Editing 1974 in music (section)

==Events==

===January–April===
*[[January 1]] – English jazz musician [[John Dankworth]] is named [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in the United Kingdom's [[New Year's Honours List]]. Other musicians honoured include [[Charles Mackerras]] (CBE) and organist [[Gordon Archbold Slater]] (OBE)<ref>George Clark, "Mr Feather Made a Life Peer: Mr Whitelaw Honoured". ''The Times'' (2 January 1974): 1.</ref>
*[[January 3]] – [[Bob Dylan]] and [[The Band]] begin [[Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Tour|their 40-date concert tour]] at [[Chicago Stadium]]. It is Dylan's first tour since 1966.
*[[January 17]]
**<!--January 17-->[[Joni Mitchell]] releases her album ''[[Court and Spark]]'', supported by the single "[[Help Me (Joni Mitchell song)|Help Me]]".
**<!--January 17-->[[Dean Paul Martin|Dino Martin]], singer and son of [[Dean Martin]], is arrested on suspicion of possession and sale of two machine guns.
*[[February 12]] – New York's rock club [[The Bottom Line (venue)|The Bottom Line]] opens in [[Greenwich Village]]. The first headlining act is [[Dr. John]].
*[[February 16]] – Two years of litigation between [[Grand Funk]] and former manager [[Terry Knight]] are finally resolved. The band gets the rights to its name but Knight wins a cash settlement.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
*[[February 19]] – The first [[American Music Award]]s are broadcast on ABC, two weeks before the [[Grammy Award|Grammys]]. [[Helen Reddy]] and [[Jim Croce]] are among the winners.
*[[February 20]] – [[Cher]] files for divorce from her husband of 10 years, [[Sonny Bono]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Mark Bego|title=Cher: If You Believe|publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing|year=2001|isbn=9780815411536|page=91}}</ref>
*[[February 22]] – The [[English Chamber Orchestra]] conducted by [[Raymond Leppard]] performs the world premiere of ''Three Regions'' from ''Terrain'' by Douglas Young.<ref>Stephen Walsh, "ECO/Leppard", ''The Times'' (23 February 1974): 9.</ref>
*[[February 27]] – The [[Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn]], conducted by [[Jörg Faerber]], makes its English debut at the [[Queen Elizabeth Hall]], London.<ref>[[Stanley Sadie]], "Württemberg Chamber Orchestra", ''The Times'' (28 February 1974): 16.</ref>
*[[March 2]] – The [[16th Annual Grammy Awards]] are presented in [[Los Angeles]], hosted by [[Andy Williams]]. [[Stevie Wonder]]'s ''[[Innervisions]]'' wins [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]], while [[Roberta Flack]]'s version of "[[Killing Me Softly With His Song]]" wins both [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]. [[Bette Midler]] wins [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]].
*[[March 3]]
**<!--March 3-->Elvis Presley played two shows at the Houston Astrodome, breaking attendance records with 44,000 at the evening show.
*[[March 4]]
**<!--March 4-->Ivan Stepanov and His Balalaikas make their London debut at the [[Wigmore Hall]].<ref>Anon., "Royal Festival Hall" [classified ad], ''The Times'' (2 March 1974): 11; Bryce Morrison, "London Debuts", ''The Times'' (13 March 1974): 19.</ref>
**<!--March 4-->Baritone [[Hermann Prey]] cuts short a vocal recital in the [[Royal Festival Hall]], London, due to vocal fatigue.<ref>William Mann, "Prey/Hokanson", ''The Times'' (5 March 1974): 10.</ref>
*[[March 10]] – [[Hans Vonk (conductor)|Hans Vonk]] makes his London debut in the Royal Festival Hall, conducting the [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]] in a programme of [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]] and [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]], as well as the Violin Concerto by [[Roberto Gerhard]], with [[Erich Gruenberg]] as soloist.<ref>Stanley Sadie, "RPO/Vonk", ''The Times'' (11 March 1974): 11.</ref>
*[[March 12]] – [[John Lennon]] is involved in an altercation with a photographer outside [[The Troubadour (Los Angeles)|The Troubadour]] in Los Angeles. Lennon and friend [[Harry Nilsson]] have been heckling comedian [[Tommy Smothers]] and are forced to leave the club.<ref>{{cite book |author=Harry, Bill |year=2000 |title=The John Lennon Encyclopedia |publisher=Virgin |isbn=978-0-7535-0404-8 |pages=927–9}}</ref>
*[[March 16]] – Country music's [[The Grand Ole Opry|Grand Ole Opry]] moves to a new location at the [[Opryland USA|Opryland USA theme park]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]
*[[March 31]] – Record producer [[Phil Spector]] is badly injured in a car accident in Hollywood, details of which are largely suppressed at the time.
*[[April 5]] – [[Van Halen]] play their first show on the [[Sunset Strip]] in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles, California|Hollywood]] at [[Gazzarri's]].
*[[April 6]]
**<!--April 6-->200,000 music fans attend The [[California Jam rock festival]]. Artists performing at the event include [[Emerson, Lake & Palmer]], [[Black Sabbath]], [[Deep Purple]], [[Black Oak Arkansas]] and [[Eagles (band)|the Eagles]].
**<!--April 6-->Swedish group [[ABBA]] wins the 19th [[Eurovision Song Contest 1974|Eurovision Song Contest]] in [[Brighton Dome|The Dome]], [[Brighton]], England, with the song "[[Waterloo (ABBA song)|Waterloo]]", kickstarting their international career. The 1967 Eurovision winner, [[Sandie Shaw]], attends.
*[[April 14]] – ''[[Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones]]'', a concert film made during [[the Rolling Stones]]' [[The Rolling Stones American Tour 1972|1972 North American Tour]], premieres at the [[Ziegfeld Theatre (1969)|Ziegfeld Theatre]] in New York.
*[[April 16]] – [[Queen (band)|Queen]] play their first North American concert, opening for [[Mott the Hoople]] in [[Denver]], Colorado.
*[[April 20]] - "[[TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)]]" by [[MFSB]] reaches number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] in the United States for the first of two weeks. It is considered the first [[Disco]] song to reach number one. As it was commissioned, composed, and recorded specifically to be used as the theme for the syndicated television program [[Soul Train]] where it debuted in October 1973, it is also the first television theme song of the rock era to reach that position.
*[[April 24]]–[[April 25|25]] – Music aired on the radio in [[Portugal]] acts as a secret signal to trigger the [[Carnation Revolution]] there: at 10:55&nbsp;p.m. on April 24, [[Paulo de Carvalho]]'s "[[E Depois do Adeus]]" (Portugal's entry in the [[1974 Eurovision Song Contest]]) on Emissores Associados de Lisboa alerts rebel captains and soldiers that the coup is beginning; at 12:20&nbsp;a.m. on April 25, [[Rádio Renascença]] broadcasts "[[Grândola, Vila Morena]]", a song by [[José Afonso]], an influential political folk singer-songwriter, signalling the [[Armed Forces Movement]] (MFA) to begin the takeover of strategic points of power in the country from 3.00&nbsp;a.m.
*[[April 25]]
**[[Sotheby's]] Galleries in London sell a violin made in 1733 by Cremonese master [[Giuseppe Guarneri]], formerly belonging to violinist Elaine Weldon, for the equivalent of $140,000, the second-highest price ever paid for a violin.<ref>Agence France-Presse, "Violin by Guarnieri sold for $140,000", ''The Boston Globe'' (26 April 1974): 28.</ref>
**[[Pamela Courson|Pam Morrison]], [[Jim Morrison]]'s widow, is found dead in her [[Hollywood, Los Angeles, California|Hollywood]] apartment from an apparent heroin overdose.<ref>{{cite book|title=No One Here Gets Out Alive|author1=Hopkins, Jerry |author2=Sugerman, Danny |publisher=Mass Market Paperback|year=1995|page=377}}</ref>

===May–December===
*[[May 7]] – [[Led Zeppelin]] announces their new record label, [[Swan Song Records]], with a lavish party at [[Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts|The Four Seasons Hotel]] in New York.
*[[May 11]] – The [[New York City Police Department|New York Police]] [[bagpipe band]] performs shortly after midnight at the Portsmouth, RI Ramada Inn, in connection with a National Police Week event, prompting a drunken spree lasting until dawn by at least a dozen off-duty members of the [[Boston Police Department]]. The officers ran naked through the motel, "smashing chairs and tables, soiling rugs, discharging fire extinguishers, exploding firecrackers, setting off a burglar alarm, disconnecting a security camera, slashing automobile tires and throwing pictures into the motel courtyard",<ref>Jerry Taylor, "R.I. Chief Confirms Motel Vandalism", ''The Boston Globe'' (16 May 1974): 3</ref> causing an estimated $1027.75 in damage, including liquor stolen from a locked cabinet and unpaid breakfast bills.<ref>Ken Hartnett, "Several Policemen from Boston Accused of R. I. Hotel Spree", ''The Boston Globe'' (14 May): 3; Ken Hartnett, "R. I. Spree Story Exaggerate, Policeman Says", ''The Boston Globe'' (15 May): 3; David B. Wilson, "Bagpipes Made Them Do It&nbsp;...", ''The Boston Globe'' (20 May 1974): 17; Anon., "Patrolmen's Association Asked to Pay for Motel Damage", ''The Boston Globe'' (18 May 1974): 3.</ref>
*[[May 25]] – Twenty years after it was recorded, "[[Rock Around the Clock]]" by [[Bill Haley and His Comets]] returns to the ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' top 40, after it gains renewed popularity from its use in the film ''[[American Graffiti]]'' and the TV series ''[[Happy Days]]''.
*[[May 28]] – Experimental orchestra, the [[Portsmouth Sinfonia]], plays a concert at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], with its regular conductor John Farley.  The performers included [[Michael Nyman]] and [[Brian Eno]].<ref>[http://www.portsmouthsinfonia.com/media/sundaytelegraph.html ''Sunday Telegraph'', 23 May 2004]. Accessed 1 April 2013</ref> 
*[[June 1]] – [[Kevin Ayers]], [[John Cale]], [[Brian Eno]], [[Nico]] and other musicians perform at the [[Rainbow Theatre]] in London. The performances are later released as ''[[June 1, 1974]]''.
*[[June 5]] 
**<!--June 5-->[[Sly Stone]] married model-actress Kathy Silva on June 5, 1974, during a sold-out performance at [[Madison Square Garden]].
**<!--June 5-->[[Patti Smith]] records "[[Hey Joe]]", her debut single, which arguably becomes the first [[punk rock]] single when released in August.
*[[June 14]] – [[David Bowie]] launches his ''[[Diamond Dogs]]'' tour at the [[Montreal Forum]]. One year previously he had announced that he was retiring from touring as Ziggy Stardust.
*[[July 4]] – [[Barry White]] marries [[Love Unlimited]] lead singer Glodean James.
*[[July 19]]–21 – [[Ozark Music Festival]] is held in [[Sedalia, Missouri]], with a crowd estimated between 100,000 and 350,000 people.
*[[July 20]] – The first [[Concerts at Knebworth House|Knebworth Concert]] is held in England, headlined by [[The Allman Brothers Band]].
*[[July 29]] 
**<!--July 29-->Having performed at two sold-out concerts at the [[London Palladium]], [[Cass Elliot|"Mama" Cass Elliot]] dies in her sleep after suffering a heart attack in a [[Mayfair]] flat in London, aged 32.
**<!--July 29-->[[Neil Peart]] officially joins [[Rush (band)|Rush]].
*[[August 6]] – Hugh MacCallum, of [[Stirling]], wins the silver chanter for the third time, playing "Mrs MacLeod of Callisker's Salute" at the invitational bagpipe competition held at [[Dunvegan Castle]] on the [[Isle of Skye]]. Second place was given to the previous year's winner, Donald Morrison from [[South Uist]], who performed "Rory MacLeod's Lament".<ref>Seton Gordon, "A Strange Tune Gains Silver Chanter", ''The Times'' (Saturday,  24 August 1974): 12. Andrew T. Lenz, Jr. "[http://www.bagpipejourney.com/articles/results/silver-chanter.shtml Andrew's Tips: Silver Chanter Winners]", Andrew Lenz's Bagpipe Journey website, 2010 (Accessed 24 June 2014).</ref> 
*[[August 7]] 
**During a performance of [[Carmina Burana (Orff)|Carmina Burana]], conducted by [[André Previn]], at [[The Proms]], soloist [[Thomas Allen (baritone)|Thomas Allen]] collapses because of the heat and eventually has to be carried out by members of the orchestra. Prommer [[Patrick McCarthy (conductor)|Patrick McCarthy]], just embarking on his professional singing career, offers his services as a replacement and completes the performance.<ref name="Hoge">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/19/arts/bonkers-for-music-cheer-glory-for-britons-it-s-time-for-proms-that-exhilarating.html|title=Bonkers for Music, Cheer and Glory; For Britons, It's Time for the Proms, That Exhilarating Feast|last=Hoge|first=Warren|date=19 July 2001|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=17 June 2010}}</ref>
**[[Peter Wolf]], lead singer of [[The J. Geils Band]], marries actress [[Faye Dunaway]].
*[[August 16]] – [[Ramones]]' first appearance on NYC's venue [[CBGB]].<ref>As stated on Johnny Ramone's official Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/JohnnyRamone/photos/a.10150703813846521.491576.43468756520/10153036882146521/?type=1&theater</ref> The venue would help establish their place at the forefront of [[punk rock]].
*[[September 15]] – [[Gary Thain]] of [[Uriah Heep (band)|Uriah Heep]] is shocked on stage at the [[Moody Coliseum]] in [[Dallas]], Texas, and is seriously injured.
*[[October 3]] – [[Idi Amin]], the President of Uganda, instructs his country's acting high commissioner in London to recruit two six-foot-tall Scots bagpipers with military backgrounds to serve as his bodyguards.<ref>Anon. "Uganda Leader Wants 2 Pipers". ''The Boston Globe'' (4 October 1974): 10.</ref>
*[[October 5]]
**[[AC/DC]] performs at the Brighton Le-Sands Masonic Hall in Sydney, Australia its first official show with [[Bon Scott]] as its new lead singer.<ref>Bon Scott valedictory https://americansongwriter.com/on-this-day-ac-dc-lost-frontman-bon-scott-in-1980/#:~:text=Scott%20played%20his%20first%20show%20with%20AC%2FDC%20on,debut%20High%20Voltage%2C%20and%20follow-up%20T.N.T.%20in%201975.</ref>
**The North Coast Band Invitational competition, sponsored by St. Ann's CYO Band of [[Neponset, Boston|Neponset]], is held for the first time, at [[Nickerson Field]] on the Boston University campus.<ref>Herb Cole, "Drum Corps Notes: 13 Units compete in Invitational", ''The Boston Globe'' (Sunday, 29 September): A 12.</ref>
*[[October 18]] – [[Al Green]] is attacked while bathing by a girlfriend of several weeks, Mrs. Mary Woodson, a 29-year-old mother of three. She scalds his body with a pan of boiling grits and commits suicide a few moments later, reportedly because he rejected her marriage proposal.<ref>Anon., "Names and Faces in the News", ''The Boston Globe'' (20 October 1974): 2.</ref>
*[[November 2]] – [[George Harrison]] launches his "George Harrison & Friends North American Tour" in [[Vancouver]]. It is the first North American tour by a former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] since the band's [[The Beatles' 1966 US tour|August 1966 tour]].
*[[November 21]] – [[Wilson Pickett]] is arrested in [[Andes (town), New York|Andes, New York]], after allegedly firing a bullet through the door of a hotel room where he was staying while on a hunting trip with [[The Isley Brothers]].
*[[November 28]] – [[John Lennon]] joins [[Elton John]] on stage at [[Madison Square Garden]] for three songs. 
*[[December 12]] – [[Mick Taylor]] leaves [[The Rolling Stones]] after six years.
*[[December 31]]
**<!--December 31-->[[Lindsey Buckingham]] and [[Stevie Nicks]] join [[Fleetwood Mac]].
**<!--December 31-->The third annual [[Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest|New Year's Rockin' Eve]], moving this year from [[NBC]] to [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], is aired with performances by [[Herbie Hancock]], [[The Beach Boys]], [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]], [[Olivia Newton-John]] and [[The Doobie Brothers]].

===unknown date===
*[[Lord Shorty]]'s ''Endless Vibrations'' is the first [[Soca music|soca]] LP and the first major soca hit worldwide.
*[[Eric Bogle]]'s "[[And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda]]" comes to prominence when he enters it in a National Folk Festival songwriting competition in [[Brisbane]], Australia.
*[[Rover Thomas]] claims to have been visited in a dream by a deceased friend near Warmun, Australia, and receives the Krill Krill song cycle.
*The original Alice Cooper group breaks up. The band's leader, Vincent Furnier, changes his name to [[Alice Cooper]] and goes on to a solo career.
*[[Journey (band)|Journey]] signs to [[Columbia Records]].
*[[Roland RE-201]] and 101 Space Echo tape-based audio [[Delay (audio effect)|delay effects units]] introduced.