1974 in music explained

List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1974.__TOC__

Specific locations

• 1974 in British music
• 1974 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

• 1974 in country music
• 1974 in heavy metal music
• 1974 in jazz

Events

January–April

• January 1 – English jazz musician John Dankworth is named CBE in the United Kingdom's New Year's Honours List. Other musicians honoured include Charles Mackerras (CBE) and organist Gordon Archbold Slater (OBE)^[1]
• January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band begin their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It is Dylan's first tour since 1966.
• January 17
  • Joni Mitchell releases her album Court and Spark, supported by the single "Help Me".
  • Dino Martin, singer and son of Dean Martin, is arrested on suspicion of possession and sale of two machine guns.
• February 12 – New York's rock club The Bottom Line opens in Greenwich Village. The first headlining act is Dr. John.
• February 16 – Two years of litigation between Grand Funk and former manager Terry Knight are finally resolved. The band gets the rights to its name but Knight wins a cash settlement.
• February 19 – The first American Music Awards are broadcast on ABC, two weeks before the Grammys. Helen Reddy and Jim Croce are among the winners.
• February 20 – Cher files for divorce from her husband of 10 years, Sonny Bono.^[2]
• February 22 – The English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Raymond Leppard performs the world premiere of Three Regions from Terrain by Douglas Young.^[3]
• February 27 – The Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, conducted by Jörg Faerber, makes its English debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.^[4]
• March 2 – The 16th Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by Andy Williams. Stevie Wonder's Innervisions wins Album of the Year, while Roberta Flack's version of "Killing Me Softly With His Song" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Bette Midler wins Best New Artist.
• March 3
  • Elvis Presley played two shows at the Houston Astrodome, breaking attendance records with 44,000 at the evening show.
• March 4
  • Ivan Stepanov and His Balalaikas make their London debut at the Wigmore Hall.^[5]
  • Baritone Hermann Prey cuts short a vocal recital in the Royal Festival Hall, London, due to vocal fatigue.^[6]
• March 10 – Hans Vonk makes his London debut in the Royal Festival Hall, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a programme of Berlioz and Schubert, as well as the Violin Concerto by Roberto Gerhard, with Erich Gruenberg as soloist.^[7]
• March 12 – John Lennon is involved in an altercation with a photographer outside The Troubadour in Los Angeles. Lennon and friend Harry Nilsson have been heckling comedian Tommy Smothers and are forced to leave the club.^[8]
• March 16 – Country music's Grand Ole Opry moves to a new location at the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee
• March 31 – Record producer Phil Spector is badly injured in a car accident in Hollywood, details of which are largely suppressed at the time.
• April 5 – Van Halen play their first show on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood at Gazzarri's.
• April 6
  • 200,000 music fans attend The California Jam rock festival. Artists performing at the event include Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Black Oak Arkansas and the Eagles.
  • Swedish group ABBA wins the 19th Eurovision Song Contest in The Dome, Brighton, England, with the song "Waterloo", kickstarting their international career. The 1967 Eurovision winner, Sandie Shaw, attends.
• April 14 – , a concert film made during the Rolling Stones' 1972 North American Tour, premieres at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York.
• April 16 – Queen play their first North American concert, opening for Mott the Hoople in Denver, Colorado.
• April 20 - "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB reaches number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States for the first of two weeks. It is considered the first Disco song to reach number one. As it was commissioned, composed, and recorded specifically to be used as the theme for the syndicated television program Soul Train where it debuted in October 1973, it is also the first television theme song of the rock era to reach that position.
• April 24–25 – Music aired on the radio in Portugal acts as a secret signal to trigger the Carnation Revolution there: at 10:55 p.m. on April 24, Paulo de Carvalho's "E Depois do Adeus" (Portugal's entry in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest) on Emissores Associados de Lisboa alerts rebel captains and soldiers that the coup is beginning; at 12:20 a.m. on April 25, Rádio Renascença broadcasts "Grândola, Vila Morena", a song by José Afonso, an influential political folk singer-songwriter, signalling the Armed Forces Movement (MFA) to begin the takeover of strategic points of power in the country from 3.00 a.m.
• April 25
  • Sotheby's Galleries in London sell a violin made in 1733 by Cremonese master Giuseppe Guarneri, formerly belonging to violinist Elaine Weldon, for the equivalent of $140,000, the second-highest price ever paid for a violin.^[9]
  • Pam Morrison, Jim Morrison's widow, is found dead in her Hollywood apartment from an apparent heroin overdose.^[10]

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 11 – The New York Police bagpipe band performs shortly after midnight at the Portsmouth, RI Ramada Inn, in connection with a National Police Week event, prompting a drunken spree lasting until dawn by at least a dozen off-duty members of the Boston Police Department. The officers ran naked through the motel, "smashing chairs and tables, soiling rugs, discharging fire extinguishers, exploding firecrackers, setting off a burglar alarm, disconnecting a security camera, slashing automobile tires and throwing pictures into the motel courtyard",^[11] causing an estimated $1027.75 in damage, including liquor stolen from a locked cabinet and unpaid breakfast bills.^[12]
• 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.^[13]
• 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 arguably becomes the first punk rock single when 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 32.
  • Neil Peart officially joins Rush.
• August 6 – Hugh MacCallum, of Stirling, wins the silver chanter for the third time, playing "Mrs MacLeod of Callisker's Salute" at the invitational bagpipe competition held at Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye. Second place was given to the previous year's winner, Donald Morrison from South Uist, who performed "Rory MacLeod's Lament".^[14]
  • • 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.^[15]
  • Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J. Geils Band, marries actress Faye Dunaway.
• August 16 – Ramones' first appearance on NYC's venue CBGB.^[16] The venue would help establish their place at the forefront of punk rock.
• September 15 – Gary Thain of Uriah Heep is shocked on stage at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas, and is seriously injured.
• October 3 – Idi Amin, the President of Uganda, instructs his country's acting high commissioner in London to recruit two six-foot-tall Scots bagpipers with military backgrounds to serve as his bodyguards.^[17]
• October 5
  • AC/DC performs 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.^[18]
• 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.^[19]
• 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.
• 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

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2			Compilation
	Wild Tales		-
3	The Phosphorescent Rat		-
4	Manhole		-
6	Energized		-
10			Live
11	Hotcakes		-
	Lookin' for a Love Again		-
17	Planet Waves		-
	Court and Spark		-
30	The Way We Were		-
rowspan="6" valign="top"	-	Blue Magic		-
Different Drum		Compilation
Grievous Angel		-
Musik von Harmonia		-
Rhapsody in White		-
Sundown		-

February

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	It's Too Late to Stop Now		Live
	What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits		-
8	Here Come the Warm Jets		^[20]
	Jolene		-
	The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage		-
13	That's a Plenty		-
14	Valentine		-
15	Burn		-
	Old New Borrowed and Blue		-
18	Kiss		-Debut
20	Phaedra		-
	Pretzel Logic		-
25	Let Me in Your Life		-
26	Lady of the Night		Netherlands-only release
rowspan="17" valign="top"	-	Badfinger		-
Call of the Wild		-
If We Make It Through December		-
Living and Dying in 3/4 Time		-
Love Song		-
A New Life		-
Pure Music		-
Radio City		-
Rock 'n' Roll Animal		Live
Saints & Sinners		-
		Compilation
Slaughter on 10th Avenue		-
Thunderbox		-
Todd		-
Twin Peaks		Live
Unborn Child		-

March

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Mirage		-
	Shinin' On		-
	Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow		-
4	Waterloo		-
6	Hard Labor		-
8	Queen II		-
	Kansas		Debut
11	Chicago VII		-
15	Get Your Wings		-
	Pure Smokey		-
18	Rush		Debut/Canada
20	Good Times		-
21	Buddha and the Chocolate Box		-
22	On the Border		-
	Apostrophe		-
24	Mysterious Traveller		-
25	Open Our Eyes		-
28	The Golden Scarab		-
29	The Hoople		-
	Starless and Bible Black		-
rowspan="10" valign="top"	-	Somethin's Happening		-
Alive & Kicking		-
Buffy		-
Hang In There Girl		-
Hollies		-
Mighty Love		-
Now We Are Six		-
Queen of the Night		-
Seven		-
Slow Dancer		-

April

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Meet The Residents		-
3	Live European Tour		Live
5	Ragged Old Flag		-
	Secret Treaties		-
8	Desitively Bonnaroo		-
12	Do It Good		-
	Seven		-
13			^[21]
15	Second Helping		-
19	Big Fun		-
	Caravan and the New Symphonia		Live
	Son of Dracula		Soundtrack
20	Bridge of Sighs		-
24	On Stage		Live
26	Sweet Fanny Adams		-
	Rampant		-
30	Houston (I'm Comin' to See You)		-
	I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight		-
	Okie		-
rowspan="14" valign="top"	-	Carolina County Ball		UK
Positive Vibrations		-
Exotic Birds and Fruit		-
Fall into Spring		-
Gracias a la Vida		Spanish language
Home, Home on the Road		Live
Live 'n' Kickin'		Live
Meeting of the Minds		-
Midnight Mushrumps		-
Road Food		-
Skin Tight		-
Tilt - Immagini Per Un Orecchio		-
Unconditionally Guaranteed		-
Zephyr National		-

May

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Kimono My House		-
3	Journey to the Centre of the Earth		^[22]
	Quo		-
5	The Kids & Me		-
8	Preservation Act 2		-
	Sweet Exorcist		-
10	Too Much Too Soon		-
15	Live at Caesars Palace		Live
	Monkey Grip		-
17	In for the Kill		-
	Phenomenon		-
24	Diamond Dogs		-
	Bad Company		Debut
27	Unrest		-
28	If You Love Me, Let Me Know		-
	Sheet Music		-
30	The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach		Live
-	Hamburger Concerto		-
	Mr. Natural		^[23]
	Back to Oakland		-
	Body Heat		-
	Boogity Boogity		-
	The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories		-
	Dark Lady		-
	Hot Sox		-
	Lotus		Live
	More Than Before		Live and studio
	Rags to Rufus		-
	Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics		-
	School Punks		-
	Shock Treatment		-
	Slapp Happy		-
	Spooky Lady's Sideshow		-
	Super Taylor		-
	Tough Guys		Soundtrack
	Winter in America		-

June

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	The Psychomodo		-
6	Tales of the Great Rum Runners		-
7	In My Life		-
8	Paradise and Lunch		-
14	Everyone Is Everybody Else		-
15	Back Home Again		-
19	Marvin Gaye Live!		Live
20	Before the Flood		Live
24	Endless Summer		Compilation
	Long Live Love		Second Year Album
26	Holiday		-
27	From the Mars Hotel		-
	Aqua		-
28	Caribou		-
	Hell		-
	June 1, 1974		-
rowspan="14" valign="top"	-	Walking Man		-
Wonderworld		-
And Other Bits of Material		-
Axe Victim		-
Compliments		-
I Wanna Be Selfish		-
Land's End		-
Only Want You For Your Body		-
Remember Me This Way		Live
Stars & Stripes Forever		Live
Stop All That Jazz		-
Street Party		-
Music Maker		-
Toby		-

July

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
3	Up for the Down Stroke		-
5	Another Time, Another Place		-
19	On the Beach		-
22	Fulfillingness' First Finale		-
	Machine Gun		-
26	Rock Bottom		-
rowspan="17" valign="top"	-	Irish Tour '74		Live^[24]
Turn of the Cards		^[25]
461 Ocean Boulevard		-
Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis		Live
Avalanche		-
I'm Leaving It All Up to You		-
Close Up the Honky Tonks		Compilation
Greatest Hits		Compilation
Learn to Love It		-
Lydia		-
Miami		-
Mirror Image		-
Phoebe Snow		-
Rejuvenation		-
Small Talk		-
Some Nice Things I've Missed		-
Truck Turner		Soundtrack

August

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
6	Can't Get Enough		-
9	Feats Don't Fail Me Now		-
	Perfect Angel		-
13	Live at the Opera House		Live
19	Pussy Cats		-
	So Far		Compilation
20	Do It Baby		-
	Live It Up		-
22	Paper Lace		US
30	Hergest Ridge		^[26]
	New Skin for the Old Ceremony		^[27]
rowspan="13" valign="top"	-	Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends... Ladies and Gentlemen		Live
Greatest Hits		Compilation
AWB		-
Country		Compilation
Light of Love		US only; compilation plus new material
Verities & Balderdash		-
Merle Haggard Presents His 30th Album		-
Not Fragile		-
Slow Flux		-
We Had It All		-

September

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	No Other		-
5	Dancing Machine		-
6	Hall of the Mountain Grill		-
	Rocka Rolla		Debut
	Rollin'		-
	Thrust		-
9	Tarzana Kid		-
10	Good Old Boys		-
	Roxy & Elsewhere		Live
13	Heroes Are Hard to Find		-
	I've Got My Own Album to Do		Solo Debut
	Late for the Sky		-
	Look at the Fool		-
	Nightbirds		-
16	Starting Over		-
	Love Is Like a Butterfly		-
20	Beaded Dreams Through Turquoise Eyes		-
25	Nightmares...and Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle		-
27	Serenade		-
rowspan="21" valign="top"	-	Eldorado		-
The Power and the Glory		-
Sally Can't Dance		-
		Live
Dragon Fly		-
Tina Turns the Country On!		-
Slipstream		-
Felix Cavaliere		-
Good Things Happening		-
Hard Core Poetry		-
I Can Stand a Little Rain		-
Ladies Love Outlaws		-
Light of Worlds		-
Peace on You		-
The Ramblin' Man		-
Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley		Solo Debut
Streetlights		-
Tooth Fang & Claw		-
When the Eagle Flies		-
Wrap Around Joy		-

October

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Red		^[28]
	Fear		-
	Barry Manilow II		-
	ButterFly		-
2	Al Green Explores Your Mind		-
4	From the Album of the Same Name		-
	The Impossible Dream		-
	Odds & Sods		Outtakes and rarities compilation
	Smiler		-
	Todd Rundgren's Utopia		-
	Walls and Bridges		-
5	Veedon Fleece		-
7	Living in the 70's		-
11	Lost in a Dream		-
	Paper Money		-
	Rock and Roll Outlaws		-
	Streetlife Serenade		-
14	War Child		-
15	The Heart of Saturday Night		-
18	It's Only Rock 'n Roll		-
19	War Babies		-
22	Hotter Than Hell		-
25	Crime of the Century		-
	Natty Dread		-
	This Is The Moody Blues		compilation^[29]
29	David Live		Live
rowspan="14" valign="top"	-	Borboletta		-
Climax		-
Homeless Brother		-
Inspiration Information		-
It'll Shine When It Shines		-
Just a Boy		-
The Mirror		-
Mother Lode		-
Not Just Another Bunch of Pretty Faces		-
Quatro		-
		-
Slow Motion		-
Souvenirs		-
Waitress in a Donut Shop		-

November

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Autobahn		-
	Cantamos		-
	Fly to the Rainbow		-
	Silk Torpedo		-
8	Elton John's Greatest Hits		Compilation
			Live
	Man of Miracles		-
	Nightlife		-
	Saturnight		Japan; Live
	Sheer Heart Attack		-
	Stormbringer		^[30]
11	Propaganda		-
15	Country Life		-
	Desolation Boulevard		-
	Goodnight Vienna		-
	Wish You Were Here		-
18	The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast		-
19	Heart Like a Wheel		-
22	The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway		-
	Get Up with It		-
25	John Dawson Winter III		-
	Woman to Woman		-
29	Bluejeans & Moonbeams		-
	Fire on the Mountain		-
	Relayer		-
	Slade in Flame		-
rowspan="16" valign="top"	-	7-Tease		-
Brujo		-
Country Heart 'N Soul		-
Fire		-
Got to Find a Way		-
Highly Prized Possession		-
Kung-Fu Fighting and Other Great Love Songs		-
Live		Live
Miles of Aisles		Live
Myopia		-
Out of the Storm		-
Sedaka's Back		Compilation
Soon Over Babaluma		-
Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)		-
There's the Rub		-
Where We All Belong		Double LP; half studio, half live

December

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
5	Rufusized		-
6	The Magic of the Blue		-
9	Dark Horse		-
14	So What		-
30	A1A		-
rowspan="6" valign="top"	-	All the Girls in the World Beware!!!		-
Breakaway		-
House of Exile		-
New and Improved		-
Red Queen to Gryphon Three		-
Sun Secrets		-

Release date unknown

• Alvorecer – Clara Nunes
• Andy Kim – Andy Kim
• Baker Gurvitz Army – Baker Gurvitz Army
• Banquet – Lucifer's Friend
• Blackdance – Klaus Schulze
• Breakin' Bread – Fred & the New J.B.'s
• Cassidy Live! – David Cassidy
• Caught Up – Millie Jackson
• Child of the Novelty – Mahogany Rush
• The Civil Surface – Egg
• Come a Little Closer – Etta James
• Contrappunti – Le Orme
• Damn Right I Am Somebody – Fred Wesley The J.B.'s
• Dancehall Sweethearts – Horslips
• Dandruff – Ivor Cutler
• David Essex – David Essex
• Don't Be Fooled by the Name – Geordie
• Elis & Tom – Elis Regina & Tom Jobim
• Ella in London – Ella Fitzgerald
• Five-A-Side – Ace
• Floating World – Jade Warrior
• The Giants – Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Ray Brown
• Greatest Hits – David Cassidy
• Gregg Allman Tour – Gregg Allman – Live
• Hijack – Amon Düül II
  • Having Fun with Elvis on Stage – Elvis Presley Hot Wire – Trapeze
• I Can't Stand the Rain – Ann Peebles
• Illusions On A Double Dimple – Triumvirat
• Introducing Eddy and the Falcons – Wizzard
• Invisible – Invisible
• I Wanna Get Funky – Albert King
• Journey – Colin Blunstone
• The Link Wray Rumble – Link Wray
• L'isola di niente – Premiata Forneria Marconi

• Live! – April Wine
• Live – The Dubliners
• Love Me for a Reason – The Osmonds
• The Main Event – Live – Frank Sinatra
• Manifiesto – Víctor Jara
• Manuel – Dalida
• Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead – Vivian Stanshall
• Mo' Roots - Taj Mahal
• Olympia 74 – Dalida
• Orleans II – Orleans
• Oscar Peterson in Russia – Oscar Peterson
• Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie – Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie
• Oscar Peterson and the Trumpet Kings – Jousts – Oscar Peterson
• Oscar Peterson and Roy Eldridge – Oscar Peterson, Roy Eldridge
• Oscar Peterson and Harry Edison – Oscar Peterson, Harry "Sweets" Edison
• Petra – Petra
• Phases and Stages – Willie Nelson
• Refugee – Refugee
• Rocking Time - Burning Spear
  • Riding High – Chilliwack Rub It In – Billy "Crash" Craddock
• Satch and Josh – Oscar Peterson, Count Basie
• Seven Secret – Fruupp
• Solid – The Groundhogs
• Something to Say – Buster Brown
• Tasty – Good Rats
• Teasin' – Cornell Dupree
• They Say I'm Different – Betty Davis
• The Prince of Heaven's Eyes – Fruupp
• The Way We Were – Andy Williams
• Touchy – Luie Luie
• Trace – Trace
• What the....You Mean I Can't Sing?! – Melvin van Peebles
• Where Have I Known You Before – Return to Forever
  • The Whole Thing Started with Rock & Roll Now It's Out of Control – Ray Manzarek Wally - Wally
• Way Down Yonder - Charlie Daniels
• Where Have I Known You Before – Return to Forever
• Windows – Jon Lord and Eberhard Schoener – Live
• Windfall – Ricky Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band
• Zuckerzeit – Cluster

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positionsin the charts of 1974.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart entries
1			1974		UK 1 – Aug 1974, US BB 1 – Nov 1974, Canada 1 – Nov 1974, Netherlands 1 – Oct 1974, France 1 – Sep 1974, Austria 1 – Dec 1974, Germany 1 – Jan 1975, Ireland 1 – Oct 1974, Australia 1 for 3 weeks Jul 1975, Switzerland 2 – Nov 1974, South Africa 2 of 1974, Norway 3 – Oct 1974, US BB 5 of 1974, Global 7 (10 M sold) – 1974, Sweden 8 – Aug 1998, POP 9 of 1974, Italy 10 of 1975, US CashBox 11 of 1975, Scrobulate 12 of disco, Australia 22 of 1974, Germany 27 of the 1970s, RYM 84 of 1974, OzNet 842
2			1974		UK 1 – Jan 1974
3			1974		UK 1 – Apr 1974, Switzerland 1 – Apr 1974, Norway 1 – Apr 1974, Germany 1 – May 1974, Ireland 1 – Apr 1974, Netherlands 2 – Apr 1974, Austria 2 – May 1974, Canada 3 – Jun 1974, France 5 – Apr 1974, US BB 6 – Jun 1974, Scrobulate 6 of Swedish, Australia Goset 10 – Jul 1974, South Africa 14 of 1974, POP 23 of 1974, Global 33 (5 M sold) – 1974, RYM 33 of 1974, Germany 49 of the 1970s, Italy 51 of 1974, Europe 55 of the 1970s, US CashBox 84 of 1974, OzNet 413, Acclaimed 1016
4			1974		UK 1 – Aug 1990, US BB 1 – Nov 1973, Netherlands 1 – Oct 1973, Ireland 1 – Sep 1990, Canada 2 – Dec 1973, Norway 2 – Nov 1990, Switzerland 5 – Oct 1990, Austria 6 – Oct 1990, Germany 7 – Jan 1991, Australia Goset 7 – Feb 1974, France 8 – Dec 1973, US CashBox 10 of 1974, Poland 11 – Sep 1990, DDD 13 of 1973, US BB 21 of 1974, POP 33 of 1974, RYM 61 of 1973, Scrobulate 62 of 70s, Virgin 84, TheQ 297, Germany 399 of the 1990s, OzNet 561, Acclaimed 1721
5			1974		UK 1 – Jun 1974, US BB 1 – Jun 1974, Netherlands 1 – Aug 1974, Austria 1 – Oct 1974, Switzerland 1 – Aug 1974, Norway 1 – Sep 1974, Germany 1 – Jan 1975, Canada 2 – Jun 1974, France 4 – Aug 1974, Germany 7 of the 1970s, Global 7 (10 M sold) – 1974, Italy 11 of 1974, Australia 20 of 1974, Australia Goset 37 – Aug 1974, RYM 39 of 1974, US CashBox 40 of 1974, Acclaimed 807

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Song title	Artist(s)	Release date(s)	US	UK	Highest chart position	Other Chart Performance(s)
"Ain't Too Proud to Beg"			October 1970	17	n/a	11 (France)	14 (Canada) - 15 (US Cash Box Charts) - 23 (US Record World magazine)
"The Air That I Breathe"			January 1974	6	2	1 (Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa)	See chart performance entry
"Already Gone"			April 1974	32	n/a	12 (Canada)	n/a
"Always Yours"			June 1974	n/a	1	1 (Ireland, United Kingdom)	11 (Australia) - 14 (Germany) - 25 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40])
"Amateur Hour"			July 1974	n/a	7	7 (United Kingdom)	12 (Germany) - 19 (Ireland)
"Annie's Song"			June 1974	1	1	1 (Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States)	See chart performance entry
"Another Saturday Night"			July 1974	6	19	1 (Canada)	See chart performance entry

Other Chart hit singles

Notable singles

Song title	Artist(s)	Release date(s)	Other Chart Performance(s)
"Can I Sit Next to You, Girl"			July 1974	50 (Australia)
"Hey Joe" / "Piss Factory"			November 1974	n/a
"September Gurls"			May 1974	n/a

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

• Anne Boyd – Angklung for piano
• George Crumb – Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III) for two amplified pianos and percussion (two players).
• Mario Davidovsky
  • Synchronisms No. 7, for orchestra and tape
  • Synchronisms No. 8, for woodwind quintet and tape
• Einar Englund – Piano Concerto No. 2
• Luc Ferrari
  • Petite symphonie intuitive pour une paysage de printemps
  • éphémère I, for tape and undetermined instrumentation
• Nicolas Flagello – The Passion of Martin Luther King (oratorio)
• Joaquin Homs – Trio
• Wojciech Kilar – Krzesany, for orchestra
• György Ligeti – San Francisco Polyphony, for orchestra (1973–74)
• Olivier Messiaen – Des canyons aux étoiles... for solo piano, solo horn, solo glockenspiel, solo xylorimba, small orchestra with 13 string players
• Krzysztof Penderecki – The Dream of Jacob
• Wolfgang Regel – Requiem "à la mémoire de César Geoffray"
• Steve Reich – Music for 18 Musicians
• Wolfgang Rihm
  • Dis-Kontur for orchestra
  • Hervorgedunkelt (text: Paul Celan), for mezzo-soprano, flute, harp, vibraphone, cello, organ, and percussion
  • Klavierstück Nr. 4
  • Siebengestalt, for organ and tam-tam
• Alfred Schnittke
  • Symphony No. 1
  • Hymn I, for cello, harp and timpani
  • Hymn II, for cello and double-bass
  • Hymn III, for cello, bassoon, harpsichord and bells or timpani
• Dmitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat minor, Op. 144
• Karlheinz Stockhausen –

Opera

• Robert Ashley – Music with Roots in the Aether
• Friedrich Goldmann – R.Hot bzw. Die Hitze

Jazz

See main article: 1974 in jazz.

Musical theater

• Candide (Leonard Bernstein) – Broadway revival
• Cole London production opened at the Mermaid Theatre on July 2. Cast included Julia McKenzie, Bill Kerr, Una Stubbs and Rod McLennan
• Gypsy (Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway revival
• Hans Christian Andersen – London production
• Lorelei – Broadway production opened at the Palace Theatre and ran for 321 performances
• Mack and Mabel – Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre and ran for 66 performances
• The Magic Show – Off-Broadway production
• Over Here! – Broadway production opened at the Schubert Theatre and ran for 341 performances
• West Side Story (Bernstein) – London revival

Musical films

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

Births

• 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)
• 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 25 – Emily Haines, Canadian singer-songwriter
• January 26 – Rokia Traoré, Malian singer-songwriter
• February 7 – J Dilla, American record producer, rapper, and songwriter (Slum Village) (d. 2006)
• February 8 – Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, French record producer, singer-songwriter, DJ and composer (Daft Punk)
• February 11 – D'Angelo, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer
• February 13 – Robbie Williams, British singer-songwriter
• 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)
• March 6 – Guy Garvey, British singer-songwriter and guitarist (Elbow)
• 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)
• April 7 – Antonia Bennett, American singer of adult alternative music, standards, and jazz.
  • • 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 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
• April 20 – Tina Cousins, English singer-songwriter
• April 21 – Faust, Norwegian drummer
  • • April 26 Nerina Pallot, British singer, songwriter and producer
  • Greg Laswell, American musician, recording engineer, and producer (Ingrid Michaelson)
• 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)
• 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
• Mónica Naranjo, Spanish singer
• May 30 – Big L, freestyle rapper
• June 1 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer-songwriter
• June 7 – Cassius Khan, Canadian singer and tabla player
• June 9 – Samoth, Norwegian musician
• 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
• July – Amanda Ghost, English singer-songwriter, record producer and music executive, president of Epic Records (2009–10) (Elle King, Beyoncé)
• 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 Šarčević, Swedish singer and bassist (Millencolin)
• July 10 - Imelda May, Irish singer
  • • July 11 Alanas Chošnau, 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 31 – Leona Naess, British singer-songwriter (Evan Ross, Diana Ross)
• August 5 – Kajol, Indian actress
• 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 17 – Salem Abraha, singer-songwriter
• August 23 – Shifty Shellshock, American musician (Crazy Town) (d. 2024)
• August 30 – Aaron Barrett, lead singer and guitarist (Reel Big Fish)
• September 4 – Carmit Bachar, American singer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl (Pussycat Dolls)
• September 6 – Nina Persson, Swedish singer-songwriter (The Cardigans)
• September 19 – Jimmy Fallon, American comedian & musician
• September 24
  • Niels Brinck, Danish singer and songwriter
  • Kati Wolf, Hungarian singer
• 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 14 Natalie Maines, American singer-songwriter
  • Shaggy 2 Dope, American rapper and producer
• October 18 – Peter Svensson, Swedish guitarist (The Cardigans)
• October 31 – Natasja Saad, Danish rapper and reggae singer (d. 2007)
• 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 (Mandy Moore, Phoebe Bridgers, Leona Naess)
• November 11 - Leonardo DiCaprio, American actor
• November 14 – Chad Kroeger, Canadian singer-songwriter and musician
• November 26 - Katrina Lenk, American actress, singer, dancer, musician, and songwriter.
• November 28 – apl.de.ap, Filipino-American musician (Black Eyed Peas)
• December 3 – Trina, American rapper and musician
• December 7 – Nicole Appleton, Canadian television presenter, singer-songwriter and actress (All Saints)
• December 8 - Christian Castro, Mexican singer
• Nick Zinner, American guitarist (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
• December 10 – Meg White, American drummer and singer (The White Stripes)
• December 12 - Michelle Saram, Singaporean actress, singer and businesswoman
• December 13 – Nick McCarthy, English-German rhythm guitarist singer (Franz Ferdinand)
• December 14 – Nate Smith, American drummer, songwriter and producer
• December 15 – Acey Slade, American Musician
• December 24
  • Julian Rachlin, Lithuanian-Austrian violinist
  • Ryan Seacrest, American musical/entertainment television host, radio personality and producer

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, 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

Notes and References

1. George Clark, "Mr Feather Made a Life Peer: Mr Whitelaw Honoured". The Times (2 January 1974): 1.
2. Book: Mark Bego. Cher: If You Believe. Taylor Trade Publishing. 2001. 9780815411536. 91.
3. Stephen Walsh, "ECO/Leppard", The Times (23 February 1974): 9.
4. [Stanley Sadie]
5. Anon., "Royal Festival Hall" [classified ad], The Times (2 March 1974): 11; Bryce Morrison, "London Debuts", The Times (13 March 1974): 19.
6. William Mann, "Prey/Hokanson", The Times (5 March 1974): 10.
7. Stanley Sadie, "RPO/Vonk", The Times (11 March 1974): 11.
8. Book: Harry, Bill . 2000 . The John Lennon Encyclopedia . Virgin . 978-0-7535-0404-8 . 927–9.
9. Agence France-Presse, "Violin by Guarnieri sold for $140,000", The Boston Globe (26 April 1974): 28.
10. Book: No One Here Gets Out Alive. Hopkins, Jerry . Sugerman, Danny . Mass Market Paperback. 1995. 377.
11. Jerry Taylor, "R.I. Chief Confirms Motel Vandalism", The Boston Globe (16 May 1974): 3
12. Ken Hartnett, "Several Policemen from Boston Accused of R. I. Hotel Spree", The Boston Globe (14 May): 3; Ken Hartnett, "R. I. Spree Story Exaggerate, Policeman Says", The Boston Globe (15 May): 3; David B. Wilson, "Bagpipes Made Them Do It ...", The Boston Globe (20 May 1974): 17; Anon., "Patrolmen's Association Asked to Pay for Motel Damage", The Boston Globe (18 May 1974): 3.
13. http://www.portsmouthsinfonia.com/media/sundaytelegraph.html Sunday Telegraph, 23 May 2004
14. Seton Gordon, "A Strange Tune Gains Silver Chanter", The Times (Saturday, 24 August 1974): 12. Andrew T. Lenz, Jr. "Andrew's Tips: Silver Chanter Winners", Andrew Lenz's Bagpipe Journey website, 2010 (Accessed 24 June 2014).
15. Web site: Bonkers for Music, Cheer and Glory; For Britons, It's Time for the Proms, That Exhilarating Feast. Hoge. Warren. 19 July 2001. The New York Times. 17 June 2010.
16. As stated on Johnny Ramone's official Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/JohnnyRamone/photos/a.10150703813846521.491576.43468756520/10153036882146521/?type=1&theater
17. Anon. "Uganda Leader Wants 2 Pipers". The Boston Globe (4 October 1974): 10.
18. Herb Cole, "Drum Corps Notes: 13 Units compete in Invitational", The Boston Globe (Sunday, 29 September): A 12.
19. Anon., "Names and Faces in the News", The Boston Globe (20 October 1974): 2.
20. Book: Warwick , Neil . Jon Kutner . Tony Brown . The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums . . 2004 . 1-84449-058-0. 244.
21. Allmusic - Still Crazy After All These Years> Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
22. Web site: BPI.
23. Web site: Mr. Natural - Bee Gees Songs, Reviews, Credits AllMusic. .
24. Web site: BPI.
25. Book: The Great Rock Discography. 1995. 684 . 9780862415419 . Strong . Martin Charles .
26. Web site: The Great Rock Discography. 603.
27. Web site: BPI.
28. Web site: DGM.
29. Web site: BPI.
30. Web site: Stormbringer certification.