him is to Love Him" – The Teddy Bears
• "Tom Dooley" – The Kingston Trio
• "Twilight Time" – The Platters
• "Volare" – Domenico Modugno
• "Well All Right" – Buddy Holly
• "When" – The Kalin Twins
• "Who's Sorry Now?" – Connie Francis
• "Witch Doctor" – Dave Seville
• "Yakety Yak" – The Coasters
• "You Always Hurt the One You Love" – Connie Francis

See also: List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1958 (U.S.)

[edit]Published popular music

• "16 Candles" w.m. Luther Dixon & Allyson R. Khent
• "All I Have to Do is Dream" w.m. Felice and Boudleaux Bryant
• "Am I That Easy to Forget" w.m. Carl Belew, W. S. Stevenson & Shelby Singleton
• "Any Way The Wind Blows" w.m. William Dunham, Joseph Hooven & Marilyn Hooven
• "Are You Really Mine?" w.m. Al Hoffman, Dick Manning & Mark Markwell
• "A Big Hunk O' Love" w.m. Aaron Schroeder & Sid Wyche
• "Bird Dog" w.m. Felice and Boudleaux Bryant
• "Broken Hearted Melody" w. Hal David m. Sherman Edwards
• "A Certain Smile" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Sammy Fain
• "Chantilly Lace" w.m. Jiles Perry Richardson
• "C'mon Everybody" w.m. Eddie Cochran & Jerry Capeheart
• "Devoted to You" w.m. Felice and Boudleaux Bryant
• "Do You Want To Dance?" w.m. Bobby Freeman
• "Donna" w.m. Ritchie Valens
• "Don't" w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "Enchanted Island" w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
• "Everybody Loves a Lover" w. Richard Adler m. Robert Allen
• "French Foreign Legion" w. Aaron Schroeder m. Guy Wood
• "Hoots Mon" Harry Robertson
• "If I Had A Hammer" w.m. Pete Seeger & Lee Hays
• "It's Only Make Believe" w.m. Conway Twitty & Jack Nance
• "Johnny B. Goode" w.m. Chuck Berry
• "Kewpie Doll" w.m. Sid Tepper & Roy C. Bennett
• "Kumbayah" recorded by Joe Hickerson and by Pete Seeger
• "Left Right Out Of Your Heart" w. Earl Shuman m. Mort Garson
• "The Little Serenade" w.m. Antonio Amurri, Paolo Esposito, Geoffrey C. Parsons & James J. T. Phillips
• "Little Star" w.m. Vito Picone & Arthur Venosa
• "Make Me A Miracle" Al Hoffman, Dick Manning, Mark Markwell
• "Maybe Baby" w.m. Norman Petty & Charles Hardin
• "Moon Talk" w.m. Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
• "My True Love" w.m. Jack Scott
• "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling In Love Again" w.m. Al Hoffman, Dick Manning & Mark Markwell
• "Once Upon A Summertime" (Original title "La Valse des Lilas") Eddie Barclay, Michel Legrand, Eddy Marnay, Johnny Mercer
• "Only The Lonely" Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen
• "Padre" w. (Eng) Paul Francis Webster (Fr) Marcel Algeron & Jacques Larue m. Alain C. Romans
• "Patricia" w. Bob Marcus m. Perez Prado
• "Peter Gunn" m. Henry Mancini
• "Poor Little Fool" w.m. Shari Sheeley
• "The Purple People Eater" w.m. Sheb Wooley
• "Raining In My Heart" w.m. Felice and Boudleaux Bryant
• "Rave On" w.m. Norman Petty, Bill Tilghman & Sunny West
• "Rawhide" w. Ned Washington m. Dimitri Tiomkin. Title tune of the TV series performed by Frankie Laine.
• "Secretly" w.m. Al Hoffman, Dick Manning & Mark Markwell
• "Splish Splash" w.m. Bobby Darin & Jean Murray
• "Stupid Cupid" w. Howard Greenfield m. Neil Sedaka
• "Sugartime" w.m. Charlie Phillips & Odis Echols
• "Summertime Blues" Eddie Cochran, J. Capehart
• "Sweet Little Sixteen" w.m. Chuck Berry
• "Tears On My Pillow" w.m. Sylvester Bradford & Al Lewis
• "Tequila" w.m. Chuck Rio
• "There's Only One Of You" w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
• "Tom Dooley" trad arr. Dave Guard
• "Volare" w. (Eng) Mitchell Parish (Ital) Domenico Modugno & Franco Migliacci m. Domenico Modugno
• "We Belong Together", S. Weiss, Robert Carr, Johnny Mitchell
• "When" w.m. Jack Reardon & Paul Evans
• "Witch Doctor" w.m. Ross Bagdasarian
• "Yakety Yak" w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "You Are My Destiny" w.m. Paul Anka
• "Young and Warm and Wonderful" w. Hy Zaret m. Lou Singer

[edit]Other notable songs

• "The Bells of Rhymney" by Pete Seeger and Idris Davies
• !Devojko mala" w. B. Timotijević m. D. Kraljić, sung by Vlastimir "Đuza" Stojiljković in the film Ljubav i moda
• "Mera naam Chin Chin Chu" w. Qamar Jalalabadi m. O.P. Nayyar, sung by Geeta Dutt in the film Howrah Bridge
• "Pod sjajem zvezda" w. Mirjana Savić m. Predrag Ivanović
• "Majulah Singapura" by Zubir Said (national anthem of Singapore)

[edit]Classical music

• Ernest Bloch – Suite for Viola Solo (fragmentary)
• John Cage – Aria
• Aldo Clementi – Episodi
• Mario Davidovsky – String Quartet No. 2
• Benjamin Frankel – Symphony No. 1
• Ferde Grofé – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D
• Dmitri Kabalevsky – In the Magic Forest
• Leon Kirchner – String Quartet No. 2
• György Ligeti – Artikulation
• Bohuslav Martinů – Piano Concerto No. 5 H. 366; The Parables H. 367; Estampes; Duo No. 2 for Violin and Cello
• Peter Mennin – Piano Concerto
• Darius Milhaud – String Sextet, Op. 368
• Thea Musgrave – String Quartet
• Ned Rorem – Symphony No. 3
• Edmund Rubbra – Pezzo Ostinato (Rubbra collections page with description) and Violin Concerto, Opp. 102 and 103.
• Carl Ruggles – Exaltation
• Alfred Schnittke – Oratorio Nagasaki
• Humphrey Searle – Symphony No. 2, Op. 33 (1956–8); Variations and Finale, Op. 34
• Roger Sessions – String Quintet; Symphony No. 4
• Eduard Tubin – Symphony No. 7
• Edgard Varèse – Poème électronique' (1957–58)
• Ralph Vaughan Williams – Symphony No. 9
• Leó Weiner – Concerto for Violin No. 1 in D major

[edit]Opera

• Samuel Barber – Vanessa
• Carlisle Floyd – Wuthering Heights
• Jakov Gotovac – Dalmaro
• Gian Carlo Menotti – Maria Golovin
• Ralph Vaughan Williams – Hugh the Drover

[edit]Musical theatre

• The Body Beautiful Broadway production
• The Boy Friend (Sandy Wilson) – off-Broadway revival
• Expresso Bongo London production
• Flower Drum Song (Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II) – Broadway production
• Irma La Douce London production
• Lola Montez, Brisbane production opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on October 1
• Nightcap off-Broadway production
• Oh, Captain! Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on February 4 and ran for 192 performances.
• Salad Days (Julian Slade) – Broadway production
• Valmouth London production
• West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein) – London production
• Where's Charley? London production

[edit]Musical films

• April Love
• Damn Yankees starring Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston
• The Duke Wore Jeans starring Tommy Steele
• Gigi starring Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold
• King Creole starring Elvis Presley
• Mardi Gras
• Senior Prom
• The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw starring Kenneth More, Jayne Mansfield and Sid James.
• South Pacific
• The Tunnel of Love

[edit]Musical television

• Aladdin (Cole Porter) televised on February 21 starring Cyril Ritchard, Basil Rathbone, Dennis King, Sal Mineo, Anna Maria Alberghetti and Una Merkel.
• Hansel and Gretel (William Engvick and Alec Wilder) televised on April 27 starring Barbara Cook and Red Buttons
• Kiss Me, Kate starring Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Julie Wilson, Bill Hayes and Jack Klugman

[edit]Births

• January 1 – Grandmaster Flash
• January 8 – Steve Garvey, bass guitarist (Buzzcocks, The Teardrops)
• January 9 – Hillevi Martinpelto, operatic soprano
• January 11 – Vicki Peterson (The Bangles)
• January 24 – Jools Holland, R&B pianist and singer, TV music presenter
• February 16 – Ice-T, rapper
• February 21
  • Jake Burns (Stiff Little Fingers)
  • Mary Chapin Carpenter, singer-songwriter
• February 25 – Eva Johansson, operatic soprano
• March 5 – Andy Gibb, singer (d. 1988)
• March 8 – Gary Numan, singer
• March 9 – Martin Fry, vocalist of ABC
• April 11 – Stuart Adamson (Big Country) (d. 2001)
• April 12 – Will Sergeant (Echo & the Bunnymen)
• April 14 – Aprile Millo, operatic soprano
• April 18 – Les Pattinson (Echo & the Bunnymen)
• April 21 – Andranik Madadian, Armenian/Iranian singer-songwriter
• April 25 – Fish, Scottish singer (Marillion)
• May 2 – Mayumi Horikawa, Japanese singer-songwriter and model
• May 18 – Toyah Willcox, singer and actress
• May 21 – Mike Barson (Madness)
• May 25 – Paul Weller, singer-songwriter
• May 27 – Neil Finn, singer-songwriter
• May 30 – Marie Fredriksson (Roxette)
• June 3 – Roger Redgate, composer-conductor
• June 7 – Prince, singer-songwriter
• June 17 – Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys)
• June 21
  • Jennifer Larmore, operatic mezzo-soprano
  • Steve Lieberman punk musician (Gangsta Rabbi)
• June 30 – Esa-Pekka Salonen, composer-conductor
• July 5 – Paul Daniel, conductor
• July 7 – Michala Petri, recorder virtuoso
• July 18 – Bent Sørensen, composer
• July 25 – Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)
• July 30 – Kate Bush, singer-songwriter and dancer
• July 31
  • Bill Berry (R.E.M.)
  • Deborah Riedel, operatic soprano (d. 2009)
• August 3 – Robert Buck (10,000 Maniacs)
• August 6 – Randy DeBarge, soul singer and guitarist
• August 7 – Bruce Dickinson, singer (Iron Maiden)
• August 16 – Madonna, singer
• August 17 – Belinda Carlisle, singer
• August 22
  • Ian Mitchell (Bay City Rollers)
  • Vernon Reid (Living Colour)
• August 29 – Michael Jackson, singer and songwriter (d. 2009)
• September 6 – Buster Bloodvessel, vocalist (Bad Manners)
• September 10 – Siobhan Fahey, singer
• September 19 – Lita Ford, singer
• September 22
  • Andrea Bocelli, operatic tenor
  • Joan Jett, rock musician
• October 9 – Al Jourgensen (Ministry)
• October 10 – Tanya Tucker, country singer
• October 13 – Derri Daugherty (The Choir, The Lost Dogs)
• October 14 – Thomas Dolby, English rock musician
• October 20
  • Mark King, bassist and singer (Level 42)
  • Ricky Byrd (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)
• October 27 – Simon Le Bon, vocalist (Duran Duran)
• November 10 – Frank Maudsley (A Flock of Seagulls)
• November 22 – Jason Ringenberg (Jason & the Scorchers)
• November 27 – Tetsuya Komuro, Japanese songwriter and music producer
• December 7 – Timothy Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
• December 9 – Nick Seymour, bassist (Crowded House)
• December 11 – Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe)
• December 14
  • Mike Scott (The Waterboys)
  • Spider Stacy, folk musician (The Pogues)
• December 17 – Mike Mills (R.E.M.)
• December 23 – Victoria Williams, singer-songwriter
• date unknown – Chuck Girard (Love Song)

[edit]Deaths

• January 21 – Ataúlfo Argenta, conductor, 44 (carbon monoxide poisoning)
• February 5 – Lew Brown, lyricist, 64
• March 24 – John Harvey Gahan, violinist, songwriter and actor, 69
• March 25
  • Tom Brown, jazz trombonist, 69
  • Emerson Whithorne, composer and historian, 73
• March 28 – W. C. Handy, blues composer, 84
• April 1
  • Břetislav Bakala, pianist, conductor and composer, 61
  • Alfred Bryan, songwriter, 86
• April 2 – Tudor Davies, operatic tenor, 65
• April 10 – Chuck Willis, singer, 30 (during surgery for stomach ulcer)
• April 14 – Gladys Presley, mother of Elvis Presley
• April 16 – Margaret Burke Sheridan, operatic soprano, 68
• May 20 – Irma Baltuttis, singer, 37 (suspected murder)
• June 1 – Henri Pensis, violinist, conductor and composer,
• June 3
  • Georges Boulanger, violinist, 65
  • Maude Nugent, songwriter, 81
• June 15 – José Pablo Moncayo, Mexican percussionist and composer, 45
• June 20 – Elfriede Trötschel, operatic soprano, 44
• June 21 – Eduard Erdmann, pianist and composer, 62
• June 23 – Armas Järnefelt, composer, 88
• June 27 – Marie Sundelius, operatic soprano, 74
• July 10 – Karl Erb, operatic tenor and lieder singer, 81
• July 31 – Eugène Goossens, fils, violinist and conductor, 91
• August 5 – Joseph Holbrooke, composer, 80
• August 15 – Big Bill Broonzy, blues musician and composer, 60
• August 17 – Florent Schmitt, composer, 87
• August 21 – Stevan Hristić, composer, 73
• August 26 – Ralph Vaughan Williams, composer, 85
• September 20 – Yvonne Arnaud, pianist, singer and actress, 65
• October 25 – Artie Matthews, ragtime composer and songwriter, 69
• October 27 – John Wooldridge, film composer, 39 (car accident)
• October 29 – Vassili Nebolsin, conductor, 60
• November 3 – Harry Revel, composer of musicals, 52
• November 26 – Tiny Bradshaw, jazz and blues musician, 53 (stroke)
• November 27 – Artur Rodziński, conductor, 66
• December 1 – Boots Mallory, dancer, 45 (chronic throat disease)
• December 8 – Julia Lee, blues singer, 56 (heart attack)
• December 11 – Paul Bazelaire, cellist, 72
• December 20 – Éva Gauthier, operatic soprano, 73
• December 29[ – Doris Humphrey, dancer and choreographer, 63
• date unknown
  • Samuel Antek, violinist and conductor
  • Martin Shaw, composer
  • John Strachan, ballad singer