Events in Music History in 1977

Jan 6 EMI records drop punk rock group Sex Pistols

Jan 14 RCA releases David Bowie's 11th studio album, "Low"; the album is the first collaboration with Brian Eno, in what becomes known as his 'Berlin trilogy'

Feb 4 "Rumours" 11th studio album by Fleetwood Mac is released (Grammy Album of the Year)

Feb 5 "In The Mood" by Henhouse 5 Plus Too (Ray Stevens) peaks at #40

Feb 13 Revival of Frank Loesser's musical "Guys & Dolls" closes at Broadway Theater, NYC, after 239 performances

Feb 17 Kalakuta Republic, commune of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti, burnt to the ground by soldiers in Lagos

Feb 18 George Harrison releases music single "True Love", from his "33-1/3" album

Feb 19 Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover of Bruce Springsteen's song "Blinded By The Light" goes to #1

Feb 20 Revival of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical "My Fair Lady" closes at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NYC, after 377 performances

Feb 24 12th Academy of Country Music Awards: Mickey Gilley and Crystal Gayle win

Feb 27 Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards gets suspended sentence for heroin possession in Canada

Feb 27 Swedish pop group ABBA arrives in Australia for the first time, sparking "ABBA-mania"

Mar 4 Roger Sessions' 6th Symphony premieres (in fully completed form) in New York City with José Serebrier conducting the Juilliard Orchestra

Mar 23 Elvis Presley begins his final concert tour

Mar 24 Lily Tomlin is the first woman to appear solo in a Broadway show in "Appearing Nitely" (special Tony award 1977)

Mar 26 Elvis Costello releases his 1st record "Less Than Zero"

Apr 11 "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" single released by Waylon Jennings (Billboard Song of the Year, 1977)

Apr 18 Musical revue "Side by Side by Sondheim" opens at Music Box, NYC; runs for 390 performances

May 2 Revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical "The King & I"', with Yul Brynner reprising the role he created in 1951, opens at Uris Theater, NYC; runs for 695 performances

May 21 Revival of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's musical "Fiddler on the Roof", starring Zero Mostel, closes at Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after 167 performances

May 28 Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers perform together for the first time, backing Mike Howlett at a show in Paris, France; Summers is invited to join The Police

Jun 3 Island Records releases "Exodus", the ninth studio album by Bob Marley & the Wailers; featuring the hits, 'Jamming', 'Waiting In Vain', 'Three Little Birds' and 'One Love', it is named the best album of the century by Time Magazine in 1999

Jun 12 Stephen Schwartz's musical "Pippin", starring Ben Vereen; Irene Ryan, and Jill Clayburgh, and directed by Bob Fosse, closes at Imperial Theater, NYC, after 1944 performances, and 5 Tony Award wins

Jun 18 Sex Pistols Johnny Rotten & Paul Cook, beaten by a group of rabble-rousers outside of a London pub

Jun 30 Marvel Comics publish "Kiss" comic book feting rock group Kiss

Jul 30 "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" by Andy Gibb reaches number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Sep 16 Ringo Starr releases single "Drowning in Sea of Love" in the UK

Sep 29 Columbia Records releases "The Stranger", singer-songwriter Billy Joel's fifth studio album; it becomes the label's all-time best selling non-compilation record

Sep 29 James Brown's band walks out claiming they were underpaid and overworked

Oct 1 Elton John honored by Madison Square Garden's MSG Hall of Fame

Oct 3 Victor Borge's "Comedy with Music" opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 66 performances

Oct 7 Guitarist Steve Hackett quits progressive rock band Genesis

Oct 14 Linda Ronstadt sings national anthem prior to World Series Game 3 at Dodger Stadium; criticised for casual attire but ranked by Washington Examiner as second-best rendition ever at a sporting event

Dec 13 Asylum Records releases "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter", Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell's 9th studio album;

Dec 23 British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens formally converts to Islam, taking the name Yusuf Islam