<!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see WP:SDNONE -->

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1952.

Specific locations

  • 1952 in British music
  • 1952 in Scandinavian music

Specific genres

  • 1952 in country music
  • 1952 in jazz

Events

  • February 26 – Popular American singer Jo Stafford marries bandleader/arranger Paul Weston.
  • March 1 – Sun Records records its first release in Memphis, Tennessee.
  • March 7 – New Musical Express is launched as a weekly newspaper in the United Kingdom.
  • March 21 – First major rock and roll concert, Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
  • May 31 – Sangeet Natak Akademi is set up by the government of India.
  • c. July – Finnish composer Aarre Merikanto wins the Olympic hymn competition.
  • August 29 – David Tudor gives the premiere of John Cage's 4′33″, during which the performer does not play, in Woodstock, New York.
  • September – Bill Haley and His Saddlemen change their image to become Bill Haley & His Comets.
  • October 7 – First edition of Bob Horn's Bandstand is broadcast as a local show from station WFIL-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is later renamed American Bandstand and syndicated.
  • November 14 – The first UK Singles Chart is published by the New Musical Express, with Al Martino's "Here in My Heart" as number one.
  • date unknown
  • Jazz singer Ernesto Bonino moves from Italy to the United States.
  • Accordionist John Serry Sr. first performs in Broadway theatre with Shirley Booth in The Time of the Cuckoo.

Publications

  • Pierre Schaeffer – A la recherche d'une musique concrète (The Search for a Concrete Music), an explanation of his experimental approach to composing.
  • John Serry Sr. – The Syncopated Accordionist.

Musical groups formed

  • 76th Army Band
  • 338th Army Band (reactivated)
  • The Duke's Men of Yale (a cappella singing group)
  • Steiner Brothers, tap-dancing trio and singing group

Albums released

  • Anthology of American Folk Music – Various Artists
  • As You Desire Me – Jo Stafford
  • Billie Holiday Sings – Billie Holiday
  • Bird and Diz – Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie
  • Christmas Day in the Morning – Burl Ives
  • Christmas with Eddie Fisher – Eddie Fisher
  • Eddie Fisher Sings – Eddie Fisher
  • Favorite Spirituals – Ames Brothers
  • Harmony Encores – The Chordettes
  • Home on the Range – Ames Brothers
  • Johnnie Ray – Johnnie Ray
  • I'm in the Mood for Love – Eddie Fisher
  • Mr. Rhythm Sings – Frankie Laine
  • Oscar Peterson Plays Duke Ellington – Oscar Peterson
  • Penthouse Serenade – Nat King Cole
  • Song Favorites By Frankie Laine – Frankie Laine
  • Tennessee Waltz – Patti Page

US No. 1 hit singles

These singles reached the top of US Billboard magazine's charts in 1952.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!First week!!Number of weeks!!Title!!Artist

|-

|March 15, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|9||"Wheel of Fortune"||Kay Starr

|-

|May 17, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|5||"Blue Tango"||Leroy Anderson

|-

|June 21, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|2||"Here in My Heart"||Al Martino

|-

|July 5, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|1||"Delicado"||Percy Faith & his Orchestra

|-

|July 12, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|9||"Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart"||Vera Lynn

|-

|September 13, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|5||"You Belong to Me"||Jo Stafford

|-

|October 18, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|5||"I Went to Your Wedding"||Patti Page

|-

|November 22, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|1||"It's in the Book"||Johnny Standley

|-

|November 29, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|4||"Why Don't You Believe Me?"||Joni James

|-

|December 27, 1952|| style="text-align:center;"|2||"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"||Jimmy Boyd

|}

Biggest hit singles

The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1952.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! <big>#</big>

! Artist

! Title

! Year

! Country

! Chart entries

|-

| 1 || Percy Faith || Delicado || 1952 || Canada || US 1940s 1 – Apr 1952, US 1 for 1 weeks Jul 1952, Peel list 1 of 1951, US BB 18 of 1952, POP 18 of 1952, Italy 26 of 1952, RYM 127 of 1952

|-

| 2 || Jo Stafford || You Belong to Me || 1952 || US || UK 1 – Nov 1952, US 1940s 1 – Aug 1952, US 1 for 5 weeks Sep 1952, US BB 4 of 1952, POP 4 of 1952, RYM 145 of 1952

|-

| 3 || Al Martino || Here in My Heart || 1952 || US || UK 1 – Nov 1952, US 1940s 1 – May 1952, US 1 for 2 weeks Jun 1952, US BB 20 of 1952, POP 20 of 1952, RYM 22 of 1952

|-

| 4 || Kay Starr || Wheel of Fortune || 1952 || US || US 1940s 1 – Feb 1952, US 1 for 9 weeks Mar 1952, Peel list 3 of 1952, US BB 8 of 1952, POP 8 of 1952, DDD 35 of 1952, Acclaimed 2343

|-

| 5 || Frankie Laine || High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me) || 1952 || US || Oscar in 1952, US BB 3 of 1952, POP 3 of 1952, US 1940s 5 – Jul 1952, UK 7 – Nov 1952, RYM 34 of 1952, Italy 48 of 1952

|}

Top hits on record

  • "Blue Tango"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;words: Mitchell Parish, music: Leroy Anderson
  • "Comes A-Long A-Love"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Al Sherman
  • "Delicado"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Jack Lawrence m. Waldyr Azevedo
  • "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Bob Merrill
  • "Don't Laugh at Me ('Cause I'm a Fool)"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Norman Wisdom & June Tremayne
  • "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Barbara Trammel, Cactus Pryor & Slim Whitman
  • "Faith Can Move Mountains"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Ben Raleigh m. Guy Wood
  • "Feet Up"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Bob Merrill
  • "A Fool Such As I"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Bill Trader
  • "Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Milton Kellem
  • "A Guy Is A Guy"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Oscar Brand
  • "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Charles Singleton & J. H. Wallace
  • "Here in My Heart"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Pat Genaro, Lou Levinson & Bill Borrelli
  • "High Noon"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Ned Washington m. Dimitri Tiomkin
  • "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Helen Deutsch m. Bronislau Kaper
  • "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Harry Noble
  • "Hound Dog"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
  • "I Know a Place" w. Sammy Cahn m. Vernon Duke Introduced by Doris Day & Ray Bolger in the film April in Paris
  • "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Tommie Connor
  • "I Went To Your Wedding"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Jessie Mae Robinson
  • "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Hank Williams & Fred Rose
  • "I'm Hans Christian Andersen"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Frank Loesser
  • "Inchworm"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Frank Loesser
  • "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. J. D. Miller
  • "It's In The Book"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Johnny Standley & Art Thorsen
  • "Jambalaya"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Hank Williams
  • "Kaw-Liga"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Hank Williams & Fred Rose
  • "Keep It A Secret"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Jessie Mae Robinson
  • "The King's New Clothes"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Frank Loesser
  • "Lawdy Miss Clawdy"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Lloyd Price
  • "Lean Baby"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Roy Alfred m. Billy May
  • "Lullaby of Birdland"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. B. Y. Forster (pseudonym for George David Weiss) m. George Shearing
  • "Luna Rossa"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. (Eng) Kermit Goell (Ital) V. de Crescenzo m. A. Vian
  • "Mister Taptoe"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr & Frank Miller
  • "Never Smile at a Crocodile"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;F. Churchill, J. Lawrence
  • "Oh Happy Day"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Donald Howard Koplow & Nancy Binns Reed
  • "The Ol' Spring Fever" w. Leo Robin m. Harry Warren from the film Just For You
  • "One Mint Julep"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Rudy Toombs
  • "Outside of Heaven" w. Sammy Gallop m. Chester Conn
  • "Petite Fleur"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;m. Sidney Bechet
  • "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Bob Merrill
  • "Pretend"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Lew Douglas, Cliff Parman & Frank Levere
  • "Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susie"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kay Twomey, Fred Wise & Ben Weisman
  • "Raminay (The New Orleans Chimney Sweep)" w.m. J. Lawrence, Sammy Fain
  • "She Wears Red Feathers"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Bob Merrill
  • "Sugar Bush"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Josef Marais
  • "Take These Chains from My Heart"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Fred Rose & Hy Heath
  • "Takes Two to Tango"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
  • "That's All"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Alan Brandt m. Bob Haymes
  • "That's Entertainment!"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
  • "Till I Waltz Again With You"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Sidney Prosen
  • "The Ugly Duckling"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Frank Loesser
  • "To Know You (Is to Love You)"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Allan Roberts m. Robert Allen
  • "Walkin' To Missouri"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Bob Merrill
  • "Wheel Of Fortune"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Bennie Benjamin & George David Weiss
  • "When I Fall in Love"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Edward Heyman m. Victor Young
  • "Why Don't You Believe Me?"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Lew Douglas, King Laney & Roy Rodde
  • "Wish You Were Here"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Harold Rome
  • "You Belong to Me"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart & Chilton Price
  • "Your Cheatin' Heart"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w.m. Hank Williams
  • "Zing A Little Zong"&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;w. Leo Robin m. Harry Warren

Top R&B and country hits on record

  • "5-10-15 Hours" – Ruth Brown
  • "Daddy Daddy" – Ruth Brown
  • "Hound Dog" – Big Mama Thornton
  • "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" – Hank Williams
  • "Juke" – Little Walter
  • "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" – Lloyd Price
  • "Midnight Special" – The Weavers
  • "Night Train" – Jimmy Forrest
  • "Wimoweh" – The Weavers
  • "Worry, Worry, Worry" – Joe Houston
  • "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" – Kitty Wells

Classical music

Premieres

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Composer !! Composition !! Date !! Location !! Performers

|-

| Arnold, Malcolm || English Dances, set 2, Op. 33 || 1952-08-05 ||London (Proms) || BBC Symphony – Sargent

|-

| Beck, Conrad || Hymne || 1952-10-11 || Donaueschingen Festival, Germany || SWF Symphony – Rosbaud

|-

| Berio, Luciano || Due pezzi for violin and piano || 1952–?-? || Lenox, Massachusetts (Tanglewood MF) || Lorin Maazel (violin), Seymour Lipkin (piano)

|-

| Cage, John || 4′33″ || 1952-08-29 || Woodstock, New York || Tudor

|-

| Chávez, Carlos || Violin Concerto || 1952-02-29 || Mexico City || Viviane Bertolami (violin), OSN – Chávez

|-

| || [chamber-music work] || 1952-07-21 || Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || [faculty and students of the Ferienkurse]

|-

| Cowell, Henry || Symphony No. 7, for chamber orchestra || 1952-11-25 || Baltimore || Baltimore Little Orchestra – Stewart

|-

| Dallapiccola, Luigi || Tartiniana || 1952-03-04 || Bern, Switzerland||

|-

| dall'Oglio, Renzo|| Espressioni (5) for orchestra || 1952-07-20 || Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || Landestheaterorchester Darmstadt – Maderna

|-

| Fricker, Peter Racine || Concerto for Cor Anglais and Orchestra|| 1952-07-20 || Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || Hartung / Landestheaterorchester Darmstadt – Maderna

|-

| Goeyvaerts, Karel || Violin Concerto No. 2|| 1952-07-20 || Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || Gertler / Landestheaterorchester Darmstadt – Maderna

|-

| Hummel, Bertold || Missa brevis 1951 || 1952-10-12 || Donaueschingen Festiva, Germany || Domchor Freiburg – Stemmer

|-

| Husa, Karel || [chamber-music work] || 1952-07-21 || Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || [faculty and students of the Ferienkurse] || 1952-01-07 || New York City || The Little Orchestra – Scherman

|-

| Lokshin, Aleksandr || Hungarian Fantasy for violin and orchestra || 1952–?-? || Moscow || Sitkovetsky / USSR Radio Symphony – Sanderling

|-

| Maderna, Bruno || Musica su due dimensioni <span style="font-size:65%; line-height: 1.3em;">for flute, cymbals and tape</span> || 1952-07-21 || Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || Gazzelloni, Grano

|-

| Martin, Frank || Violin Concerto|| 1952-01-24 || Basel, Switzerland || Schneeberger / Basel Chamber Orchestra – Sacher

|-

| Martinů, Bohuslav || Piano Trio No. 3|| 1952-02-25 || New York City || Mannes Trio

|-

| Martinů, Bohuslav || Serenade for Two Clarinets and String Trio|| 1952-01-04 || New York City || McGinnis, Cerminara, J. Fuchs, L. Fuchs, Greenhouse

|-

| Messiaen, Olivier || Le merle noir || 1952-06-? || Paris || Contestants of the Conservatory's flute competition + Lee

|-

| Montsalvatge, Xavier || Cuarteto indiano || 1952-05-04 || Madrid || National Chamber Music Association

|-

| Nono, Luigi || España en el corazón || 1952-07-21 || Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || Dumaine, Hildebrandt / Ferienkurse, Landestheater Orchestra – Maderna<sup>1</sup>

|-

| Panufnik, Andrzej || Heroic Overture (2nd version) || 1952-05-16 || Warsaw, Poland || Warsaw Philharmonic – Rowicki

|-

| Pettersson, Allan || Concerto for Strings No. 1|| 1952-04-06 || Stockholm || Swedish Radio Symphony – Mann

|-

| Prokofiev, Sergei || Symphony-Concerto for cello and orchestra || 1952-02-18 || Moscow || Rostropovich / Moscow Youth Orchestra – Richter

|-

| Prokofiev, Sergei || Symphony No. 7 || 1952-10-11 || Moscow || USSR Radio Symphony – Samosud

|-

| Rubbra, Edmund || String Quartet No. 2 in E-flat, Op. 73 || 1952-05-11 || London (Victoria and Albert Museum) || Griller Quartet

|-

| Shostakovich, Dmitri || Preludes and Fugues (24) for piano || 1952-12-23 || Leningrad || Nikolayeva

|-

| Stockhausen, Karlheinz || Kreuzspiel || 1952-07-21 || Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || <span style="font-size:65%; line-height: 1.3em;">Grano, Wildgans, Sandt, Rosmann, Maderna, Trumpfheller, Geppert – Stockhausen</span>

|-

| Stockhausen, Karlheinz || Spiel || 1952-10-11 || Donaueschingen Festival, Germany<sup>2</sup> || SWF Radio Symphony – Rosbaud

|-

| Stravinsky, Igor || Cantata || 1952-11-11 || Los Angeles || Los Angeles Symphony Society – Igor Stravinsky

|-

| Togni, Camillo || Omaggio a Bach for two pianos || 1952-07-21 || Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || Gerd Kämper, Togni

|-

| Jacques Wildberger || Quartet for flute, clarinet, violin, and cello || 1952-07-21 ||Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany || Mertens, Rosokowsky, Stier, Huth

|}

  • <sup>1</sup> The ensemble Bruno Maderna conducted comprised both faculty and students of the Ferienkurse and members of the Landestheater Orchestra Darmstadt.
  • <sup>2</sup> Only the first half of Spiel was performed at Donaueschingen in 1952. The complete score was only first performed in a radio recording made in July 1973 with the SWR Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden, conducted by the composer. The first public performance of the complete composition was given by the Berlin Philharmonic on 14 September 1975, also under the composer's baton.

Compositions

  • Jean Barraqué
  • Piano Sonata
  • Benjamin Britten – Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac, Op. 51
  • John Cage
  • 4′33″
  • Carlos Chávez
  • Sinfonía romántica (Symphony No. 4)
  • George Crumb
  • String Trio
  • Three Pastoral Pieces
  • Luigi Dallapiccola
  • Quaderno musicale di Annalibera, solo piano
  • Alberto Ginastera
  • Piano Sonata No. 1
  • Carlos Guastavino
  • Suite argentina, ballet
  • Dmitry Kabalevsky
  • Piano Concerto No. 3
  • Wojciech Kilar
  • Conjured for baritone and seven instruments
  • Quintet for woodwind instruments
  • Suite No. 2 for piano
  • Sonata No. 1 for piano
  • Erich Wolfgang Korngold
  • Symphony
  • Otto Luening
  • Fantasy in Space for flute and tape
  • Invention in Twelve Notes for flute and tape
  • Low Speed for flute and tape
  • Frank Martin
  • Harpsichord Concerto
  • Bohuslav Martinů
  • Rhapsody-Concerto for Viola and Orchestra
  • Olivier Messiaen
  • Le Merle noir
  • Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
  • Canzone for Violin and Piano
  • Prokofiev, Sergei
  • Symphony No. 7
  • Joaquín Rodrigo
  • Concierto Serenata for Harp and Orchestra
  • Edmund Rubbra
  • Viola Concerto
  • Dmitri Shostakovich
  • String Quartet No. 5
  • Karlheinz Stockhausen
  • Klavierstücke I–IV
  • Punkte [withdrawn, revised in 1962]
  • Schlagquartett
  • Spiel
  • Igor Stravinsky
  • Cantata
  • Vaughan Williams, Ralph
  • Sinfonia antartica (Symphony No. 7)
  • Heitor Villa-Lobos
  • Piano Concerto No. 4
  • Symphony No. 9
  • Dag Wirén – Symphony No. 4

Opera

  • Franco Alfano – Sakùntala (revision of his 1921 opera La leggenda di Sakùntala)
  • Leonard Bernstein – Trouble in Tahiti
  • Raymond Chevreuille – Atta Troll
  • Mozart Camargo Guarnieri – Pedro Malazarte (comic opera in one act, libretto by Mario de Andrade, premiered in May at the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro)

Film

  • Georges Auric - Moulin Rouge
  • Charlie Chaplin - Limelight
  • Bernard Herrmann - The Snows of Kilimanjaro
  • Alfred Newman - The Prizoner of Zenda
  • Alex North - Viva Zapata!
  • Miklós Rózsa - Ivanhoe
  • Dimitri Tiomkin - High Noon
  • Victor Young - The Quiet Man

Jazz

Musical theatre

  • Bet Your Life London production opened at the Hippodrome on February 18 and ran for 362 performances
  • Curtain Going Up Broadway production
  • The Globe Revue London revue opened on July 10 at the Globe Theatre
  • Love from Judy London production opened at the Saville Theatre on September 25 and ran for 594 performances
  • New Faces of 1952 Broadway production
  • Pal Joey (Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) – Broadway revival of original 1940 production
  • Ring Out the Bells London revue opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre on November 12
  • Three Wishes for Jamie Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on March 21 and moved to the Plymouth Theatre on May 27 for a total run of 92 performances
  • Two's Company Broadway production
  • Wish You Were Here Broadway production

Musical films

right|thumb|[[Bob Hope and Bing Crosby On the Road to Bali]]

  • Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick starring Alan Young, Dinah Shore, Robert Merrill and Adele Jergens. Directed by Claude Binyon.
  • Affair in Trinidad starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford
  • April in Paris starring Doris Day and Ray Bolger
  • Because You're Mine starring Mario Lanza and Doretta Morrow
  • Bloodhounds of Broadway starring Mitzi Gaynor, Scott Brady and Mitzi Green
  • Everything I Have Is Yours starring Marge Champion, Gower Champion and Monica Lewis
  • Hans Christian Andersen starring Danny Kaye and Jane Wyman
  • Just for You starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman
  • The Las Vegas Story starring Jane Russell, Victor Mature and Hoagy Carmichael
  • Lovely to Look At starring Kathryn Grayson, Red Skelton, Howard Keel, Marge Champion, Gower Champion and Ann Miller
  • Meet Danny Wilson starring Frank Sinatra and Shelley Winters
  • The Merry Widow starring Lana Turner, Fernando Lamas and Una Merkel
  • Road to Bali starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour
  • She's Working Her Way Through College starring Virginia Mayo and Ronald Reagan
  • Sing Along with Me starring Donald Peers, Dodo Watts & Dennis Vance directed by Peter Graham Scott
  • Singin' in the Rain starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds
  • Skirts Ahoy! starring Esther Williams, Joan Evans, Vivian Blaine and Keefe Brasselle, and featuring Billy Eckstine, The DeMarco Sisters, Debbie Reynolds and Bobby Van.
  • Son of Paleface starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Roy Rogers and Trigger
  • Where's Charley? starring Ray Bolger and Allyn Ann McLerie
  • With a Song in My Heart starring Susan Hayward and Rory Calhoun

Births

  • January 2 – Graeme Strachan, Australian singer-songwriter (died 2001)
  • January 10 – Scott Thurston, American guitarist and songwriter
  • January 15
  • Skay Beilinson, Argentinian guitar player
  • Boris Blank, Swiss musician
  • Melvyn Gale, cellist (Electric Light Orchestra)
  • January 17 – Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese electronic musician and composer (died 2023)
  • January 20 – Paul Stanley, rock guitarist and singer (Kiss)
  • January 21 – Cyril and Libbye Hellier, American operatic sopranos
  • January 22 – Teddy Gentry, country bass player (Alabama)
  • January 25 – Timothy White, American rock journalist (died 2002)
  • January 29 – Tommy Ramone, punk rock drummer, producer (The Ramones)
  • January 30 – Steve Bartek, new wave rock guitarist (Oingo Boingo)
  • February 1 – Jenő Jandó, Hungarian pianist
  • February 4 – Jerry Shirley, English rock drummer (Humble Pie)
  • February 12 – Michael McDonald, American rock singer-songwriter (The Doobie Brothers)
  • February 13 – Ed Gagliardi, American rock bass guitarist (Foreigner)
  • February 16 – James Ingram, American R&B singer-songwriter and producer (died 2019)
  • February 18 – Juice Newton, American pop and country singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • February 20
  • Halvor Haug, Norwegian composer
  • Matti Rantanen, Finnish accordionist
  • February 21 – Jean-Jacques Burnel, English rock bass guitarist and vocalist (The Stranglers)
  • February 23 – Brad Whitford, American hard rock rhythm guitarist (Aerosmith)
  • February 24 – Jadwiga Rappé, Polish contralto (died 2025)
  • March 11 – Vince Giordano, American bass saxophonist and band leader for the Nighthawks Orchestra
  • March 13 – Wolfgang Rihm, German composer (died 2024)
  • March 15 – Howard Devoto, English punk rock singer-songwriter (Buzzcocks, Magazine, Luxuria, ShelleyDevoto)
  • March 22 – Jay Dee Daugherty, American rock drummer and songwriter (Patti Smith Group)
  • April 2 – Leon Wilkeson, American bassist (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
  • April 4 – Gary Moore, Northern Irish blues guitarist and singer (died 2011)
  • April 13 – Rosa Passos, Brazilian Bossa Nova singer
  • April 17 – Jerry Knight, American vocalist, bassist, songwriter and producer (died 1996)
  • April 23 – Narada Michael Walden, American drummer, singer, composer and record producer (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
  • April 26 – Ewa Podleś, Polish opera singer (died 2024)
  • May 11 – Renaud, composer
  • May 14 – David Byrne, singer-songwriter (Talking Heads)
  • May 18 – George Strait, country singer, actor and music producer
  • May 19 – Barbara Joyce Lomas, funk/disco singer (B. T. Express)
  • May 23 – Dillie Keane, cabaret performer
  • May 30 – Zoltán Kocsis, composer and pianist (died 2016)
  • June 5 – Nicko McBrain, heavy metal drummer (Iron Maiden, Trust, etc.)
  • June or July 6 – Jamie Spears, father of singer-songwriters and actresses Jamie Lynne Spears and Britney Spears (estranged)
  • June 7 – Royce Campbell, American guitarist, composer and producer
  • June 11 – Donnie Van Zant rock guitarist and vocalist (38 Special)
  • June 12
  • Junior Brown, country guitarist and singer
  • Oliver Knussen, composer (died 2018)
  • June 16 – Gino Vannelli, Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and composer
  • June 19 – Jim Johnston, American composer and musician
  • June 25
  • Tim Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter
  • Radka Toneff, Norwegian jazz singer (died 1982)
  • July 1
  • Dan Aykroyd, actor (The Blues Brothers)
  • Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, drummer, composer and record producer (died 2018)
  • Timothy J. Tobias, American pianist and composer (died 2006)
  • July 2 – Johnny Colla (Huey Lewis and the News)
  • July 3 – Laura Branigan, American singer (Gloria) and actress (died 2004)
  • July 4 - John Waite, English musician
  • July 12 – Philip Taylor Kramer, American bass player (Iron Butterfly) (died 1995)
  • July 14 – Bob Casale, American guitarist, keyboard player and producer (Devo) (died 2014)
  • July 15 – David Pack, frontman, vocalist and guitarist with rock group Ambrosia
  • July 16 – Stewart Copeland, drummer (The Police)
  • July 17
  • Nicolette Larson, singer (died 1997)
  • Phoebe Snow, singer-songwriter (died 2011)
  • July 19 – Allen Collins, American guitarist and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington Collins Band and Allen Collins Band) (died 1990)
  • July 22
  • John Rutsey, Canadian drummer (Rush) (died 2008)
  • Janis Siegel, American singer (The Manhattan Transfer)
  • July 28 – Glenn A. Baker, Australian music journalist
  • July 31 – Reinhard Goebel, German early music conductor and violinist
  • August 4 – Moya Brennan, Irish folk harpist and singer (Clannad) (died 2026)
  • August 6 – Pat MacDonald, American new wave musician (Timbuk 3)
  • August 16 – Gianna Rolandi, American soprano (died 2021)
  • August 20 – John Hiatt, guitarist, pianist and singer
  • August 21 – Joe Strummer, singer-songwriter (The Clash) (died 2002)
  • August 26 – Billy Rush, guitarist (Asbury Jukes)
  • August 27 – Laurie Wisefield, English guitarist and vocalist (Wishbone Ash)
  • September 4 – Martin Chambers, The Pretenders
  • September 9 – Dave Stewart, English musician, songwriter and record producer (Eurythmics)
  • September 12
  • Gerry Beckley, rock singer-songwriter (America)
  • Neil Peart, rock drummer & songwriter (Rush) (died 2020)
  • September 13 – Randy Jones, singer (Village People)
  • September 18 – Dee Dee Ramone, bassist (The Ramones) (died 2002)
  • September 19 – Nile Rodgers, American record producer, songwriter, musician, composer, arranger and guitarist (The Honeydrippers, Chic)
  • September 22 – Oliver Mtukudzi ("Tuku"), Zimbabwean Afro jazz singer-guitarist (died 2019)
  • September 30 – John Lombardo, American musician (10,000 Maniacs, John & Mary)
  • October 2 – Janusz Olejniczak, Polish pianist (died 2024)
  • October 9 – Sharon Osbourne, English-American television personality, music manager and author wife of Ozzy Osbourne
  • October 21 – Miroslav Žbirka, Slovak singer-songwriter
  • November 2
  • Maxine Nightingale, singer
  • Alan Winstanley, producer
  • November 14 – Johnny A., guitarist and songwriter
  • November 17 – Runa Laila, Bangladeshi playback singer and composer
  • November 18 - John Parr, English musician and singer-songwriter
  • November 20 – Semyon Bychkov, conductor
  • November 27 – Bappi Lahiri, Indian film composer
  • December 3 – Don Barnes (38 Special)
  • December 23 – Hans Abrahamsen, Danish composer
  • December 27 – David Knopfler (Dire Straits)

Deaths

  • January 9 – Midge Williams, singer
  • January 14 – Artur Kapp, Estonian composer (d. 1878)
  • January 16 – René Voisin, trumpeter
  • January 20 – Arthur Farwell, composer and conductor
  • February 13 – Alfred Einstein, musicologist
  • March 17 – Percy Wenrich, ragtime composer
  • March 22 – Uncle Dave Macon, musician
  • April 19 – Steve Conway, British singer (born 1920)
  • April 23 – Elisabeth Schumann, operatic soprano
  • May 23 – Georg Schumann, German composer (born 1866)
  • May 15 – Italo Montemezzi, composer
  • June 9 – Adolf Busch, violinist and composer
  • June 13 – Emma Eames, operatic soprano
  • June 14 – John Kirby, jazz musician
  • June 25 – Luke Jordan, blues musician
  • July 2 – Henriëtte Hilda Bosmans, Dutch composer and pianist (born 1895)
  • July 10 – Rued Langgaard, Danish composer and organist (born 1893)
  • September 2 - Nicholas Laucella, concert flautist and composer
  • September 6 – Gertrude Lawrence, English actress, singer, dancer
  • September 16 – Vesta Tilley, music hall entertainer
  • September 18 – Frances Alda, operatic soprano
  • September 19 – Nat Ayer, composer
  • October 25 – Sergei Bortkiewicz, pianist and composer
  • October 26 – Hattie McDaniel
  • November 1 – Dixie Lee, singer, dancer and actress, wife of Bing Crosby
  • November 4 – Max Adler, violinist
  • November 17 – Charles Penrose, music hall performer
  • December 25 – Bernardino Molinari, arranger and conductor (born 1880)
  • December 26 – Paul Breisach, conductor
  • December 28 – Fletcher Henderson, jazz musician
  • December 30
  • Willie Brown, blues musician
  • Nakayama Shimpei, songwriter
  • date unknown
  • Tryphosa Bates-Batcheller, singer
  • Georgette Harvey, actress and singer

References

Sources