1979 in music explained

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.

Specific locations

• 1979 in British music
• 1979 in Japanese music
• 1979 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

• 1979 in country music
• 1979 in heavy metal music
• 1979 in hip hop music
• 1979 in jazz

Events

January–February

• January 1
  • Bill Graham closes San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom following a New Year's Eve performance by the Blues Brothers and the Grateful Dead.
  • During a New Year's Eve concert in Cleveland, Ohio, Bruce Springsteen is injured when a firecracker is thrown onstage from the audience.
• January 4 – The Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, known for its connections to the early days of the Beatles, reopened.
• January 6 – ABC's American Bandstand featured the debut of the "Y.M.C.A. dance" using the hand gestures forming the letters YMCA during a broadcast with the Village People.
• January 9 – The Music for UNICEF Concert in held in New York City at the United Nations, starring the Bee Gees. Highlights are aired the following evening on NBC.
• January 13 – Singer Donny Hathaway dies after falling 15 stories from his hotel room in New York City. According to Hathaway's record company, Atlantic, the singer had been having some psychological problems.
• January 15 – MCA Records purchases ABC Records for a reported $20 million.
• February 2 – Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious is found dead from an overdose, a day after being released on bail from Rikers Island prison.
• February 7
  • The Clash kicked off their first concert of their first American tour at the Berkeley Community Theatre outside San Francisco. Bo Diddley opened the show.
  • Stephen Stills becomes the first major rock artist to record digitally, laying down four songs at The Record Plant in Los Angeles. None of the songs are released, and Ry Cooder becomes the first major rock artist to release a digitally recorded record.
• February 10 – Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" hit No. 1 on the Billboard magazine charts, and stayed there for 4 weeks.
• February 11 – 43 million viewers watch "Elvis!" on ABC, a made-for-TV movie starring Kurt Russell as Elvis.
• February 14 – Following her 1972 sex reassignment surgery, musician Wendy Carlos legally changes her name from Walter. She reveals this information in an interview in the May 1979 issue of Playboy magazine.
• February 15
  • Minnie Riperton appears on the Grammys as a presenter with Stephen Bishop.
  • The 21st Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by John Denver. The Bee Gees collect 4 Grammys for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, including Album of the Year, while Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. A Taste of Honey win Best New Artist.
• February 23 – Dire Straits begin their first U.S. tour in Boston.
• February 24
  • Friedrich Cerha's completion of Alban Berg's opera Lulu is premiered at the Opera Garnier in Paris.
  • Singer Johnnie Wilder, Jr. of Heatwave is paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
• February 26 – B.B. King becomes the first blues artist to tour the Soviet Union, kicking off a one-month tour there.

March–April

• March 2–4 – Weather Report, The CBS Jazz All-Stars, the Trio of Doom, Fania All-Stars, Stephen Stills, Billy Swan, Bonnie Bramlett, Mike Finnegan, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge and Billy Joel, plus Cuban acts Irakere, Pacho Alonso, Elena Burke, Los Papines, Tata Güines and Orquesta Aragón play at the historic three-day Havana Jam festival at the Karl Marx Theater, in Havana, Cuba.
• March 5 – MCA Records dissolves ABC Records.
• March 10 – James Brown performs at the Grand Ole Opry.
• March 15 – Elvis Costello gets into a heated argument with members of Stephen Stills' touring entourage at a Holiday Inn in Columbus, Ohio, United States. After Costello makes disparaging and racist remarks, he is punched by Bonnie Bramlett. Costello suffers a wave of negative press coverage after the incident is made public.^[1]
• March 27 –
  • Eric Clapton marries Patti Boyd, ex-wife of Clapton's friend George Harrison.^[2]
  • Simple Minds make their first television appearance, performing the songs "Chelsea Girl" and "Life in a Day" on BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test.^[3]
• March 31 – The Eurovision Song Contest, the biggest music festival in the world, takes place for the first time in a country outside Europe – Israel. The show is broadcast live from Jerusalem to Europe and a few countries in Asia. The big winner of this night is Israel for the second time in a row. The winning song is "Hallelujah" sung by the group Milk and Honey, including Gali Atari. A few months after winning the song had been translated into more than 82 languages, and broke a new record by entering the Guinness Book of Records as the most translated song in the world.
• April 2 – Kate Bush begins her first, and for 35 years, only tour. She becomes the first artist to use a wireless microphone, enabling her to sing and dance at the same time.
• April 6 – Rod Stewart marries Alana Hamilton.
• April 7 – 110,000 people attend the California Music Festival at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Performers include Aerosmith, The Boomtown Rats, Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent and Van Halen.
• April 12 – Mickey Thomas replaces Marty Balin as the lead singer of Jefferson Starship.
• April 13 – During a concert by Van Halen in Spokane, Washington, David Lee Roth collapses from exhaustion. A local doctor treats him for a stomach virus and advises him to "calm down".
• April 22 – The New Barbarians and The Rolling Stones perform two concerts in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, to benefit the CNIB, as part of Keith Richards' 1978 sentence for heroin possession.
• April 27 – Ozzy Osbourne is fired as lead singer of Black Sabbath. He is replaced in May by Ronnie James Dio.

May–August

• May 1 – Elton John becomes one of the first Western pop musicians to perform in Israel.
• May 2 – The Who play their first concert following the death of drummer Keith Moon. The band performs with new drummer Kenney Jones at London's Rainbow Theatre.
• May 4 – Release as a single of Gary Numan's "Are "Friends" Electric?" with Tubeway Army; it becomes the first synth-pop single to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart.
• May 8 – Iron Maiden, Samson, and Angel Witch share a bill at the Music Machine in Camden, London. Critic Geoff Barton coins the term "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" in a review of the show for Sounds magazine.^[4]
• May 12 – Disco music occupies eight of the top ten spots of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, for two weeks. The charts are led by Peaches and Herb's R&B ballad single "Reunited".
• May 14 – Kate Bush plays the final date at the Hammersmith Odeon on her first-ever tour, which also turned out to be her last tour.^[5]
• May 19 – Three of the four ex-Beatles perform on the same stage, as Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr jam with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Mick Jagger and others at a wedding reception for Clapton at his Surrey home.
• May 21 – Elton John plays the first of eight concerts in the Soviet Union, making him the first western solo pop artist to tour there.
• June 1 – The Alternative Tentacles record label is established by Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra.
• June 8 – Marianne Faithfull marries Ben Brierly of The Vibrators.
• June 9 – The Bee Gees equal Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles, with a record six consecutive number-one singles in the U.S. in less than a single calendar year with "Love You Inside Out".
• June 16 – Donna Summer becomes the first female to have the #1 single "Hot Stuff" and album Bad Girls for a second time.
• June 28 – Bill Haley makes his final studio recordings at Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
  • • June 30 Donna Summer becomes the first female artist to have 2 of the top 3 songs, Hot Stuff at #1 & Bad Girls at #3, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. They will stay in the top 3 together for 4 weeks. In fact, all of the top 5 songs that week are entirely by women, both in Billboard and in Cashbox.
  • Tubeway Army reach number 1 on the UK Singles Chart with "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and become the first British act to have a synth pop hit single. The song will remain at number 1 for four consecutive weeks.^[6]
• July
  • EMI's first non-classical digital recording, of UK jazz-funk duo Morrissey–Mullen covering the Rose Royce hit "Love Don't Live Here Anymore", is recorded at Abbey Road Studios and later released as a limited edition vinyl EP.
  • George Martin's Associated Independent Recording opens its AIR Montserrat recording studio on the Caribbean island of Montserrat; the first album recorded here is Climax Blues Band's Real to Reel.^[7]
• July 1 – The Sony Walkman goes on sale in Japan.
• July 7 – The Bee Gees play to a sold-out crowd at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium as part of their Spirits Having Flown tour.
• July 10 – Chuck Berry is sentenced to four months in prison for tax evasion by a Los Angeles judge.
• July 12 – "Disco Demolition Night", an anti-disco promotional event held by a Chicago rock station at Comiskey Park involving exploding disco records with a bomb, causes a near-riot between games during a baseball major league doubleheader, forcing the cancellation of the second game.
• July 14 – Donna Summer, for a third time in an eight-month period, scores a #1 single with "Bad Girls", (staying atop the charts for five weeks); and #1 album of the same name, which also tops the Billboard 200 for six weeks.
  • • July 21 With Bad Girls (both single and album), Donna Summer's success continues as she becomes the first female artist to sit on top of 3 major Billboard charts: the Billboard Hot 100, the Hot Soul Singles chart, and the Billboard 200. Disco dominates the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the first six spots (beginning with Donna Summer's "Bad Girls"), and seven of the chart's top ten songs ending that week.
  • Tubeway Army reach number 1 on the UK Albums Chart with "Replicas".
• July 28 – Aerosmith and Ted Nugent headline the World Series of Rock at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Also on the bill are Journey, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC and the Scorpions. Following the concert, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry quits the group after an argument with bandmates.
• July 31 – 250,000 turn out in Central Park for a free concert by James Taylor in a campaign to restore Sheep Meadow.
• August – Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, having reunited after a three-year break, eventually record their first compositions since then, to be released a year later as 21 at 33.
• August 6 - Bauhaus releases debut single "Bela Lugosi's Dead", considered to be the first Gothic Rock release.
• August 18 – Nick Lowe and Carlene Carter are married at Carter's Los Angeles home.
• August 24 – Prince's first hit single "I Wanna Be Your Lover" is released in the US, reaching number one on the RnB and number 11 on the Hot 100, selling more than one million copies in the US.
• August 25 – "My Sharona" by The Knack hits #1 on the Billboard charts. This is the first time in over a year that a song hits #1 that is not either a disco song or a ballad, signalling the potential resurgence of rock.

September–December

• September 1 – INXS perform in public for the first time, at the Oceanview Hotel in Umina, New South Wales.
• September 2 – U2 enters the studio for the first time to record a locally released single.
• September 13 – ABBA begins in Edmonton, Alberta, leading off a month of dates in North America.
• September 16 – The Sugarhill Gang release Rapper's Delight in the United States, the first rap single to become a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
• September 17 – Ontario Court of Appeals rejects a government appeal against the previous year's sentencing of Keith Richards, which allowed him to avoid jail time for his 1977 arrest in Toronto for heroin possession.
• September 19–23 – Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) stages a series of five No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden. Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty, James Taylor and Carly Simon are among the participants.
• September 22
  • Gary Numan hits number 1 on the UK Albums Chart with The Pleasure Principle, only two months after his Tubeway Army album Replicas had topped the chart.^[8]
  • The NewMusic, a Canadian weekly music and culture program, makes its début on Citytv.
• September 27 – Elton John collapses on stage at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles County, California while performing "Better Off Dead". He refuses to stop the show and resumes playing fifteen minutes later.
• October 10 – Joe Perry officially leaves Aerosmith.
• November 3 – Donna Summer becomes the first female artist to have 5 top 10 hits in the same year.
• November 16 – Infinity Records is shut down and absorbed into parent company MCA.
• November 17 – Donna Summer, for a second time, has two songs ("Dim All the Lights", #2, & "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" with Barbra Streisand, #3) in the Top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100, and the first female to have 5 top 5 hits in the same year.
• November 24 – With "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" hitting the top spot, Donna Summer becomes the first female artist to score 3 #1 singles in a calendar year on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
• November 26 – Bill Haley & His Comets perform at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, in a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II. This was Haley's final recorded performance of "Rock Around the Clock".
• November 30 – Pink Floyd releases The Wall. It is one of rock's most well-known concept albums and one of the best-selling albums of all time. It is also the last album recorded with the line up of David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright.
• December – Iron Maiden is signed by EMI. They hire Dennis Stratton as a second guitarist.
• December 3 – In Cincinnati, a stampede for seats at Riverfront Coliseum during a Who concert kills 11 fans and injures 26 others. Band members were not informed of the deaths until after the show.
• December 26 – Iron Maiden drummer Doug Sampson is replaced by ex-Samson drummer Clive Burr.
• December 26-29 – The Concerts for the People of Kampuchea are held over four nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in London to raise funds for victims of war in Cambodia. Queen, The Who, The Clash, Wings, Elvis Costello and members of Led Zeppelin all take part.
• December 31 – The eighth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by The Oak Ridge Boys, Village People, Chic, Blondie and Barry Manilow.

Also in 1979

• The Welsh Philharmonia becomes the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera.
• Michael Schenker leaves Scorpions during their tour in France and is replaced by Matthias Jabs.
• Stevie Wonder uses digital audio recording technology in recording his album Journey through the Secret Life of Plants.
• Disco reigns supreme this year, with several number-one hits from The Bee Gees and Donna Summer. Several artists who were not regarded as disco acts, scored major successes by releasing disco-oriented singles or albums, including new wave band Blondie with their first US number-one single "Heart of Glass", Rod Stewart with "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?", and symphonic rock band Electric Light Orchestra with their UK No. 1 LP Discovery.

Bands formed

See Musical groups established in 1979

Bands disbanded

See Musical groups disestablished in 1979

Bands reformed

The Chipmunks

Albums released

January

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
5	Armed Forces
15	Lovedrive
16	Accept
19	Sleep Dirt
22	We Are Family
25	Take Me Home
26	Bustin' Out of L Seven
	Valley of the Dolls
rowspan="12" valign="top"	-	Strangers in the Night		Live
The Def Leppard E.P.		Debut EP
Nervous Breakdown		Debut EP
Sinful
Head First
Look Sharp!		^[9]
John Denver
Life for the Taking
Living Without Your Love
Madam Butterfly
New Kind of Feeling
No Mean City

February

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	Inflammable Material
5	Spirits Having Flown
19	Frenzy
20	George Harrison
23	Live (X Cert)		Live^[10]
	Scared to Dance
26	The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle		Soundtrack
28	Rickie Lee Jones
N/A	Feets, Don't Fail Me Now
	Breakfast at Sweethearts
	Don't Throw Stones
	Enlightened Rogues
	The Feeding of the 5000
	Force Majeure
	Hard Times for Lovers
	Under Heaven Over Hell

March

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	No. 1 in Heaven
2	It's Alright with Me
5	A Million Vacations
9	Angel Station
	Even Serpents Shine
	Thriller
15	Fate for Breakfast
	Half Machine Lip Moves
16	Breakfast in America		^[11]
	Manifesto
	Bitanga i princeza
	Live at the Witch Trials
19	L.A.
20	Evolution		^[12]
23	Van Halen II
26	Go West
27	You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic
30	Just a Game
	Secondhand Daylight
N/A	Overkill
	Desolation Angels
	Sheik Yerbouti
	Airwaves
	Danger Money
	Feel No Fret
	I Love You So
	Remote Control
	Rock n' Roll Nights
	Squeezing Out Sparks

April

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
6	Replicas
	Cool for Cats
	Euroman Cometh
10	I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing
13
20	Life in a Day		^[13]
	Gimme Some Neck
	Million Mile Reflections
	My Father's Eyes
	Y
23	Bob Dylan at Budokan		Live
	Voulez-Vous
25	Bad Girls
27	New Values		UK
N/A	Exposure		Solo Debut
	Blue Kentucky Girl
	It's Alive		Live
	Mission Accomplished But the Beat Goes On		Live
	New Chautauqua
	New England
	Strikes

May

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
4	Orchestral Favorites
11	Three Imaginary Boys
17	Wave
18	Do It Yourself
	Shades in Bed
22	Where There's Smoke...
23	The Boss
	Dynasty
24	Great Balls of Fire
25	Lodger
30	Where I Should Be
N/A	Saxon		Debut
	The Bells
	Monolith
	Rhapsodies
	Spectral Mornings
	State of Shock
	Night Owl
	Narita		Japan
	Rock 'n' Roll High School	Various Artists	Soundtrack
	Images at Twilight
	Flag
	In the Skies
	The Undertones
	Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma
	Let Me Be Good to You
	Shot Through the Heart

June

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Discovery		^[14]
	This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N
5	I Am		^[15]
	Best of The J. Geils Band
8	Back to the Egg
	The Kids Are Alright		Soundtrack
	Labour of Lust
	Repeat When Necessary
11	Get the Knack
13	Candy-O
	Mingus
15	Unknown Pleasures		Debut
	Communiqué
	Secrets
	PXR5
	Silent Letter
19	Mirrors
22	Live Killers		Live
	Mick Taylor
25	Secret Omen
N/A	Survivors	Samson	Debut
	Spy
	Another Taste
	Armageddon
	Door, Door
	Life and Love
	One for the Road
	No Exit
	Si todo hiciera Crack
	Touch the Sky

July

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	Rust Never Sleeps
6	The B-52's
10	Low Budget		US
13	Screaming Targets
19	The Records		US Version of Shades in Bed
20	Nine Lives
27	Highway to Hell
	Exposed		Live^[16]
	John Cougar
30	Risqué
N/A	Bop till You Drop
	Can
	Circles & Seasons
	Duty Now for the Future
	First Under the Wire
	Fool Around		US version
	Gamma 1
	Honest Lullaby
	Midnight Magic
	No Promises...No Debts
	The Original Disco Man
	Shake Hands with the Devil

August

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	String of Hits
	Volcano
3	Down to Earth		^[17]
	Fear of Music
			Interview collage
10	Ghostown
	Off the Wall
13	Chicago 13
17	Drums and Wires
	Slow Train Coming
22	In Through the Out Door		^[18]
	The Rose		Soundtrack to 1979 film
27	In the Heat of the Night	Pat Benatar
30	Big Fun
N/A	5
	Born Again
	Children of the Sun
	Into the Music

September

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
4	Flying Colors
6	La Diva
	Ladies' Night
7	The Pleasure Principle		Solo Debut
	Night After Night		Live
	Join Hands
	Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile
	Cut
11	Head Games
	Kost u grlu
14	Stormwatch
17	Joe's Garage Act I
21	Unleashed in the East		Live
	Lovehunter	Whitesnake
	The Raven
	Boogie Motel
	A Different Kind of Tension
	Dream Police
	Here	Leo Sayer
	Uncle Jam Wants You
24	The Long Run
26	Three		Debut/EP
25	Entertainment!
	One Voice
	Singles Going Steady		Compilation
	Solid State Survivor
27	Recent Songs
28	Eat to the Beat	Blondie	^[19]
N/A	Top Priority
	Eve
	Quadrophenia	The Who	Soundtrack^[20]
	154
	Night Rains	Janis Ian
	The Glow
	Kenny
	Live and Sleazy		Double LP; one disc live, one disc studio
	Marathon
	New Picnic Time		-
	Oceans of Fantasy
	Legends of the Lost and Found		Live
	Out of a Dream
	Power Play
	Satisfied
	Street Machine
	This Heat

October

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Return to Base	Slade
2	Survival	Bob Marley & The Wailers
5	Reggatta de Blanc	The Police	^[21]
	The Fine Art of Surfacing	The Boomtown Rats
	I'm the Man	Joe Jackson
	A Curious Feeling	Tony Banks	Solo Debut
	Reproduction	The Human League	Debut
	Partners in Crime	Rupert Holmes
12	Tusk	Fleetwood Mac	US
	Bomber	Motörhead	^[22]
	Mr. Universe	Gillan
	Whatever You Want	Status Quo
	Victim of Love	Elton John
	Greatest Hits, Vol. 1	Rod Stewart	Compilation
	Days in Europa
15		Donna Summer	Compilation
16	Fire It Up	Rick James
	The Message Is Love
19	Prince	Prince
	Damn the Torpedoes	Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
	One Step Beyond...
	The Specials	The Specials
22	Prisoner	Cher
23	You Know How to Love Me	Phyllis Hyman
	Mix-Up	Cabaret Voltaire
26	Hydra	Toto
	Dragnet	The Fall
29	Greatest Hits Volume 2	ABBA	Compilation
30	Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants"	Stevie Wonder
N/A	Cornerstone	Styx
	Bee Gees Greatest		Compilation
	Cut Above the Rest	Sweet	UK
	Flirtin' with Disaster	Molly Hatchet
	Harder ... Faster
	Head Injuries
	I'll Always Love You	Anne Murray
	Keep the Fire	Kenny Loggins
	Magnum II	Magnum
	Primal Park
	Reality Effect
	Rockin' into the Night
	Thighs and Whispers	Bette Midler
	Wet	Barbra Streisand

November

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Freedom at Point Zero
2	On Parole		Recorded in 1976
	Broken English	Marianne Faithfull
6	Pretty Paper		Christmas
9	The Soundhouse Tapes		Debut/EP
	Machine Gun Etiquette
14	Live Rust		Live
	Down on the Farm	Little Feat
16	Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Concert		Live ^[23]
	Night in the Ruts
	Setting Sons
19	Joe's Garage Acts II & III
23	Real to Real Cacophony
	Platinum
	ELO's Greatest Hits		Compilation
	Metal Box
	The Raincoats		Debut
	Live! Coast to Coast		Live
28	Gloryhallastoopid
30	The Wall
	New York–London–Paris–Munich
	Dirk Wears White Sox
N/A	Brass Construction 5
	Degüello
	English Garden
	Get Wet
	Masterjam
		Various Artists	Triple Live LP
	Not Like Everybody Else!
	Phoenix
	The Reels
	Sometimes You Win
	We're the Best of Friends

December

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
7	Quiet Life		International
14	London Calling
20	Christopher Cross		Warner Bros.
27	Adventures in Utopia
31	Score
N/A	20 Jazz Funk Greats
	Sid Sings
	September Morn
	Sabotage/Live		Live

Release date unknown

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1979.^[24]

	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart entries
1			1979		UK 1 – Jan 1979, US BB 1 – Mar 1979, Canada 1 – Mar 1979, Austria 1 – Mar 1979, Switzerland 1 – Feb 1979, Germany 1 – Feb 1979, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Jan 1980, Sweden (alt) 3 – Mar 1979, France 3 – Feb 1979, Australia 3 of 1979, Netherlands 5 – Feb 1979, Norway 5 – Mar 1979, RYM 8 of 1979, US CashBox 11 of 1979, US BB 1 of 1979, POP 13 of 1979, South Africa 15 of 1979, Italy 29 of 1979, Virgin 29, OzNet 30, Scrobulate 46 of 80s, Germany 54 of the 1970s, RIAA 217, Acclaimed 241, Rolling Stone 255
2			1978		UK 1 – Feb 1979, US BB 1 – Jan 1979, US BB 1 of 1979, Canada 1 – Mar 1979, Republic of Ireland 1 – Mar 1979, POP 2 of 1979, Sweden (alt) 3 – Apr 1979, Netherlands 4 – Mar 1979, Norway 4 – May 1979, Switzerland 7 – Apr 1979, Scrobulate 8 of disco, Germany 9 – Mar 1979, US CashBox 10 of 1979, France 10 – Mar 1979, South Africa 16 of 1979, Austria 17 – May 1979, Party 24 of 1999, Australia 25 of 1979, Italy 38 of 1979, Europe 66 of the 1970s, RYM 67 of 1978, RIAA 89, OzNet 155, Acclaimed 416, Rolling Stone 489
3			1979		US BB 1 – Aug 1979, Sweden (alt) 1 – Jun 1979, Switzerland 1 – Jun 1979, Germany 1 – May 1979, Australia 1 for 3 weeks May 1980, UK 2 – Apr 1979, Austria 2 – Jul 1979, Netherlands 3 – May 1979, France 3 – Nov 1979, Norway 5 – Jun 1979, South Africa 5 of 1979, Canada 8 – Sep 1979, Australia 10 of 1979, US CashBox 15 of 1979, Italy 18 of 1979, US BB 40 of 1979, POP 40 of 1979, RYM 50 of 1979, Germany 59 of the 1970s, OzNet 888, Acclaimed 1691
4			1979		US BB 1 – Apr 1979, Switzerland 1 – May 1979, Australia 1 for 1 weeks May 1980, Canada 2 – Apr 1979, Sweden (alt) 2 – May 1979, Norway 2 – Jun 1979, France 3 – May 1979, Austria 3 – Jun 1979, US BB 4 of 1979, Scrobulate 5 of disco, Germany 6 – May 1979, POP 6 of 1979, UK 11 – May 1979, US CashBox 14 of 1979, Netherlands 14 – May 1979, Australia 17 of 1979, Italy 24 of 1979, RYM 88 of 1979, Rolling Stone 103, OzNet 124, Party 210 of 1999, Germany 246 of the 1970s, Acclaimed 717
5			1979		Sweden (alt) 1 – Jul 1979 (20 weeks), France (SNEP) 1 – Feb 1979 (5 months), France 1 – Mar 1979 (5 weeks), Austria 1 – Apr 1979 (6 weeks), Norway 1 – Jul 1979 (17 weeks), Belgium 1 – Jan 1979 (18 weeks), Germany 1 – Mar 1979 (6 months), Canada RPM 1 for 2 weeks – Aug 1979, New Zealand 1 for 2 weeks – Oct 1979, RIANZ 1 – Sep 1979 (14 weeks), Australia 1 for 5 weeks – Oct 1979, France 1 for 15 weeks – Mar 1979, Germany 1 for 5 weeks – May 1979, France (InfoDisc) 4 of the 1970s (peak 1, 30 weeks, 1,412k sales estimated, 1979), US Gold (certified by RIAA in Nov 1979), Germany Gold (certified by BMieV in 1979), Netherlands 5 – Feb 1979 (18 weeks), Switzerland 5 – Feb 1979 (13 weeks), Australia 5 of 1979, Springbok 6 – Aug 1979 (11 weeks), Italy 7 of 1979, UK 10 – Jun 1979 (14 weeks), POP 11 of 1979, Canada 12 – Jul 1979 (6 weeks), US BB 15 of 1979, US Billboard 16 – Jun 1979 (19 weeks), Record World 19 – 1979, Germany 20 of the 1970s (peak 1 25 weeks), Brazil 32 of 1979, Scrobulate 68 of disco, US Radio 108 of 1979 (peak 16 5 weeks), RYM 200 of 1979, UK Silver (certified by BPI in Sep 1979), Global 7 (10 M sold) – 1979

Chronological list of US and UK and Japan number-one hit singles

US number-one singles and artist
(weeks at No. 1)

• "Babe" – Styx (2)
• "Bad Girls" – Donna Summer (5)
• "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" – Rod Stewart (4)
• "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" – Michael Jackson (1)
• "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" – Rupert Holmes (2 weeks in 1979 + 1 week in 1980)
• "Good Times" – Chic (1)
• "Heart of Glass" – Blondie (1)
• "Heartache Tonight" – The Eagles (1)
• "Hot Stuff" – Donna Summer (3)
• "I Will Survive" – Gloria Gaynor (3)
• "Knock on Wood" – Amii Stewart (1)
• "Le Freak" – Chic (3 weeks in 1978 + 3 weeks in 1979)
• "Love You Inside Out" – Bee Gees (1)
• "My Sharona" – The Knack (6)
• "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" – Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer (2)
• "Pop Muzik" – M (1)
• "Reunited" – Peaches & Herb (4)
• "Ring My Bell" – Anita Ward (2)
• "Rise" – Herb Alpert (2)
• "Sad Eyes" – Robert John (1)
• "Still" – Commodores (1)
• "Too Much Heaven" – Bee Gees (2)
• "Tragedy" – Bee Gees (2)
• "What a Fool Believes" – The Doobie Brothers (1)
• Also see: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1979

UK number-one singles and artist
(weeks at No. 1)

• "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II" – Pink Floyd (3 weeks in 1979 + 2 weeks in 1980)
• "Are 'Friends' Electric?" – Tubeway Army (4)
• "Bright Eyes" – Art Garfunkel (6)
• "Cars" – Gary Numan (1)
• "Heart of Glass" – Blondie (4)
• "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" – Ian Dury and The Blockheads (1)
• "I Don't Like Mondays" – The Boomtown Rats (4)
• "I Will Survive" – Gloria Gaynor (4)
• "Message in a Bottle" – The Police (3)
• "One Day at a Time" – Lena Martell (3)
• "Ring My Bell" – Anita Ward (2)
• "Sunday Girl" – Blondie (3)
• "Tragedy" – Bee Gees (2)
• "Video Killed the Radio Star" – The Buggles (1)
• "Walking on the Moon" – The Police (1)
• "We Don't Talk Anymore" – Cliff Richard (4)
• "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" – Dr. Hook (3)
• "Y.M.C.A." – Village People (3)

Japanese Oricon number-one singles and artist
(weeks at No. 1)

See main article: List of Oricon number-one singles of 1979.

• Chameleon Army – Pink Lady (4 weeks in 1979 + 2 weeks in 1978)
• "" – Alice (4)
• "" – (2)
• Young Man (Y.M.C.A.) – Hideki Saijo (5)
• "" – Judy Ongg (9)
• "" – (5)
• "" – Sachiko Kobayashi (1)
• "" – Masashi Sada (10)
• "" – (3)
• "" – Masashi Sada (6)
• "Ihojin" – Saki Kubota (4 weeks in 1979 + 3 weeks in 1980)

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Song title	Artist(s)	Release date(s)	US	UK	Highest chart position	Other Chart Performance(s)
"99"			December 1979	26	n/a	26 (US)	17 (Canada) - 97 (Australia)
"Accidents Will Happen"	Elvis Costello and the Attractions		May 1979	101	28	28 (UK)	n/a
"After the Love Has Gone"			July 1979	2	4	2 (US)	See chart performance entry
"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now"			April 1979	13	5	1 (U.S. Billboard Hot R&B)	See chart performance entry
"Angel Eyes"			August 1979	n/a	4	4 (UK, Belgium)	See chart performance entry
"Angeleyes"			July 1979	64	3	3 (UK)	37 (US Adult Contemporary [Billboard]) - 76 (US Cashbox Top 100 Singles)
"Baby I'm Burning"			January 1979	25	n/a	1 (Canada Country Singles)	See chart performance entry
"Baby It's You"			February 1979	n/a	n/a	1 (New Zealand)	2 (Australia) - 4 (West Germany) - 12 (Belgium)
"Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)"			July 1979	14	61	1 (Canada)	See chart performance entry
"The Ballad of Lucy Jordan"			October 1979	n/a	48	2 (Austria)	See chart performance entry
"Better Love Next Time"			October 1979	12	8	7 (Ireland)	See chart performance entry
"Big Shot"			January 1979	14	n/a	13 (Canada)	13 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 36 (New Zealand) - 91 (Australia)
"Boogie Wonderland"			May 1979	6	4	2 (France, Norway, US Hot Soul Singles)	See chart performance entry
"Born to Be Alive"			January 1979	16	10		See chart performance entry
"Boys Keep Swinging"			April 1979	n/a	7	7 (UK)	16 (Netherlands) - 18 (Belgium) - 19 (Ireland) - 51 (Spain) - 85 (Australia)
"Breakfast in America"			June 1979	62	9	6 (Ireland)	See chart performance entry
"Broken Hearted Me"			September 1979	12	n/a	15 (Canada)	1 (Canada Country Tracks) - 1 (Canada Adult Contemporary) - 1 (US Hot Country Singles [Billboard]) - 1 (US Adult Contemporary [Billboard])
"Can't Stand Losing You"			June 1979	n/a	2	2 (United Kingdom)	See chart performance entry
"Casanova"			April 1979	n/a	n/a	2 (Austria, Denmark, Europe, Netherlands)	See chart performance entry
"Chuck E.'s In Love"			April 1979	4	18	4 (United States)	See chart performance entry
"Computer Games"			September 1979	n/a	n/a	1 (Australia)	2 (Canada) - 5 (New Zealand) - 16 (Austria) - 44 (Netherlands) - 61 (US Hot Dance Club Songs)
"Cool For Cats"			March 1979	n/a	2	2 (United Kingdom)	5 (Australia) - 11 (New Zealand) - 33 (Netherlands (Single Top 100)) - 39 (Netherlands (Dutch Top 40))
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"			October 1979	1	2		See chart performance entry
"Chiquitita"			January 1979	29	2		See chart performance entry
"The Cost of Living"			May 1979	n/a	22	22 (United Kingdom)	24 (Ireland)
"Crazy Love"			January 1979	17	n/a	17 (United States)	1 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 7 (US Radio & Records chart) - 15 (Canada RPM Top Singles) - 73 (Australia)
"Cruel to Be Kind"			August 1979	12	12	12 (Australia, United Kingdom, United States)	12 (Canada RPM Top Singles, U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 34 (New Zealand)
"Dance Away"			April 1979	44	2	1 (Ireland)	8 (Netherlands) - 10 (New Zealand) - 12 (Belgium) - 20 (Sweden) - 30 (West Germany) - 75 (Canada) - 92 (Australia)
"Dance the Night Away"			April 1979	15	n/a	15 (United States)	28 (Canada)
"Dancin' Shoes"			January 1979	18	n/a	18 (United States)	62 (Australia)
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia"	Charlie Daniels Band		May 1979	3	14	3 (United States)	1 (Canada Country Tracks, US Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 4 (US Cash Box Top 100) - 5 (Canada) - 13 (New Zealand) - 14 (Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom) - 25 (Netherlands Dutch Top 20) - 30 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary)
"The Diary of Horace Wimp"			July 1979	n/a	8	8 (United Kingdom)	10 (Ireland) - 48 (Australia) - 52 (West Germany)
"Dim All the Lights"			August 1979	2	29	2 (United States)	See chart entry performance
"Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)"			February 1979	12	42	12 (United States)	1 (US Billboard Hot Soul Singles) - 3 (US Billboard Dance Club Songs) - 97 (Australia)
"Do Anything You Want To"			June 1979	81	14	14 (United Kingdom)	25 (Ireland)
"Do That to Me One More Time"			October 1979	1	7	1 (Belgium, Netherlands, South Africa, United States)	See chart performance entry
"Does Your Mother Know"			April 1979	19	4	1 (Belgium, Europe)	See chart performance entry
"Don't Bring Me Down"			August 1979	4	3	1 (Canada)	See chart entry performance
"Don't Cry Out Loud"			January 1979	10	n/a	9 (Canada)	2 (Canada RPM Adult Contemporary) - 9 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 10 (US Cash Box Top 100) - 57 (Australia) [Released in October 1978 and continued charting in 1979]
"Don't Do Me Like That"			November 1979	10	n/a	3 (Canada)	7 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 17 (New Zealand)
"Don't Stop Til You Get Enough"			July 1979	1	3		See chart performance entry
"Dream Police"			September 1979	26	n/a	5 (Australia)	7 (New Zealand) - 9 (Canada) - 37 (Netherlands Dutch Top 40) - 79 (Japan)
"Dreaming"			September 1979	27	2	2 (United Kingdom)
Driver's Seat"			May 1979	15	42	1 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]/[Single Top 100]
"Dschinghis Khan"			March 1979	n/a	n/a	1 (West Germany)	3 (Norway, Switzerland) - 5 (Finland) - 8 (Austria) - 20 (Belgium)
"Every Day Hurts"			August 1979	n/a	3	3 (United Kingdom)	78 (Australia)
"Fire"			March 1979	2*	34		See chart entry performance *1978 in US
"Get Used to It"			March 1979	22	n/a	4 (Australia)	18 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 22 (US Cash Box Top 100) - 20 (New Zealand) - 45 (Canada)
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"			October 1979	n/a	3		See chart entry performances
"Girls Talk"			May 1979	65	4	4 (United Kingdom)	9 (Australia) - 11 (Ireland) - 18 (Canada) - 65 (US Cash Box Top 100)
"Go West"			June 1979	45	15	12 (Belgium)	13 (Canada) - 14 (US Billboard Dance Club Songs) - 15 (Ireland, United Kingdom) - 29 (Netherlands [Single Top 100]) - 31 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40)] - 41 (Canada)
"Gold"			May 1979	5	43	4 (Canada)	5 (Australia) - 6 (US Cash Box Top 100) - 13 (New Zealand) - 42 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary)
"Good Times"			June 1979	1	5	1 (Canada, United States)
"Goodbye Stranger"			March 1979	15	57	6 (Canada)	See chart entry performance
"Goodnight Tonight"			June 1979	5	5	1 (Canada)	See chart entry
"Half The Way"			September 1979	15	n/a	1 (Canada)	2 (Canadian Adult Contemporary Tracks) - 2 (US Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 4 (South Africa) - 9 (US Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 56 (Canada)
"Halfway Hotel"			April 1979	n/a	33	33 (United Kingdom)	15 (Australia)
"Hallelujah"			April 1979	n/a	5	1 (Finland, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Sweden)	See chart performance entry
"He's the Greatest Dancer"			February 1979	9	6	6 (Canada, United Kingdom)	See chart performance entry
"Heaven Knows"	Donna Summer w/Brooklyn Dreams		January 1979	4	34	3 (Canada)	See chart performance entry
"Highway to Hell"			July 1979	47	56	14 (Belgian)	See chart performance entry
"Honesty"			May 1979	24	n/a	1 (France)	See chart performance entry
"I Have a Dream"			December 1979	n/a	2	1 (Austria, Belgium, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40)/[Single Top 100), Switzerland) || 2 (Ireland) - 3 (South Africa) - 64 (Australia) |- | "[[I Know a Heartache When I See One]]" || Jennifer Warnes || |June 1979 || 19 || n/a || 19 (United States) || 10 (U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 12 (Canada RPM Country) - 14 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 21 (U.S. Cash Box Top 100) - 46 (Canada RPM Top Singles) |-| "I Just Fall in Love Again" || Anne Murray || |January 1979 || 12 || 58 || 1 (Canada) || 1 (Canadian RPM Country Tracks, Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary, U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs, U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks) - 46 (Australia) |-| "I Want You To Want Me (live)" || Cheap Trick || |April 1979 || 7 || 29 || 1 (Belgium, Japan, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]) || 2 (Canada) - 3 (U.S. Cash Box top 100) - 15 (Austria) - 18 (West Germany) - 23 (New Zealand)|-| "I Was Made For Lovin' You" || Kiss || |May 1979 || 11 || 50 || 1 (Belgium, Canada, France, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]/[Single Top 100], New Zealand) || See chart performance entry|-| "I Will Survive" || Gloria Gaynor || |October 1979 || 1 || 1 || 1 (Ireland, United Kingdom, United States) || See chart performance entry|-| "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" || The Bellamy Brothers || |March 1979 || 39 || 3 || 3 (United Kingdom) || 1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 11 (Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]) - 17 (New Zealand) - 24 (Canadian RPM Country Tracks)|-| "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" || Barbara Mandrell || |February 1979 || 31 || n/a || 31 (United States) || 1 (U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs) - 6 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary)|-| "In the Navy" || Village People || |March 1979 || 3 || n/a || 1 (Belgium, Canada, Netherlands [Dutch Top 40]/[Single Top 100]) || See chart performance entry|-| "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" || Joe Jackson || |April 1979 || 21 || 13 || 8 (Ireland) || 9 (Canada) - 15 (Australia) - 18 (New Zealand) - 46 (Netherlands [Single Top 100)]|-| "Lucky Number" || Lene Lovich || |January 1979 || n/a || 3 || 2 (Australia) || See chart performance entry|-| "This Is It" || Kenny Loggins || |October 1979 || 11 || n/a || 9 (Canada) || See chart performance entry|-| "Tusk" || Fleetwood Mac || |September 1979 || 8 || 6 || 3 (Australia) || See chart performance entry|-| "Video Killed the Radio Star" || The Buggles || |September 1979 || 40 || 1 || 1 (11 countries) || See chart performance entry|-| "We Don't Talk Anymore" || Cliff Richard || |July 1979 || 7 || 1 || 1 (11 countries) || See chart performance entry|-|| "Weekend" || Earth and Fire || |November 1979 || n/a || n/a || 1 (7 countries) || See chart performance entry |-| "Who Listens to the Radio" || The Sports || |November 1979 || 45 || n/a || 35 (Australia) || An original 45 version charted in Australia in November 1978. The Album version charted in the US a year later|-| "You Decorated My Life" || Kenny Rogers || |September 1979 || 7 || n/a || 7 (United Kingdom) || See chart performance entry|-| "You're Only Lonely" || JD Souther || |September 1979 || 7 || n/a || 7 (United States) || 1 (U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary) - 2 (Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary) - 12 (Canadian RPM Country Tracks) - 17 (Australia) - 18 (Canadian RPM Top Singles) - 60 (U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles)|-| "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" || Long John Baldry and Kathi McDonald || |June 1979 || 89 || n/a || 2 (Australia) || 37 (New Zealand) - 45 (Canada)|} Other Chart hit singles Notable singles Song title Artist(s) Release date(s) Other Chart Performance(s) "Bela Lugosi's Dead" August 1979 n/a "Boys Don't Cry" July 1979 99 (Australia) "California über alles" June 1979 4 (UK Indie Chart) "Death Disco" June 1979 20 (UK Singles Chart) "Jumping Someone Else's Train" November 1979 n/a "Life During Wartime" September 1979 80 (US Billboard Hot 100) "Mittageisen" September 1979 47 (UK Singles Chart) "Playground Twist" June 1979 28 (UK Singles Chart) "Rapper's Delight" September 1979 (#36 US: first rap song to hit Billboard's Top 40) "Shivers" May 1979 n/a "The Staircase (Mystery)" March 1979 24 (UK Singles Chart) "They Don't Know" June 1979 n/a "Transmission" October 1979 n/a "Typical Girls" / "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" September 1979 60 (UK singles Chart) Other Notable singles Published popular music "Don't Cry Out Loud" w. Carole Bayer Sager m. Peter Allen "The Facts of Life" w.m. Alan Thicke, Gloria Loring, and Al Burton, from the TV series of the same name "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love" w.m. Carole Bayer Sager & Peter Allen "Knots Landing theme" m. Jerrold Immel "The Rainbow Connection" w.m. Kenny Ascher & Paul Williams, from the film The Muppet Movie "Sultans of Swing" w.m. Mark Knopfler Classical music Arno Babadjanian – Third String Quartet Milton Babbitt An Elizabethan Sextette, for six female voices Images, for saxophone and tape Paraphrases, for ten instruments Osvaldas Balakauskas – Symphony No. 2 Pascal Bentoiu – Symphony No. 5, Op. 26 Luciano Berio – Scena Harrison Birtwistle – ... agm ..., for sixteen voices and three instrumental ensembles John Cage Hymns and Variations, for twelve amplified voices Roaratorio for tape George Crumb Apparition for soprano and amplified piano Celestial Mechanics (Makrokosmos IV) for amplified piano (four hands) Star-Child (1977, revised 1979) for soprano, antiphonal children's voices, male speaking choir, bell ringers, and large orchestra Mario Davidovsky – Pennplay for sixteen players Peter Maxwell Davies Black Pentecost, for mezzo-soprano, baritone, and orchestra, Op. 82 Kirkwall Shopping Songs, for young voices and instruments, Op. 85 Nocturne, for alto flute solo, Op. 84 Quiet Memory of Bob Jennings, for violin, viola, and cello, WoO 135 Salome, concert suite from the ballet, Op. 80b Solstice of Light, cantata for tenor, SATB chorus, and organ, Op. 83 Morton Feldman String Quartet No. 1 Violin and Orchestra Hugh Flynn – Birds Philip Glass Dance (Dances 1, 3 and 5, with Lucinda Childs and Sol LeWitt), for ensemble Mad Rush, for piano or electric organ Alexander Goehr Babylon the Great Is Fallen, cantata, Op. 40 Chaconne for organ, Op. 34a Das Gesetz der Quadrille, Op. 41 Sinfonia, Op. 42 Cristóbal Halffter Officium defunctuorum, for orchestra and chorus Violin Concerto No. 1 Jacques Hétu – Bassoon Concerto Vagn Holmboe Violin Concerto No. 2 Notater for 3 trombones (alto, tenor, baritone) and tuba Konstateringer for choir Guitar Sonata No. 1 Guitar Sonata No. 2 Accordion Sonata No. 1 Bogtrykkemaskinen for violin and piano Miloslav Kabelac – Metamorphoses II, for piano and orchestra, Op. 58 Wojciech Kilar – Fanfare for mixed choir and orchestra Hoary Fog (Siwa mgła), for baritone and orchestra Witold Lutosławski – Novelette for orchestra William Lloyd Webber – Missa Sanctae Mariae Magdalenae Tomás Marco Aria de la batalla, for organ Tartessos, for four percussionists Richard Meale – Viridian, for orchestra Paul Moravec Ave Verum Corpus, for SATB chorus Missa Miserere, for SATB chorus and orchestra Pater Noster, for SATB chorus Ștefan Niculescu – Sincronie for flute, oboe and bassoon Allan Pettersson – Viola Concerto Steve Reich Octet Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboards R. Murray Schafer Beauty and the Beast, from Patria 3, for alto with masks and string quartet Felix's Girls, from Patria 3, for SATB quartet or choir Gamelan, from Patria 3, for SATB, SASA, or TBTB solo quartet or choir Hear Me Out from Patria 3, for four speaking voices Music for Wilderness Lake, for twelve trombones and small rural lake Ontario Variations on a theme by Jack Behrens (one variation), for piano, contribution to collective work by Ontario composers Peter Sculthorpe Four Little Pieces, for piano duet Mangrove, for orchestra Requiem, for cello alone Denis Smalley – The Pulses of Time, electronic music Roger Smalley – String Quartet Michael Tippett – Triple Concerto for violin, viola, and cello Anatol Vieru Concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra Iosif si fratii sai, for eleven instruments and tape Malcolm Williamson – Fanfarade, for orchestra Charles Wuorinen Fortune, for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano Joan's, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano The Magic Art, instrumental masque, for chamber orchestra Percussion Duo, for mallet instruments and piano Psalm 39, for baritone and guitar String Quartet No. 2 Three Songs, for tenor and piano Iannis Xenakis Anémoessa, for SATB chorus of 42 or 84 voices and orchestra Dikhthas, for violin and piano Palimpsest, for cor anglais, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, percussion, piano, and string quintet Opera Peter Maxwell Davies Cinderella, Op. 87 The Lighthouse, Op. 86 Hossein Dehlavi – Mana and Mani^[25] Libby Larsen – The Silver Fox Roger Smalley – William Derrincourt (Perth, 31 August) Jazz See main article: 1979 in jazz. Musical theatre Ain't Misbehavin' (Music: Fats Waller, Lyrics: Various Book: Murray Horwitz & Richard Maltby, Jr.). London production opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on March 22. Carmelina (Book: Alan Jay Lerner & Joseph Stein Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Burton Lane) Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on April 8 and ran for 17 performances. Starring Georgia Brown and Cesare Siepi Evita (Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics and Book: Tim Rice). Broadway production opened at the Broadway Theatre on September 25 and ran for 1567 performances The King and I London revival opened at the Palladium on June 12 and ran for 538 performances My Old Friends (Music, Lyrics and Book: Mel Mandel and Norman Sachs). Off-Broadway production opened at the Orpheum Theatre on January 12 and transferred to the 22 Steps Theatre on Broadway on April 12 for a total run of 154 performances. Oklahoma! (Music: Richard Rodgers, Lyrics and Book: Oscar Hammerstein II) – Broadway revival opened at the Palace Theatre on December 13 and ran for 310 performances Peter Pan (Music: Mark Charlap, Lyrics and Book: Carolyn Leigh with additional songs, Music: Jule Styne and Lyrics: Betty Comden & Adolph Green). Broadway revival opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on September 6 and ran for 551 performances. Saravà (Music: Mitch Leigh, Lyrics and Book: N. Richard Nash). Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on February 23 and ran for 140 performances Sugar Babies Broadway revue opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on October 8 and ran for 1208 performances. Sweeney Todd (Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim, Book: Hugh Wheeler) – Broadway production opened at the Uris Theatre on March 1 and ran for 557 performances They're Playing Our Song (Music: Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics: Carole Bayer Sager, Book: Neil Simon). Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on February 11 and ran for 1082 performances Tommy London production opened at Queen's Theatre on February 6 and ran for 118 performances The Venetian Twins (Music: Terence Clarke, Lyrics and Book: Nick Enright). Opened at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre on October 26. Whoopee (Music: Walter Donaldson, Lyrics: Gus Kahn, Book: William Anthony McGuire). Broadway revival opened at the ANTA Theatre on February 14 and ran for 212 performances. Musical films All That Jazz Balada pro banditu Hair Metamorphoses The Muppet Movie The Music Machine Ochen sinjaja boroda (animation) Oolkatal Radio On Rock 'n' Roll High School Roller Boogie The Rose Schlager Skatetown, U.S.A. Births January 1 Brody Dalle, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Koichi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor January 3 - Koit Toome, Estonian actor and singer January 5 – Kathleen Edwards, Canadian singer/musician January 7 – Aloe Blacc, American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, businessman, and philanthropist January 10 – Christopher Smith, singer-songwriter (Kris Kross) January 11 – Siti Nurhaliza, Malaysian singer January 16 – Aaliyah Haughton, American singer, actress, and model (d.2001) January 20 Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park) Will Young, British singer Joel Pott, English musician, producer and songwriter (Shura, George Ezra) January 30 - Nam Hyun-joon, South Korean dancer, rapper and singer January 31 - Kim E-Z, South Korean singer (Baby Vox) February 1 Valentín Elizalde, Regional Mexican singer Jason Isbell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Drive-By Truckers) Julie Roberts, American country singer-songwriter February 10 – Daryl Palumbo, American musician who fronted bands such as Glassjaw February 11 – Brandy Norwood, American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress February 12 – Jade Jones, British singer and chef, Emma Bunton's partner February 14 – Tsakane Valentine Maswanganyi, South African operatic and concert soprano February 15 – Adam Granduciel, American musician February 16 - Eric Mun, South Korean rapper (Shinhwa) February 21 – Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress, television producer, director, singer-songwriter, and author\ February 22 - Jessica Kiper ("Sugar"), American actress, singer, reality TV star and actress February 26 – Corinne Bailey Rae, British singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist March 4 Merrill Garbus, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, activist, art-pop musician (Tune-Yards) Jon Fratelli, Scottish singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist (The Fratellis) March 7 – Amanda Somerville, American singer-songwriter and vocal coach March 8 – Tom Chaplin, British singer (Keane) March 9 – Oscar Isaac, Guatemalan-American actor and musician (Sucker Punch, The Blinking Underdogs, Inside Llewyn Davis) March 11 Benji Madden, American lead guitar for Good Charlotte Joel Madden, American lead vocals for Good Charlotte March 14 – Jacques Brautbar (Phantom Planet) March 18 – Adam Levine, American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and record producer (Maroon 5) March 20 – Sean Garrett, American musical producer, musician, songwriter (Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Ciara) March 23 – Ariel Rechtshaid, American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter March 27 - Lee Ji-hoon, South Korean singer (S) March 28 – Shakib Khan, Bangladeshi film actor, producer, singer, film organiser, and media personality March 30 – Norah Jones, American singer-songwriter, pianist April 1 – Mikko Franck, Finnish violinist and conductor April 2 – Jesse Carmichael, American instrumentalist April 6 - Richard Jones, British music producer, songwriter, bass guitar player and founding member of the rock band The Feeling April 8 – Alexi Laiho, Finnish guitarist, composer, and vocalist (d.2020) April 10 – Sophie Ellis-Bextor, British singer-songwriter and dancer April 11 Danielle de Niese, Australian-American lyric soprano Chris Gaylor, drummer (The All-American Rejects) Sebastien Grainger (Death from Above 1979) April 13 – Tony Lundon (Liberty X) April 20 – Quinn Weng, Taiwanese-Canadian mezzo-soprano singer (Seraphim) April 21 – Anwar Robinson, American singer April 22 – Daniel Johns, Australian musician, singer, and songwriter (Silverchair) April 29 Jo O'Meara, English singer and actress (S Club 7) Matt Tong, drummer (Bloc Party) May 4 – Lance Bass, American singer, dancer, actor, film, and television producer, and author ('N Sync) May 9 Ara Mina, Filipino actress and singer Andrew W.K., American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer Matt Morris, American singer, producer, actor, and songwriter May 10 - Lee Hyori, South Korean singer (Fin.K.L) May 13 – Mickey Madden, American bassist May 14 – Dan Auerbach, American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer (The Black Keys, Patrick Carney) May 16 - Lee Hee-jin, South Korean singer (Baby Vox) May 21 – Sonja Vectomov, Czech-Finnish musical artist May 29 – Scribe, New Zealand hip hop rapper and recording artist of Samoan descent June 5 – Pete Wentz, American musician, multi-instrumentalist, writer, mental health advocate, and songwriter (Fall Out Boy) June 8 – Derek Trucks, guitarist, songwriter June 12 – Robyn, Swedish singer, songwriter, and record producer June 17 – Young Maylay, American rapper, producer, and voice actor June 18 – Ivana Wong, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress June 19 – Robby De Sá, South African musician, music producer, and instrumentalist June 26 – Ryan Tedder, American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer (OneRepublic, Hilary Duff, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez) June 29 – Abz Love, singer (5ive) July 4 – Dumas, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist July 5 – Shane Filan, Irish singer and songwriter (Westlife) July 6 – Matthew Barnson, American viola player and composer July 9 – Ella Koon, Hong Kong singer and actress July 13 – Ladyhawke, New Zealand born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist July 15 – Laura Benanti, American actress and singer July 16 – Ivan Tásler July 17 – Solé, American rapper July 19 - Michelle Heaton, English singer (Liberty X) July 25 – Amy Adams, singer July 26 – Tamyra Gray, singer July 28 - Lee Min-woo, South Korean singer (Shinhwa) August 7 - Gangsta Boo, American rapper (d.2023) August 13 – Amiel Daemion, American-Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress August 15 - Jon Hopkins, an English musician and producer who writes and performs electronic music. H August 16 - Brian Ormond, Irish singer August 20 – Jamie Cullum, English jazz-pop singer-songwriter, pianist August 21 – Kelis, American singer-songwriter and chef August 23 – Ritchie Neville, singer (5ive) August 27 – Jon Siebels, guitarist (Eve 6) August 31 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, film composer and singer September 3 – Jason McCaslin, bass guitarist (Sum 41) September 4 - MC Mong, South Korean rapper September 6 – Foxy Brown, American rapper, model, and actress September 8 – Pink, American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, and activist September 10 - MayBee, South Korean singer September 16 – Flo Rida, American rapper and singer September 21 Maija Kovaļevska, Latvian soprano opera singer Jericho Rosales, Filipino entertainer September 22 – Emilie Autumn, American violinist, singer, poet, mental health advocate, and songwriter September 24 – Julia Clarete, Filipina singer, actress, performer, television personality, and former host of Eat Bulaga! September 27 – Barbara Kanam, Congolese singer October 3 – Josh Klinghoffer, guitarist, (Red Hot Chili Peppers) October 9 – Alex Greenwald, vocals, rhythm guitar for Phantom Planet October 10 – Mýa, American recording artist, songwriter, and actress October 12 – Jordan Pundik, lead vocals for New Found Glory October 15 Jaci Velasquez, Latin pop singer Yoav, singer-songwriter of Israeli-Romanian descent, raised in South Africa October 18 – Ne-Yo, American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, television host/judge, and actor (Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, World Of Dance) October 24 – Ben Gillies, Australian drummer (Silverchair) October 25 – Bat for Lashes, English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist November 2 - Skull, South Korean reggae singer November 7 – Jon Peter Lewis, American singer November 9 – Nicolas Koeckert, German violinist November 10 – Chris Joannou, Australian musician, bass guitar for Silverchair November 21 - Kim Dong-wan, South Korean singer (Shinhwa) November 22 – Scott Robinson, singer (5ive) November 27 - Shin Hye-sung, South Korean singer and songwriter November 28 – Chamillionaire, American rapper Daniel Henney, American actor November 29 – The Game, American rapper December 3 – Daniel Bedingfield, English-New Zealand singer, songwriter, and record producer December 7 – Sara Bareilles, American singer-songwriter, actress, and author. December 14 – Sophie Monk, Australian singer, songwriter, actress, model, and radio personality December 15 Alex Solowitz, American actor, composer, singer, dancer, and producer (2gether) Adam Brody, American actor, writer, musician, and producer (Leighton Meester, Big Japan) Edele Lynch, Irish singer (B*Witched) Keavy Lynch, Irish singer (B*Witched) December 26 – Chris Daughtry, American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor December 28 – Zach Hill, American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist, (Death Grips, The I.L.Y's, Hella) December 30 – Yelawolf, American rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and producer December 31 – Bob Bryar, American retired musician, drummer (My Chemical Romance) Unknown Ingrid Michaelson, American singer-songwriter, actress, and activist Ms. Jade, American rapper Deaths January 5 – Charles Mingus, jazz musician, 56^[26] January 13 Donny Hathaway, singer, 33 (injuries from fall)^[27] Marjorie Lawrence, operatic soprano, 71^[28] February 2 – Sid Vicious, punk rocker, 21^[29] March 4 – Mike Patto, rock singer, 36 (cancer) March 5 – Alan Crofoot, operatic tenor and host of Mr Piper, 49 (suicide)^[30] March 13 – Harrison Keller, US violinist and music teacher, 90^[31] March 22 – Walter Legge, record producer, 72^[32] March 23 – Antonio Brosa, violinist, 84^[33] April 3 – Ernst Glaser, Norwegian violinist, conductor and music teacher, 75 April 10 – Nino Rota, composer, 67 (coronary thrombosis)^[34] April 16 – Maria Caniglia, operatic soprano, 73^[35] April 29 – Julia Perry, composer and conductor, 55 May 1 – Bronislav Gimpel, violinist, 68 May 9 – Zoltán Kelemen, operatic bass-baritone, 53 May 11 – Lester Flatt, bluegrass musician, 64 May 21 – Blue Mitchell, trumpeter, 49 May 26 - Stefano Ballarini, baritone, 76^[36] ^[37] June 5 – Jack Haley, actor, singer (Wizard of Oz) 80 June 21 – Angus MacLise, American drummer and songwriter (Velvet Underground and Theatre of Eternal Music), 41 (hypoglycemia and pulmonary tuberculosis)^[38] June 29 – Lowell George, singer, songwriter and guitarist, founder of Little Feat, 34 (heart attack) July 3 – Louis Durey, composer, 91 July 6 – Van McCoy, singer, 39 (heart attack) July 12 – Minnie Riperton, singer, 31 (breast cancer) July 14 – Pedro Flores, composer, 85 July 16 – Alfred Deller, countertenor, 67 August 19 – Dorsey Burnette, Rockabilly singer, 46 (heart attack) August 25 – Stan Kenton, bandleader, 67 September 2 – Jacques Février, pianist, 79 September 6 – Guy Bolton, English librettist, 94 September 22 – Richard Nibley, violinist, 66 September 27 Gracie Fields, actress and singer, 81 Jimmy McCulloch, guitarist (Wings), 26 October 1 – Roy Harris, composer, 81 October 13 – Rebecca Helferich Clarke, viola player and composer, 93^[39] October 22 – Nadia Boulanger, French composer, conductor, and music teacher, 92^[40] October 27 – Germaine Lubin, operatic soprano, 89 November 11 – Dimitri Tiomkin, film composer and conductor, 85 November 13 – Freda Betti, French mezzo-soprano opera singer, 55 November 17 – John Glascock, rock bassist, 28 November 23 – Judee Sill, singer-songwriter, 35 November 30 – Joyce Grenfell, actress and singer-songwriter, 69 December 21 – Nansi Richards, harpist, 91 December 30 – Richard Rodgers, composer and songwriter, 77 Awards Grammy Awards of 1979 1979 Country Music Association Awards Eurovision Song Contest 1979 Japan Music Awards 21st Japan Record Awards See also Record labels established in 1979 1979 in music (UK) External links

Notes and References

1. Web site: Wawzenek. Bryan. That Time Elvis Costello Incited a Brawl With Racist Remarks. January 24, 2022. Ultimate Classic Rock. en.
2. Book: Doggett, Peter. Peter Doggett. You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup. HarperCollins. 2009. 978-0-06-177418-8. 261.
3. Web site: Simple Minds setlist at The Old Grey Whistle Test . setlist.fm .
4. If You Want Blood (and Flashbombs and Dry Ice and Confetti) You Got It . . 19 May 1979 . Barton . Geoff . Geoff Barton . 28–29 .
5. Web site: Kate Bush's only tour: pop concert or disappearing act? . The Guardian . 13 May 2010.
6. Web site: Tubeway Army . Official Charts .
7. Web site: AIR Studio Ruins. Atlas Obscura. 2018-06-06. 2023-10-13.
8. Web site: Gary Numan . Official Charts.
9. Book: Strong , Martin C. . 2000. The Great Rock Discography. 5th. Mojo Books . Edinburgh. 485–486. 1-84195-017-3.
10. Book: Twomey . Chris . The Stranglers - The Men They Love To Hate . 1992 . EMI Records Ltd. 76.
11. Web site: BPI certification.
12. Web site: RIAA certifications.
13. 14 April 1979. News / Singles. Music Week. 4, 48. 19 June 2022.
14. Web site: BPI certifications for ELO.
15. Web site: BPI.
16. Web site: British album certifications - Mike Oldfield - Exposed . . 8 July 2022.
17. Book: Popoff . Martin . Martin Popoff . The Deep Purple Family . 2nd . Wymer Publishing . 2016 . 259 . 978-1-908724-42-7.
18. Web site: RIAA.
19. Web site: BPI.
20. Web site: The Great Rock Discography. 896.
21. Web site: BPI.
22. Web site: Bomber certification.
23. Web site: In Concert.
24. http://tsort.info/music/yr1979.htm Songs from the Year 1979
25. Web site: Maestro's wife to honor him with academy. 30 June 2015. Mehr News Agency. 17 October 2019.
26. Book: Bob Macken. Peter Fornatale. Bill Ayres. The Rock Music Source Book. registration. 1 January 1980. Anchor Books. 978-0-385-14139-0. 631.
27. Book: Tobler , John . 1992. NME Rock 'N' Roll Years. 1st. Reed International Books Ltd. London. 322. CN 5585.
28. Book: Griffin, Helga M.. http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100013b.htm. Lawrence, Marjorie Florence (1907–1979). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. 14–15. 10. Melbourne, Vic. 1986. 30 June 2009.
29. Web site: Medina. David. Lombardi. Frank. Punk rocker Sid Vicious dies of an overdose in 1979. New York Daily News. nydailynews.com. 6 May 2017. 1 February 2015.
30. News: Alcohol, medication may have led to tenor's suicide. March 7, 1979. The Calgary Herald. B18. February 6, 2013.
31. Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Seventh Edition, Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky, Schirmer Books, New York, 1984, page 1178
32. Book: Walter Legge. Alan Sanders. Walter Legge: words and music. 21 May 1998. Duckworth. 978-0-7156-2774-7. 255.
33. Book: Stanley Sadie. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 1980. Macmillan Publishers. 978-0-333-23111-1. 335.
34. Book: F. Maurice Speed. Speed. Film Review: 1979–1980. 1 November 1979. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. 978-0-8015-2632-9. 168.
35. Book: Lanfranco Rasponi. The Last Prima Donnas. Limelight Editions. 1985. 9780879100407. 245.
36. Stephan Ballarini in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
37. Stephan Ballarini in the Florida, U.S., Death Index, 1877-1998
38. allmusic "Angus MacLise"
39. Book: Greene, David. Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers. London. Collins. 1986. 1164. 978-0-00434-363-1.
40. Book: Lavezzoli, Peter. The Dawn of Indian Music in the West. London. Continuum. 2007. 978-0-82642-819-6. 126.