Events in Music History in 1972

Jan 1 Burt Bacharach and Hal David's musical "Promises, Promises", based on the 1960 Billy Wider film "The Apartment", closes at Shubert Theater, NYC, after 1281 performances, winning a Grammy and 2 Tony Awards

Jan 8 Dmitri Shostakovich' 15th Symphony premieres in Moscow

Jan 24 Columbia Records releases "Paul Simon", the second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon; it includes singles "Mother and Child Reunion" and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard"

Jan 27 World premiere of Scott Joplin's rediscovered opera "Treemonisha" at Morehouse College in Atlanta

Jan 31 Aretha Franklin sings at gospel singer Mahalia Jackson's funeral at the Greater Salem Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois

Feb 1 Reprise Records releases "Harvest", the 4th studio album by Neil Young; becomes best selling album in US, 1972

Feb 17 Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti receives record 17 curtain calls after his performance in "La fille du régiment" at New York's Metropolitan Opera

Feb 19 American singer Harry Nilsson's single "Without You" begins a 4 week run at the top of the charts. [The song was originally written and performed by the English band Badfinger in 1970, and would reach the top ten again with Mariah Carey's 1994 cover.]

Feb 25 Paul McCartney releases "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" single

Feb 28 George Harrison is involved in a minor car accident

Mar 7 "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" single written by Ewan MacColl, released by Roberta Flack (Billboard Song of the Year 1972)

Mar 13 7th Academy of Country Music Awards: Freddie Hart and Loretta Lynn win

Mar 14 Muddy Waters wins his first Grammy Award, for his album"They Call Me Muddy Waters"

Mar 16 Singer James Brown performs two shows for over 1,000 detainees awaiting trial at the Adolescent Remand Shelter on Rikers Island, NYC

Mar 17 Ringo Starr releases single "Back off Boogaloo" in the UK

Apr 20 Virgil Thomson's final opera, "Lord Byron", with libretto by Jack Larson, first performance at Lincoln Center, New York City

May 16 Melvin Van Peebles' musical "Don't Play Us Cheap" opens at Barrymore Theater, NYC; runs for 164 performances

May 21 "Lost in the Stars" based on the novel "Cry the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 39 performances

Jun 9 Bruce Springsteen signs a record deal with Columbia Records

Jun 10 Sammy Davis Jr.'s cover of "The Candy Man" by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse (from the film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory") goes to #1 on the charts - his biggest single

Jun 16 RCA releases David Bowie's fifth studio album "The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars"; it is considered his artistic breakthrough

Jul 1 Stephen Sondheim's "Follies" closes at Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after 524 performances

Jul 2 Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's musical "Fiddler on the Roof" with Zero Mostel, closes at the Broadway Theater, NYC, after 3,242 performances and 9 Tony Award wins

Jul 15 "Honky Chateau" becomes Elton John's first No. 1 album in the US, includes hit "Rocket Man"

Jul 16 Smokey Robinson and the Miracles final live performance, in Washington D.C.

Aug 10 Paul & Linda McCartney, and their band Wings are arrested in Gothenburg, Sweden on drug possession charges when custom official discover a package of hashish

Sep 2 Rod Stewart's 1st #1 hit single in the UK, "You Wear it Well"

Oct 17 Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Lng," is #1

Oct 23 "I'm Still in Love with You" 5th studio album by Al Green is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1973)

Oct 23 Stephen Schwartz' musical "Pippin", starring Ben Vereen; Irene Ryan, and Jill Clayburgh, and directed by Bob Fosse, opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 1944 performances, winning 5 Tony Awards

Dec 20 Neil Simon's play "The Sunshine Boys" starring Jack Albertson and Sam Levene, and directed by Alan Arkin, opens at Broadhurst Theater (later transferring Shubert, then the Lunt-Fontanne), NYC; runs for 538 performances, winning 2 Tony Awards