1977 in music
| List of years in music (Table) |
|---|
| … 1967 . 1968 . 1969 . 1970 . 1971 . 1972 . 1973 … 1974 . 1975 . 1976 -1977- 1978 . 1979 . 1980 … 1981 . 1982 . 1983 . 1984 . 1985 . 1986 . 1987 … |
| Related time period or subjects |
| … 1974 . 1975 . 1976 – 1977 –
1978 . 1979 . 1980 … … 1940s . 1950s . 1960s – 1970s – 1980s . 1990s . 2000s … … 19th century – 20th century – 21st century … |
| Art . Archaeology . Architecture . Literature . Music . Science . more… |
See also: 1970s in music.
Events
Bohemian Rhapsody is named 'The Best Single Of The Last 25 Years' by BPI.
In this year, the St. Magnus Festival was founded in Orkney by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
Perhaps most important is the beginning of what has become known as the "punk explosion". 1977 saw the release of several pivotal albums in the development of punk music. Widely-acknowledged as masterpieces and among the earliest first full-length purely punk albums, the Ramones' Rocket to Russia, the Jam's In the City, Iggy Pop's Lust for Life, the debut by the Clash, The Clash, The Damned's Damned, Damned, Damned, Wire's Pink Flag, Richard Hell & the Voidoids' Blank Generation, Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True, the Dead Boys' Young, Loud and Snotty, the Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, and Television's Marquee Moon are usually considered their respective masterpieces, and kick-started punk music as the musical genre it eventually became. The year also saw the release of debut albums by bands often associated with, if not defined as, punk, such as Talking Heads' Talking Heads: 77, Suicide's Suicide, and Motörhead's Motörhead. The year was also the year of formation for the B-52's, Black Flag, Crass, Discharge and X.
The soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever was an enormous hit that established the Bee Gees (who had composed most of the tracks) as the most popular artists in the world, and the best-selling artist since the Beatles. Saturday Night Fever also moved disco music into the mainstream, and it dominated the charts for the next few years.
Jimmy Buffett's Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes is also especially notable in its inclusion of "Margaritaville", the biggest single of his career. This album helped establish Buffett as a popular artist, and earned him much of the rabid fanbase ("Parrotheads") that he eventually became known for. Billy Joel's The Stranger was enormously popular, and includes his beloved medly, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant". Lastly, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is the most popular and critically acclaimed LP of the band's career; it is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
- January 1 - The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy.
- January 12 - Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is fined 750 pounds for possession of cocaine which was found in his wrecked car on May 19, 1976. Richards was charged an additional 250 pounds for court costs and found "not guilty" of possession of LSD.
- January 26
- Patti Smith falls off the stage while opening for Bob Seger in Tampa, Florida. Smith is rushed to the hospital for 22 stitches to close head lacerations. While recovering, Smith writes her fifth book of poetry, Babel.
- Fleetwood Mac's original lead guitarist, Peter Green, is committed to a mental hospital in England after firing a pistol at a delivery boy bringing him a royalties check
- Alice Cooper enters rehab for his alcoholism, after ten years of drinking a pack of beer a day.
- January 27 - After releasing only one single for the band, EMI terminates its contract with the Sex Pistols.
- February 4 - American Bandstand celebrates its 25th anniversary on television with a special hosted by Dick Clark. An "all-star band" made up of Chuck Berry, Seals & Crofts, Gregg Allman, Junior Walker, Johnny Rivers, the Pointer Sisters, Charlie Daniels, Doc Severinsen, Les McCann, Donald Byrd, Chuck Mangione and three members of Booker T and the MGs perform "Roll Over Beethoven."
- February 14 - The B-52's make their debut at a party in Athens, Georgia
- February 15 - Sid Vicious replaces Glen Matlock as the bassist for the Sex Pistols.
- February 27 - Royal Canadian Mounted Police raid Keith Richards' Toronto hotel suite while he is sleeping and seize 22 grams of heroin, 5 grams of cocaine and narcotics paraphernalia. Richards is arrested and charged with possession of heroin with intent to traffic, and possession of cocaine. He is released on $25,000 bail
- March 1 - Sara Lowndes Dylan files for divorce from her husband of 11 years, Bob Dylan.
- March 10 - A&M Records signs the Sex Pistols in a ceremony in front of Buckingham Palace. The contract is terminated on March 16.
- April 22 - Pink Floyd opened the North American leg of their "Animals" tour in Miami, Florida
- April 24 - Several artists including Joan Baez, Santana and others perform at a free concert for the inmates of California's Soledad Prison.
- April 25 - During a concert at the Saginaw,
Michigan Civic Center,
Elvis Presley makes what would turn out to be the last recordings he would ever make. Three songs recorded at the show would later appear (with overdubs), on the posthumously released album, Moody Blue. - April 26 - New York's legendary disco Studio 54 opens.
- June - Founding of the Nikikai Opera Foundation.
- May 11 - The Stranglers and support band London start a 10 week national UK tour.
- June 12 - The Supremes performed for the last time together at Drury Lane Theatre in London and officially disbanded.
- July 24 - Led Zeppelin perform in Oakland at their last ever concert in the United States.
- August 16 -
Elvis Presley is found dead at his home in Graceland. - August 17 - Florists Transworld
Delivery (FTD) reported that in one day the number of orders for flowers to be delivered to Graceland for the funeral of
Elvis Presley had surpassed the number for any other event in the company's history. - September 16 - T. Rex frontman Mark Bolan is killed in an automobile accident.
- October 20 - A plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in Mississippi, killing songwriter & vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and background vocalist Cassie Gaines.
- December 14 Saturday Night Fever appears in theaters, igniting a new popularity for Disco music.
- Kenny Rogers releases his album "Ten Years Of Gold" less than 12 months after scoring his first solo hit, following the break up of his pop/country band, The First Edition. The album features the original versions of his recent solo hits and re-recordings of First Edition classics.
- INXS forms in Sydney, Australia
- Black Flag forms
- The Kats forms in Hollywood, California
- The B-52's forms
- Crass forms
- Def Leppard forms in Sheffield, Yorkshire
- Whitesnake forms
- X (US) forms
- The Fall forms in Manchester, England
- The Meters break up
- Dire Straits is founded
- Stiff Little Fingers is founded
- The Cars sign a contract with Elektra Records
- Devo signs a contract with Warner Bros.
- Midnight Oil sign a contract with CBS Records
- The Neville Brothers sign a contract with A&M Records
- The Police sign a contract with A&M Records
- Van Halen signs a contract with Warner Bros.
- Van Morrison releases a new album after a three-year absence
Albums released
- A Blow For Me, A Toot For You-Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns featuring Maceo Parker
- A Farewell to Kings - Rush
- A Period of Transition - Van Morrison
- Ahh...The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!-Bootsy's Rubber Band
- Aja - Steely Dan
- The Alice Cooper Show - Alice Cooper
- Alive II - Kiss
- Animals - Pink Floyd
- Bad Reputation - Thin Lizzy
- Bat out of Hell - Meat Loaf
- Blowin' Away - Joan Baez
- Plastic Letters - Blondie
- Blue Lights in the Basement - Roberta Flack
- Book of Dreams - Steve Miller Band
- Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent
- Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes - Jimmy Buffett
- Chic - Chic
- The Clash - The Clash (debut)
- Cluster & Eno - Cluster & Eno
- Come in from the Rain - Captain & Tennille
- Damned, Damned, Damned - The Damned (debut)
- Eddie Money -
Eddie Money (debut) - Even in the Quietest Moments - Supertramp
- Every Day of My Life - Michael Bolton
- Equal Rights - Peter Tosh
- Exodus - Bob Marley and the Wailers
- Foreigner - Foreigner
- Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome - Parliament
- The Grand Illusion - Styx
- Going for the One - Yes
"Heroes" - David Bowie- I Robot - The Alan Parsons Project
- I'm In You -Peter Frampton
- The Idiot - Iggy Pop
- It Feels So Good - The Manhattans
- Just A Stone's Throw Away - Valerie Carter
- L.A.M.F. - Heartbreakers
- Lace and Whiskey - Alice Cooper
- Let There Be Rock - AC/DC
- Lights Out - UFO
- Little Criminals - Randy Newman
- Little Queen - Heart
- Live at the El Mocambo - April Wine
- Love Gun- Kiss
- Love To Love You Daniel Sahuleka
- Low - David Bowie
- Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
- Magida El Romi Vol. 1 - Magida El Roumi
- Marlena - Die Flippers
- Marquee Moon - Television
- Montreux '77 - Ella Fitzgerald
- Motörhead - Motörhead
- Moonflower - Santana
- My Aim Is True - Elvis Costello (debut)
- Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols - The Sex Pistols
- New Boots and Panties! - Ian Dury
- News of the World - Queen
- Next - Journey
- Nice to Be Around - Rosemary Clooney
- Night Moves - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
- No More Heroes - The Stranglers
- Now - The Tubes
- On Earth as It Is in Heaven - Angel
- Out of the Blue - Electric Light Orchestra
- Pacific Ocean Blue - Dennis Wilson
- -Parliament
- Passage - Carpenters (September 23)
- Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel
- Phyllis Hyman - Phyllis Hyman
- Pink Flag - Wire
- Plastic Letters - Blondie
- Point of Know Return - Kansas
- Prism - Prism
- Rattus Norvegicus - The Stranglers
- Regeneration - Roy Orbison
- Rendezvous - Sandy Denny
- Ringo The 4th - Ringo Starr
- Rocket to Russia - Ramones
- Rockin' All Over the World -
Status Quo - Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
- Running On Empty - Jackson Browne
- Saw Delight - Can
- Simple Dreams - Linda Ronstadt
- Sin After Sin - Judas Priest
- Slowhand - Eric Clapton
- Songs from the Wood - Jethro Tull
- Spectres - Blue Öyster Cult
- The Stranger - Billy Joel
- Street Survivors - Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Suicide - Suicide (debut)
- Taken by Force - Scorpions
- Talking Heads: 77 - Talking Heads
- Tejas - ZZ Top
- Terrapin Station - Grateful Dead
- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- Trans Europe Express - Kraftwerk
- Victim of Romance - Michelle Phillips
- Visitors - Automatic Man
- Works Volume I - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- XI - Chicago
Biggest hit singles
The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in 1977.
| # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Eagles | Hotel California | 1977 | UK 8 - Apr 1977, US BB 1 - Mar 1977, US BB 6 of 1977, US CashBox 35 of 1977, Canada 1 - Mar 1977, Holland 8 - May 1977, Germany 317 of the 1970s, Germany 06 - Jun 1977, Europe 5 of the 1970s, Belgium 18 of all time, Grammy in 1977, Rolling Stone 49, Virgin 44, 68 in 2FM list, RYM 18 of 1977, POP 6 of 1977, RIAA 46, Scrobulate 28 of rock, Acclaimed 43, Party 87 of 2007 | |
| 2 | Bee Gees | How Deep Is Your Love? | 1977 | UK 3 - Oct 1977, US BB 1 - Oct 1977, US BB 27 of 1977, US CashBox 24 of 1978, Canada 1 - Oct 1977, Holland 15 - Dec 1977, Australia 17 of 1978, Europe 99 of the 1970s, South Africa 8 of 1978, Rolling Stone 366, RYM 46 of 1977, POP 15 of 1977, Scrobulate 77 of disco | |
| 3 | Fleetwood Mac | Go Your Own Way | 1977 | UK 38 - Feb 1977, US BB 10 - Jan 1977, US CashBox 86 of 1977, Canada 16 - Jan 1977, Holland 1 - Feb 1977, Germany 18 - May 1977, Europe 19 of the 1970s, Belgium 157 of all time, Rolling Stone 119, RYM 7 of 1976, POP 27 of 1977, RIAA 295, Scrobulate 21 of 70s, Acclaimed 208 | |
| 4 | Thelma Houston | Don't Leave Me This Way | 1977 | UK 13 - Feb 1977, US BB 1 - Jan 1977, US BB 29 of 1977, US CashBox 17 of 1977, Canada 5 - Feb 1977, Holland 4 - Mar 1977, Australia 21 of 1977, Germany 361 of the 1970s, Germany 08 - Apr 1977, South Africa 7 of 1977, RYM 45 of 1977, POP 22 of 1977, Scrobulate 50 of disco | |
| 5 | Donna Summer | I Feel Love | 1977 | UK 1 - Jul 1977, US BB 6 - Sep 1977, US CashBox 57 of 1977, Canada 9 - Oct 1977, Holland 1 - Aug 1977, Australia 17 of 1977, Germany 271 of the 1970s, Germany 03 - Aug 1977, Rolling Stone 411, RYM 7 of 1977, Scrobulate 32 of disco, Acclaimed 181 |
Chronological Table of US and UK Number One Hit Singles
| US Number One Singles and Artist (Weeks at Number One) |
UK Number One Singles and Artist (Weeks at Number One) |
|---|---|
| "Tonight's the Night" - Rod
Stewart (7 weeks in 1976 + 1 week in 1977)
|
|
Other significant singles and major hits
- "Alison" - Elvis Costello
- "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" - Carpenters
- "American Girl" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" - Elvis Costello
- "Another Star" - Stevie Wonder
- "April Sun In Cuba" - Dragon
- "As" - Stevie Wonder
- "Back Together Again" - Hall & Oates
- "Barracuda" - Heart
- "Black Betty" - Ram Jam
- "Blue Bayou" - Linda Ronstadt
- "Brick House" - The Commodores
- "California" - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
- "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft" - The Carpenters
- "Cat Scratch Fever" - Ted Nugent
- "The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac
- "Christine Sixteen" - Kiss
- "Cold As Ice" - Foreigner
- "Complete Control" - The Clash
- "Coyote" - Joni Mitchell
- "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" - Chic
- "Dancing In The Moonlight (It's Caught Me In The Spotlight)" - Thin Lizzy
- "Daybreak" - Barry Manilow
- "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" - AC/DC
- "Disco Inferno" - The Trammps
- "Do Anything You Wanna Do" - Eddie and the Hotrods
- "Do Ya" - Electric Light Orchestra
- "Don't Believe A Word" - Thin Lizzy
- "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" - Crystal Gayle
- "Don't Stop" - Fleetwood Mac
- "Down To Zero" - Joan Armatrading
- "Dreamboat Annie" - Heart
- "Dreams" - Fleetwood Mac
- "Egyptian Reggae" - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
- "Exodus" - Bob Marley and the Wailers
- "Fanfare for the Common Man" -
Emerson Lake and Palmer - "Father Christmas" - The Kinks
- "Feel the Need In Me" - Detroit Emeralds
- "Feels Like The First Time" - Foreigner
- "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)" - The Stranglers
- "Give A Little Bit" - Supertramp
- "Go Your Own Way" - Fleetwood Mac
- "God Save the Queen" - Sex Pistols
- "Going for the One" - Yes
- "Hard Luck Woman" - Kiss
- "Heaven On the Seventh Floor" - Paul Nicholas
- "Heroes" - David Bowie
- "Higher and Higher (Your Love Has Lifted Me)" - Rita Coolidge
- "Holidays in the Sun" - Sex Pistols
- "I Want You to Want Me" - Cheap Trick
- "In The City" - The Jam
- "Isn't She Lovely" - Stevie Wonder
- "It's So Easy" - Linda Ronstadt
- "Jamming/Punky Reggae Party" - Bob Marley and the Wailers
- "Jet Airliner" - Steve Miller Band
- "Juke Box Music" - The Kinks
- "Kill The King" - Rainbow
- "Lay Down Sally" - Eric Clapton
- "Let There Be Rock" - AC/DC
- "Lido Shuffle" - Boz Scaggs
- "Life In The Fast Lane" - The Eagles
- "Like a Hurricane" - Neil Young
- "Lonely Boy" - Andrew Gold
- "Long Time" - Boston
- "Lookin' After Number One" - Boomtown Rats
- "Love Is The Answer" - Utopia
- "Magazine Madonna" - Sherbet
- "Magic Fly" - Space
- "Mannequin" - Wire
- "Marquee Moon" - Television
- "Mary Of The Fourth Form" - Boomtown Rats
- "Modern Love" - Peter Gabriel
- "More Than a Feeling" - Boston
- "Motorhead" - Motörhead
- "My Heart Belongs to Me" - Barbra Streisand
- "Native New Yorker" - Odyssey
- "Neat Neat Neat" - The Damned
- "No More Heroes" - The Stranglers
- "Nobody Does It Better" - Carly Simon
- "Oh Bondage Up Yours" - X-Ray Spex
- "On the Border" - Al Stewart
- "Peaches/Go Buddy Go" - The Stranglers
- "Peg" - Steely Dan
- "Phoenix" - Wishbone Ash
- "The Pink Parker (EP)" - Graham Parker and the Rumour
- "Pourin' It All Out" - Graham Parker and the Rumour
- "Pretty Vacant" - Sex Pistols
- "Psycho Killer" - Talking Heads
- "Really Free" - John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett
- "Right Time of the Night" - Jennifer Warnes
- "Road Runner" - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
- "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
- "Rock Bottom" - Lynsey De Paul and Mike Moran
- "Rockaria!" - Electric Light Orchestra
- "Rockin' All Over the World" -
Status Quo - "Rose of Cimarron (EP)" - Poco
- "Runaway" - Bonnie Raitt
- "Sam" - Olivia Newton-John
- "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll" - Ian Dury
- "She's Not There" - Santana
- "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" - The Ramones
- "Short People" - Randy Newman
- "Sleepwalker" - The Kinks
- "Smoke on the Water" - Deep Purple
- "Solsbury Hill" - Peter Gabriel
- "Something Better Change/Straighten Out" - The Stranglers
- "Sound And Vision" - David Bowie
- "Spanish Stroll" - Mink De Ville
- "Sweet Gene Vincent" - Ian Dury
- "Swingtown" - Steve Miller Band
- "The Pink Parker (EP)" - Graham Parker and the Rumour
- "Telephone Line" - Electric Light Orchestra
- "This Is Tomorrow" - Bryan Ferry
- "Tie Your Mother Down" - Queen
- "Tryin' to Love Two" - William Bell
- "2-4-6-8 Motorway" - Tom Robinson Band
- "Tulane" - Steve Gibbons Band
- "Tumbling Dice" - Linda Ronstadt
- "Uptown Top Ranking" - Althea and Donna
- "Walk This Way" - Aerosmith
- "Waiting In Vain" - Bob Marley and the Wailers
- "Watching The Detectives" - Elvis Costello
- "We Are the Champions" - Queen
- "We're All Alone" - Rita Coolidge
- "What Can I Say" - Boz Scaggs
- "What's Your Name" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
- "White Punks On Dope" - The Tubes
- "White Riot" - The Clash
- "Whole Wide World" - Wreckless Eric
- "Willow" - Joan Armatrading
- "Wonderous Stories" - Yes
- "Year of the Cat" - Al Stewart
- "You Make Loving Fun" - Fleetwood Mac
- "You're In My Heart" - Rod Stewart
- "You're My World" - Helen Reddy
- "Your Song" - Billy Paul
Published popular music
- "After The Lovin'" w. Richie Adams m. Alan Bernstein
- "Annie" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "Brazzle Dazzle Day" w.m. Al Kasha & Joel Hirschhorn, from the film Pete's Dragon
- "But The World Goes 'Round" w. Fred Ebb m. John
Kander. Introduced by Liza Minnelli in the film
New York, New York - "Candle on the Water" w.m. Al Kasha & Joel Hirschhorn, from the film Pete's Dragon
- "Child In A Universe" w.m. Laura Nyro
- "Come In From The Rain" w.m. Melissa Manchester & Carole Bayer Sager
- "Easy Street" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "The Greatest Love of All" w. Linda Creed m. Michael Masser
- "Happy Endings" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander. Introduced
by Liza Minnelli, Larry Kert and chorus in the film
New York, New York - "Here You Come Again" w.m. Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
- "I Don't Need Anything But You" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "It's Not Easy" w.m. Al Kasha & Joel Hirschhorn, from the film Pete's Dragon
- "It's The Hard-Knock Life" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "Just the Way You Are" w.m. Billy Joel
- "Little Girls" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "The Love Boat theme song" w.m. Norman Gimbel & Paul Williams
- "Love Is In The Air" w.m. George Young & Harry Vanda
- "Maybe" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "Maybe I'm Amazed" w.m. Paul McCartney
- "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" w.m. Billy Joel
- "N. Y. C." w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "A New Deal For Christmas" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "New York, New York" w.m. Fred Ebb & John Kander. Introduced by Liza Minnelli in the film
New York, New York - "Nobody Does It Better" w. Carole Bayer Sager m. Marvin Hamlisch
- "She's Always A Woman" w.m. Billy Joel
- "Someone's Waiting for You" w. Carol Connors & Ayn Robbins m. Sammy Fain from the film The Rescuers
- "Something Was Missing" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the musical Annie
- "Star Wars-Main Theme" m. John Williams from the