1931 in music

Events

• May 21 - RCA Victor's first commercially issued 33⅓ rpm record, "Salon Suite, No. 1" by The Victor Salon Orchestra, directed by Nathaniel Shilkret, was recorded
• Roy Rogers' musical career begins
• Mary Garden retires from the Chicago Opera
• Alberto Rabagliati's singing career begins

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 Questel and Rudy Vallee in the Betty Boop animated short Musical Justice (1931)
• "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. Noël 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 Lecuona
• "Marta" w. (Eng) L. Wolfe Gilbert m. Moises Simons
• "Mausie" w. (Eng) Harry Graham m. Paul Abraham
• "Me!" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "(There Ought to Be a) 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. Noël 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 Rumba 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

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

Top hits on record

• "Any Little Fish" by Noël Coward
• "As Time Goes By" by Rudy Vallée
• "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" by Cab Calloway
• "Beyond The Blue Horizon" by Jack Hylton
• "Blue Again" by Ambrose
• "Dream A Little Dream Of Me", recorded by
  • Wayne King, The Waltz King
  • Ozzie Nelson
• "Goodnight, Sweetheart", recorded by:
  • Al Bowlly
  • Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
• "The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Halls" by John McCormack
• "High Water" by Paul Robeson
• "I Apologize" by Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra, vocal Paul Small
• "I Don't Know Why – I Just Do" by Layton and Johnstone
• "I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In a 5 and 10 Cent Store)" by The Boswell Sisters
• "Just One More Chance" by Bing Crosby and Victor Young
• "The Kiss Waltz" by Gracie Fields
• "Lady, Play Your Mandolin" recorded by:
  • Havana Novelty Orchestra, directed Nat Shilkret, vocal Paul Small
  • Nick Lucas
• "Lazy River" by Louis Armstrong
• "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries", recorded by
  • Hutch
  • Rudy Vallee
• "Linda" by Carroll Gibbons
• "Memories Of You" by Duke Ellington
• "Moanin' Low" by Sophie Tucker
• "Mood Indigo" by Duke Ellington & His Jungle Band
• "My Ideal" by Maurice Chevalier
• "Nevertheless" by Ruth Etting
• "Out Of Nowhere" by Bing Crosby
• "The Peanut Vendor (El Manicero)" by Don Azpiazu
• "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" by Gene Austin
• "River Stay 'Way From My Door" by Paul Robeson
• "Rockin' Chair" by Paul Robeson
• "Sally" by Gracie Fields
• "Star Dust" by Bing Crosby
• "Sweet And Lovely" by Al Bowlly with Savoy Orpheans; Howard Jacobs and Carroll Gibbons
• "Time On My Hands" by Al Bowlly with The New Mayfair Dance Orchestra
• "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" by Maurice Chevalier
• "When I Take My Sugar To Tea" by Boswell Sisters and the Dorsey Brothers
• "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain" by Kate Smith
• "When Yuba Plays the Rumba On the Tuba" by Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees
• "Would You Like To Take A Walk" by Annette Hanshaw including Benny Goodman and Eddie Lang
• "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" by Bing Crosby
• "You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)" by Russ Columbo

Top blues recordings

• "Devil Got My Woman" - Skip James
• "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues" - Skip James
• "I'm So Glad" - Skip James
• "Uncle Ned, Don't Use Your Head" - Lonnie Johnson
• "Southern Can is Mine" - Blind Willie McTell
• "Broke Down Engine Blues" - Blind Willie McTell
• "Georgia Rag" - Blind Willie McTell

Classical music

• Joseph Achron - Quartet for Cello, Trumpet, Horn, and Piano, Golem
• Marc Blitzstein - Piano Concerto
• Benjamin Britten - String Quartet in D
• Ruth Crawford Seeger - String Quartet
• Samuel Feinberg - Piano Concerto no. 1
• Reinhold Glière - Comedians (ballet)
• Camargo Guarnieri - Cello Sonata No. 1
• Constant Lambert - Concerto for Piano & 9 Instruments
• Igor Markevitch - Serenade for Three Instruments
• Paul Paray - Mass for the 500th Anniversary of the Death of Joan of Arc
• Carl Nielsen - Commotio (for organ)
• Sergei Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 4, for left hand, written for Paul Wittgenstein.
• Maurice Ravel - Piano Concerto for Left Hand, written for Paul Wittgenstein.
• Cyril Scott - Cello Concerto
• Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, "First of May"
• Igor Stravinsky - Violin Concerto in D
• Edgard Varèse - Ionisation (1929–31)
• William Walton - Belshazzar's Feast (oratorio)

Opera

• George Antheil - Helen Retires (not performed until 1934)
• Arthur Benjamin - The Devil Take Her
• Gustave Charpentier - Orphée
• Paul Dessau - Das Eisenbahnspiel
• Walter Goehr - Malpopita
• Gabriel von Wayditch - Horus
• Eugène Ysaÿe - Peter the Miner

Musical theater

• America's Sweetheart Broadway production opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on February 10 and ran for 135 performances.
• The Band Wagon Broadway production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on June 3 and ran for 260 performances
• Bitter Sweet (Noël Coward) - London revival
• The Cat and the Fiddle Broadway production opened at the Globe Theatre on October 15 and ran for 395 performances
• Cavalcade (Noël Coward) - London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on October 13 and ran for 405 performances
• Die Dubarry Berlin production opened on August 14
• Folly To Be Wise London revue opened at the Piccadilly Theatre on January 8. Starring Cicely Courtneidge.
• Here Goes the Bride Broadway production opened at Chanin's 46th Street Theatre on November 3 and ran for 7 performances.
• Hold My Hand (Music: Noel Gay Lyrics: Desmond Carter Book: Stanley Lupino) London production opened at the Gaiety Theatre on December 23. Starring Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale and Stanley Lupino.
• The Land of Smiles (Franz Lehár) - London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on May 8
• The Laugh Parade Broadway revue opened at the Imperial Theatre on November 2 and ran for 231 performances
• The Third Little Show Broadway production opened at the Music Box Theatre on June 1 and ran for 136 performances
• Victoria and Her Hussar London production opened at the Palace Theatre on September 17 and ran for 100 performances
• White Horse Inn London production opened at the Coliseum Theatre on April 8 and ran for 651 performances
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 Broadway revue opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on July 1 and ran for 165 performances.

Musical films

• Children of Dreams starring Margaret Schilling, Paul Gregory and Tom Patricola
• The Cuban Love Song starring Lawrence Tibbett, Lupe Velez, Jimmy Durante and Louise Fazenda
• Delicious starring Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell and El Brendl.
• Her Majesty, Love starring Marilyn Miller
• The Hot Heiress starring Ben Lyon and Ona Munson
• Kiss Me Again starring Bernice Claire and Edward Everett Horton
• Palmy Days starring Eddie Cantor and Charlotte Greenwood
• Pardon Us starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Directed by James Parrott.
• The Prodigal starring Lawrence Tibbett
• Sally in Our Alley starring Gracie Fields
• Showgirl's Luck starring Susan Denis, Arthur Tauchert, Arthur Clarke and Fred Bluett
• The Smiling Lieutenant starring Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins
• Sunshine Susie starring Renate Müller and Jack Hulbert

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
• March 25 - Paul Motian, jazz drummer (died 2011)
• 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)
• June 10 - João Gilberto, bossa nova musician
• July 6 - Della Reese, actress and singer
• July 11 - Tab Hunter, actor and singer
• July 18 - Papa Dee Allen, (War) (died 1988)
• July 31
  • Kenny Burrell, jazz guitarist
  • Morey Carr (The Playmates)
• August 28
  • John Perkins (The Crew-Cuts)
  • John Shirley-Quirk, operatic bass-baritone
• September 12 - George Jones, country singer
• 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)
• November 16 - Hubert Sumlin, blues guitarist (died 2011)
• December 24
  • Ray Bryant, jazz pianist (died 2011)
  • Mauricio Kagel, composer (died 2008)
• December 27 - Scotty Moore, guitarist
• December 30 - Skeeter Davis, country singer (died 2004)

Deaths

• January 5 - Colonel Charles Gerard Conn, instrument manufacturer (born 1884)
• 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
  • Mario Ancona, bel canto baritone (born 1860)
  • Dame Nellie Melba, operatic soprano (born 1861)
• April 4 - George Whitefield Chadwick, composer
• 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 22 - Joseph Tabrar, songwriter (born 1857)
• 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
  • Georgi Atanasov, composer (born 1882)
  • Tomasz Bartkiewcz, organist and composer (born 1865)
  • Alfonso Rendano, pianist, inventor of the "third pedal" (born 1853)