1973 in music

Specific genres

• 1973 in country music
• 1973 in heavy metal music
• 1973 in jazz
• 1973 in progressive rock

Events

January–April

• January 8 – British Rail authorities restrict Pipe Major Gordon Speirs to playing his bagpipes just one minute in every fifteen on Liverpool Street station, London, on grounds that his playing (part of a holiday campaign by the Scottish Tourist Board) "interferes with station business".
• January 9 – Mick Jagger's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug conviction, putting an abrupt end to The Rolling Stones' plans to perform in Japan during their forthcoming tour.
• January 13 - The Sweet release "Block Buster!", their only number one hit in the UK. It stays at the top of the charts for 5 weeks. This is one of the first Glam hits of the decade. The Sweet follow this up with 3 straight number 2 singles: "Hell Raiser", "The Ballroom Blitz" and "Teenage Rampage".
• January 14
  • Elvis Presley's Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite television special is broadcast in over 40 countries around the world.
  • Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh is arrested for drug possession at his Marin County home.
• January 18 – The Rolling Stones' benefit concert for Nicaraguan earthquake victims raises over $350,000. On December 22, 1972, an earthquake destroyed Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.
• January 21 – The Rolling Stones open their Pacific tour of Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• January 30 – Kiss perform their first concert, at the Coventry Club in Queens, New York City, United States.
• February 2 – The Midnight Special makes its début as a regular series on US TV channel NBC. Helen Reddy is the featured artist.
• February 14 – David Bowie collapses from exhaustion after a performance at New York's Madison Square Garden.
• February 18 – The King Biscuit Flower Hour is first broadcast with performances by Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and new artist Bruce Springsteen.
• March 1
  • Leonard Bernstein conducts Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto for the first time in his career, with soloist Isaac Stern and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
  • The Joffrey Ballet's Deuce Coupe Ballet opens. The ballet is set entirely to music by The Beach Boys.
  • Pink Floyd releases The Dark Side of the Moon, which goes on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time. The album debuts on the Billboard 200 on March 17, reaches #1 on April 28, and eventually logs the all-time record of 741 weeks on that chart. Sleeve design is by Hipgnosis.
• March 5 – Jimi Hendrix's former personal manager, Michael Jeffery, is killed in a plane crash while travelling from Majorca to England; no passengers survive.
• March 6 – The New York Office of the US Immigration Department cancels John Lennon's visa extension five days after granting it.
• March 7 – The director of talent acquisition at Columbia Records, John H. Hammond, suffers a non-fatal heart attack following a performance by one of his most recent finds, Bruce Springsteen.
• March 8 – Paul McCartney is fined $240 after pleading guilty to charges of growing marijuana outside his Scottish farm.
• March 14 – The singers Stephen Stills and Véronique Sanson are married near Guildford, England.
• March 24 – Lou Reed is bitten on the buttocks by a fan during a concert in Buffalo, New York.
• April 2 – Capitol Records releases two collections of The Beatles' greatest hits, The Beatles 1962-1966 and The Beatles 1967-1970 (commonly referred to as the "Red Album" and the "Blue Album", respectively).
• April 7 – In Luxembourg City, the 18th Eurovision Song Contest is won by Luxembourg for the second consecutive year, this time with "Tu te reconnaîtras", sung by Anne-Marie David. Spain finish in second place with "Eres Tú", sung by Mocedades; the United Kingdom finish third with Cliff Richard singing "Power to All Our Friends". The top three placed songs become international hits.
• April 8 – Opening of the first La Rochelle Festival of Contemporary Music, under the direction of Claude Samuel. Featured composers include Karlheinz Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis
• April 15 – Tenth Royan Festival of International Contemporary Art begins, including concerts featuring music by Jean Barraqué and Horațiu Rădulescu, amongst others.
• April 16 – Paul McCartney's first solo television special, James Paul McCartney, airs on ABC. The special includes performances by McCartney and Wings.
• April 18 – Violinist Jascha Heifetz deposits parts from his prized Guarnerius violin in the newly poured wet concrete of the foundation for the new Virginia Ramo Hall of Music, under construction at the University of Southern California, United States, in order to ensure the building will be "in tune", and to bring luck.

May–August

• May 4 – July 29 – Led Zeppelin embarks on a tour of the United States, during which they set the record for highest attendance for a concert, 56,800, at the Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The record was previously held by The Beatles. Performances for the movie The Song Remains the Same are also filmed.
• May 9 – Mick Jagger adds $150,000 of his own money to the $350,000 raised by The Rolling Stones' January 18 benefit concert for the victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake.
• May 12 – David Bowie is the first rock artist to perform at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London.
• May 13 – Daniel Barenboim collapses with a gastric upset during a concert at the Brighton Festival in England, but later had sufficiently recovered to be driven home.
• May 19 – Première of Havergal Brian's Symphony No. 2 in E minor at the Brighton Dome, performed by the Kensington Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leslie Head.
• May 23 – Don Robey sells Duke Records, Peacock Records and Backbeat Records to ABC Dunhill Records.
• May 25 – Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells becomes the first release on Richard Branson's newly launched Virgin label in the UK.
• June 1 - Robert Wyatt falls three storeys from a London apartment block, becoming paralized from the waist down. After a six-month stay in hospital, where he composes the material for his Rock Bottom album, he continues his musical career using a wheelchair.
• June 4 – Ronnie Lane plays his last show with Faces at the Edmonton Sundown in London. Lane had informed the band three weeks earlier that he was quitting.
• June 15 – The first Istanbul International Music Festival opens.
• June 16 – Benjamin Britten's opera Death in Venice, receives its première at Snape Maltings in the UK.
• June 29 – The Scorpions play their first gig with Uli Roth at a festival in Vechta, Germany. Roth was originally intended as a temporary replacement for Michael Schenker, who had just been snapped up by U.F.O. earlier in the month.
• July 3 – David Bowie 'retires' his stage persona Ziggy Stardust in front of a shocked audience at the Hammersmith Odeon in London at the end of his British tour.
• July 4 – Slade drummer Don Powell is critically injured in a car crash in Wolverhampton; his 20-year-old girlfriend is killed. With his life in danger, the band's future is left in the balance. Powell recovers after surgery, and is able to join the band ten weeks later in New York, to record "Merry Xmas Everybody".
• July 13 – The Everly Brothers break up after Phil Everly smashes his guitar on the floor midway through their final show together.
• July 15 – Ray Davies of The Kinks makes an emotional outburst during a performance at White City Stadium in London, announcing he is quitting the group. He later recants the statement.
• July 28 – Summer Jam at Watkins Glen rock festival in New York (state) is attended by 600,000, who see The Allman Brothers Band, The Band and the Grateful Dead.
• July 30 – Soviet officials grant permission for Gennadi Rozhdestvensky to accept a three-year appointment as chief conductor of the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the first time a Soviet orchestra conductor has been allowed to take up such a position outside of the Eastern Bloc.
• August 6 – Stevie Wonder is seriously injured in a car accident outside Durham, North Carolina, spending the next four days in a coma.
• August 11 – DJ Kool Herc originates the hip-hop genre in New York City.
• August 20 – The London Symphony Orchestra becomes the first British orchestra to take part in the Salzburg Festival.
• August 25 – The Allman Brothers nearly suffer another tragedy when Butch Trucks crashes his car near Macon, Georgia, not far from where Duane Allman was killed two years earlier. Trucks survives with only a broken leg.

September–December

• September 1 – The Rolling Stones open their European tour in Vienna, Austria.
• September 6 - "Here he is, the biggest, largest, most gigantic and fantastic man, the co-star of my next movie - Elton John!" That's how John is introduced at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert's emcee is none other than pornographic film star Linda Lovelace.
• September 20 – Jim Croce, Maury Muehleisen and four others die in a plane crash in Louisiana.
• September 22 – Benita Valente makes her debut with the Metropolitan Opera, singing Pamina in The Magic Flute.
• September 23 – The Roxy Theatre opens in West Hollywood, California.
• September 27 – Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is premièred on syndicated television in the United States, including a performance by The Rolling Stones.
• September 29 – Jan Akkerman from the Netherlands was chosen 'Best Guitarist in The World' by the readers of the UK magazine, Melody Maker.
• October 5 – Genesis releases their 5th studio album Selling England by the Pound, one of their most commercially successful albums.
• October 6 – Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band become the national brass-band champions of Great Britain by defeating 18 other bands at the Albert Hall in London.
• October 13 – Family play their last concert at De Montfort Hall at Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University) before splitting up for good. A farewell party at a local Holiday Inn after the show ends in a good-natured melée, with people jumping in or pushed into the motel pool.
• October 17 – The 1973 oil crisis begins, causing shortages of the vinyl needed to manufacture records. A number of new albums are either delayed or only available in limited quantities until after the holiday season.
• October 20 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom opens Sydney Opera House.
• November 1 – Kiss becomes the first act signed to Neil Bogart's new label, Casablanca Records.
• November 5
  • Cellist Jacqueline du Pré is forced to retire because she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
  • Two friends of the recently deceased Gram Parsons hand themselves in to police and confess to having carried out an impromptu cremation of the singer's body at the Joshua Tree National Monument.
• November 7 – Harold Holt Ltd., agent for Jacqueline du Pré, deny newspaper reports that she will never perform again, while at the same time confirming she has been diagnosed with "a mild case of multiple sclerosis" and has no definite plans for future performances.
• November 10 – The 2nd OTI Festival, held at the Palácio das Artes in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, is won by the song "Qué alegre va María", written by Celia Bonfil, and performed by Imelda Miller representing Mexico.
• November 20 – The Who open their Quadrophenia US tour with a concert at San Francisco's Cow Palace, but drummer Keith Moon passes out and has to be carried off the stage. 19-year old fan Scot Halpin is selected from the audience to finish the show.
• November 24 – Première of Górecki's Three Dances, Op. 34, in Rybnik. Performed by the Rybnik Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Antoni Szafranek.
• December – Paul Pena produces his second album, New Train, but due to a dispute with Albert Grossman of Bearsville Records the release was canceled. The album would later be released on Hybrid Recordings in 2000.
• December 10 – CBGB music club opens in Manhattan.
• December 15 – Jermaine Jackson marries Hazel Gordy, daughter of Motown Records executive Berry Gordy.
• December 25 – Universal Pictures releases The Sting, reviving interest in the ragtime music of Scott Joplin.
• December 31
  • Brothers Malcolm and Angus Young perform under the name AC/DC at the former Sydney nightclub 'Chequers' for their New Year's Eve party.
  • The second annual New Year's Rockin' Eve airs on NBC, with performances by Tower of Power, Billy Preston and The Pointer Sisters.

Unknown dates

• Musica Antiqua Köln formed.
• Royal Manchester College of Music and the Northern School of Music merge to create the Royal Northern College of Music.
• Seiji Ozawa is appointed Musical Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
• The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival is launched, with Pablo Casals as its president.
• U.F.O. signs a contract with Chrysalis Records.
• Approximate date – Salsa music originates in New York City.
• The pioneer disco gay nightclub the Tenth Floor closes in Manhattan.

Bands formed

• See Musical groups established in 1973

Bands disbanded

• See Musical groups disestablished in 1973

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Release date unknown

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1973.

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Other Chart hit singles

• "All the Way from Memphis" – Mott the Hoople (# 10 UK)
• "Baby, I Love You – Dave Edmunds
• "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" – Jim Croce
• "The Ballroom Blitz" – Sweet
• "Basketball Jones" – Cheech and Chong
• "Be" – Neil Diamond
• "Behind Closed Doors" – Charlie Rich (#15 US)
• "Blinded By the Light" – Bruce Springsteen
• "Blockbuster!" – Sweet
• "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" – Bette Midler
• "Born To Be With You – Dave Edmunds
• "Brother Louie" – Hot Chocolate
• "Brother Louie" – Stories
• "Call Me (Come Back Home)" – Al Green
• "Candle in the Wind" – Elton John
• "Can the Can" – Suzi Quatro
• "Caroline" – Status Quo
• "C'est pour toi" (French version of "Touch the Wind") – Mocedades
• "China Grove" – The Doobie Brothers
• "Cindy Incidentally" – Faces
• "The Cisco Kid" – War (#2 US)
• "Close Your Eyes" – Edward Bear
• "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" – The Spinners
• "The Cover Of "Rolling Stone"" – Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
• "Cum on Feel the Noize" – Slade
• "Daddy's Home" – Jermaine Jackson
• "Daisy a Day" – Jud Strunk (#14 US)
• "Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)" – Barry Blue
• "Dancing in the Moonlight" – King Harvest
• "Daniel" – Elton John
• "Daydreamer"/"The Puppy Song" – David Cassidy
• "The Dean and I" – 10cc
• "Delta Dawn" – Helen Reddy
• "Diamond Girl" – Seals and Crofts (#6 US)
• "Do It Again" – Steely Dan
• "Do You Wanna Dance" – Barry Blue
• "Do You Wanna Dance?" – Bette Midler
• "Do You Wanna Touch Me" – Gary Glitter
• "Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend" – Lobo
• "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" – James Taylor
• "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" – The Rolling Stones
• "Dream On" – Aerosmith
• "Drive-In Saturday" – David Bowie (#3 UK)
• "D'yer Mak'er" – Led Zeppelin
• "Everything's Been Changed" – The 5th Dimension
• "Eye Level" – Simon Park Orchestra
• "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" – Chicago
• "For Your Love" – Gwen McCrae
• "Frankenstein" – Edgar Winter Group
• "The Free Electric Band" – Albert Hammond
• "Get Down" – Gilbert O'Sullivan
• "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" – George Harrison
• "Goin' Home" – The Osmonds
• "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" – Elton John
• "The Groover" – T.Rex
• "Gypsy Man" – War
• "Half-Breed" – Cher
• "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" – Bryan Ferry
• "Heartbeat - It's a Lovebeat" – DeFranco Family
• "Helen Wheels" – Paul McCartney and Wings
• "Hell Raiser" – Sweet
• "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again" – Gary Glitter
• "Hello Hooray" – Alice Cooper
• "Hello It's Me" – Todd Rundgren (#5 US)
• "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" – Al Green
• "Hi, Hi, Hi"/"C Moon" – Wings
• "Higher Ground" – Stevie Wonder
• "Hocus Pocus" – Focus
• "Hummingbird" – Seals and Crofts
• "Hurting Each Other" – The Carpenters
• "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)" – Johnny Taylor
• "I Got a Name" – Jim Croce
• "I Love You Love Me Love" – Gary Glitter
• "I Wanna Be With You" – Raspberries
• "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" – Wizzard
• "I'm Doin' Fine Now" – New York City
• "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" – Barry White
• "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" – The Moody Blues
• "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" – Gary Glitter
• "I've Got to Use My Imagination" – Gladys Knight & The Pips
• "If You Don't Know Me By Now" – Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes
• "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" – John Fogerty
• "The Jean Genie" – David Bowie
• "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne" – Looking Glass
• "The Joker" – Steve Miller Band
• "Just You 'N' Me" – Chicago
• "Keep On Truckin'" – Eddie Kendricks (#1 US)
• "Keeper of the Castle" – The Four Tops
• "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Roberta Flack
• "Kodachrome" – Paul Simon
• "Lamplight" – David Essex
• "Last Song" – Edward Bear
• "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" – Helen Reddy
• "Let It Ride" – Bachman–Turner Overdrive
• "Let Me Serenade You" – Three Dog Night
• "Let's Get It On" – Marvin Gaye
• "Let Me Be There" – Olivia Newton-John
• "Let Me In" – The Osmonds
• "Life on Mars?" – David Bowie
• "Live and Let Die" – Wings
• "Living For the City" – Stevie Wonder
• "Living Together, Growing Together" – The 5th Dimension
• "Long Train Runnin'" – The Doobie Brothers
• "Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)" – ABBA
• "Love Train" – The O'Jays
• "Loves Me Like a Rock" – Paul Simon (with The Dixie Hummingbirds)
• "A Love Song" – Anne Murray
• "Mama Loo" – Les Humphries Singers
• "Masterpiece" – The Temptations (#7 US)
• "Me and Mrs. Jones" – Billy Paul
• "Merry Xmas Everybody" – Slade
• "Midnight Train to Georgia" – Gladys Knight and The Pips
• "Midnight Rider" – Gregg Allman
• "Mind Games" – John Lennon
• "Money" – Pink Floyd
• "The Morning After" – Maureen McGovern
• "The Most Beautiful Girl" – Charlie Rich
• "Muskrat Love" – America
• "My Coo-Ca-Choo" – Alvin Stardust
• "My Friend Stan" – Slade
• "My Love" – Paul McCartney & Wings
• "My Maria" – B. W. Stevenson
• "Natural High" – Bloodstone
• "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" – Gladys Knight & the Pips
• "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" – Vicki Lawrence
• "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" – ABBA
• "No More Mr. Nice Guy" – Alice Cooper
• "Nutbush City Limits – Ike & Tina Turner
• "Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?" – Hurricane Smith
• "One and One is One" – Medicine Head
• "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" – The Spinners
• "Painted Ladies" – Ian Thomas
• "Paper Plane" – Status Quo
• "Paper Roses" – Marie Osmond
• "Photograph" – Ringo Starr (#1 US)
• "Pick Up the Pieces" – Hudson Ford
• "Pillow Talk" – Sylvia
• "Playground in My Mind" – Clint Holmes
• "Pretty Lady" – Lighthouse
• "Power to All Our Friends" – Cliff Richard
• "Radar Love" – Golden Earring
• "Ramblin' Man" – Allman Brothers Band
• "Randy" – Blue Mink
• "Reelin' in the Years" – Steely Dan
• "Right Place, Wrong Time" – Dr. John
• "The Right Thing to Do" – Carly Simon
• "Ring Ring" – ABBA
• "Rock On" – David Essex
• "Rocky Mountain High" – John Denver
• "Rocky Mountain Way" – Joe Walsh
• "Roll Away the Stone" – Mott the Hoople
• "Roll Over Beethoven" – Electric Light Orchestra
• "Rubber Bullets" – 10cc
• "Sail On, Sailor" – The Beach Boys
• "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" – Elton John
• "See My Baby Jive" – Wizzard
• "Send a Little Love My Way" – Anne Murray
• "Shambala" – Three Dog Night
• "Show and Tell" – Al Wilson
• "Sing" – The Carpenters
• "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" – Slade
• "Smarty Pants" – First Choice
• "Smoke on the Water" – Deep Purple
• "Solitaire" – Andy Williams
• "Sorrow" – David Bowie
• "Soul Makossa" – Manu Dibango
• "Space Race" – Billy Preston
• "Stir It Up" – Johnny Nash
• "Stuck in the Middle with You" – Stealers Wheel
• "Sunday Sunrise" – Brenda Lee
• "Superstition" – Stevie Wonder
• "Sweet Understanding Love" – The Four Tops
• "Sylvia" – Focus
• "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" – Paul Simon
• "Teenage Lament '74" – Alice Cooper
• "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
• "Time in a Bottle" – Jim Croce
• "That Lady, Pt. 1 & 2" – The Isley Brothers
• "The Old Fashioned Way" – Charles Aznavour
• "Top of the World" – The Carpenters
• "Touch Me in the Morning" – Diana Ross
• "Trouble Man" – Marvin Gaye
• "Welcome Home" – Peters and Lee
• "We're an American Band" – Grand Funk Railroad
• "What About Me" – Anne Murray
• "Whisky in the Jar" – Thin Lizzy
• "Why Me" – Kris Kristofferson
• "Wildflower" – Skylark
• "Will It Go Round in Circles" – Billy Preston
• "Wonderful Dream (Tu Te Reconnaîtras)" – Anne-Marie David (Eurovision winner)
• "Won't Somebody Dance With Me" – Lynsey de Paul
• "The World Is a Ghetto" – War
• "Yesterday Once More" – The Carpenters (#2 US)
• "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" – Stevie Wonder
• "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" – The Detroit Emeralds
• "You're So Vain" – Carly Simon (#1 US)
• "Young Love" – Donny Osmond
• "Your Mama Don't Dance" – Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina

Notable singles

Other Notable singles

• "Ashes to Ashes" - The 5th Dimension
• "Daddy" b/w "It Was Written Down" - Toots and the Maytals

Published popular music

• "And I Love You So" w.m. Don McLean
• "Candle in the Wind" w. Bernie Taupin m. Elton John
• "Empty Tables" w. Johnny Mercer m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Frank Sinatra
• "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" w.m. Jim Croce
• "I've Got to Use My Imagination" w.m. Gerry Goffin & Barry Goldberg
• "Last Song" w.m. Lawrence Wayne Evoy
• "Liaisons" w.m. Stephen Sondheim from the musical A Little Night Music
• "Midnight Train to Georgia" w.m. Jim Weatherly
• "Misdemeanor" w.m. Foster Sylvers
• "Nadia's Theme" m. Barry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr., from the TV soap opera The Young and the Restless
• "(Say Has Anybody Seen) My Sweet Gypsy Rose" w.m. Irwin Levine & L. Russell Brown
• "Piano Man" w.m. Billy Joel
• "Send in the Clowns" w.m. Stephen Sondheim from the musical A Little Night Music
• "Stuck in the Middle with You" w.m. Joe Egan & Gerry Rafferty
• "There Used To Be A Ballpark" w.m. Joe Raposo
• "Top of the World" w.m. John Bettis & Richard Carpenter
• "The Way We Were" w. Alan and Marilyn Bergman m. Marvin Hamlisch from the film The Way We Were
• "WOLD (song)" – Harry Chapin
• "Yesterday Once More" w.m. John Bettis & Richard Carpenter

Other notable songs (world)

• "Desert Of Passion" – The Peanuts (Japan)
• "Fusil Contra Fusil" – Silvio Rodríguez (Cuba)
• "Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye" – Demis Roussos (Europe-wide)
• "I Love You Because" – Michel Polnareff (France)
• "J'ai un probleme" – Sylvie Vartan (France)
• "Mistero" – Gigliola Cinquetti (Italy)

Classical music

• Jean Absil – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3
• William Alwyn – Fantasy Sonata for flute and harp
• Malcolm Arnold – Symphony No. 7
• Günter Bialas – Trois Moments Musicaux, for piano
• Luciano Berio
  • Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra
  • Still, for orchestra
  • Linea for Two Pianos, Marimba and Vibraphone
• John Cage
  • Etcetera, for small orchestra, tape and, optionally, three conductors
  • Exercise, for an orchestra of soloists (based on Etcetera)
• Carlos Chávez
  • Estudio a Rubinstein, for piano
  • Paisajes mexicanos, for orchestra
  • Partita, for timpani
  • Sonante, for orchestra
• Gloria Coates – Music on Open Strings (Symphony No. 1)
• George Crumb – Makrokosmos, Volume II for amplified piano
• Morton Feldman
  • String Quartet and Orchestra
  • For Frank O'Hara, for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, and cello
  • Voices and Cello, for 2 female voices and cello
• Alberto Ginastera – String Quartet No. 3
• Lou Harrison – Organ Concerto with Percussion
• Anthony Iannaccone – Rituals
• Ben Johnston
  • "I'm Goin' Away", for SATB choir
  • String Quartet No. 3, "Vergings"
  • String Quartet No. 4, "Ascent" ("Amazing Grace")
• Paul Lansky – Mild und leise (computer music)
• Bruno Maderna – Oboe Concerto No. 3
• Frank Martin – Requiem
• Donald Martino – Notturno, for piccolo/flute/alto flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, viola, 'cello, piano, and percussion (awarded the 1974 Pulitzer Prize in Music)
• Akira Miyoshi – Nocturne
• Luigi Nono – Canto per il Vietnam
• Carl Orff – De temporum fine comoedia
• Arvo Pärt – Ukuaru valss
• Walter Piston – Three Counterpoints, for violin, viola, and cello
• Henri Pousseur – Vue sur les Jardins interdits, for saxophone quartet
• Dmitri Shostakovich – Six Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva, Op. 143
• Eduard Tubin – Symphony No. 10
• Henryk Górecki - Three Dances for Orchestra, Op. 34

Opera

• Robert Beadell – Napoleon (2 February, University of Nebraska, Lincoln)
• Nikolai Korndorf – Feast in the Time of Plague

Jazz

Musical theater

• Gigi (Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe) – Broadway production (adaptation of the film version)
• Grease – London production
• Gypsy (Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim) – London production opened at the Piccadilly Theatre on May 29 starring Angela Lansbury, Barrie Ingham and Zan Charisse
• Irene – Broadway revival
• The King and I (Rodgers & Hammerstein) – London revival
• La Révolution Française (Claude-Michel Schönberg, Raymond Jeannot, Alain Boublil and Jean-Max Rivière) – Original production opened at the Palais des Sports de Paris.
• A Little Night Music (Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre and ran for 601 performances
• No, No, Nanette (Irving Caesar, Otto Harbach, Vincent Youmans) – London revival
• The Pajama Game (Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) – Broadway revival
• Pippin – London production
• Raisin – Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 847 performances
• The Rocky Horror Show (Richard O'Brien) – London production
• Seesaw – Broadway production opened at the Uris Theatre on March 18 and ran for 296 performances
• Treasure Island London production opened at the Mermaid Theatre on December 17. Starred Bernard Miles, Jonathan Scott Taylor and Spike Milligan.
• Two Gentleman of Verona – London production

Musical films

• Allá en el Norte
• Andrea
• Charlotte's Web
• Godspell
• Jaal
• Jesus Christ Superstar
• Lost Horizon
• Maria d'Oro und Bello Blue
• Robin Hood
• Tom Sawyer

Births

• January 1 – Magnus Sahlgren, Swedish guitarist and linguist
• January 7 – Jonna Tervomaa, Finnish singer
• January 9 – Sean Paul, reggae and dancehall artist
• January 12
  • Hande Yener, Turkish singer
  • Matt Wong (Reel Big Fish)
• January 13 - Juan Diego Flórez, Peruvian operatic tenor
• January 14 – Katie Griffin, Canadian actress and singer
• January 17 – Ari Lasso, Indonesian singer
• January 19 – Antero Manninen, Finnish cellist
• January 23 – Masha Katz, Russian singer
• February 1 – Joe Wilson, English musician and record producer (Sneaker Pimps)
• February 2 - Latino, Brazilian singer-songwriter
• February 4 – Brett Hestla, American guitarist and lead singer (Dark New Day)
• February 7 – Kate Thornton, English television presenter and journalist
• February 8 – Project Pat, American rapper
• February 11 – Jeon Do-yeon, South Korean actress
• February 21
  • Heri Joensen, Faroese musician (Týr)
  • Justin Sane, singer, guitarist and songwriter
• February 22
  • Gustavo Assis-Brasil, Brazilian guitarist
  • Scott Phillips, drummer
• February 23 – Corey Lowery (Seether)
• February 24 – Chris Fehn, American rock percussionist (Slipknot)
• February 26
  • André Tanneberger, German DJ
  • Anders and Jonas Björler, Swedish rock guitarists
• February 27 – Peter Andre, English-born Australian singer-songwriter, businessman and television personality
• March 1 – Ryan Peake, Canadian rock musician (Nickelback)
• March 6 – Peter Lindgren, Swedish musician
• March 8 – Anneke van Giersbergen, Dutch singer and guitarist
• March 10
  • Dan Swanö, Swedish musician
  • John LeCompt, American guitarist (We Are the Fallen, Evanescence)
• March 13 – David Draiman, American vocalist (Disturbed (band))
• March 17 – Caroline Corr, Irish drummer (The Corrs)
• March 19 – Bun B, American rapper
• March 22 – Beverley Knight, English actress and singer-songwriter
• March 25 – Anders Fridén, Swedish vocalist
• March 28 – Matt Nathanson, American folk/rock singer-songwriter
• March 30 – DJ AM, American DJ (d. 2009)
• April 3
  • Marija Gluvakov, pianist
  • Andreas Carlsson, Swedish music producer, composer and pop songwriter
• April 4 – Kelly Price, soul singer
• April 5 – Pharrell Williams, American rapper, singer-songwriter and record and film producer (The Neptunes, N.E.R.D, Chad Hugo)
• April 16 – Akon, American singer-songwriter, businessman, record producer and actor
• April 20 – Gabry Ponte, Italian musician, DJ, and record producer (Eiffel 65)
• April 22 – Jung Woo-sung, South Korean actor
• April 24 – Brian Marshall, American musician and songwriter (Creed)
• April 25 – Fredrik Larzon, Swedish rock musician (Millencolin)
• April 27 – Sharlee D'Angelo, Swedish guitarist
• April 28
  • Alejandro Ibarra, Mexican actor and singer
  • Big Gipp, American rapper (Ali & Gipp)
• April 29 – Mike Hogan, Irish bassist (The Cranberries)
• April 30 – Jeff Timmons, American singer
• May 2 – Justin Burnett, film score composer
• May 3 – Brad Martin, American country musician (died 2022)
• May 5 – Casino Versus Japan, electronic musician
• May 8 – Kim Ji-hoon, South Korean singer (Two Two) (d. 2013)
• May 13 – Eric Lewis, jazz pianist
• May 14
  • Natalie Appleton, British singer (All Saints)
  • Shanice, American singer
  • Sinéad O'Carroll, Irish singer (B*Witched)
• May 16 – Sonny Sandoval, American musician, rapper, singer and songwriter (P.O.D.)
• May 17
  • Joshua Homme, guitarist and vocalist of Queens of the Stone Age
  • Stefanie Ridel, American R&B singer and actress (Wild Orchid)
• May 20 – Elsa Lunghini, French singer and actress
• May 21 – Noel Fielding, English comedian, writer, actor, artist, musician and television presenter
• May 23
  • Jacopo Gianninoto, Italian musician
  • Emperor Magus Caligula, Swedish musician
  • Maxwell, American singer-songwriter and record producer
• May 24
  • Dermot O'Leary, English-Irish broadcaster
  • Ruslana, Ukrainian singer-songwriter
  • Jill Johnson, Swedish country and pop singer
• May 26 - Magdalena Kožená, Czech mezzo-soprano
• May 31 – Cadaveria, Italian singer (Opera IX)
• June 1 – Jason Truby, American guitarist (Living Sacrifice, P.O.D.)
• June 5 - Michelle Leonard, German / British singer and songwriter
• June 9 – Jana Sýkorová, Czech operatic contralto
• June 10
  • Faith Evans, singer-songwriter, record producer and actress
  • Flesh-n-Bone, American rapper
• June 13
  • Cheryl "Coko" Clemons, American singer (SWV)
  • Kasia Kowalska, Polish singer, songwriter and actress
• June 14 – Ceca, Serbian folk singer
• June 17 – Krayzie Bone, American rapper and producer (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)
• June 19 – Jörg Widmann, German clarinetist and composer
• June 19 – Yuko Nakazawa, Japanese singer (Morning Musume)
• June 20 – Chino Moreno, American singer-songwriter (Deftones, Team Sleep, and Crosses)
• June 22 – Chris Traynor, American musician, songwriter and producer (Bush)
• June 23 – Marija Naumova, Latvian Eurovision-winning singer
• June 24 – Lee Sang-min, South Korean singer, songwriter, record producer and television personality (Roo'ra)
• June 25 – Nuno Resende, Portuguese singer
• June 26 – Gretchen Wilson, American singer
• June 28
  • DJ Vlad, American hip-hop interviewer
  • Frost, Norwegian drummer
• June 30 – Chan Ho Park, South Korean baseball
• July 1 – Brenton Brown, South African-American Christian musician and worship leader
• July 4 – Gackt, singer-songwriter and musician
• July 5
  • Joe, American R&B singer
  • Bengt Lagerberg, Swedish drummer (The Cardigans)
  • Róisín Murphy, Irish singer-songwriter and record producer
• July 8 – Jack Knight, American songwriter
• July 11 – Andrew Bird, singer-songwriter
• July 15
  • Buju Banton, reggae/dancehall artist
  • John Dolmayan, Lebanese-born rock drummer for the band System of a Down
• July 17 – Tony Dovolani, Albanian-American dancer and actor
• July 22
  • Aleksey Igudesman, Russian violinist, composer, conductor and actor
  • Daniel Jones, English-Australian guitarist, songwriter and producer (Savage Garden)
  • Petey Pablo, American rapper and actor
  • Rufus Wainwright, American-Canadian singer-songwriter and composer
• July 23
  • Fran Healy, British singer (Travis)
  • Monica Lewinsky, American activist
• July 25 – Dani Filth, Israeli-born musician (Cradle of Filth)
• July 29
  • Wanya Morris, American singer (Boyz II Men)
  • Amy S. Foster, Canadian singer-songwriter and author
• July 30 – Sonu Nigam, Indian singer
• August 4 – Taj Jackson, American R&B singer (3T)
• August 6 – Vera Farmiga, American actress
• August 7 – Zane Lowe, New Zealand born radio and TV presenter, DJ and record producer
• August 8 – Scott Stapp, American singer (Creed)
• August 9
  • Meg Okura, American jazz violinist, Erhu player and composer
  • Oleksandr Ponomariov, Ukrainian singer
• August 12 – Grey DeLisle, American voice actress and singer
• August 12 – Amir El-Falaki, Danish group (Toy-Box)
• August 13 - Gregory Vajda, Hungarian clarinetist, conductor and composer
• August 15 – Adnan Sami, British born singer, music composer, pianist
• August 21 – Mickey Joe Harte, Irish singer-songwriter
• August 22
  • Beenie Man, reggae/dancehall artist
  • Howie Dorough, American singer (Backstreet Boys)
• September 1 – J.D. Fortune, Canadian rock singer (INXS)
• September 3 – Jennifer Paige, American singer-songwriter
• September 5 – Rose McGowan, American actress, model, singer and author
• September 7 – Tara Slone, Canadian singer (Joydrop)
• September 10 – Nancy Coolen, Dutch singer and television presenter (Twenty 4 Seven)
• September 12 - Dorota Miśkiewicz, Polish singer-songwriter, composer and violinist
• September 14 – Nas, American rapper
• September 15 – Indira Levak, Croatian lead vocalist of Colonia
• September 17 – Amy Black, operatic mezzo-soprano (died 2009)
• September 18 – Ami Onuki, Japanese singer
• September 19
  • David Zepeda, Mexican actor, model and singer
  • Amil, American rapper and singer
• September 22
  • Yoo Chae-yeong, South Korean singer and actress
  • Martin Owen (BBC Symphony Orchestra)
• September 26
  • Julienne Davis, American actress/model/singer
  • Ras Kass, American rapper
• September 27 – Lee Brennan, English singer (911)
• September 29
  • Alfie Boe, operatic tenor
  • Rie Eto, Japanese singer
• October 1 – Christian Borle, American actor and singer
• October 2
  • Proof American Rapper and member of D12 (died 2006)
  • Lene Nystrøm, Norwegian musician, singer-songwriter and actress (Aqua)
  • Verka Serduchka, Ukrainian pop star
• October 3 – LaTocha Scott, American R&B singer-songwriter and actress (Xscape)
• October 4 – Craig Robert Young, English actor
• October 9
  • Steve Burns, American actor, musician, voice actor, singer and television host
  • Brad Kane, American actor, singer, producer and screenwriter
  • Jen Cloher, Australian singer/songwriter/musician
  • Fabio Lione, Italian singer
  • Rimi Natsukawa, Japanese singer
  • Charles Burton, American wrestler
• October 11 – Mike Smith, American guitarist (Snot, TheStart, Limp Bizkit)
• October 24
  • Laura Veirs, American singer-songwriter
  • Madlib, American record producer, rapper, songwriter and disc jockey (Lootpack)
• October 25 – Lamont Bentley, American actor and rapper (died 2005)
• October 26 – Seth MacFarlane, American actor, screenwriter, producer, director and singer
• October 27 – Jessica Andersson, Swedish singer and songwriter (Fame)
• October 30 – Maurizio Lobina, Italian musician and singer (Eiffel 65)
• November 2
  • Wildchild, American rapper (Lootpack)
  • Stevie J, American DJ, record producer and television personality
• November 3
  • Sticky Fingaz, American rapper (onyx)
  • Mick Thomson, guitarist of Slipknot
• November 6 – Rumi Shishido, Japanese voice actress and singer
• November 9
  • Nick Lachey, American singer (98 Degrees)
  • Maija Vilkkumaa, Finnish pop rock singer
• November 10
  • Jacqui Abbott, English singer (The Beautiful South)
  • Róbert Gulya, Hungarian composer
• November 11 – Jason White, American rock musician (Green Day)
• November 12 – Mayte Garcia, American actress, singer, author and dancer
• November 17 – Leslie Bibb, American actress and model
• November 19
  • Billy Currington, American country singer
  • Savion Glover, American tap dancer, actor and choreographer
• November 27 – Twista, American rapper and record producer
• November 28 – Jade Puget (AFI)
• December 4
  • Kate Rusby, English folk singer-songwriter
  • Tyra Banks, American model and TV personality
• December 5
  • Neil Codling, English musician and singer (Suede)
  • Nature, American rapper (The Firm)
• December 7
  • Chantelle Barry, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
  • Damien Rice, Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer
• December 8 – Corey Taylor, vocalist of Slipknot
• December 9 - Bárbara Padilla, operatic soprano
• December 11 – Mos Def, rapper
• December 16 – Mariza, fado singer
• December 17 – Eddie Fisher, pop rock drummer and songwriter (OneRepublic)
• December 21 – Karmen Stavec, Slovenian musician and singer
• December 22 – Sarina Paris, Canadian singer
• December 27 – Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch composer
• December 29 – Pimp C, American rapper (d. 2007)
• December 30 – Jon Theodore, American drummer (Queens of the Stone Age)
• unknown date – Xian Zhang, Chinese-born orchestral conductor

Deaths

• January 16 – Clara Ward, gospel singer, 48 (stroke)
• January 23 – Kid Ory, jazz trombonist and bandleader, 86
• February 3 – Andy Razaf, composer, poet and lyricist, 77
• February 5 – Kathleen Riddick, British conductor, 65
• February 7 – Pixinguinha, choro composer and woodwind player, 75
• February 19
  • Joseph Szigeti, violinist, 80
  • Leon Washington, jazz saxophonist, 63 (leukemia)
• February 24 – Manolo Caracol, Spanish flamenco singer (b. 1909)
• February 28 – Terig Tucci, Argentine composer, violinist, pianist and mandolinist, 75
• March 5 – Michael Jeffery, English personal manager of Jimi Hendrix, 39 (air crash)
• March 8 – Ron Pigpen McKernan, American musician and songwriter (Grateful Dead), 27 (stomach hemorrhage)
• March 14 – Rafael Godoy, Colombian composer, 65
• March 19 – Lauritz Melchior, Danish-born American Wagnerian tenor, 82
• March 26
  • Safford Cape, American composer and musicologist, 66
  • Noël Coward, English composer and dramatist, 73
• March 28 – Gertrude Johnson, Australian coloratura soprano, 78
• April 16
  • Nino Bravo, Spanish singer, 28 (car accident)
  • Istvan Kertesz, Hungarian conductor, 43 (drowned)
• April 18 – Willie 'The Lion' Smith, US jazz pianist, 79
• May 9
  • Owen Brannigan, singer
  • Mark Wessel, pianist and composer, 79
• May 21 – Vaughn Monroe, US singer and bandleader, 61
• May 27 – Ilona Kabos, Hungarian-British pianist and teacher, 79
• May 29 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer, 44 (heart attack)
• June 4 – Murry Wilson, musician and record producer, 55
• June 8 – Tubby Hayes, jazz musician, 38 (during heart surgery)
• June 29 – Germán Valdés, Mexican actor, singer and comedian (hepatitis)
• July 2 – Betty Grable, US actress and singer, 56 (lung cancer)
• July 3 – Karel Ančerl, conductor, 65
• July 6 – Otto Klemperer, conductor, 88
• July 11 – Alexander Mosolov, Russian composer, 72
• July 15 – Clarence White, guitarist (The Byrds), 29 (road accident)
• August 2 – Rosetta Pampanini, operatic soprano, 76
• August 4 – Eddie Condon, jazz banjoist and guitarist, 67
• August 6 – Memphis Minnie, blues singer and guitarist, 76
• August 16 – Astra Desmond, operatic contralto, 80
• August 17
  • Jean Barraqué, French classical composer, 45
  • Paul Williams, baritone singer and co-founder of the Motown group, The Temptations, 34 (suicide by gunshot)
• August 19 – Brew Moore, jazz saxophonist, 49 (fell downstairs)
• September 1 – Graziella Pareto, operatic soprano, 84
• September 6 – Sir William Henry Harris, organist and composer, 90
• September 10 – Allan Gray, composer, 71
• September 11 – Martha Angelici, operatic soprano, 66
• September 16 – Víctor Jara, Chilean folk singer, 40 (murdered)
• September 17– Hugo Winterhalter, US conductor and arranger, 53
• September 19 – Gram Parsons, guitarist/vocalist, 26 (drug overdose)
• September 20
  • Jim Croce, 30, singer-songwriter and
  • Maury Muehleisen, 24, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter (plane crash)
  • Ben Webster, jazz saxophonist, 64
• October 9 – Sister Rosetta Tharpe, gospel singer, 58
• October 16
  • Gene Krupa, drummer, 64
  • Jorge Peña Hen, composer, 45
• October 22 – Pablo Casals, cellist, 95
• October 27 – Norman Allin, English singer, 88
• October 28 – Mária Gyurkovics, Hungarian soprano, 58
• November 10
  • Zeke Zettner (The Stooges), 25 (heroin overdose)
  • David "Stringbean" Akeman, country banjo player and comedian, 57 (murdered)
• November 18 – Alois Hába, composer, 80
• November 23 – De De Pierce, jazz trumpeter, 69
• November 26 – Edith Mason, operatic soprano, 81
• November 27 – Frank Christian, jazz trumpeter, 85
• December 13 – Fanny Heldy, operatic soprano, 85
• December 20 – Bobby Darin, American singer and actor, 37 (heart failure)
• December 31 – Emile Christian, jazz trombonist, 78
• date unknown – Cäwdät Fäyzi, Tatar composer and folklorist

Awards

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1973

Country Music Association Awards

• Entertainer of the Year: Roy Clark
• Male Vocalist of the Year: Charlie Rich
• Female Vocalist of the Year: Loretta Lynn
• Song of the Year: Kenny O'Dell – "Behind Closed Doors"
• Album of the Year: Behind Closed Doors

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1973