1942 in music

Events

• July 21 - In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Goldman Band performs a unique concert, playing all original works. This was the first time a concert of music originally composed for the wind ensemble had been performed.
• Bunk Johnson makes his first recordings.
• Capitol Records is founded by Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva, and Glenn Wallichs.
• James Petrillo, leader of the American Federation of Musicians, orders a ban on musicians recording new material. The labels Decca and Capitol negotiate an end to the ban in 1943, but RCA Victor and Columbia Records hold out until 1944. The strike does not include live performances in concerts and on the radio.

Albums released

• Holiday Inn - Bing Crosby
• Selections from George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess, vol. 2 - Various Artists

Biggest hit songs

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1942.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Bing Crosby	White Christmas	1942		US 1940s 1 - Oct 1942, US BB 1 of 1942, US 1 for 11 weeks Oct 1942, Global 1 (50 M sold) - 1942, Oscar in 1942, RYM 1 of 1942, POP 1 of 1942, Europe 2 of the 1940s, RIAA 2, Scrobulate 2 of Christmas, UK 5 - Dec 1977, AFI 5, Norway 6 - Dec 1959, US BB 7 - Dec 1955, Acclaimed 306
2	Glenn Miller	Moonlight Cocktail	1942		US 1940s 1 - Feb 1942, US 1 for 10 weeks Feb 1942, US BB 6 of 1942, POP 6 of 1942, RYM 18 of 1942, Europe 55 of the 1940s
3	Glenn Miller	(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo	1942		US 1940s 1 - Aug 1942, US 1 for 7 weeks Sep 1942, US BB 10 of 1942, POP 10 of 1942, RYM 41 of 1942, Europe 44 of the 1940s
4	Jimmy Dorsey	Tangerine	1942		US 1940s 1 - Apr 1942, US 1 for 6 weeks May 1942, US BB 4 of 1942, POP 4 of 1942, Europe 82 of the 1940s
5	Kay Kyser	Jingle, Jangle, Jingle	1942		US 1940s 1 - Jul 1942, US 1 for 8 weeks Jul 1942, US BB 13 of 1942, POP 21 of 1942, Europe 66 of the 1940s

Top hit records

• "A String of Pearls"" by Glenn Miller
• "American Patrol" by Glenn Miller
• "Be Careful It's My Heart" by Bing Crosby
• "Blues In the Night" by Woody Herman
• "Cow Cow Boogie" by Freddie Slack
• "Der Fuehrer's Face" by Spike Jones
• "Deep In The Heart Of Texas" recorded by
  • Alvino Ray
  • Bing Crosby
  • Ted Weems And His Orchestra With Perry Como
• "Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree" recorded by
  • Glenn Miller
  • The Andrews Sisters
  • The Four King Sisters
• "Flying Home" by Lionel Hampton
• "For Me And My Gal" by Judy Garland and Gene Kelly
• "He Wears a Pair of Silver Wings" by Kay Kyser
• "He's My Guy" by Harry James
• "I Don't Want To Walk Without You" by Harry James
• "I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen" by Sammy Kaye
• "I'm Gonna Leave You on the Outskirts of Town" by Louis Jordan
• "Jersey Bounce" by Benny Goodman
• "Jitterbug Waltz" by Thomas “Fats” Waller and His Rhythm
• "Jingle, Jangle, Jingle" by Kay Kyser
• "Kalamazoo" by Glenn Miller
• "Manhattan Serenade" by Harry James
• "Mister Five by Five" recorded by
  • The Andrews Sisters
  • Freddie Slack
  • Harry James
• "Moonlight Cocktail" by Glenn Miller
• "My Devotion" by Vaughn Monroe
• "Night And Day" by Frank Sinatra
• "One Dozen Roses" by Harry James
• "Sleepy Lagoon" by Harry James
• "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place" by Benny Goodman
• "Strictly Instrumental" by Harry James
• "Strip Polka" recorded by
  • The Andrews Sisters
  • Johnny Mercer
• "The Lamplighter's Serenade" by Frank Sinatra
• "The Sunshine Of Your Smile" by Frank Sinatra
• "Tangerine" recorded by
  • Jimmy Dorsey
  • Vaughn Monroe
• "Trav'lin' Light" by Paul Whiteman
• "White Christmas" - Bing Crosby (The best selling song of all time from a film)
• "Who Wouldn't Love You?" by Kay Kyser

Published popular music

• "C Jam Blues" m. Duke Ellington
• ""Murder", He Says!" w. Frank Loesser m. Jimmy McHugh
• "Abraham" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Ain't Got A Dime To My Name" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
• "At Last" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren
• "Baltimore Oriole" w. Paul Francis Webster & Hoagy Carmichael
• "Be Careful, It's My Heart" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Be Like The Kettle And Sing" w.m. Connor, O'Connor & Ridley
• "Born To Lose" w.m. Frankie Brown
• "Constantly" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Bing Crosby in the film Road to Morocco
• "Cow-Cow Boogie" w.m. Don Raye, Gene De Paul & Benny Carter
• "Dearly Beloved" w. Johnny Mercer m. Jerome Kern
• "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" w. Bob Russell m. Duke Ellington
• "Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree" w. Lew Brown & Charles Tobias m. Sam H. Stept
• "Ev'rything I've Got" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers from the musical By Jupiter
• "Glissando" m. John Serry, Sr.
• "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Harold Arlen
• "Happy Holiday" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Holiday For Strings" m. David Rose
• "The House I Live In" w.m. Earl Robinson & Lewis Allan
• "I Came Here To Talk For Joe" w. Charles Tobias & Lew Brown m. Sam H. Stept
• "I Get the Neck of the Chicken" w. Frank Loesser m. Jimmy McHugh. Introduced by Marcy McGuire in the film Seven Days' Leave
• "I Had The Craziest Dream" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Helen Forrest with Harry James and his Music in the film Springtime in the Rockies.
• "I Heard You Cried Last Night" w. Jerrie Kruger m. Ted Grouya
• "I Left My Heart At The Stage Door Canteen" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City" w.m. Leon René & Johnny Lange
• "I Threw A Kiss In The Ocean" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "If You Are But A Dream" w.m. Moe Jaffe, Jack Fulton & Nat Bonx
• "If You Build A Better Mousetrap" Johnny Mercer, Victor Schertzinger
• "I'll Be Around" w.m. Alec Wilder
• "I'll Capture Your Heart" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "I'll Take Tallulah" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Burton Lane
• "I'm Getting Tired So I Can Sleep" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "I'm Old Fashioned" w. Johnny Mercer m. Jerome Kern
• "In The Blue Of Evening" w. Tom Adair m. Alfred D'Artega
• "It Must Be Jelly" w. Sunny Skylar m. George Williams & J. Chalmers
• "It Started All Over Again" w. Bill Carey m. Carl Fischer
• "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren
• "I've Heard That Song Before" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
• "Jingle, Jangle, Jingle" w. Frank Loesser m. Joseph J. Lilley
• "Johnny Doughboy Found A Rose In Ireland" w. Kay Twomey m. Al Goodhart
• "Juke Box Saturday Night" w. Al Stillman m. Paul McGrane
• "The Lamplighter's Serenade"      w. Paul Francis Webster m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "Let's Get Lost"      w. Frank Loesser m. Jimmy McHugh
• "Let's Start The New Year Right"      w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Lover Man"      w.m. Jimmy Davis, Roger "Ram"Ramirez & Jimmy Sherman
• "Mad About Him, Sad About Him, How Can I Be Glad About Him Blues"      w.m. Larry Markes & Dick Charles
• "Mister Five By Five"      w.m. Don Raye & Gene De Paul
• "Moonlight Becomes You"      w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
• "My Devotion"      w.m. Roc Hillman & Johnny Napton
• "One Dozen Roses"      w. Roger Lewis & Country Washburn m. Dick Jurgens & Walter Donovan
• "Pennsylvania Polka" w.m. Lester Lee & Zeke Manners
• "People Like You And Me" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren
• "Perdido" w. Hans Lengsfelder & Ervin Drake m. Juan Tizol
• "Pistol Packin' Mama" w.m. Al Dexter
• "Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition" w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Put Your Dreams Away" w.m. Ruth Lowe, Stephan Weiss & Paul Mann
• "The Road To Morocco" w. Johnny Burke m. James Van Heusen
• "Rose Ann Of Charing Cross" w. Kermit Goell m. Mabel Wayne
• "Serenade In Blue" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren
• "Skylark" w. Johnny Mercer m. Hoagy Carmichael
• "Strip Polka" w.m. Johnny Mercer
• "Tarantella" m. John Serry, Sr.
• "That Old Black Magic" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harold Arlen
• "That's Sabotage" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren
• "There Are Such Things" w.m. Stanley Adams, Abel Baer & George W. Meyer
• "There Will Never Be Another You" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren
• "There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" w.m. Paul Roberts & Shelby Darnell
• "This Is The Army, Mr Jones" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "This Is Worth Fighting For" w. Eddie De Lange m. Sam H. Stept
• "Three Little Sisters" w.m. Irving Taylor & Vic Mizzy
• "Trav'lin' Light" w. Sidney Clare m. Harry Akst
• "Tweedle-O-Twill" w.m. Gene Autry & Fred Rose
• "Wait Till You See Her" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Ronnie Graham in the musical By Jupiter
• "Warsaw Concerto" m. Richard Adinsell
• "Well, Git It!" m. Sy Oliver
• "When The Lights Go On Again" w.m. Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus & Bennie Benjamin
• "White Christmas" w.m. Irving Berlin
• "Who Wouldn't Love You?" w. Bill Carey m. Carl Fischer
• "Why Don't You Do Right?" w.m. Joe McCoy
• "Why Don't You Fall In Love With Me?" w. Al Lewis m. Mabel Wayne
• "You Were Never Lovelier" w. Johnny Mercer m. Jerome Kern
• "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" w.m. Cole Porter. Performed in the 1943 musical film Something to Shout About by Don Ameche and Janet Blair.

Classical music

• Alessandro Casagrande - Messa, in re minore, per soli coro e orchestra
• Aaron Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man
• Camargo Guarnieri - Abertura Concertante
• Carlos Guastavino - Once Upon A Time (ballet)
• Aram Khachaturian - Gayane (ballet)
• Gerald Finzi - Let Us Garlands Bring
• Bohuslav Martinů - Piano Quartet No. 1
• Arnold Schoenberg - Piano Concerto, Op. 42
• Igor Stravinsky - Four Norwegian Moods

Opera

• Walter Damrosch - The Opera Cloak
• Dmitri Kabalevsky - In the Fire

Musical theater

• By Jupiter, Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre on June 2 and ran for 421 performances
• Du Barry Was A Lady, London production opened at His Majesty's Theatre on October 22 and ran for 178 performances
• Let's Face It!, London production opened at the Hippodrome on November 19 and ran for 348 performances
• Priorities of 1942 Broadway Revue opened March 12 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 353 performances.
• Show Time Broadway Revue opened September 16 at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran for 342 performances.
• Star and Garter Broadway Revue opened on June 24 at the Music Box Theatre and ran for 605 performances.
• Stars on Ice Broadway Revue opened July 2 at the Center Theatre and ran for 827 performances.
• This Is the Army Broadway Revue opened July 4 at the Broadway Theatre and ran for 113 performances.

Musical films

• Almost Married starring Jane Frazee, Robert Paige, Eugene Pallette and Elizabeth Patterson. Directed by Charles Lamont.
• The Balloon Goes Up starring Ethel Revnell, Gracie West, Donald Peers and Ronald Shiner. Directed by Redd Davis.
• Behind the Eight Ball starring The Ritz Brothers, Carol Bruce, Dick Foran, Grace McDonald, Johnny Downs and William Demarest. Directed by Edward F. Cline.
• Born To Sing starring Virginia Weidler, Ray McDonald, Leo Gorcey and Rags Ragland. Directed by Edward Ludwig.
• Broadway starring George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Janet Blair, Broderick Crawford and Marjorie Rambeau. Directed by William A. Seiter.
• Cabin In The Sky starring Ethel Waters, Eddie Anderson, Louis Armstrong and Lena Horne.
• The Fleet's In starring Dorothy Lamour, William Holden, Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton, and featuring Jimmy Dorsey & his Orchestra with vocals by Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell.
• Get Hep to Love starring Gloria Jean, Donald O'Connor, Jane Frazee, Robert Paige, Peggy Ryan and Cora Sue Collins
• Give Out, Sisters starring Laverne Andrews, Patty Andrews, Maxene Andrews, Dan Dailey and Donald O'Connor
• I Married An Angel starring Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy and Edward Everett Horton.
• Joan of Ozark starring Judy Canova, Joe E. Brown and Eddie Foy Jr.
• King Arthur Was a Gentleman starring Arthur Askey, Evelyn Dall and Anne Shelton
• Moonlight in Havana starring Allan Jones and Jane Frazee
• My Favorite Spy starring Kay Kyser & his Band, Ellen Drew and Jane Wyman. Directed by Tay Garnett.
• Panama Hattie starring Red Skelton, Ann Sothern, Virginia O'Brien and Dan Dailey, and featuring Lena Horne.
• Priorities on Parade starring Ann Miller, Johnnie Johnston, Jerry Colonna and Betty Jane Rhodes
• Rhythm Parade starring Nils T. Grunland, Gale Storm, Robert Lowery, The Mills Brothers and Ted Fio Rito and his Orchestra. Directed by Dave Gould and Howard Bretherton.
• Ride 'Em Cowboy starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello and Dick Foran and featuring Ella Fitzgerald and The Merry Macs.
• Rio Rita starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Kathryn Grayson and John Carroll
• Road To Morocco starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.
• Seven Days' Leave starring Victor Mature, Lucille Ball and Buddy Clark and featuring Ginny Simms, Les Brown & his Orchestra and Freddy Martin & his Orchestra
• Sleepytime Gal released March 5 starring Judy Canova and Ruth Terry and featuring Skinnay Ennis & his Orchestra.
• Springtime in the Rockies released November 6, starring Carmen Miranda, Betty Grable and John Payne and featuring Harry James and his Music and Six Hits and a Miss.
• Star Spangled Rhythm starring Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken, and featuring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake, Mary Martin, Dick Powell and Vera Zorina.
• Strictly in the Groove starring Mary Healy, Richard Davies and Leon Errol and featuring Martha Tilton, The Dinning Sisters and Ozzie Nelson & his Band
• Sweater Girl released July 13 starring Eddie Bracken and June Preisser and featuring Betty Jane Rhodes.
• Yankee Doodle Dandy starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Irene Manning and Frances Langford.

Births

• January 1 - Country Joe McDonald, singer
• January 5 - Maurizio Pollini, pianist
• January 8 - John Petersen (The Beau Brummels, Harpers Bizarre)
• January 16
  • William Francis (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show)
  • Barbara Lynn, R&B guitarist and singer
• January 18 - Bobby Goldsboro, singer-songwriter
• January 19 - Nara Leao, Brazilian singer (d. 1989)
• January 20 - William Powell (O'Jays)
• January 21 - Edwin Starr, singer (d. 2003)
• January 30 - Marty Balin (Jefferson Airplane)
• February 2 - Graham Nash (The Hollies, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
• February 5 - Corey Wells, Three Dog Night
• February 9
  • Carole King, singer-songwriter
  • Barry Mann, songwriter
• February 11 - Otis Clay, gospel/R&B-singer
• February 13 - Peter Tork, musician/actor
• February 19 - Phil Coulter, folk musician and songwriter
• February 28 - Brian Jones, Rolling Stones (d. 1969)
• March 2 - Lou Reed, singer-songwriter
• March 3 - Mike Pender, vocalist (The Searchers)
• March 15 - Jerry Jeff Walker, country singer
• March 20 - Robin Luke, rockabilly singer
• March 25 - Aretha Franklin, soul singer
• March 28 - Samuel Ramey, operatic bass
• March 30 - Graeme Edge (The Moody Blues)
• April 1
  • Phil Margo (The Tokens)
  • Danny Brooks (The Dovells)
  • Alan Blakely (The Tremeloes)
• April 2
  • Leon Russell, singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist
  • Phil Castrodale (The Reflections)
• April 3 - Billy Joe Royal, singer
• April 4 - Major Lance, R&B singer (died 1994)
• April 5 - Allan Clarke, singer (The Hollies)
• April 8 - Roger Chapman, vocalist (Family)
• April 18 - Mike Vickers (Manfred Mann)
• April 19 - Alan Price, singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• April 24 - Barbra Streisand, US singer and actress
• April 26 - Bobby Rydell, US singer and sometime actor
• April 29
  • Vincent Poncia Jr. (Tradewinds)
  • Klaus Voormann (Manfred Mann)
• May 4 - Nick Ashford (Ashford & Simpson) (d. 2011)
• May 5 - Tammy Wynette, country singer (d. 1998)
• May 6 - Colin Earl (Mungo Jerry)
• May 9 - Tommy Roe, singer
• May 12
  • Ian Dury, singer-songwriter (died 2000)
  • Billy Swan, singer and songwriter
• May 18 - Albert Hammond, singer-songwriter
• May 20 - Jill Jackson ("Paula"), singer
• May 23 - Fred Wedlock, folk singer
• May 26 - Ray Ennis (The Swinging Blue Jeans)
• June 3 - Curtis Mayfield, singer, songwriter and record producer (d. 1999)
• June 6 - Paul Esswood, countertenor
• June 8 - Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night)
• June 12 - Len Barry, singer
• June 16 - Edward Levert (O'Jays)
• June 18 - Paul McCartney, singer, songwriter & composer
• June 19 - Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane, vocalist
• June 20 - Brian Wilson, songwriter
• June 24 - Mick Fleetwood, drummer
• June 28 - David Miner (The Great Society), musician & record producer
• July 5 - Matthias Bamert, conductor
• July 12
  • Swamp Dogg, soul singer
  • Steve Young, country singer
• July 13
  • Roger McGuinn (The Byrds)
  • Jay Uzzell (The Corsairs)
  • Stephen Jo Bladd (The J. Geils Band)
• July 25 - Bruce Woodly (The Seekers)
• July 27 - Kim Fowley, record producer and songwriter
• August 1 - Jerry Garcia, guitarist (Grateful Dead) (died 1995)
• August 5 - Rick Huxley (The Dave Clark Five)
• August 7
  • B. J. Thomas, singer
  • Caetano Veloso, Brazilian singer/songwriter
• August 8 - Jay David (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show)
• August 10 - Martin Hitler, R&B artist, guitarist, no relation to Adolf Hitler
• August 11
  • Mike Hugg, singer, songwriter & instrumentalist (Manfred Mann)
  • Guy Villari (The Regents)
• August 16 - Barbara George, R&B singer-songwriter (died 2006)
• August 20 - Isaac Hayes, soul and funk musician (d. 2008)
• August 22 - Joseph Chambers (Chambers Brothers)
• August 23 - Roger Greenaway, singer-songwriter, "David" of David & Jonathan
• August 25 - Walter Williams (O'Jays)
• August 27 - Daryl Dragon (The Captain & Tennille)
• August 29 - Sterling Morrison (The Velvet Underground)
• September 3 - Al Jardine (The Beach Boys)
• September 4
  • Gene Parsons, The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers
  • Merald "Bubba" Knight (Gladys Knight and the Pips)
• September 8 - Sal Valentino (The Beau Brummels)
• September 10 - Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night)
• September 15 - Lee Dorman, bassist
• September 16 - Bernie Calvert (The Hollies)
• September 19
  • Danny Kalb (Blues Project)
  • Freda Payne, singer
• September 21
  • Jill Gomez, soprano
  • U-Roy, reggae musician
• September 24
  • Phyllis Allbut (The Angels)
  • Gerry Marsden, singer and actor ("Gerry" of Gerry & The Pacemakers)
• September 27 - Alvin Stardust, singer
• September 29 - Jean-Luc Ponty, violinist
• September 30
  • Gus Dudgeon, record producer
  • Mike Harrison, (Spooky Tooth)
  • Dewey Martin (Buffalo Springfield)
  • Frankie Lymon, singer
• October 5 - Richard Street (The Temptations)
• October 12 - Melvin Franklin (The Temptations)
• October 17 - Gary Puckett, singer
• October 21 - Elvin Bishop, guitarist
• October 22
  • Annette Funicello, singer and actress
  • Bobby Fuller, Bobby Fuller Four (d. 1966)
• October 24 - Don Gant, singer/songwriter, record producer
• October 26 - Milton Nascimento, Brazilian singer/songwriter
• October 27 - Lee Greenwood, country singer-songwriter
• November 7 - Johnny Rivers, singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer
• November 13 - John P. Hammond, blues singer and guitarist
• November 15 - Daniel Barenboim, pianist and conductor
• November 17 - Bob Gaudio (The Four Seasons)
• November 20
  • Norman Greenbaum, singer
  • Meredith Monk, composer
• November 27 - Jimi Hendrix, rock guitarist (d. 1970)
• December 4 - Chris Hillman (The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Desert Rose Band)
• December 7 - Harry Chapin, singer-songwriter (died 1981)
• December 8 - Bobby Elliott, drummer (The Hollies)
• December 13 - Neil Aspinall, road manager for the Beatles (d. 2008)
• December 15 - Dave Clark (The Dave Clark Five)
• December 17 - Paul Butterfield, blues musician and singer (d. 1987)
• December 29 - Jerry Summers (The Dovells)
• December 30 - Michael Nesmith, singer-songwriter (The Monkees)
• December 31 - Andy Summers (The Police), (Eric Burdon & the Animals)
• date unknown - Odia Coates, singer (died 1991)

Deaths

• January 1 - Jaroslav Jezek, composer, 35 (kidney disease)
• January 2 - Henriette Gottlieb, operatic soprano, 57
• January 14
  • Harry Champion, music hall composer
  • Fred Fisher, songwriter
• February 22
  • Vera Timanova, Russian pianist
  • Stefan Zweig, Jewish librettist of Richard Strauss
• February 25 - Leo Ascher, composer and songwriter, 61
• March 2 - Charlie Christian, jazz guitarist, 25 (tuberculosis)
• March 15 - Alexander von Zemlinsky, conductor and composer, 70
• April 3 - Paul Gilson, composer, 76
• April 11 - Frederick Hobbs, singer, actor and theatre manager, 61
• April 27 - Emil von Sauer, pianist and composer, 79
• May 11? - T-Bone Slim, poet and songwriter, ?52
• May 14 - Frank Churchill, US composer, 40 (suicide)
• May 26 - Libero Bovio, Neapolitan lyricist, 68
• June 2 - Bunny Berigan, jazz trumpeter, 33 (haemorrhage)
• June 12 - Walter Leigh, composer, 36 (killed in action)
• June 17 - Jessie Bond, singer and actress in Gilbert & Sullivan, 89
• June 18
  • Arthur Pryor, trombonist and bandleader, 71
  • Daniel Alomía Robles, Peruvian composer and musicologist, 71
• July 30
  • Jimmy Blanton, jazz double-bassist, 23 (tuberculosis)
  • Dorothy Silk, operatic soprano, 59
• August 12 - Pasquale Amato, operatic baritone, 64
• August 18 - Erwin Schulhoff, pianist and composer, 48 (tuberculosis)
• August 22 - Michel Fokine, dancer and choreographer, 62
• August 28 - Caleb Simper, organist and composer, 85
• October 23 - Ralph Rainger, US composer and pianist, 41 (air crash)
• November - Peadar Kearney, lyricist of the Irish national anthem, 58
• November 1 - Hugo Distler, composer, 34 (suicide)
• November 5 - George M. Cohan, songwriter and music hall star, 64
• December 20 - Jean Gilbert, composer and conductor, 63
• December 25 - George L. Cobb, ragtime composer, 56
• date unknown - Stanislav Binički, Serbian composer, conductor and music teacher (born 1874)