1977 in music

See also: 1976 in music, other events of 1977, 1978 in music, 1970s in music and the list of 'years in music'

Events

In this year, the St. Magnus Festival was founded in Orkney by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

Perhaps most important is the release of several pivotal albums in the development of punk music. Widely-acknowledged as masterpieces and among the earliest first full-length purely punk albums, the Ramones' Rocket to Russia, the Jam's In the City, Iggy Pop's Lust for Life, the debut by the Clash, The Clash, Richard Hell & the Voidoids' Blank Generation, Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True, the Sex Pistols' Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols, and Television's Marquee Moon are usually considered their respective masterpieces, and kickstarted punk music as the musical genre it eventually became.

The soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever was an enormous hit that established the Bee Gees (who had composed most of the tracks) as the most popular artists in the world, and the best-selling artist since the Beatles. Saturday Night Fever also moved disco music into the mainstream, and it dominated the charts for the next few years.

Jimmy Buffett's Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Atitudes is also especially notable in its inclusion of "Margaritaville", the biggest single of his career. This album helped establish Buffett as a popular artist, and earned him much of the rabid fanbase ("Parrotheads") that he eventually became known for. Billy Joel's The Stranger was enormously popular, and included one of his most beloved songs today, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant". Lastly, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is the most popular and critically acclaimed LP of the band's career; it is one of the best-selling albums of all time.

• January 1 - The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy.
• January 6 - After releasing only one single for the band, EMI terminates their contract with The Sex Pistols.
• January 12 - Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is fined 750 pounds for possession of cocaine which was found in his wrecked car on May 19, 1976. Richards was charged an additional 250 pounds for court costs and found "not guilty" of possession of LSD.
• January 26 - Patti Smith falls off the stage while opening for Bob Seger in Tampa, Florida. Smith is rushed to the hospital for 22 stitches to close head lacerations. While recovering, Smith writes her fifth book of poetry, Babel.
• January 26 - Fleetwood Mac's original lead guitarist, Peter Green, is committed to a mental hospital in England after firing a pistol at a delivery boy bringing him a royalties check
• February 4 - American Bandstand celebrates its 25th anniversary on television with an special hosted by Dick Clark. An "all-star band" made up of Chuck Berry, Seals & Crofts, Gregg Allman, Junior Walker, Johnny Rivers, the Pointer Sisters, Charlie Daniels, Doc Severenson, Les McCann, Donald Byrd, Chuck Mangione and three members of Booker T and the MGs perform "Roll Over Beethoven."
• February 14 - The B-52's make their debut at a party in Athens, Georgia
• February 15 - Sid Vicious replaces Glen Matlock as the bassist for the Sex Pistols
• February 27 - Royal Canadian Mounted Police raid Keith Richards' Toronto hotel suite while he is sleeping and seize 22 grams of heroin, 5 grams of cocaine and narcotics paraphernalia. Richards is arrested and charged with possession of heroin with intent to traffic, and possession of cocaine. He is released on $25,000 bail
• March 1 - Sara Lowndes Dylan files for divorce from her husband of 11 years, Bob Dylan.
• March 10 - A&M Records signs the Sex Pistols in a ceremony that takes places in front of Buckingham Palace
• March 19 - A&M Records terminates its contract with the Sex Pistols
• April 24 - Several artists including Joan Baez, Santana and others perform at a free concert for the inmates of California's Soledad Prison.
• Saturday Night Fever appears in theaters, igniting a new popularity for Disco music.
• April 25 - During a concert at the Saginaw, Michigan Civic Center, Elvis Presley makes what would turn out to be the last recordings he would ever make. Three songs recorded at the show would later appear (with overdubs), on the posthumously released album, Moody Blue.
• April 26 - New York's legendary disco Studio 54 opens.
• June - Founding of the Nikikai Opera Foundation.
• August 16 - Elvis Presley is found dead at his home in Graceland.
• August 17 - Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD) reported that in one day the number of orders for flowers to be delivered to Graceland for the funeral of Elvis Presley had surpassed the number for any other event in the company's history
• Alice Cooper is hospitalized in a New York sanitarium for alcoholism.
• Kenny Rogers releases his album "Ten Years Of Gold" less than 12 months after scoring his first solo hit, following the break up of his pop/country band, The First Edition. The album features the original versions of his recent solo hit's and re recordings of First Edition classics.
• INXS forms in Sydney, Australia
• Black Flag forms
• The B-52's forms
• Crass forms
• Def Leppard forms in Sheffield, Yorkshire
• The Feelies forms
• Whitesnake forms
• X (US) forms
• The Fall forms in Manchester, England
• The Meters break up
• Dire Straits' career begins
• Midnight Oil's career begins
• The Cars sign a contract with Elektra Records
• Devo signs a contract with Warner Bros.
• Midnight Oil sign a contract with CBS Records
• The Neville Brothers sign a contract with A&M Records
• The Police sign a contract with A&M Records
• Van Halen signs a contract with Warner Bros.

Albums released

• The Album - ABBA
• Let There Be Rock - AC/DC
• Draw the Line - Aerosmith
• Breaking Through - A Foot in Cold Water
• On Earth as It Is in Heaven - Angel
• Live at the El Mocambo - April Wine
• Visitors - Automatic Man
• Plastic Letters - Blondie
• Blondie - Blondie
• Spectres - Blue Öyster Cult
• Every Day of My Life - Michael Bolton
• Heroes - David Bowie
• Low - David Bowie
• The Pretender - Jackson Browne
• Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes - Jimmy Buffett
• Passage - Carpenters
• Chic - Chic
• XI - Chicago
• Slowhand - Eric Clapton
• The Alice Cooper Show - Alice Cooper
• Lace and Whiskey - Alice Cooper
• My Aim Is True - Elvis Costello (debut)
• Femme est la Nuit - Dalida
• Olympia 77 - Dalida
• Pour Toujours - Dalida (soundtrack)
• Salma Ya Salama - Dalida
• Damned, Damned, Damned - The Damned (debut)
• Out of the Blue - Electric Light Orchestra
• Works Volume I - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• Blue Lights in the Basement - Roberta Flack
• Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
• Blank Generation - Richard Hell & the Voidoids
• Flowing Rivers - Andy Gibb
• Perilous Journey - Gordon Giltrap
• Amy Grant - Amy Grant
• In the City - The Jam
• Ol' Waylon - Waylon Jennings
• Songs From The Wood - Jethro Tull
• Repeat --- The Best of Jethro Tull --- Vol II - Jethro Tull
• The Stranger - Billy Joel
• Next - Journey
• Sin After Sin - Judas Priest
• Leftoverture - Kansas
• The Point of Know Return - Kansas
• Love Gun and Alive II- Kiss
• Street Survivors - Lynyrd Skynyrd
• It Feels So Good - The Manhattans
• Exodus - Bob Marley and the Wailers
• Bat out of Hell - Meat Loaf
• Book of Dreams - Steve Miller Band
• Making a Good Thing Better - Olivia Newton-John
• Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent
• Regeneration - Roy Orbison
• Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome - Parliament
• Animals - Pink Floyd
• Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
• Prism - Prism
• News of the World - Queen
• Rocket to Russia - Ramones
• Fingerprince - The Residents
• Rocket to Russia - Ramones
• Daytime Friends - Kenny Rogers
• Ten Years Of Gold - Kenny Rogers
• Black and Blue - The Rolling Stones
• Queens of Noise and Waiting for the Night - The Runaways
• All The World's a Stage - Rush
• A Farewell to Kings - Rush
• Moonflower - Santana
• Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols - The Sex Pistols
• All Skrewed Up - Skrewdriver
• Aja - Steely Dan
• Year of the Cat - Al Stewart
• Foot Loose & Fancy Free - Rod Stewart
• A Night on the Town - Rod Stewart
• The Grand Illusion - Styx
• Talking Heads: 77 - Talking Heads
• Marquee Moon - Television
• George Thorogood - George Thorogood
• Lights Out - UFO
• Pink Flag - Wire
• Going for the One - Yes
• Decade - Neil Young
• Saturday Night Fever - Soundtrack (mostly by The Bee Gees)
• Best of ZZ Top - ZZ Top
• Tejas - ZZ Top
• Warren Zevon - Warren Zevon
• Trans-Europe Express - Kraftwerk

Chronological Table of US and UK Number One Hit Singles

US Number One Singles and Artist (Weeks at Number One)

UK Number One Singles and Artist (Weeks at Number One)

"Tonight's The Night" - Rod Stewart (7 weeks in 1976 + 1 week in 1977) "You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)"- Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr (1) "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" - Leo Sayer (1) "I Wish" - Stevie Wonder (1) "Car Wash" - Rose Royce (1) "Torn Between Two Lovers" - Mary McGregor (2) "Blinded By The Light" - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1) "New Kid In Town" - The Eagles (1) "Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen)" - Barbra Streisand (3) "Rich Girl" - Hall & Oates (2) "Dancing Queen" - ABBA (1) "Don't Give Up On Us" - David Soul (1) "Don't Leave Me This Way" - Thelma Houston (1) "Southern Nights" - Glen Campbell (1) "Hotel California" - The Eagles (1) "When I Need You" - Leo Sayer (1) "Sir Duke" - Stevie Wonder (3) "I'm Your Boogie Man" - KC & The Sunshine Band (1) "Dreams" - Fleetwood Mac (1) "Got To Give It Up" - Marvin Gaye (1) "Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky) - Bill Conti (1) "Undercover Angel" - Alan O'Day (1) "Da Do Ron Ron" - Shaun Cassidy (1) "Looks Like We Made It" - Barry Manilow (1) "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" - Andy Gibb (4) "Best Of My Love" - Emotions (5) "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" - Meco (2) "You Light Up My Life" - Debby Boone (10), best selling single of the year "How Deep Is Your Love" - Bee Gees (2 weeks in 1977 + 1 week in 1978)

"When A Child Is Born" - Johnny Mathis (1 week in 1976 + 2 weeks in 1977) "Don't Give Up On Us" - David Soul (4) "Don't Cry For Me Argetina" - Julie Covington (1) "When I Need You" - Leo Sayer (3) "Chanson D'Amour" - The Manhattan Transfer (3) "Knowing Me, Knowing You" - ABBA (5) "Free" - Deniece Williams (2) "God Save the Queen" - The Sex Pistols (0) "I Don't Want To Talk About It/The First Cut Is The Deepest" - Rod Stewart (4) "Lucille" - Kenny Rogers (1) "Show You The Way To Go" - The Jacksons (1) "So You Win Again" - Hot Chocolate (3) "I Feel Love" - Donna Summer (4) "Angelo" - Brotherhood of Man (1) "Float On - Floaters (1) "Way Down" - Elvis Presley (5) "Silver Lady" - David Soul (3) "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" - Baccara (1) "The Name Of The Game" - ABBA (4) "Mull Of Kintyre/Girl's School" - Paul McCartney & Wings, (5 weeks in 1977 + 4 weeks in 1978), best selling single of the year

Other significant singles and major hits

• "Amoureuse de la vie" - Dalida
• "Angel In Your Arms" - Hot
• "Barracuda" - Heart
• "Blue Bayou" - Linda Ronstadt
• "Boogie Nights" - Heatwave
• "Captain Sky" - Dalida
• "Carry On Wayward Son" - Kansas
• "Cold As Ice" - Foreigner
• "Come Sail Away" - Styx
• "Daytime Friends" - Kenny Rogers
• "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" - Crystal Gayle
• "Don't Stop" - Fleetwood Mac
• "Dr Love" - Tina Charles
• "Feels Like The First Time" - Foreigner
• "Femme est la Nuit" - Dalida
• "Fly Like An Eagle" - Steve Miller Band
• "Go Your Own Way" - Fleetwood Mac
• "God Save The Queen" The Sex Pistols
• "Heard It In A Love Song" - Marshall Tucker
• "Heartsong" - Gordon Giltrap
• "Hello Stranger" - Yvonne Elliman
• "Help Is On It's Way" - Little River Band
• "Here Come Those Tears Again" - Jackson Browne
• "Heroes" - David Bowie
• "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" - Warren Zevon
• "I'm In You" - Peter Frampton
• "In The Flesh" - Blondie
• "Jet Airliner" - Steve Miller Band
• "Jungle Love" - Steve Miller Band
• "Killing of Georgie, Pt. 1-2" - Rod Stewart
• "Knowing Me, Knowing You" - ABBA
• "Lido Shuffle" - Boz Scaggs
• "Livin' Thing" - Electric Light Orchestra
• "Living Next Door To Alice" - Smokie
• "Lonely Boy" - Andrew Gold
• "Ma Baker" - Boney M
• "Margaritaville" - Jimmy Buffett
• "Maybe I'm Amazed" (live) - Paul McCartney & Wings
• "Memory Motel" - The Rolling Stones
• "More Than A Feeling" - Boston
• "The Name Of The Game" - ABBA
• "Nobody Does It Better" - Carly Simon
• "Pearl's A Singer" - Elkie Brooks
• "Portsmouth" - Mike Oldfield
• "The Pretender" - Jackson Browne
• "Remember... C'était loin" - Dalida & Richard Chanfray as St-Germain
• "Rip To Her Shreds" - Blondie
• "Salma Ya Salama" - Dalida
• "Save It For A Rainy Day" - Stephen Bishop
• "She's Not There" - Santana
• "Solsbury Hill" - Peter Gabriel
• "Sound And Vision" - David Bowie
• "Things We Do For Love" - 10cc
• "This Is Tomorrow" - Bryan Ferry
• "Ti Amo (Je t'aime)" - Dalida
• "Watching The Detectives" - Elvis Costello
• "We Are The Champions" - Queen
• "We Will Rock You" - Queen
• "We Just Disagree" - Dave Mason
• "Wild Side Of Life" - Status Quo
• "Year Of The Cat" - Al Stewart
• "You And Me" - Alice Cooper
• "You Yesyesyes" - The Residents
• "You're Moving Out Today" - Carole Bayer Sager
• "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher" - Rita Coolidge

Published popular music

• "After The Lovin'" w. Richie Adams m. Alan Bernstein
• "Annie" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "Brazzle Dazzle Day" w.m. Al Kasha & Joel Hirschhorn, from the film Pete's Dragon
• "But The World Goes 'Round" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander. Introduced by Liza Minnelli in the film New York, New York
• "Candle on the Water" w.m. Al Kasha & Joel Hirschhorn, from the film Pete's Dragon
• "Child In A Universe" w.m. Laura Nyro
• "Come In From The Rain"     w.m. Melissa Manchester & Carole Bayer Sager
• "Easy Street" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "The Greatest Love Of All"     w. Linda Creed m. Michael Masser
• "Happy Endings" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander. Introduced by Liza Minnelli, Larry Kert and chorus in the film New York, New York
• "Here You Come Again"     w.m. Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
• "I Don't Need Anything But You" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "It's Not Easy" w.m. Al Kasha & Joel Hirschhorn, from the film Pete's Dragon
• "It's The Hard-Knock Life" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "Just The Way You Are" w.m. Billy Joel
• "Little Girls" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• The Love Boat theme song" w.m. Norman Gimbel & Paul Williams
• "Love Is In The Air"     w.m. George Young & Harry Vanda
• "Maybe" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" w.m. Billy Joel
• "N. Y. C." w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "A New Deal For Christmas" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "New York, New York"     w.m. Fred Ebb & John Kander. Introduced by Liza Minnelli in the film New York, New York
• "Nobody Does It Better"     w. Carole Bayer Sager m. Marvin Hamlisch
• "She's Always A Woman" w.m. Billy Joel
• "Someone's Waiting For You"      w. Carol Connors & Ayn Robbins m. Sammy Fain from the film The Rescuers
• "Something Was Missing" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "Star Wars" m. John Williams from the film Star Wars
• "Stayin' Alive"     w.m. Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb & Robin Gibb
• "Thank You For The Music"     w.m. Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus
• "There Goes The Ball Game" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander. Introduced by Liza Minnelli in the film New York, New York
• "Tomorrow"     w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse, from the musical Annie
• "We'd Like To Thank You, Herbert Hoover" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "You Won't Be An Orphan For Long" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
• "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile"     w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse, from the musical Annie

Classical music

• Enrique Crespo - American Suite No. 1
• Bengt Hambraeus - Antiphonie: Cathedral Music for Organ
• Arvo Pärt - Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
• Tōru Takemitsu - A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
• Tōru Takemitsu - Water-ways for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, two harps and two vibraphones
• Isang Yun - Concerto for Flute and Small Orchestra

Opera

• Julian Livingston - Twist of Treason
• Thea Musgrave - Mary, Queen of Scots

Musical theatre

• The Act     Broadway production
• Annie (Martin Charnin and Charles Strouse) - Broadway production
• I Love My Wife     Broadway production
• The King and I(Rodgers & Hammerstein) - Broadway revival
• Side by Side by Sondheim     Broadway production
• Oliver! (Lionel Bart) - London revival

Musical films

• A Little Night Music
• New York, New York released on June 21 starring Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro
• Pete's Dragon

Births

• January 28 - Tweety, Next
• January 28 - Joey Fatone, *NSYNC
• February 2 - Shakira
• February 8 - Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell, Linkin Park
• February 11 - Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park
• February 15 - Brooks Wackerman, current drummer of Bad Religion as of 2001
• March 2 - Chris Martin, Coldplay
• March 6 - Bubba Sparxxx
• March 15 - Joseph Hahn, Linkin Park
• March 18 - Devin Lima, LFO
• June 3 - Yuri Ruley, MxPx
• June 12 - Kenny Wayne Shepherd
• July 18 - Tony Fagenson, Eve 6
• July 28 - Coby Dick, Papa Roach
• August 10 - Aaron Kamin, The Calling
• October 2 - Jeremiah Rangel, Mest
• October 16 - John Mayer
• September 4 - Ian Grushka, New Found Glory
• September 11 - Jon Buckland, Coldplay
• Chris Knapp, The Ataris

Deaths

• February 28 - Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, comic actor and singer
• July 26 - Gena Branscombe, composer and conductor
• August 16 - Elvis Presley
• September 13 - Leopold Stokowski
• September 16 - Marc Bolan
• October 13 - Shirley Brickley, the Orlons
• October 20 - A plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in Mississippi, killing several band members, including lead singer/guitarist Ronnie Van Zandt
• November 14 - Richard Addinsell
• December 30 - St. Louis Jimmy Oden, blues singer

Awards

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1977

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1977