6 January:MALCOLM YOUNG = Australian musician and songwriter of Scottish origin, best known as a co-founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for the Australian hard rock band AC/DC {1973–2014}
10 January:PAT BENATAR = American singer, songwriter
21 January:GLENN KAISER = American Christian blues musician, singer-songwriter and pastor. He was the leader of Resurrection Band {1972-2000} and is currently the leader of The Glenn Kaiser Band
23 January:ROBIN ZANDER = American musician, lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick {1974-present}
26 January:LUCINDA WILLIAMS = American rock, folk, blues, and country music singer and songwriter
29 January:
LOUIE PEREZ = American songwriter, percussionist and guitarist for Los Lobos {1973-present} and Latin Playboys {1994-1999}
TERESA TENG = Taiwanese pop singer = [died: 1995]
3 February:JOËLLE = French singer = [died: 1982]
18 February:ROBIN BACHMAN = Canadian drummer, member of Brave Belt {1971-72} which changed their name to Bachman–Turner Overdrive {1973-1979, 1988-2005}
20 February:RICCARDO CHAILLY = Italian conductor
26 February:MICHAEL BOLTON = American singer-songwriter also former member of Blackjack {1979-80}
3 March:ROBYN HITCHCOCK = English singer-songwriter and guitarist
12 March:RYAN PARIS = Italian musician, singer and actor
19 March:RICKY WILSON = American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of rock band the The B-52s {1976-1985} and before that Black Narcissus {1970–1976} = [died: 1985]
23 March:CHAKA KHAN = American singer
27 March:WALTER FREDERICK STOCKER bka WALLY STOCKER = English rock guitarist, perhaps best known as the former lead guitarist with The Babys {1974–1981, 2013–present}
31 March:
SEAN HOPPER = American musician; keyboards, backing vocals with Huey Lewis and the News {1979-present}
GREG MARTIN = American musician; member of The Kentucky Headhunters {1968-1973, 1976–1982, 1986–present}
4 April:CHEN YI = Chinese classical composer and violinist
21 April:TODD PHILLIPS = American double bassist, composer and founding member of the original David Grisman Quintet {1975-77}
28 April:PAT DONOHUE = American guitarist for The Guys All-Star Shoe Band {early 90s-present} on 'A Prairie Home Companion' and songwriter
4 May:OLETA ADAMS = American soul, jazz, and gospel singer and pianist
8 May:
BILLY BURNETTE = American guitarist, singer and songwriter; member of Fleetwood Mac {1987-1995}
ALEX VAN HALEN = Dutch-American musician, drummer and co-founder of Van Halen {1972-present}
9 May:KOJO = Finnish pop rock singer
15 May:MIKE OLDFIELD = English composer & musician
16 May:RICHARD PAGE = American musician, lead singer and bassist of Mr. Mister {1982-1990}
17 May:GEORGE JOHNSON = American musician, member of The Brothers Johnson {1975–1982, 1984–present}
7 June:JOHNNY CLEGG = South African musician and anthropologist
12 June:JONATHAN BURNETTE aka ROCKY BURNETTE = American rock and roll singer/musician
19 June:LARRY DUNN = American keyboardist, musical director and one of the early members of Earth Wind & Fire
20 June:
ALAN LONGMUIR = Scottish musician, member of The Bay City Rollers
DUŠAN RAPOŠ = Slovak film director, screenwriter and composer
22 June:CYNDI LAUPER = American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT activist
29 June:COLIN HAY = Scottish-born Australian musician and actor, lead singer of Men at Work {1978–1986, 1996–2002, (occasional reunions until 2012)}
2 July:MARK HART = American musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known for being a member of both Supertramp {1986–1988, 1996–2002, 2015-present} and Crowded House {1993–1996, 2007–present}
6 July:NANCI GRIFFITH = American singer, guitarist, and songwriter
18 July:WARREN RAY WIEBE = American vocalist and session artist = [died: 1998]
21 July:
ERIC BAZILIAN = American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer, founding member of The Hooters {1980–1995, 2001–present}
SYLVIA CHANG = Taiwanese actress, singer, director, and screenwriter
22 July:JIMMY BRUNO = American guitarist
29 July:GARY LEE WEINRIB pka GEDDY LEE = Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for Rush {1968–present}
31 July:HUGH MacDOWELL = English cellist, member of Wizzard {1972-1973} and the Electric Light Orchestra {1972, 1973–1979}
1 August:ROBERT CRAY = American blues guitarist and singer
2 August:MARJOLÈNE MORIN pka MARJO = Canadian singer-songwriter
12 August:PETER OSTROUSHKO = American mandolinist, fiddler
16 August:JAMES "J.T." TAYLOR = American singer and actor, member of Kool & the Gang {1977–1988, 1996–2001}
17 August:KEVIN ROWLAND = English singer-songwriter and frontman for the Dexys Midnight Runners {1978–87, 2003–present}
24 August:RON HOLLOWAY = American tenor saxophonist
27 August:ALEX LIFESON = Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush {1968-present}
29 August:RICK DOWNEY = American musician, member of Blue Öyster Cult {1981–1985}
2 September:JOHN ZORN = American composer, arranger, producer, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist
7 September:BENMONT TENCH = American keyboardist for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers {1975-present} and others
11 September:TOMMY SHAW = American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and performer Styx {1975-1984, 1995–present}
27 September:GREG HAM = Australian songwriter, actor and saxophone player, member of Men at Work {1979–1985, 1996–2002; occasional performances until 2012} = [died: 2012]
4 October:GIL MOORE = Canadian musician, drummer and vocalist with Triumph {1975–1993, 2008–present}
7 October:TICO TORRES = American drummer and percussionist, member of Bon Jovi {1983–present}
10 October:MIDGE URE = Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and producer, member of Ultravox {1979–1987, 2008–present}
14 October:KAZUMI WATANABE = Japanese jazz fusion guitarist
15 October:TITO JACKSON = American singer and guitarist and original member of The Jackson 5 {1964-75} and The Jacksons {1976-present}
16 October:TONY CAREY = American-born, European-based musician, composer, producer, and singer/songwriter, member of Rainbow {1975–1977}
21 October:
CHARLOTTE CAFFEY = American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter, member of The Go-Go's {1978–1985}
ERIC FAULKNER = Scottish guitarist, songwriter, and singer, member of Bay City Rollers
KEITH GREEN = American contemporary Christian music pianist, singer and songwriter = [died: 1982]
26 October:KEITH STRICKLAND = American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and one of the founding members of The B-52s {1976–1985, 1989-present}
11 November:ANDY PARTRIDGE = English singer, songwriter, and guitarist, founding member of XTC {1972-2006}
13 November:ANDREW RANKEN = British musician, member of The Pogues {1982–1996, 2001–2014}
22 November:URMAS ALENDER = Estonian singer and musician, the vocalist of popular Estonian bands Ruja {1971-1988} and Propeller {1979-1980} = [died: 1994]
12 December:
BRUCE HOWARD KULICK = American musician and guitarist
DAVE MENIKETTI = American singer, songwriter and lead guitarist for Hard rock/heavy metal band Y&T {1972-present}
26 December:RICHARD HENRY TUDOR CHRISTOPHERS bka HARRY CHRISTOPHERS = English conductor
Timeline of Musical Events
6 February: Contralto KATHLEEN FERRIER, already terminally ill with cancer, leaves Covent Garden Opera House on a stretcher after being taken ill on the second night of her run in GLUCK's Orfeo ed Euridice
12 March:HEINRICH SUTERMEISTER's opera Romeo and Juliet receives its first UK performance at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, conducted by JAMES ROBERTSON
26 May:WERNER MEYER-EPPLER, FRITZ ENKEL, HERBERT EIMERT, and ROBERT BEYER open a pioneering electronic music studio at the Cologne studios of the NWDR (Morawska-Büngeler 1988, 11–12)
16-29 July: The Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik are held at Darmstadt
18 July:ELVIS PRESLEY makes his first recordings
27 September:HELEN TRAUBEL ends her long association with the Metropolitan Opera, after having appeared in Chicago as a night-club singer (Anon. 1953)
October:Sir ARTHUR BLISS replaces Sir ARNOLD BAX as Master of the Queen's Music
5 October:WILHELM FURTWÄNGLER and the soloist's in the Vienna State Opera's production of Don Giovanni publicly protest the suspension of EGON HILBERT as administrator of the Burg Theater and State Opera
19 October: Opening of the Covent Garden opera season, with a production of WAGNER's Die Walküre
30 October:ERNST MARBOE is announced as the new administrator of the Vienna State Opera and Burg Theater, replacing EGON HILBERT
2 November: the Metropolitan Opera announces that a new two-year contract has been agreed with the musicians' union, averting a threatened strike by the orchestra
17 November:CARL EBERT is announced as the new Intendant of the Städtische Oper, (West) Berlin
7 December: the La Scala opera season opens with a production of ALFREDO CATALANI's La Wally, to mark the hundredth anniversay of the composer's birth
Also in 1953:-
ALFRED SCHNITTKE becomes a student of EVGENY GOLUBEV
FRANK SINATRA begins recording at Capitol
FRANKIE LAINE sets the all-time United Kingdom record for weeks at Number One in a given year on the UK Singles Chart, when his hit singles "Answer Me", "Hey Joe!" and "I Believe" held the top slot for 27 weeks: a little over half a year. "I Believe," which was Number One for 18 weeks also holds the all-time record for a single. Over 50 years later, both records still hold
EDDIE FISHER becomes "The Coca-Cola Kid" on the television show, Coke Time at a salary of one million dollars a year
The Platters form in Los Angeles
"Crazy Man, Crazy", recorded by BILL HALEY & His Comets, becomes the first rock and roll single to make the Billboard national American musical charts.
The Erato Records label is founded to promote French classical music.
Published Popular Music
"And This Is My Beloved" = lyrics & music adapted by ROBERT WRIGHT & GEORGE FORREST
"Angel Eyes" = lyrics by EARL BRENT; music by MATT DENNIS
"Anna" = English lyrics by WILLIAM ENGVICK, Italian lyrics by F. GIORDANO; music by R. VATRO
"Answer Me, My Love" = English lyrics by CARL SIGMAN; German lyrics & music by GERHARD WINKLER & FRED RAVICH
"Baubles, Bangles And Beads" = lyrics & music adapted by ROBERT WRIGHT & GEORGE FORREST. Introduced by DORETTA MORROW in the musical 'Kismet'
"Bell Bottom Blues" = lyrics by HAL DAVID; music by LEON CARR
"Bimbo" = lyrics & music by RODNEY MORRIS
"Black Hills Of Dakota" = lyrics by PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER; music by SAMMY FAIN. Introduced by DORIS DAY in the film 'Calamity Jane'
"The Boy Friend" = lyrics & music by SANDY WILSON
"Can-Can" = lyrics & music by COLE PORTER
"Caribbean" = lyrics & music by MITCHELL TOROK
"C'est Magnifique" = lyrics & music by COLE PORTER. Introduced by LILO and PETER COOKSON in the musical 'Can-Can'
"Changing Partners" = lyrics by JOE DARION; music by LARRY COLEMAN
"Chicka Boom" = lyrics & music by BOB MERRILL
"Crying In the Chapel" = lyrics & music by ARTIE GLENN
"Cry Me a River" = lyrics & music by ARTHUR HAMILTON
"Dragnet" = lyrics & music by WALTER SCHUMANN
"Ebb Tide" = lyrics by CARL SIGMAN; music by ROBERT MAXWELL
"Eh, Cumpari!" = traditional Italian lyrics & music adapted JULIUS LAROSA & ARCHIE BLEYER
"Ev'rybody Loves Saturday Night" = by CAMPBELL
"Fate" = lyrics & music adapted by ROBERT WRIGHT & GEORGE FORREST from music by ALEXANDER BORODIN adapted from Symphony No. 2 in B Minor. It was introduced by ALFRED DRAKE and DORETTA MORROW in the musical 'Kismet'
"From Here to Eternity" = lyrics by ROBERT WELLS; music by FRED KARGER
"Gambler's Guitar" = lyrics & music by JIM LOWE
"Gee!" = lyrics & music by VIOLA WATKINS, DANIEL NORTON & WILLIAM DAVIS
"Giddy-Up-A Ding Dong" = lyrics & music by FREDDIE BELL, PEP LATTANZI
"Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite" = by JAMES HUDSON, CALVIN CARTER
"Half a Photograph" = lyrics by BOB RUSSELL; music by HAL STANLEY
"The Happy Wanderer" = German lyrics by FLORENZ SIEGESMUND & EDITH MÖLLER, English lyrics by ANTONIA RIDGE; music by FRIEDRICH WILHELM MÖLLER
"Here's That Rainy Day" = lyrics by JOHNNY BURKE; music by JAMES VAN HEUSEN. Introduced by JOHN RAITT in the musical 'Carnival In Flanders'
"Hold My Hand" = lyrics & music by JACK LAWRENCE & RICHARD MYERS
"I Believe" = lyrics & music by ERVIN DRAKE, JIMMY SHIRL, IRVIN GRAHAM & AL STILLMAN
"(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely" = lyrics & music by PAT BALLARD
"I Love Paris" = lyrics & music by COLE PORTER. Introduced by LILO in the musical 'Can-Can'
"I Really Don't Want To Know" = lyrics by HOWARD BARNES; music by DON ROBERTSON
"I'm Walking Behind You" = lyrics & music by BILLY REID
"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" = lyrics by JIMMY KENNEDY; music by NAT SIMON
"It's All Right With Me" = lyrics & music by COLE PORTER
"It's Love" = lyrics by BETTY COMDEN & ADOLPH GREEN; music by LEONARD BERNSTEIN. Introduced by GEORGE GAYNES in the musical 'Wonderful Town'. Performed in the 1955 London production by DENNIS BOWEN
"Just Walkin' In The Rain" = lyrics & music by JOHNNY BRAGG & ROBERT S. RILEY
"Little Things Mean a Lot" = lyrics & music by CARL STUTZ & EDITH LINDEMAN
"Look at That Girl" = lyrics & music by BOB MERRILL
"Make Love to Me" = lyrics by ALAN COPELAND & BILL NORVAS; music from "Tin Roof Blues" 1923.
"The Man That Got Away" = lyrics by IRA GERSHWIN; music by HAROLD ARLEN
"The Man With The Banjo" = English lyrics by ROBERT MELLIN; music by FRITZ SCHULZ REICHEL
"Marriage Type Love" = lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II; music by RICHARD RODGERS. Introduced by ARTHUR MAXWELL and HELENA SCOTT in the musical 'Me And Juliet'
"Matilda, Matilda!" = lyrics & music by HARRY THOMAS
"Melancholy Serenade" = music by JACKIE GLEASON
"Mexican Joe" = lyrics & music by MITCHELL TOROK
"Money Burns a Hole In My Pocket" = lyrics by BOB HILLIARD; music by JULE STYNE. Introduced by DEAN MARTIN in the 1954 film 'Living It Up'
"Money Honey" = lyrics & music by JESSE STONE
"My Love, My Love" = lyrics by BOB HAYMES; music by NICK ACQUAVIVA
"No Other Love" = lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II; music by RICHARD RODGERS. Introduced by ISABEL BIGLEY and BILL HAYES in the musical 'Me And Juliet'
"Non Dimenticar" = English lyrics by SHELLEY DOBBINS, Italian lyrics by MICHELE GALDIERI; music by P. G. REDI
"Not Since Nineveh" = lyrics by & music adapted by ROBERT WRIGHT & GEORGE FORREST from BORODIN's "Polovetsian Dances"
"Oh! My Pa-Pa" = lyrics by JOHN TURNER & GEOFFREY PARSONS; music by PAUL BURKHARD
"The Olive Tree" = lyrics & music adapted by ROBERT WRIGHT & GEORGE FORREST from music by ALEXANDER BORODIN
"Rags to Riches" = lyrics & music by RICHARD ADLER & JERRY ROSS
"Ricochet" = lyrics & music by LARRY COLEMAN, JOE DARION & NORMAN GIMBEL
"Rock Around the Clock" = lyrics & music by JIMMY DE KNIGHT & MAX C. FREEDMAN
"Santa Baby" = lyrics & music by JOAN JAVITS, PHIL SPRINGER & TONY SPRINGER
"Satin Doll" = lyrics & music by BILLY STRAYHORN & DUKE ELLINGTON
"Secret Love" = lyrics by PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER; music by SAMMY FAIN. Introduced by DORIS DAY in the film 'Calamity Jane'
"Seven Lonely Days" = lyrics & music by ALDEN SHUMAN, EARL SHUMAN & MARSHAL BROWN
"Shake a Hand" = lyrics & music by JOE MORRIS
"Sippin' Soda" = adapted by P. CAMPBELL
"The Song From "Moulin Rouge"" (aka "Where Is Your Heart") = English lyrics by WILLIAM ENGVICK, French lyrics by JACQUES LARUE; music by GEORGES AURIC
"Stranger in Paradise" = lyrics & music adapted by ROBERT WRIGHT & GEORGE FORREST. Introduced by DORETTA MORROW and RICHARD KILEY in the musical 'Kismet'
"Such a Night" = lyrics & music by LINCOLN CHASE
"Sway" ("Quien Será") = English lyrics by NORMAN GIMBEL; Spanish lyrics & music by PABLO BELTRÁN RUIZ
"Teach Me Tonight" = lyrics by SAMMY CAHN; music by GENE DE PAUL
"Tell Me a Story" = lyrics & music by TERRY GILKYSON
"Tell Us Where the Good Times Are" = lyrics & music by BOB MERRILL
"That's Amore" = lyrics by JACK BROOKS; music by HARRY WARREN
"Vaya con Dios" = lyrics & music by LARRY RUSSELL, INEZ JAMES & BUDDY PEPPER
"Wanted" = lyrics & music by JACK FULTON & LOIS STEELE
"When Love Goes Wrong" = lyrics by HAROLD ADAMSON; music by HOAGY CARMICHAEL from the film 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'
"You Won't Forget Me" = lyrics by KERMIT GOELL; music by FRED SPIELMAN Introduced by INDIA ADAMS dubbing for JOAN CRAWFORD in the film 'Torch Song'
"You, You, You" = English lyrics by ROBERT MELLIN, German lyrics by WALTER ROTHENBERG; music by LOTAR OLIAS
"Young at Heart" = lyrics by CAROLYN LEIGH; music by JOHNNY RICHARDS
Classical Music
GEORGE CRUMB
Viola Sonata
PETER RACINE FRICKER
Viola Concerto
CRISTOBAL HALFFTER
Piano Concerto
KARL AMADEUS HARTMANN
Concerto for piano, winds and percussion
GYÖRGY LIGETI
Sonata for Solo Cello
OTTO LUENING
Fantasy in Space
XAVIER MONTSALVATGE
Poema Concertante
GIACINTO SCELSI
Five Incantations for piano
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Ballet Suite No. 4
Symphony No. 10 E minor, Op. 93
KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN
Kontra-Punkte
Klavierstücke I–IV (revised version)
Studie I, electronic music
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Sinfonia antartica
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS
Harp Concerto
Cello Concerto No. 2
Opera
THE DECEMBRISTS
by Yuri Shaporin
first staged 23 June 1953 at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow
THE DUMB WIFE
by Joseph Horovitz
premiered 21 November 1953 at the Guildhall School, London, by the Intimate Opera Company
GLORIANA
by Benjamin Britten
composed 1953, first performed on 8 July 1953 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in the presence of Elizabeth II
IRMELIN
by Frederick Delius
composed 1890–92; first produced Oxford, 4 May 1953
LENORA 40/50
by Rolf Liebermann
first produced in Berlin on 12 February 1953 at the State Opera House in the British sector
MAN OF ENTERPRISE
by Denis Bloodworth
first produced on 8 December 1953 at Tiffin School, Kingston, Surrey, by the school operatic society
MENNA
by Arwel Hughes
premiered by the Welsh National Opera at the Pavilion in Cardiff on 9 November, with the composer conducting
NELSON
by Lennox Berkeley
premiered in a concert performance 14 February 1953 by the English Opera Group at Wigmore Hall, London
SEVIL
by Fikret Amirov
THREE'S COMPANY
by Antony Hopkins
premiered 21 November 1953 at the Guildhall School, London, by the Intimate Opera Company
THE TINNERS OF CORNWALL
by Inglis Gundry
premiered 30 September 1953 at Rudolf Steiner Hall, conducted by Geoffrey Corbett.
Musical Theatre
Opening: 11 February 1953 @ Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York, NY
Music by: Richard Rodgers; Book by: Oscar Hammerstein II; Lyrics by: Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on Green Grow the Lilacs
Closing: 3 October 1953 Performance Count: 40
Opening: 3 September 1953 @ Theatre Mart, Hollywood, California
THE WAYWARD WAY [Original "American" production]
(Musical)
Composer: Lorne Huycke; Lyricist: Bill Howe
Closing: 17 October 1959
Opening: 7 September 1953 @ Vanderbilt Theatre, New York, NY
ANNA RUSSELL'S LITTLE SHOW [Original "Broadway" production]
(Musical, Revue)
Music & Lyrics by: Anna Russell
Closing: 19 September 1953 Performance Count: 16
Opening: 8 September 1953 @ the New Watergate Theatre, London
THE BUCCANEER ["London" production]
(Musical)
Written by Sandy Wilson
Closing: date unknown Performance Count: 29
Opening: 8 September 1953 @ New Century Theatre, New York, NY
CARNIVAL IN FLANDERS [Original "Broadway" production]
(Musical, Comedy)
Music by: Roger Adams, John Morris, Elie Siegmeister, James Van Heusen; Book by: Preston Sturges; Lyrics by: Johnny Burke
Closing: 12 September 1953 Performance Count: 6
Opening: 8 October 1953 @ the Drury Lane Theatre, London
THE KING AND I ["West End" production]
(Musical)
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Closing: date unknown Performance Count: 926
Opening: 13 October 1953 @ London's Players Club, London
THE BOY FRIEND ["Expanded Preview" production]
(Musical)
Written by Sandy Wilson
Closing: date unknown
Opening: 3 December 1953 @ Ziegfeld Theatre, New York, NY
KISMET [Original "Broadway" production]
(Musical)
Music by: Aleksander Borodin, George Forrest; Book by: Luther Davis, Charles Lederer; Lyrics by: George Forrest, Robert Wright
Based on Kismet
Closing: 23 April 1955 Performance Count: 583
Opening: 10 December 1953 @ Imperial Theatre, New York, NY
JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON'S ALMANAC [Original "Broadway" production]
(Musical, Revue)
Music by: Richard Adler, Jerry Ross; Book by: Herbert Farjeon, Jean Kerr, Sumner Locke-Elliott, Arthur Macrae, William K. Wells, Lauri Wylie; Lyrics by: Richard Adler, Jerry Ross
Closing: 26 June 1954 Performance Count: 229
Opening: 23 December 1953 @ the Lyric Hammersmith, London
AT THE LYRIC ["London" production]
(Musical, Revue)
A Revue by Alan Melville; Additional Lyrics by: Paul Dehn; Music by: Kenneth Leslie-Smith, Charles Zwar and Donald Swann
Closing: date unknown
Opening: 26 December 1953 @ Essoldo Theatre, Brighton