1971 in music

1971 in music

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List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1971.

• 1971 in British music
• 1971 in Norwegian music

• 1971 in country music
• 1971 in heavy metal music
• 1971 in jazz

• February 1 – After months of feuding in the press, Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones hold a "drum battle" at The Lyceum.
• February 3 – Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees.
• February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, is premièred at New York's Academy of Music. The film includes footage from Dylan's 1966 UK tour.
• February 16 – Alan Passaro of the Hells Angels, who was acquitted on January 19 of the killing of Meredith Hunter at the Altamont Speedway in 1969, files a lawsuit against the Rolling Stones for invasion of privacy because the documentary film Gimme Shelter showed the stabbing.
• February 19 – Queen performs their first public concert in London.
• March 1 – The line-up for Queen is completed when bassist John Deacon joins the band.
• March 4 – The Rolling Stones open their UK tour in Newcastle upon Tyne, intended as a "farewell" to the UK prior to the band's relocation to France as "tax exiles".
• March 5 – Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, sees the first live performance of Led Zeppelin's iconic song "Stairway to Heaven".
• March 6 – The Soul to Soul concert takes place in Accra, Ghana, headlined by Wilson Pickett.
• March 12–13 – The Allman Brothers Band records its live album, At Fillmore East.
• March 16 – The 13th Grammy Awards, honoring musical accomplishments of 1970, are presented. The ceremonies are broadcast on live television for the first time. Simon & Garfunkel win Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year for their final album Bridge over Troubled Water and its title track. The Carpenters win Best New Artist.
• April 3 – The 16th Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, is won by Monaco with the song "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" sung by Séverine.
• April 6 – The Rolling Stones hold a party in Cannes to officially announce their new contract with Atlantic and the launch of Rolling Stones Records.
• April 8 – A bomb explodes at a CBC band gig in Saigon killing 2.
• April 19 – Gil Scott Heron records the first rap song, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised in RCA Studioe in New York.
• May 1 – Bill Withers releases seminal first album Just As I Am.
• May 12 – Mick Jagger marries Bianca de Macías in Saint-Tropez, France, in a Roman Catholic ceremony. Among the wedding guests are the remaining Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills.
• June – Rafael Kubelík becomes music director of the Metropolitan Opera, New York, at the invitation of Göran Gentele, the new general manager.^[1]
• June 1 – Elvis Presley's birthplace, a two-room shack in Tupelo, Mississippi, is opened to the public as a tourist attraction.
• June 6 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono join Frank Zappa on stage at the Fillmore East for an encore jam. The performance would be released the following year on the Some Time in New York City album.
• June 8 – Carole King gives her first live concert, at Carnegie Hall.
• June 20-24 – The first Glastonbury Festival to take place at the summer solstice is held in South West England. Performers include David Bowie, Traffic, Fairport Convention, Quintessence and Hawkwind.
• June 21 – The Celebration of Life Festival finally gets underway- three and a half days late- at Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, Miles Davis and B. B. King are among the performers.
• June 24 – The Celebration of Life Festival is closed down by authorities after promoters Stephen Kapelow and Ken Lind fail to provide enough supplies of food, medical and sanitary facilities. Only nine of twenty-seven advertised performers showed up, and about 150 festival-goers were arrested.
• June 27 – Promoter Bill Graham closes the Fillmore East in New York City with a final concert featuring The Allman Brothers Band, The Beach Boys and Mountain. Patrons are given commemorative posters at the door and find red roses on their seats.
• July 3 – Jim Morrison is found dead in a bath tub in Paris, France, aged 27. Alain Ronay would claim, years later, that he assisted Morrison's lover, Pamela Courson, in covering up the circumstances.
• July 4 – The Fillmore West is closed in San Francisco with a final show featuring Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Grateful Dead.
• July 9 – Grand Funk Railroad becomes only the second band (after the Beatles) to perform a sold-out concert at Shea Stadium breaking The Beatles record of selling out the venue.
• August 1
  • The Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden, New York, starring George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan and Leon Russell; also featuring Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Jesse Ed Davis and Badfinger.
  • The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour premieres on CBS.
• August 14 – The Who release their fifth studio album Who's Next, reaching Number One in both the UK and the US.
• August 31 – John Lennon leaves Britain for New York City and will never return.
• September 11 – The Jackson 5ive, a Saturday morning cartoon series based on the popular Motown group The Jackson 5, premieres on ABC.
• September 11-12 – The Avandaro rock festival takes place in Valle de Bravo (Mexico) with an estimated attendance of 300,000.
• October 5 – Black Sabbath perform the first set of their Whisky a Go Go performance in all-white tuxedos.
• October 29 – The Allman Brothers Band's guitarist Duane Allman dies in a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia after colliding with a truck.
• October 31 – Pink Floyd release their sixth studio album Meddle. The album is considered a turning point, moving away from their psychedelic sound to a more progressive tone. It peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart.
• November 6 – Cher earns her first solo number one hit in US (Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves) staying atop for two consecutive weeks. Eventually the song was certified gold.
• November 8 – Led Zeppelin release officially untitled fourth studio album, which would become the biggest-selling album of the year (1972), the band's biggest-selling album, and the fourth best-selling album of all time.
• December 1 – Belgian singing duo Nicole & Hugo are married at Wemmel.
• December 4 – The Montreux Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, catches fire and burns during a performance by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention when a fan fires a flare gun into its rafters. Members of Deep Purple, who were due to begin recording at the casino the next day, watched the scene from their hotel across Lake Geneva, and later immortalized the events in their song, "Smoke on the Water".
• December 10 – Frank Zappa breaks his leg after being pushed off the stage by a deranged fan at The Rainbow in London.
• December 31 – Bob Dylan makes a surprise appearance for the encore of The Band's New Year's Eve concert at the Academy of Music, joining the group for four songs including "Like a Rolling Stone".
• Lancelot Layne's "Blown Away" is the beginning of rapso music.
• Ann Wilson joins Heart, which moves to Vancouver, British Columbia.
• Kenny Rogers and The First Edition issued their Greatest Hits album, which will sell over 4 million copies worldwide by the end of the decade. They also star in their own TV series Rollin' on the River which runs until 1974.
• Brad Whitford replaces Ray Tabano on rhythm guitar in Aerosmith
• Elton John has first international hit with "Your Song".
• Donna Summer begins her recording career under her real name of Donna Gaines.
• Rick Springfield leaves Zoot for a highly successful solo career.
• Rick Wakeman joins Yes.
• Conrad Schnitzler leaves Kluster, which dissolves.
• The Beach Boys musician Daryl Dragon and singer Toni Tennille meet and begin to perform together as Captain & Tennille.
• The American Musical Instrument Society is founded.

• See Musical groups established in 1971

• The Crystals

• Booker T. & the M.G.'s
• Derek and the Dominos
• The Haunted
• The Monkees
• See also Musical groups disestablished in 1971

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
4	Coal Miner's Daughter	Loretta Lynn	-
7	Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old)	Elvis Presley	[2]
11	Chicago III	Chicago	–
	Pearl	Janis Joplin	–
13	Deliverin'	Poco	Live
15	Hooker 'n Heat	John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat	–
–	Dust	Dust	-
	Greatest Hits	Kenny Rogers and The First Edition	Compilation
	Jerry Butler Sings Assorted Sounds	Jerry Butler	–
	Little Feat	Little Feat	–
	Melting Pot	Booker T & the MG's	–
	Nantucket Sleighride	Mountain	–
	Salisbury	Uriah Heep	–
	Sister Kate	Kate Taylor	–
	Straight Life	Freddie Hubbard	–
	There Must Be More to Love Than This	Jerry Lee Lewis	–
	You're Not Alone	Dion	–
	ZZ Top's First Album	ZZ Top	–

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes	The 5th Dimension	–
	if 2	If	–
2	The Point!	Harry Nilsson	–
3	Love Story	Andy Williams	–
5	Once Again	Barclay James Harvest	–
9	Carly Simon	Carly Simon	–
10	Church of Anthrax	John Cale and Terry Riley	–
	Tapestry	Carole King	–
	Love Story	Johnny Mathis	–
15	The Golden Streets of Glory	Dolly Parton	-
19	The Yes Album	Yes	–
22	If I Could Only Remember My Name	David Crosby	–
24	One Way... or Another	Cactus	–
	Jack Johnson	Miles Davis	–
26	Straight, Clean and Simple	Anne Murray	–
–	Crazy Horse	Crazy Horse	–
	Fourth	Soft Machine	–
	The Hawk	Ronnie Hawkins	–
	Jack-Knife Gypsy	Paul Siebel	–
	James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine	James Taylor	–
	Journey in Satchidananda	Alice Coltrane	-
	Live at the Sex Machine	Kool & the Gang	Live
	Long Player	Faces	–
	Mary	Mary Travers	–
	The Polite Force	Egg	–
	Ring of Hands	Argent	–
	Rita Coolidge	Rita Coolidge	–
	Stoney End	Barbra Streisand	–
	The Taker/Tulsa	Waylon Jennings	–
	Up to Date	The Partridge Family	-

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Search and Nearness	The Rascals	–
5	The Cry of Love	Jimi Hendrix	Compilation
	Friends	Elton John	Soundtrack
	Bryter Layter	Nick Drake	[3]
	Stone Age	the Rolling Stones	Compilation
9	Love It to Death	Alice Cooper	Straight Records; re-issued on Warner Bros. June '71
15	La Biblia	Vox Dei	–
16	Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon	James Taylor	–
19	Aqualung	Jethro Tull	–
	Songs of Love and Hate	Leonard Cohen	–
	Wildlife	Mott the Hoople	–
22	You'll Never Walk Alone	Elvis Presley	Compilation
24	Histoire de Melody Nelson	Serge Gainsbourg	–
26	Percy	The Kinks	Soundtrack
–	Al Green Gets Next to You	Al Green	–
	Alpha Centauri	Tangerine Dream	-
	Back to the Roots	John Mayall	–
	Black Oak Arkansas	Black Oak Arkansas	Debut
	Dave Mason & Cass Elliot	Dave Mason & Cass Elliot	–
	Earth, Wind & Fire	Earth, Wind & Fire	Debut
	Electronically Tested	Mungo Jerry	–
	A Message to the People	Buddy Miles	–
	Moments	Boz Scaggs	–
	Motel Shot	Delaney & Bonnie	–
	Please to See the King	Steeleye Span	–
	Present Company	Janis Ian	–
	Rat On!	Swamp Dogg	–
	Rock On	Humble Pie	–
	She Used to Wanna Be a Ballerina	Buffy St. Marie	–
	Split	The Groundhogs	-
	Tanz der Lemminge	Amon Düül II	–
	Teenage Head	Flamin' Groovies	–
	With Friends and Neighbors	Alex Taylor	–

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	Donny Hathaway	Donny Hathaway	–
5	Satori	Flower Travellin' Band	–
6	Poems, Prayers & Promises	John Denver	–
7	4 Way Street	Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young	Live
8	Givin' It Back	The Isley Brothers	–
	In the Land of Grey and Pink	Caravan	–
	Overdog	Keef Hartley	–
12	Joshua	Dolly Parton	-
	Maybe Tomorrow	The Jackson 5	–
	Where I'm Coming From	Stevie Wonder	–
15	Survival	Grand Funk Railroad	–
19	L.A. Woman	The Doors	–
22	Hag	Merle Haggard	–
	Sky's the Limit	The Temptations	–
23	Sticky Fingers	the Rolling Stones	–
30	The Doobie Brothers	The Doobie Brothers	–
	Thin Lizzy	Thin Lizzy	–
	Smiling Men with Bad Reputations	Mike Heron	–
–	17-11-70	Elton John	Live
	All by Myself	Eddie Kendricks	–
	The Best of The Guess Who	The Guess Who	-
	Bloodrock 3	Bloodrock	–
	Bring Me Home	Mother Earth	–
	Broken Barricades	Procol Harum	–
	Chase	Chase	–
	Cheapo Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian	John Sebastian	Live
	City of Gold	Pearls Before Swine	–
	Elegy	The Nice	Live
	Extraction	Gary Wright	–
	Good Taste Is Timeless	The Holy Modal Rounders	–
	Here Comes the Sun	Nina Simone	-
	How Much More Can She Stand	Conway Twitty	–
	Mirror Man	Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band	Recorded 1967
	Oh! Pleasant Hope	Blue Cheer	–
	Survival of the Fittest Live	Amboy Dukes	Live
	Thirds	James Gang	–
	Volcanic Action of My Soul	Ray Charles	-
	War	War	–
	When You're Hot, You're Hot	Jerry Reed	–

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
3	Leon Russell and the Shelter People	Leon Russell	–
5	Peaceful World	The Rascals	–
10	I Don't Know How to Love Him	Helen Reddy	–
12	Weather Report	Weather Report	–
14	Carpenters	Carpenters	–
	Relics	Pink Floyd	Compilation
17	Ram	Paul and Linda McCartney	US; released in UK May 28
19	Aretha Live at Fillmore West	Aretha Franklin	Live
21	What's Going On	Marvin Gaye	–
	Rory Gallagher	Rory Gallagher	Solo Debut[4]
28	Songs for Beginners	Graham Nash	–
	Every Picture Tells a Story	Rod Stewart	–
–	And So: On	Jimmy Webb	–
	Another Dimension	Bo Diddley	–
	Contact	Freda Payne	–
	Curtis/Live!	Curtis Mayfield	Live
	Edgar Broughton Band	Edgar Broughton Band	–
	5th	Lee Michaels	–
	Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds	Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds	–
	If You Saw Thro' My Eyes	Ian Matthews	–
	Joy to the World	Hoyt Axton	–
	Just as I Am	Bill Withers	–
	Live Johnny Winter And	Johnny Winter	Live
	Man in Black	Johnny Cash	–
	Smash Your Head Against the Wall	John Entwistle	–
	Something Else	Shirley Bassey	–
	Stormcock	Roy Harper	–
	Summer Side of Life	Gordon Lightfoot	–
	Thembi	Pharoah Sanders	-
	We Sure Can Love Each Other	Tammy Wynette	–
	Winwood	Steve Winwood	Compilation

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
4	Budgie	Budgie	–
6	Toussaint	Allen Toussaint	–
14	Tarkus	Emerson, Lake & Palmer	–
15	The Staple Swingers	The Staple Singers	-
	Zero Time	Tonto's Expanding Head Band	-
16	Golden Bisquits	Three Dog Night	Compilation
	Love Letters from Elvis	Elvis Presley	–
21	Ruby	Buck Owens	–
22	Blue	Joni Mitchell	–
23	Byrdmaniax	The Byrds	–
24	Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren	Todd Rundgren	–
25	Indelibly Stamped	Supertramp	–
30	Stephen Stills 2	Stephen Stills	–
–	Aerial Pandemonium Ballet	Harry Nilsson	–
	Angel Delight	Fairport Convention	–
	Ash Ra Tempel	Ash Ra Tempel	-
	Blood, Sweat & Tears 4	Blood, Sweat & Tears	–
	Homemade	The Osmonds	–
	First Pull Up, Then Pull Down	Hot Tuna	–
	The Flying Burrito Brothers	The Flying Burrito Brothers	–
	Grin	Grin	–
	Historic Dead	Grateful Dead	Live 1966
	It Ain't Easy	Long John Baldry	–
	Link Wray	Link Wray	–
	Mick Abrahams	Mick Abrahams	–
	New York City (You're a Woman)	Al Kooper	–
	One World	Rare Earth	–
	Randy Newman Live	Randy Newman	Live
	San Francisco Dues	Chuck Berry	–
	Sing Children Sing	Lesley Duncan	–
	Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song	Melvin Van Peebles	Soundtrack
	Touch	The Supremes	–
	Touching Home	Jerry Lee Lewis	–
	What You Hear Is What You Get	Ike & Tina Turner	Live

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	C'mon Everybody	Elvis Presley	Compilation
	Push Push	Herbie Mann	Album
2	Daddy Who? Daddy Cool	Daddy Cool
6	At Fillmore East	The Allman Brothers Band	Live
	High Time	MC5	–
	Surrender	Diana Ross	–
	Booker T. & Priscilla	Booker T & Priscilla Coolidge	–
12	Maggot Brain	Funkadelic	–
16	Acquiring the Taste	Gentle Giant	–
17	Ain't No Big Thing, But It's Growing	New Birth	-
23	Every Good Boy Deserves Favour	The Moody Blues	–
26	The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions	Howlin' Wolf	–
–	Armchair Boogie	Michael Hurley & Pals	–
	Blessed Are...	Joan Baez	–
	Charity Ball	Fanny	–
	Fireball	Deep Purple	US
	Fool's Mate	Peter Hammill	–
	(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People	The Chi-Lites	–
	From the Witchwood	Strawbs	–
	Happy Birthday, Ruthy Baby	McGuinness Flint	–
	Harmony Row	Jack Bruce	–
	How Come the Sun	Tom Paxton	–
	In the Garden	Gypsy	–
	The Last Time I Saw Her	Glen Campbell	–
	Lovejoy	Albert King	–
	Ride the Wind	The Youngbloods	–
	Shaft	Isaac Hayes	Soundtrack
	The Silver Tongued Devil and I	Kris Kristofferson	-
	So Long, Bannatyne	The Guess Who	–
	Sha Na Na	Sha Na Na	–
	Stop Your Motor	The Association	–

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	The Best of the Wailers	Bob Marley and the Wailers	–
2	Who's Next	The Who	US [5]
	Fillmore East – June 1971	The Mothers of Invention	Live
6	Master of Reality	Black Sabbath	[6]
11	You've Got a Friend	Johnny Mathis	–
27	One Dozen Roses	Smokey Robinson & The Miracles	–
30	Surf's Up	The Beach Boys	–
31	The Sun, Moon & Herbs	Dr. John	–
–	Barbra Joan Streisand	Barbra Streisand	–
	Cedartown, Georgia	Waylon Jennings	–
	Experience	Jimi Hendrix	-
	Freedom Flight	Shuggie Otis	–
	Himself	Gilbert O'Sullivan	–
	Hot Pants	James Brown	–
	How Hard It Is	Big Brother and the Holding Company	-
	I Wonder What She'll Think About Me Leaving	Conway Twitty	–
	In Hearing of Atomic Rooster	Atomic Rooster	–
	If 3	If	–
	My Baby Packed Up My Mind and Left Me	Dallas Frazier	–
	New Riders of the Purple Sage	New Riders of the Purple Sage	–
	Nigel Olsson's Drum Orchestra and Chorus	Nigel Olsson	–
	Ronnie Milsap	Ronnie Milsap	–
	Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin'	Butterfield Blues Band	–
	Sound Magazine	The Partridge Family	-
	A Space in Time	Ten Years After	–
	Tago Mago	Can	–
	Van Ronk	Dave Van Ronk	–
	White Light	Gene Clark	aka Gene Clark
	You've Got a Friend	Andy Williams	–

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
3	Future Games	Fleetwood Mac	–
	20 Granite Creek	Moby Grape	–
5	From the Inside	Poco	–
8	Labelle	Labelle	–
9	Aretha's Greatest Hits	Aretha Franklin	Compilation
	Imagine	John Lennon	US; released in UK Oct 8
10	Welcome to the Canteen	Traffic	Live
	Second Album	Curved Air	–
15	Cahoots	The Band	–
	Communication	Bobby Womack	–
	Judee Sill	Judee Sill	–
17	Colosseum Live	Colosseum	Live
20	Fly	Yoko Ono	–
24	Electric Warrior	T.Rex	–
	Grateful Dead	Grateful Dead	Live
29	Goin' Back to Indiana	The Jackson 5	–
30	Harmony	Three Dog Night	–
	Ko-ko Joe	Jerry Reed	–
–	Aereo-Plain	John Hartford	–
	April Wine	April Wine	–
	Bark	Jefferson Airplane	–
	Buddy Miles Live	Buddy Miles	Live
	Charlie Daniels	Charlie Daniels	–
	Closer to the Ground	Joy of Cooking	–
	The Four of Us	John Sebastian	–
	Free Live!	Free	Live
	Greatest Hits, Vol. 2	Johnny Cash	Compilation
	Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves	Cher	–
	Halfnelson	Halfnelson	Debut under original name
	James Gang Live in Concert	James Gang	Live
	Look at Yourself	Uriah Heep	US; released Oct. '71 in UK
	The North Star Grassman and the Ravens	Sandy Denny	–
	Pilgrimage	Wishbone Ash	–
	Rock Love	Steve Miller Band	–
	Santana	Santana	aka Santana III
	Seven Tears	Golden Earring	–
	Street Corner Talking	Savoy Brown	–
	Talk It Over in the Morning	Anne Murray	–
	The Time to Live is Now	Buzzy Linhart	–
	Trafalgar	Bee Gees	–
	Transition	Kenny Rogers and The First Edition	–

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Teaser and the Firecat	Cat Stevens	–
	Would You Take Another Chance on Me?	Jerry Lee Lewis	–
4	200 Motels	Frank Zappa	Soundtrack
	Coat of Many Colors	Dolly Parton	–
	Rudy the Fifth	Ricky Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band	–
	Twins	Ornette Coleman	–
8	Distant Light	The Hollies	UK
	In Search of Space	Hawkwind	–
	Message from the Country	The Move	–
18	Other Voices	The Doors	–
	Restrictions	Cactus	–
20	Elvis sings The Wonderful World of Christmas	Elvis Presley	Christmas
25	Chicago at Carnegie Hall	Chicago	Live
	Rough and Ready	The Jeff Beck Group	–
29	Fearless	Family	–
–	American Pie	Don McLean	–
	Bloodrock U.S.A.	Bloodrock	–
	Brand New Morning	Bob Seger	–
	Camembert Electrique	Gong	-
	Country Anthem	Hoyt Axton	–
	5'll Getcha Ten	Cowboy	-
	Focus II (Moving Waves)	Focus	–
	Fog on the Tyne	Lindisfarne	–
	Frisco Mabel Joy	Mickey Newbury	–
	Gather Me	Melanie	–
	Greatest Hits, Volume Two	B.J. Thomas	Compilation
	Growers of Mushroom	Leaf Hound	–
	Illusion	Renaissance	–
	Jesse Frederick	Jesse Frederick	–
	John Prine	John Prine	–
	The King of Rock and Roll	Little Richard	–
	Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air	Incredible String Band	–
	Live at PJ's	Kool & the Gang	–
	The Marblehead Messenger	Seatrain	–
	Memories	John Mayall	–
	The Morning After	The J. Geils Band	–
	No Roses	Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band	–
	Rainbow Bridge	Jimi Hendrix	Soundtrack
	Reflection	Pentangle	–
	R.E.O. Speedwagon	REO Speedwagon	–
	Roots	Curtis Mayfield	–
	Rotten to the Core	Crabby Appleton	–
	Stoney & Meatloaf	Stoney & Meat Loaf	–
	To You with Love, Donny	Donny Osmond	–
	Tupelo Honey	Van Morrison	–
	UFO 2: Flying	UFO	–
	War War War	Country Joe McDonald	–

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Cold Spring Harbor	Billy Joel	–
	There's a Riot Goin' On	Sly & the Family Stone	–
	Footprint	Gary Wright	–
	Hooteroll?	Howard Wales and Jerry Garcia	–
	Rock Messiah	David Axelrod	–
3	The Inner Mounting Flame	Mahavishnu Orchestra	–
5	Meddle	Pink Floyd	UK[7]
	Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories	Barclay James Harvest	–
	Madman Across the Water	Elton John	–
6	The Stylistics	The Stylistics	–
8	I Wrote a Simple Song	Billy Preston	–
	Led Zeppelin IV	Led Zeppelin	–
9	Killer	Alice Cooper	–
11	Nilsson Schmilsson	Harry Nilsson	–
12	Fragile	Yes	UK
	Nursery Cryme	Genesis	–
	Pawn Hearts	Van der Graaf Generator	–
15	Asylum Choir II	Leon Russell and Marc Benno	–
	E Pluribus Funk	Grand Funk Railroad	–
17	Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II	Bob Dylan	Compilation + new and unreleased material
	Farther Along	The Byrds	–
	Gonna Take a Miracle	Laura Nyro	–
	Live-Evil	Miles Davis	–
	A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse	Faces	–
24	Muswell Hillbillies	The Kinks	–
26	Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be	Sweet	Debut
–	Aerie	John Denver	–
	All Day Music	War	–
	Anne Murray / Glen Campbell	Anne Murray and Glen Campbell	–
	Anticipation	Carly Simon	–
	"Babbacombe" Lee	Fairport Convention	–
	Beautiful Lies You Could Live In	Pearls Before Swine	–
	Black Moses	Isaac Hayes	–
	Bless the Weather	John Martyn	–
	Bonnie Raitt	Bonnie Raitt	–
	Brain Capers	Mott the Hoople	–
	Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime	It's a Beautiful Day	–
	Coming From Reality	Sixto Rodriguez	–
	Deuce	Rory Gallagher	–
	Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In?	Man	-
	Dog of Two Head	Status Quo	–
	Flowers of Evil	Mountain	–
	For Ladies Only	Steppenwolf	–
	Good and Dusty	The Youngbloods	–
	If Not for You	Olivia Newton-John	–
	Jonathan Edwards	Jonathan Edwards	–
	Journey to the Centre of the Eye	Nektar	-
	Kazemachi Roman	Happy End	–
	Lay it All Out	Barry Mann	–
	Liv	Livingston Taylor	–
	Living	Judy Collins	–
	The Lonesome Picker Rides Again	John Stewart	–
	Lost in the Ozone	Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen	–
	The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys	Traffic	–
	Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy	The Who	Compilation
	Nazareth	Nazareth	–
	The Need of Love	Earth, Wind & Fire	–
	Nice Feelin'	Rita Coolidge	–
	'Nuff Said	Ike & Tina Turner	–
	One Year	Colin Blunstone	Debut
	A Partridge Family Christmas Card	The Partridge Family	-
	People Like Us	The Mamas & the Papas	–
	Performance Rockin' the Fillmore	Humble Pie	Live
	Pictures at an Exhibition	Emerson, Lake & Palmer	–
	Quicksilver	Quicksilver Messenger Service	–
	Quiet Fire	Roberta Flack	–
	Sanctuary	Dion	–
	Shake Off the Demon	Brewer & Shipley	–
	Sittin' In	Loggins and Messina	Debut
	Sunfighter	Paul Kantner and Grace Slick	–
	There's Gotta Be a Change	Albert Collins	–
	Whatevershebringswesing	Kevin Ayers	–
	Year of Sunday	Seals and Crofts

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
3	Islands	King Crimson	–
	The Electric Light Orchestra	Electric Light Orchestra	Debut
	Wild Life	Wings	–
9	Greatest Hits	The Jackson 5	Compilation
13	Straight Up	Badfinger	US
17	Hunky Dory	David Bowie	–
20	The Concert for Bangladesh	George Harrison and Friends	Live
	Hot Rocks 1964–1971	the Rolling Stones	Compilation
–	The Best of Top of the Pops '71	Top of the Poppers	Compilation
	Astral Taxi	Tin Tin	-
	Black Unity	Pharoah Sanders	-
	Boz Scaggs & Band	Boz Scaggs	–
	Don't Knock My Love	Wilson Pickett	–
	Dynamite!	The Supremes and the Four Tops	–
	Guilty!	Eric Burdon & Jimmy Witherspoon	–
	Message from a Drum	Redbone	–
	Music	Carole King	–
	Papa John Creach	Papa John Creach	–
	Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again	Steeleye Span	–

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1971.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart entries
1	George Harrison	My Sweet Lord	1970	UK	UK 1 – Jan 1971, US BB 1 – Dec 1970, Canada 1 – Nov 1970, Netherlands 1 – Dec 1970, France 1 – Mar 1971, Switzerland 1 – Jan 1971, Norway 1 – Feb 1971, Germany 1 – Jan 1971, Éire 1 – Jan 1971, Australia 1 for 8 weeks Jul 1971, Australia Goset 1 – Jan 1971, Australia 2 of 1971, RYM 3 of 1970, Italy 4 of 1971, Virgin 5, Poland 7 – Feb 2002, DDD 11 of 1970, Global 33 (5 M sold) – 1970, Germany 40 of the 1970s, US CashBox 70 of 1971, Europe 93 of the 1970s, OzNet 170, WXPN 339, Rolling Stone 454, TheQ 484, Acclaimed 604
2	John Lennon	Imagine	1971	UK	UK 1 – Dec 1980, Éire 1 – Dec 1975, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Jul 1972, Australia Goset 1 – Dec 1971, Virgin 1, OzNet 1, Switzerland 2 – Nov 1971, DDD 2 of 1971, WXPN 2, US BB 3 – Oct 1971, Canada 3 – Sep 1971, Norway 3 – Feb 1972, Italy 3 of 1972, Rolling Stone 3, RYM 4 of 1971, Netherlands 5 – Nov 1971, France 5 – Nov 1971, South Africa 5 of 1972, POP 5 of 1971, Austria 6 – Mar 1981, Europe 8 of the 1970s, TheQ 9, US BB 10 of 1971, Belgium 11 of all time, Germany 12 – Jan 1981, TOTP 16, Poland 17 of all time, Sweden (alt) 19 – Dec 1975, Australia 19 of 1972, Acclaimed 21, RIAA 30, Scrobulate 33 of classic rock, 86 in 2FM list
3	Rod Stewart	Maggie May	1971	UK	UK 1 – Sep 1971, US BB 1 – Aug 1971, Canada 1 – Aug 1971, Australia 1 for 4 weeks May 1972, Australia Goset 1 – Oct 1971, Peel list 1 of 1970, Netherlands 3 – Oct 1971, RYM 3 of 1971, Switzerland 5 – Dec 1971, DDD 5 of 1971, US BB 6 of 1971, France 10 – Nov 1971, POP 10 of 1971, Australia 13 of 1971, Germany 17 – Jan 1972, US CashBox 23 of 1971, TheQ 37, Virgin 53, Acclaimed 80, Rolling Stone 130, OzNet 149, RIAA 194, WXPN 218
4	Lynn Anderson	Rose Garden	1970	US	Canada 1 – Dec 1970, Switzerland 1 – Mar 1971, Norway 1 – Mar 1971, Germany 1 – Mar 1971, Éire 1 – Mar 1971, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Oct 1971, Netherlands 2 – Jan 1971, France 2 – Apr 1971, Australia Goset 2 – Feb 1971, UK 3 – Feb 1971, US BB 3 – Dec 1970, US CashBox 6 of 1971, Germany 50 of the 1970s, DDD 57 of 1970, RYM 75 of 1970, Acclaimed 1217
5	The Rolling Stones	Brown Sugar	1971	UK	US BB 1 – May 1971, Canada 1 – May 1971, Netherlands 1 – May 1971, Switzerland 1 – May 1971, UK 2 – Apr 1971, US BB 3 of 1971, POP 3 of 1971, Norway 4 – May 1971, Germany 5 – May 1971, Australia Goset 5 – Jun 1971, DDD 8 of 1971, France 9 – Apr 1971, RYM 11 of 1971, Virgin 21, US CashBox 38 of 1971, TheQ 82, Scrobulate 89 of classic rock, Acclaimed 137, Germany 249 of the 1970s, WXPN 274, OzNet 412, Rolling Stone 490

Song title	Artist(s)	Release date(s)	US	UK	Highest chart position	Other Chart Performance(s)
"Ain't No Sunshine"	Bill Withers	July 1971	3	n/a	3 (United States)	See chart performance entry
"All Day Music"	War	July 1971	35	n/a	35 (United States)	18 (U.S. Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles)
"All I Ever Need Is You"	Sonny & Cher	October 1971	7	8	5 (Canada)	See chart performance entry
"American Pie"	Don McLean	October 1971	1	2	1 (Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand)	See chart performance entry
"Another Day"	Paul McCartney	February 1971	5	2	1 (Australia, Ireland, Spain)	See chart performance entry

Song title	Artist(s)	Release date(s)	Other Chart Performance(s)
"Eagle Rock"	Daddy Cool	May 1971	1 (Australia) – 17 (New Zealand)
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" b/w "Home Is Where the Hatred Is"	Gil Scott-Heron with Pretty Purdie and the Playboys	April 1971	n/a
"Under My Wheels"	Alice Cooper	September 1971	59 (US Billboard Hot 100) – 66 (UK Singles Chart)

• "Come Back Again" – Daddy Cool
• "Spoon" b/w "Shikaku Maru Ten" – Can

• "The Age of Not Believing" – w.m. Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, from the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks
• "Always on My Mind" – w.m. Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson Thompson
• "American Pie" – w.m. Don McLean
• "And I Love You So" – w.m. Don McLean
• "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda – w.m. Eric Bogle (written)
• "Baby I'm-a Want You" – w.m. David Gates
• "Been on a Train" – w.m. Laura Nyro
• "Ben" – w. Don Black m. Walter Scharf
• "The Candy Man" – w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley, from the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
• "Day By Day" – w. John Michael Tebelak m. Stephen Schwartz
• "Eagle Rock" – w.m. Ross Wilson
• "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" w.m. Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb
• "I Am Woman" – w. Helen Reddy m. Ray Burton
• "I Don't Know How to Love Him" w. Tim Rice m. Andrew Lloyd Webber. Introduced by Yvonne Elliman in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar
• "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" – w.m. B. Backer, B. Davis, R. Cook & R. Greenaway
• "I'm Still Here" – w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "Imagine w.m. John Lennon
• "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" – w.m. Ben Peters
• "Knock Three Times" – w.m. Irwin Levine
• "The Last Farewell" – w.m. Roger Whittaker & Ron A. Webster
• "Losing My Mind" – w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "Maggie May" w.m. Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton
• "Pure Imagination" – w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley, from the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
• "Riders on the Storm" – w.m. The Doors
• "Stairway to Heaven" – w. Robert Plant m. Jimmy Page
• "Substitutiary Locomotion" – w.m. Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, from the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks
• "The Summer Knows" – w. Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman m. Michel Legrand from the film Summer of '42
• "Those Were the Days" w. Lee Adams, m. Charles Strouse, from the TV series All in the Family
• "Too Many Mornings" – w.m. Stephen Sondheim
• "Avec le Temps" – Dalida
• "Mamy Blue" – Dalida
• "Queen of the Hours" w.m. Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood

Composer	Composition	Date	Location	Performers
Ligeti, György	Concert românesc	August 21, 1971	Fish Creek, US	Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra – Johnson[8]
Stockhausen, Karlheinz	Sternklang	June 5, 1971	Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany	Collegium Vocale Köln, Gentle Fire, Smalley, Souster, Vetter – Stockhausen[9]
Stockhausen, Karlheinz	Trans	October 16, 1971	Donaueschingen, Germany	SWF Sinfonie-Orchester – Bour[10]

• Malcolm Arnold – Viola Concerto with small orchestra
• Gavin Bryars – Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet
• Elliott Carter – String Quartet No. 3
• George Crumb
  • Lux Aeterna for soprano, bass flute/soprano recorder, sitar, and percussion (two players)
  • Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) for electric flute, electric cello, and amplified piano
• Mario Davidovsky – Chacona for violin, cello, and piano
• Morton Feldman – Rothko Chapel
• Lorenzo Ferrero – Primavera che non vi rincresca
• Jørgen Jersild – Three Danish Romances
• Mauricio Kagel – Staatstheater
• Ladislav Kupkovič – Klanginvasion auf Bonn
• Helmut Lachenmann – Gran Torso for string quartets
• Jean Langlais – Concerto for Organ no 3 "Reaction"
• Luigi Nono – Ein Gespenst geht um in der Welt
• Arvo Pärt – Symphony No. 3
• Steve Reich – Drumming
• Aulis Sallinen – Symphony No.1
• Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 15 in A major, Op. 141
• Karlheinz Stockhausen
  • Sternklang
  • Trans
• Iannis Xenakis
  • Antikhthon, ballet for orchestra
  • Aroura, for string ensemble of 12 players
  • Charisma, for clarinet and cello
  • Mikka, for violin
  • Persépolis, 8-track tape music

• Alberto Ginastera – Beatrix Cenci, Opera Society of Washington in Washington, D.C., September 10
• Hans Werner Henze – Der langwierige Weg in die Wohnung der Natascha Ungeheuer, Deutsche Oper Berlin, September
• Lee Hoiby – Summer and Smoke
• Heitor Villa-Lobos – Yerma, Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 12

• Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death – Off-Broadway production
• Follies (Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway production ran for 522 performances
• Godspell (Stephen Schwartz) – Broadway, London, and Off-Broadway productions; 572 performances on Broadway, 2,600 total NYC performances
• Jalta, Jalta (Alfi Kabiljo and Milan Grgić) – premièred in Zagreb
• Jesus Christ Superstar (Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice) – Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre and ran for 711 performances
• Lolita, My Love (John Barry and Alan Jay Lerner) – closed in pre-Broadway tryout
• Prettybelle – starring Angela Lansbury, closed in pre-Broadway tryout
• No, No, Nanette (Irving Caesar, Otto Harbach, Vincent Youmans) – Broadway revival
• On the Town – Broadway revival
• Show Boat (Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II) – London revival
• To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter – Broadway production of Jewish revue; opened at the Helen Hayes Theatre on October 21 and transferred to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on January 10, 1972, for a total run of 173 performances.
• Two Gentlemen of Verona – Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre and ran for 614 performances

• 200 Motels (American-British surrealist musical film)
• Aquellos años locos (Argentine musical film)
• Arriba Juventud (Argentine musical film)
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks Directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson
• Bumbarash (Soviet musical film)
• Chervona Ruta (Soviet Ukrainian musical film)
• Fiddler on the Roof
• Haathi Mere Saathi (Hindi musical film)
• Journey Back to Oz (animated feature)
• Out of the Darkness (Thai science fiction musical film)
• Raga, documentary about the life and work of Ravi Shankar
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

• January 1 – Chris Potter, American saxophonist and composer
• January 2 – Taye Diggs, American actor and singer
• January 6 – Irwin Thomas, American-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• January 7 – Jeremy Renner, American actor and singer
• January 8 – Karen Poole English singer-songwriter (Alisha's Attic, Kylie Minogue, Sugababes)
• January 9
  • Angie Martinez, American rapper and radio talk host
  • MF Doom, British-American rapper and record producer (died 2020)
• January 11
  • Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actress
  • Tom Rowlands (The Chemical Brothers)
  • Stuart Davis, lyricist
• January 13 – Lee Agnew (Nazareth)
• January 17 –
  • Kid Rock, American singer
  • Lil Jon, American rapper, producer and actor
• January 18 – Jonathan Davis (KoЯn)
• January 19 – John Wozniak, American singer and songwriter (Marcy Playground)
• January 20
  • Gary Barlow, British singer-songwriter (Take That)
  • Questlove, American musician, composer, producer, photographer and author
• January 21 – Tweet, American singer
• January 22 – Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, indigenous Australian ethnic singer and musician (died 2017)
• January 25 – China Kantner (Daughter of Grace Slick and Paul Kantner)
• January 28 – Anthony Hamilton, American singer
• February 1 – Ron Welty (The Offspring)
• February 2
  • Michelle Gayle, British singer
  • Ben Mize (Counting Crows)
• February 3 – Christian Liljegren, Swedish singer-songwriter (Narnia, Audiovision and Divinefire)
• February 5 – Sara Evans, American singer
• February 13 – Sonia, English pop singer
• February 15 – Daniel Powter, Canadian musician, singer and songwriter
• February 16
  • Amanda Holden, British actress and singer
  • Steven Houghton, British actor and singer
• February 17 - Jackie McKeown, English guitarist and lead singer (The Yummy Fur)
• February 18 – Merritt Gant, American guitarist (Overkill)
• February 19 – Gil Shaham, violinist
• February 22 – Lea Salonga, Filipina singer and Broadway Actress
• February 26
  • Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, activist and actress
  • Max Martin, Pop music writer and producer (NSYNC, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry)
• February 27 – Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, American singer (TLC)
• March 1
  • Alex Konrad, German DJ and producer (Baracuda)
  • Thomas Adès, English classical composer, pianist and conductor
• March 2 – Method Man, American rapper
• March 4 – Fergal Lawler Irish drummer (The Cranberries)
• March 6 – Betty Boo, English singer-songwriter and artist
• March 9 – C-Murder, American rapper
• March 11 – Erin O'Donnell, American Christian musician
• March 18 - Jeong Jun-ha, South Korean comedian and entertainer
• March 21 – John Hendy, British singer (East 17)
• March 26
  • Francis Lawrence, American music video director, photographer, director and producer
  • Jay Sean, English singer, songwriter and record producer
• March 29 – Attila Csihar, Hungarian vocalist (Mayhem)
• March 31 – Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor and singer
• April 2 – Zeebra, Japanese rapper
• April 3 – Wes Berggren, American musician
• April 4 – Josh Todd, American rock singer (Buckcherry)
• April 10 – Yoo Young-jin, South Korean singer-songwriter and producer
• April 11 – Oliver Riedel, German musician (Rammstein)
• April 16 – Selena (Quintanilla), American Tejano singer (killed 1995)
• April 20 – Mikey Welsh, American alternative rock bassist and painter (Weezer) (died 2011)
• April 24
  • Mauro Pawlowski, Belgian guitar player and singer (Evil Superstars, Deus)
  • Alejandro Fernández, Mexican singer
• April 29
  • Siniša Vuco, Croatian musician
  • Tamara Johnson-George, American singer (SWV)
• May 3 – Damon Dash, record label executive
• May 6 – Chris Shiflett, American rock musician (Foo Fighters)
• May 9 – Paul McGuigan British bassist (Oasis)
• May 16 – Rachel Goswell, English singer-songwriter and musician (Slowdive)
• May 17 – Vernie Bennett, British singer (Eternal)
• May 22
  • MC Eith, American rapper
  • Raimund Marasigan, drummer (Eraserheads)
• May 27 – Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, American rapper and songwriter TLC (died 2002)
• May 30
  • Patrick Dahlheimer, Live
  • Idina Menzel, American actress and singer
• May 31 – Adam Walton, British DJ
• June 1 – Mario Cimarro, Cuban actor and singer
• June 5 – Mark Wahlberg, American rapper and actor
• June 9 – Erika Miklósa, Hungarian coloratura soprano
• June 14 – Pritam, Indian singer, composer, instrumentalist
• June 15 – Bif Naked, singer
• June 16 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper, poet and actor (died 1996)
• June 17 – Paulina Rubio, Mexican singer
• June 18 – Nathan Morris American singer (Boyz II Men)
• June 20 – Jeordie White, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle, Goon Moon and The Desert Sessions)
• June 21 – Anette Olzon, Swedish singer-songwriter (Nightwish, Alyson Avenue)
• June 27 – DJ Screw, rapper (died 2000)
• June 29 – Matthew Good, Canadian musician
• July 1
  • Jarobi White, American hip hop artist (A Tribe Called Quest)
  • Missy Elliott, American singer
• July 4 – Andy Creeggan, Canadian guitarist and pianist (Barenaked Ladies and The Brothers Creeggan)
• July 11 – Leisha Hailey, American musician and actress
• July 12 – MC Breed, American rapper (died 2008)
• July 13
  • Jason Reece, American guitarist and drummer (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and A Roman Scandal)
• July 16 – Ed Kowalczyk, Live
• July 17 – DJ Minutemix, P.M. Dawn
• July 20 – DJ Screw, American hip hop deejay (died 2000)
• July 21 – Charlotte Gainsbourg, French actress and singer-songwriter
• July 23
  • Alison Krauss, American bluegrass-folk singer and musician
  • Scott Krippayne, American Christian musician
  • Dalvin DeGrate, American rapper (Jodeci)
• July 30 – Calogero, singer
• July 31 – John Lowery, American guitarist
• August 3 – DJ Spinderella, American rapper (Salt-N-Pepa)
• August 4 – Yo-Yo, rapper
• August 7 – Rachel York, American actress and singer
• August 12 – Phil Western, Canadian musician
• August 17
  • Anthony Kearns, Irish tenor
  • Ed Motta, Brazilian soul and jazz musician
• August 18 – Aphex Twin, Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ
• August 20 – Fred Durst, American singer (Limp Bizkit)
• August 21 – Liam Howlett, British musician (The Prodigy)
• August 23 – Bone Crusher, American rapper
• August 25 – Joby Talbot, English-born composer
• August 26 – Thalía, Mexican actress and singer
• August 27 – Julian Cheung, Hong Kong actor and singer
• August 28 – Neil Ekberg, drummer (Black Market Baby, Tesco Vee's Hate Police)
• August 30 – Lars Frederiksen (Rancid)
• September 1 – DJ Cocoa Chanelle, djer
• September 6 – Dolores O'Riordan, Irish rock vocalist (The Cranberries) (died 2018)
• September 8 – Vico C, American rapper and record producer
• September 11 – Richard Ashcroft, British singer and songwriter
• September 18 – Anna Netrebko, operatic soprano
• September 19 – D-Flame, hip-hop and reggae performer
• September 21 – Alfonso Ribeiro, American actor, singer and dancer
• September 22 – Chesney Hawkes, English pop singer
• September 24 – Marty Cintron American singer (No Mercy)
• September 28 – A. J. Croce, singer-songwriter and son of Jim Croce
• October 2
  • Tiffany, American singer, songwriter, actress and teen icon
  • Jim Root, guitarist for Slipknot
  • LeShaun, American rapper
• October 3
  • Kevin Richardson American singer (Backstreet Boys)
  • Black Thought, American rapper, MC and record producer (The Roots)
• October 4 – Brian Transeau, American disc jockey
• October 10 – Evgeny Kissin, Russian pianist
• October 11 – MC Lyte, American rapper
• October 17
  • Chris Kirkpatrick, American singer NSYNC
  • Derrick Plourde (The Ataris) (died 2005)
• October 20
  • Dannii Minogue, Australian singer
  • Snoop Dogg, American rapper
• October 25
  • Athena Chu, Hong Kong actress and singer
  • Midori Gotō, Japanese violinist
• October 26 – Anthony Rapp, American singer and actor
• October 30 – John Alford, British singer and actor
• November 5
  • Jonny Greenwood, British musician, songwriter and composer
  • Edmond Leung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and producer
• November 6 – Joey Beltram, DJ and record producer
• November 8 – Tech N9ne, American rapper
• November 10 – Big Pun, American rapper and songwriter
• November 12 – Tom Shear, American musician and producer
• November 13 – Buddy Zabala, bassist (Eraserheads)
• November 16
  • Annely Peebo, operatic mezzo-soprano
  • Justine Clarke, Australian actress, singer, author and television host.
• November 18 – Özlem Tekin, Turkish singer
• December 9 – Geoff Barrow, English music producer, composer and DJ (Portishead)
• December 16 – Michael McCary, American singer (Boyz II Men)
• December 20 – Roger J. Beaujard, American musician
• December 24 – Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer
• December 25
  • Dido, English singer
  • Noel Hogan Irish guitarist (The Cranberries)
• December 26 – Jared Leto, American musician and actor (Thirty Seconds To Mars)
• December 31 – Marcus Adoro, lead guitarist (Eraserheads)
• Date unknown – Simon O'Neill, New Zealand opera singer

• January 19 – Harry Shields, American musician (born 1899)
• January 24 – Therese Wiet, Austrian operetta singer (born 1885)
• February 1 – Harry Roy, British bandleader (born 1900)
• February 7 – Dock Boggs, banjo player (born 1898)
• March 6 – Thurston Dart, English harpsichordist and conductor (born 1921)
• March 17 – Piero Coppola, Italian conductor, pianist and composer, 82
• March 21 – Nan Wynn, US singer (born 1915)
• March 26 – Harold McNair, saxophonist and flute player (born 1931) (lung cancer)
• March 30 – Harold Craxton, pianist and composer, 85
• March 31 – Karl King, composer and bandleader (born 1891)
• April 6 – Igor Stravinsky, composer (born 1882)
• April 17 – Carmen Lombardo, US singer, composer and saxophonist, 67
• May 2 – Edith Day, US actress, singer and dancer (born 1896)
• May 30 – Marcel Dupré, organist and composer (born 1886)
• June 11 – Ambrose, English bandleader and violinist (born 1896)
• June 18 – Libby Holman, US singer and actress (born 1906)
• June 26 – Inia Te Wiata, New Zealand Māori bass-baritone opera singer, 56 (cancer)
• July 3 – Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, 27 (heart failure, disputed)
• July 6 – Louis Armstrong, US jazz pioneer, 69 (heart attack)
• July 24 – Alan Rawsthorne, British composer, 66
• July 25 – Leroy Robertson, American composer, 74
• August 9 – Leslie Kong, Jamaican record producer (born 1933)
• August 13 – King Curtis, jazz and blues musician (born 1934) (murdered)
• August 15 – Edythe Baker, boogie-woogie pianist, 71
• August 17 – Tab Smith, saxophonist, 62
• August 25 – Ted Lewis, singer and bandleader, 81
• August 27 – Lil Hardin Armstrong, wife and musical collaborator of Louis Armstrong, 73
• September 13 – George Lambert, operatic baritone and voice teacher, 70
• October 2 – Bola de Nieve, Cuban singer, pianist, and songwriter, 60
• October 3 – Seán Ó Riada, composer and bandleader, 40 (cirrhosis of liver)
• October 12 – Gene Vincent, singer, 36 (stomach ulcer)
• October 13 – Benito Canónico, Venezuelan composer, 77
• October 24 – Carl Ruggles, composer, 95
• October 29 – Duane Allman of The Allman Brothers Band, 24 (motorcycle accident)
• November 4 – Ann Pennington, American actress & dancer, 77
• November 18 – Junior Parker, blues musician, 39 (brain tumour)
• November 22 – Zez Confrey, popular composer and pianist, 76
• December 8 – Marie Collier, operatic soprano, 44 (death from a fall)
• December 21 – Charlie Fuqua, vocalist (The Ink Spots)
• December 28 – Max Steiner, composer, 83
• date unknown – Marie-Anne Asselin, operatic mezzo-soprano and voice teacher

• Grammy Awards of 1971

• Entertainer of the Year: Charley Pride
• Top Male Vocalist: Charley Pride
• Top Female Vocalist: Lynn Anderson
• Top Vocal Group: Osborne Brothers
• Top Instrumental Group: Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass
• Top Vocal Duo: Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
• Single of the Year: "Help Me Make It Through The Night" – Sammi Smith
• Song of the Year: "Easy Loving" – Freddie Hart
• Album of the Year: I Won't Mention It Again – Ray Price
• Musician of the Year: Jerry Reed

• Eurovision Song Contest 1971
  • Séverine (of Monaco) for "Un banc, un arbre, une rue"

• Povey, Glenn (2007), Echoes, Mind Head Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9554624-0-5, archived from the original on April 13, 2021, retrieved September 24, 2016

• Media related to Music in 1971 at Wikimedia Commons