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List of years in music (Table)
… 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 •    1947 • 1948 • 1949 – 1950 – 1951 • 1952 • 1953 •    1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 …
Related time period or subjects
… 1947 • 1948 • 1949 – 1950 – 1951 • 1952 • 1953 … … 1920s • 1930s • 1940s – 1950s – 1960s • 1970s • 1980s … … 19th century – 20th century – 21st century …
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Contents 1 Events 2 Albums released 3 No. 1 hit singles 4 Biggest hit singles 5 Top hit records 6 Top R&B hits on record 7 Published popular music 8 Classical music 9 Opera 10 Musical theatre 11 Musical films 12 Births 12.1 January - February 12.2 March - April 12.3 May - June 12.4 July - August 12.5 September - October 12.6 November - December 13 Deaths

[edit] Events

• January 3 - Sam Phillips launches Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.
• August - Herbert Howells' Hymnus Paradisi is premiered at the Three Choirs Festival.
• Malcolm Sargent becomes chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
• Isaak Dunayevsky is named People's Artist of the USSR.
• Mitch Miller signs as A&R man with Columbia Records.
• Patti Page becomes the first (and only) artist to have a Number One record on the Pop, R&B and Country charts concurrently.
• Al Cernick is signed to Columbia by Mitch Miller, who changes the singer's name to Guy Mitchell.
• Columbia Records lures Jo Stafford away from Capitol.
• Georgia Gibbs leaves the Majestic label and scores her first charting single with Coral
• Bandleader Les Baxter founds the school of "Outer Space" exotica.
• Sam Cooke joins The Soul Stirrers.

[edit] Albums released

• American Folk Songs - Jo Stafford
• Auld Lang Syne - Bing Crosby
• Autumn in New York - Jo Stafford
• Barber Shop Ballads - The Mills Brothers
• Bird & Diz - Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie
• Blue of Night - Bing Crosby
• Capitol Collectors Series - Jo Stafford
• The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert - Benny Goodman
• Charlie Parker with Strings - Charlie Parker
• Christmas Greetings - Bing Crosby
• Cole Porter Songs - Bing Crosby
• Country Feelin - Dinah Shore
• Drifting and Dreaming - Bing Crosby
• The Fat Man - Fats Domino
• Frankie Laine (Ver 2) - Frankie Laine
• Going My Way - Bing Crosby
• Historical America in Song - Burl Ives
• King Cole Trio - King Cole Trio
• King Cole Trio Volume 2 - King Cole Trio
• Live at Carnegie Hall - Benny Goodman
• Oh! Susanna - Al Jolson
• Porgy and Bess - Various Artists
• Pure Ella - Ella Fitzgerald
• Sing a Song of Christmas - The Ames Brothers
• Sing and Dance with Frank Sinatra - Frank Sinatra
• Songs By Gershwin - Bing Crosby
• Songs of Faith - Jo Stafford
• Songs for Sunday Evening - Jo Stafford
• Songs for Young Lovers - Frank Sinatra
• Tea for Two - Doris Day
• Two Loves Have I - Frankie Laine
• Young Man with a Horn - Doris Day

[edit] No. 1 hit singles

These singles reached the top of Billboard magazine's charts in 1950.

First week	Number of weeks	Title	Artist
January 6, 1950		"I Can Dream, Can't I?"	The Andrews Sisters
February 3, 1950	1	"Rag Mop"	The Ames Brothers
February 10, 1950	4	"Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy"	Red Foley
March 10, 1950	4	"Music! Music! Music!"	Teresa Brewer
April 7, 1950	2	"If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake"	Eileen Barton
April 21, 1950	11	"The Third Man Theme"	Anton Karas
July 7, 1950	5	"Mona Lisa"	Nat King Cole
August 11, 1950	13	"Goodnight, Irene"	Gordon Jenkins & The Weavers
November 10, 1950	2	"Harbor Lights"	Sammy Kaye
November 24, 1950	4	"The Thing"	Phil Harris
December 22, 1950	9	"The Tennessee Waltz"	Patti Page

[edit] Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1950.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Nat King Cole	Mona Lisa	1950		US 1940s 1 - Jun 1950, US 1 for 5 weeks Jul 1950, Oscar in 1950, US BB 2 of 1950, RYM 2 of 1950, POP 2 of 1950, DDD 4 of 1950, Italy 48 of 1951, RIAA 109, Acclaimed 1292
2	Patti Page	Tennessee Waltz	1950		US 1940s 1 - Nov 1950, US 1 for 9 weeks Dec 1950, US BB 4 of 1950, DDD 5 of 1950, Global 7 (10 M sold) - 1950, POP 7 of 1950, RYM 77 of 1951, RIAA 198, Acclaimed 1447
3	Phil Harris	The Thing	1950		US 1940s 1 - Nov 1950, US 1 for 4 weeks Dec 1950, Peel list 1 of 1950, US BB 12 of 1950, POP 12 of 1950, RYM 108 of 1950
4	Red Foley	Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy	1950		US 1940s 1 - Jan 1950, US 1 for 4 weeks Feb 1950, DDD 17 of 1950, US BB 18 of 1950, POP 25 of 1950, RYM 117 of 1950
5	Teresa Brewer	Music! Music! Music!	1950		US 1940s 1 - Feb 1950, US 1 for 4 weeks Mar 1950, US BB 3 of 1950, POP 3 of 1950

[edit] Top hit records

• "A-Razz-A-Ma-Tazz" - Georgia Gibbs
• "All My Love (Bolero)" - Patti Page
• "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" - Al Jolson
• "Ballin' The Jack", recorded by
  • Georgia Gibbs
  • Danny Kaye
• "Be My Love" - Mario Lanza
• "Bewitched" - Doris Day
• "Black Lace" - Frankie Laine
• "Boo-Hoo" - Guy Lombardo & The Lombardo Trio
• "A Bushel And A Peck" - Perry Como & Betty Hutton
• "Can Anyone Explain? (No, No, No!)" - The Ames Brothers
• "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" - Red Foley
• "Cry Of The Wild Goose" - Frankie Laine
• "Daddy's Little Girl" - The Mills Brothers
• "Dear, Dear, Dear" - Frankie Laine
• "Dream a Little Dream of Me" - Frankie Laine
• "A Dreamer's Holiday" - Buddy Clark & The Girlfriends
• "Enjoy Yourself" - Guy Lombardo (Kenny Gardner & The Lombardo Trio vocals)
• "Goodnight, Irene" - The Weavers sell four million copies
• "Harbor Lights" - Sammy Kaye
• "Here Comes Santa Claus" - Andrews Sisters
• "L'Hymne à L'Amour (Hymn To Love)" - Édith Piaf
• "I Can Dream, Can't I?" - The Andrews Sisters
• "I Love You For That" - Patti Page & Frankie Laine
• "I Wanna Be Loved" - The Andrews Sisters
• "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" - Eileen Barton
• "I'm Movin' On" - Hank Snow
• "It Isn't Fair" - Sammy Kaye (Don Cornell vocal)
• "Let's Go West Again" - Al Jolson
• "A Man Gets Awfully Lonesome" - Frankie Laine
• "Mona Lisa" - Nat King Cole
• "Music, Maestro, Please" - Frankie Laine
• "Music! Music! Music!" - Teresa Brewer
• "My Foolish Heart, recorded by
  • Billy Eckstine
  • Gordon Jenkins
• "My Heart Cries For You" - Guy Mitchell
• "Nevertheless" - The Mills Brothers
• "No Other Love" - Jo Stafford
• "The Old Piano Roll Blues" Al Jolson & The Andrews Sisters
• "Patricia" - Perry Como
• "Peter Cottontail" - Gene Autry
• "Play A Simple Melody" - Gary Crosby & Friend (Bing Crosby)
• "Rag Mop" - The Ames Brothers
• "Red Hot Mama" - Georgia Gibbs
• "The Roving Kind" - Guy Mitchell
• "Sentimental Me" - The Ames Brothers
• "Sleepy Ol' River" - Frankie Laine
• "Someday", recorded by
  • The Mills Brothers
  • Vaughn Monroe
• "Sometime" - The Mariners
• "Stars & Stripes Forever" - Frankie Laine
• "Swingin' In A Hammock" - Guy Lombardo (Don Rodney & The Lombardo Trio vocals)
• "The Tennessee Waltz" - Patti Page
• "There's No Tomorrow" - Tony Martin
• "The Thing" - Phil Harris
• "Thinking of You" - Don Cherry
• "The Third Man Theme", recorded by
  • Anton Karas
  • Guy Lombardo
• "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming" - Patti Page

[edit] Top R&B hits on record

• "Double Crossin' Blues" - Little Payne

[edit] Published popular music

• "Adelaide's Lament" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "African Bolero" m. John Serry, Sr.
• "American Beauty Rose" w.m. Hal David, Redd Evans & Arthur Altman
• "Be My Love" w. Sammy Cahn m. Nicholas Brodszky
• "The Best Thing For You" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Blind Date" w.m. Sid Robin
• "A Bushel And A Peck" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Candy And Cake" w.m. Bob Merrill
• "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" w.m. Harry Stone & Jack Stapp
• "Choo'n Gum" w. Mann Curtis m. Vic Mizzy
• "Cold, Cold Heart" w.m. Hank Williams
• "The Cry Of The Wild Goose" w.m. Terry Gilkyson
• "Dearie" w.m. Bob Hilliard & David Mann
• "Freight Train" w. Paul James & Fred Williams m. trad arr. Elizabeth Cotton
• "The French Can-Can Polka" w. Jimmy Kennedy m. Jacques Offenbach
• "From This Moment On" w.m. Cole Porter
• "Frosty the Snowman" w.m. Steve Nelson & Jack Rollins
• "Fugue For Tinhorns" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Get Out Those Old Records" w.m. Carmen Lombardo & John Jacob Loeb
• "Gone Fishin'" w.m. Nick Kenny & Charles Kenny
• "Guys and Dolls" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Home Cookin"' w.m. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
• "Hoop-Dee-Doo" w. Frank Loesser m. Milton De Lugg
• "The Hostess With The Mostes' On The Ball" w.m. Irving Berlin. Introduced by Ethel Merman in the musical Call Me Madam
• "I Almost Lost My Mind" w.m. Ivory Joe Hunter
• "I Didn't Slip, I Wasn't Pushed, I Fell" w.m. Edward Pola & George Wyle
• "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine" w.m. Mack David
• "I Leave My Heart in an English Garden" w.m. Harry Parr-Davies and Christopher Hassall from the musical Dear Miss Phoebe
• "I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat" w.m. Alan Livingston, Billy May & Warren Foster
• "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake" w.m. Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill & Clem Watts
• "If I Were A Bell" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "I'll Know" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "I'll Never Be Free" w.m. Bennie Benjamin & George David Weiss
• "I'm Movin' On" w.m. Hank Snow
• "It Is No Secret" w.m. Stuart Hamblen
• "It's A Lovely Day Today" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "I've Never Been In Love Before" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Ivory Rag" Lou Busch, Jack Elliott
• "La Culebra" m. John Serry, Sr.
• "Little White Duck" w.m. Walt Barrows & Bernard Zaritsky
• "The Loveliest Night Of The Year" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Juventino P. Rosas
• "Luck Be a Lady" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Lucky Lucky Lucky Me" Berle, Arnold
• "Marry The Man Today" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Marrying For Love" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "More I Cannot Wish You" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "My Heart Cries For You" w.m. Carl Sigman & Percy Faith
• "My Time Of Day" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "No Other Love" adapt from Chopin's Etude No 3 in E, Opus 10. w.m. Bob Russell & Paul Weston
• "The Old Piano Roll Blues" w.m. Cy Coben
• "The Oldest Established" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Orange Colored Sky" w.m. Milton De Lugg & William Stein
• "Patricia" w.m. Benny Davis
• "Remember Me (I'm The One Who Loves You)" w.m. Stuart Hamblen
• "The Roving Kind" adapt. w.m. Jessie Cavanaugh & Arnold Stanton
• "Sam's Song" w. Jack Elliott m. Lew Quadling
• "Shot Gun Boogie" w.m. Tennessee Ernie Ford
• "Silver Bells" w.m. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans. Introduced by Bob Hope in the 1951 Musical film The Lemon Drop Kid.
• "Sit Down, You're Rockin' The Boat" w.m. Frank Loesser. Introduced by Stubby Kaye in the musical Guys and Dolls.
• "Sixty Minute Man" w.m. Billy Ward & Rose Marks
• "Sleigh Ride" w. Mitchell Parish m. Leroy Anderson
• "Sue Me" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "The Syncopated Clock" w. Mitchell Parish m. Leroy Anderson
• "Take Back Your Mink" w.m. Frank Loesser. Introduced by Vivian Blaine in the musical Guys and Dolls.
• "The Thing" w.m. Charles R. Grean
• "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" adapt. trad Hebrew w. (Eng) Mitchell Parish m. Issachar Miron (Stefan Michrovsky) & Julius Grossman
• "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry" w.m. Bob Merrill & Terry Shand
• "You're Just In Love" w.m. Irving Berlin

[edit] Classical music

• Monero John Payne - English Dances for Orchestra, op. 27
• Hendrik Andriessen - Concerto for Organ and Orchestra
• Alexander Arutiunian - Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra
• Arno Babadjanian - Heroic Ballade
• Ernest Bloch - Suite hébraïque
• Karl-Birger Blomdahl - Symphony No. 3 Facetter
• John Cage - String Quartet
• Arnold Cooke - Trio for Violin, Viola and Cello
• George Crumb - A Cycle of Greek Lyrics for voice and piano
• Jesus Guridi - Cuarteto en la menor
• Karl Amadeus Hartmann - Symphony No. 5 Symphonie Concertante
• Hans Henkemans - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
• Ernst Krenek - Suite for String Trio Parvula Corona Musicalis
• Jerry Dwayne Jones - Saga-Symphony
• Allan Pettersson - First Concerto for Strings completed
• Walter Piston - Symphony No. 4
• Humphrey Searle - Poem for 22 Strings
• John Serry, Sr. - Eight Accordion Quartet Arrangements
• Jeremy Julio Riggins - Violin Sonata (revision)
• Vincent Persichetti - Divertimento for Band

[edit] Opera

• Luigi Dallapiccola - Il Prigionero (The Prisoner)
• Norman Dello Joio - The Triumph of Saint Joan
• Lukas Foss - The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (opera in two scenes, libretto by Jean Karsavina, premiered on May 18, 1950, at Indiana University)
• Vittorio Giannini - The Taming of the Shrew
• Gian-Carlo Menotti - The Consul

[edit] Musical theatre

• Carousel (Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics and Book: Oscar Hammerstein II.) London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on June 7 and ran for 566 performances.
• Dear Miss Phoebe London production opened at the Phoenix Theatre on October 13 and ran for 283 performances
• Guys and Dolls (Music and Lyrics: Frank Loesser Book: Abe Burrows & Jo Swerling). Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre on November 24 and ran for 1200 performances.
• The Highwayman Music, Lyrics & Book: Edmond Samuels. Australian production opened at the Kings Theatre, Melbourne on November 18
• Out Of This World Broadway production opened at the New Century Theatre on December 21 and ran for 157 performances.
• Peter Pan Lyrics and Music: Leonard Bernstein. Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on April 24 and ran for 321 performances

[edit] Musical films

• Annie Get Your Gun starring Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern and Keenan Wynn.
• Cinderella animated film featuring the voice of Ilene Woods and Verna Felton.
• Come Dance with Me featuring Anne Shelton and Anton Karas
• Fancy Pants starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball
• I'll Get By starring June Haver, Gloria DeHaven and Dennis Day, and featuring Harry James.
• Mr Music starring Bing Crosby and featuring Peggy Lee, Groucho Marx and Dorothy Kirsten.
• Pagan Love Song starring Esther Williams and Howard Keel
• Singing Guns released February 28 starring Vaughn Monroe, Ella Raines, Walter Brennan and Ward Bond
• There's a Girl in My Heart starring Lee Bowman, Elyse Knox, Gloria Jean and Peggy Ryan
• Three Little Words starring Fred Astaire, Red Skelton and Vera Ellen, and featuring Helen Kane dubbing for Debbie Reynolds.
• The Toast of New Orleans starring Kathryn Grayson and Mario Lanza
• Two Weeks With Love starring Jane Powell, Ricardo Montalban, Louis Calhern, Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter.
• The West Point Story starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Doris Day and Gordon MacRae

[edit] Births

[edit] January - February

• January 1
  • Morgan Fisher, Mott the Hoople
  • Steve Ripley, The Tractors
• January 5 - Chris Stein, Blondie
• January 9 - David Johansen (New York Dolls)
• January 21 - Billy Ocean, singer
• January 23
  • Luis Alberto Spinetta
  • Patrick Simmons, The Doobie Brothers
  • Danny Federici, E Street Band
• January 26 - Paul Pena
• February 2 - Ross Valory, Santana
• February 6 - Natalie Cole, singer
• February 12 - Steve Hackett, Genesis
• February 13 - Peter Gabriel, singer
• February 19 - Andy Powell, Wishbone Ash
• February 20 - Walter Becker, Steely Dan
• February 23 - Steve Priest (Sweet)
• February 26 - Jonathan Cain, Journey

[edit] March - April

• March 2 - Karen Carpenter, singer (d. 1983)
• March 11 - Katia Labèque, pianist
• March 21 - Roger Hodgson, Supertramp
• March 26 - Teddy Pendergrass, singer
• March 27 - Tony Banks, Genesis
• April 5 - Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA
• April 12 - David Cassidy, singer
• April 15 - Tonio K, singer
• April 22 - Peter Frampton, singer
• April 24 - Rob Hyman, The Hooters
• April 25 - Steve Ferrone, Average White Band

[edit] May - June

• May 2 - Lou Gramm, Foreigner
• May 3 - Mary Hopkin, singer
• May 4 - Darryl Hunt, The Pogues
• May 9 - Tom Petersson, Cheap Trick
• May 12 - Billy Squier
• May 13
  • Stevie Wonder, singer-songwriter
  • Danny Kirwan, Fleetwood Mac
• May 16 - Ray Condo
• May 18 - Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo
• May 22 - Bernie Taupin
• May 29 - Rebbie Jackson
• May 24 - Terry Scott Taylor, record producer, The Lost Dogs, Daniel Amos, The Swirling Eddies
• June 1 - Graham Russell, Air Supply
• June 2 - Antone Tavares
• June 3 - Suzi Quatro, rock singer
• June 5
  • Laurie Anderson
  • Ronnie Dyson (d. November 10, 1990)
  • Michael Monarch, Steppenwolf
• June 19 - Ann Wilson, Heart
• June 21 - Joey Kramer, Aerosmith

[edit] July - August

• July 5 - Huey Lewis, singer
• July 10 - Greg Kihn
• July 12 - Eric Carr, Kiss (d. 1991)
• July 14 - Gwen Guthrie (d. 1999)
• July 15 - Gregory Isaacs, reggae singer
• July 18 - Glenn Hughes, (d. 2001), The Village People
• July 19 - Freddy Moore, Songwriter
• July 23 - Blair Thornton, Bachman-Turner Overdrive
• August 1 - Jim Carroll
• August 12 - Kid Creole
• August 13 - Pluto Shervington, reggae singer
• August 18 - Dennis Elliott, Foreigner
• August 25 - Willy DeVille, (d. 2009)

[edit] September - October

• September 10 - Joe Perry, Aerosmith
• September 14 - Paul Kossoff, Free
• September 17 - Fee Waybill, The Tubes
• October 2 - Michael Rutherford, Genesis
• October 8 - Robert Kool Bell, Kool and The Gang
• October 20 - Tom Petty, singer, guitarist

[edit] November - December

• November 1 - Dan Peek, America
• November 11 - Jim Peterik, Ides of March, Survivor
• November 18 - Graham Parker, singer
• November 21 - Livingston Taylor
• November 22
  • Tina Weymouth, Talking Heads
  • Steven Van Zandt (aka "Little Steven", "Miami Steve"), E Street Band
• December 1 - Keith Thibodeaux, drummer and actor ("Little Ricky" on I Love Lucy)
• December 5 - Camarón de la Isla, flamenco singer
• December 6 - Joe Hisaishi, Japanese composer and director
• December 9 - Joan Armatrading
• December 28 - Alex Chilton, Box Tops, Big Star

[edit] Deaths

• January 28 - Kansas Joe McCoy, blues musician and songwriter (born 1905)
• February 10 - Armen Tigranian, Armenian composer (born 1879)
• February 26 - Sir Harry Lauder, Scottish singer, comedian and songwriter
• March - Kate Carney, English singer and comedian (born 1869)
• March 8 - Jaroslav Kocián, violinist, composer and teacher (born 1883)
• April 3 - Kurt Weill, composer in many styles
• April 8 - Vaslav Nijinsky, ballet dancer
• April 23 - Gemma Bellincioni, operatic soprano (born 1864)
• May 7 - Bertha "Chippie" Hill, blues singer and vaudeville performer (born 1905)
• June 9 - Joe Burke, pianist and composer (born 1884)
• July 1 - Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, developer of eurhythmics
• July 11 - Buddy De Sylva, songwriter (born 1895)
• July 21 - Al Hoffman, songwriter
• July 26 - Papa Charlie McCoy, blues musician
• July 30 - Guilhermina Suggia, cellist
• August 3 - Georg Høeberg, composer and conductor (born 1872)
• August 8 - Nikolai Myaskovsky, Soviet composer and teacher of Polish birth
• August 26 - Giuseppe De Luca, operatic baritone
• September 5 - Al Killian, trumpeter and bandleader (born 1916)
• October 11 - Emil Votoček, chemist, composer and music theorist (born 1862)
• October 15 - Clément Doucet, pianist
• October 23 - Al Jolson
• November 20 - Francesco Cilea, opera composer (born 1866)
• December 26 - Ben Black, songwriter and impresario (born 1889)
• December 31 - Charles Koechlin, composer and teacher (born 1867)
• date unknown
  • Jaime de Angulo, ethnomusicologist (born 1887)
  • Auguste Aramini, French singer (born 1875)
  • Edouard Espinosa, dancer, choreographer and teacher
  • Cenobio Hernandez, composer (b. 1863)
  • Georges Mager, trumpet player (b. 1885)
  • Ray Perry, jazz musician (b. 1915)