1949 in music - Definition and Overview

See also: 1948 in music, other events of 1949, 1950 in music and the list of 'years in music'.

Events

• Mitch Miller begins his career as one of the 20th Century's most successful record producers at Mercury
• Eddie Fisher signs with RCA
• Bob Hope suggests that Anthony Benedetto change his stage name from "Joe Bari" to "Tony Bennett"
• Frankie Laine cuts "Mule Train," the first modern pop record
• Les Paul and Mary Ford wed
• Teresa Brewer cuts her first record for the London label
• The Ames Brothers score their first hit with "You, You, You Are The One"
• Johnnie Ray performs at the Flame Show Bar in Detroit
• Frank Sinatra stars in "On The Town" with Gene Kelly, a sequel to their 1945 hit "Anchors Aweigh"
• The legendary Al Jolson records the soundtrack to "Jolson Sings Again," the sequel to his hugely successful biopic "The Jolson Story" (1946)
• Chart-topping crooner Buddy Clark dies in a plane crash on October 1
• Coral Records is formed as a subsidiary of Decca
• 45 rpm discs are introduced
• The Trio Carosone is formed
• Gorni Kramer starts working for musical impresarios Garinei and Giovannini

Albums released

• Der Bingle - Bing Crosby
• Dinah Shore - Dinah Shore
• Frankie Laine Favorites - Frankie Laine
• Jerome Kern Songs - Bing Crosby
• Jo Stafford With Gordon McRae - Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae
• Lights, Cameras, Action - Doris Day
• Merry Christmas - Bing Crosby
• Songs From The Heart - Frankie Laine
• Stephen Foster Songs - Bing Crosby
• You're My Thrill - Doris Day

Top hit records

• "A You're Adorable" - Perry Como
• "Again" - Gordon Jenkins (Joe Graydon, vocal)
• "At The End Of The Road" - Frankie Laine
• "Baby, I Need You" - Frankie Laine
• "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Dinah Shore & Buddy Clark
• "Baby, Just For Me" - Frankie Laine
• "Bali Ha'i" - Perry Como
• "Bamboo" - Vaughn Monroe
• "Bebop Spoken Here" - Frankie Laine
• Carry Me Back To Old Virginney" - Frankie Laine
• "Coquette" - Guy Lombardo & Jimmy Brown
• "Cruising Down the River" - Blue Barron
• "Cruising Down the River" - Russ Morgan
• "Dear Hearts & Gentle People" - Bing Crosby
• "Deep In The Heart Of Texas" - Bing Crosby, Woody Herman & His Woodchoppers
• "Don't Cry Little Children" - Frankie Laine
• "Far Away Places" - Bing Crosby
• "Far Away Places" - Margaret Whiting
• "Forever and Ever" - Russ Morgan
• "Georgia On My Mind" - Frankie Laine
• "(Ghost) Riders In the Sky: A Cowboy Legend" - Vaughn Monroe
• "God Bless The Child" - Frankie Laine
• "Goodnight Irene" - The Weavers sells four million copies and launches the group's success
• "Jealous Heart" - Al Morgan
• "Lavender Blue" (Dilly Dilly) - Dinah Shore
• "A Little Bird Told Me" - Evelyn Knight
• "Mule Train" - Frankie Laine
• "Mule Train" - Vaughn Monroe
• "No Orchids For My Lady" - The Ink Spots
• O Sole Mio" - Mario Lanza
• "On The Alamo" - Jo Stafford
• "Powder Your Face With Sunshine" - Evelyn Knight
• "Rockin' Chair" - Frankie Laine
• "Satan Wears A Satin Gown" - Frankie Laine
• "Slap 'Er Down Agin, Paw" - Arthur Godfrey
• "Slippin' Around" - Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely
• "Some Day You'll Want Me To Want You" - The Mills Brothers
• "Some Enchanted Evening" - Perry Como
• "Swamp Girl" - Frankie Laine
• "That Lucky Old Sun" - Frankie Laine
• "They Didn't Believe Me" - Mario Lanza
• "You're Breaking My Heart" - Buddy Clark
• "You're Breaking My Heart" - Vic Damone

Top R&B and Country hit records

• "The Fat Man", by Fats Domino, first record with back beat all the way through

Published popular music

• "Again" w. Dorcas Cochran m. Lionel Newman
• "Bali Ha'i" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by Juanita Hall in the musical South Pacific
• "Bamboo" w. Buddy Bernier m. Nat Simon
• "Beyond The Reef" w.m. Jack Pitman
• "Blame My Absent-Minded Heart" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
• "Bloody Mary" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers from the musical South Pacific
• "Blue Ribbon Gal" Irwin Dash & Ross Parker
• "Bluebird On Your Windowsill" w.m. Elizabeth Clarke & Robert Mellin
• "Bonaparte's Retreat" w.m. Pee Wee King
• "Bye Bye Baby" w. Leo Robin m. Jule Styne introduced by Carol Channing and Jack McCauley in the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Performed in the film version by Marilyn Monroe.
• "Cafe Mozart Waltz" m. Anton Karas played by Karas on the soundtrack of the film The Third Man.
• "C'Est Si Bon" w. (Eng) Jerry Seelan (Fr) Andrez Hornez m. Henri Bett
• "Clopin Clopant" Bruno Coquatrix, Pierre Dudan & Kermit Goell
• "A Cock-Eyed Optimist" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by Mary Martin in the musical South Pacific. Mitzi Gaynor sang it in the film version.
• "Count Every Star" w. Sammy Gallop m. Bruno Coquatrix
• "Crazy, He Calls Me" w. Bob Russell m. Carl Sigman
• "Daddy's Little Girl" w.m. Bobby Burke & Horace Gerlach
• "Dear Hearts And Gentle People" w. Bob Hilliard m. Sammy Fain
• "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" w. Leo Robin m. Jule Styne introduced by Carol Channing in the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Marilyn Monroe performed the number in the film version.
• "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?" w.m. Buddy Johnson
• "Dites-Moi" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by Michael de Leon and Barbara Luna in the musical South Pacific
• "Don't Cry, Joe" w.m. Joe Marsala
• "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" w.m. Mack David, Al Hoffman & Jerry Livingston. Ilene Woods provided the vocal for the animated film Cinderella.
• "Dreamer With A Penny" w.m. Allan Roberts & Lester Lee
• "A Dreamer's Holiday" w. Kim Gannon m. Mabel Wayne
• "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)" w. Herb Magidson m. Carl Sigman
• "The Fat Man" w. Antoine Domino m. Dave Bartholomew
• "The Four Winds And The Seven Seas" w. Hal David m. Don Rodney
• "Happy Talk" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by Juanita Hall in the musical South Pacific.
• "He's A Real Gone Guy" w.m. Nellie Lutcher
• "Homework" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Honey Bun" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers from the musical South Pacific
• "Hop-Scotch Polka" w.m. William "Billy" Whitlock, Carl Sigman & Gene Rayburn
• "The Horse Told Me" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen introduced by Bing Crosby in the film Riding High.
• "The Hot Canary" m. Paul Nero
• "How Can You Buy Killarney?" Hamilton Kennedy, Ted Steels, Freddie Grant (Grundland) & Gerard Morrison
• "How It Lies, How It Lies, How It Lies!" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Sonny Burke
• "The Hucklebuck" w. Roy Alfred m. Andy Gibson
• "Hyme á L'amour" w. Edith Piaf m. Marguerite Monnot
• "I Almost Lost My Mind" w.m. Ivory Joe Hunter
• "I Didn't Know The Gun Was Loaded" w.m. Hank Fort & Herb Leighton
• "I Love You Because" w.m. Leon Payne
• "I Said My Pajamas" w.m. Edward Pola & George Wyle
• "I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas" w.m. Harry Stewart
• "I'll Never Slip Around Again" Floyd Tillman
• "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by Mary Martin in the musical South Pacific.
• "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" w.m. Hank Williams
• "It's A Great Feeling" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne introduced by Doris Day in the film It's A Great Feeling
• "It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House" w. Jack Elliott m. Harold Spina
• "Just One Way To Say I Love You" w.m. Irving Berlin introduced by Eddie Albert and Allyn McLerie in the musical Miss Liberty.
• "Let's Take An Old Fashioned Walk" w.m. Irving Berlin introduced by Eddie Albert and Allyn McLerie in the musical Miss Liberty
• "A Little Girl From Little Rock" w. Leo Robin m. Jule Styne introduced by Carol Channing in the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe were just two little girls in the film version.
• "Lush Life" w.m. Billy Strayhorn
• "Maybe It's Because" w. Harry Ruby m. Johnnie Scott
• "Melodie D'Amour" w.(Eng) Leo Johns m. Henri Salvador
• "Mona Lisa" w.m. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
• "Mule Train" w.m. Johnny Lange, Hy Heath & Fred Glickman
• "My Bolero" Kennedy, Simon
• "My Foolish Heart" w. Ned Washington m. Victor Young introduced by Susan Hayward in the film My Foolish Heart
• "My One And Only Highland Fling" w. Ira Gershwin m. Harry Warren introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the film The Barkleys Of Broadway.
• "Now That I Need You" w.m. Frank Loesser introduced by Betty Hutton in the film Red, Hot, And Blue.
• "The Old Master Painter" w. Haven Gillespie m. Beasley Smith
• "Paris Wakes Up And Smiles" w.m. Irving Berlin introduced by Johnny V. R. Thompson and Allyn McLerie in the musical Miss Liberty
• "Peter Cottontail" w.m. Jack Rollins & Steve Nelson
• "Pigalle" w.m. Georges Konyn, Charles Newman & Georges Ulmer
• "Portrait Of Jenny" w. Gordon Burge m. J. Russell Robinson
• "Put Your Shoes On, Lucy" w.m. Hank Fort
• "Quicksilver" w.m. Irving Taylor, George Wyle & Eddie Pola
• "Rag Mop" w.m. Johnnie Lee Wills & Deacon Anderson
• "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend)" w.m. Stan Jones
• "The Right Girl For Me" w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Roger Edens introduced by Frank Sinatra in the film Take Me Out To The Ball Game
• "The River Seine" w. (Eng) Allan Roberts & Alan Holt m. Guy La Forge
• "Room Full Of Roses" w.m. Tim Spencer
• "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" w.m. Johnny Marks
• "Saturday Night Fish Fry" w.m. Louis Jordan, Ellis Walsh & Al Carters
• "Scarlet Ribbons" w. Jack Segal m. Evelyn Danzig
• "La Seine" w. Geoffrey Parsons m. Berkeley Fase
• "Sentimental Me" w.m. James T. Morehead & James Cassin
• "Sing Soft, Sing Sweet, Sing Gentle" w.m. Jimmy Durante & Jack Barnett
• "Slipping Around" w.m. Floyd Tillman
• "Some Day My Heart Will Awake" w. Christopher Hassall m. Ivor Novello
• "Some Enchanted Evening" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by Ezio Pinza in the musical South Pacific. Giorgio Tozzi dubbed for Rossano Brazzi in the film.
• "A Strawberry Moon (In A Blueberry Sky)" Bob Hilliard & Sammy Mysels
• "Sunshine Cake" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
• "Swamp Girl" w.m. Michael Brown
• "That Lucky Old Sun" w. Haven Gillespie m. Beasley Smith
• "There Is Nothin' Like A Dame" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers from the musical South Pacific.
• "Third Man Theme" m. Anton Karas played by Karas on the soundtrack of the film The Third Man. Also known as "The Harry Lime Theme".
• "This Nearly Was Mine" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by Ezio Pinza in the musical South Pacific. Giorgio Tozzi dubbed for Rossano Brazzi in the film.
• "Through A Long And Sleepless Night" w. Mack Gordon m. Alfred Newman
• "Too-Whit! Too-Whoo!" Billy Reid
• "Twenty-Four Hours Of Sunshine" w. Carl Sigman m. Peter De Rose
• "Up Above My Head" w.m. Sister Rosetta Tharpe
• "The Wedding Of Lili Marlene" w.m. Tommie Connor & Johnny Reine
• "When The Wind Was Green" w.m. Don Hunt
• "A Wonderful Guy" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by Mary Martin in the musical South Pacific
• "Yingle Bells" adapt. Harry Stewart
• "You Can Have Him" w.m. Irving Berlin from the musical Miss Liberty
• "Younger Than Springtime" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by William Tabbert in the musical South Pacific
• "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers introduced by William Tabbert in the musical South Pacific

Classical music

• Olivier Messiaen - Mode de valeurs et d'intensités
• Dmitri Shostakovich - Song of the Forests (oratorio)
• Edgar Varèse - Dance for Burgess

Opera

Musical theater

• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Broadway production
• King's Rhapsody London production
• Lost in the Stars (Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill) - Broadway production
• Miss Liberty Broadway production
• South Pacific (Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II) - Broadway production

Musical films

• On The Town
• Red, Hot And Blue

Births

• January 2 - Chick Churchill, Ten Years After
• January 5 - George Brown, Kool and the Gang
• January 11 - Frederick Dennis Greene, Sha Na Na
• January 15 - Ronnie Van Zandt, Lynyrd Skynyrd
• January 19 - Robert Palmer, singer
• January 22 - Steve Perry, Journey
• January 24 - John Belushi, The Blues Brothers
• February 5 - Nigel Olsson
• February 11 - Charlie Hargrett, rock guitarist
• February 12 - Stanley Knight, Black Oak Arkansas
• February 21 - Jerry Harrison, Talking Heads
• February 23 - Terry Comer, Ace
• March 2 - Rory Gallagher
• March 13 - Donald York , Sha Na Na
• March 13 - Julia Migenes, soprano
• March 21 - Eddie Money
• March 24 - Nick Lowe
• March 26 - Fran Sheehan, Boston
• April 3 - Richard Thompson, Fairport Convention
• April 7 - John Oates, Hall and Oats
• April 15 - Tonio K
• April 21 - Patti LuPone
• May 9 - Billy Joel
• May 13 - Overend Pete Watts, Mott The Hoople
• May 16 - William Spooner, Grateful Dead
• May 18 - Rick Wakeman, Yes
• May 19 - Dusty Hill, Z.Z. Top
• May 26 - Hank Williams, Jr.
• May 26 - Vicki Lawrence
• June 11 - Frank Beard, Z.Z. Top
• June 13 - Dennis Locorriere, Dr. Hook
• June 14 - Alan White, The Plastic Ono Band, Yes
• June 15 - Russell Hitchcock, Air Supply
• June 15 - Michael Sam Lutz, Brownsville Station
• June 20 - Lionel Richie
• June 22 - Alan Osmond, The Osmonds
• June 26 - Larry Taylor, Canned Heat
• June 26 - John Illsey, Dire Straits
• June 30 - Andrew Scott, Sweet
• July 3 - Fontella Bass
• July 3 - John Verity, Argent
• July 6 - Michael Shrieve, Santana
• July 10 - Dave Smalley, The Raspberries
• July 10 - Ronnie James Rio, Rainbow
• July 12 - John Wetton, Asia
• July 16 - Ray Major, Mott the Hoople
• July 17 - Terry Butler, Black Sabbath
• July 18 - Wally Bryson, The Raspberries
• July 26 - Roger Taylor, Queen
• July 27 - David Weck, Brownsville Station
• July 27 - Maureen McGovern
• July 28 - Simon Kirke, Free, Bad Company
• July 28 - Steven Took, T. Rex
• August 3 - B.B. Dickerson, War
• August 11 - Eric Carmen, The Raspberries
• August 12 - Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits
• August 17 - Sib Hashian, Boston
• August 23 - Rick Springfield
• August 25 - Gene Simmons, Kiss
• August 26 - Bob Cowsill, The Cowsills
• August 27 - Jeff Cook, Alabama
• September 1 - Greg Errico, Sly and The Family Stone
• September 5 - Clem Clempson, Humble Pie
• September 7 - Gloria Gaynor
• September 10 - Barriemore Barlow, Jethro Tull
• September 14 - Steve Gaines, Lynyrd Skynyrd
• September 18 - Kerry Livgren, Kansas
• September 20 - Chuck Panozzo, Styx
• September 20 - John Panozzo, Styx
• September 23 - Bruce Springsteen, singer, songwriter
• October 5 - B.W. Stevenson
• October 6 - Thomas McClary, The Commodores
• October 8 - Michael Rosen, Average White Band
• October 17 - Bill Hudson, Hudson Brothers
• October 23 - Wurzel, Motörhead
• October 27 - Garry Tallent, E Street Band
• November 6 - Arturo Sandoval, Jazz performer
• November 8 - Bonnie Raitt
• November 10 - Donna Fargo
• November 13 - Terry Reid, singer, guitarist
• November 14 - James Young, Styx
• November 28 - Paul Shaffer, Late Show with David Letterman
• December 7 - Tom Waits, singer, composer, actor
• December 13 - Tom Verlaine, Television
• December 14 - Cliff Williams, Home, AC/DC
• December 14 - Randy Owen, Alabama
• December 16 - Billy Gibbons, Z.Z. Top
• December 17 - Paul Rodgers, Free, Bad Company, The Firm
• December 22 - Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb, The Bee Gees
• December 23 - Adrian Belew
• December 23 - Luther Grosvenor, Spooky Tooth, Mott The Hoople

Deaths

• January 14 - Joaquín Turina, composer
• February 11 - Giovanni Zenatello, opera tenor
• July 7 - Bunk Johnson, jazz trumpeter
• July 18 - Vitezslav Novák, composer
• September 8 - Richard Strauss, composer
• September 12 - Harry T. Burleigh, composer and singer
• October 1 - Buddy Clark, US singer
• October 4 - Chris Smith, composer
• October 27 - Ginette Neveu, violin virtuoso
• November 25 - Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, American tap dancer, singer and actor