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1981 In MusicSee also: 1980 in music, other events of 1981, 1982 in music, 1980s in music and the list of 'years in music' Events - January 10 - Revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith
- February 14 - Billy Idol leaves the band Generation X to begin a solo career
- February 15 - Blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield is found dead in San Francisco. The cause of death was ruled an accidental drug overdose
- March 14 - Suffering from bleeding ulcers, Eric Clapton is admitted to United Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. Clapton's 60 city tour of the US is canceled.
- April 7 - Former Who manager Kit Lambert dies after falling down a flight of stairs in his mother's home in London. Lambert managed the band between 1964 and 1967.
- April 11 - Van Halen's lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen marries actress Valerie Bertinelli.
- April 17 - Eric Clapton is released from St. Paul's Hospital in Minnesota following a month-long treatment for bleeding ulcers.
- April 18 - Yes announces that they're breaking up. (They would however reunite frequently in years to come).
- April 20 - The Mamas and the Papas' John Phillips is sentenced to five years in jail after after pleading guilty to drug possession charges. Phillips' sentence would be suspended after thirty days in exchange for 250 hours of community service.
- April 22 - Eric Clapton is taken to the hospital suffering from bruised ribs and a lacerated shin, following a car accident in Seattle, Washington.
- April 25 - Paul McCartney's backing band, Wings, breaks up
- May 11 - The musical Cats begins its 8949 performance run on London's West End.
- August 1 - MTV debuts on cable television, playing music videos 24 hours a day.
- August, UK - the success of Stars On 45 leads to a short-lived medley craze. The most successful imitator of the Stars On 45 format is, rather unexpectedly, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra whose "Hooked On Classics (Parts 1&2)" reaches number two in the charts.
- September 19 - Simon and Garfunkel perform a free reunion concert in New York City's Central Park attended by over 500,000 fans.
- November 18 - While sitting in Tom's Restaurant in New York City, Suzanne Vega composes the song "Tom's Diner".
Albums released - Alphabetized by artist
Chronological Table of US and UK Number One Hit Singles Other significant singles of the year Published popular music Classical music Births Deaths - January 23 - Samuel Barber
- January 25 - Adele Astaire, US dancer, actress and singer
- February 9 - Bill Haley, dies of heart attack
- February 15 - Mike Bloomfield, blues guitarist
- April 5 - Bob Hite, Canned Heat, heart attack
- April 7 - Kit Lambert, former manager for The Who
- April 8 - Bert Shevelove, librettist
- May 11 - Bob Marley
- August 18 - Robert Russell Bennett, composer and arranger
- September 15 - Chick Bullock, US singer
- October 15 - Elsie Randolph, English actress, dancer and singer
- November 27 - Lotte Lenya, actress and singer, wife of Kurt Weill
- December 13 - Cornelius Cardew, avant-garde composer
- December 27 - Hoagy Carmichael
Awards
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