1944 in music

Events

• 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.
• 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[?]

Top Hit Records

• "A Hot Time In the Town of Berlin" by Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters
• "Shoo-Shoo Baby" by The Andrews Sisters
• "I'll Get By" by Harry James
• "Mairzy Doats" by Merry Macs[?]
• "Don't Fence Me In" by Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters
• "Swinging On a Star" by Bing Crosby
• "I Love You" by Bing Crosby
• "Besame Mucho" by Jimmy Dorsey
• "You Always Hurt the One You Love" by The Mills Brothers[?]
• "San Fernando Valley" by Bing Crosby

Births

• January 9 - Scott Engel[?], Walker Brothers[?]
• January 9 - Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, The Firm[?]
• January 16 - Jim Stafford[?]
• January 17 - Chris Montez[?]
• January 19 - Shelley Fabares[?]
• January 28 - Brian Keenan[?], Chambers Brothers[?]
• 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 - Mary Wilson[?], The Supremes
• March 4 - Bobby Womack[?]
• 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 22 - Jeremy Clyde[?], Chad & Jeremy[?]
• March 23 - Ric Ocasek[?], The Cars
• March 26 - Diana Ross
• 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 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[?]
• 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 18 - Carl Wayne[?], The Move[?]
• August 21 - Jackie DeShannon[?]
• August 24 - Jim Capaldi[?], Traffic
• August 24 - James Brady, The Sandpipers[?]
• August 27 - Tim Bogert[?], Vanilla Fudge, Cactus[?]
• August 27 - Cuba Gooding[?], 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 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 25 - Bob Lind[?]
• November 27 - Eddie Rabbitt[?]
• 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 Oyster Cult
• December 4 - Dennis Wilson[?], The Beach Boys
• December 6 - Jonathan King[?]
• 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

• December ? - Glenn Miller
• April 19 - Jimmie Noone