1977 in American music

none Timeline of musical events 1977 1977 American music The following is a list of events and releases that happened in 1977 in music in the United States. Notable events January 26 – Patti Smith falls off the stage onto a concrete surface while opening for Bob Seger in Tampa, Florida, injuring some vertebrae, and is rushed to the hospital for 22 stitches to close head lacerations.http://www.pattismithlogbook.info/logbook/chronology/1977/19770123.htm Patti Smith chronology February 4, 2008 March 3, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222151/http://www.pattismithlogbook.info/logbook/chronology/1977/19770123.htm live August 18 – While Elvis Presley's funeral is taking place at Graceland, a car crashes into a group of fans, killing two.Matthew-Walker Robert 1979 Elvis Presley. A Study in Music Midas Books 978-0-85936-162-0 26 October 20 – Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash: Three band members are killed.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GTMsAAAAIBAJ&pg=5725%2C4327967 Spartanburg Herald-Journal South Carolina Gwinn John Why did plane run out of fuel? October 22, 1977 B1 December 14, 2020 August 12, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210812124205/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GTMsAAAAIBAJ&pg=5725,4327967 live Musical groups formed Dallas Symphony ChorusDallas Symphony Chorus https://www.dallassymphony.org/people/ds-chorus/ 2024-07-11 DallasSymphony.org en Odyssey Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (writer) 1997 The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music 916 Virgin Books Concise 1-85227-745-9 Musical groups disbanded BreadColin Larkin The Virgin Encyclopedia of Seventies Music Virgin 1997 9780753501542 61 Billboard top popular records of 1977 Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for the year 1977, printed on December 24, 1977, was based on Hot 100 charts from the issue dates of November 6, 1976 through October 29, 1977. The decision to include the last two months of 1976 resulted in Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night" being listed as no. 1 record of 1977, despite seven of its eight weeks at #1 occurring in 1976 (keep reading). The completed Billboard year-end list for 1977 is composed of records that entered the Billboard Hot 100 between November 1976 and December 1977. Records with chart runs that started in 1976 and ended in 1977, or started in 1977 and ended in 1978, made this chart if the majority of their chart weeks were in 1977. If not, they were ranked in the year-end charts for 1976 or 1978. If their weeks were equal, they were listed in the year they first entered. Appearing in multiple years is not permitted. Each week thirty points were awarded to the number one record, then nineteen points for number two, eighteen points for number three, and so on. The total points a record earned determined its year-end rank. The complete chart life of each record is represented, with number of points accrued. There are no ties, even when multiple records have the same number of points. The next ranking category is peak chart position, then weeks at peak chart position, weeks on Hot 100 chart, weeks in top forty, and finally weeks in top ten. The chart presented here depicts the top 30 singles of 1977. In contrast with the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977, this chart does not truncate or split chart runs between years. It does not add two months from 1976, delete two months from 1977 and then call itself the "Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977", which it is obviously not. The true number one record of 1977 is Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life", which spent the last 18 weeks of the year accumulating 362 points. The seven additional weeks it scored from 1978 were not even needed for the top prize. Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night" scored only 73 points in 10 weeks during 1977, so based on its 223 points from 13 weeks in 1976, its 296 total points made it the number one record of that year, not 1977. All chart rankings represented below for the Top Soul Singles, Top Country Singles, Top Easy Listening Singles, and Top CashBox pop singles were all calculated in the same manner. The chart can be sorted by Artist, Song title, Recording and Release dates, Cashbox year-end ranking (CB) or units sold (sales) by clicking on the column header. Additional details for each record can be accessed by clicking on the song title, and referring to the Infobox in the right column of the song page. Billboard also has chart summaries on its website. Sales information was derived from the RIAA's Gold and Platinum database, the BRIT Certified database https://web.archive.org/web/20210205223425/https://www.bpi.co.uk/brit-certified/ February 5, 2021 and The Book of Golden Discs,Murrells Joseph http://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr The book of golden discs 1978 London : Barrie & Jenkins Internet Archive 978-0-214-20512-5 but numbers listed should be regarded as estimates. Grammy Hall of Fame and National Recording Registry information with sources can be found on Wikipedia. Archived issues of Billboard from November 1976 to March 1978 and Hot 100 Year-End formulas were used to complete the 1977 year-end chart. Rank Artist Title Label Recorded Release date CB Sales Charts, Awards 1 Debby Boone "You Light Up My Life" Warner Bros. 8455 July 1977 August 16, 1977 1 4.00Blackwell Earl Earl Blackwell's Celebrity Register, 1990 January 1, 1990 Gale Research Incorporated 45 9780810368750 https://books.google.com/books?id=t96p_1d8m_IC&q=%22You+Light+Up+My+Life%22+%22more+than+4+million%22 31 July 2019 US Billboard 1977 #1, Hot 100 # #1 for 10 weeks, 25 total weeks, 387 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998, National Recording Registry 2012 2 The Bee Gees "How Deep Is Your Love" RSO 882 April 1977 September 1977 2 2.00 US Billboard 1977 #2, Hot 100 #1 for 2 weeks, 33 total weeks, 323 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1977 #1, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 6 weeks, 26 total weeks, 371 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2011 3 Andy Gibb "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" RSO 872 October 1976 April 1977 3 3.00 US Billboard 1977 #3, Hot 100 #1 for 4 weeks, 31 total weeks, 321 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2000 4 The Emotions "Best Of My Love" Columbia 10544 May 1977 June 9, 1977 15 5.00 US Billboard 1977 #4, Hot 100 #1 for 5 weeks, 23 total weeks, 105 points, Top Soul Singles 1977 #3, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 4 weeks, 22 total weeks, 282 points 5 Barbra Streisand "Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen)" Columbia 10450 1976 December 1976 9 3.00 US Billboard 1977 #5, Hot 100 #1 for 3 weeks, 25 total weeks, 256 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1977 #2, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 6 weeks, 22 total weeks, 363 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2004 6 Player "Baby Come Back" RSO 879 1977 October 13, 1977 5 1.50 US Billboard 1977 #6, Hot 100 #1 for 3 weeks, 32 total weeks, 219 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2017 7 Eagles "Hotel California" Asylum 45386 March–October 1976 February 22, 1977 23 1.50 US Billboard 1977 #7, Hot 100 #1 for 1 weeks, 19 total weeks, 186 points 8 Stevie Wonder "Sir Duke" Tamla 54281 1976 March 22, 1977 33 3.00 US Billboard 1977 #8, Hot 100 #1 for 3 weeks, 17 total weeks, 180 points 9 ABBA "Dancing Queen" Atlantic 3372 August 4–5, 1975 August 15, 1976 17 1.50 US Billboard 1977 #9, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 22 total weeks, 178 points 10 Crystal Gayle "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" United Artists 1016 1976 August 1977 6 3.00 US Billboard 1977 #10, Hot 100 #2 for 3 weeks, 26 total weeks, Grammy Hall of Fame 1999, 77 points, Top Country Singles 1977 #3, Country Singles #1 for 4 weeks, 18 total weeks, 177 points 11 Mary MacGregor "Torn Between Two Lovers" Ariola America 7638 May 1976 Nov 1, 1976 4 1.00 US Billboard 1977 #11, Hot 100 #1 for 2 weeks, 22 total weeks, 175 points 12 Carly Simon "Nobody Does It Better" Elektra 45413 April 1977 July 1977 8 3.25 US Billboard 1977 #12, Hot 100 #2 for 3 weeks, 25 total weeks, 168 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1977 #3, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 7 weeks, 25 total weeks, 322 points 13 Marvin Gaye "Got To Give It Up (Part 1)" Tamla 54280 March 18, 1977 July 16, 1977 25 2.25 US Billboard 1977 #13, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 18 total weeks, 167 points, Top Soul Singles 1977 #4, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 5 weeks, 21 total weeks, 288 points 14 Stevie Wonder "I Wish" Tamla 54274 Summer 1976 November 1976 20 3.00 US Billboard 1977 #14, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 17 total weeks, 166 points, Top Soul Singles 1977 #7, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 5 weeks, 18 total weeks, 274 points 15 Eagles "New Kid In Town" Asylum 45373 March–October 1976 December 7, 1976 31 1.50 US Billboard 1977 #15, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 15 total weeks, 165 points 16 Thelma Houston "Don't Leave Me This Way" Tamla 54278 March 1976 December 2, 1976 32 1.25 US Billboard 1977 #16, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 24 total weeks, 164 points 17 Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" Warner Bros. 8332 February–August 1976 March 1977 29 1.25 US Billboard 1977 #17, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 19 total weeks, 163 points 18 Linda Ronstadt "Blue Bayou" Asylum 45431 June–July 1977 August 23, 1977 27 2.00 US Billboard 1977 #18, Hot 100 #3 for 3 weeks, 23 total weeks, 162 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998 19 Glen Campbell "Southern Nights" Capitol 4376 October 2, 1976 January 17, 1977 14 1.50 US Billboard 1977 #19, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 21 total weeks, 160 points 20 Alan O'Day "Undercover Angel" Pacific 001 January 27, 1977 February 6, 1977 7 2.00 US Billboard 1977 #20, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 23 total weeks, 158 points 21 Heatwave "Boogie Nights" Epic 50370 1976 May 11, 1977 16 1.50 US Billboard 1977 #21, Hot 100 #2 for 2 weeks, 27 total weeks, 158 points 22 Barry Manilow "Looks Like We Made It" Arista 0244 1976 April 20, 1977 39 2.00 US Billboard 1977 #22, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 19 total weeks, 154 points, Top Easy Listening Singles 1977 #7, Easy Listening Singles #1 for 3 weeks, 20 total weeks, 291 points 23 Steve Miller Band "Fly Like An Eagle" Capitol 4372 1976 August 13, 1976 42 1.50 US Billboard 1977 #23, Hot 100 #2 for 2 weeks, 20 total weeks, 154 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998 24 Rita Coolidge "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" A&M 1922 1968 January 1977 11 2.00 US Billboard 1977 #24, Hot 100 #2 for 1 week, 27 total weeks, 154 points 25 Bill Conti "Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky)" United Artists 940 June 13, 1977 August 21, 1977 36 2.00 US Billboard 1977 #25, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, 152 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 1998 26 Peter Frampton "I'm In You" A&M 1941 April 1977 June 3, 1977 35 1.25 US Billboard 1977 #26, Hot 100 #2 for 3 weeks, 20 total weeks, 150 points 27 Daryl Hall & John Oates "Rich Girl" RCA 10860 June 1976 January 1977 12 1.25 US Billboard 1977 #27, Hot 100 #1 for 2 weeks, 20 total weeks, 148 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2017 28 Leo Sayer "When I Need You" Warner Bros. 8332 Nov 4, 1976 February 6, 1977 13 6.00 US Billboard 1977 #28, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, 146 points 29 K.C. and the Sunshine Band "I'm Your Boogie Man" TK 1022 January 26, 1977 May 11, 1977 18 1.50 US Billboard 1977 #29, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 23 total weeks, 145 points 30 Manfred Mann's Earth Band "Blinded By The Light" Warner Bros. 8252 Nov 4, 1976 August 16, 1977 38 6.00 US Billboard 1977 #30, Hot 100 #1 for 1 week, 20 total weeks, 143 points 31 Dolly Parton "Here You Come Again" RCA 11123 June 1977 September 26, 1977 43 1.00 US Billboard 1977 #31, Hot 100 #3 for 2 weeks, 19 total weeks, 141 points, Top Country Singles 1977 #2, Country Singles #1 for 5 weeks, 19 total weeks, 237 points 32 Fleetwood Mac "Don't Stop" Warner Bros. 8413 February–August 1976 April 1, 1977 24 1.25 US Billboard 1977 #32, Hot 100 #3 for 2 weeks, 18 total weeks, 139 points 65 The Floaters "Float On" ABC 12284 1977 June 1977 37 1.00 US Billboard 1977 #65, Hot 100 #2 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks, 92 points, Top Soul Singles 1977 #1, Hot Soul Singles #1 for 6 weeks, 20 total weeks, 305 points 158 Waylon Jennings "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" RCA 10924 January 1977 April 11, 1977 161 1.00 US Billboard 1977 #158, Hot 100 #25 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks, 92 points, Top Country Singles 1977 #1, Country Singles #1 for 6 weeks, 18 total weeks, 247 points List of albums released List of 1977 albums Classical music John Adams – China GatesBernard Holland Bernard Holland New Life For Work By Adams https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/09/arts/new-life-for-work-by-adams.html The New York Times 9 August 1998 2008-04-09 George Crumb – Star-ChildSteven Bruns Ofer Ben-Amots Michael D. Grace George Crumb & The Alchemy of Sound: Essays on His Music The Colorado College 2005 312–14 Births January 12 – DJ Paul, DJ, record producer, and rapper for Three 6 MafiaAugust 2026 September 13 – Fiona Apple, singer-songwriterhttps://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/05/arts/a-message-far-less-pretty-than-the-face.html A Message Far Less Pretty Than the Face Ehrlich, Dimitri The New York Times January 5, 1997 December 1 – Brad Delson, guitarist (Linkin Park)Current Biography Yearbook H. W. Wilson Company 2002 334 Deaths January 2 – Erroll Garner, jazz pianist (b. 1921)James M. Doran 1985 Erroll Garner: The Most Happy Piano Scarecrow Press 978-0810817456 registration https://archive.org/details/errollgarnermost00dora February 28 – Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, comedian and singer (b. 1905)March 1, 1977 Eddie Anderson, 71, Benny's Rochester The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/01/archives/eddie-anderson-71-bennys-rochester-gravelvoiced-comedian-noted-for.html live May 24, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20170925040502/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/01/archives/eddie-anderson-71-bennys-rochester-gravelvoiced-comedian-noted-for.html September 25, 2017 (subscription required) May 30 – Paul Desmond, jazz saxophonist and composer (b. 1924)Final Bar (obituary) Down Beat 11 August 1977 11 August 16 – Elvis Presley, actor, musician and singer-songwriter (b. 1935)Harrison Ted 2016 The Death and Resurrection of Elvis Presley Reaktion 978-1-78023-637-7 242 September 1 – Ethel Waters, singer and actress (b. 1896)Bogle Donald Heat Wave: The Life and Career of Ethel Waters https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780061241741 registration 2011 HarperCollins New York 978-0061241741 September 13 – Leopold Stokowski, British-born American conductor (b. 1882)Allen Hughes, "Leopold Stokowski Is Dead of a Heart Attack at 95", The New York Times, 14 September 1977. September 30 – Mary Ford, guitarist and vocalist (b. 1924)Nick Talevski Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door Omnibus Press 2010 9780857121172 179 October 5 – Jan Garber, jazz bandleader (b. 1894)August 2026 October 14 – Bing Crosby, pop singer and actor (b. 1903)West Richard Ted Jr. Thackrey From the Archives: Bing Crosby Dies at 73 on Golf Course https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-bing-crosby-19771015-story.html Los Angeles Times October 15, 1977 December 17, 2019 December 17, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191217051654/https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-bing-crosby-19771015-story.html live October 20 – Three members of rock group, Lynyrd Skynyrd, killed in plane crash:https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-aRVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6719%2C5461935 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon UPI Rock band leader, five others killed in charter plane crash October 21, 1977 3A December 14, 2020 August 12, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210812124205/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-aRVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6719,5461935 live Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer (b. 1948) Cassie Gaines, lead singer (b. 1948) Steve Gaines, lead singer and guitarist (b. 1949) November 5 – Guy Lombardo, bandleader (b. 1902)Band Leader Guy Lombardo Dead at 75 Rushville Republican https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4287159/rushville_republican/ United Press International (UPI) November 7, 1977 Rushville, Indiana 2 Newspapers.com February 11, 2016 December 5 – Rahsaan Roland Kirk, American jazz multi-instrumentalist (b. 1935)https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/display/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-2000248200 The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Oxford University Press 978-0-1953-8699-8 Kernfeld Barry Barry Kernfeld 2nd New York January 20, 2002 497/8 en Kirk, Roland 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J248200 February 1, 2009 http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/J248200 December 30 – St. Louis Jimmy Oden, blues singer, 74The Guinness Who's Who of Blues Colin Larkin Guinness Publishing 1995 Second 0-85112-673-1 283/4 References Category:1977 in American music