"It Doesn't Matter"
Jan 5 Buddy Holly releases his last record "It Doesn't Matter"; he is killed in a plane crash 29 days later
Motown Founded
Jan 12 Berry Gordy Jr.'s Tamla Records (later Motown) begins operating in Detroit, Michigan
- Jan 17 "Say, Darling" closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 332 performances
- Jan 22 Buddy Holly makes his last recordings in his NYC apartment, alone with an acoustic guitar; he tapes five songs including "Peggy Sue" and "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", which were embellished, overdubbed, and released posthumously by Coral Records
Moscow-Tsjerjomoesjki
Jan 24 Dmitri Shostakovich's operetta "Moscow, Cheryomushki" premieres in Moscow
A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Jan 24 Musical revue "A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green" closes at John Golden Theatre, NYC after 38 performances
"Pittsburgh" Symphony
Jan 30 Paul Hindemith's symphony "Pittsburgh" premieres