1946 in music

List of years in music (Table)
… 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 …
Related time period or subjects
… 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 … … 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s … … 19th century 20th century 21st century …
Art Archaeology Architecture Literature Music Science more

Events

• January 6 – A somewhat revised and streamlined revival of Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat opens on Broadway at the Ziegfeld Theatre, the same theatre at which the original production played back in 1927. This production features newly designed sets and costumes, new, more extended choreography, and a new song, Nobody Else But Me, by Kern and Hammerstein. It is the last song Kern ever writes; he dies nearly two months before the revival opens. This production plays exactly a year, and is the longest-running Broadway revival up to that time. It is also the first production of Show Boat to be recorded with its original cast (Broadway cast albums did not begin to be made until 1943). The stars include Jan Clayton, Carol Bruce, Charles Fredericks, Kenneth Spencer, and Buddy Ebsen.
• January 24 – Igor Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements premièred by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by the composer.
• February - Kathleen Ferrier's recording contract with Columbia Records expires, and she transfers to Decca.
• February 8 – Béla Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 3 is premiered posthumously by György Sándor with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra
• Al Jolson rerecords his old hits for the soundtrack of his Columbia biopic The Jolson Story, and becomes a superstar to the post-war generation as well
• B. B. King begins working as a professional musician in Memphis, Tennessee.
• Chet Atkins makes his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry.
• Georgia Gibbs signs with the Majestic label.
• Bill Haley's professional musical career begins as a member of The Down Homers. His earliest known recordings are made during a Down Homers radio performance, but will not be released until 2006.

Singer Billie Holiday backstage in 1946

Bands formed

• Greater Kensington String Band
• South Philadelphia String Band (May 14)

Albums released

• Annie Get Your Gun – Original Broadway Cast
• Show Boat – Original Broadway Cast
• Frank Sinatra Conducts the Music of Alec Wilder – Frank Sinatra
• Lombardoland – Guy Lombardo
• Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five – Louis Jordan
• The Voice of Frank Sinatra – Frank Sinatra
• Merry Christmas Music – Perry Como

Biggest hit songs

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1946.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Perry Como	Prisoner of Love	1946		US 1940s 1 – Mar 1946, US BB 1 of 1946, US 1 for 3 weeks May 1946, POP 17 of 1946, Europe 73 Of The 1940s
2	Frank Sinatra	Five Minutes More	1946		US 1940s 1 – Aug 1946, US 1 for 2 weeks Sep 1946, POP 10 of 1946, Europe 11 of the 1940s, US BB 15 of 1946, RYM 43 of 1946
3	Vaughn Monroe	Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!	1946		US 1940s 1 – Dec 1945, US 1 for 5 weeks Jan 1946, US BB 4 of 1946, POP 4 of 1946, Europe 48 of the 1940s
4	Nat King Cole	(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons	1946		US 1940s 1 – Nov 1946, US 1 for 1 weeks Feb 1947, US BB 3 of 1946, POP 13 of 1946, RYM 15 of 1946
5	The Ink Spots	To Each His Own	1946		US 1940s 1 – Sep 1946, US 1 for 1 weeks Sep 1946, US BB 8 of 1946, POP 24 of 1946, Europe 92 of the 1940s

Top hit records

Frank Sinatra in 1946

Nat King Cole in 1946

• "A Fine Romance" by Martha Tilton and Johnny Mercer
• "Aren't You Glad You're You?" by Les Brown & His Orchestra featuring Doris Day
• "Candy" by Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford & the Pied Pipers
• "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie" by Louis Jordan & his Tympany Five
• "The Christmas Song" by the King Cole Trio
• "The Coffee Song" by Frank Sinatra
• "Coming Home" by Dorothy Squires
• "Day By Day" by Frank Sinatra
• "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" by Dinah Shore with Spade Cooley & his Orchestra
• "Five Minutes More", recorded by
  • Frank Sinatra
  • Tex Beneke-Glenn Miller Orchestra with vocal by Tex Beneke
• "Fools Rush In" by Jo Stafford
• "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" by the King Cole Trio
• "The Gypsy", recorded by
  • The Ink Spots
  • Dinah Shore
• "Hawaiian War Chant" by Spike Jones & his City Slickers
• "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop", recorded by
  • Lionel Hampton & his Orchestra
  • Tex Beneke-Glenn Miller Orchestra with vocal by Tex Beneke
• "Huggin' And Chalkin' " by Hoagy Carmichael
• "I Dream Of You" by Archie Lewis and The Geraldo Strings
• "I Get A Kick Out Of You" by Margaret Whiting
• "I Got The Sun In The Morning by Les Brown & His Orchestra featuring Doris Day
• "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time" by Jo Stafford
• "I'm A Big Girl Now" by Sammy Kaye & his Orchestra with vocal by Betty Barclay
• "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" by Perry Como
• "Laughing On The Outside", recorded by
  • Dinah Shore
  • Andy Russell
  • Sammy Kaye & his Orchestra with vocal by Billy Williams
• "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow", recorded by
  • Vaughn Monroe & his Orchestra with vocal by Vaughn Monroe (first charted December 1945)
  • Woody Herman and his Orchestra with vocal by Woody Herman
• "Oh What It Seemed To Be", recorded by
  • Frankie Carle & his Orchestra with vocal by Marjorie Hughes
  • Frank Sinatra
  • Charlie Spivak & his Orchestra with vocal by Jimmy Saunders
  • Dick Haymes & Helen Forrest
• "The Old Lamplighter", recorded by
  • Kay Kyser & his Orchestra with vocal by Mike Douglas
  • Hal Derwin & his Orchestra
  • Sammy Kaye & his Orchestra with vocal by Billy Williams
• "Ole Buttermilk Sky", recorded by
  • Hoagy Carmichael
  • Helen Carroll & The Satisfiers
  • Paul Weston & his Orchestra with vocal by Matt Dennis
  • Kay Kyser & his Orchestra with vocal by Michael Douglas & the Campus Kids
• "One-Zy Two-Zy", recorded by
  • Freddy Martin & his Orchestra with vocal by The Martin Men
  • Phil Harris
• "Personality" by Johnny Mercer & The Pied Pipers
• "Petit Papa Noël" by Tino Rossi
• "Pretending" by Andy Russell
• "Prisoner Of Love", recorded by
  • The Ink Spots
  • Perry Como
• "Rumors Are Flying", recorded by
  • Frankie Carle & his Orchestra with vocal by Marjorie Hughes
  • Andrews Sisters with Les Paul
  • Betty Rhodes
  • Tony Martin
• "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy", recorded by
  • Stan Kenton & his Orchestra with vocal by June Christy
  • Dinah Shore
• "Sioux City Sue" by Bing Crosby and The Jesters
• "South America, Take It Away", recorded by
  • Xavier Cugat & his Orchestra with vocal by Buddy Clark
  • Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
• "Stone Cold Dead In The Market" by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan
• "Surrender" by Perry Como
• "Symphony", recorded by
  • Freddy Martin & his Orchestra with vocal by Clyde Rogers (first charted December 1945)
  • Benny Goodman & his Orchestra with vocal by Liza Morrow
  • Bing Crosby
  • Jo Stafford
• "Take the A Train" by Duke Ellington
• "The Things We Did Last Summer", recorded by
  • Jo Stafford
  • Frank Sinatra
  • Oscar Peterson
  • Vaughn Monroe
• "They Say It's Wonderful", recorded by
  • Perry Como
  • Frank Sinatra
• "To Each His Own", recorded by
  • Eddy Howard
  • Tony Martin
  • The Modernaires with Paula Kelly
  • The Ink Spots
  • Freddy Martin & his Orchestra with vocal by Stuart Wade
• "We'll Gather Lilacs" by Geraldo and his Orchestra
• "Winter Wonderland" by Perry Como
• "You Won't Be Satisfied" by Les Brown & his Orchestra with vocal by Doris Day
• "You're The Top" by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra

Other recorded popular music

• "Ain't That Just Like A Woman" – Frankie Laine
• "Aren't You Glad You're You?" – Bing Crosby
• "Black And Blue" – Frankie Laine
• "Blue Skies" – Bing Crosby
• "Blue Turning Grey Over You" – Frankie Laine
• "By The River Sainte Marie" – Frankie Laine
• "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" – Dinah Shore
• "Come Rain Or Come Shine" – Dinah Shore
• "Crying Won't Help You" – Tampa Red
• "The Darktown Poker Club" – Phil Harris
• "Frim Fram Sauce" – Louis Armstrong
• "A Gal In Calico"- Bing Crosby
• "Gee, It's Good To Hold You" – Woody Herman (Frances Wayne, vocal)
• "Give Me The Moon Over Brooklyn" – Guy Lombardo & The Lombardo Trio
• "I Cover the Waterfront" – The Ink Spots
• "I Guess I'll Get The Papers And Go Home" – The Mills Brothers
• "La Mer" – Charles Trenet
• "Ol' Man Mose" – Georgia Gibbs
• "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" – Frankie Laine
• "Passe" – Tex Beneke
• "Put the Blame on Mame" – Dinah Shore
• "September in the Rain" – Frankie Laine
• "September Song" – Frank Sinatra
• "Seems Like Old Times", recorded by
  • Guy Lombardo
  • Vaughn Monroe with The Norton Sisters
• "Some Little Bug" – Phil Harris
• "That Old Black Magic" – Frank Sinatra
• That's What I Like About The South" – Phil Harris
• Time After Time" – Frank Sinatra
• "Les trois cloches" ("The Three Bells") – Édith Piaf
• "La Vie En Rose" – Édith Piaf
• "West End Blues" – Frankie Laine
• "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" – Bing Crosby
• "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song", recorded by
  • Bing Crosby
  • Georgia Gibbs
  • Jo Stafford
• "Your Father's Moustache" – Woody Herman
• "You Won't Be Satisfied Until You Break My Heart" – Freddy Martin
• "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" – Johnny Mercer

Published popular music

• "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" w.m. Alex Kramer & Joan Whitney
• "Ain't That Just Like A Woman?" w.m. Fleecie Moore & Claude Demetrius
• "All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)" w.m. Don Gardner
• "All The Cats Join In" A. Wilder, Ray Gilbert, E. Sauter
• "Along With Me" w.m. Harold Rome Introduced by Danny Scholl and Paula Bane in the musical Call Me Mister
• "The 'Ampstead Way" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
• "The Anniversary Song" w.m. Al Jolson & Saul Chaplin
• "Anything You Can Do" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did?" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin. Introduced by Dick Haymes and Betty Grable in the 1947 film The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
• "Blue Moon of Kentucky" w.m. Bill Monroe
• "Bumble Boogie" m. Jack Fina
• "Changing My Tune" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin. Introduced by Betty Grable in the film The Shocking Miss Pilgrim.
• "The Christmas Song" w. Robert Wells m. Mel Tormé
• "Coax Me A Little Bit" w. Charles Tobias m. Nat Simon
• "The Coffee Song" w.m. Bob Hilliard & Dick Miles
• "Come Rain Or Come Shine" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harold Arlen
• "Country Style" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
• "A Couple Of Song And Dance Men" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?" w.m. Eddie DeLange & Louis Alter. Introduced by Billie Holiday & Louis Armstrong in the 1947 film New Orleans.
• "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Everybody's Got A Laughing Place" Allie Wrubel
• "The Face on the Dime" w.m. Harold Rome. Introduced by Lawrence Winters in the musical revue Call Me Mister.
• "Fantasy In F" m. John Serry, Sr.
• "Feudin' And Fightin' " w. Al Dubin & Burton Lane m. Burton Lane
• "Five Minutes More" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
• "For You, For Me, For Evermore" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin. Introduced by Dick Haymes in the 1947 film The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
• "A Gal In Calico" w. Leo Robin m. Arthur Schwartz. Introduced by Jack Carson, Sally Sweetland dubbing for Martha Vickers, and Dennis Morgan in the film The Time, the Place and the Girl.
• "The Girl That I Marry" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Ray Middleton in the musical Annie Get Your Gun and performed by Howard Keel in the 1950 film version.
• "Golden Earrings" w. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans m. Victor Young
• "The House Of Blue Lights" w.m. Don Raye & Freddie Slack
• "How Are Things In Glocca Morra?" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Burton Lane
• "Huggin' And Chalkin' " w.m. Clancy Hayes & Kermit Goell
• "I Got Lost In His Arms" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Ethel Merman in the musical Annie Get Your Gun.
• "I Got The Sun In The Morning" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Ethel Merman in the musical Annie Get Your Gun and performed by Betty Hutton in the 1950 film version.
• "I Guess I'll Get The Papers" w.m. Hughie Prince & Hal Kanner
• "If This Isn't Love" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Burton Lane
• "If You Smile at Me" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Victoria Cordova in the musical Around the World
• "I'm A Lonely Little Petunia" w.m. John N. Kamano, William E. Faber & Maurice Merl
• "I'm An Indian Too" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "It's A Good Day" w.m. Peggy Lee & Dave Barbour
• "It's A Pity To Say Goodnight" w.m. Billy Reid
• "Laughing On The Outside" w. Ben Raleigh m. Bernie Wayne
• "Legalise My Name" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harold Arlen
• "Let The Good Times Roll" w.m. Fleecie Moore & Sam Theard
• "Linda" w.m. Jack Lawrence
• "Lost In The Stars" w. Maxwell Anderson m. Kurt Weill
• "Managua, Nicaragua" w. Albert Gamse m. Irving Fields
• "Military Life" aka "The Jerk Song" w.m. Harold Rome from the musical revue Call Me Mister
• "Moonshine Lullaby" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Mr. Jackson from Jacksonville" m.w. Louis Armstrong, Claude Demetrius, Fritz Pollard
• "My Defenses Are Down" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "My Heart Is A Hobo" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
• "My Sugar Is So Refined" w. Sylvia Dee m. Sidney Lippman
• "Old Devil Moon" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Burton Lane
• "The Old Lamp-Lighter" w. Charles Tobias m. Nat Simon
• "The Old Soft Shoe" w. Nancy Hamilton m. Morgan Lewis. Introduced by Ray Bolger in the revue Three to Make Ready.
• "Ole Buttermilk Sky" w.m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "On The Boardwalk In Atlantic City" w. Mack Gordon m. Josef Myrow
• "One-zy Two-zy" w.m. Dave Franklin & Irving Taylor
• "Open The Door, Richard" w. "Dusty" Fletcher & John Mason m. Jack McVea & Dan Howell
• "Put The Blame On Mame" w.m. Allan Roberts & Doris Fisher. Introduced by Anita Ellis dubbing for Rita Hayworth in the film Gilda.
• "A Rainy Night In Rio" w. Leo Robin m. Arthur Schwartz. Introduced by Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Janis Paige and Sally Sweetland dubbing for Martha Vickers in the film The Time, the Place and the Girl
• "The Red Ball Express" w.m. Harold Rome. Introduced by Lawrence Winters in the musical revue Call Me Mister.
• "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" w.m. Bobby Troup
• "Rumors Are Flying" w.m. Bennie Benjamin & George David Weiss
• "Sooner Or Later" w. Ray Gilbert m. Charles Wolcott
• "South America, Take It Away" w.m. Harold Rome Introduced by Betty Garrett in the musical revue Call Me Mister.
• "Stella by Starlight" w. Ned Washington m. Victor Young
• "Stone Cold Dead in de Market" w.m. Wilmoth Houdini
• "A Sunday Kind of Love" w.m. Barbara Belle, Anita Leonard, Stan Rhodes & Louis Prima
• "Tenderly" w. Jack Lawrence m. Walter Gross
• "That's All Right" w.m. Arthur Crudup
• "There's Good Blues Tonight" Edna Osser, Glenn Osser
• "There's No Business Like Show Business" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "They Say It's Wonderful" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "The Things We Did Last Summer" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
• "Time After Time" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
• "To Each His Own" w. Ray Evans m. Jay Livingston
• "Uncle Remus Said" w.m. Johnny Lange, Hy Heath & Eliot Daniel
• "Valse" m. Tchaikovsky arr. John Serry, Sr.
• "La vie en rose" w. (Eng) Mack David (Fr) Édith Piaf m. Louiguy
• "When I Walk with You" w. John Latouche m. Duke Ellington. Introduced by Alfred Drake and Jet MacDonald in the musical Beggar's Holiday
• "Who Do You Love, I Hope" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "A Woman's Prerogative" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harold Arlen
• "You Call Everybody Darling" w.m. Sam Martin, Ben Trace & Clem Watts
• "You Can't Get A Man With A Gun" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "You Make Me Feel So Young" w. Mack Gordon m. Josef Myrow
• "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" w. Ray Gilbert m. Allie Wrubel

Classical music

• Malcolm Arnold – Symphony for Strings opus 13
• Arno Babadzhanian – Polyphonic Piano Sonata
• Benjamin Britten – Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
• Aaron Copland – Symphony No. 3
• George Crumb – Poem; Seven Songs for voice and piano
• Gottfried von Einem – Dantons Tod
• Don Gillis – Symphony No. 5½, A Symphony for Fun
• Ruth Gipps – Symphony No. 2
• Jesús Guridi – Sinfonía Pirenaica
• Karl Amadeus Hartmann – Symphony No. 2 "Adagio"
• Herbert Howells – Gloucester Service
• Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Cello Concerto
• Bohuslav Martinů – Symphony No. 5, H.310; Toccata e Due Canzoni; String Quartet No. 6, H.312
• Peter Mennin – Symphony No. 3
• Vincent Persichetti – Symphony No. 3
• Edmund Rubbra – Cello Sonata opus 60
• Roger Sessions – Symphony No. 2, Piano Sonata No. 2
• Igor Stravinsky – Concerto in D for Strings
• Michael Tippett – Little Music for String Orchestra
• William Walton – String Quartet No. 2

Opera

• Benjamin Britten – The Rape of Lucretia

Musical theater

• Annie Get Your Gun (Irving Berlin) – Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on May 16 and ran for 1147 performances
• Around the World ( Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter Book: Orson Welles) Broadway production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on May 31 and ran for 75 performances
• Beggar's Holiday opened at the Broadway Theatre on December 26 and ran for 111 performances
• Burlesque Broadway revival opened at the Belasco Theatre on December 25 and ran for 439 performances
• Call Me Mister Broadway revue opened at the National Theatre on April 18 and ran for 734 performances
• Lute Song ( music: Raymond Scott lyrics Bernie Hanighen) Broadway production opened at the Plymouth Theatre on February 6 and ran for 146 performances
• Show Boat (Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II) – Broadway revival opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on January 5 and ran for 418 performances
• Song of Norway London production opened at the Palace Theatre on March 7 and ran for 526 performances
• St. Louis Woman Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on March 30 and ran for 113 performances
• Sweetest And Lowest London revue opened at the Ambassadors Theatre on May 9 and ran for 791 performances
• Three to Make Ready Broadway revue opened at the Adelphi Theatre (New York) on March 7 and ran for 327 performances.
• Yours Is My Heart Broadway production opened on September 5 at the Shubert Theatre and ran for 36 performances

Musical films

• The Bamboo Blonde starring Frances Langford
• Breakfast in Hollywood starring Tom Breneman, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke and Zasu Pitts and featuring Andy Russell, The King Cole Trio and Spike Jones and his City Slickers. Directed by Harold D. Schuster.
• Cinderella Jones starring Joan Leslie, Robert Alda, S.Z. Sakall and Edward Everett Horton. Directed by Busby Berkeley.
• Do You Love Me released May 17, starring Maureen O'Hara, Dick Haymes and featuring Harry James and his Music Makers.
• Doll Face starring Vivian Blaine and Dennis O'Keefe and featuring Perry Como and Carmen Miranda. Directed by Lewis Seiler.
• Earl Carroll Sketchbook starring Constance Moore, William Marshall and Edward Everett Horton
• Easy to Wed starring Esther Williams, Van Johnson, Lucille Ball and Keenan Wynn. Directed by Eddie Buzzell.
• Gaiety George released July 22 starring Richard Greene and Ann Todd.
• The Harvey Girls
• Holiday In Mexico starring Jane Powell, José Iturbi, Walter Pidgeon, Roddy McDowall, Ilona Massey and Xavier Cugat. Directed by George Sidney.
• The Jolson Story
• London Town released September 30 starring Sid Fields, Greta Gynt, Petula Clark, Kay Kendall and Sonny Hale and featuring Tessie O'Shea and Beryl Davis.
• No Leave, No Love starring Van Johnson, Pat Kirkwood, Keenan Wynn and Marie Wilson, and featuring Xavier Cugat & his Orchestra and Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra. Directed by Charles Martin.
• Song Of The South
• St. Louis Woman
• Susie Steps Out starring David Bruce, Cleatus Caldwell and Margaret Dumont. Directed by Reginald Le Borg.
• Sweetheart of Sigma Chi starring Phil Regan, Elyse Knox and Phil Brito and featuring Frankie Carle & his Orchestra
• Swing Parade of 1946 starring Gale Storm, Phil Regan and The Three Stooges and featuring Connee Boswell and Louis Jordan. Directed by Phil Karlson.
• Tars and Spars starring Janet Blair, Alfred Drake and Sid Caesar.
• Three Little Girls in Blue starring June Haver, George Montgomery, Vivian Blaine, Celeste Holm and Vera Ellen. Directed by Bruce Humberstone.
• Till the Clouds Roll By
• The Time, the Place and the Girl released on December 28 starring Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Janis Paige and Martha Vickers.
• Ziegfeld Follies starring Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Lucille Bremer, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly and Red Skelton. Directed by Vincente Minnelli.

Births

• January 3 – John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
• January 4 – Arthur Conley, soul singer
• January 6 – Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) (d. 2006)
• January 7
  • Jann Wenner, publisher of Rolling Stone magazine
  • Andy Brown (The Fortunes, Pink Floyd)
  • "Paul Revere" of Paul Revere & the Raiders
• January 8 – Robby Krieger (The Doors)
• January 10 – Aynsley Dunbar, drummer (Jefferson Starship, Journey)
• January 11
  • Tony Kaye (Yes)
  • Naomi Judd, country singer and songwriter
• January 12 – Cynthia Robinson (Sly & the Family Stone)
• January 16
  • Ronnie Milsap, country musician
  • Katia Ricciarelli, operatic soprano
• January 19 – Dolly Parton, country singer and songwriter
• January 22 – Malcolm McLaren, impresario and founder of the Sex Pistols (d. 2010)
• January 26 – Deon Jackson, soul singer
• January 27
  • Nedra Talley, The Ronettes
  • Kim Gardner (The Byrds, Ashton, Gardner and Dyke)
• January 28 – Rick Allen (Box Tops)
• January 31 – Terry Kath (Chicago)
• February 1 – Carol Neblett operatic soprano
• February 6 – Kate McGarrigle, folk singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
• February 7 – Sammy Johns, country singer-songwriter
• February 13
  • Peter Tork (The Monkees)
  • Colin Matthews, composer
• February 17 – Dodie Stevens
• February 20 – Jerome Geils of The J. Geils Band
• February 23 – Rusty Young (Poco)
• February 24 – Jiří Bělohlávek, BBC Symphony Orchestra
• March 1 – Tony Ashton (Ashton, Gardner and Dyke)
• March 6
  • David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
  • Tony Klatka (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
• March 7
  • Peter Wolf (The J. Geils Band)
  • Matthew Fisher (Procol Harum)
• March 8 – Randy Meisner (Poco, The Eagles)
• March 12 – Liza Minnelli, singer and actress
• March 15 – Howard E. Scott (War)
• March 17 – Harold Brown (War)
• March 19
  • Paul Atkinson, The Zombies
  • Ruth Pointer, The Pointer Sisters
• March 21 – Ray Dorset, Mungo Jerry
• March 22 – Harry Vanda, The Easybeats
• March 24 – Colin Petersen, drummer (Bee Gees)
• March 27 – Andy Bown (The Herd)
• March 30 – Dave Ball (The Turtles)
• April 1 – Ronnie Lane, singer, songwriter and guitarist (The Faces) (d. 1997)
• April 3 – Dee Murray (Elton John Band)
• April 4 – Dave Hill (Slade)
• April 11 – Bob Harris, DJ
• April 13
  • Al Green, soul singer
  • Jim Pons (The Turtles, The Mothers of Invention)
• April 16 – Pēteris Vasks, Latvian composer
• April 17 – Bill Kreutzmann (Grateful Dead)
• April 18
  • Lenny Baker (Sha Na Na)
  • Skip Spence (Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape)
• May 1 – Jerry Weiss (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
• May 2 – Lesley Gore, singer
• May 10
  • Cher, singer and actress
  • Dave Mason (Traffic)
  • Donovan, folk singer
  • Graham Gouldman, singer and songwriter (10cc)
• May 16 – Robert Fripp, guitarist, composer and recode producer
• May 24 – Steve Upton (Wishbone Ash)
• June 5 – Freddy Stone, Sly & the Family Stone
• June 10 – Millie Small, singer
• June 11 – John Lawton (Uriah Heep)
• June 15 – Noddy Holder, vocalist (Slade)
• June 18 – Maria Bethania, Brazilian singer (sister of Caetano Veloso)
• June 20 – Anne Murray, country singer
• June 25
  • Ian McDonald, record producer, (Foreigner)
  • Allen Lanier, Blue Öyster Cult
• June 30
  • Billy Brown (The Moments)
  • Iain Matthews, singer and songwriter
• July 9 – Bon Scott (AC/DC) (d. 1980)
• July 15 – Linda Ronstadt, singer
• July 18 – Tim Lynch (The Flamin' Groovies)
• July 19 – Alan Gorrie (Average White Band)
• July 21 – Barry Whitwam (Herman's Hermits)
• July 22
  • Estelle Bennett, The Ronettes
  • Mireille Mathieu, singer
• July 23 – Andy Mackay, saxophonist, oboist, and composer
• July 24 – Alan Whitehead (Marmalade)
• July 28
  • Jonathan Edwards, folk musician and songwriter
  • Suzanne Stephens, clarinetist and basset-hornist
• July 30 – Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (Jethro Tull)
• July 31
  • Bob Welch (Fleetwood Mac)
  • Gary Lewis (Gary Lewis & The Playboys)
• August 1 – Boz Burrell (Bad Company)
• August 5 – Jimmy Webb, songwriter
• August 10 – Peter Karrie, star of West End musical productions
• August 14 – Larry Graham (Sly & The Family Stone)
• August 19 – Beat Raaflaub, conductor
• August 23 – Keith Moon, drummer (The Who) (d. 1978)
• September 1
  • Gregg Errico, Sly and the Family Stone
  • Barry Gibb, singer and songwriter (Bee Gees)
• September 4
  • Gary Duncan (Quicksilver Messenger Service)
  • Greg Elmore (Quicksilver Messenger Service)
• September 5
  • Freddie Mercury, singer (Queen) (d. 1991)
  • Buddy Miles, drummer (d. 2008)
  • Loudon Wainwright III
  • Dean Ford, singer (Marmalade)
• September 9
  • Billy Preston, singer and musician (d. 2006)
  • Bruce Palmer (Buffalo Springfield)
  • Doug Ingle (Iron Butterfly)
• September 14 – Pete Agnew (Nazareth)
• September 18 – Alan King, Ace
• September 19 – John Coghlan, drummer (Status Quo)
• September 24 – Jerry Donahue (Fairport Convention)
• September 28 – Helen Shapiro, singer
• September 30 – Sylvia Peterson, singer (The Chiffons)
• October 10
  • John Prine, singer-songwriter
  • Keith Reid (Procol Harum)
  • Willard White, opera singer
• October 11 – Gary Mallaber, Steve Miller Band
• October 13 – Dorothy Moore, singer
• October 14
  • Justin Hayward, guitarist, singer and songwriter (The Moody Blues)
  • Dan McCafferty (Nazareth)
• October 15
  • Richard Carpenter, The Carpenters
  • Marsha Hunt, singer and novelist
• October 18 – Howard Shore, film composer
• October 19 – Keith Reid (Procol Harum)
• October 21 – Lee Loughnane (Chicago)
• October 22 – Eddie Brigati (Young Rascals)
• October 24 – Jerry Edmonton (Steppenwolf)
• October 26 – Keith Hopwood (Herman's Hermits)
• October 29 – Peter Green, guitarist and singer
• October 30
  • René Jacobs, conductor
  • Chris Slade, AC/DC, Manfred Mann
• November 1 – Ric Grech (Family, Traffic, Blind Faith)
• November 5
  • Herman Brood, Dutch rock 'n' roll artist
  • Gram Parsons, country musician (d. 1973)
• November 8 – Roy Wood, singer and songwriter (The Move, Wizzard)
• November 11 – Chip Hawkes, vocalist and guitarist (The Tremeloes)
• November 17 – Martin Barre, Jethro Tull
• November 19 – Joe Correro Jr., Paul Revere and The Raiders
• November 20 – Duane Allman, The Allman Brothers (d. 1971)
• November 22 – Aston Barrett, reggae musician
• November 24 – Bev Bevan, drummer (Electric Light Orchestra, Black Sabbath)
• November 29 – Eamonn Campbell, The Dubliners
• December 1 – Gilbert O'Sullivan, singer-songwriter
• December 5
  • José Carreras, opera singer
  • Andy Kim, singer
• December 10 – Walter Orange (The Commodores)
• December 12 – Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull)
• December 14 – Jane Birkin, UK actress and singer
• December 15 – Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus)
• December 16
  • Benny Andersson, singer-songwriter (ABBA)
  • Trevor Pinnock, conductor and harpsichordist
• December 17 – Jim Bonfanti, vocalist (Raspberries)
• December 21 – Carl Wilson (The Beach Boys) (d. 1998)
• December 22 – Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick)
• December 23 – Edita Gruberova, opera singer
• December 24 – Jan Akkerman, guitarist (Focus)
• December 25 – Jimmy Buffett, singer, songwriter, author, businessman, and film producer
• December 27 – Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group)
• December 28 – Edgar Winter, multi-instrumentalist and singer
• December 29 – Marianne Faithfull, singer and actress
• December 30 – Patti Smith, poet, singer and songwriter

Deaths

• January 7 – Adamo Didur, operatic bass, 77
• January 10 – Harry Von Tilzer, songwriter, 73
• January 18 – Lew Pollack, US composer, 50
• February 2 – Eduard Bass, singer and cabaret director, 58
• February 15 – Putney Dandridge, jazz musician, 44
• February 20 – Hugh Allen, organist and choral conductor, 76
• April 5 – Vincent Youmans, US composer, 47
• May 25 – Patty Hill, co-writer of "Happy Birthday to You", 78
• June 1 - Leo Slezak, operatic tenor, 72
• July 14 – Riley Puckett, country musician, 52 (blood poisoning)
• July 20 – Tricky Sam Nanton, trombonist, 42
• August 24 – Antonio Paoli, operatic tenor, 75
• August 31 – Paul von Klenau, Danish composer and conductor, 63
• September 3 – Moriz Rosenthal, pianist, 83
• September 4 – Paul Lincke, composer, 79
• September 16 – Mamie Smith, vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist and actress, 63
• October 12 – Giuseppe Adami, opera librettist, 67
• October 16 – Sir Granville Bantock, composer, 78
• November 5 – Zygmunt Stojowski, composer and pianist, 76
• November 14 – Manuel de Falla, composer, 69
• December 6 – Maximilian Steinberg, composer and teacher, 63
• December 28 – Carrie Jacobs-Bond, US songwriter, 84
• December 30 – Charles Wakefield Cadman, composer, 65
• date unknown
  • Leandro Bisiach, violin maker
  • Teddy Brown, xylophone player