1944 in music

See also: 1943 in music, other events of 1944, 1945 in music and the list of 'years in music'.

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.
• July 28 – Sir Henry Wood, aged 75, conducts his last Promenade Concert.
• August 19 – Italian singers Lucia Mannucci and Virgilio Savona get married.
• 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 – Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra is premiered in Boston, Massachusetts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky
• Flo Sandon's's musical career begins

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 & the Andrews 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
• "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

• George Antheil – Symphony No 4
• Leonard Bernstein – Fancy Free (ballet)
• Aaron Copland – Appalachian Spring (ballet)
• David Diamond – Rounds
• John Fernström – Symphony No. 10
• Gerald Finzi – Farewell to Arms
• Armstrong Gibbs – Westmoreland Symphony
• Camargo Guarnieri – String Quartet No. 2
• Vagn Holmboe – Symphony No. 4
• Joseph Jongen – Concerto for Harp No. 1
• Zoltán Kodály – Missa Brevis
• Dmitri Shostakovich – Trio for violin, cello and piano No. 2 E minor, Op. 67
• Dmitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No.2 in A major, Op. 68
• 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 (Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – 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 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 – Bobby Womack
• March 6 – Mary Wilson, The Supremes
• 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 17 – John Lill, pianist
• March 22 – Jeremy Clyde, Chad & Jeremy
• March 26 – Diana Ross
• March 29 – 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 – 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 2 – Jim Capaldi, Traffic (d. 2005)
• August 18 – Carl Wayne, The Move
• August 19 – Eddy Raven
• August 21 – Jackie DeShannon
• August 24 – James Brady, The Sandpipers
• August 27 – Tim Bogert, Vanilla Fudge, Cactus
• August 27 – Cuba Gooding, Sr., 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 5 – Harry Kershaw Ex-Checkers
• 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 21 – Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
• November 25 – Bob Lind
• 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 Öyster 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 1 – Martin Lunssens, composer
• February 4 – Yvette Guilbert, singer, actress
• February 7 – Lina Cavalieri, glamorous opera singer
• April 13 – Cecile Chaminade, pianist
• April 19 – Jimmie Noone
• May 9 – Dame Ethel Smyth, composer
• May 20 – Vincent Rose, Italian-born US bandleader and composer
• June 25 – Lucha Reyes (Mexican singer)
• November 14 – Carl Flesch, violinist
• December 2 – Josef Lhévinne, pianist
• December 15 – Glenn Miller
• December 20 – Johnny Marvin, US singer & songwriter