1957 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1957.
Specific locations
Specific genres
Events
- January 5 – Renato Carosone and his band start their American tour in Cuba.
- January 6 – Elvis Presley makes his final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- January 16 – The Cavern Club opens in Liverpool, England, as a jazz club.
- February 8 – Bo Diddley records his songs "Hey! Bo Diddley" and "Mona (I Need You Baby)".
- March – Chicago's Cardinal Stritch bans all rock and roll and rhythm and blues music from Catholic-run schools, saying that "its rhythms encourage young people to behave in a hedonistic manner."
- March 1 – The Everly Brothers record in Nashville their first single "Bye Bye Love" for Cadence Records.
- March 3 – The second annual Eurovision Song Contest is staged in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany. The contest is won by Dutch singer Corry Brokken with the song Net als toen.
- March 19 – Elvis Presley purchases a mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, and calls it Graceland.
- March 26 – Ricky Nelson records his first three songs.
- March 27 – "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" from 1956's Alfred Hitchcock suspense film The Man Who Knew Too Much wins the Academy Award for Best Song. Sung by Doris Day in the film, it proves to be one of her biggest hit records as well.
- May 14 – In Paris, Heitor Villa-Lobos records his Bachiana Brasileira No. 4, with the Orchestre Nationale de la Radiodiffusion Française, for EMI. Through May 21 the recording sessions continue with Bachiana Brasileira No. 7 and Bachiana Brasileira No. 3 with Manoel Braune, piano.
- May 26 – Paul Robeson, blacklisted at this time from travelling outside the United States, performs a concert from New York City via the new transatlantic telephone line to an audience in St Pancras Town Hall in London; on October 5 he uses the same means to address the Miners' Eisteddfod at the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl in Wales.
- June 20 – Tōru Takemitsu's Requiem for Strings is first performed, by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.
- July 6 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles first meet at a garden fete at St. Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool, England, at which Lennon's skiffle group, The Quarrymen, is playing.
- August 5 – American Bandstand begins its 30-year syndicated run on US network television.
- August 7 – The Quarrymen first play at The Cavern Club in Liverpool in an interlude spot between jazz bands; when John Lennon starts the group playing Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel", the club's owner at this time hands him a note reading "Cut out the bloody rock 'n roll". Paul McCartney is away from Liverpool at this time at a Boy Scout camp and a family holiday.
- September 19 – Dalida is the first artist to be awarded a gold record in France for 300,000 sales of "Bambino". This year, she is also the first female recording artist to have her own fan club.
- September 20 – Jean Sibelius dies aged 91 at Ainola, his home in Finland, having completed no significant compositions for thirty years; at the time of his death, a performance of his Symphony No. 5 is being given in Helsinki under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent.
- September 26 – Broadway première of the musical West Side Story at the Winter Garden Theatre with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, his Broadway debut. This year also Bernstein conducts the inaugural concert of the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv.
- September 29 – Jean Sibelius lies in state overnight, following a short memorial service at which musicians from the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Radio Symphony Orchestra carry his coffin into Helsinki Cathedral while Tapani Valsta plays the organ.
- September 30 – The state funeral of Jean Sibelius is held at Helsinki Cathedral. MAino Sibelius and Finland's president, Urho Kekkonen, lay wreaths, and composers Uuno Klami and Einojuhani Rautavaara are among the coffin-bearers. The coffin is taken to his home at Ainola for burial.
- November 25–27 – The first two Hollywood motion pictures starring Pat Boone, Bernadine and April Love, are released.
- Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel name themselves Tom and Jerry and begin their recording career, signing with Sid Prosen of Big Records. Their first single, "Hey, Schoolgirl", backed with "Dancin' Wild", hits #49 on the Billboard pop charts. Garfunkel is Tom Graph and Simon is Jerry Landis, a pseudonym he used during his early 1960s solo recordings. They tour for eighteen months before retiring to become college students and then reforming in 1963 as Simon & Garfunkel.
- The Casals Festival is founded in Puerto Rico.
- When Nat King Cole's television show is unable to get a sponsor, Frankie Laine becomes the first artist to cross TV's color line, becoming the first white artist to appear as a guest, foregoing his usual salary of $10,000. Other top performers follow suit, including Mel Tormé and Tony Bennett, but, despite an increase in ratings, the show still fails to pick up a national sponsor.
- Gorni Kramer makes his first appearance on Italian television, in Il Musichiere.
- Maria Callas is introduced to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.
- "Suíte do Pescador" is composed by Dorival Caymmi.
- Actress Debbie Reynolds earns a gold record for her song Tammy, which is the best-selling single by a female vocalist in 1957 in the United States. This song from the motion picture Tammy and the Bachelor is also nominated for an Academy Award.
Bands formed
Albums released
About the Blues – Julie LondonAfter Glow – Carmen McRaeAfter Midnight – Nat King ColeAfter School Session – Chuck BerryAlmendra – Aldemaro RomeroAnita Sings the Most – Anita O'DayApril in Paris – Count BasieArt Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section – Art PepperAt Mister Kelly's – Sarah VaughanAt the Gate of Horn – OdettaAward Winner: Stan Getz – Stan GetzBags' Groove – Miles DavisThe Beat of My Heart – Tony BennettBelafonte Sings of the Caribbean – Harry BelafonteBing with a Beat – Bing CrosbyThe Big Beat – Johnnie RayBirth of the Cool – Miles DavisBlossom Dearie – Blossom DearieA Blowin' Session – Johnny GriffinBlue Starr – Kay StarrBlue Train – John ColtraneBlue Trombone – J. J. JohnsonBoy Meets Girl – Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRaeBrilliant Corners – Thelonious MonkChet Atkins at Home – Chet AtkinsThe "Chirping" Crickets – Buddy Holly & The Crickets A Christmas Story – Bing CrosbyClose to You – Frank SinatraA Closer Walk with Thee – Pat BooneThe Clown – Charles MingusColtrane – John ColtraneCookin' – Paul GonsalvesCookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet – Miles DavisCount Basie at Newport – Count BasieCriollísima – Aldemaro RomeroCuban Jam Sessions in Miniature – CachaoDay by Night – Doris DayDedicated to You – The "5" RoyalesDouble Play! – Russ Freeman & André PrevinDream Street – Peggy LeeDrum Suite – Art BlakeyElla and Louis Again – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis ArmstrongElla Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book – Ella Fitzgerald & Duke EllingtonElvis' Christmas Album – Elvis PresleyAn Evening with Belafonte – Harry BelafonteExotica – Martin DennyGene Vincent and His Blue Caps – Gene VincentGrand Ole Opry's New Star – George JonesThe Great Ray Charles – Ray CharlesHard Bop – Art Blakely and the Jazz MessengersThe Helen Morgan Story – Gogi GrantHer Nibs – Georgia GibbsHere's Little Richard – Little RichardHi-Fi in Focus – Chet AtkinsHymns We Love – Pat BooneI Love John Frigo...He Swings – Johnny Frigo In Las Vegas – Johnnie RayInterplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors – John ColtraneIt's All Over but the Swingin' – Sammy Davis Jr.Jackie's Pal – Jackie McLeanJazz by Sun Ra – Sun RaJim Edward, Maxine, and Bonnie Brown – The Browns A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra – Frank SinatraThe Jones Boys – Thad JonesJulie – Julie LondonJust One of Those Things – Nat King ColeJutta Hipp With Zoot Sims – Jutta HippLike Someone in Love – Ella FitzgeraldLosers, Weepers – Kay StarrLouis and the Angels – Louis ArmstrongLouis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson – Louis Armstrong & Oscar PetersonLove Is the Thing – Nat King ColeLove Serenade – Ames BrothersLoving You – Elvis PresleyMad Thad – Thad JonesMake Love to Me – Julie LondonMal/2 – Mal WaldronThe Man I Love – Peggy LeeThe Many Sides of Toshiko – Toshiko AkiyoshiMating Call – Tadd DameronMel Tormé's California Suite – Mel TorméMel Tormé at the Crescendo – Mel TorméMiguel – DalidaMiles Ahead – Miles DavisA Midnight Session with the Jazz Messengers – Art BlakeyMoanin' the Blues – Hank WilliamsMonk's Music – Thelonious MonkMoondreams – Dick HaymesMozart: Clarinet Concerto, Quintet for Clarinet and Strings – Benny Goodman, clarinet, Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Munch; Boston Symphony String Quartet. 12-inch LP. RCA Victor LM 2073.New Tricks – Bing CrosbyNow Hear This – The Hi-Lo'sOnce Over Lightly – Jo StaffordOne Dozen Roses – The Mills BrothersOne O'Clock Jump – Count Basie Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald & Joe WilliamsOrgy in Rhythm – Art BlakeyThe Pajama Game – Doris DayPal Joey – Morris Stoloff, Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Rita Hayworth, Trudy Erwin Pat – Pat BoonePat Boone Sings Irving Berlin – Pat BoonePatsy Cline – Patsy ClinePlease, Please, Please – James BrownThe Poll Winners – Barney KesselPorgy and Bess – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis ArmstrongThe Prestige Jazz Quartet – Teddy CharlesPretty Baby – Dean MartinQuand on n'a que l'amour – Jacques BrelRay Charles – Ray CharlesRicky – Ricky Nelson Ring around Rosie – The Hi-Lo'sRockin' – Frankie LaineRockin' the Oldies – Bill Haley & His Comets'Round About Midnight – Miles DavisSammy Swings – Sammy Davis Jr.Saxophone Colossus – Sonny RollinsSea Shells – Peggy LeeSing a Song of Basie – Lambert, Hendricks & RossSometimes I'm Happy, Sometimes I'm Blue – Jill CoreySon nom est Dalida – DalidaSongs for Any Taste – Mel TorméSongs for Inspiration & Meditation – Jo StaffordSongs of Scotland – Jo StaffordSophisticated Swing – Cannonball AdderleySoulville – Ben WebsterThe Sounds of Christmas Harmony – Ames BrothersStrange Blues – Jackie McLean Strictly Powell – Bud PowellSuch Sweet Thunder – Duke EllingtonSuddenly It's The Hi-Lo's – The Hi-Lo'sSuddenly There's Gogi Grant – Gogi GrantSweet Seventeen – Ames BrothersA Swingin' Affair! – Frank SinatraSwingin' Easy – Sarah VaughanTenor Conclave – Prestige All StarsThelonious Monk with John Coltrane – Thelonious Monk & John ColtraneThere'll Always Be A Christmas – Ames BrothersTony – Tony BennettTormé Meets the British – Mel TorméToshiko and Leon Sash at Newport – Toshiko Akiyoshi & Leon SashTrane's Blues – John ColtraneWalkin' – Miles DavisWay Out West – Sonny RollinsWe Get Letters – Perry ComoThe Weavers at Carnegie Hall – The WeaversWest Side Story – Original Broadway CastWhere Are You? – Frank SinatraWinner's Circle – Oscar PettifordWith His Hot and Blue Guitar – Johnny Cash Word Jazz - Ken NordineBiggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1957.| # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
| 1 | Elvis Presley | Jailhouse Rock | 1957 | US | UK 1 – Jan 1958, US BB 1 – Oct 1957, US BB 1 of 1957, Canada 1 – Oct 1957, DDD 1 of 1957, POP 1 of 1957, Europe 2 of the 1950s, Scrobulate 2 of rockabilly, RYM 3 of 1957, Netherlands 5 – Jan 1974, France 10 – Dec 1971, US CashBox 11 of 1957, South Africa 11 of 1958, AFI 21, Global 33 – 1957, Party 54 of 1999, Italy 60 of 1958, Rolling Stone 67, Acclaimed 192, Belgium 214 of all time |
| 2 | Paul Anka | Diana | 1957 | Canada | UK 1 – Aug 1957, US BB 1 – Jul 1957, Canada 1 – Jul 1957, Australia 1 for 8 weeks Jun 1957, Italy 2 of 1958, Poland 9 – Apr 1989, US CashBox 13 of 1957, US BB 14 of 1956, POP 14 of 1956, Europe 17 of the 1950s, RYM 17 of 1957, Global 33 – 1957, DDD 36 of 1957 |
| 3 | Elvis Presley | All Shook Up | 1957 | US | UK 1 – Jun 1957, US BB 1 – Apr 1957, Canada 1 – May 1957, RYM 5 of 1957, US CashBox 8 of 1957, DDD 11 of 1957, Scrobulate 12 of rock & roll, US BB 13 of 1957, POP 13 of 1957, Netherlands 33 – Jan 2005, Global 33 – 1957, Europe 78 of the 1950s, Party 179 of 2007, Rolling Stone 352, Acclaimed 835 |
| 4 | Jerry Lee Lewis | Great Balls of Fire | 1957 | US | UK 1 – Dec 1957, RYM 1 of 1957, US BB 2 – Dec 1957, Canada 2 – Dec 1957, DDD 5 of 1957, US BB 14 of 1958, POP 14 of 1958, South Africa 15 of 1958, Netherlands 27 – Sep 1989, Scrobulate 63 of oldies, RIAA 64, Europe 76 of the 1950s, Acclaimed 86, Rolling Stone 96, Party 242 of 1999 |
| 5 | Danny & the Juniors | At the Hop | 1957 | US | US BB 1 – Dec 1957, Canada 1 – Dec 1957, UK 3 – Jan 1958, US BB 3 of 1958, POP 3 of 1958, South Africa 6 of 1958, US CashBox 10 of 1958, RYM 11 of 1957, DDD 21 of 1957, Europe 73 of the 1950s, RIAA 250, Acclaimed 728 |
US No. 1 hit singles
These singles reached the top of US Billboards charts in 1957.| First week | Number of weeks | Title | Artist |
| February 9, 1957 | 3 | "Too Much" | Elvis Presley |
| March 2, 1957 | 4 | "Young Love" | Tab Hunter |
| March 30, 1957 | 1 | "Party Doll" | Buddy Knox |
| April 6, 1957 | 1 | "Round and Round" | Perry Como |
| April 13, 1957 | 8 | "All Shook Up" | Elvis Presley |
| June 3, 1957 | 5 | "Love Letters in the Sand" | Pat Boone |
| June 10, 1957 | 1 | "Bernardine" | Pat Boone |
| July 8, 1957 | 7 | "Teddy Bear" | Elvis Presley |
| August 26, 1957 | 2 | "Tammy" | Debbie Reynolds |
| September 9, 1957 | 1 | "Diana" | Paul Anka |
| September 16, 1957 | 1 | "Tammy" | Debbie Reynolds |
| September 23, 1957 | 1 | "That'll Be the Day" | The Crickets |
| September 30, 1957 | 2 | "Honeycomb" | Jimmie Rodgers |
| October 14, 1957 | 1 | "Wake Up Little Susie" | The Everly Brothers |
| October 21, 1957 | 7 | "Jailhouse Rock" | Elvis Presley |
| December 9, 1957 | 2 | "You Send Me" | Sam Cooke |
| December 23, 1957 | 2 | "April Love" | Pat Boone |
Published popular music
- "An Affair to Remember (Our Love Affair)" Harold Adamson & Leo McCarey Harry Warren
- "After School" Dick Wolf & Warren Nadel
- "All Shook Up" w.m. Otis Blackwell & Elvis Presley
- "All the Way" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen
- "Almost Paradise" m. Norman Petty
- "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)" w. Selma Craft m. Morton Craft
- "America" w. Stephen Sondheim m. Leonard Bernstein
- "April Love" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Sammy Fain
- "Are You Sincere?" w.m. Wayne Walker
- "At the Hop" w.m. Artie Singer, Johnny Medora & Dave White
- "Bernardine" w.m. Johnny Mercer
- "Bony Moronie" w.m. Larry Williams
- "The Book of Love" w.m. Warren Davies, George Malone & Charles Patrick
- "Boy on a Dolphin" w. Paul Francis Webster Jean Fermanoglou m. Takis Morakis
- "Build Your Love " O. Jones
- "Butterfly" w.m. Anthony September
- "Bye Bye Love" w.m. Felice & Boudleaux Bryant
- "Ca, C'est L'Amour" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Taina Elg in the film Les Girls.
- "Catch a Falling Star" w.m. Lee Pockriss & Paul Vance
- "Chances Are" w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
- "Chantez, Chantez" w. Albert Gamse m. Irving Fields
- "Cocoanut Sweet" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
- "Come Fly with Me" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen
- "Come Go with Me" w.m. Clarence E. Quick
- "Cool" w. Stephen Sondheim m. Leonard Bernstein
- "Could This Be Magic" w.m. Hiram Johnson & Richard Blandon
- "Dark Moon" w.m. Ned Miller
- "The Day the Rains Came" w. Carl Sigman Pierre Delanoë m. Gilbert Bécaud
- "Diana" w.m. Paul Anka
- "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
- "Everyday" Charles Hardin, Norman Petty
- "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" w.m. Ewan MacColl
- "Four Walls" w.m. George Campbell & Marvin Moore
- "From a Jack to a King" w.m. Ned Miller
- "Gee, Officer Krupke" w. Stephen Sondheim m. Leonard Bernstein from the musical West Side Story
- "Gigi" w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
- "The Girl with the Golden Braids" m. Eddie Snyder w. Stanley J. Kahan
- "Goodnight My Someone" w.m. Meredith Willson
- "Got-Ta Have Something in the Bank, Frank" Bob Hilliard, Mort Garson
- "Great Balls of Fire" w.m. Jack Hammer & Otis Blackwell
- "A Handful of Songs" Tommy Steele, Lionel Bart & Michael Pratt
- "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" w.m. Margo Sylvia & Gilbert Lopez
- "Hey Schoolgirl" w. Art Garfunkel m. Paul Simon
- "Hula Love" adapted by Buddy Knox from the 1911 song "My Hula Hula Love"
- "I Can't Stop Loving You" w.m. Don Gibson
- "I Feel Pretty" w. Stephen Sondheim m. Leonard Bernstein
- "I Just Don't Know" w. Joe Stone m. Robert Allen
- "I Like Your Kind of Love" Melvin Endsley
- "I'm Sorry" w.m. Buck Ram
- "In My Own Little Corner" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
- "In the Middle of an Island" w.m. Ted Varnick & Nick Acquaviva
- "Island in the Sun" w.m. Harry Belafonte & Irving L. Burgie
- "It's Good to Be Alive" w.m. Bob Merrill
- "Ivy Rose" w.m. Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
- "Jailhouse Rock" w.m. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
- "Jingle Bell Rock" w.m. Joseph Beal & James Boothe
- "Joey's Song" m. Joe Reisman
- "Just Between You and Me" w.m. Lee Cathy & Jack Keller
- "Just Born" w.m. Luther Dixon & Billy Dawn Smith
- "Let It Be Me" w. Mann Curtis Pierre Delanoë m. Gilbert Bécaud
- "Lida Rose" w.m. Meredith Willson
- "Liechtensteiner Polka" w. Joseph Seener w.m. Edmund Koetscher & Rudi Lindt
- "Lips of Wine" w. Shirley Wolfe m. Sy Soloway
- "Little Biscuit" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
- "The Little Blue Man" w.m. Fred Ebb & Paul Klein
- "Little Darlin' " w.m. Maurice Williams
- "Loving You" w.m. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
- "Lucille" w.m. Richard Penniman & Albert Collins
- "Magic Moments" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
- "Mama Look at Bubu" w.m. Lord Melody
- "Mean Woman Blues" w.m. Claude Demetrius
- "Mi Casa, Su Casa" w.m. Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
- "Moonlight Swim" w. Sylvia Dee m. Ben Weisman
- "My Heart Reminds Me" w. Al Stillman m. Camillo Bargoni
- "My Little Baby" w.m. Joe Shapiro and Lou Stallman
- "My Special Angel" w.m. Jimmy Duncan
- "Napoleon" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
- "Oh Boy!" w.m. Sunny West, Norman Petty & Bill Tilghman
- "Oh Lonesome Me" w.m. Don Gibson
- "Old Cape Cod" w.m. Claire Rothrock, Milt Yakus & Allan Jeffrey
- "One Hand, One Heart" w. Stephen Sondheim m. Leonard Bernstein
- "Party Doll" w.m. Jimmy Bowen & Buddy Knox
- "Passing Strangers" Mel Mitchell, Stanley Applebaum
- "Peggy Sue" w.m. Jerry Allison, Norman Petty & Buddy Holly
- "Pretend You Don't See Her" w.m. Steve Allen
- "Proceed with Caution" Wilson Stone
- "Promise Her Anything" w.m. Roy Alfred
- "A Pub with No Beer" w.m. Gordon Parsons
- "Put a Light in the Window" w. Rhoda Roberts m. Kenny Jacobson
- "Rainbow" w.m. Russ Hamilton
- "Raunchy" m. William E. Justis Jr & Sidney Manker
- "Reet Petite" T. Carlo, Berry Gordy
- "Remember You're Mine" Bernie Lowe, Kal Mann
- "Rock and Roll Music" w.m. Chuck Berry
- "Rock-A-Billy" w.m. Woody Harris & Eddie V. Deane
- "Sadder But Wiser Girl for Me" w.m. Meredith Willson
- "Santa, Bring My Baby Back " w.m. Claude Demetrius & Aaron Schroeder
- "Sayonara" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "School Day" w.m. Chuck Berry
- "Searchin' " w.m. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
- "Send for Me" w.m. Ollie Jones
- "Seventy-Six Trombones" w.m. Meredith Willson
- "She Was Only Seventeen" w.m. Marty Robbins
- "Shiralee" w.m. Tommy Steele
- "Short Fat Fanny" Larry Williams
- "Silhouettes" w.m. Frank Slay & Bob Crewe
- "Something's Coming" w. Stephen Sondheim m. Leonard Bernstein
- "Somewhere" w. Stephen Sondheim m. Leonard Bernstein. Introduced by Reri Grist in the musical West Side Story
- "The Song of Raintree County" w. Paul Francis Webster & Raymond Egan m. Richard Whiting
- "Song of the Clyde" w. R. Y Bell m. Ian Gourlay
- "Spooky Polka" – m. John Serry Sr.
- "The Story of My Life" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
- "The Stroll" w.m. Nancy Lee & Clyde Otis
- "Tammy" w. Jay Livingston m. Ray Evans. Introduced by Debbie Reynolds in the film Tammy and the Bachelor
- "Teddy Bear" w.m. Kal Mann & Bernie Lowe. Introduced by Elvis Presley in the film Loving You
- "Tele Vee Shun" Stan Freberg
- "Ten Minutes Ago" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
- "That'll Be the Day" w.m. Buddy Holly, Norman Petty & Jerry Allison
- "Till" w.m. Carl Sigman, Charles Sananes & Pierre Buisson
- "Till There Was You" w.m. Meredith Willson. Introduced by Robert Preston and Barbara Cook in the musical The Music Man
- "Tonight" w. Stephen Sondheim & Leonard Bernstein m. Leonard Bernstein
- "Treat Me Nice" w.m. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
- "Trouble " w.m. Meredith Willson. Introduced by Robert Preston in the musical The Music Man.
- "The Twelfth of Never" adapt. w. Paul Francis Webster m. Jerry Livingston
- "Twenty-six Miles" w.m. Bruce Bell & Glen Larson
- "A Very Special Love" w.m. Robert Allen
- "Wake Up Little Susie" w.m. Felice & Boudleaux Bryant
- "Walking Along" Sam Weiss, Winston Willis
- "White Silver Sands" w.m. Charles G. Matthews & Gladys Reinhardt
- "A White Sport Coat" w.m. Marty Robbins
- "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" w.m. Dave Williams & Sunny David
- "Whole Lotta Woman" w.m. Marvin Rainwater
- "Why Baby Why" w.m. Luther Dixon & Larry Harrison
- "Why Don't They Understand" Jack Fishman, Joe Henderson
- "Wild Is the Wind" w. Ned Washington m. Dimitri Tiomkin
- "Wind in the Willows" Wecht, Singer, Singer
- "Witchcraft" w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman
- "Wonderful! Wonderful!" w. Ben Raleigh m. Sherman Edwards
- "Yellow Bird" w.m. Alan Bergman, Marilyn Keith & Norman Luboff
- "Yes Tonight, Josephine" w.m. Winfield Scott & Dorothy Goodman
- "You Need Hands" w.m. Roy Irwin
Classical music
Compositions
- Hugo Alfvén – Den förlorade sonen , R214
- Malcolm Arnold – Symphony No. 3
- Luciano Berio – Serenata I
- Ernest Bloch
- *Suite No. 3 for Solo Cello
- *Piano Quintet No. 2
- Pierre Boulez – Le Marteau sans maître
- John Cage – Winter Music
- Aaron Copland – Orchestral Variations
- Pierre Gabaye – Boutade
- Henryk Górecki –
- *Sonata for two violins, Op. 10
- *Concerto for Five Instruments and String Quartet, Op. 11
- Jørgen Jersild – 3 Madrigali
- Wojciech Kilar – Lullabies, solo cantatas for soprano and seven instruments
- Giselher Klebe – Concerto for cello and orchestra
- Jan Klusák – Concerto grosso
- László Lajtha – Symphony No. 7, Revolution
- Bohuslav Martinů – Romance z pampelišek, H. 364
- Toshiro Mayuzumi – Phonologie Symphonique
- Ennio Morricone – Concerto, for orchestra
- Per Nørgård – Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 20
- Walter Piston – Viola Concerto
- Allan Pettersson – Concerto for String Orchestra No. 3
- Francis Poulenc – Flute Sonata, FP 164
- Hilding Rosenberg – String Quartets nos. 8 – 12
- Edmund Rubbra – Seventh Symphony
- John Serry Sr. – Reeds in a Rush
- Roger Sessions – Symphony No. 3
- Alfred Schnittke – Symphony No. 0
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- *Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major
- *Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op. 103 "The Year 1905"
- Elie Siegmeister – Symphony No. 3
- Karlheinz Stockhausen – Gruppen for three orchestras
- Tōru Takemitsu – Requiem for Strings
- Vladimir Ussachevsky – Metamorphosis
- Galina Ustvolskaya – Piano Sonata No. 4
- Ralph Vaughan Williams
- *Blake Songs
- *Symphony No. 9
- Heitor Villa-Lobos
- *Piano Concerto No. 3
- *String Quartet No. 17
- *Symphony No. 12
- William Walton – Partita for Orchestra
- Mieczysław Weinberg – Symphony No. 4
- Malcolm Williamson
- * A Vision of Beasts and Gods, song cycle for high voice and piano
- * Santiago de Espada, overture for orchestra
- * Symphony No. 1 – Elevamini, for orchestra
- Iannis Xenakis – Achorripsis
- Bernd Alois Zimmermann
- * Canto di speranza
- * Die fromme Helene
- * ''Omnia tempus habent''
Opera
- John Eaton – Ma Barker
- Bohuslav Martinů – The Greek Passion
- Douglas Moore – Gallantry
- Ildebrando Pizzetti – Assassinio nella Cattedrale
- Francis Poulenc – Dialogues of the Carmelites
- Joan Trimble – Blind Raftery
- Heitor Villa-Lobos – ''Daughter of the Clouds''
Film
- Malcolm Arnold - The Bridge on the River Kwai
- George Duning - 3:10 to Yuma
- Gerald Fried - Paths of Glory
- Hugo Friedhofer - An Affair to Remember
- Erik Nordgren - The Seventh Seal
- Nino Rota - Nights of Cabiria
- Dimitri Tiomkin - Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
- Franz Waxman - Peyton Place
- Franz Waxman - ''The Spirit of St. Louis''
[Musical theatre]
Brigadoon — Broadway revivalDamn Yankees — London productionKatharina Knie opened at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich on January 20The Music Man opened at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway on December 19, 1957, and ran for 1375 performances.New Girl in Town Broadway production, opened at the 46th St. Theatre and ran for 431 performancesWest Side Story — Broadway production, opened at the Winter Garden Theatre and ran for 732 performancesZuleika — London production, Saville Theatre[Musical film]s
Funny Face starring Fred Astaire and Audrey HepburnJailhouse Rock starring Elvis PresleyLes Girls starring Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor and Kay KendallLoving You released July 9 starring Elvis Presley.Mayabazar starring SavithriThe Pajama Game starring Doris Day and John RaittPal Joey starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim NovakPardesi, with music by Anil BiswasSilk Stockings, featuring Fred Astaire and Cyd CharisseBirths
- January 3 – Dave Dobbyn, New Zealand singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
- January 4
- *Brian Roy Goble, Canadian singer-songwriter
- *Patty Loveless, country singer
- January 23 – Earl Falconer, reggae bass guitarist and singer
- January 27 – Janick Gers, heavy metal guitarist
- January 28 – Frank Skinner, English comedian, actor, presenter and writer
- February 2 – Tony Butler, rock bass guitarist
- February 19 – Falco, classical and rock musician
- February 27 – Adrian Smith, musician
- February 28
- * Phil Gould, drummer
- * Cindy Wilson, new wave singer
- March 5 – Mark E. Smith, post-punk singer-songwriter
- March 12 – Marlon Jackson, vocalist
- March 21 – John Whitfield, conductor
- March 26 – Paul Morley, music journalist
- March 28 – Oran "Juice" Jones, American R&B singer
- April 2 – Mark Alburger, composer, conductor, music journalist
- April 12 – Vince Gill
- May 2 – Markus Stockhausen, trumpeter and composer
- May 10 – Sid Vicious, punk musician
- May 18 – Michael Cretu, musician
- May 27 – Siouxsie Sioux, singer
- June 7 – Juan Luis Guerra, Dominican singer and musician
- June 11 – Jamaaladeen Tacuma, free jazz bass guitarist
- June 14 – Maxi Jazz, singer-songwriter and rapper
- June 15 – Brad Gillis, American guitarist
- June 17
- *Phil Chevron, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- *Martin Dillon, American tenor and educator
- June 22 – Garry Gary Beers, new wave rock bass guitarist
- June 24 – Astro, reggae singer-songwriter
- June 26 – Patty Smyth, American singer-songwriter
- July 3
- * Peter Breiner, composer
- * Poly Styrene, punk musician
- July 30 – Christopher Miller, known as Rat Scabies, drummer
- August 2
- *Mojo Nixon, American singer-songwriter
- *Butch Vig, American drummer, songwriter and producer
- August 18 – Ron Strykert, Men at Work
- August 21 – Budgie, drummer
- August 22 – Holly Dunn, country singer/songwriter
- August 26 – Dr. Alban, Nigerian-Swedish singer, songwriter, and producer
- August 31
- * Gina Schock, The Go-Go's
- * Glenn Tilbrook, vocalist
- September 1
- * Gloria Estefan, singer
- * Jon Moss, drummer
- September 12 – Hans Zimmer, film score composer and music producer
- September 22
- * Nick Cave, singer-songwriter
- * Johnette Napolitano, Concrete Blonde
- October 3 – Tim Westwood, DJ
- October 5 – Lee Jay Thompson
- October 7 – Michael W. Smith, contemporary Christian singer
- October 19 – Karl Wallinger, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
- October 20 – Anouar Brahem, oud player and composer
- October 21
- * Julian Cope, post-punk singer-songwriter and antiquarian
- * Steve Lukather, rock guitarist
- October 16 – Kelly Marie, disco singer
- October 28 – Stephen Morris
- November 1 – Lyle Lovett, country musician
- November 5 – Mike Score
- November 8 – Porl Thompson
- November 20 – Hendrik Hofmeyr, composer
- November 24 – Chris Hayes, pop rock musician
- December 6 – Adrian Borland, post-punk musician The Sound
- December 6
- *Bob Drake, avant-garde musician
- *Jack Lee, bagpiper
- December 9
- * Donny Osmond, singer
- * Steve Taylor, singer, record producer
- December 10 – Paul Hardcastle, composer and musician
- December 12 – Sheila E., singer-songwriter and percussionist
- December 20
- * Anita Baker, R&B singer-songwriter
- * Billy Bragg, singer-songwriter
- * Anna Vissi, singer
- December 22 – Tsai Chin, singer
- December 24 – Ian Burden, English keyboardist and composer
- December 25 – Shane MacGowan, Celtic punk singer-songwriter
- December 27 – Jerry Gaskill, American drummerdate unknown
- * Annette A. Aguilar, Latin jazz percussionist
- * Charles Roland Berry, composer
- * Kartik Seshadri, sitarist and composer
Deaths
- January – Gertie Gitana, English music hall entertainer, 69
- January 16 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor, 89
- January 18 – George Girard, American jazz trumpeter, 26
- February 7 – Rudolph Réti, Serbian pianist, composer and musicologist, 71
- February 16 – Josef Hofmann, Polish pianist and composer, 81
- February 21
- *"Klondike" Kate Rockwell, American vaudeville performer, 83
- *Marguerite Sylva, Belgian operatic mezzo-soprano, 81
- March 8 – Othmar Schoeck, Swiss composer, 70
- March 13 – Lena Ashwell, British Forces entertainer, 84
- March 24 – Carson Robison, American country music singer and songwriter, 66
- April 15 – Pedro Infante, Mexican actor and singer, 39
- May 2 – Tadeusz Kassern, Polish composer, 53
- May 9 – Ezio Pinza, Italian singer and actor, 64
- May 12 – Marie Rappold, German operatic soprano, 83
- June 5 – Frances Densmore, American ethnomusicologist, 90
- June 6 – Kulyash Baiseitova, Soviet opera singer, 52
- June 12 – Jimmy Dorsey, American jazz musician and big band leader, 53
- July 7 – Hiski Salomaa, Finnish folk singer and songwriter, 66
- July 9 – Alexander Goedicke, Soviet pianist and composer, 80
- July 16 – Serge Chaloff, American saxophonist, 33
- August 4 – Ivan Zorman, Slovene poet and composer, 72
- August 28 – Erik Tuxen, Danish conductor, composer and arranger, 55
- September 1 – Dennis Brain, British horn virtuoso, 36
- September 11 – Petar Stojanović, Serbian violinist and composer, 80
- September 19 – Heino Kaski, Finnish composer
- September 20 – Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer, 91
- September 28 – Luis Cluzeau Mortet, Uruguayan composer and musician, 68
- October 14 – Natanael Berg, Swedish composer, 78
- October 20 – Jack Buchanan, Scottish singer, dancer, actor and director, 66
- October 23 – Abe Lyman, American bandleader, composer and drummer, 60
- November 4 – Joseph Canteloube, French composer, 78
- November 29 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Austrian composer, 60
- November 30 – Beniamino Gigli, Italian operatic tenor, 67
- December 19 – Abolhasan Saba, Iranian instrumentalist, 55
- December 20 – Walter Page, American jazz musician, 57
- December 21 – Eric Coates, English composer, 71
- Undated – Ustad Qasim, Afghan musician, 78–79