1951 in music

Encyclopedia : 1 : 19 : 195 : 1951 in music

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See also: 1950 in music, other events of 1951, 1952 in music, 1950s in music and the list of 'years in music'

Events

• Johnnie Ray has his first hit record with "Cry." Some music historians consider this to be the first rock and roll record.
• Teresa Brewer leaves the London label for Coral
• Georgia Gibbs leaves Coral to sign with Mercury, where she will experience all of her biggest hits
• Frankie Laine is signed by Columbia Records, becoming the highest paid vocalist of his day. He immediately justifies his new contract with the double-sided megahit "Jezebel"/"Rose, Rose, I Love You."
• July 11 - Disc jockey and music promoter Alan Freed broadcasts his first Rhythm and blues radio programme from station WJW in Cleveland, Ohio
• September 11 - The Rake's Progress, an opera by Igor Stravinsky with libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, premieres in Venice, conducted by the composer
• November - Popular songstress Dinah Shore begins her first tv show, The Dinah Shore Show, which will run for 5 1/2 years
• Disc jockey Alan Freed uses the term rock and roll to describe R&B, in an effort to introduce the music to a broader white audience.
• Both Jackie Brentson and the Delta Cats and Bill Haley and His Saddlemen release versions of "Rocket 88". The Haley version, which combines the original's rhythm and blues arrangement with country music trappings, is considered by many musical historians to be the first true rock and roll record. Other historians contend that Brentson's RnB recording deserves this honor.
• Ray Charles' musical career begins
• Charlie Rich's musical career begins
• Big Mama Thornton's musical career begins
• Bobby Blue Bland's musical career begins

Albums

• Ballin' The Jack - Georgia Gibbs
• Beloved Hymns - Bing Crosby
• Bing And The Dixieland Bands - Bing Crosby
• Bing Sing Victor Herbert - Bing Crosby
• Country Style - Bing Crosby
• Cown Memory Lane - Bing Crosby
• Folksong Favorites - Patti Page
• Go West, Young Man - Bing Crosby
• Hoop-De-Doo - The Ames Brothers
• I'll See You In My Dreams - Doris Day
• In The Evening By The Moonlight - The Ames Brothers
• Lullaby Of Broadway - Doris Day
• Music, Maestro Please - Frankie Laine
• On Moonlight Bay - Doris Day
• One For My Baby - Frankie Laine
• Sentimental Me - The Ames Brothers
• Sweet Leilani - The Ames Brothers
• Teresa Brewer - Teresa Brewer
• Two Tickets To Broadway - Dinah Shore
• Way Back Home - Bing Crosby
• Wonderful Words - The Mills Brothers

No. 1 hit singles

These singles reached the top of Billboard magazine's charts in 1951.

First week	Number of weeks	Title	Artist
February 23, 1951	6	"If"	Perry Como
March 2, 1951	1	"Be My Love"	Mario Lanza
April 13, 1951	9	"How High the Moon"	Les Paul & Mary Ford
June 15, 1951	5	"Too Young"	Nat King Cole
July 20, 1951	6	"Come On-a My House"	Rosemary Clooney
August 31, 1951	8	"Because of You"	Tony Bennett
October 26, 1951	6	"Cold, Cold Heart"	Tony Bennett
December 7, 1951	2	"(It's No) Sin"	Eddy Howard
December 21, 1951	11	"Cry"	Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads

Top hits on record

• "Aba Daba Honeymoon" - Debbie Reynolds & Carleton Carpenter
• "Because" - Mario Lanza
• "Because Of You" - Tony Bennett
• "Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle" - Guy Mitchell
• "Blue Tango" - Leroy Anderson & his Orchestra
• "Charmaine" - Mantovani & his Orchestra
• "Cold, Cold Heart" - Tony Bennett
• "Come On-A My House" - Rosemary Clooney
• "Cry" - Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads
• "Detour" - Patti Page
• "Down The Trail Of Achin' Hearts" - Patti Page
• "Down Yonder" - Del Wood
• "Down Yonder" - Champ Butler
• "Flamenco" - Frankie Laine
• "Gambella (The Gamblin' Lady)" - Frankie Laine & Jo Stafford
• "The Gang That Sang Heart Of My Heart" - Frankie Laine
• "Get Happy" - Frankie Laine
• "Get Out Those Old Records" - Guy Lombardo (The Lombardo Trio vocals)
• "The Girl In The Wood" - Frankie Laine
• "Give Me Time" - Johnnie Ray
• "Gone Fishin'" - Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong
• "Got Him Off My Hands" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Hello, Young Lovers" - Perry Como
• "Hello, Young Lovers" - Guy Lombardo (Kenny Martin vocals)
• "Hey, Good Lookin'" - Frankie Laine & Jo Stafford
• "The Hot Canary" - Florian Zabach
• "How High The Moon" - Les Paul and Mary Ford
• "I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat" - Mel Blanc
• "If" - Perry Como
• "It Is No Secret" - Bill Kenny & The Song Spinners
• "It's All In the Game" - Tommy Edwards
• "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" - Perry Como & The Fontane Sisters
• "Jealousy (Jalousie)" - Frankie Laine
• "Jezebel" - Frankie Laine
• "The Little White Cloud That Cried" - Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads
• "The Loveliest Night Of The Year" - Mario Lanza
• "Lullaby of Broadway" - Doris Day
• "Mister And Mississippi" - Patti Page
• "Mockin' Bird Hill" - Patti Page
• "My Heart Cries For You" - Vic Damone
• "My Heart Cries For You" - Guy Mitchell
• "My Heart Cries For You" - Dinah Shore
• "My Truly, Truly Fair" - Guy Mitchell
• "On Top Of Old Smoky" - The Weavers with Terry Gilkyson
• "Once Upon A Nickel" - Georgia Gibbs
• "One For My Baby" - Frankie Laine
• "Paths Of Paradise" - Johnnie Ray
• "Pretty-Eyed Baby" - Jo Stafford & Frankie Laine
• "Red Sails In The Sunset" - Nat King Cole
• "Rose, Rose, I Love You" - Frankie Laine
• "Shanghai" - Doris Day
• "Sin" - Eddy Howard & his Orchestra
• "Sound Off (The Duckworth Chant)" - Vaughn Monroe
• "The Sparrow In The Treetop" - Guy Mitchell
• "A Sunday Kind Of Love" - Jo Stafford
• "Sweet Violets" - Dinah Shore
• "The Syncopated Clock" - Leroy Anderson & his Orchestra
• "Tell Me" - Doris Day
• "Tell Me Why" - The Four Aces featuring Al Alberts
• "Tell The Lady I Said Goodbye" - Johnnie Ray
• "Tom's Tune" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Too Young" - Nat King Cole
• "Undecided" - The Ames Brothers
• "When It's Sleep Time Down South" - Frankie Laine
• "While You Danced, Danced, Danced" - Georgia Gibbs
• "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise" - Les Paul and Mary Ford
• "Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)" - Patti Page

`

Top R&B hits on record

• "Rocket 88" - Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats
• "Sixty-Minute Man" - Dominoes
• "The Glory Of Love" - Five Keys
• "The Thrill Is Gone" - Roy Hawkins

Published popular music

• "Alice In Wonderland"     w. Bob Hilliard m. Sammy Fain
• "All In The Golden Afternoon"     w. Bob Hilliard m. Sammy Fain
• "Allentown Jail"     w.m. Irving Gordon
• "And So To Sleep Again" w.m. Joe Marsala & Sunny Skylar
• "Anywhere I Wander"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "A-Round The Corner"     trad arr. Josef Marais
• "Asia Minor"     w.m. Roger King Mozian
• "A-Sleepin' At The Foot Of The Bed"      Happy Wilson, Luther Patrick
• "Be My Life's Companion"     w.m. Bob Hilliard & Milton De Lugg
• "Beautiful Brown Eyes"     trad arr. Arthur Smith & Alton Delmore
• "Because of You"     w.m. Arthur Hammerstein & Dudley Wilkinson
• "Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle"     w.m. Bob Merrill
• "Bermuda"     w.m. Cynthia Strother & Eugene R. Strother
• "The Blacksmith Blues"     w.m. Jack Holmes
• "Blue Velvet"     w.m. Bernie Wayne & Lee Morris
• "Christopher Columbus"     w.m. Terry Gilkyson
• "Come On-A My House"     w.m. Ross Bagdasarian & William Saroyan
• "Cry"     w.m. Churchill Kohlman
• "Dance Me Loose"     w. Mel Howard m. Lee Erwin
• "Domino"     w. (Eng) Don Raye (Fr) Jacques Plante m. Louis Ferrari
• "Getting To Know You"     w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "Good Morning Mister Echo"     w.m. Bill Putman & Belinda Putman
• "Half As Much"     w.m. Curly Williams
• "He Had Refinement"     w. Dorothy Fields m. Arthur Schwartz
• "Hello, Young Lovers"     w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "Hey, Good Lookin"'     w.m. Hank Williams
• "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life?"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Burton Lane
• "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)"     w.m. Hank Williams
• "I Get Ideas"     w. Dorcas Cochran m. Lenny Sanders
• "I Have Dreamed"     w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "I Love Lucy theme song" m. Eliot Daniel
• "I Love The Sunshine Of Your Smile"     w. Jack Hoffman m. Jimmy MacDonald
• "I Still See Elisa"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "I Talk To The Trees"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "I Whistle A Happy Tune"     w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "I Wish I Wuz"     w.m. Sid Kuller & Lyn Murray
• "I Won't Cry Anymore"     w. Fred Wise m. Al Frisch
• "I'm A Fool To Want You"     w.m. Jack Wolf, Joel Herron & Frank Sinatra
• "I'm Late"     w. Bob Hilliard m. Sammy Fain
• "In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening"     w. Johnny Mercer m. Hoagy Carmichael. Introduced by Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman in the film Here Comes The Groom.
• "It's All In The Game"     w. Carl Sigman m. Charles Gates Dawes Based on "Melody" by Dawes 1912.
• "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"     w.m. Meredith Willson
• "Jezebel"     w.m. Wayne Shanklin
• "A Kiss To Build A Dream On"     w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Harry Ruby
• "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine"     w. Paul Campbell m. Joel Newman
• "The Little White Cloud That Cried"     w.m. Johnnie Ray
• "The March Of The Siamese Children"     m. Richard Rodgers
• "Mister And Mississippi"     w.m. Irving Gordon
• "Misto Cristofo Columbo"     w.m. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
• "Mockin' Bird Hill"     w.m. Vaughn Horton
• "The Morningside Of The Mountain"     w.m. Dick Manning & Larry Stock
• "My Truly, Truly Fair"     w.m. Bob Merrill
• "No Two People"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Sail Away"     w.m. Noël Coward
• "Shall We Dance?"     w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "Shanghai"     w.m. Bob Hilliard & Milton De Lugg
• "Shrimp Boats"     w.m. Paul Mason Howard & Paul Weston
• "(It’s No) Sin"     w. Chester R. Shull m. George Hoven
• "Slow Poke"     w.m. Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart & Chilton Price
• "So Far, So Good"      w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Jule Styne from the revue Two On The Aisle
• "Something Wonderful"     w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "Sound Off"     w.m. Willie Lee Duckworth, B. Lentz
• "Sparrow In The Tree Top"     w.m. Bob Merrill
• "Suzy Snowflake"     w.m. Sid Tepper & Roy C. Bennett
• "Sweet Violets"     arr. Cy Coben & Charles Grean
• "Tell Me Why"     w. Al Alberts m. Marty Gold
• "They Call The Wind Maria"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "The Thrill Is Gone"     w.m. Rick Darnell & Roy Hawkins
• "Thumbelina"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Too Young"     w. Sylvia Dee m. Sidney Lippman
• "Top Banana"      w.m. Johnny Mercer from the musical Top Banana
• "The Typewriter"     m. Leroy Anderson
• "Unforgettable"     w.m. Irving Gordon
• "Very Good Advice"     w. Bob Hilliard m. Sammy Fain
• "A Very Merry Un-Birthday To You"     w.m. Mack David, Al Hoffman & Jerry Livingston
• "Wand'rin' Star"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "We Kiss In A Shadow"     w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
• "When The World Was Young"     w. (Eng) Johnny Mercer (Fr) Angela Vannier m. M. Philippe-Gerard
• "Wonderful Copenhagen"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)"     w. Bob Russell m. Harold Spina

• Pierre Boulez - Polyphonie X
• John Cage - Imaginary Landscape No. 4
• Elliott Carter - String Quartet No. 1
• George Crumb - Prelude and Toccata for piano
• Mario Davidovsky - String Quartet No. 1
• Henri Dutilleux - Symphony No. 1
• George Enescu - String Quartet No. 2
• Morton Feldman - Structures
• Howard Ferguson - Piano Concerto in D
• Gerald Finzi - All This Night
• Lukas Foss - Piano Concerto No. 2
• Roberto Gerhard - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
• Reinhold Glière - Concerto for Horn and Orchestra
• Vagn Holmboe - Symphony No. 8
• Gordon Jacob - Concerto for Flute and Strings
• György Ligeti - Concert românesc for Orchestra
• Peter Mennin - String Quartet No. 2
• Vincent Persichetti - Symphony No. 4 completed
• Allan Pettersson - Seven Sonatas for Two Violins
• Joseph Guy Ropartz - String Quartet No. 6 in F
• Edmund Rubbra - String Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Op. 73
• Mátyás Seiber - Concertino for Clarinet and String Orchestra
• Roger Sessions - String Quartet No. 2
• Dmitri Shostakovich - Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues for Piano op. 87 finished
• Eduard Tubin - Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano
• Heitor Villa-Lobos - Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra

• Benjamin Britten - Billy Budd, with libretto by E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier
• Marcel Landowski - Le Rire de Nils Halerius
• Gian-Carlo Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors
• Igor Stravinsky - The Rake's Progress, with libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman

• And So To Bed London production
• Borscht Capades
• Flahooley Broadway production
• Gay's The Word London production
• It's About Time Broadway production
• The King And I (Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II) - Broadway production
• Kiss Me, Kate (Cole Porter) - London production
• The Lyric Revue     London production
• Make A Wish Broadway production
• A Month Of Sundays Broadway production
• Paint Your Wagon (Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe) - Broadway production
• Penny Plain     London production
• See You Later
• Seventeen
• South Pacific (Rodgers & Hammerstein) - London production
• Top Banana Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on November 1 and ran for 350 performances.
• A Tree Grows In Brooklyn Broadway production
• Two On The Aisle     Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on July 19 and ran for 279 performances
• Zip Goes A Million     London production

• Alice In Wonderland
• The Belle Of New York
• Call Me Mister
• The Great Caruso
• Here Comes The Groom released September 20 starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman.
• The Lemon Drop Kid starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell.
• Lullaby Of Broadway
• On Moonlight Bay
• Royal Wedding
• Show Boat
• Two Tickets to Broadway released November 20 starring Janet Leigh, Tony Martin, Gloria DeHaven, Ann Miller and Bob Crosby.
• Two Weeks With Love

Births

• January 6 - Kim Wilson, The Fabulous Thunderbirds
• January 9 - Crystal Gayle
• January 15 - Martha Davis, The Motels
• January 19 - Dewey Bunnell, America
• January 27 - Brian Downey, Thin Lizzy
• January 27 - Seth Justman, J. Geils Band
• January 30 - Phil Collins
• January 31 - Phil Manzanera, Roxy Music
• January 31 - K.C. (Harry Wayne Casey), K.C. and the Sunshine Band
• February 9 - Dennis Thomas, Kool and the Gang
• February 12 - Gil Moore, Triumph
• February 15 - Melissa Manchester
• March 4 - Chris Rea
• March 17 - Scott Gorham, Thin Lizzy
• March 20 - Jimmy Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds
• March 21 - Russell Thompkins Jr., The Stylistics
• March 21 - Conrad Lozano, Los Lobos
• March 23 - Phil Keaggy, guitarist, singer
• April 3 - Mel Schacher, ? and the Mysterians, Grand Funk Railroad
• April 7 - Janis Ian
• April 12 - Alex Briley, The Village People
• April 13 - Peabo Bryson
• April 13 - Max Weinberg, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, E Street Band
• April 20 - Luther Vandross
• April 22 - Paul Carrack, Ace, Squeeze, Mike & the Mechanics
• April 27 - Ace Frehley, Kiss
• May 3 - Christopher Cross
• May 4 - Jackie Jackson, The Jackson Five
• May 4 - Mick Mars, Mötley Crüe
• May 8 - Philip Bailey, Earth Wind and Fire
• May 10 - Ronald Banks, The Dramatics
• May 16 - Jonathan Richman
• June 3 - Deniece Williams
• June 10 - Ed McTaggart, Daniel Amos, The Road Home
• June 12 - Brad Delp, Boston
• June 12 - Bun E. Carlos, Cheap Trick
• June 15 - Steve Walsh, Kansas
• July 1 - Fred Schneider, The B-52's
• July 5 - Huey Lewis
• July 11 - Bonnie Pointer, The Pointer Sisters
• August 2 - Andrew Gold
• August 3 - John Graham, Earth, Wind and Fire
• August 4 - Lois V Vierk, composer
• August 13 - Dan Fogelberg
• August 19 - John Deacon, Queen
• August 20 - Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy
• August 23 - Mark Hudson, The Hudson Brothers
• August 25 - Rob Halford, Judas Priest
• August 28 - Wayne Osmond, The Osmonds
• September 2 - Mik Kaminski, Electric Light Orchestra
• September 7 - Chrissie Hynde, The Pretenders
• September 19 - Daniel Lanois
• September 22 - David Coverdale, Deep Purple, Whitesnake
• October 2 - Sting
• October 6 - Kevin Cronin, REO Speedwagon
• October 7 - John Cougar Mellencamp
• October 8 - Johnny Ramone, The Ramones
• October 13 - John Ford Coley, England Dan & John Ford Coley
• October 20 - Alan Greenwood, Foreigner
• October 26 - Maggie Roche, The Roches
• October 27 - K.K. Downing, Judas Priest
• November 1 - Ronald Bell, Kool and the Gang
• November 13 - Bill Gibson, Huey Lewis & The News
• November 27 - Kevin Kavanaugh, Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes
• November 29 - Barry Goudreau, Boston
• December 4 - Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington-Collins Band
• December 10 - Johnny Rodriguez
• December 16 - Robben Ford
• December 21 - Nick Gilder
• December 23 - Johnny Contardo, Sha Na Na
• December 26 - Paul Anthony Quinn, Saxon
• December 26 - John Scofield
• December 29 - Yvonne Elliman
• December 31 - Tom Hamilton, Aerosmith
• December 31 - George Thorogood
• Mark Heard, American singer, songwriter

Deaths

• February 3 - Fréhel, French singer, actress
• February 9 - Eddy Duchin
• March 6 - Ivor Novello, operetta composer, entertainer
• May 29 -
• *Fanny Brice, US actress, comedienne and singer
• *May 29 - Robert Kahn, composer
• July 9 - Egbert Van Alstyne, US songwriter
• July 9 - Jorgen Bentzon, Danish composer
• July 13 - Arnold Schoenberg, Austrian composer
• August 15 - Artur Schnabel, pianist
• August 21 - Constant Lambert, composer
• September 17 - Jimmy Yancey, US jazz pianist
• November 9 - Sigmund Romberg, composer
• November 13 - Nikolai Karlovich Medtner, pianist and composer

 

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