1971 in music

1 Events
2 Albums released
3 Top hits
4 Published popular music
5 Classical music
6 Opera
7 Musical theater
8 Musical films
9 Births
10 Deaths
11 Awards

Events

February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music. The film includes footage from Dylan's 1966 UK tour.
February 16 – Alan David Pasaro, the Hell's Angel who was tried and acquitted for the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter at the Altamont Speedway in 1969, files a lawsuit against The Rolling Stones for invasion of privacy because the documentary film Gimme Shelter showed the stabbing.
March 13 – The Allman Brothers Band records its live album, Live at the Fillmore East.
March 16 – The 13th Grammy Awards, honoring musical accomplishments of 1970 are presented.
December 7 – The Montreux Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, catches fire and burns during a performance by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention when a fan fires a flare gun into its rafters. The band Deep Purple, who were due to begin recording at the casino the next day, watched the scene from their hotel across Lake Geneva, and later immortalized the events in their song, "Smoke on the Water".
Lancelot Layne's "Blown Away" is the beginning of rapso music.
The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour premeires on television
Elton John's musical career begins
ABBA's musical career begins
The New York Dolls' musical career begins
Donna Summer's musical career begins
Stevie Ray Vaughan's musical career begins
Roxy Music's musical career begins
Jesus Christ Superstar is performed for the first time
Michael Jackson's solo career begins
Rick Springfield leaves Zoot for a solo career
The Crystals reunite
Beach Boys musician Daryl Dragon and singer Toni Tennille meet and begin to perform together as Captain & Tennille

Albums released

Trafalgar – The Bee Gees
Hunky Dory – David Bowie
Budgie – Budgie
Chicago III – Chicago
At Fillmore East – The Allman Brothers Band
Une Vie – Dalida
Fireball – Deep Purple
H.M.S. Donovan – Donovan
L.A. Woman – The Doors
Tarkus – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Quite Fire – Roberta Flack
Maggot Brain – Funkadelic
What's Going On – Marvin Gaye
All Things Must Pass – George Harrison
Shaft – Isaac Hayes
Aqualung – Jethro Tull
The Inner Mounting Flame – Mahavishnu Orchestra
11–17–70 – Elton John
Madman Across the Water – Elton John
Tumbleweed Connection – Elton John
A Nod is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse – The Faces
Pearl – Janis Joplin
Live in Cook County Jail – B.B. King
Tapestry – Carole King
untitled fourth album – Led Zeppelin
Put Your Hand in the Hand – Ocean
Ram – Paul McCartney
Wild Life – Paul McCartney & Wings
American Pie – Don McLean
Blue – Joni Mitchell
If Not for You – Olivia Newton-John
Nilsson Schmilsson – Harry Nilsson
Meddle – Pink Floyd
John Prine – John Prine
There's a Riot Goin' On – Sly & the Family Stone
Sticky Fingers – The Rolling Stones
Santana III – Santana
Anticipation – Carly Simon
Carly Simon – Carly Simon
Tapestry – Carly Simon
Tea for the Tillerman – Cat Stevens
Every Picture Tells a Story – Rod Stewart
Electric Warrior – T. Rex
Golden Biscuits – Three Dog Night
Harmony – Three Dog Night
Who's Next – The Who
The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys – Traffic
Tupelo Honey – Van Morrison
Jesus Christ Superstar – Various Artists
Up to Date – The Partridge Family
BonnieRaitt – Bonnie Raitt
Master of Reality – Black Sabbath
Love Story – Andy Williams

Top hits

"Baby Jump" – Mungo Jerry
"Double Barrel" – Dave & Ansil Collins
"Hot Love" – T. Rex
"Imagine" – John Lennon
"It's Too Late" – Carole King
"Never Can Say Goodbye" – The Jackson Five
"Proud Mary" – Ike & Tina Turner
"What's Going On" – Marvin Gaye
"Peace Train" – Cat Stevens
"Maggie May" – Rod Stewart
"Grandad" – Clive Dunn
"Knock Three Times" – Tony Orlando and Dawn
"Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" – Middle of the Road
"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" – Paul & Linda McCartney
"Get It On" – T. Rex
"Joy to the World" – Three Dog Night
"I'm Still Waiting" – Diana Ross
"Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" – The Tams
"One Bad Apple" – The Osmonds
"Got to Be There" – Michael Jackson
"Another Day" – Paul & Linda McCartney
"Family Affair" – Sly & the Family Stone
"Go Away Little Girl" – Donny Osmond
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" – The Bee Gees
"One Less Bell to Answer" – Fifth Dimension
"Coz I Love You" – Slade
"Black Magic Woman" – Santana
"Brown Sugar" – The Rolling Stones
"One Bad Apple" – The Osmonds
"Indian Reservation" – The Raiders
"Draggin' the Line" – Tommy James
"My Sweet Lord" – George Harrison
"Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves" – Cher
"Treat Her Like a Lady" – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
"Ernie" – Benny Hill
"Avec le Temps" – Dalida
"Mamy Blue" – Dalida
"It Don't Come Easy" – Ringo Starr
- First hit by Ringo Starr, the last member of the Beatles to have a solo hit
"Black Dog" – Led Zeppelin
"Stairway to Heaven" – Led Zeppelin
"I Woke Up in Love This Morning" – The Partridge Family
"If You Really Love Me" – Stevie Wonder
"Temptation Eyes" – The Grass Roots
"Sooner or Later" – The Grass Roots
"She's a Lady" – Tom Jones
"Where Do I Begin" (Love Story) – Andy Williams

Published popular music

"The Age of Not Believing" w.m. Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, from the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks
"American Pie" w.m. Don McLean
"And I Love You So" w.m. Don McLean
"Baby I'm A-Want You" w.m. David Gates
"Been On A Train" w.m. Laura Nyro
"Ben" w. Don Black m. Walter Scharf
"Brown Earth" w.m. Laura Nyro
"The Candy Man" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley, from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
"Day By Day" w. John Michael Tebelak m. Stephen Schwartz
"Eagle Rock" w.m. Ross Wilson
"I Am Woman" w. Helen Reddy m. Ray Burton
"I Don't Know How To Love Him" w. Tim Rice m. Andrew Lloyd Webber
"I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" w.m. B. Backer, B. Davis, R. Cook & R. Greenaway
"I'm Still Here" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"Kiss An Angel Good Morning" w.m. Ben Peters
"Knock Three Times" w.m. Irwin Levine
"Losing My Mind" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"Pure Imagination" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley, from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
"Riders On The Storm" w.m. The Doors
"Stairway to Heaven" w. Robert Plant m. Jimmy Page
"Substitutiary Locomotion" w.m. Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, from the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks
"The Summer Knows" w. Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman m. Michel Legrand from the film Summer Of Forty-Two
"Those Were the Days" w. Lee Adams, m. Charles Strouse, from the TV series All in the Family
"Too Many Mornings" w.m. Stephen Sondheim

Classical music

Gavin Bryars – Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet
Elliott Carter – String Quartet No. 3
George Crumb – Lux Aeterna for Five Masked Musicians
Mario Davidovsky – Chacona for violin, cello, and piano
Morton Feldman – Rothko Chapel
Jorgen Jersild – Three Danish Romances
Mauricio Kagel – Staatstheater
Ladislav Kupkovic – Klanginvasion auf Bonn
Jean Langlais – Concerto for Organ no 3 "Reaction"
Luigi Nono – Ein Gespenst geht um in der Welt
Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 15 A major, Op. 141
Karlheinz Stockhausen – Mixtur
Iannis Xenakis – Charisma

Opera

Alberto Ginastera – Beatrix Cenci

Musical theater

Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death Broadway production
Follies (Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway production
Godspell (Stephen Schwartz) – Broadway and London productions
Golden Bat Broadway production
Jesus Christ Superstar (Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice) – Broadway production
Meeow! Broadway production
No, No, Nanette (Irving Caesar, Otto Harbach, Vincent Youmans) – Broadway revival
On The Town Broadway revival
Show Boat (Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II) – London revival
To Live Another Summer Broadway production
Two Gentlemen Of Verona Broadway production