1978 in British music

none 1978 1978 British music This is a summary of 1978 in music in the United Kingdom. Events 14 January – The Sex Pistols play their final show (until a reunion in 1996) at Winterland, San Francisco. 24 January – Wings' "Mull of Kintyre" is number one for a ninth and final week, becoming the biggest-selling single in UK history at that point. 25 January – Electric Light Orchestra kick off their Out of the Blue world tour in Honolulu, Hawaii. 11 March – Kate Bush becomes the first British female solo artist to reach number one in the UK charts with a self-written song, "Wuthering Heights". 30 April – The Clash, Tom Robinson Band, Steel Pulse, X-Ray Spex, the Ruts, Misty in Roots and Generation X all play live in Victoria Park, Hackney, at the Anti-Nazi League/Rock Against Racism festival, following a march from Trafalgar Square. 25 May – The Who play their last show with Keith Moon before his death. 15 July – The Picnic at Blackbushe Aerodrome, Camberley, Surrey, a concert featuring Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading, attracts some 200,000 people.The Picnic at Blackbushe Aerodrome 1978 www.ukrockfestivals.com https://www.ukrockfestivals.com/blackbushe.html 2022-10-08 30 July – Thin Lizzy officially announce that Gary Moore has replaced Brian Robertson on guitar. 18 August – The Who release their eighth studio album Who Are You. It is the Who's last album with Keith Moon as the drummer; Moon dies twenty days after the release of the album. September – Second anti-racism event staged in Brockwell Park, South London, featuring Elvis Costello, Stiff Little Fingers and Aswad, with 150,000 people in attendance.October 2018 27 November – Def Leppard's permanent drummer Rick Allen joins the band at the age of 15. unknown dates The Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever becomes the biggest-selling album of all time (until overtaken in 1983). The first BBC Young Musician of the Year competition for classical players is won by trombonist Michael Hext.https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03tsrqm Michael Hext - Young Musician 1978 winner BBC 2 February 2025 Operatic contralto Helen Watts is appointed a CBE. Multitone Records is founded by Pranil Gohil, specialising in bhangra music. Charts Number one singles DateSongArtist 1 January "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" Wings 8 January 15 January 22 January 29 January"Uptown Top Ranking" Althea & Donna 5 February"Figaro"Brotherhood of Man 12 February"Take a Chance on Me" ABBA 19 February 26 February 5 March "Wuthering Heights" Kate Bush 12 March 19 March 26 March 2 April "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" Brian and Michael 9 April 16 April 23 April "Night Fever" Bee Gees 30 April 7 May "Rivers of Babylon" Boney M 14 May 21 May 28 May 4 June 11 June "You're the One That I Want" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 18 June 25 June 2 July 9 July 16 July 23 July 30 July 6 August 13 August "Three Times a Lady" The Commodores 20 August 27 August 3 September 10 September 17 September"Dreadlock Holiday" 10cc 24 September "Summer Nights" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 1 October 8 October 15 October 22 October 29 October 5 November 12 November "Rat Trap" The Boomtown Rats 19 November 26 November"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Rod Stewart 3 December "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" Boney M 10 December 17 December 24 December 31 December"Y.M.C.A." The Village People Number one albums DateAlbumArtistWeeks7 JanuaryDisco FeverVarious Artists214 January21 JanuaryThe Sound of BreadBread128 JanuaryRumoursFleetwood Mac14 FebruaryThe AlbumABBA711 February18 February25 February4 March11 March18 March25 March20 Golden GreatsBuddy Holly and The Crickets31 April8 April15 April20 Golden GreatsNat 'King' Cole322 April29 April6 MaySaturday Night FeverOriginal Soundtrack1813 May20 May27 May3 June10 June17 June24 June1 July8 July15 July22 July29 July5 August12 August19 August26 August2 September9 SeptemberNightflight to VenusBoney M416 September23 September30 September7 OctoberGreaseOriginal Soundtrack1314 October21 October28 October4 November11 November18 November25 November2 December9 December16 December23 December30 December Year-end charts The tables below include sales between 31 December 1977 and 30 December 1978: the year-end charts reproduced in the issue of Music Week dated 23 December 1978 and played on Radio 1 on 31 December 1978 only include sales figures up until 16 December 1978. Best-selling singles Peter Scaping BPI Year Book 1979 Top 200 Singles in 1978 The British Phonographic Industry Ltd London, England 186–89 4th 1979 0-906154-02-2 No. Number Title Artist Peakposition 1 "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring" Boney M 1 2 "You're the One That I Want" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 1 3 "Summer Nights" John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 1 4 "Three Times a Lady" The Commodores 1 5 "The Smurf Song" Father Abraham Pierre Kartner and the Smurfs 2 6 "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" Boney M 1 7 "Night Fever" Bee Gees 1 8 "Rat Trap" The Boomtown Rats 1 9 "Take a Chance on Me" ABBA 1 10 "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" Brian and Michael 1 11 "Dreadlock Holiday" 10cc 1 12 "Wuthering Heights" Kate Bush 1 13 "Sandy" John Travolta 2 14 "Rasputin" Boney M 2 15 "Substitute" Clout 2 16 "Denis" Blondie 2 17 "Baker Street" Gerry Rafferty 3 18 "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Rod Stewart 1 19 "Figaro" Brotherhood of Man 1 20 "Come Back My Love" Darts 2 21 "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" Rose Royce 2 22 "Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls' School" Wings 1 23 "It's Raining" Darts 2 24 "Wishing on a Star" Rose Royce 3 25 "Lucky Stars" Dean Friedman 3 26 "Dancing in the City" Marshall Hain 3 27 "Boogie Oogie Oogie" A Taste of Honey A Taste of Honey (band) 3 28 "Oh What a Circus" David Essex 3 29 "Grease" Frankie Valli 3 30 "Jilted John" Jilted John 4 31 "Y.M.C.A." Village People 2Reached number 1 in 1979 32 "Annie's Song" James Galway 3 33 "Stayin' Alive" Bee Gees 4 34 "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams 3 35 "The Boy from New York City" Darts 2 36 "Hopelessly Devoted to You" Olivia Newton-John 2 37 "Blame It on the Boogie" The Jacksons 8 38 "Darlin'" Frankie Miller 6 39 "Never Let Her Slip Away" Andrew Gold 5 40 "Sweet Talkin' Woman" Electric Light Orchestra 6 41 "If I Had Words" Scott Fitzgerald Scott Fitzgerald (singer) and Yvonne Keeley with the St Thomas More School Choir 3 42 "I Can't Stand the Rain"Eruption featuring Precious Wilson 5 43 "Mr. Blue Sky" Electric Light Orchestra 6 44 "Uptown Top Ranking" Althea and Donna 1 45 "MacArthur Park" Donna Summer 5 46 "I Wonder Why" Showaddywaddy 2 47 "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" Sylvester 8 48 "If You Can't Give Me Love" Suzi Quatro 4 49 "A Taste of Aggro" The Barron Knights 3 50 "Forever Autumn" Justin Hayward 5 Best-selling albums Scaping (1979). "Top 200 LPs in 1978". pp. 182–85. No. Number Title Artist Peakposition 1 Saturday Night Fever Original Soundtrack 1 2 Grease Original Soundtrack 1 3 The Album ABBA 1 4 Nightflight to Venus Boney M 1 5 20 Golden Greats Nat 'King' Cole 1 6 Rumours Fleetwood Mac 1 7 Out of the Blue Electric Light Orchestra 5Reached number 4 in 1977 8 Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds Jeff Wayne 5 9 Images Don Williams 2 10 20 Golden Greats Buddy Holly & the Crickets 1 11 The Kick Inside Kate Bush 3 12 And Then There Were Three Genesis 3 13 Classic Rock London Symphony Orchestra 3 14 New Boots and Panties!! Ian Dury 8Reached number 5 in 1979 15 Live and Dangerous Thin Lizzy 2 16 Reflections Andy Williams 2 17 The Sound of Bread Bread 1 18 The Singles: 1974–1978 The Carpenters 2 19 Street-Legal Bob Dylan 2 20 A Tonic for the Troops The Boomtown Rats 8 21 20 Golden Greats The Hollies 2 22 The Stud Original Soundtrack 2 23 City to City Gerry Rafferty 6 24 The Big Wheels of Motown Various Artists 2 25 You Light Up My Life Johnny Mathis 3 26 Greatest Hits (1976-1978) Showaddywaddy 4Reached number 1 in 1979 27 20 Golden Greats Neil Diamond 2 28 Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf 11Reached number 9 in 1981 29 London Town Wings 4 30 Emotions Various Artists 2 31 Midnight Hustle Various Artists 5 32 Some Girls The Rolling Stones 2 33 Variations Andrew Lloyd Webber 2 34 Pastiche The Manhattan Transfer 10 35 Greatest Hits ABBA 12Reached number 1 in 1976 36 Kaya Bob Marley and the Wailers 4 37 Blondes Have More Fun Rod Stewart 3 38 Parallel Lines Blondie 7Reached number 1 in 1979 39 Foot Loose & Fancy Free Rod Stewart 4Reached number 3 in 1977 40 Plastic Letters Blondie 10 41 Arrival ABBA 12Reached number 1 in 1976 42 Black and White The Stranglers 2 43 20 Giant Hits The Nolan Sisters 3 44 The Greatest Hits of Donna Summer Donna Summer 4 45 Natural High The Commodores 8 46 This Year's Model Elvis Costello and the Attractions 4 47 Anytime...Anywhere Rita Coolidge 6 48 Octave The Moody Blues 6 49 A Single Man Elton John 8 50 Bloody Tourists 10cc 3 Notes: 30em Classical music: new works Malcolm Arnold – Symphony No. 8 Peter Maxwell Davies – Symphony no. 1 Daniel Jones – String Quartet No 4 Malcolm Williamson Azure Fiesta Film and Incidental music Tony Banks – The Shout, starring Alan Bates, Susannah York and John Hurt. Roy Budd – The Wild Geese. Ron Goodwin – Force 10 from Navarone directed by Guy Hamilton, starring Robert Shaw and Edward Fox. Ed Welch – The Thirty Nine Steps, starring Robert Powell. Births 1 January – Tarik O'Regan, composer 13 January – Shelley Nash, singer (Girls@Play) 15 January – Sandi Lee Hughes, singer (allSTARS*) 19 January – Wayne Williams, singer (Another Level) 13 February – Hamish Glencross, Scottish guitarist 14 February – Ryan Griffiths (The Vines) 22 February – Jenny Frost, singer (Atomic Kitten) 6 April – Myleene Klass, singer (Hear'Say), radio and TV presenter 7 April – Duncan James, singer (Blue) 9 April – Rachel Stevens, singer (S Club 7) 16 April – Terry Daly, Irish singer (Mytown) 23 April – Tom Lowe, singer and keyboardist (North and South) 25 April – Luke Bedford, composer 28 April – Lauren Laverne, singer, radio DJ and TV presenter 4 May – Matthew Rose, bass 22 May – Jordan, model and would-be singer 29 May Adam Rickitt, singer and actor Daniel Pearce, singer (One True Voice)February 2025 6 June – Sophie Solomon, violinist 16 June – Elisa Cariera, American-born singer (Solid HarmoniE) 4 July – Stephen McNally, English singer-songwriter (BBMak) 1 August – Jonathan Wilkes, singer and entertainer 21 August – John Paul "J-Rock" Horsley, American-born singer (Big Brovaz) 3 September – Johnny Shentall, singer (Boom!) 15 September – David Sneddon, singer-songwriter 27 September – Jamie Benson, singer (Hepburn) 7 October – Alesha Dixon, singer (Mis-Teeq) 9 October Nicky Byrne, Irish singer (Westlife) Beverley Fullen, drummer (Hepburn) 26 October – Rachael Carr, singer (Boom!) 27 October – Sabrina Washington, singer (Mis-Teeq) 29 October – Sam Chapman, singer and keyboardist (North and South) 1 November – Bobak Kianovsh, singer (Another Level) 7 November – Mark Read, singer (A1) 23 November – Randy Brown, Jamaican-born singer (Big Brovaz) 27 November – Mike Skinner, rapper, musician and record producer 12 December – Paul Walker, Irish singer (Mytown) 18 December – Lindsay Armaou, Greek-born Irish-based singer (B*Witched) date unknown – Oliver Weeks, composer, arranger and guitarist Deaths 11 January – William John Edwards, Cerdd Dant singer (b. 1898)https://www.ybedol.com/wp-content/uploads/Y-Bedol-Chwefror-2020.pdf Y Bedol Er cof cy 3 15 January – Jack Jackson, trumpeter, bandleader and radio disc jockey (b. 1906)http://www.mgthomas.co.uk/dancebands/Musicians/MusicianPages/Jack%20Jackson.htm Dance Band Encyclopaedia: Jack Jackson 1 February 2025 24 February – Mrs Mills, pianist (b. 1918; heart attack)https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mrs-mills-mn0001525474#biography Mrs. Mills Sharon Mawer Allmusic 16 April 2012 9 March – L. Radley Flynn, singer and actor (b. 1902) 12 March – Tolchard Evans, songwriter, composer, pianist and bandleader (b. 1901)Tolchard Evans https://www.oxforddnb.com/index/66/101066776/ subscription 27 September 2014 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 3 April – Ray Noble, composer and bandleader (b. 1903) 21 April – Sandy Denny, singer (Fairport Convention) (b. 1947) (cerebral haemorrhage)Mick Houghton I've Always Kept a Unicorn – The Biography of Sandy Denny Faber & Faber 2015 405 0571278914 14 August – Victor Silvester, dance band leader (b. 1900)The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music Colin Larkin Guinness Publishing 1992 First 0-85112-939-0 2267 7 September Keith Moon, drummer of The Who (b. 1946) (Clomethiazole overdose)Fletcher Tony Tony Fletcher Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon Omnibus Press 978-1-84449-807-9 1998 524 Charles Williams, composer (b. 1893)Colin Larkin The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Omnibus Press 2011 9780857125958 1933 15 September – Robert Bruce Montgomery, writer and composer (b. 1921) Whittle David Montgomery, (Robert) Bruce/Edmund Crispin (1921–1978) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2004 10.1093/ref:odnb/31461 http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31461 2005-11-02 subscription 13 December – Jack Doyle, Irish-born boxer and singer (b. 1913; cirrhosis of liver)https://www.dib.ie/biography/doyle-jack-a2751 Doyle, Jack Paul Rouse Dictionary of Irish Biography 1 February 2025 See also 1978 in British radio 1978 in British television 1978 in the United Kingdom List of British films of 1978 References Category:British music by year