1983 in British music

1983 in British music
This is a summary of 1983 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
Events
8 January – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization. In 1984 electronic terminals will be used in selected stores to gather sales information, and the old "sales diary" method will be gradually phased out over the next few years.
10 February – John McCabe's Concerto for Orchestra is given its first performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Georg Solti.
14 May – The Symphony No 2 Summer Music by William Mathias is performed for the first time by the Liverpool Philharmonic Society
30 May – Elton John releases his album Too Low for Zero, marking the beginning of his mid-1980s comeback after several albums disappointed in sales.
31 May – Nigel Osborne's Sinfonia No 2 is performed for the first time by the Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra.
3 June – The opera Raleigh's Dream by Iain Hamilton is performed for the first time in Durham, North Carolina
17 July – The Cello Concerto by Lennox Berkeley, composed in 1939, is performed for the first time in Manchester.
27 July – The Piano Concerto by Dominic Muldowney is performed for the first time in London.
20 August – The Rolling Stones sign a new $28 million contract with CBS Records, the largest recording contract in history up to this time.
1 September – Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon of The Clash issue a press statement announcing that Mick Jones has been fired from the group.
20 September – The first ARMS Charity Concert is held at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
3 October – The first performance of the opera Marching Song by Benjamin Frankel, left in short score at the time of the composer's death ten years earlier, is broadcast by the BBC.
9 November – The Blue Guitar for solo guitar by Michael Tippett is performed for the first time, at the Ambassador Auditorium, Pasadena, California.
28 November – The first Now album is released.
15 December – The broadcast premiere of Elisabeth Lutyens’ Music for Orchestra 1V is given by the City of London Sinfonia, conducted by Richard Hickox.
Charts
Number one singles
Number one albums
Year-end charts
Note: The year-end charts published in Music Week on 7 January 1984 only covered the period 4 January to 17 December 1983 – the BPI Year Book 1984 included the complete charts to the end of 1983.
Best-selling singles
Best-selling albums
Notes:
Classical music
Alun Hoddinott - Quodlibet on Welsh Nursery Tunes - arr. for brass quintet
William Mathias - Symphony No. 2, Op.90 (Summer Music)
John Pickard - Nocturne in Black and Gold
Opera
Oliver Knussen - Where the Wild Things Are
Musical films
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
The Pirates of Penzance, starring Kevin Kline and Angela Lansbury
Births
18 January - Antony Brant, singer (V)
3 March - Katie White, singer (The Ting Tings)
8 May - Matt Willis, singer and musician (Busted)
16 May - Mince Fratelli, musician (The Fratellis)
23 May - Heidi Range, singer (Sugababes)
17 June - Lee Ryan, singer (Blue)
30 June
Cheryl Cole, singer
Patrick Wolf, singer/songwriter
7 July - Aaron Buckingham, singer (V)
22 July - Jodi Albert, singer (Girl Thing)
18 August - Mika, singer
25 August - James Righton, musician (The Klaxons)
11 September - Matthew Halsall, jazz trumpeter and promoter
13 September - James Bourne, singer and musician (Busted), (Son Of Dork)
14 September - Amy Winehouse, singer-songwriter
25 September - Hayden Powell, jazz trumpeter and composer
24 October - V V Brown, English singer, songwriter, model, and producer
26 October - Ant Scott-Lee, singer (3SL)
8 November - Mark Harle, singer (V)
Deaths
5 January - Amy Evans, operatic soprano, 98
6 January - Bernard Stevens, composer, 66
7 January - Edith Coates, operatic mezzo-soprano, 74
18 January - Cedric Thorpe Davie, composer, 69
28 January - Billy Fury, singer-songwriter, 42 (heart attack)
22 February - Sir Adrian Boult, conductor, 93
23 February - Herbert Howells, composer, 90
6 March - Howard McFarlane, jazz trumpeter, 89
8 March - Sir William Walton, composer, 80
23 March - David Wynne, composer, 82
14 April
Pete Farndon, bassist of the rock group the Pretenders, 30 (drug overdose)
Elisabeth Lutyens, composer, 76
17 April - Thomas L. Thomas, operatic baritone, 72
20 April - Sarah Makem, Northern Irish singer, 82
6 May - Pat Smythe, jazz pianist, 60
5 June - Anthony Lewis, musicologist, conductor and composer, 68
12 June - Ceinwen Rowlands, operatic soprano, 78
2 July - Jacqueline Townshend, violinist and pianist, 71
12 July - Chris Wood, founding member of Traffic, 39 (pneumonia)
16 July - David Ward, operatic bass, 61
31 August - Eve Taylor, music manager, 68
19 September - Peter Mooney, conductor, 68
24 September
Isobel Baillie, operatic soprano, 88
John Bee, theatre organist, 87
19 November - Tom Evans, bassist of the rock group Badfinger, 36 (suicide)
7 December - Norah Blaney, pianist, composer and music hall performer, 90
8 December - Monica Harrison, operatic soprano, 86
Music awards
Brit Awards
The 1983 Brit Awards winners were:
Best British producer: Trevor Horn
Best classical recording: John Williams - "Portrait"
Best international artist: Kid Creole and the Coconuts
Best Live Act: U2
Best selling album: Barbra Streisand - Love Songs (also released as Memories in the U.S.)
British breakthrough act: Yazoo
British female solo artist: Kim Wilde
British group: Dire Straits
British male solo artist: Paul McCartney
British single: Dexys Midnight Runners - "Come On Eileen"
Life achievement award: Pete Townshend
Outstanding contribution: The Beatles
Special Award: Chris Wright
The Sony award for technical excellence: Paul McCartney
See also
1983 in British radio
1983 in British television
1983 in the United Kingdom
List of British films of 1983
References
External links
BBC Radio 1's Chart Show
The Official Charts Company
British music
British music by year