1962
Event
The Beatles
Beatles' Decca audition is unsuccessful
On This Day in Music: January 1
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Born on January 1
1889
Birth
Alexander Smallens
Alexander Smallens, St Petersburg, Russia, conductor was born
1953
Birth
Alpha Blondy
Alpha Blondy, [Seydou Kone], Ivory coast, reggae singer (Jerusalem) was born
1933
Birth
Anders Bo Leif Linde
Anders Bo Leif Linde, composer was born
1962
Birth
Ari Up
Ari Up, German musician (The Slits) was born
1892
Birth
Artur Rodzinski
Artur Rodzinski, Spalato, Dalmatia, Poland, conductor/composer was born
1919
Birth
Bernard Drukker
Bernard Drukker, Dutch organist/pianist/orchestra leader (Devil's Wheel) was born
1979
Birth
Brody Dalle
Brody Dalle, Australian singer (The Distillers) was born
1931
Birth
Carel Brons
Carel Brons, composer was born
1723
Birth
Christian Friedrich Gregor
Christian Friedrich Gregor, composer was born
1628
Birth
Christoph Bernhard
Christoph Bernhard, German composer was born
1926
Birth
Claire Polin [Schaff]
Claire Polin [Schaff], composer flautist/musicologist was born
1942
Birth
Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald, California, rock guitarist/vocalist (& the Fish) was born
1972
Birth
DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow, American DJ and songwriter was born
1949
Birth
Daniel E Gawthrop
Daniel E Gawthrop, American composer was born
1902
Birth
Dimiter Nenov
Dimiter Nenov, composer was born
1916
Birth
Earl Wrightson
Earl Wrightson, Balt Md, singer (Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue) was born
1878
Birth
Edwin Franko Goldman
Edwin Franko Goldman, composer was born
1911
Birth
Endre Szervanszky
Endre Szervanszky, composer [or Dec 27] was born
1907
Birth
Erich Schmid
Erich Schmid, composer was born
1936
Birth
Eve Queler
Eve Queler, NYC, conductor was born
1954
Birth
Fr David
Fr David, Paris France, rocker was born
1947
Birth
Gary "BB" Coleman
Gary "BB" Coleman, blues vocal/guitarist/producer was born
1942
Birth
George Couroupos
George Couroupos, composer was born
1906
Birth
Giovanni D'Anzi
Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter (d. 1974) was born
1748
Birth
Giovanni Furno
Giovanni Furno, composer was born
1865
Birth
Giuseppe Ferrata
Giuseppe Ferrata, composer was born
1958
Birth
Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash, [Joseph Saddler], NYC, rocker (Message) was born
1953
Birth
Greg Carmichael
Greg Carmichael, British guitarist (Acoustic Alchemy) was born
1853
Birth
Hans Koessler
Hans Koessler, composer was born
1935
Birth
Harold Martina
Harold Martina, Netherland Antilles, pianist/conductor was born
1874
Birth
Hugo Leichtentritt
Hugo Leichtentritt, composer was born
1951
Birth
Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius, rocker was born
1652
Birth
Johann Krieger
Johann Krieger, composer was born
1697
Birth
Johann Pfeiffer
Johann Pfeiffer, composer was born
1942
Birth
Judy Stone
Judy Stone, Australian pop singer was born
1927
Birth
Juliusz Luciuk
Juliusz Luciuk, composer was born
1899
Birth
Juozas Tallat-Kelpsa
Juozas Tallat-Kelpsa, composer was born
1953
Birth
Kevin Hangon
Kevin Hangon, composer was born
1940
Birth
Laszlo Sary
Laszlo Sary, composer was born
1896
Birth
Maurice Jacobson
Maurice Jacobson, composer was born
1987
Birth
Meryl Davis
Meryl Davis, American ice dancer was born
1777
Birth
Micah Hawkins
Micah Hawkins, composer was born
1968
Birth
Miki Higashino
Miki Higashino, Japanese composer was born
1892
Birth
Miklos Radnai
Miklos Radnai, composer was born
1950
Birth
Morgan Fisher
Morgan Fisher, rock keyboardist (British Lions) was born
1895
Birth
Nathaniel Shilkret
Nathaniel Shilkret, NYC, conductor was born
1843
Birth
Nikolay Nikolayevich Lodizhensky
Nikolay Nikolayevich Lodizhensky, composer was born
1947
Birth
Paula Tsui
Paula Tsui, Hong Kong singer was born
1899
Birth
Raymond Loucheur
Raymond Loucheur, composer was born
1940
Birth
Richard Henry Orton
Richard Henry Orton, composer was born
1953
Birth
Rochelle S Abramson
Rochelle S Abramson, violinist was born
1885
Birth
Roland Diggle
Roland Diggle, composer was born
1862
Birth
Snitz Edwards
Snitz Edwards, Hungary, actor (College, Phantom of the Opera) was born
1800
Birth
Sydney Nelson
Sydney Nelson, composer was born
1889
Birth
Tadeusz Jarecki
Tadeusz Jarecki, composer was born
1978
Birth
Tarik O'Regan
Tarik O'Regan, British composer was born
1967
Birth
Tim Dog
Tim Dog, American rapper was born
1800
Birth
Vaclav Horak
Vaclav Horak, composer was born
1898
Birth
Viktor Ullmann
Viktor Ullmann, opera composer (Der Kaiser von Atlantis) was born
1920
Birth
Virgilio Savona
Virgilio Savona, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra) was born
1930
Birth
Werner Heiden
Werner Heiden, composer was born
1784
Birth
William Beale
William Beale, composer was born
1831
Birth
William Joseph Westbrook
William Joseph Westbrook, composer was born
1900
Birth
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat, Barcelona Spain, bandleader (married Abbe Lane, Charo) was born
1896
Birth
Yitzhak Edel
Yitzhak Edel, composer was born
Died on January 1
1984
Death
Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner, British blues musician (b. 1928)
2006
Death
Bryan Harvey
Bryan Harvey, American musician (House of Freaks) (b. 1956)
2023
Death
Canelita Medina
Canelita Medina died
2021
Death
Carlos do Carmo
Carlos do Carmo died
2025
Death
Chad Morgan
Chad Morgan died
1789
Death
Christleib Siegmund Binder
Christleib Siegmund Binder, composer, dies at 65
1992
Death
Constantin Poustochkine
Constantin Poustochkine, jazz critic, dies
1992
Death
Corky Geil
Corky Geil, dancer, dies in Long Beach CA at 64
1907
Death
Cyrill Kistler
Cyrill Kistler, composer, dies at 58
2024
Death
Dana Ghia
Dana Ghia died
1958
Death
David Broekman
David Broekman, musican (Think Fast), dies at 55
2007
Death
Del Reeves
Del Reeves, American country singer (b. 1932)
2021
Death
Djivan Gasparyan
Djivan Gasparyan died
1777
Death
Emanuele Barbella
Emanuele Barbella, composer, dies at 58
2023
Death
Evgeny Mogilevsky
Evgeny Mogilevsky died
1818
Death
Fedele Fenaroli
Fedele Fenaroli, composer, dies at 87
1816
Death
Francois Alexander Sallantin
Francois Alexander Sallantin, composer, dies at 60
2012
Death
Fred Milano
Fred Milano, American doo-wop singer, member of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, dies from lung cancer at 72
2023
Death
Gangsta Boo
Gangsta Boo died
1997
Death
Hagood Hardy
Hagood Hardy, Canadian composer and musician (b. 1937)
1996
Death
Hamish Imlach
Hamish Imlach, folk singer/comic, dies at 55
1953
Death
Hank Williams
Hank Williams, country singer (Cold Cold Heart), dies at 29
1981
Death
Hephzibah Menuhin
Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Jewish concert pianist (b. 1920)
1948
Death
Hermann K J Zilcher
Hermann K J Zilcher, German pianist/composer (Liebesmesse), dies at 66
2020
Death
Jaap Schröder
Jaap Schröder died
1942
Death
Jaroslav Jezek
Jaroslav Jezek, composer, dies at 35
1768
Death
Jean-Laurent Krafft
Jean-Laurent Krafft, composer, dies at 73
2025
Death
Jean-Michel Defaye
Jean-Michel Defaye died
1995
Death
Jess Stacy
Jess Stacy, US jazz pianist (Great Gatsby), dies at 90
1782
Death
Johann Christian Bach
Johann Christian Bach, German composer/Mozarts tutor, dies at 46
1906
Death
Joseph Miroslav Weber
Joseph Miroslav Weber, composer, dies at 51
1965
Death
Juan Bautista Plaza-Alfonzo
Juan Bautista Plaza-Alfonzo, composer, dies at 66
2007
Death
Julius Hegyi
Julius Hegyi, American conductor (b. 1923)
2025
Death
Leo Dan
Leo Dan died
1753
Death
Louis-Maurice de La Pierre
Louis-Maurice de La Pierre, composer, dies at 55
2011
Death
Marin Constantin
Marin Constantin, Romanian composer and conductor (b. 1925)
1967
Death
Moon Mullican
Moon Mullican, rocker, dies at 58
2025
Death
Nora Orlandi
Nora Orlandi died
1964
Death
Otto Emanuel Olsson
Otto Emanuel Olsson, composer, dies at 84
1701
Death
Pietro Sanmartini
Pietro Sanmartini, composer, dies at 64
1850
Death
Raphael G Kiesewetter
Raphael G Kiesewetter, Austria musicologist, dies at 76
2020
Death
Ria Irawan
Ria Irawan died
2007
Death
Tad Jones
Tad Jones, American jazz music historian (b. 1952)
1995
Death
Ted Hawkins
Ted Hawkins, US blues singer (Watch Your Step), dies at 58
1997
Death
Townes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt, musician, dies at 52
2022
Death
Valery Klimov
Valery Klimov died
2020
Death
Vijayalakshmi Ramanan
Vijayalakshmi Ramanan died
1945
Death
Vit Nejedly
Vit Nejedly, composer, dies at 33
2025
Death
Wayne Osmond
Wayne Osmond died
1948
Death
Willem Landre
Willem Louis Frederic Landre, composer, dies at 73
2012
Death
Yafa Yarkoni
Yafa Yarkoni, Israeli Singer, dies after years of Alzheimer's disease at 86
Releases & milestones on January 1
2020
Event
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi released the album '2020'
1976
Event
Cole Porter
"Musical Jubilee" closes at St James Theater NYC after 92 performances
2022
Event
Def Leppard
Def Leppard released the album 'Diamond Star Halos'
1863
Event
Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert's "Missa Solemnis," premieres in Leipzig
2021
Event
Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer released the album 'Music of Dune (2021 film)'
1960
Event
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash plays 1st of many free concerts behind bars
2026
Event
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey released the album 'Stove'
2020
Event
Lordi
Lordi released the album 'Killection'
2020
Event
Machine Gun Kelly
Machine Gun Kelly released the album 'Tickets to My Downfall'
2021
Event
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers released the album 'The Ultra Vivid Lament'
2020
Event
Niall Horan
Niall Horan released the album 'Heartbreak Weather'
2020
Event
Rina Sawayama
Rina Sawayama released the album 'Sawayama'
2021
Event
Rise Against
Rise Against released the album 'Nowhere Generation'
2020
Event
Sepultura
Sepultura released the album 'Quadra'
2020
Event
Testament
Testament released the album 'Titans of Creation'
1962
Event
The Beatles
Beatles' Decca audition is unsuccessful
2020
Event
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins released the album 'Cyr'
1770
Event
Victor Herbert
Date of action in the opera "Madeleine"
2021
Event
Zayn Malik
Zayn Malik released the album 'Nobody Is Listening'
More standout moments in January →
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