13 January:GRAHAM McPHERSON bka SUGGS = English singer-songwriter, musician, radio personality and actor, member of Madness
14 January:MICHAEL TREMPENAU bka MIKE TRAMP = Danish singer and songwriter who is best known for his work with the hard rock bands, White Lion {1983-1992} and Freak of Nature {1992-1998}
27 January:GILLIAN GILBERT = English musician, keyboardist, guitarist and singer, best known as a member of New Order {1980–1993, 1998–2001, 2011–present} and a founding member of The Other Two {1990-2011}
29 January:EDDIE JACKSON = American bass guitarist for the progressive metal band, Queensrÿche
31 January:LLOYD COLE = English singer and songwriter
8 February:VINCENT NEIL WHARTON bka VINCE NEIL = American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe
13 February:
HENRY ROLLINS born HENRY LAWRENCE GARFIELD = American musician, actor, writer, television and radio host, and comedian
cEvin Key born KEVIN WILLIAM CROMPTON = Canadian musician
16 February:ANDY TAYLOR = English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a former member of both Duran Duran {1979–1987, 2001–2006} and The Power Station {1984-1985, 1995-1997}
27 February:HIDEAKI TOKUNAGA = Japanese singer
2 March:SIMONE YOUNG = Australian conductor
20 March:JAMES McDONNELL bka SLIM JIM PHANTOM = American drummer for Stray Cats
27 March:TAK MATSUMOTO = Japanese guitarist
1 April:
SUSAN BOYLE = Scottish singer, runner-up on Britain's Got Talent (2008–2009)
MARK WHITE = English singer, songwriter, composer, musician and record producer, member of ABC
2 April:KEREN WOODWARD = English pop singer and songwriter of British girl group Bananarama
6 April:GENE EUGENE = Canadian-born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musician, leader of the alternative rock band Adam Again = [died: 2000]
12 April:CHRISTOPHE ROUSSET = French harpsichordist and conductor
28 April:ROLAND GIFT = British singer and actor. He was the lead singer of the band Fine Young Cannibals
7 May:ROBERT SPANO = American conductor and pianist
10 May:DANNY CAREY = American rock drummer
17 May:ENYA = Irish singer-songwriter
29 May:MELISSA ETHERIDGE = American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist
30 May:GINA SANDERS = New Zealand opera singer and vocal pedagogue
1 June:PETER MACHAJDÍK = Slovak composer
4 June:ELDRA PATRICK DeBARGE bka EL DeBARGE = American singer-songwriter, producer and musician. DeBarge was the focal point and primary lead singer of the family group DeBarge
6 June:TOM ARAYA = Chilean American musician, best known as the bass guitarist and lead singer of the American thrash metal band Slayer
14 June:BOY GEORGE = English singer, songwriter, DJ, fashion designer and photographer, lead singer of Culture Club
15 June:KAI ECKHARDT = German bass guitarist
18 June:ALISON MOYET = British singer
22 June:JIMMY SOMERVILLE = British singer
24 June:CURT SMITH = English musician, member of Tears for Fears
25 June:RICKY GERVAIS, English comedian and singer
26 June:TERRI NUNN = American singer and actress. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the new wave/synthpop band Berlin
27 June:MARGO TIMMONS = Canadian singer, member of Cowboy Junkies
29 June:GREG HETSON = American guitarist, member of Circle Jerks and Bad Religion
2 July:PAUL GEARY = American rock and roll drummer and Artist Manager. He is a co-founder and drummer of the heavy metal band, Extreme
6 July:RICK PRICE = Australian singer/songwriter
10 July:JACKY CHEUNG = Hong Kong singer and actor
12 July:RAY GILLEN = American singer = [died: 1993]
22 July:KEITH SWEAT = American R&B and soul, singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, radio personality, and an innovator of new jack swing
23 July:MARTIN GORE = English rock musician and songwriter
24 July:GARY CHERONE = American rock singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as the lead vocalist of the Boston rock group Extreme
26 July:KEIKO MATSUI = Japanese pianist and composer
2 August:PETE DE FREITAS = Trinidad and Tobago born English drummer with Echo & The Bunnymen = [died: 1989]
8 August:
RICHARD ALLAN REAM bka RIKKI ROCKETT = American drummer for glam metal band, Poison
DAVID HOWELL EVANS bka THE EDGE = English-born Irish musician and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist of the rock band U2
10 August:JON FARRISS = Australian drummer and foundng member of INXS
15 August:MATT JOHNSON = English singer-songwriter
19 August:COR BAKKER = Dutch pianist
22 August:
ANDRES CALAMARO = Argentine musician
ROLAND ORZABAL = British musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as a co-founder of Tears for Fears
23 August:
DEAN DeLEO = American guitarist known for his work with rock band Stone Temple Pilots
MARK BEDFORD = English musician, songwriter and composer, member of.Madness
25 August:BILLY RAY CYRUS = American singer and actor
26 August:DANIEL LÉVI = French singer-songwriter, composer and pianist
28 August:KIM APPLEBY = English singer, songwriter, and actress. She participated in the duo Mel and Kim
6 September:
SCOTT TRAVIS = American metal drummer, member of Judas Priest
PÂL WAAKTAAR-SAVOY = Norwegian musician and songwriter, member of A-ha
7 September:JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET = French pianist
12 September:MYLÈNE FARMER = Canadian-born French recording artist, songwriter, occasional actress, writer and entrepreneur
13 September:DAVE MUSTAINE = American musician, singer, songwriter, actor and author. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, and lead singer of the American thrash metal band Megadeth
22 September:MICHAEL TORKE = American composer
27 September:ANDY LAU = Hong Kong actor and singer
30 September:SALLY YEH = Hong Kong singer and actress
8 October:TED KOOSHIAN = American jazz pianist
9 October:KURT NEUMANN = American singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the roots-rock band The BoDeans
10 October:MARTIN KEMP = English actor, musician and occasional television presenter, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet
11 October:AMR DIAB = Egyptian singer
18 October:WYNTON MARSALIS = American jazz trumpeter and composer
25 October:CHAD SMITH = American musician and current drummer with Red Hot Chili Peppers {1988-present}
29 October:RANDY JACKSON = American singer-songwriter, musician and dancer. Jackson is best known as a former member of his family band, The Jacksons
31 October:LARRY MULLEN = Irish musician and actor, best known as the drummer of the Irish rock band U2
2 November:K.D. LANG = Canadian singer-songwriter
4 November:
DARON HAGEN = American composer, conductor, pianist, educator, librettist, and stage director
EDWARD KNIGHT = American composer
5 November:DAVID BRYSON = American musician, member of Counting Crows
8 November:LEIF GARRETT = American singer, actor and television personality
11 November:JAN KUEHNEMUND = American guitarist, member of Vixen
13 November:KLAYTON = American rock musician
18 November:ANTHONY WARLOW = Australian singer
20 November:JIM BRICKMAN = American songwriter and pianist of pop and adult contemporary music
11 December:DAVE KING = Irish-American singer
12 December:DANIEL O'DONNELL = Irish singer
17 December:SARAH DALLIN = English musician mostly noted for her membership of the group Bananarama
20 December:MOHAMMAD FOUAD = Arab singer and actor
29 December:JIM REID = Scottish musician
Timeline of Musical Events
15 January: Motown Records signs The Supremes
20 January: FRANCIS POULENC's Gloria is premiered in Boston
12 February: The Miracles' "Shop Around" becomes Motown's first million-selling single
13 February:FRANK SINATRA forms his own record label, Reprise Records, which would later release recordings by The Beach Boys, Ella Fitzgerald, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix.
14 February: The Platters file a lawsuit against Mercury Records for breach of contract after the record company refuses to accept recordings on which TONY WILLIAMS does not sing lead. The group's lawsuit contends that their contract does not require Williams to sing lead
21 March: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club for the first time
25 March:ELVIS PRESLEY performs a benefit show at the Block Arena in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The show raises $62,000 for the U.S.S. Arizona memorial fund.
13 April: Intolleranza 1960 by LUIGI NONO, his first opera, premieres at La Fenice.
23 April:JUDY GARLAND's concert at Carnegie Hall.
29 April:LUCIANO PAVAROTTI makes his operatic debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème.
1 May: The Pulitzer Prize for Music is awarded to WALTER PISTON for his Symphony No. 7
14 June:PATSY CLINE is hospitalized as a result of a head-on car collision. While in the hospital, the song "I Fall to Pieces" becomes a big Country/Pop crossover hit for Cline.
25 June: The Bill Evans Trio completes a two-week stay at The Village Vanguard in New York. It was the last time this trio would play before virtuoso bassist SCOTT LaFARO's death 10 days later. The five sets they played on the 25th were recorded, and the resulting two albums, Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby.
17 July: Billboard magazine first publishes an "Easy Listening" chart, listing songs that the magazine determined were not rock & roll records. The first #1 song on this chart was "The Boll Weevil Song" by BROOK BENTON. This chart would eventually be renamed a number of times and is currently called the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
8 December: The Beach Boys release their debut 45rpm single: "Surfin' "/"Luau" on the small California label Candix Records.
Also in 1961:
WILLIAM ALWYN marries fellow-composer DOREEN CARWITHEN, his former pupil
DALIDA receives the Music Oscar for Best Song with "Charles Aznavour"
The Leeds International Pianoforte Competition is founded by MARION, Countess of Harewood and FANNY WATERMAN
BOB SEGER's musical career begins
Published Popular Music
"Another Time, Another Place" = lyrics & music by RICHARD ADLER from the musical 'Kwamina'
"Baby Elephant Walk" = music by HENRY MANCINI from the film 'Hatari!'
"Big, Bad John" = lyrics & music by JIMMY DEAN
"Blue Bayou" = lyrics & music by JOE MELSON & ROY ORBISON
"Breaking In A Brand New Broken Heart" = lyrics & music by HOWARD GREENFIELD & JACK KELLER
"Crazy" = lyrics & music by WILLIE NELSON
"Cruella DeVil" = lyrics & music by MEL LEVEN, from the Walt Disney animated film '101 Dalmatians'
"Crying" = lyrics & music by JOE MELSON & ROY ORBISON
"Funny How Time Slips Away" = lyrics & music by WILLIE NELSON
"Hats Off to Larry" = lyrics & music by DEL SHANNON
"Hit the Road Jack" = lyrics & music by PERCY MAYFIELD
"I Love How You Love Me" = lyrics & music by BARRY MANN & LARRY KOLBER
"Let's Get Together" = lyrics & music by RICHARD M. SHERMAN & ROBERT B. SHERMAN from the film 'The Parent Trap'
"Let's Twist Again" = lyrics & music by DAVE APPELL & KAL MANN
"Little Miss Stuck-up" = lyrics & music by LEE POCKRISS & PAUL VANCE
"Love Makes the World Go 'Round" = lyrics & music by BOB MERRILL from the film 'Carnival!'
"Mister Ed theme song" = lyrics & music by JAY LIVINGSTON & RAY EVANS
"Moon River" = lyrics by JOHNNY MERCER; music by HENRY MANCINI from the film 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'
"Multiplication" = lyrics & music by BOBBY DARIN. Introduced by BOBBY DARIN in the film 'Come September'
"My Kind Of Girl" = lyrics & music by LESLIE BRICUSSE
"The Passenger's Always Right" = lyrics & music by NOEL COWARD from the musical 'Sail Away'
"Pocketful Of Miracles" = lyrics by SAMMY CAHN; music by JIMMY VAN HEUSEN from the film 'Pocketful of Miracles'
"Running Scared" = lyrics & music by JOE MELSON & ROY ORBISON
"Speedy Gonzales" = lyrics & music by DAVID HESS, BUDDY KAYE & ETHEL LEE
"Ten Girls Ago" = lyrics by DIANE LAMPERT; music by SAMMY FAIN
"Tender Is the Night" = lyrics by PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER; music by SAMMY FAIN. Theme from the film 'Tender Is the Night'
"Tower of Strength" = lyrics by BOB HILLIARD; music by BURT BACHARACH
"A Walk On The Wild Side" = lyrics by MACK DAVID; music by ELMER BERNSTEIN
"When The Girl In Your Arms Is The Girl In Your Heart" = lyrics & music by ROY BENNETT & SID TEPPER from the soundtrack album 'The Young Ones'
"Why Do The Wrong People Travel?" = lyrics & music by NOEL COWARD from the musical 'Sail Away'
"The Young Ones" = lyrics by ROY BENNETT; music by SID TEPPER from soundtrack album 'The Young Ones'
Classical Music
SAMUEL ADLER
Symphony No. 3
MALCOLM ARNOLD
Symphony No. 5
MILTON BABBITT
Vision and Prayer
NIELS VIGGO BENTZON
Concerto No. 2 for violin and orchestra
HAVERGAL BRIAN
Symphony No. 19
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Cello Sonata
EARLE BROWN
Available Forms I
ELLIOTT CARTER
Double Concerto (1959–61); revision of Holiday Overture
MARIO DAVIDOVSKY
Electronic Study No. 1; Piano 1961 for orchestra
EDISON DENISOV
String Quartet No. 2
ALUN HODDINOTT
Concerto for Piano, Winds and Percussion
JANIS IVANOVS
String Quartet No. 3
YURI LEVITIN
Concertino for Cello and Orchestra, opus 54
GYÖRGY LIGETI
Atmosphères for Orchestra
WILLIAM MATHIAS
Second Piano Concerto
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA
Symphony No. 3
ALAN RAWSTHORNE
Concerto for Ten Instruments
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No. 12 D minor, Op. 112 "The Year 1917"
KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN
Originale, musical theatre, Nr. 12?
EDGARD VARÈSE
Nocturnal
MIECZYSLAW WEINBERG
Concerto for flute and orchestra in D minor, op. 75
ISANG YUN
Third String Quartet (1959–61)
Opera
JEAN FRANÇAIX
La Princesse de Clèves
VITTORIO GIANNINI
The Harvest
ROBERT WARD
The Crucible
GRACE WILLIAMS
The Parlour
Musical Theatre
CARNIVAL!
(Music and Lyrics: Bob Merrill Book: Michael Stewart)
Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on 13 April and ran for 719 performances
DO-RE-MI
London production opened at the Prince Of Wales Theatre on 12 October and ran for 169 performances
DONNYBROOK!
Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre on 18 May and ran for 68 performances
THE FANTASTICKS
London production opened at the Apollo Theatre on 7 September and ran for 44 performances
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
(Music and Lyrics: Frank Loesser Book: Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstein and Willie Gilbert)
Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre on 14 October and ran for 1417 performances
KWAMINA
Broadway production opened at the 54th Street Theatre on 23 October and ran for 32 performances
MILK AND HONEY
Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on 10 October and ran for 543 performances
THE MUSIC MAN starring Van Johnson, Patricia Lambert, Ruth Kettlewell and Denis Waterman
London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on 16 March
SALAD DAYS
(Julian Slade)
London revival at Prince's Theatre
SAIL AWAY
Broadway production opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on 3 October and ran for 167 performances
THE SENTIMENTAL BLOKE
(Music: Albert Arlen Lyrics: Nancy Brown, Albert Arlen, Lloyd Thomson and C. J. Dennis Book: Lloyd Thomson and Nancy Brown)
Premiered at the Albert Hall, Canberra, March. Melbourne production opened at the Comedy Theatre on 4 November
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
(Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Book: Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse)
London production opened at the Palace Theatre and ran for 2385 performances
STOP THE WORLD - I WANT TO GET OFF
(Music, Lyrics and Book: Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse)
London production opened at the Queen's Theatre on 20 July and ran for 485 performances
SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING
(Music: Jule Styne Lyrics and Book: Adolph Green & Betty Comden)
Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on 27 December and ran for 205 performances.
WILDEST DREAMS
London production opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on 3 August and ran for 76 performances
Please address any comments concerning this page to The Music Maestro
Mark Chard BSc, PLY
Page created: 23rd August 2011
Last edited: 12th February 2024
