1944 in music

For people who check facts

Table of contents

1 Events
2 Top hit records
3 Published popular music
4 Classical music
5 Opera
6 Musical theater
7 Musical films
8 Births
9 Deaths

Events

Jo Stafford launches her solo career
Frank Sinatra begins his film career with the musical Higher And Higher
Frankie Laine cuts his first singles for the Beltone and Atlas labels
January 18 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the first time hosts a jazz concert; the performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.
January 20 - Paul Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber is premiered in New York City
December - Glenn Miller is reported missing. The official explanation is that his plane went down somewhere over the English Channel, although many alternate theories have been suggested.
December 1 - BÃÂ©la BartÃÂ³k's Concerto for Orchestra is premiered in Boston, Massachusetts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky

Top hit records

"Besame Mucho" by Jimmy Dorsey
"Don't Fence Me In" by Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters
"A Hot Time In the Town of Berlin" by Bing Crosby & theAndrews Sisters
"I Love You" by Bing Crosby
"I'll Get By" by Harry James
"Mairzy Doats" by Merry Macs
"San Fernando Valley" by Bing Crosby
"Shoo-Shoo Baby" by The Andrews Sisters
"Swinging On a Star" by Bing Crosby
"You Always Hurt the One You Love" by The Mills Brothers

Published popular music

"Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harold Arlen

"All Of A Sudden My Heart Sings" w. (Eng) Harold Rome (Fr) Jean Marie Blanvillain m. Herpin
"And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" w. Joe Greene m. Stan Kenton & Charles Lawrence
"The Boy Next Door" w.m. Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane
"Candy" w.m. Mack David, Joan Whitney & Alex Kramer
"Can't Help Singing" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Jerome Kern
"Close As Pages In A Book" w. Dorothy Fields m. Sigmund Romberg
"Dance With A Dolly" w.m. Terry Shand, Jimmy Eaton & David Kapp
"Don't Fence Me In" w.m. Cole Porter
"Dream" w.m. Johnny Mercer
"Fine Brown Frame" w.m. Guadalupe Cartiero & J. Mayo Williams
"First Class Private Mary Brown" w.m. Frank Loesser
"G. I. Jive" w.m. Johnny Mercer
"Going My Way" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" w.m. Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane
"A Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin" w. John De Vries m. Joe Bushkin
"How Blue The Night" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh
"How Little We Know" w. Johnny Mercer m. Hoagy Carmichael
"I Begged Her" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
"I Didn't Know About You" w. Bob Russell m. Duke Ellington
"I Dream Of You (More Than You Dream I Do)" w.m. Marjorie Goetschius & Edna Osser
"I Fall In Love Too Easily" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
"I Love You" w.m. Cole Porter
"I'll Walk Alone" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
"I'm Beginning To See The Light" w.m. Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges & Harry James
"I'm Making Believe" w. Mack Gordon m. James V. Monaco
"Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" w.m. Allan Roberts & Doris Fisher
"Jealous Heart" w.m. Jenny Lou Carson
"Leave The Dishes In The Sink, Ma" w.m. Milton Berle, Gene Doyle & Spike Jones
"A Little On The Lonely Side" w.m. Dick Robertson, Frank Weldon & James Cavanaugh
"Long Ago And Far Away" w. Ira Gershwin m. Jerome Kern
"Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet" w.m. Don Raye & Gene De Paul
"Moonlight In Vermont" w. John Blackburn m. Karl Suessdorf
"More And More" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Jerome Kern From the Universal film Can't Help Singing
"My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time" w. Mann Curtis m. Vic Mizzy
"Nancy" w. Phil Silvers m. James Van Heusen
"New York, New York" w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Leonard Bernstein
"Now I Know" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
"On The Atchison, Topeka, And The Santa Fe" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harry Warren
"One Meat Ball" w. Hy Zaret m. Lou Singer
"Opus No. 1" w. Sid Garris m. Sy Oliver
"Please Don't Say No" w. Ralph Freed m. Sammy Fain from the film Thrill Of A Romance
"Put It There Pal" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
"Rum And Coca Cola" w.m. Morey Amsterdam, Paul Baron & Jeri Sullivan
"Saturday Night" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
"Sentimental Journey" w. Bud Green m. Les Brown & Ben Homer
"Some Day (You'll Want Me To Want You)" w.m. Jimmie Hodges
"Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" w.m. Frank Loesser
"Swinging On A Star" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
"There Goes That Song Again" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
"There's A Fellow Waiting In Poughkeepsie" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harold Arlen
"There's No You" w. Tom Adair m. Hal Hopper
"This Heart Of Mine" w. Arthur Freed m. Harry Warren
"Till Then" w.m. Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus & Guy Wood
"Twilight Time" w.m. Buck Ram, Mortie Nevins & Artie Dunn
"Umbriago" w.m. Irving Caesar & Jimmy Durante
"You Always Hurt The One You Love" w.m. Allan Roberts & Doris Fisher
"You Belong To My Heart" w. (Eng) Ray Gilbert m. Augustin Lara
"You Can't Get That No More" w.m. Louis Jordan & Sam Theard
"You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" w.m. Russ Morgan, Larry Stock & James Cavanaugh

Classical music

Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring (ballet)
David Diamond - Rounds
Gerald Finzi - Farewell to Arms
ZoltÃÂ¡n KodÃÂ¡ly - Missa Brevis
Michael Tippett - A Child of our Time
Heitor Villa-Lobos - Symphony No. 6 - Montanhas do Brasil (The Mountains of Brazil)

Opera

Sergei Prokofiev - War and Peace

Musical theater

Bloomer Girl Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre on October 5 and ran for 654 performances.
Follow The Girls Broadway production opened at the New Century Theatre on April 8 and ran for 882 performances.
Mexican Hayride Broadway production
A Night In Venice London production
On the Town Broadway production
Panama Hattie London production
Seven Lively Arts Broadway production
Song Of Norway Broadway production
Sweeter And Lower London production

Musical films

Can't Help Singing
Here Come The Waves
Knickerbocker Holiday
Lady In The Dark
Shine On Harvet Moon
Step Lively

Births

January 9 - Scott Engel, Walker Brothers
January 9 - Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, The Firm
January 16 - Jim Stafford
January 17 - Chris Montez
January 19 - Shelley Fabares
January 28 - John Tavener, composer
February 2 - Andrew Davis, conductor
February 4 - Florence LaRue, The Fifth Dimension
February 5 - Al Kooper, Blues Project, Blood, Sweat & Tears
February 15 - Mick Avory, The Kinks
February 20 - Lew Soloff, Blood, Sweat & Tears
February 23 - Johnny Winter
February 23 - Mike Maxfield, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas
February 24 - Paul Jones, Manfred Mann
February 24 - Nicky Hopkins, Quicksilver Messenger Service
March 1 - Mike D'Abo, Manfred Mann
March 1 - Roger Daltrey, the Who
March 3 - Jance Garfat, Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
March 4 - Mary Wilson, The Supremes
March 4 - Bobby Womack
March 9 - Mark Lindsay, Paul Revere and the Raiders
March 15 - Sly Stone
March 15 - David Costell, Gary Lewis & The Playboys
March 17 - John Sebastian, Loving Spoonful
March 22 - Jeremy Clyde, Chad & Jeremy
March 26 - Diana Ross
March 29 ÃÂ Terry Jacks, singer/songwriter, producer, environmentalist
March 31 - Rod Allen, The Fortunes
April 3 - Tony Orlando
April 3 - Barry Pritchard, The Fortunes
April 5 - Crispian St. Peters
April 6 - Michelle Phillips, Mamas and Papas
April 9 - Emil Stucchio, The Classics
April 12 - John Kay, Steppenwolf
April 13 - Jack Casady, Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna
April 15 - Dave Edmunds
April 17 ÃÂ Bobby Curtola, pop singer and teen idol
April 18 - Skip Spence, Moby Grape
April 30 - Richard Shoff, The Sandpipers
May 9 - Richie Furay, Buffalo Springfield, Poco
May 12 - Billy Swan
May 12 - James Purify, James & Bobby Purify
May 17 - Jesse Winchester
May 17 - Richard Schwartz, The Quotations
May 20 - Joe Cocker, British singer
May 20 - Boudewijn de Groot, Dutch singer
May 21 - Marcie Blane
May 24 - Patti LaBelle
May 26 - Verdon Allen, Mott the Hoople
May 28 - Billy Vera
May 28 - Gladys Knight
May 30 - Lenny Davidson, The Dave Clark Five
May 31 - Mick Ralphs, Mott The Hoople
June 3 - Michael Clark, The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers
June 4 - Roger Ball, Average White Band
June 6 - Peter Albin, Big Brother & the Holding Company
June 6 - Edgar Froese, Tangerine Dream
June 7 - Clarence White, The Byrds
June 8 - Boz Scaggs
June 17 - Chris Spedding
June 21 - Ray Davies, The Kinks
June 22 - Peter Asher, Peter & Gordon
June 23 - Rosetta Hightower, The Orlons
June 24 - Chris Wood, Traffic
June 24 - Jeff Beck
June 24 - Arthur Brown, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
June 27 - Bruce Johnston, The Beach Boys
June 30 - Glenn Shorrock, The Little River Band
July 5 - Robbie Robertson
July 7 - Warren Entner, Grassroots
July 8 - Michael Johnson (singer)
July 8 - Jai Johanny Johanson, The Allman Brothers
July 22 - Estelle Bennett, The Ronettes
July 22 - Richard Davies, Supertramp
July 27 - Bobbie Gentry
July 28 - Mike Bloomfield, Butterfield Blues Band, Electric Flag
August 18 - Carl Wayne, The Move
August 21 - Jackie DeShannon
August 24 - Jim Capaldi, Traffic
August 24 - James Brady, The Sandpipers
August 27 - Tim Bogert, Vanilla Fudge, Cactus
August 27 - Cuba Gooding, Main Ingredient
September 1 - Archie Bell, The Drells
September 3 - Gary Leeds, Walker Brothers
September 6 - Roger Waters, Pink Floyd
September 12 - Barry White
September 13 - Peter Cetera, Chicago
September 16 - Betty Kelley, Martha and the Vandellas
September 24 - Rosa Lee Hawkins, Dixie Cups
September 29 - Tommy Boyce, Boyce & Hart
September 29 - Mike Post
September 30 - Marilyn McCoo, The Fifth Dimension
October 1 - Barbara Parritt, Toys
October 1 - Scott McKenzie
October 4 - Nona Hendryx
October 4 - Marlena Davis, The Orlons
October 9 - John Entwistle, bassist, The Who
October 9 - Peter Tosh, The Wailers
October 13 - Robert Lamm, Chicago
October 15 - Don Stevenson, Moby Grape
October 24 - Ted Templeton, Harper's Bizarre
October 24 - Bettye Swann
October 26 - Michael Piano, The Sandpipers
November 2 - Keith Emerson, The Move, Emerson Lake & Palmer
November 8 - Bonnie Bramlett, Delaney & Bonnie
November 11 - Jesse Colin Young, The Youngbloods
November 12 - Booker T. Jones, Booker T. & the M.G.'s
November 17 - Gene Clark, The Byrds, Dillard and Clark
November 19 - Fred Lipsius, Blood, Sweat & Tears
November 25 - Bob Lind
November 27 - Eddie Rabbitt
November 28 - R.B. Greaves
November 29 - Felix Cavaliere, The Rascals
November 30 - Rob Grill, Grassroots
November 30 - Luther Ingram
December 1 - John Densmore, The Doors
December 1 - Eric Bloom, Blue ÃÂyster Cult
December 4 - Dennis Wilson, The Beach Boys
December 6 - Jonathan King
December 7 - Daniel Chorzempa, organist
December 9 - Neil Innes, Bonzo Dog Band
December 9 - Shirley Brickley, The Orlons
December 11 - Brenda Lee
December 12 - Rob Tyner, MC5
December 19 - Alvin Lee, Ten Years After
December 19 - Zalman Yanovsky, The Lovin' Spoonful
December 20 - Bobby Colomby, Blood, Sweat & Tears
December 22 - Barry Jenkins, The Animals
December 25 - Henry Vestine, Canned Heat
December 27 - Mick Jones, Spooky Tooth, Foreigner
December 27 - Tracy Nelson

Deaths

February 4 - Yvette Guilbert, singer, actress
February 7 - Lina Cavalieri, glamourous opera singer
April 19 - Jimmie Noone
May 20 - Vincent Rose, Italian-born US bandleader and composer
December 15 - Glenn Miller
December 20 - Johnny Marvin, US singer & songwriter