1943

<1942 … 1944>

Jan

2

• Barış Manço born (Istanbul) Turkish pop and rock  singer, songwriter, TV producer. Died 1999
• Virgil Thomson’s orchestral suite The Plow That Broke the Plains premiered in Philadelphia
• William Walton’s Spitfire Prelude and Fugue for orchestra premiered in Liverpool

3

• Heinz Karl ‘HK’ Gruber born (Vienna) Austrian composer, conductor, bassist, singer.
• Van Dyke Parks born (Hattiesburg, MS) American pop and rock composer, arranger, record producer, singer, keyboard player, actor.

5

• Virgil Thomson’s Four “portraits” for cello and piano premiered in Rochester, NY

6

• Barry Altschul born (New York, NY) American jazz drummer, bandleader. Worked with Circle, Dave Holland, Chick Corea, Andrew Hill and others.
• Bruno Campanella born (Bari) Italian conductor.

7

• Richard Armstrong born (Leicester) English conductor. Music Director of Scottish Opera from 1993 to 2005.
• Cole Porter, H. & D. Fields’s musical Something for the Boys opens on Broadway (422 performances)

8

• Lee Jackson born (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) English bassist, singer. Founder member of the Nice.

9

• Scott Walker aka Noel Scott Engel born (Hamilton, OH) American pop and avant-garde singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, composer. Member of the Walker Brothers and solo artist.

10

• Jim Croce born (Philadelphia, PA) American folk and rock singer, songwriter, guitarist. Died 1973
• Gnonnas Pedro aka Gnonnan Sossou Pierre Kouassivi born (Lokossa, Benin) Beninese singer, songwriter, dancer. Worked with Orchestre Poly-rythmo de Cotonou and Africando. Died 2004

11

• Bohuslav Martinu’s song cycle New Spalicek premiered in New York

12

• Virgil Thomson’s orchestral suite The River premiered in New York

14

• Mariss Jansons born (Riga) Latvian conductor. Son of Arvīds Jansons (1914-84).

15

• Virgil Thomson’s A Fanfare for France for brass ensemble premiered in Cincinnati

16

• Gavin Bryars born (Goole) English composer, bassist.
• Brian Ferneyhough born (Coventry) English composer, teacher.
• Ronnie Milsap born (Robbinsville, NC) American country singer, pianist. Blind from birth.
• John Cage’s Four Dances (What So Proudly We Hail) for tenor singer, prepared piano and percussion premiered in New York

17

• Billy Harper born (Houston, TX) American jazz tenor saxophonist, bandleader. Worked with Gil Evans and others.
• Chris Montez born (Hawthorne, CA) American pop singer, songwriter.
• David Diamond’s Concerto for two pianos premiered in New York

18

• Dave Greenslade born (Woking) English rock keyboard player, composer. Member of Colosseum, If and Greenslade.
• Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 7 premiered in Moscow

19

• Janis Joplin born (Fort Arthur, TX) American rock singer, songwriter. Member of Big Brother and the Holding Company and solo artist. Died 1970

20

• Gene Krupa is arrested in San Francisco for possession of marijuana. He receives a three month prison sentence

21

• Steve Potts born (Columbus, OH) American jazz alto saxophonist. Worked with Steve Lacy and his own groups.
• Sergei Prokofiev’s The Year 1941 op.90 for orchestra premiered in Sverdlovsk, Russia

22

• Maarten Altena born (Amsterdam) Dutch composer, bassist.
• Didier Malherbe born (Paris) French jazz and rock saxophonist, flautist. Founder member of Gong.
• Michal Urbaniak born (Warsaw) Polish jazz violinist, saxophonist, bandleader, Worked with Krzysztof Komeda and his own groups.

23

• Duke Ellington’s orchestra performs for the first time at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The concert in aid of Russian War Relief includes the premiere of Black, Brown and Beige

26

• Thom Bell born (Kingston, Jamaica) American soul and R&B songwriter, record producer, pianist.
• Jean Knight born (New Orleans, LA) American soul singer.

28

• Dick Taylor born (Dartford) English rock bass guitarist, guitarist, songwriter. Founder member of the Rolling Stones and the Pretty Things.

29

• Tony Blackburn born (Guildford, Surrey) English disc jockey, broadcaster, pop singer.
• Tim Souster born (Bletchley, Bucks) English composer, radio producer. Died 1994

31

• Richard Strauss’ Divertimento for chamber orchestra premiered in Vienna

releases

• Big Bill [Broonzy] – Night Watchman Blues / What’s Wrong With Me (Okeh) 
  
• Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup – Gonna Follow My Baby / Mean Old ‘Frisco Blues (Bluebird) 
  
• Benny Goodman & His Orchestra feat. Peggy Lee – Why Don’t You Do Right? / Somebody Else is Taking My Place (Columbia)

Virgil Thomson 1896-1989

Feb

1

• Ulvi Cemal Erkin’s Köçekçe, dance rhapsody for orchestra premiered in Ankara
  

2

• Bohuslav Martinu’s Fantasy and Toccata for piano premiered in New York

3

• Dennis Edwards born (Birmingham, AL) American soul singer. Member of the Temptations intermittently from 1968 to 1989 and solo artist.
• Shawn Phillips born (Fort Worth, TX) American folk and rock singer, songwriter, guitarist.

5

• Ivan Tcherepnin born (Issy-les-Moulineaux, France) Russo-American composer. Son of Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977), brother of Serge Tcherepnin (b.1941). Died 1998

6

• Fabian aka Fabiano Anthony Forte born (Philadelphia, PA) American pop singer, actor.

7

• Sigrid Arnoldson (81) dies in Stockholm
• John Cage’s Amores for two prepared pianos and two percussion trios premiered in New York
• Henry Cowell’s Ostinato pianissimo for 8 percussionists premiered in New York

8

• José Antônio Rezende de Almeida Prado born (São Paulo) Brazilian composer, pianist. Died 2010

9

• Barbara Lewis born (Salem, MI) American pop and soul singer, songwriter.

11

• Little Johnny Taylor born (Gregory, AR) American blues and soul singer. Died 2002
• Hilding Rosenberg’s Viola Concerto premiered on Swedish radio, Stockholm

13

• Ernest Tubb joins the Grand Ole Opry

14

• Eric Andersen born (Pittsburgh, PA) American folk singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist.
• Maceo Parker born (Kinston, NC) American jazz, funk and soul saxophonist, bandleader. Member of the JBs, Parliament – Funkadelic and his own groups.
• John Cage’s prepared piano works In the Name of the Holocaust; Ad Lib; & Shimmera premiered in New York

15

• Elaine ‘Lal’ Waterson born (Hull) English folk singer. Member of the Watersons. Sister of Norma (b.1939) and Mike (1941-2011) Waterson. Died 1998

17

• Lou Christie aka Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco born (Glenwillard, PA) American pop singer, songwriter.
• A. J. Piron (54) dies in New Orleans
• Aaron Copland’s Music for Movies for orchestra premiered in New York
• Sergei Rachmaninoff plays his final concert in Knoxville, TN

18

• Karel Weis’s opera Bojárska nevesta [The Boyar bride], lib. Weis, premiered in Prague

20

• Franz Léhar’s operetta Garabonciás diák [The Wandering Scholar] premiered in Budapest, lib. E. Innocent Vincze (revision of Zigeunerliebe)
• Carl Orff’s opera Die Kluge: die Geschichte von dem König und der klugen Frau [The Wise: the story of the king and the wise woman] premiered in Frankfurt, lib. Orff

21

• David Geffen born (Brooklyn, NY) American record executive, film producer, founder of Asylum and Geffen Records.
• Constant Lambert’s Aubade héroïque for orchestra premiered in London
• William Walton’s Fanfares for the Red Army for brass premiered in London

22

• Louise Lopez born (Virgin Islands) Virgin Island soul and disco singer. Member of Odyssey. Sister of Lillian Lopez (b.1945).
• Jane Froman is seriously injured in an aircraft crash near Lisbon

25

• Maryanne Amacher born (Pittsburg, PA) American composer, electronic musician, sound artist. Pioneer in the use of otoacoustic emissions in music. Died 2009
• George Harrison born (Liverpool) English rock singer, guitarist, songwriter, film producer. Member of the Beatles and solo artist. Died 2001

26

• Bob Hite born (Torrance, CA) American blues and rock singer. Founder member of Canned Heat. Died 1981
• William Schuman’s Prayer in a Time of War for orchestra premiered in Pittsburgh

27

• Morten Lauridsen born (Colfax, WA) American composer, teacher.
• Costin Miereanu born (Bucharest) Franco-Romanian composer, musicologist.

28

• Barbara Acklin born (Chicago, IL) American soul singer. Died 1998

releases

• Freddie Slack – Cow Cow Boogie / Here You Are (Capitol)

William Walton 1902-1983

Mar

2

• Jackson C. Frank born (Buffalo, NY) American folk singer, songwriter, guitarist. Died 1999
• Anton Webern’s Variations for orchestra op.30 premiered in Winterthur, Switzerland

4

• Max Steiner’s music for Irving Rapper’s film Now, Voyager wins the best dramatic score Oscar at the 15th Academy Awards. Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld’s music for Michael Curtiz’s film Yankee Doodle Dandy wins the award for best musical score

5

• John Cage’s The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs for voice and closed piano premiered in New York

7

• Chris White born (Barnet) English rock bass guitarist, songwriter. Founder member of the Zombies.
• Alma Moodie (44) dies in Cologne (or Frankfurt) during an air raid after an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol

9

• David Matthews born (London) English composer. Brother of Colin Matthews (b.1946).

11

• Ulvi Cemal Erkin’s Piano Concerto premiered in Ankara

12

• Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man for brass and percussion premiered in Cincinnati

14

• Jim Pons born (Santa Monica, CA) American rock bass guitarist, singer, video director, session musician. Member of the Leaves, the Turtles and the Mothers of Invention.

15

• Sly Stone aka Sylvester Stewart born (Denton, TX) American R&B, soul and rock singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist. Founder member of Sly and the Family Stone.

16

• Adrian Jack born (Datchet, Berkshire) English composer, teacher, writer, critic, radio producer.

18

• Nobuko Imai born (Tokyo) Japanese classical violinist, teacher.

19

• Jean Paul Kürsteiner (78) dies in Los Angeles

21

• Hartmut Haenchen born (Dresden) German conductor.
• Viv Stanshall born (Shillingford, Oxon) English jazz, pop and rock singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, humourist. Founder member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Died 1995

22

• George Benson born (Pittsburgh, PA) American jazz and R&B guitarist, singer, songwriter.
• Keith Relf born (London) English rock singer, harmonica player. Member of the Yardbirds. Died 1976

27

• Michael Tippett’s String Quartet no.2 premiered in London

28

• Ben Davies (85) dies in London
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (69) dies in Los Angeles of cancer

29

• Vangelis Papathanassiou born (Volos, Greece) Greek composer, keyboard player. Member of Aphrodite’s Child, Jon & Vangelis and solo artist.

30

• Ken Forssi born (Cleveland, OH) American rock bassist. Member of Love from 1965 to 1968. Died 1998

31

• Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma! opens on Broadway (2212 performances)
• Eduard Tubin’s ballet Kratt premiered in Tartu, Estonia

unk

• Woody Guthrie is drafted and joins the Merchant Marine

publications

• Woody Guthrie’s autobiography Bound for Glory published

releases

• Andy Kirk & His Clouds Of Joy – Hey Lawdy Mama / McGhee Special (Decca)
• Roosevelt Sykes – Training Camp Blues / Sugar Babe Blues (Okeh)
• Paul Robeson – Songs of Free Men (Columbia)

First edition of Woody Guthrie’s Bound for Glory

Apr

1

• Othmar Schoeck’s opera Das Schloss Dürande [The castle Dürande], lib. Hermann Burte, premiered in Berlin

2

• Larry Coryell born (Galveston, TX) American jazz and rock guitarist, composer, bandleader.

3

• Mario Lavista born (Mexico City) Mexican composer, writer, teacher.
• Richard Manuel born (Stratford, Ontario) Canadian rock singer, multi-instrumentalist. Founder member of the Band. Died 1986
• Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto heroico for piano and orchestra premiered in Lisbon

4

• Tiny Parham (43) dies following a heart attack in his dressing room after a show in Milwaukee, WN

6

• Noah Howard born (New Orleans, LA) American jazz alto saxophonist. Died 2010
• William Walton’s ballet The Quest premiered in London

7

• Mick Abrahams born (Luton) English rock guitarist, songwriter. Founder member of Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig.
• Bohuslav Martinu’s Suite Concertante for violin and orchestra premiered in New York

9

• Terry Knight aka Richard Knapp born (Lapeer, MI) American disc jockey, record producer, manager, singer, songwriter. Led Terry Knight & the Pack. Died 2004
• Vincente Minnelli’s film Cabin in the Sky opens, starring Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington. Music by Harold Arlen and Vernon Duke
• Richard Strauss’ Festmusik für den Trumpetercorps der Stadt Wien [Festival Music for the City of Vienna Trumpet corps] premiered in Vienna

10

• Julio Estrada Velasco born (Mexico City) Mexican composer, theorist, historian, teacher.
• Charlie Parker marries Geraldine Scott in New York

12

• Frank Denyer born (London) English composer, teacher.
• Roydel Johnson aka Congo Ashanti Roy born (Kendal, Jamaica) Jamaican reggae singer. Member of the Congos, Ras Michael’s Sons of Negus and solo artist.

13

• Aaron Copland’s Lark for chorus premiered in New York

14

• Nikolai Arnoldovich Petrov born (Moscow) Russian concert pianist. Died 2011
• Geoffrey Shaw (63) dies in London

15

• Morton Feldman’s Dirge. In Memory of Thomas Wolfe for string orchestra premiered in New York

18

• Timothee Adamowski (86) dies in Boston, MA

19

• Gustave Doret (76) dies in Lausanne
• Arnold Bax’s Salute to Sydney premiered on BBC Radio

20

• John Eliot Gardiner born (Fontmell Magna, Dorset) English conductor.

23

• Hugh Seymour Davies born (Exmouth) English musicologist, composer, inventor of experimental musical instruments. Founder of the Music Improvisation Company. Died 2005
• Alexander Vustin born (Moscow) Russian composer.
• Frédéric Alfred d’Erlanger (74) dies in Versailles, France
• Sarah Vaughan makes her stage debut with Earl Hines’ orchestra at the Apollo, Harlem

26

• Gary Wright born (Cresskill, NJ) American rock singer, songwriter, keyboard player, record producer, actor. Member of Spooky Tooth and solo artist.
• Else Gentner-Fischer (59) dies in Prien am Chiemsee, Germany

28

• Jacques Dutronc born (Paris) French pop and rock singer, songwriter, actor.
• Yoav Talmi born (Merhavia kibbutz, Israel) Israeli conductor, composer.

29

• Joseph Achron (56) dies in Hollywood, CA
• Ricardo Viñes (68) dies in Barcelona

30

• Bobby Vee aka Robert Thomas Velline born (Fargo, ND) American pop singer, songwriter.
• Leo Smit (42) murdered at the Sobibor extermination camp in Poland

releases

• Count Basie and his Orchestra – Rusty Dusty Blues / All of Me (Columbia)
• Al Dexter – Pistol Packin’ Mama / Rosalita (Okeh)

Joseph Achron 1886-1943

May

1

• Bohuslav Martinu’s Variations on a Theme of Rossini for cello and piano premiered in New York

3

• Henry Cowell’s American Melting Pot Set for chamber orchestra premiered in New York

4

• Cesira Ferrani (79) dies in Pollone, Italy
• Wilhelm Middelschulte (80) dies

7

• Terry Allen born (Wichita, KS) American country singer, songwriter, guitarist, painter, sculptor.
• Harvey Andrews born (Birmingham) English folk singer, songwriter, guitarist, poet.

8

• Paul Samwell-Smith born (London) English rock bass guitarist, record producer. Founder member of the Yardbirds.
• Danny Whitten born (Columbus, GA) American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter. Founder member of Crazy Horse and worked with Neil Young. Died 1972

10

• Olivier Messiaen’s Visions de l’Amen for two pianos premiered in Paris

13

• Clive Palmer born (London) English folk banjo player, guitarist. Member of the Incredible String Band from 1965 to 1966 and solo artist.
• Mary Wells born (Detroit, MI) American soul singer. Died 1992

14

• Jack Bruce born (Glasgow) Scottish rock and jazz singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, keyboard player. Member of Blues Incorporated, Graham Bond Organisation, Bluesbreakers, Manfred Mann, Cream and solo artist.
• Tania León born (Havana) Cuban-American composer, conductor, teacher, music administrator.

17

• Joanna Bruzdowicz born (Warsaw) Polish composer.

21

• John Dalton born (Enfield) English bass guitarist. Member of the Kinks from 1969 to 1976.
• Grazyna Bacewicz’s String Quartet no.2 premiered in Warsaw

22

• Hilton Valentine born (North Shields) English rock guitarist. Member of the Animals from 1963 to 1966.

23

• General Johnson born (Huntersville, VA) American soul singer, songwriter. Member of the Showmen and Chairmen of the Board. Died 2010

27

• Cilla Black aka Priscilla White born (Liverpool) English pop singer, television personality.

28

• Aaron Copland’s Rodeo: 4 Dance Episodes for orchestra premiered in Boston

30

• Roy Del Ruth’s film DuBarry Was a Lady opens, starring Red Skelton, Lucille Ball & Gene Kelly. Music by Cole Porter

unk

• Muddy Waters leaves Clarksdale, MS and heads for Chicago

releases

• Golden Gate Quartet – Stalin Wasn’t Stallin’ / Dip Your Fingers in the Water (Okeh)

Grazyna Bacewicz 1909-69

Jun

1

• Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters appear on radio for the first time. Maybelle, Anita, Helen and June Carter
• Hilding Rosenberg’s Cantata to the National Museum premiered on Swedish radio, Stockholm, lib. H. Gullberg
• Frank Sinatra signs a solo deal with Columbia Records

2

• Ilaiyaraaja aka Gnanadesikan born (Pannaipuram, Tamil Nadu, India) Tamil Indian composer, singer, conductor.
• John Barbirolli appointed director of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, a position he holds until 1968

4

• Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s opera Gli dei a Tebe [The gods in Thebes] premiered in Hanover, lib. M. Ghisalberti and L. Andersen

5

• Dimitri Shostakovich’s Piano Sonata no.2 op.61 & Six Romances on Verses by British Poets op.62 for bass singer and piano premiered in Moscow
• Michael Tippett’s cantata Boyhood’s End premiered in London

6

• David Nelson born (Seattle, WA) American rock and bluegrass guitarist, singer, songwriter, mandolin player. Founder member of New Riders of the Purple Sage and solo artist.

7

• Frank Sinatra makes his first solo recordings for Columbia in New York, an a capella session with the Bobby Tucker Singers. Tracks cut include You’ll Never Know; Close to You & People Will Say We’re in Love

8

• Penny Rimbaud aka Jeremy John Ratter born (London) English rock drummer, writer, poet, activist. Founder member of Crass.

9

• Kenny Barron born (Philadelphia, PA) American jazz pianist, bandleader. Brother of Bill Barron (1927-89).

11

• Walter Lang’s film Coney Island opens, starring Betty Grable, George Montgomery & Cesar Romero. Music by Alfred Newman and Otto Harbach

13

• Arlester “Dyke” Christian born (Buffalo, NY) American soul singer. Led Dyke & the Blazers. Died 1971
• Ludwig Güttler born (Sosa, Germany) German trumpet virtuoso, horn player, conductor.

14

• Dewey ‘Spooner’ Oldham born (Center Star, AL) American R&B, soul and country songwriter, organist, session musician.

15

• Johnny Hallyday aka Jean-Philippe Smet born (Paris) French rock and pop singer, songwriter, actor.
• Muff Winwood born (Birmingham) English rock bassist, songwriter, record producer, record company executive. Member of the Spencer Davis Group) Brother of Steve Winwood (b.1948).

17

• Barry Manilow aka Barry Pinkus born (Brooklyn, NY) American pop singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, broadcaster.

18

• Raffaella Carrà née Pelloni born (Bologna) Italian pop singer, actress, dancer, television personality.

21

• Francis Poulenc’s Violin Sonata premiered in Paris

22

• Eumir Deodato born (Rio de Janeiro) Brazilian jazz keyboard player, composer.
• Ralph Molina born (Puerto Rico) American rock drummer. Founder member of Crazy Horse. Worked with Neil Young.

23

• James Levine born (Cincinnati, OH) American conductor, pianist.
• Benjamin Britten’s Prelude and Fugue for strings op.29 premiered in London

24

• Frank Lowe born (Memphis, TN) American jazz saxophonist. Worked with Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane. Died 2003
• Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 5 premiered in London

26

• Georgie Fame aka Clive Powell born (Leigh) English blues, R&B and jazz singer, songwriter, pianist.
• Ruby Elzy (35) dies in Detroit following surgery to remove a benign tumour

29

• Little Eva aka Eva Narcissus Boyd born (Belhaven, NC) American pop singer. Died 2003
• Garland Jeffreys born (Brooklyn, NY) American rock and soul singer, songwriter, record producer.

30

• Florence Ballard born (Detroit, MI) American soul singer. Member of the Supremes from 1959 to 1967 and solo artist. Died 1976
• Stan Kenton sentenced to one to six years in prison for using a minor to transport narcotics
• Gian Francesco Malipiero’s opera La vita è sogno [Life is a Dream], lib. Malipiero, premiered in Wroclaw

unk

• Michael Tippett sentenced to three months in gaol for refusing to do war work because of his conscientious objector status
• The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, comprised of mainly Jewish inmates, is set up at Auschwitz-Birkenau on orders of the SS

releases

• Golden Gate Quartette – Comin’ In On a Wing and a Prayer / Run On (Okeh)
• Jay McShann & His Orchestra – Get Me On Your Mind / The Jumpin’ Blues (Decca)
• Song Spinners – Comin’ In on a Wing and a Prayer / Johnny Zero (Decca)

Ralph Vaughan Williams 1872-1958

Jul

1

• Jeff Wayne born (New York) American record producer, rock keyboard player, composer, conductor.
  

3

• Judith Durham aka Judith Cock born (Essendon, Victoria) Australian jazz, pop and folk singer. Member of the Seekers from 1963 to 1968 and solo artist.

4

• Conny Bauer born (Halle, Germany) German jazz and improv trombonist. Brother of Hannes Bauer (b.1954).
• Annette Beard born (Detroit) American soul singer. Member of Martha and the Vandellas from 1957 to 1964.
• Fred Wesley born (Columbus, GA) American R&B, jazz and funk trombonist, bandleader, arranger. Worked with the JBs, Funkadelic – Parliament and his own groups.
• Al Wilson born (Boston, MA) American rock and blues singer, guitarist, songwriter. Founder member of Canned Heat. Died 1970

9

• Manfred Eicher born (Lindau, Germany) German record producer, founder of ECM records.

10

• Jerry Miller born (Tacoma, WA) American rock singer, guitarist, songwriter, session player. Founder member of Moby Grape and solo artist.

12

• Christine McVie née Perfect born (Birmingham) English rock singer, songwriter, keyboard player. Member of Chicken Shack and Fleetwood Mac from 1970 to 1998.

17

• Art Tatum announces the formation of a trio with bassist Slam Stewart and guitarist Tiny Grimes

21

• Henry McCullough born (Portstewart, Northern Ireland) Irish rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, session player. Worked with Sweeney’s Men, Spooky Tooth, Wings and others.

23

• James Levine born (Cincinnati, OH) American conductor, pianist.
• Tony Joe White born (Oak Grove, LA) American rock and blues guitarist, singer, songwriter.

25

• Jim McCarty born (Liverpool) English rock drummer. Member of the Yardbirds and Renaissance.

26

• Mick Jagger born (Dartford, Kent) English rock singer, songwriter, actor. Founder member of the Rolling Stones.
• Roger Smalley born (Swinton, Lancs) English composer, pianist, conductor.

28

• Rick Wright born (London) English rock keyboard player, singer, songwriter. Founder member of Pink Floyd. Died 2008

29

• Marta Ptaszynska born (Warsaw) Polish composer, percussionist, teacher.

30

• Benjamin Dale (58) dies in London after collapsing during the rehearsals for a show

unk

• Violinist Alma Rosé deported from France to Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp

releases

• Frank Sinatra – You’ll Never Know / Close To You (Columbia)

Alma Rosé 1906-44

Aug

3

• Corky Cornelius (28) dies in New York of kidney failure

6

• Dan Grigore born (Bucharest) Romanian pianist, composer.

9

• Wanda Young born (Inkster, MI) American soul singer. Member of the Marvelettes from 1961 to 1971.

10

• Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Bennett aka Ronnie Spector born (New York, NY) American pop and R&B singer. Led the Ronettes. Sister of Estelle Bennett (1941-2009).
• Michael Mantler born (Vienna) Austrian jazz and classical composer, trumpeter.

11

• Krzysztof Meyer born (Krakow) Polish composer, pianist, teacher.
• Richard Strauss’ Concerto for horn and orchestra no.2 premiered in Salzburg

15

• The Teatro alla Scala opera house in Milan is severely damaged during an air raid

17

• Edward Cowie born (Birmingham) English composer, painter, writer.

18

• Stan Getz makes his first recordings with Jack Teagarden and his Orchestra in Wichita Falls, TX. Chuck Mackey, Louis Obergh, Nelson Shelladay (tp) Wally Barron, Palmar Combatelli, Jack Teagarden Jr. (tb) Jack Teagarden (tb, vo) Irving Frank, Gish Gilberston, Hal Tennyson (as) Stan Getz (ts) John Witter (p) Vic Cipponeri (b) Frank Horrington (d) Phyllis Lane (vo)

19

• George Edwards aka Ethan Kenning born (Chicago, IL) American rock singer, guitarist, songwriter, record producer. Founder member of H.P. Lovecraft.

24

• John Cipollina born (Berkeley, CA) American rock guitarist, composer, session player. Founder member of Quicksilver Messenger Service. Died 1989
• Dafydd Iwan Jones born (Brynaman, Carmarthenshire) Welsh folk singer, songwriter, guitarist, politician.

26

• Dori Caymmi born (Rio de Janeiro) Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, arranger, record producer.

27

• Brian Griffiths born (Liverpool) English rock guitarist. Member of the Big Three from 1962 to 1963.
• Henry Cowell’s Chinese Partisan Fighter for piano premiered in Redlands, CA

29

• Dick Halligan born (Troy, NY) American jazz and rock trombonist, keyboard player, flautist, composer. Member of Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1967 to 1971.

releases

• Duke Ellington – Slip of a Lip / Sentimental Lady (RCA Victor)
• Benny Goodman and his Orchestra – Mission to Moscow / It’s Always You (Columbia)
• Fats Waller and his Rhythm – Your Socks Don’t Match / Up Jumped You With Love (Bluebird)

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra – Mission to Moscow (Columbia)

Sep

1

• August Brunetti-Pisano (72) dies in Salzburg
  

2

• Rosalind Ashford born (Detroit, MI) American soul singer. Member of Martha and the Vandellas from 1960 to 1969.
• Joe Simon born (Simmesport, LA) American soul and Gospel singer, songwriter, record producer.

3

• Mick Farren born (Cheltenham) English rock singer, writer, critic, journalist. Member of the Deviants.

4

• General Electric announce the development of the magnetic wire recorder, the forerunner to the tape recorder

6

• Roger Waters born (Leatherhead) English rock singer, bass guitarist, songwriter. Founder member of Pink Floyd and solo artist.

7

• Rocco Filippini born (Lugano, Switzerland) Swiss cellist.
• Frank Crumit (53) dies in New York following a heart attack
• Karlrobert Kreiten (27) executed in Berlin alongside 185 other prisoners for making anti-Hitler comments

10

• Edward Norman Hay (54) dies in Portstewart, Northern Ireland

11

• Mickey Hart born (Brooklyn, NY) American rock drummer. Member of the Grateful Dead from 1967 to 1971 and from 1974 to 1995.
• Alberto Jonás (75) dies in New York

12

• Maria Muldaur née d’Amato born (New York, NY) American folk and pop singer. Member of the Even Dozen Jug Band and solo artist.

13

• George Sidney’s film Thousands Cheer opens, starring Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly & Mary Astor. Music by Irving Berlin, Lorenz Hart, Jerome Kern, Nacio Herb Brown, Richard Rogers, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Max Steiner and Dmitri Shostakovich

14

• Falk Rogner born (Germany) German rock keyboard player, composer. Founder member of Amon Düül II.

15

• Tommy Hall born (Memphis, TN) American rock electric jug player, singer, songwriter. Founder member of the 13th Floor Elevators.
• Shin’ichirō Ikebe born (Mito, Ibaraki, Japan) Japanese composer.

18

• Michael Vetter born (Oberstdorf, Germany) German composer, musician, writer, artist, teacher.
• Decca Records signs a deal with the American Federation of Musicians enabling the recording ban to be lifted for the label

21

• Trixie Smith (48) dies in New York
• Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb for choir and organ premiered in Northampton

22

• Hans Krása’s children’s opera Brundibár premiered in Theresienstadt concentration camp, Czech Rep.

23

• Steve Boone born (Camp Lejeune, NC) American rock bass guitarist, record producer, recording studio owner. Member of the Lovin’ Spoonful.
• Manuel Fernandez born (Seville) Spanish rock and pop organist, songwriter. Member of Los Bravos from 1965 to 1967. Died 1967
• Julio Iglesias born (Madrid) Spanish pop singer, songwriter. Father of Enrique Iglesias (b.1975).

27

• Randy Bachman born (Winnipeg, Manitoba) Canadian rock guitarist, singer, songwriter. Founder member of the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

28

• Hugues Dufourt born (Lyon) French composer, philosopher. Founder member of the Ensemble l’Itinéraire in 1973.
• Nick St. Nicholas aka Klaus Karl Kassbaum born (Plön, Germany) German-Canadian rock bassist, singer. Member of Steppenwolf from 1968 to 1970.

30

• Marilyn McCoo born (Jersey City, NJ) American pop and soul singer, actress. Member of Fifth Dimension and solo artist.

releases

• Louis Jordan – Five Guys Named Moe / That’ll Just About Knock Me Out (Decca)

Karlrobert Kreiten 1916-43

Oct

1

• Jerry Martini born (Denver, CO) American R&B and soul saxophonist. Founder member of Sly & the Family Stone.

2

• Robert Nathaniel Dett (60) dies in Battle Creek, MI following a heart attack

5

• Steve Miller born (Milwaukee, WI) American rock singer, songwriter, guitarist. Led the Steve Miller Band.
• Leon Roppolo (41) dies in New Orleans of syphilis

6

• Udo Zimmermann born (Dresden) German composer, conductor, music director.

7

• Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash’s musical One Touch of Venus opens on Broadway (567 performances)

8

• Igor Stravinsky’s Ode, elegiac chant in three parts for orchestra premiered in Boston

9

• Ronnie Barron born (Algiers, LA) American rock keyboard player, singer, actor, session musician. Worked with Dr John, Paul Butterfield, Canned Heat, Ry Cooder, Tom Waits and others. Died 1997
• Capitol Records signs a deal with the American Federation of Musicians enabling the recording ban to be lifted for the label
• Italo Montemezzi’s opera L’incantesimo [the spell], lib. Sem Benelli, premiered on NBC radio

10

• Jacques Ibert’s opera Barbe-bleu [Bluebeard], lib. William Aguet, premiered in Lausanne

13

• Graham Simpson born (Manchester) English bass guitarist. Founder member of Roxy Music from 1970 to 72. Died 2012

15

• Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings op.31 premiered in London

16

• Fred Turner born (Winnipeg, Manitoba) Canadian rock bass guitarist, singer, songwriter. Founder member of Bachman-Turner Overdrive and worked with many other bands.

17

• Phelps ‘Catfish’ Collins born (Cincinnati, OH) American funk guitarist. Member of Parliament – Funkadelic and Bootsy’s Rubber Band. Brother of Bootsy Collins (b. 1951). Died 2010

19

• Robin Holloway born (Leamington Spa, Warwicks) English composer, chorister, journalist.

21

• Ron Elliott born (Healdsburg, CA) American rock guitarist, songwriter, singer, record producer. Member of the Beau Brummels from 1964 to 1968.

22

• Paul Zukofsky born (Brooklyn, NY) American conductor, violiniist.

23

• Billy Talbot born (New York, NY) American rock bassist. Member of Crazy Horse. Worked with Neil Young.
• Ben Bernie (52) dies in Hollywood, CA from a pulmonary embolism

28

• WC Handy suffers a fractured skull after falling on to a subway track in New York. He is hospitalised for several weeks and loses his sight
• Bohuslav Martinu’s Memorial to Lidice for orchestra premiered in New York and Symphony no.2 premiered in Cleveland

29

• Percy Goetschius (90) dies in Manchester, NH
• Samuel Barber’s Commando March for concert band premiered in Boston
• Paul Hindemith’s ballet overture Cupid and Psyche premiered in Philadelphia

30

• Stan Kenton signs to Capitol Records

Mary Martin 1913-90, star of Kurt Weill, Ogden Nash and S. J. Perelman’s musical One Touch of Venus

Nov

3

• Bert Jansch born (Glasgow) Scottish folk guitarist, singer, songwriter. Member of Pentangle and solo artist. Died 2011
• John Alden Carpenter’s Dance Suite premiered in Washington, DC
• Howlin’ Wolf discharged from the US Army

4

• Toyohiko Satoh born (Hiroshima, Japan) Japanese lutenist, composer, teacher.
• Dimitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8 premiered in Moscow

5

• Antonio Martinez born (Barcelona) Spanish rock and pop drummer, songwriter. Member of Los Bravos from 1965 to 1968.
• Bohuslav Martinu’s Concerto for two pianos and orchestra premiered in Philadelphia
• Saburō Moroi’s Sinfonietta for Children for orchestra premiered in Tokyo

6

• The Mills Brothers begin a ten week stretch at the top of the Billboard charts with Paper Doll
• Carl Orff’s opera Catulli Carmina premiered in Leipzig, lib. Orff

7

• Joni Mitchell born (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) Canadian folk, rock and jazz singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, painter.
• Paul Hindemith’s String Quartet no.5 premiered in Washington, DC

10

• Arnold Bax’s Legend-Sonata in f# minor for cello and piano premiered in London
• Syd Nathan’s Queen label (later renamed King) issues its first records in Cincinnati
• Heitor Villa-Lobos’s String Quartet no.6 premiered in Rio de Janeiro

12

• John Walker aka John Maus born (New York, NY) American pop singer, guitarist, songwriter. Member of the Walker Brothers. Died 2011
• William Schuman’s Symphony No.5 premiered in Boston

14

• Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic at 24 hours notice, deputising for Bruno Walter, and is critically lionised, making the front page of the New York Times

15

• Olivier Messiaen’s Les corps glorieux [The glorious body] for organ premiered in Paris

16

• Roy Eldridge and his Orchestra record a session for Brunswick. Roy Eldridge (tp) Joe Eldridge, Andrew Gardner (as) Tom Archia, Ike Quebec (ts) Rozelle Gayle (p) Ted Sturgis (b) Doc West (d). Tracks cut include The Gasser & Jump Through the Window

17

• John Alden Carpenter’s The Anxious Bugler premiered in New York
• James P. Johnson records four solo piano sides for Blue Note in New York including Back Water Blues & Carlina Balmoral

19

• Art Pepper makes his debut recordings in Hollywood, CA as a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Ray Borden, John Carroll, Buddy Childers, Karl George, Dick Morse (tp) George Faye, Harry Forbes (tb) Bart Varsalona (bass tb) Eddie Meyers, Art Pepper (as) Morey Beeson, Red Dorris (ts) Bob Gioga (bars) Stan Kenton (p) Bob Ahern (g) Clyde Singleton (b) Joe Vernon (d) Dolly Mitchell (vo)

22

• Lorenz Hart (48) dies in New York of pneumonia
• Pietro Yon (57) dies in Huntington, NY
• Arnold Bax’s Violin Concerto premiered on BBC Radio

24

• Robin Williamson born (Edinburgh) Scottish folk singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter. Founder member of the Incredible String Band and solo artist.

25

• Bohuslav Martinu’s Sonata da camera for cello and chamber orchestra premiered in Geneva

28

• Alexander Knaifel born (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) Russian composer.
• Randy Newman born (Los Angeles, CA) American pop and rock singer, songwriter, film soundtrack composer, pianist.
• Arthur Catterall (c. 60) dies in London

30

• James Jay ‘JJ’ Barnes born (Detroit, MI) American soul singer.
• David ‘Leo’ Lyons born (Mansfield, Notts) English rock bass guitarist, songwriter, studio manager. Member of Ten Years After.
• Eddy Arnold signs his first record contract with RCA-Victor
• The Nat King Cole Trio record their first Capitol session in Los Angeles. Nat King Cole (vo, p) Oscar Moore (g) Johnny Miller (b). Tracks cut include Straighten Up and Fly Right & Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You?

releases

• Benny Goodman & His Orchestra – Solo Flight / The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise (Columbia)

Syd Nathan 1904-68

Dec

1

• Ernst Krenek’s Piano Sonata no.3 premiered in St. Paul, MN

2

• George Bizet & Oscar Hammerstein’s musical Carmen Jones opens on Broadway (502 performances)

3

• Fats Navarro cuts his first sides for Decca in New York with Andy Kirk & His Orchestra. Art Capehart, Harry Lawson, Howard McGhee, Fats Navarro (tp) Taswell Baird, Bob Murray, Wayman Richardson (tb) Reuben Phillips, Ben Smith (as) Jimmy Forrest, John Harrington, J.D. King (ts) Ed Loving (bars) John Young (p) Booker Collins (b) Ben Thigpen (d) June Richmond (vo)

4

• Coleman Hawkins records a session for Commodore in New York with Leonard Feather’s All Stars. Cootie Williams (tp) Coleman Hawkins (ts) Edmond Hall (cl) Art Tatum (p) Al Casey (g) Oscar Pettiford (b) Sidney Catlett (d)
• The Gewandhaus concert hall in Leipzig is destroyed during an air raid

5

• Anton Webern’s Three Songs from Viae inviae op.23 premiered in Basel

6

• Keith West born (Dagenham) English rock and pop singer, songwriter, guitarist. Member of Tomorrow and Moonrider. Worked with Mark Wirtz.
• Darius Milhaud’s Opus Americanum for orchestra premiered in San Francisco

7

• Sergei Prokofiev’s Flute Sonata premiered in Moscow

8

• Jim Morrison born (Melbourne, FL) American rock singer, songwriter, poet. Member of the Doors. Died 1971
• Nikolai Myaskovsky’s Symphony No. 24 premiered in Moscow

9

• Rick Danko born (Simcoe, Canada) Canadian rock singer, bassist. Member of the Band. Died 1999

11

• Duke Ellington’s New World a-Comin’ for piano and jazz ensemble premiered in New York

12

• Dickey Betts born (West Palm Beach, FL) American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter. Founder member of the Allman Brothers Band.
• Grover Washington Jr born (Buffalo, NY) American jazz saxophonist, bandleader. Died 1999

14

• Dick Wagner born (Oelwein, IO) American rock guitarist, session musician. Worked with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper and others.

15

• Fats Waller (39) dies near Kansas City, MO of pneumonia whilst on board a train
• James P. Johnson records four solo piano sides for Blue Note in New York including Mule Walk & Arkansaw Blues

17

• Ron Geesin born (Stevenston, Ayrshire) Scottish composer, electronic musician, record producer, writer, sound artist.

18

• Bobby Keys born (Slaton, TX) American jazz and rock saxophonist, session player.
• Keith Richards born (Dartford) English rock guitarist, songwriter. Founder member of the Rolling Stones.
• The Oklahoma cast album becomes the first to reach the Billboard chart
• Max Roach cuts his first sides for Brunswick in New York with the Coleman Hawkins Quintet. Coleman Hawkins (ts) Ellis Larkins (p) Jimmy Shirley (g) Oscar Pettiford (b) Max Roach (d)

19

• Zal Yanovsky born (Toronto) Canadian rock singer, guitarist. Member of the Lovin’ Spoonful. Died 2002

20

• The invention of the tape recorder is announced in Time magazine

21

• Albert Lee born (London) English country and rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, session player. Member of Heads, Hands and Feet and solo artist.

23

• Ross Edwards born (Sydney) Australian composer, teacher.
• Merrell Fankhauser born (Louisville, KY) American rock singer, songwriter, guitarist.
• Harry Shearer born (Los Angeles, CA) American actor, comedian, voice artist, broadcaster, writer. Member of Spinal Tap.

24

• Volker Kriegel born (Darmstadt) German jazz and rock guitarist, composer. Worked with the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble and Dave Pike. Died 2003
• Busby Berkeley’s film The Gang’s All Here opens, starring Alice Faye & Carmen Miranda. Music by Leo Robin, Harry Warren

25

• Trevor Lucas born (Bungaree, Australia) Australian folk singer, songwriter, guitarist. Member of Eclection, Fotheringay and Fairport Convention. Husband of Sandy Denny (1947-78). Died 1989
• Jacqui McShee born (London) English folk singer. Member of Pentangle.

27

• Pete Sinfield born (London) English lyricist, writer, record producer. Worked with King Crimson and others.

28

• The Lester Young Quartet record a session for Keynote in New York. Lester Young (ts) Johnny Guarnieri (p) Slam Stewart (b) Sid Catlett (d). Tracks cut include Sometimes I’m Happy

30

• Rolf Gehlhaar born (Wrocław, Poland) German-American composer, teacher.
• Aram Khachaturian’s Symphony no. 2 premiered in Moscow

31

• John Denver aka Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr born (Roswell, NM) American country and folk singer, songwriter, guitarist, activist, poet, photographer. Died 1997
• Pete Quaife born (Tavistock) English rock bassist, artist, cartoonist. Member of the Kinks from 1963 to 1969. Died 2010
• Bohuslav Martinu’s Concerto for violin and orchestra no.2 premiered in Boston

releases

• Louis Jordan – Ration Blues / Deacon Jones (Decca)
• Ella Mae Morse – Shoo-Shoo Baby / No Love, No Nothin’ (Capitol)
• Original Cast – Oklahoma (Decca)

Original Cast – Oklahoma! (Decca)

Date unknown

• Laraaji aka Edward Gordon born (Philadelphia, PA) American zither and dulcimer player, electronic musician, composer.
• Clarence Williams sells his publishing company to Decca for $50,000 and retires on the proceeds

publications

• Benjamin Britten’s Folk Song Arrangements, vol.I, British Isles published in London

Songs published

• Deacon Jones (Johnny Lange, Hy Heath, Richard Loring); Do Nothin’ Till You Hear from Me (Bob Russell, Duke Ellington); A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening (Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh); One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen); Straighten Up and Fly Right (Nat Cole, Irving Mills); The Surrey with the Fringe on Top (Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rogers)