[edit] Events [edit] Published popular music - "Adios" w. Eddie Wood m. Enric Madriguera
- "All of Me" w.m. Seymour Simons & Gerald Marks
- "As Time Goes By" w.m. Herman Hupfeld
- "At Your Command" w.m. Harry Barris, Bing Crosby & Harry Tobias
- "Black Jazz" m. Gene Gifford
- "Blah, Blah, Blah" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin. Introduced by El Brendel in the film Delicious
- "Blues In My Heart" w. Irving Mills m. Benny Carter
- "Brighter Than The Sun" w. Anona Winn m. Ray Noble
- "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Jay Gorney
- "By The River Sainte Marie" w. Edgar Leslie m. Harry Warren
- "Call Me Darling, Call Me Sweetheart, Call Me Dear" w. (Eng) Dorothy Dick w.m. Bert Reisfeld, Mart Fryberg & Rolf Marbet
- "Close Your Eyes" D. Carter - H. M. Tennent
- "Come to Me" w. B. G. De Sylva & Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
- "Concentratin' On You" w. Andy Razaf m. Fats Waller
- "Crosby, Columbo And Vallee" w. Al Dubin m. Joe Burke
- "Cuban Love Song" w.m. Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh & Herbert Stothart
- "Dancing In The Dark" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
- "Delishious" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
- "Doin' What I Please" w. Andy Razaf m. Thomas Waller
- "Don't Take My Boop-Oop-A-Doop Away" w. Sammy Timberg m. Samuel Lerner. Introduced by Mae Questal and Rudy Vallee in the Betty Boop animated short Musical Justice
- "Down Sunnyside Lane" Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly
- "Dream a Little Dream of Me" w. Gus Kahn m. Fabian Andre & Wilbur Schwandt
- "An Evening In Caroline" w.m. Walter Donaldson
- "A Faded Summer Love" w.m. Phil Baxter
- "Goodnight, Sweetheart" w.m. Ray Noble, James Campbell & Reg Connelly
- "Got A Date With An Angel" w. Clifford Grey & Sonny Miller m. Jack Waller & Joseph Tunbridge
- "Got the Bench, Got the Park" w.m. Al Sherman, Al Lewis & Fred Phillips
- "Green Eyes" w. (Eng) E. Rivera & Eddie Woods (Sp) Adolfo Utrero m. Nilo Menendez
- "Guilty" w. Gus Kahn m. Richard A. Whiting & Harry Akst
- "Hang Out The Stars In Indiana" w. Billy Moll m. Harry Woods
- "He Played His Ukulele As The Ship Went Down" w.m. Arthur Le Clerq
- "Heartaches" w. John Clenner m. Al Hoffman
- "Hello, My Lover, Goodbye" w. Edward Heyman m. John Green. Introduced by Frances Langford in the musical Here Goes the Bride
- "Help Yourself to Happiness" w.m. Mack Gordon, Harry Revel and Harry Richman. Introduced by Harry Richman in the revue Ziegfeld Follies of 1931
- "Hold My Hand" w. Douglas Furber m. Noel Gay
- "Home" w.m. Peter Van Steeden, Harry Clarkson & Geoff Clarkson
- "Hoops" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
- "I Apologize" w.m. Al Hoffman, Al Goodhart & Ed Nelson
- "I Don't Know Why" w. Roy Turk m. Fred E. Ahlert
- "I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five And Ten Cent Store)" w. Billy Rose & Mort Dixon m. Harry Warren
- "I Heard" w.m. Don Redman
- "I Love Louisa" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
- "I Surrender, Dear" w. Gordon Clifford m. Harry Barris
- "If You Should Ever Need Me" w. Al Dubin m. Joe Burke
- "I'll Be Good Because Of You" w.m. Ray Noble & Alan Murray
- "I'm All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart" Fisher, Unger, Stern
- "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby" w. Alex Hill m. Fats Waller
- "I'm Gonna Get You" w.m. Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias & Jules Lemare
- "I'm Good For Nothing But Love" Ballard, Maltin
- "I'm Through With Love" w. Gus Kahn m. Matty Malneck & Fud Livingston
- "It's The Darndest Thing" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh
- "It's The Girl" w. Dave Oppenheim m. Abel Baer
- "It's You!" Razaf, Waller
- "I've Got Five Dollars" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "Jazz Nocturne" m. Dana Suesse
- "Just One More Chance" w. Sam Coslow m. Arthur Johnston
- "Kicking The Gong Around" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
- "A Lady Must Live" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Jeanne Aubert in the musical America's Sweetheart
- "Lady Of Spain" w.m. Robert Hargreaves, Tolchard Evans, Stanley J. Damerell & Henry J. Tilsley
- "Lies" w. George E. Springer m. Harry Barris
- "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries" w. B. G. De Sylva & Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
- "Little Girl" w.m. Madeline Hyde & Francis Henry
- "Love Is Sweeping The Country" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
- "Love Letters In The Sand" w. Nick Kenny & Charles Kenny m. J. Fred Coots
- "Lullaby Of The Leaves" w. Joe Young m. Bernice Petkere
- "Mad Dogs And Englishmen" w.m. Noel Coward
- "Makin' Faces At The Man In The Moon" w.m. Max Rich, Kate Smith, Al Hoffman & Ned Washington
- "Mama Inez" w. (Eng) L. Wolfe Gilbert m. Eliseo Grenet
- "Maria, My Own" w. (Eng) L. Wolfe Gilbert m. Ernesto Lacuona
- "Marta" w. (Eng) L. Wolfe Gilbert m. Moises Simons
- "Mausie" w. (Eng) Harry Graham m. Paul Abraham
- "Me!" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "Moonlight Saving Time" w.m. Irving Kahal & Harry Richman
- "My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes" Koehler, Pola, Golden
- "My Song" w. Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
- "Nevertheless" w. Bert Kalmar m. Harry Ruby
- "Now's The Time To Fall In Love" w.m. Al Sherman & Al Lewis
- "Of Thee I Sing" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
- "Oh, Monah" w.m. Ted Weems & Joe "Country" Washburn
- "One More Time" w.m. B. G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray Henderson.
- "Ooh That Kiss" w. Mort Dixon & Joe Young m. Harry Warren
- "Out Of Nowhere" w. Edward Heyman m. John Green
- "Paradise" w. Nacio Herb Brown & Gordon Clifford m. Nacio Herb Brown
- "Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone)" w.m. Will Jason & Val Burton
- "Pied Piper Of Hamelin" w.m. Noel Gay
- "Poor Pierrot" w. Otto Harbach m. Jerome Kern
- "Popeye The Sailor Man" w.m. Sammy Lerner
- "Prisoner Of Love" w. Leo Robin m. Russ Columbo & Clarence Gaskill
- "River, Stay 'Way From My Door" w. Mort Dixon m. Harry Woods
- "Roll On, Mississippi, Roll On" w.m. James McCaffrey, Eugene West & Dave Ringle
- "Running Between The Raindrops" w. James Dyrenforth m. Carroll Gibbons
- "Sally" w.m. William Haines, Harry Leon & Leo Towers
- "Shadrack" w.m. Robert MacGimsey
- "She Didn't Say Yes" w. Otto Harbach m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Bettina Hall in the musical The Cat and the Fiddle.
- "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile" w. Charles O'Flynn & Jack Meskill m. Max Rich
- "Somebody from Somewhere" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin. Introduced by Janet Gaynor in the film Delicious
- "Sweet And Lovely" w.m. Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias & Jules Lemare
- "Thanks To You" w. Grant Clarke m. Pete Wendling
- "That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine" w.m. Jimmy Long & Gene Autry
- "That's My Desire" w. Carroll Loveday m. Helmy Kresa
- "This Is The Missus" w.m. Lew Brown & Ray Henderson
- "The Thrill Is Gone" w.m. Lew Brown & Ray Henderson
- "Till The Real Thing Comes Along" w.m. Mann Holiner, Alberta Nichols, Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin & L. E. Freeman
- "Twentieth Century Blues" w.m. Noel Coward
- "Under the Bridges of Paris" w. (Fr) Jean Rodor, (Eng) Dorcas Cochran m. Vincent Scotto
- "Underneath The Arches" w.m. Reg Connelly & Bud Flanagan
- "Wabash Moon" w.m. Dave Dreyer & Morton Downey
- "Was I?" w. Charles Farrell m. Chick Endor from the revue Ziegfeld Follies Of 1931
- "Was That The Human Thing To Do?" w. Joe Young m. Sammy Fain
- "We'll Be The Same" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
- "Were You Sincere" w. Jack Meskill m. Vincent Rose
- "When I Take My Sugar To Tea" w.m. Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal & Pierre Norman Connor
- "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" w.m. Leon Rene, Otis Rene & Clarence Muse
- "When The Bloom Is On The Sage" w.m. Nat Vincent & Fred Howard Wright
- "When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain" w.m. Howard Johnson, Harry Woods & Kate Smith
- "When Your Lover Has Gone" w.m. E. A. Swan
- "When Yuba Plays The Rhumba On The Tuba" w.m. Herman Hupfeld
- "Where The Blue Of The Night" w.m. Roy Turk, Bing Crosby & Fred E. Ahlert
- "Who Cares?" w.Ira Gershwin m.George Gershwin. Introduced by William Gaxton and Lois Moran in the musical Of Thee I Sing
- "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" w. Ted Koehler & Billy Moll m. Harry Barris
- "Yes, Yes, My Baby Said Yes, Yes" Cliff Friend, Con Conrad. Introduced by Eddie Cantor in the film Palmy Days
- "You Are My Heart's Delight" w. Harry Graham m. Franz Lehár Music 1923
- "You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)" w.m. Con Conrad, Gladys Du Bois, Russ Columbo & Paul Gregory
- "You Can't Stop Me From Loving You" w. Mann Holiner m.Alberta Nichols
- "You Forgot Your Gloves" w. Edward Eliscu m. Ned Lehac. Introduced by Constance Carpenter and Carl Randall in the revue The Third Little Show
- "You Rascal You" w.m. Sam Theard
- "You Try Somebody Else" w. B. G. De Sylva & Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
- "You're Blasé" w. Bruce Sievier m. Ord Hamilton
- "You're My Decline And Fall" George Posford
- "You're My Everything" w. Mort Dixon & Joe Young m. Harry Warren
- "Yours" (orig. "Quiéreme Mucho") w. (Eng) Jack Sherr (Sp) Augustin Rodriguez m. Gonzalo Roig
[edit] Biggest hit songs The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1931. | # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries | | 1 | Cab Calloway & His Cotton Club Orchestra | Minnie the Moocher | 1931 |  | RYM 1 of 1931, US BB 3 of 1931, POP 3 of 1931, RIAA 82, Scrobulate 87 of swing, Acclaimed 649 | | 2 | Ted Lewis | Just a Gigolo | 1931 |  | US BB 1 of 1931, POP 1 of 1931 | | 3 | Duke Ellington | Mood Indigo | 1931 |  | RYM 3 of 1931, US BB 7 of 1931, POP 7 of 1931, Acclaimed 518 | | 4 | Guy Lombardo | Goodnight, Sweetheart | 1931 |  | US BB 4 of 1931, POP 4 of 1931, RYM 40 of 1931 | | 5 | Isham Jones | Stardust | 1931 |  | US BB 5 of 1931, POP 5 of 1931, RYM 47 of 1930 | [edit] Top hits on record [edit] Classical music [edit] Births - January 5 - Alfred Brendel, pianist
- January 8 - Bill Graham, rock music entrepreneur (died 1991)
- January 12 - Roland Alphonso, saxophonist (died 1998)
- January 21 - Rudi Maugeri (The Crew-Cuts)
- January 22 - Sam Cooke, singer (died 1964)
- February 12 – Walt Groller, accordionist and polka musician
- February 14 - Phyllis McGuire, vocalist (The McGuire Sisters)
- March 15 - D. J. Fontana, drummer
- April 29 - Lonnie Donegan, skiffle musician (died 2002)
- May 4 - Ed Cassidy, drummer (Spirit)
- May 14 - Alvin Lucier, composer
- May 7 - Teresa Brewer, singer (died 2007)
- July 6 - Della Reese, actress and singer
- July 11 - Tab Hunter, actor and singer
- July 18 - Papa Dee Allen (War) (died 1988)
- July 31 - Morey Carr (The Playmates)
- August 28:
- September 19 - Brook Benton, singer and songwriter (died 1988)
- September 22 - George Chambers (The Chambers Brothers)
- September 24 - Anthony Newley, English songwriter, actor and singer (died 1999)
- October 24 - Sofia Gubaidulina, composer
- November 5 - Ike Turner, musician and record producer (died 2007)
- December 24:
- December 27 - Scotty Moore, guitarist
- December 30 - Skeeter Davis, country singer (died 2004)
[edit] Deaths - January 21 - Felix Blumenfeld, pianist, conductor and composer (born 1863)
- January 23 - Anna Pavlova, ballerina (born 1881)
- February 16 - Dirk Schäfer, pianist and composer (born 1873)
- February 23 - Dame Nellie Melba, operatic soprano (born 1861)
- April 4 - George Whitefield Chadwick, compsoer
- May 8 - Bertha Lewis, singer and actress with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company (born 1887) (car accident)
- May 12 - Eugène Ysaÿe, violinist and composer (born 1858)
- May 13 - Josif Marinković, composer (born 1851)
- June 18 - Fanny Holland, singer and actress (born 1847)
- June 21 - Jimmy Blythe, jazz pianist (born 1901)
- July 2 - Charles Quef, organist and composer (born 1873)
- July 4 - Buddy Petit, jazz cornet player (born c. 1890)
- August 6 - Bix Beiderbecke, jazz musician (born 1903)
- August 11 - Linda Loredo, dancer (born 1907)
- August 26 - Heinrich Grünfeld, cellist (born 1855)
- August 28 - Jane Green singer (born 1897)
- September 3 - Franz Schalk, conductor (born 1863)
- September 20 - Ugo Falena, opera librettist (born 1875)
- September 23 - Harry Macdonough, pioneer recording artist (born 1871)
- October 3 - Carl Nielsen, composer (born 1865)
- October 8 - Luigi von Kunits, violinist, conductor and composer (born 1870)
- October 18 - Thomas Edison, inventor of the phonograph (born 1847)
- October 20 - Emánuel Moór, pianist, composer and inventor of the Duplex-Coupler Grand Pianoforte (born 1863)
- October 21 - Barbecue Bob, blues musician (born 1902)
- October 29 - Luciano Gallet, composer (born 1893)
- November 3 - Buddy Bolden, jazz musician (born 1877)
- November 19 - Frederic Cliffe, composer (born 1857)
- November 23 - Leonora Braham, operatic soprano and actress (Gilbert & Sullivan)
- December 2 - Vincent d'Indy, composer (born 1851)
- date unknown
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