# 1952 in music

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

## Specific locations

* 1952 in British music
* 1952 in Norwegian 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.
| First week | Number of weeks | Title | Artist |
| March 15, 1952 | 9 | "Wheel of Fortune" | Kay Starr |
| May 17, 1952 | 5 | "Blue Tango" | Leroy Anderson |
| June 21, 1952 | 2 | "Here in My Heart" | Al Martino |
| July 5, 1952 | 1 | "Delicado" | Percy Faith & his Orchestra |
| July 12, 1952 | 9 | "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" | Vera Lynn |
| September 13, 1952 | 5 | "You Belong to Me" | Jo Stafford |
| October 18, 1952 | 5 | "I Went to Your Wedding" | Patti Page |
| November 22, 1952 | 1 | "It's in the Book" | Johnny Standley |
| November 29, 1952 | 4 | "Why Don't You Believe Me?" | Joni James |
| December 27, 1952 | 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.
| # | 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

* "All of Me" – Johnnie Ray
* "Anytime" – Eddie Fisher
* "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" – Vera Lynn
* "Be My Life's Companion" – The Mills Brothers
* "Botch-A-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina)" – Rosemary Clooney
* "Christmas Roses" – Frankie Laine & Jo Stafford
* "Comes A-Long A-Love" – Kay Starr
* "Day of Jubilo" – Guy Mitchell
* "Delicado" – Percy Faith & his Orchestra
* "Faith Can Move Mountains" – Nat King Cole
* "The Glow-Worm" – The Mills Brothers
* "Goin' Home" - Fats Domino
* "A Guy Is a Guy" – Doris Day
* "Half As Much" – Rosemary Clooney
* "Heart and Soul" – The Four Aces featuring Al Alberts
* "Here in My Heart" – Al Martino
* "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)" – Frankie Laine
* "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" – Karen Chandler
* "How Long" - Fats Domino
* "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" – Jimmy Boyd
* "I Went To Your Wedding" – Patti Page
* "I'll Walk Alone" – Don Cornell
* "I'm Confessin'" – Les Paul and Mary Ford
* "I'm Just a Poor Bachelor" – Frankie Laine
* "I'm Yours" – Eddie Fisher
* "Kiss Of Fire" – Georgia Gibbs
* "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" – Louis Armstrong
* "Lady of Spain" – Eddie Fisher
* "Lover" – Peggy Lee
* "Maybe" – Perry Como & Eddie Fisher
* "Meet Mister Callaghan", recorded by
** Les Paul
** Mitch Miller
** Carmen Cavallaro and His Orchestra
* "My Favorite Song" – Georgia Gibbs
* "My Song" – Johnny Ace
* "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania" – Guy Mitchell
* "Please, Mr. Sun", recorded by:
** Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads
** Perry Como
** Tommy Edwards
* "Poor Poor Me" - Fats Domino
* "Ramblin' Man" – Frankie Laine
* "Rock of Gibraltar" – Frankie Laine
* "Settin' the Woods on Fire" – Frankie Laine & Jo Stafford
* "A Sinner Am I" – Johnnie Ray
* "Slow Poke" – Arthur Godfrey
* "So Madly in Love" – Georgia Gibbs
* "Somewhere Along The Way" – Nat King Cole
* "Sugarbush" – Doris Day & Frankie Laine
* "Tell Me Why" – Eddie Fisher
* "Temptation" – Mario Lanza
* "Tenderly" – Rosemary Clooney
* "Tiger Rag" – Les Paul and Mary Ford
* "Till I Waltz Again With You" – Teresa Brewer
* "Tonight You Belong to Me" – Frankie Laine
* "Trying" – The Hilltoppers
* "Unforgettable" – Nat King Cole
* "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" – Johnnie Ray
* "Wheel of Fortune" – Kay Starr
* "When I Fall in Love" – Doris Day
* "When You're in Love" – Frankie Laine
* "Why Don't You Believe Me" – Joni James
* "Winter Wonderland" – Perry Como
* "Wish You Were Here" – Eddie Fisher
* "You Belong to Me" – Jo Stafford
* "You'll Never Be Mine" – Guy Mitchell

## Published popular music

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

| 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 |
| Michel Ciry [fr] | [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 |
| Engelmann, Hans Ulrich | Orchester-Phantasie | 1952-07-20 | Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany | Landestheaterorchester Darmstadt – Maderna |
| Wolfgang Fortner | Isaacs Opferung, oratory scene | 1952-10-12 | Donaueschingen Festival, Germany | Sudock, Krebs, Rehfuss / SWF Symphony – Rosbaud |
| Fricker, Peter Racine | Concerto for Cor Anglais and Orchestra | 1952-07-20 | Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany | Hartung / Landestheaterorchester Darmstadt – Maderna |
| Ginastera, Alberto | Piano Sonata No. 1 | 1952-11-29 | Pittsburgh (ICMF) | Harris |
| Goeyvaerts, Karel | Violin Concerto No. 2 | 1952-07-20 | Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany | Gertler / Landestheaterorchester Darmstadt – Maderna |
| Hindemith, Paul | Die Harmonie der Welt Symphony | 1952-01-25 | Basel, Switzerland | Basel Chamber Orchestra – Sacher |
| 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] |
| Jolivet, André | Harp Concerto | 1952-10-12 | Donaueschingen Festival, Germany | Laskine / SWF Symphony – Rosbaud |
| Klebe, Giselher | Nocturnes (2) for orchestra | 1952-07-20 | Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany | Landestheaterorchester Darmstadt – Maderna |
| Kubik, Gail | Symphony Concertante [1952 Pulitzer] | 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 for flute, cymbals and tape | 1952-07-21 | Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany | Gazzelloni, Grano |
| Malipiero, G. Francesco | Sinfonia dello Zodiaco | 1952-01-23 | Lausanne, Switzerland | Orchestre de la Suisse Romande – Sanzogno |
| 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 |
| Martinů, Bohuslav | Stowe Pastorals | 1952-05-07 | Basel, Switzerland | Trapp Family Ensemble |
| Mennin, Peter | String Quartet No. 2 | 1952-02-24 | New York City | Juilliard Quartet |
| 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$^1$ |
| 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 | Grano, Wildgans, Sandt, Rosmann, Maderna, Trumpfheller, Geppert – Stockhausen |
| Stockhausen, Karlheinz | Spiel | 1952-10-11 | Donaueschingen Festival, Germany$^2$ | 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 |
| Zimmermann, Bernd Alois | Oboe Concerto | 1952-10-11 | Donaueschingen Festival, Germany | Schneider / SWF Symphony – Rosbaud |
* $^1$ The ensemble Bruno Maderna conducted comprised both faculty and students of the Ferienkurse and members of the Landestheater Orchestra Darmstadt.
* $^2$ 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

## 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

## 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

* 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, rock drummer (Humble Pie)
* February 12 – Michael McDonald, rock singer-songwriter (The Doobie Brothers)
* February 13 – Ed Gagliardi, rock bass guitarist (Foreigner)
* February 16 – James Ingram, American R&B singer-songwriter and producer (died 2019)
* February 18 – Juice Newton, pop and country singer-songwriter and guitarist
* February 20
** Halvor Haug, Norwegian composer
** Matti Rantanen, Finnish accordionist
* February 21 – Jean-Jacques Burnel, rock bass guitarist and vocalist (The Stranglers)
* February 23 – Brad Whitford, hard rock rhythm guitarist (Aerosmith)
* 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
* 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)
* 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 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 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