1974 in music

May–December

• May 7 – Led Zeppelin announces their new record label, Swan Song Records, with a lavish party at The Four Seasons Hotel in New York.
• May 25 – Twenty years after it was recorded, "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets returns to the Billboard top 40, after it gains renewed popularity from its use in the film American Graffiti and the TV series Happy Days.
• May 28 – Experimental orchestra, the Portsmouth Sinfonia, plays a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, with its regular conductor John Farley. The performers included Michael Nyman and Brian Eno.
• June 1 – Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno, Nico and other musicians perform at the Rainbow Theatre in London. The performances are later released as June 1, 1974.
• June 5
• Sly Stone married model-actress Kathy Silva on June 5, 1974, during a sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden.
• Patti Smith records "Hey Joe", her debut single, which was released in August.
• June 14 – David Bowie launches his Diamond Dogs tour at the Montreal Forum. One year previously he had announced that he was retiring from touring as Ziggy Stardust.
• July 4 – Barry White marries Love Unlimited lead singer Glodean James.
• July 19–21 – Ozark Music Festival is held in Sedalia, Missouri, with a crowd estimated between 100,000 and 350,000 people.
• July 20 – The first Knebworth Concert is held in England, headlined by The Allman Brothers Band.
• July 29
• Having performed at two sold-out concerts at the London Palladium, "Mama" Cass Elliot dies in her sleep after suffering a heart attack in a Mayfair flat in London, aged 30.
• Neil Peart officially joins Rush.
• August 7
• During a performance of Carmina Burana, conducted by André Previn, at The Proms, soloist Thomas Allen collapses because of the heat and eventually has to be carried out by members of the orchestra. Prommer Patrick McCarthy, just embarking on his professional singing career, offers his services as a replacement and completes the performance.
• Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J. Geils Band, marries actress Faye Dunaway.
• August 16 – Ramones' first appearance on NYC's venue CBGB. The venue would help establish their place at the forefront of punk rock.
• September 15 – Gary Thain of Uriah Heep is electricuted on stage at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas, and is seriously injured.
• October 5
• AC/DC performs at the Brighton Le-Sands Masonic Hall in Sydney, Australia its first official show with Bon Scott as its new lead singer.
• The North Coast Band Invitational competition, sponsored by St. Ann's CYO Band of Neponset, is held for the first time, at Nickerson Field on the Boston University campus.
• October 18 – Al Green is attacked while bathing by a girlfriend of several weeks, Mrs. Mary Woodson, a 29-year-old mother of three. She scalds his body with a pan of boiling grits and commits suicide a few moments later, reportedly because he rejected her marriage proposal.
• November 2 – George Harrison launches his "George Harrison & Friends North American Tour" in Vancouver. It is the first North American tour by a former Beatle since the band's August 1966 tour.
• November 21 – Wilson Pickett is arrested in Andes, New York, after allegedly firing a bullet through the door of a hotel room where he was staying while on a hunting trip with The Isley Brothers.
• October 26 – The 3rd OTI Festival, held at the of the in Acapulco, Mexico, is won by the song "", written by and Nydia Caro, and performed by Caro herself representing Puerto Rico.
• November 28 – John Lennon joins Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden for three songs.
• December 12 – Mick Taylor leaves The Rolling Stones after six years.
• December 31
• Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks join Fleetwood Mac.
• The third annual New Year's Rockin' Eve, moving this year from NBC to ABC, is aired with performances by Herbie Hancock, The Beach Boys, Chicago, Olivia Newton-John and The Doobie Brothers.

unknown date

• Lord Shorty's Endless Vibrations is the first soca LP and the first major soca hit worldwide.
• Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" comes to prominence when he enters it in a National Folk Festival songwriting competition in Brisbane, Australia.
• Rover Thomas claims to have been visited in a dream by a deceased friend near Warmun, Australia, and receives the Krill Krill song cycle.
• The original Alice Cooper group breaks up. The band's leader, Vincent Furnier, changes his name to Alice Cooper and goes on to a solo career.
• Journey signs to Columbia Records.
• Roland RE-201 and 101 Space Echo tape-based audio delay effects units introduced.

Bands formed

• See

Bands disbanded

• The Moody Blues (reformed in 1977)
• The Stooges (reformed in 2003)
• King Crimson (reformed in 1981)

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Release date unknown

• +'Justments – Bill Withers
• Alvorecer – Clara Nunes
• Andy Kim – Andy Kim
• Baker Gurvitz Army – Baker Gurvitz Army
• Banquet – Lucifer's Friend
• Blackdance – Klaus Schulze
• Cassidy Live! – David Cassidy
• Caught Up – Millie Jackson
• Child of the Novelty – Mahogany Rush
• Come a Little Closer – Etta James
• Contrappunti – Le Orme
• Dandruff – Ivor Cutler
• Dialogue of the Drums – Andrew Cyrille and Milford Graves
• Elis & Tom – Elis Regina & Tom Jobim
• Ella in London – Ella Fitzgerald
• Five-A-Side – Ace
• Floating World – Jade Warrior
• Hijack – Amon Düül II
• Having Fun with Elvis on Stage – Elvis Presley
• I Can't Stand the Rain – Ann Peebles
• It Is Finished - Nina Simone
• Illusions on a Double Dimple – Triumvirat
• Introducing Eddy and the Falcons – Wizzard
• Invisible – Invisible
• Isis - Isis
• I Wanna Get Funky – Albert King
• Journey – Colin Blunstone
• The Link Wray Rumble – Link Wray

• Live! – April Wine
• Live – The Dubliners
• The Main Event – Live – Frank Sinatra
• Manifiesto – Víctor Jara
• Manuel – Dalida
• Mo' Roots - Taj Mahal
• Olympia 74 – Dalida
• Orleans II – Orleans
• Petra – Petra
• Pick a Dub – Keith Hudson
• Rocking Time - Burning Spear
• Rub It In – Billy "Crash" Craddock
• Something to Say – Buster Brown
• A Tábua de Esmeralda – Jorge Ben
• Tasty – Good Rats
• Teasin – Cornell Dupree
• They Say I'm Different – Betty Davis
• The Way We Were – Andy Williams
• Touchy – Luie Luie
• Trace – Trace
• What the....You Mean I Can't Sing?! – Melvin van Peebles
• The Whole Thing Started with Rock & Roll Now It's Out of Control – Ray Manzarek
• Wally – Wally
• Way Down Yonder - Charlie Daniels
• Zarthus – Robbie Basho
• Zuckerzeit – Cluster

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1974.

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Other Chart hit singles

Notable singles

Other Notable singles

• "Ake, Make, Pera ja mä" b/w "Perjantai on mielessäin" - Hector

Published popular music

• "Annie's Song" – w.m. John Denver
• "Cat's in the Cradle" – Harry Chapin
• "Happy Days" – w.m. Pratt & McClain from the ABC-TV Series Happy Days
• "Hasta Mañana" – w.m. Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson & Björn Ulvaeus
• "I Honestly Love You" – w.m. Peter Allen & Jeff Barry
• "I Won't Send Roses" – w.m. Jerry Herman introduced by Robert Preston and reprised by Bernadette Peters in the musical Mack & Mabel
• "I've Got the Music in Me" – w.m. Bias Boshell
• "Midnight at the Oasis" – w.m. David Nichtern
• "Murder on the Orient Express" – m. Richard Rodney Bennett from the film Murder on the Orient Express
• "Freebird" – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• "No Goodbyes" – w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman from the musical Over Here!
• "Pencil Thin Mustache" – w.m. Jimmy Buffett
• "Ring Ring" – w.m. Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus, Neil Sedaka & Phil Cody
• "She" – w. Herbert Kretzmer m. Charles Aznavour
• "Southern Nights" – w.m. Allen Toussaint
• "Sundown" – w.m. Gordon Lightfoot
• "Sunshine on My Shoulders" – w.m. John Denver, Richard Kniss & Michael Taylor
• "Tap Your Troubles Away" – w.m. Jerry Herman from the musical Mack & Mabel
• "Time Heals Everything" – w.m. Jerry Herman. Introduced by Bernadette Peters in the musical Mack & Mabel
• "Waterloo" – w.m. Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson & Björn Ulvaeus
• "We May Never Love Like This Again" – w.m. Al Kasha & Joel Hirschorn. From the film The Towering Inferno
• "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott" – w.m. Don Reid
• "(You're) Having My Baby" – w.m. Paul Anka
• "Gigi L'Amoroso" – Dalida
• "Anima Mia" – Dalida
• "Ta Femme" – Dalida

Classical music

Musical films

• Huckleberry Finn
• Mame
• Phantom of the Paradise
• That's Entertainment!
• Son of Dracula

Births

• January 1 – Mehdi Ben Slimane, Tunisian footballer
• January 4 – Tricky Stewart, American record producer, musician and songwriter
• January 6 – Wolfgang Dimetrik, Austrian accordionist
• January 10 – Jemaine Clement, New Zealand bassist, guitarist, pianist and singer (Flight of the Conchords)
• January 10 – Hrithik Roshan, Indian actor
• January 11 – Giuseppe Filianoti, Italian opera singer (tenor)
• January 12 – Melanie C, English pop singer (Spice Girls)
• January 18 – Gustavo Kupinski, Argentine guitarist (d. 2011)
• January 18 – Christian Burns, English singer (BBMak)
• January 21 – Linda Thelenius, Swedish glamour model and singer (Basic Element)
• January 22 – Barbara Dex, Belgian singer
• January 23 – Chris Corner, English singer, songwriter and record producer (Sneaker Pimps)
• January 25 – Emily Haines, Canadian singer-songwriter
• January 26 – Rokia Traoré, Malian singer-songwriter
• January 29 – Mălina Olinescu, Romanian singer (d. 2011)
• February 7 – Danny Goffey, English musician and singer-songwriter (Supergrass)
• February 7
• J Dilla, American record producer, rapper, and songwriter (Slum Village) (d. 2006)
• Jeff Schroeder, American guitarist (The Smashing Pumpkins)
• February 8
• Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, French record producer, singer-songwriter, DJ and composer (Daft Punk)
• Seth Green, American actor
• February 11 – D'Angelo, American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer (d. 2025)
• February 13 – Robbie Williams, British singer-songwriter
• February 15
• Renee Sands, American R&B singer (Wild Orchid)
• Mr Lordi, Finnish rock singer (Lordi)
• Miranda July, American actress
• February 17
• Bernt Moen, Norwegian pianist
• Bryan White, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• February 22 – James Blunt, English singer, songwriter and musician
• February 24
• Chad Hugo, American multi-instrumentalist and record producer. (The Neptunes, N.E.R.D, Pharrell Williams)
• Noah Bernardo, American musician (P.O.D.)
• March 6 – Guy Garvey, British singer-songwriter and guitarist (Elbow)
• March 6 – Yanou, German trance
• March 9 – Deborah Lurie, American composer, arranger, and music producer
• March 10 – Keren Ann, Dutch-Israeli singer and songwriter
• March 13 – Phil Burton, Australian singer (Human Nature)
• March 18 – Stuart Zender, English bassist (Jamiroquai)
• March 28 – Mystic, American singer and rapper
• April 7 – Antonia Bennett, American singer of adult alternative music, standards, and jazz.
• April 8 – Karima Kibble, American gospel singer (Virtue)
• April 11
• David Jassy, Swedish musician, songwriter and music producer
• Alexander Kuoppala, Finnish guitarist
• April 12 – Belinda Emmett, Australian singer, musician and actress (d. 2006)
• April 14 – Da Brat, American rapper and actress
• April 15 – Kim Min-kyo, South Korean actor and director
• April 17
• Victoria Beckham, English businesswoman, fashion designer, model and singer (Spice Girls)
• Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish musician (Opeth)
• April 18
• Millie Corretjer, Puerto Rican singer and actress
• Mark Tremonti, American guitarist and singer (Creed)
• April 20
• Julie Fernandez, English actress and model
• Duncan Trussell, American actor and comedian
• April 21 – Faust, Norwegian drummer
• April 22 – Shavo Odadjian, Armenian-American bassist (System of a Down)
• April 23 – Carlos Dengler (Interpol)
• April 26
• Nerina Pallot, British singer, songwriter and producer
• Greg Laswell, American musician, recording engineer, and producer (Ingrid Michaelson)
• April 29 – Anggun, Indonesian singer
• April 30 – Andrey Gubin, Russian singer
• May 1 – Kellie Crawford, Australian singer, dancer, actress and children's performer
• May 2 – Matt Berry, an English actor, comedian, musician, and writer
• May 6 – Patrick Tang, Hong Kong actor and singer
• May 9 – The Caretaker, English ambient musician
• May 10
• Quentin Elias, French-Algerian singer and actor (Alliage) (d. 2014)
• Shin Jung-hwan, South Korean singer and entertainer (Roo'ra)
• May 16 – Laura Pausini, Italian singer
• May 17 – Andrea Corr, Irish singer (The Corrs)
• May 18 – Chantal Kreviazuk, Canadian singer-songwriter
• May 20 – Mikael Stanne, Swedish musician (Dark Tranquillity)
• May 21
• Adriano Cintra, Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and producer (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
• Havoc, American Rapper and record producer (Mobb Deep)
• May 23 – Jewel, American singer-songwriter, poet and musician
• May 23 – Mónica Naranjo, Spanish singer
• May 23 – Richard Jones, Stereophonics
• May 30 – Big L, freestyle rapper
• June 1
• Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer-songwriter
• Wade Morissette, Canadian musician (sister of Alanis Morissette)
• June 3
• Kelly Jones, Welsh singer-songwriter (Stereophonics)
• Seo Jang-hoon, South Korean basketball player
• June 4 – Lange, English DJ and record producer
• June 7
• Cassius Khan, Canadian singer and tabla player
• Max Tundra, English multi-instrumentalist, musician, singer, and music producer
• June 9 – Samoth, Norwegian musician
• June 13 – Selma Björnsdóttir, Icelandic singer
• June 20 – Andrew Tierney, Australian singer (Human Nature)
• June 24
• Magnus Carlsson, Swedish singer
• Vinnie Fiorello, American drummer and songwriter (Less Than Jake)
• June 25
• Karisma Kapoor, Indian actress
• Mario Calire, American drummer (The Wallflowers)
• June 27 – Wim Soutaer, Belgian singer and songwriter
• June 28 – Rob Dyrdek, American actor and television host
• June 30 – Kelli Ali, English singer (Sneaker Pimps)
• July 1 – Jonathan Roumie, American actor
• July 2 – Rocky Gray, American drummer, guitarist and songwriter (Evanescence, We Are the Fallen, Living Sacrifice and Soul Embraced)
• July 3 – Corey Reynolds, American musical theatre, television, and film actor
• July 7 – E.D.I. Mean, American rapper and producer (Outlawz)
• July 9 – Nikola Å arčević, Swedish singer and bassist (Millencolin)
• July 9 – Ross Antony, German R&B hip hop (Bro'Sis)
• July 10
• Imelda May, Irish singer
• Amanda Ghost, English singer
• July 11
• Alanas ChoÅ¡nau, Lithuanian singer and songwriter
• Lil' Kim, American rapper
• July 12 – Sharon den Adel, Dutch singer
• July 13 – Deborah Cox, Canadian R&B singer
• July 16 – Jeremy Enigk, American singer/songwriter (Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fire Theft)
• July 17 – Tim Hecker, Canadian electronic musician, producer, composer and sound artist
• July 19 – Ramin Djawadi, Iranian-German composer
• July 20 – Bonny B., Cambodian blues musician
• July 21 – Terry Coldwell, singer (East 17)
• July 22
• Rell, soul singer
• Johnny Strong, American actor and musician
• July 26 – Iron & Wine, American singer and songwriter
• July 28 – Afroman, American rapper, singer and songwriter
• July 30 – Lee Jae-hoon, South Korean singer and television personality (Cool)
• July 31 – Leona Naess, British singer-songwriter (Evan Ross, Diana Ross)
• August 1 – Rampage, American rapper (Flipmode Squad)
• August 2 – Emma, Welsh singer
• August 5
• Kajol, Indian actress
• Spike Dawbarn, English boy band (911)
• August 8
• Preta Gil, Brazilian singer
• Brian Harvey, British singer (East 17)
• August 13 – Niklas Sundin, Swedish guitarist (Dark Tranquillity)
• August 14 – Ana Matronic, American singer (Scissor Sisters)
• August 16 – Charli Baltimore, American rapper and television personality
• August 17 – Salem Abraha, singer-songwriter
• August 20 – Amy Adams, American actress
• August 23
• Shifty Shellshock, American musician (Crazy Town) (d. 2024)
• Pacewon, American rapper and producer (Outsidaz)
• August 24 – Achim Petry, German singer and musician (Trademark)
• August 29 – Mario Winans, American R&B singer, songwriter and record producer
• August 30
• Aaron Barrett, lead singer and guitarist (Reel Big Fish)
• Rich Cronin, American singer, songwriter, and rapper (LFO) (d. 2010)
• September 4 – Carmit Bachar, American singer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl (Pussycat Dolls)
• September 6 – Nina Persson, Swedish singer-songwriter (The Cardigans)
• September 9 – Marcos Curiel, American musician, record producer and songwriter (P.O.D.)
• September 16 – Loona, Dutch pop singer and dancer
• September 17
• DJ Babu, American DJ and record producer
• Bianca Shomburg, German singer
• September 18 – Xzibit, American rapper and actor
• September 19 – Jimmy Fallon, American comedian & musician
• September 21 – Crystal Aikin, American gospel singer-songwriter
• September 23 – Layzie Bone, American rapper (Bone Thugs-n-Harmony)
• September 24
• Niels Brinck, Danish singer and songwriter
• Kati Wolf, Hungarian singer
• September 25
• Slim, American R&B singer (112)
• Daniel Kessler, English-American guitarist (Interpol)
• September 26 – Joo Jin-mo, South Korean actor
• September 29 – Liam Howe, English record producer, musician and songwriter (Sneaker Pimps)
• September 30 – Sheek Louch, American rapper and songwriter
• September – Flashrider, Polish DJ and music producer
• October 1 – Keith Duffy, Irish pop singer and actor
• October 4 – Ramazan Kubat, Turkish folk singer and composer
• October 5 – Heather Headley, Trinidadian-American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress
• October 7
• Charlotte Nilsson, Swedish singer
• Allison Munn, American actress
• October 14
• Natalie Maines, American singer-songwriter
• Shaggy 2 Dope, American rapper and producer
• Lam Trường, Vietnamese singer
• October 18 – Peter Svensson, Swedish guitarist (The Cardigans)
• October 19 – Peter Evrard, Belgian singer
• October 28 – Dayanara Torres, Puerto Rican actress, singer, dancer, model and beauty queen
• October 31 – Natasja Saad, Danish rapper and reggae singer (d. 2007)
• November 1 – Kim Kärnfalk, Swedish singer (Friends)
• November 2
• Nelly, American rapper
• Prodigy, American rapper and record producer (Mobb Deep) (d. 2017)
• November 3 – Franko Božac, Croatian accordionist
• November 4 – Louise Nurding, English singer, television personality and member of Eternal
• November 5 – Ryan Adams, American musician
• November 9 – Alessandro Del Piero, Italian footballer
• November 11 – Leonardo DiCaprio, American actor
• November 14 – Chad Kroeger, Canadian singer-songwriter and musician
• November 19 – G. Dep, American rapper
• November 26 - Katrina Lenk, American actress, singer, dancer, musician, and songwriter.
• November 28 – apl.de.ap, Filipino-American musician (Black Eyed Peas)
• November 28 – Daz Sampson, English singer-songwriter, record producer and football manager (Bus Stop)
• November 28 – Styles P, American rapper
• December 3
• Trina, American rapper and musician
• Trina Braxton, American singer and television personality (The Braxtons)
• December 7
• Nicole Appleton, Canadian television presenter, singer-songwriter and actress (All Saints)
• Kang Full, South Korean webtoon artist and screenwriter
• December 8 – Cristian Castro, Mexican singer
• December 8 – Nick Zinner, American guitarist (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
• December 9
• Canibus, American rapper and actor
• Emjay, Canadian singer-songwriter
• December 10 – Meg White, American drummer and singer (The White Stripes)
• December 10 – Nina Gerhard, German singer (Captain Hollywood Project)
• December 11 – Ben Shephard, English television presenter and journalist
• December 12 – Michelle Saram, Singaporean actress, singer and businesswoman
• December 13 – Sara Cox, English broadcaster and author
• December 13 – Nick McCarthy, English-German guitarist and singer (Franz Ferdinand, Box Codax, FFS, Embryo, Scatter)
• December 14 – Nate Smith, American drummer, songwriter and producer
• December 15 – Acey Slade, American Musician
• December 18
• Rah Digga, American rapper and actress
• Cuban Link, Cuban-American rapper (Terror Squad)
• December 24
• Julian Rachlin, Lithuanian-Austrian violinist
• Ryan Seacrest, American musical/entertainment television host, radio personality and producer
• December 28 – Jocelyn Enriquez, American singer and songwriter

Deaths

• January 2 – Tex Ritter, American country music singer, 68
• January 23 – Lena Machado, Hawaiian singer, 70
• January 30 – Olav Roots, Estonian pianist and composer, 63
• February 2 – Jean Absil, organist and composer, 80
• February 15 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer, 86
• February 28 – Bobby Bloom, singer-songwriter, 28
• March 7 – Alberto Rabagliati, Italian singer and actor, 67
• March 28
• Dorothy Fields, lyricist, 68
• Dino Ciani, pianist, 32 (road accident)
• Arthur Crudup, singer, 68
• April 5 – Jennifer Vyvyan, operatic soprano, 49 (bronchial condition)
• April 7 – Pete Wendling, pianist and composer, 85
• April 15 – Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter, 68
• April 17 – Blossom Seeley, US singer and vaudeville entertainer, 87
• April 25 – Pamela Courson, Jim Morrison's widow, 27 (heroin overdose)
• May 8 – Graham Bond, R&B musician, 36 (hit by train)
• May 15 – Paul Gonsalves, jazz saxophonist, 53
• May 24 – Duke Ellington, jazz musician, and composer, 75
• June 8 – Rodolfo Lipizer, violinist and conductor, 79
• June 22 – Darius Milhaud, composer, 81
• June 27 – Cliff Friend, US composer
• July 18 – Gabrielle Ritter-Ciampi, operatic soprano, 77
• July 27 – Lightnin' Slim, blues musician, 61
• July 29 – "Mama" Cass Elliott, singer (The Mamas & the Papas), 32 (heart attack)
• August 6 – Gene Ammons, tenor saxophonist, 49 (cancer)
• August 9 – Bill Chase, jazz rock trumpeter, 39
• August 11 – Maria Maksakova, Sr., opera singer, 72
• September 3 – Harry Partch, composer, 73
• September 22 – Marta Fuchs, operatic soprano, 76
• September 23 – Robbie McIntosh, drummer (Average White Band), 24
• October 5 – Ebe Stignani, operatic soprano, about 70
• October 13 – Josef Krips, violinist, 72
• October 24 – David Oistrakh, violinist, 66
• November 5 – Marguerite Namara, operatic soprano, 85
• November 8 – Ivory Joe Hunter, R&B singer, songwriter and pianist
• November 9 – Egon Wellesz, Austrian composer, musicologist and teacher (emigrated to England), 89
• November 11 – Alfonso Leng, composer, 80
• November 19 – George Brunies, jazz musician, 72
• November 21 – Frank Martin, composer, 84
• November 25 – Nick Drake, singer/songwriter, 26 (overdose)

Awards

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1974

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1974

References