See also: 1977 in music, other events of 1978, 1979 in music, 1970s in music and the list of 'years in music'

Events

• January 14 - The Sex Pistols played their final show (until a 1996 reunion) at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom.
• April 22 - The Blues Brothers make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live. The duo of Jake & Elwood Blues (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) was introduced by Paul Shaffer (as Don Kirschner) and performed "Hey Bartender".
• April 26 - Ringo Starr's, Ringo, a musical version of The Prince and the Pauper airs on American television. Starr's fellow former Beatle George Harrison provides the narration.
• May 6 - The Knack forms
• June - The Dead Kennedys form.
• July 19 - The Dead Kennedys play their first concert at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, California.
• August 26 - The first Canada Jam Festival is held in Ontario, featuring sets by the Doobie Brothers, the Commodores, Kansas, Dave Mason and the Atlanta Rhythm Section.
• November 27 - Def Leppard's permanent drummer Rick Allen joins the band at the age of 15.

• Sony introduces the first portable stereo, which is called the Walkman.
• Gary Busey stars in The Buddy Holly Story, which won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Busey) and Best Sound.
• The Beatles spoof, "The Rutles - All You Need Is Cash" airs on television.
• The Eagles' 5-star record, "Hotel California" was nominated for a Grammy award
• Kenny Rogers continues his highly successful solo career with the single (and album) "The Gambler" and will go on to star in no less than 5 movies based around the song.
• Steve Martin performs the original "King Tut" on Saturday Night Live. The song is later released as a single and becomes a hit for the comedian.
• In the UK, singles sales are at their all-time high this year, boosted by the simultaneous peak of the disco and punk phenomena and the success of singles from the movie Grease.
• The Feelies' musical career starts
• Van Halen's musical career begins
• Duran Duran form
• The Pretenders form
• Social Distortion form
• Ry Cooder records Bop Till You Drop, one of the first popular music albums to be recorded in Compact disc format.
• The Sex Pistols disband
• Be-Bop Deluxe disband
• Television disband
• Rare Earth disband
• Bay City Rollers disband
• Van Der Graaf Generator disband

Albums released

• Girl Most Likely - Claudja Barry
• Third/Sister Lovers - Big Star
• Never Say Die! - Black Sabbath
• Parallel Lines - Blondie
• Return Of The Wanderer - Dion DiMucci
• Street-Legal - Bob Dylan
• Don't Look Back - Boston
• Stage (live album) - David Bowie
• Heaven Tonight - Cheap Trick
• Génération 78 / Voilà pourquoi je chante / Ça me fait rêver - Dalida
• Social Living - Burning Spear
• The Kick Inside - Kate Bush
• Greatest Hits - Captain & Tennille
• The Cars - The Cars
• Give 'Em Enough Rope - The Clash
• From the Inside - Alice Cooper
• This Year's Model - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
• Birth Of The Cool - Miles Davis
• New Boots And Panties - Ian Dury and the Blockheads
• Music For Films - Brian Eno
• Dream Dancing - Ella Fitzgerald
• Flamin' Groovies Now! - The Flamin' Groovies
• Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel
• Love Tracks - Gloria Gaynor
• Along the Red Ledge - Hall & Oates
• Destiny - The Jacksons
• All Mod Cons - The Jam
• Equinoxe - Jean-Michel Jarre
• Heavy Horses - Jethro Tull
• Bursting Out - Jethro Tull
• Stained Class - Judas Priest
• Misfits - The Kinks
• Waiting For Columbus - Little Feat
• Animal Games - London
• Jesus of Cool - Nick Lowe
• Kaya - Bob Marley and the Wailers
• One World - John Martyn
• London Town - Paul McCartney & Wings
• Once Upon A Time In The West - Ennio Morricone
• Wavelength - Van Morrison
• Aishiteiruto Ittekure - Miyuki Nakajima
• The Only Ones - The Only Ones
• Grease - Original Soundtrack
• Saturday Night Fever - Original Soundtrack
• 2Hot - Peaches & Herb
• The Modern Dance - Pere Ubu
• Raydio - Raydio
• If You Knew Suzi - Suzi Quatro
• Jazz - Queen
• Radios Appear - Radio Birdman
• City To City - Gerry Rafferty
• We'll Sing In The Sunshine - Helen Reddy
• Live In London - Helen Reddy
• Street Hassle - Lou Reed
• Some Girls - The Rolling Stones
• Hemispheres - Rush
• Eternally Yours - The Saints
• Stranger In Town - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
• Boys in the Trees - Carly Simon
• The Scream - Siouxsie and the Banshees
• Darkness On The Edge Of Town - Bruce Springsteen
• U.K. Squeeze - Squeeze
• Songbird - Barbra Streisand
• Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits - Volume 2 - Barbra Streisand
• Live & More - Donna Summer
• More Songs about Buildings and Food - Talking Heads
• Adventure - Television
• Live And Dangerous - Thin Lizzy
• So Alone - Johnny Thunders
• Toto - Toto (debut)
• Van Halen - Van Halen
• Thank God It's Friday (soundtrack) - Various Artists
• But Seriously Folks - Joe Walsh
• Who Are You - The Who
• Chairs Missing - Wire
• Germ Free Adolescent - X-Ray Spex
• The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
• The Man Machine - Kraftwerk
• Comes A Time - Neil Young

Chronological Table of US and UK Number One Hit Singles

Other significant singles

• "Eagle" - ABBA
• "Take A Chance On Me" - ABBA
• "Isn't It Time" - The Babys
• "Too Much Heaven" - Bee Gees
• "Never Say Die" - Black Sabbath
• "Denis" - Blondie
• "Hanging On The Telephone" - Blondie
• "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - Blue Öyster Cult
• "Rasputin" - Boney M
• "Stay" - Jackson Browne
• "Ever Fallen In Love" - The Buzzcocks
• "Goodnight Tonight" - Paul McCartney & Wings
• "I Don't Mind" - The Buzzcocks
• "Love You More" - The Buzzcocks
• "Promises" - The Buzzcocks
• "What Do I Get?" - The Buzzcocks
• "Walking In The Rain" - Cheetah
• "My Best Friend's Girl" - The Cars
• "Promises" - Eric Clapton
• "Wonderful Tonight" - Eric Clapton
• "White Man In Hammersmith Palais" - The Clash
• "Many Rivers To Cross" - Jimmy Cliff
• "Khe Sahn - Cold Chisel
• "I Don't Wanna Go To Chelsea" - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
• "Génération 78" - Dalida & Bruno Guillain
• "Quant s'arrêtent les violons" - Dalida
• "Ça me fait rêver" - Dalida & Bruno Guillain
• "Voilà pourquoi je chante" - Dalida
• "Le Lambeth Walk" - Dalida
• "Sultans of Swing" - Dire Straits
• "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" - Ian Dury and the Blockheads
• "Are You Old Enough" - Dragon
• "Still In Love With You" - Dragon
• "Got To Get You Into My Life" - Earth Wind and Fire
• "ELO(EP)" - Electric Light Orchestra
• "Mr.Blue Sky" - Electric Light Orchestra
• "Sweet Talkin'Woman" - Electric Light Orchestra
• "Wild West Hero" - Electric Light Orchestra
• "Thunder Island" - Jay Ferguson
• "Sign Of The Times" - Bryan Ferry
• "Rhiannon" - Fleetwood Mac
• "Follow You Follow Me" - Genesis
• "There's No Way Out of Here" - David Gilmour
• "Nobody's Scared" - Vic Goddard and the Subway Sect
• "Instant Replay" - Dan Hartman
• "Forever Autumn" - Justin Hayward
• "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight" - The Jam
• "Jilted John" - Jilted John
• "Just The Way You Are" - Billy Joel
• "My Life" - Billy Joel
• "Carry On Wayward Son" - Kansas
• "I'm Every Woman" - Chaka Khan
• "Is This Love?" - Bob Marley and the Wailers
• "Dancing In The City" - Marshall Hain
• "Coming Home" - Marshall Hain
• "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" - Meat Loaf
• "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" - Meat Loaf
• "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth" - Meat Loaf
• "Airport" - The Motors
• "A Little More Love" - Olivia Newton-John
• "Native New Yorker" - Odyssey
• "Here You Come Again" - Dolly Parton
• "Best Of Both Worlds" - Robert Palmer
• "Every Kinda People" - Robert Palmer
• "Ca Plane Pour Moi" - Plastic Bertrand
• "Public Image" - Public Image Limited
• "Bicycle Race/Fat Bottomed Girls" - Queen
• "Baker Street" - Gerry Rafferty
• "All the Nice Boys and Girls in the World" - Riff Regan
• "She Believes In Me" - Kenny Rogers
• "The Gambler" - Kenny Rogers
• "If The Kids Are United" - Sham 69
• "Another Night On The Road" - Sherbet
• "Hong Kong Garden" - Siouxsie and the Banshees
• "Because The Night" - Patti Smith Group
• "Oh Carol" - Smokie
• "Take Me I'm Yours" - Squeeze
• "Hotlegs/I Was Only Joking" - Rod Stewart
• "Time Passages" - Al Stewart
• "Renegade" - Styx
• "Fool's Overture" - Supertramp
• "Love Is Like Oxygen" - Sweet
• "Psycho Killer" - Talking Heads
• "More Than A Woman" - Tavares
• "(You Gotta Walk)Don't Look Back" - Peter Tosh
• "Only You Can Rock Me" - UFO
• "Teenage Kicks" - The Undertones
• "YMCA" - The Village People
• "Life's Been Good" - Joe Walsh
• "Suburban Boy" - Dave Warner's From The Suburbs
• "Eve Of The War" - Jeff Wayne
• "Who Are You" - The Who
• "Lovely Day" - Bill Withers
• "Floral Dance" - Terry Wogan
• "Werewolves of London" - Warren Zevon
• "Raining In My Heart" - Leo Sayer

Published popular music

• "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" w. Tim Rice m. Andrew Lloyd Webber from the musical Evita
• "Dallas theme song" m. Jerrold Immel
• "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" w. Tim Rice m. Andrew Lloyd Webber from the musical Evita
• "Grease" w.m. Barry Gibb from the film Grease
• "Honesty" w.m. Billy Joel
• "Hopelessly Devoted To You" w.m. John Farrar introduced by Olivia Newton-John in the film Grease
• "My Life" w.m. Billy Joel
• "Only The Good Die Young" w.m. Billy Joel
• "Sultans Of Swing" w.m. Mark Knopfler
• "Thank You For Being a Friend" w.m. Andrew Gold
• "Three Times A Lady" w.m. Lionel Richie
• "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" w. Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman & Neil Diamond m. Neil Diamond
• "You're The One That I Want" w.m. John Farrar introduced by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in the film Grease

Classical music

• Malcolm Arnold - Symphony No. 8
• Jacob Druckman - Viola concerto
• Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky - Requiem pour une marée noire

Opera

• Robert Ashley - Perfect Lives
• Vivian Fine - The Women in the Garden
• György Ligeti - Le grand macabre
• Krzysztof Penderecki - Paradise Lost (libretto by Christopher Fry)
• Aulis Sallinen - The Red Line (Punainen viiva)

Musical theater

• Ain't Misbehavin' Broadway revue opened at the Longacre Theatre on May 9 and ran for 1604 performances
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opened at the Entermedia Theatre on April 17 and ran for 85 performances. (Moved to Broadway in 1979)
• Eubie Broadway revue opened at the Ambassador Theatre on September 20 and ran for 439 performances
• Evita (Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice) - London production opened at the Prince Edward Theatre on June 21
• Hello Dolly (Jerry Herman) - Broadway revival opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on March 5 and ran for 152 performances
• I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road Off-Broadway production opened at the Anspacher Theater on June 14 and ran for 1165 performances
• Timbuktu Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on March 1 and ran for 243 performances
• On The Twentieth Century Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on February 19 and ran for 460 performances

Musical films

• Grease
• The Wiz

Births

• February 22 - Jenny Frost,Atomic Kitten
• April 22 - Daniel Johns, Silverchair
• May 1 - Matt Lovato, Mest
• June 19 - Mía Maestro, singer
• June 27 - Lolly, English singer
• August 23 - Julian Casablancas, The Strokes
• August 27 - ^*], rapper
• August 28 - Max Collins, Eve 6
• September 30 - Steve Klein, New Found Glory
• October 8 - Ian Buxton, listens to music
• October 14 - Usher
• October 27 - Vanessa-Mae, violinist
• November 9 - Sisqó
• November 10 - Eve (rapper)
• November 30 - Clay Aiken
• December 1 - Brad Delson, Linkin Park
• December 23 - Esthero, singer-songwriter

Deaths

• January 23 - Terry Kath, Chicago guitarist and vocalist
• January 3 - Jack Oakie, actor in many musical films of the 1940s
• January 31 - Greg Herbert, Blood, Sweat & Tears saxophonist
• March 11 - Claude François, singer-songwriter
• March 18 - Peggy Wood, actress and singer
• April 3 - Ray Noble, composer and bandleader
• April 21 - Sandy Denny, Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, cerebral haemorrhage
• May 1 - Aram Khachaturian, composer
• May 26 - Tamara Karsavina, ballerina
• August 14 - Joe Venuti, US jazz violinist
• August 24 - Louis Prima
• September 7 - Keith Moon, drummer for The Who
• September 24 - Ruth Etting, US singer
• October 9 - Jacques Brel, singer-songwriter
• October 12 - Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of Sid Vicious
• October 23 - Maybelle Carter née Addington, US country singer and musician, member of the Carter Family
• November 12 - Howard Swanson, composer
• December 27 - Chris Bell, singer-songwriter, Big Star

External Charts

• Pop Culture Madness 1978 Pop Music Chart

1978 in music

1978 en musique | 1978 - muzyka | 1978 в музыке | Musikåret 1978