11 January:JAMELIA = British recording artist, television presenter and actress
29 January:JONNY LANG = American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter, guitarist and recording artist
31 January:JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE = American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer
5 February:ZAMEER RIZVI = Canadian singer/songwriter, composer and record producer
11 February:KELLY ROWLAND = American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality, member of Destiny's Child
27 February:JOSH GROBAN = American crossover singer and songwriter
7 March:ANNA LEESE = New Zealand born operatic soprano
9 March:CHAD GILBERT = American musician and record producer, member of New Found Glory
11 March:
RUSSELL LISSACK = British musician, member of Bloc Party
LeTOYA LUCKETT = American singer-songwriter and actress, member of Destiny's Child
21 March:STIG VAN EIJK = Norwegian singer, composer and lyricist
1 April:
THERESA SOKYRKA = Canadian singer-songwriter, runner-up on second season of Canadian Idol
HANNAH SPEARRITT = English singer and actress, original member of S Club 7
29 April:TOM SMITH = English musician. He is the lead singer, lyricist, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist for the Birmingham-based indie rock band Editors
3 May:FARRAH FRANKLIN = American singer-songwriter and actress, former member of Destiny's Child
8 June:ALEX BAND = American musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his work in his former band The Calling
21 June:BRANDON FLOWERS = American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, lead singer of The Killers
21 July:
BLAKE LEWIS = American singer, songwriter and beatboxer who was the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol
ANTHONY SANTOS = American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer and former lead vocalist of the American bachata group Aventura
22 July:DAN REEVES = English singer-songwriter
31 July:MATTHEW CHARLES SANDERS bka M. SHADOW = American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter and founding member of the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold
8 August:
VANESSA AMOROSI = Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist
BRADLEY McINTOSH = English singer, songwriter and actor. He was a member of the pop group S Club 7
28 August:IRACEMA TREVISAN = Brazilian musician, member of Cansei de Ser Sexy
4 September:BEYONCÉ KNOWLES = American singer, songwriter and actress
14 September:ASHLEY ROBERTS = American singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress, model, presenter, and television personality, best known as a former member of the modern burlesque group and dance ensemble The Pussycat Dolls
26 September:CHRISTINA MILIAN = American singer, songwriter and actress
13 October:KELE OKEREKE = British musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Party
15 October:NICK WHITE = American musician, member of Tilly and the Wall
31 October:FRANK IERO = American musician who was the rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist of the rock band My Chemical Romance
1 November:LaTAVIA ROBERSON = American vocalist, songwriter, and actress, member of Destiny's Child
17 November:SARAH HARDING = English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, and actress, member of Girls Aloud
20 November:KIMBERLEY WALSH = English singer-songwriter, model, television presenter, actress, and dancer, member of Girls Aloud
26 November:NATASHA BEDINGFIELD = British singer and songwriter
2 December:BRITNEY SPEARS = American singer, dancer and actress
11 December:ZACKY VENGEANCE = American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist, and founding member for the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold
13 December:AMY LEE = American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. She is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence
Timeline of Musical Events
10 January: A revival of the GILBERT and SULLIVAN operetta 'The Pirates of Penzance' opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring LINDA RONSTADT and REX SMITH
24 January: Aerosmith lead singer STEVEN TYLER is injured in a motorcycle crash that leaves him hospitalized for two months.
14 February:BILLY IDOL leaves the band Generation X to begin a solo career.
15 February: Blues guitarist MIKE BLOOMFIELD is found dead in San Francisco. The cause of death is ruled an accidental drug overdose.
14 March: Suffering from bleeding ulcers, ERIC CLAPTON is admitted to United Hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Clapton's 60-city tour of the US is cancelled, and he remains in hospital for a month
1 April: The Go-Go's sign to IRS Records
4 April: British pop group BUCKS FIZZ wins the 26th Eurovision Song Contest, held at the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion, Dublin, with the song "Making Your Mind Up"
7 April: Former Who manager KIT LAMBERT dies after falling down a flight of stairs in his mother's home in London. Lambert managed the band between 1964 and 1967.
11 April: Van Halen's lead guitarist EDDIE VAN HALEN marries actress VALERIE BERTINELLI
18 April: Yes announce that they are breaking up. (They would reunite frequently in years to come).
20 April: The Mamas & the Papas'JOHN PHILLIPS is sentenced to five years in jail after pleading guilty to drug possession charges. Phillips' sentence would be suspended after thirty days in exchange for 250 hours of community service.
22 April:ERIC CLAPTON is taken to the hospital suffering from bruised ribs and a lacerated shin, following a car accident in Seattle, Washington.
25 April:PAUL McCARTNEY's backing band, Wings, breaks up
27 April:RINGO STARR and BARBARA BACH marry, in London, England
2 May: British vocalist SHEENA EASTON hits No. 1 in the US with "Morning Train (9 to 5)" following a swift rise to fame as the result of a reality TV show.
14 May:DIANA ROSS signs with RCA Records (EMI internationally), leaving Motown Records, her label of two decades. The $20,000,000 deal is the most lucrative recording contract in history at that time.
15 May: A riot breaks out at The Ritz rock club in New York when Public Image Ltd plays behind a videoscreen while completely different music plays over the club's speakers.
4 June: U2 appears on the Tomorrow show with Tom Snyder, their first U.S. television appearance.
5 June: The TV series Night Flight, a variety show featuring music documentaries and videos, premieres on the USA Network.
6 June: Kerrang! magazine publishes its first issue. ANGUS YOUNG of AC/DC is on the cover.
30 June:JERRY LEE LEWIS is rushed to hospital in Memphis for emergency surgery for a tear in his stomach. Despite being given less than a 50% chance of survival, he eventually pulls through.
1 August: MTV debuts on cable television in the United States, playing music videos 24 hours a day.
August: the success of Stars On 45 leads to a short-lived medley craze. The most successful imitator of the Stars On 45 format is, rather unexpectedly, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra whose "Hooked On Classics (Parts 1&2)" reaches number two in the charts.
23 August: The Violent Femmes are discovered by members of The Pretenders busking outside a Milwaukee venue and are invited to play a 10-minute acoustic set as a second opening act in the Pretenders' show that night.
19 September: Simon & Garfunkel perform a free reunion concert in New York City's Central Park attended by over 500,000 fans.
25 September: The Rolling Stones open their US tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
26 October: Iron Maiden plays its first show with BRUCE DICKINSON as the new lead singer in Bologna, Italy.
28 October: British Phonographic Industry chairman CHRIS WRIGHT unveils the UK music industry's new slogan: "Home Taping Is Killing Music".
31 October: Punk band Fear makes a memorable appearance on 'Saturday Night Live'. A group of fans storm the stage and damage TV equipment while moshing, resulting in the show cutting to commercial.
18 November: While sitting in Tom's Restaurant in New York City, SUZANNE VEGA composes the song "Tom's Diner"
18 December: An estimated 35 million people around the world watch a live satellite transmission of a ROD STEWART concert at the Los Angeles Forum. It is the first broadcast of its kind since ELVIS PRESLEY's "Aloha from Hawaii" special in 1973.
31 December: The tenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Four Tops, Rick Springfield, Barry Manilow, Alabama and Rick James
Also in 1981
The organ at the famous Heinävesi Church in Finland is renewed, using locks from the original organ.
OZZY OSBOURNE bites the head off a dove at a record label gathering.
ALICE COOPER drastically changes his appearance, leaving behind his trademark make-up and donning a military uniform.
Synth pop enjoys mainstream popularity in the UK, with groups such as Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and The Human League releasing hit singles and albums.
Menudo's golden era (1981–1985) begins in Latin America, parts of Europe and Asia.
BRAD WHITFORD leaves Aerosmith and is replaced by RICK DUFAY
PHIL COLLINS releases his first solo album (but will not leave the band Genesis until 1995)
HAL WILLNER "invents" the modern tribute album with AMACORD NINO ROTA
Published Popular Music
"9 To 5" = lyrics & music by DOLLY PARTON from the film 'Nine to Five'
"All Those Years Ago" = lyrics & music by GEORGE HARRISON
"Allentown" = lyrics & music by BILLY JOEL
"Allergies" = lyrics & music by PAUL SIMON
"America" = lyrics & music by NEIL DIAMOND from the film 'The Jazz Singer'
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" = lyrics by TOM EYEN; music by HENRY KRIEGER from the musical 'Dreamgirls'
"Arthur's Theme" = lyrics & music by CAROLE BAYER SAGER, BURT BACHARACH, CHRISTOPHER CROSS & PETER ALLEN from the film 'Arthur'
"At This Moment" = lyrics & music by BILLY VERA
"Baby, Come To Me" = lyrics & music by ROD TEMPERTON
"Being With You" = lyrics & music by WILLIAM "SMOKEY" ROBINSON
"Believe it or Not (Theme From The Greatest American Hero')" = lyrics by STEPHEN GEYER; music by MIKE POST
"The Best of Times" = lyrics & music by DENNIS DeYOUNG
"Bette Davis Eyes" = lyrics by DONNA WEISS; music by JACKIE DeSHANNON
"Black Limousine" = lyrics & music by MICK JAGGER, KEITH RICHARDS and RONNIE WOOD
"Bruce" = lyrics & music by RICK SPRINGFIELD
"Chariots of Fire" = music by VANGELIS
"Dynasty theme song" = music by BILL CONTI
"The First Time it Happens" = lyrics & music by JOE RAPOSO, from the film 'The Great Muppet Caper'
"Good Thing Going (Going Gone)" = lyrics & music by STEPHEN SONDHEIM
"Hill Street Blues theme song" = music by MIKE POST
"Key Largo" = lyrics & music by BERTIE HIGGINS & SONNY LIMBO
"Memory" = lyrics by TREVOR NUNN & T. S. ELIOT; music by ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER. Introduced by ELAINE PAIGE in the musical 'Cats'
"One of the Girls" = lyrics by FRED EBB; music by JOHN KANDER introduced by LAUREN BACALL in the musical 'Woman of the Year'
Classical Music
MILTON BABBITT
Don for four-hand piano, Ars Combinatoria for small orchestra
GEORGE CRUMB
Gnomic Variations for piano
PETER MAXWELL DAVIES
Piano Sonata
JOËL-FRANÇOIS DURAND
String Trio
LORENZO FERRERO
Balletto
Arioso II
BENGT HAMBRAEUS
Voluntary on a Swedish Hymn Tune from Dalecarlia
GEORGE LLOYD
Tenth Symphony (for brass)
STEVE REICH
Tehillim
ROGER SESSIONS
Concerto for Orchestra
(recorded by Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra,
and for which the composer receives the Pulitzer Prize for Music)
ROBERT SIMPSON
Quintet for clarinet and Strings; Symphony No. 8
STANISLAW SKROWACZEWSKI
Clarinet Concerto
Opera
LORENZO FERRERO
La figlia del mago
CONRAD SUSA and RICHARD STREET
Black River
KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN
Donnerstag aus Licht
(March 15, La Scala, Milan)
Musical Theatre
BARNUM
London production opened at the London Palladium on June 11 and ran for 655 performances
BRING BACK BIRDIE
Broadway production
CATS
(Andrew Lloyd Webber)
London production opened at the New London Theatre on May 11 and ran for 8949 performances
DREAMGIRLS
Broadway production opened on December 20 at the Imperial Theatre and ran for 1522 performances
MARCH OF THE FALSETTOES
off-Broadway production
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 16 and ran for 16 performances
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
Broadway revival
SONG AND DANCE
London production
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Broadway production opened at the Palace Theatre on March 29 and ran for 770 performances
Please address any comments concerning this page to The Music Maestro
Mark Chard BSc
Page created: 26th August 2011
Last edited: 21st February 2024
