1972 in music

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1972 in music

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List of albums released

List of years in music (table)
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This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1972.

Specific locations[]

• 1972 in British music
• 1972 in Norwegian music

Specific genres[]

• 1972 in country music
• 1972 in heavy metal music
• 1972 in jazz

Events[]

• January 17 – 12 miles of U.S. Highway 51 in Memphis, Tennessee from South Parkway East to the Tennessee/Mississippi state line is renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard."
• January 20 – The debut of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical difficulties. Dark Side of the Moon would be played in its entirety the following night, but it would be a full year before the album was released.
• January 21 – Keith Richards jumps on stage to jam with Chuck Berry at the Hollywood Palladium, but is ordered off for playing too loud. Berry later claims that he did not recognize Keith and would not have booted him if he did.
• January 29–31 – The first Sunbury Music Festival is held in Sunbury, Victoria. Performers include Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, Wendy Saddington, Chain and The La De Das.
• January 31 – Over 40,000 mourners file past Mahalia Jackson's open casket to pay their respects in Chicago's Great Salem Baptist Church.
• February 9 – Paul McCartney's new band, Wings, make their live debut at the University of Nottingham in England. It's McCartney's first public concert since The Beatles' 1966 US tour.
• February 10 – David Bowie opens the Ziggy Stardust tour at The Toby Jug pub, Tolworth, Surrey.
• February 13 – Led Zeppelin's concert in Singapore is canceled when government officials will not let them off the airplane because of their long hair.
• February 14–18 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-host an entire week of The Mike Douglas Show.
• February 15 – The United States gives federal copyright protection to sound recordings. Prior to this, phonograph records were only protected at state level, and not in all states.
• February 19
  • Paul McCartney's single "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" (inspired by the "Bloody Sunday" massacre in Ireland on January 30, 1972) is banned by the BBC. The controversy caused by the banning only increases the song's popularity and it ends up in the Top 20 in England.
  • Sammy Davis, Jr. makes a guest appearance on the television show All in the Family.
• February 23 – Elvis and Priscilla Presley separate.
• February 29 – John Lennon's U.S. immigration visa expires, beginning his three-and-a-half-year fight to remain in the country.
• March 15
  • At the 14th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Andy Williams, winners include Carole King, Kris Kristofferson, Colin Davis, Michel LeGrand, Isaac Hayes, Julian Bream, Vladimir Horowitz, the Juilliard String Quartet and Bill Withers.^[1] King wins Album of the Year (for Tapestry), Record of the Year (for "It's Too Late") and Song of the Year (for ”You've Got a Friend"), while Carly Simon wins Best New Artist.
  • L.A. disc jockey Robert W. Morgan plays Donny Osmond's "Puppy Love" non-stop for 90 minutes. Police are called, but no arrests are made.
• March 21 – Terry Knight announces he is launching a $5 million lawsuit against Grand Funk's new manager John Eastman, one week after being fired as Grand Funk's manager. It triggers a series of suits and counter-suits between Knight and the band throughout the coming months.
• March 25 – The 17th Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland, is won by German-based Greek singer Vicky Leandros, representing Luxembourg with the song Après Toi. The song is subsequently released around Europe, having been recorded in several languages, including in English as Come What May.
• March 31 – Official Beatles fan club closes down.
• April 2 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold a press conference in New York. The Lennons discuss their appeal against the US Immigration Department's decision to deport John.
• April 9 – First solo concert of Valery Leontiev.
• April 16 – Electric Light Orchestra make their live debut at the Fox and Greyhound pub in Park Lane, Croydon, England.
• April 29 – New York City mayor John Lindsay announces that he is supporting John Lennon and Yoko Ono in their fight to remain in the United States.
• May 2 – Stone the Crows lead guitarist Les Harvey is electrocuted on stage during a show in Swansea, Wales, by touching a poorly connected microphone. Harvey died in a hospital a few hours later. The band's lead singer, Maggie Bell, Harvey's longtime girlfriend, was also hospitalized, having collapsed on stage after the incident.
• May 8 – Billy Preston becomes the first rock performer to headline at New York's Radio City Music Hall
• May 27 – The Opryland USA country music theme park opens in Nashville, Tennessee.
• June – Founding member Roy Wood leaves the Electric Light Orchestra line-up just as the band scores its first hit single.
• June 3 – The Rolling Stones open their North American tour in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
• June 10 – Elvis Presley does the first of four concerts at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. He sells out all the shows in one day.
• June 14 – Simon & Garfunkel reunite briefly to perform live at Madison Square Garden at a campaign benefit for Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern. Other performers include Peter, Paul and Mary and Dionne Warwick.
• July 24 – Bobby Ramirez, drummer for Edgar Winter's White Trash, is beaten to death in a Chicago bar fight, reportedly because his hair was too long.
• August 5 – Clive Davis signs Aerosmith to Columbia Records at Max's Kansas City in New York City.
• August 30 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono headline the "One To One Concert" at Madison Square Garden to benefit mentally handicapped children. Elephant's Memory, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder and Sha Na Na also perform.
• September 1–7 – Karlheinz Stockhausen directs performances of his works at the Shiraz Arts Festival, including Mantra, Hymnen, an all-day performance of Aus den sieben Tagen, and world premieres of two compositions from Für kommende Zeiten
• September 21 – ABC premieres the new TV series In Concert. The first episode features Alice Cooper.
• September 29 – Miles Davis unveils his new nine-piece band at the Lincoln Center Philharmonic Hall.
• October 12 – Diana Ross makes her acting debut in the successful film Lady Sings the Blues, garnering her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
• November 3 – James Taylor and Carly Simon are married in a tiny ceremony in Simon's Manhattan apartment.
• November 12 – 51,778 fans pack San Diego Stadium for a concert promoted by KGB-AM to see J. Geils Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Foghat and Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show.
• November 25 – The 1st OTI Song Contest, held in the Congres and Expositions Palace, Madrid, Spain, is won by singers Tobias and Claudia Regina, representing Brazil with the song Diálogo ("Dialogue").
• November 26 – Family, touring North America as the warmup act for Elton John, play their last concert on U.S. soil in St. Petersburg, Florida.
• December 23 – Grand Funk Railroad, completing its 1972 Tour, with a sold-out concert at NYC's Madison Square Garden, with the proceeds from the concert benefiting the Phoenix House Drug Rehabilitation Program, and with the show being filmed for ABC-TV's "In Concert" Series, the band is met by a lawsuit taken out by their former manager, Terry Knight, who attempts to block the show from going on, attempting to seize their equipment. Fortunately, a court injunction is given later in the day, allowing the concert to take place.
• December 31 – The first New Year's Rockin' Eve, with host Dick Clark, airs on NBC (before moving to ABC) with Three Dog Night as the featured act. Blood, Sweat & Tears, Helen Reddy and Al Green also perform.
• unknown date
  • Herbert Howells becomes a Companion of Honour.
  • Billy Ray Hearn founds Myrrh Records.
  • Joseph Hoo Kim founds Channel One Studios in Kingston, Jamaica.
  • Numa Labinsky (bass singer) and the brothers Michael and Gerald Reynolds found Nimbus Records, a specialist classical music recording company at Wyastone Leys in Herefordshire, England.
  • Heisei College of Music is established in Mifune, Kumamoto, Japan.

Bands formed[]

• See Musical groups established in 1972

Bands disbanded[]

• Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Jefferson Airplane
• Martha and the Vandellas
• MC5
• Them
• The Velvet Underground

Albums released[]

January[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
7	Jamming with Edward!	The Rolling Stones, Nicky Hopkins, Ry Cooder	1969 jam
15	Home Is Where the Music Is	Hugh Masekela
16	Blue Öyster Cult	Blue Öyster Cult	-
17	Linda Ronstadt	Linda Ronstadt	-
20	Garcia	Jerry Garcia	-
24	Cass Elliot	Cass Elliot	-
	Got to Be There	Michael Jackson	-
	Paul Simon	Paul Simon	-
	Young, Gifted and Black	Aretha Franklin	-
29	Phase III	The Osmonds	-
31	Let's Stay Together	Al Green	-
-	1+1	Grin	-
	All the Good Times	Nitty Gritty Dirt Band	-
	Baby I'm-a Want You	Bread	-
	Beads and Feathers	Carol Hall	-
	Clever Dogs Chase the Sun	Kenny Young	-
	Coven	Coven	-
	Flash	Flash	-
	Greenhouse	Leo Kottke	-
	Hands of Jack the Ripper	Screaming Lord Sutch	-
	Hendrix in the West	Jimi Hendrix	Live 1969–70
	How Much Time	Jake Holmes	-
	I'm the One	Annette Peacock	-
	Incredible! Live!	Country Joe	Live
	Into the Purple Valley	Ry Cooder	-
	I've Found Someone of My Own	The Free Movement	-
	Jackson Browne	Jackson Browne	-
	Keep the Faith	Black Oak Arkansas	-
	Loose	Crazy Horse	-
	Malo	Malo	-
	Mark-Almond II	Mark-Almond	-
	Peter	Peter Yarrow	-
	Rockpile	Dave Edmunds	-
	Sex, Dope, Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven	Daddy Cool	Australia
	Solid Rock	The Temptations	-
	The Spotlight Kid	Captain Beefheart	-
	The Unnamables	Magma	as Univeria Zekt
	Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine	The Doors	Compilation

February[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Something/Anything?	Todd Rundgren	-
1	Harvest	Neil Young	-
8	Root Down	Jimmy Smith	-
12	Eat a Peach	The Allman Brothers Band	-
18	Manfred Mann's Earth Band	Manfred Mann's Earth Band	-
20	Elvis Now	Elvis Presley	-
25	Pink Moon	Nick Drake	-
-	1	The Crusaders	-
	3	McKendree Spring	-
	Blue River	Eric Andersen	-
	Border Lord	Kris Kristofferson	-
	Brave Belt II	Brave Belt	-
	Burgers	Hot Tuna	-
	Cherish	David Cassidy	-
	Dinnertime	Alex Taylor	-
	Don Quixote	Gordon Lightfoot	-
	Fanny Hill	Fanny	-
	Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes	John Kay	-
	Good Hearted Woman	Waylon Jennings	-
	Grave New World	Strawbs	-
	Greatest Hits	Blood, Sweat & Tears	Compilation
	Headkeeper	Dave Mason	-
	Heavy Turbulence	Merl Saunders	-
	Hellbound Train	Savoy Brown	-
	Lonesome Crow	Scorpions	-
	Loudwater House	Tony Hazzard	-
	My Hang-Up is You	Freddie Hart	-
	Ndeda	Quincy Jones	Compilation
	Oh How We Danced	Jim Capaldi	-
	Pain	Ohio Players	-
	Patti Dahlstrom	Patti Dahlstrom	-
	Rockin'	The Guess Who	-
	Silver Pistol	Brinsley Schwarz	-
	Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1	Michael Nesmith	-
	Three	Jackie Lomax	-
	Together	Jesse Colin Young	-

March[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
3	Black Magic	Martha Reeves and the Vandellas	-
	Glitter	Gary Glitter	-
	Music of My Mind	Stevie Wonder	-
10	Shades of a Blue Orphanage	Thin Lizzy	-
	Thick as a Brick	Jethro Tull	-
	Touch Your Woman	Dolly Parton	-
11	Heads & Tales	Harry Chapin	-
21	Love Theme from "The Godfather"	Andy Williams	-
24	Slade Alive!	Slade	Live
	Striking It Rich	Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks	-
25	The Kink Kronikles	The Kinks	US; Compilation
	Machine Head	Deep Purple	-
26	Just Another Band from L.A.	Frank Zappa and The Mothers	Live
27	Seven Separate Fools	Three Dog Night	-
-	Alvin Lee and Company	Ten Years After	Compilation
	The Ballad of Calico	Kenny Rogers and the First Edition	-
	Bare Trees	Fleetwood Mac	-
	Bobby Whitlock	Bobby Whitlock	-
	Cold Blue Excursion	Ray Dorset	-
	D&B Together	Delaney and Bonnie	-
	Drowning in the Sea of Love	Joe Simon	-
	Ennea	Chase	-
	Feedback	Spirit	-
	Garden Party	Ricky Nelson	-
	The Killer Rocks On	Jerry Lee Lewis	-
	Live Cream Volume II	Cream	Live 1968
	Powerglide	New Riders of the Purple Sage	-
	Pure Prairie League	Pure Prairie League	-
	Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden	Steve Miller Band	-
	Roadwork	Edgar Winter's White Trash	-
	Shopping Bag	The Partridge Family	-
	Smokin'	Humble Pie	-
	Space and First Takes	Lee Michaels	-
	Stories We Could Tell	The Everly Brothers	-
	Styx	Styx	-
	What a Bloody Long Day It's Been	Ashton, Gardner and Dyke	-

April[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
4	Rio Grande Mud	ZZ Top	-
5	Graham Nash David Crosby	Crosby & Nash	-
10	Raspberries	Raspberries	-
11	Mardi Gras	Creedence Clearwater Revival	-
12	Manassas	Stephen Stills and Manassas	-
14	Three Friends	Gentle Giant	UK
20	Dr. John's Gumbo	Dr. John	-
28	Argus	Wishbone Ash	-
-	Annie	Anne Murray	-
	Arthur Alexander	Arthur Alexander	-
	Bolan Boogie	T. Rex	Compilation
	Cat Mother	Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys	-
	Comin' Thru	Quicksilver Messenger Service	-
	David Clayton-Thomas	David Clayton-Thomas	-
	He Touched Me	Elvis Presley	-
	Henry the Human Fly	Richard Thompson	-
	Hobo's Lullaby	Arlo Guthrie	-
	The Island of Real	The Rascals	-
	A Lonely Man	The Chi-Lites	-
	Lou Reed	Lou Reed	-
	Merrimack County	Tom Rush	-
	Moonshot	Buffy Sainte-Marie	-
	Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On	Mountain	Live
	On Record	April Wine	-
	A Possible Projection of the Future / Childhood's End	Al Kooper	-
	Procol Harum Live: In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra	Procol Harum	Live
	A Thing Called Love	Johnny Cash	-
	You Don't Mess Around with Jim	Jim Croce	-

May[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Jeff Beck Group	Jeff Beck	-
2	Brother, Brother, Brother	The Isley Brothers	-
6	Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway	Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway	-
11	Cabbage Alley	The Meters	-
12	Exile on Main St.	The Rolling Stones	-
14	Live in Europe	Rory Gallagher	Live
15	Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"	The Beach Boys	-
19	Demons and Wizards	Uriah Heep	-
	Honky Château	Elton John	-
	Waterloo Lily	Caravan	-
22	America Eats Its Young	Funkadelic	-
23	Lookin' Through the Windows	The Jackson 5	-
26	I Sing the Body Electric	Weather Report	-
	Wind of Change	Peter Frampton	-
30	Live at Max's Kansas City	The Velvet Underground	Live 1970
	Understanding	Bobby Womack	-
-	Ace	Bob Weir	-
	Bloodrock Live	Bloodrock	Live
	Castles	Joy of Cooking	-
	Chameleon	The Four Seasons	-
	Colors of the Day	Judy Collins	Compilation
	Come from the Shadows	Joan Baez	-
	Floy Joy	The Supremes	-
	In Concert	Janis Joplin	Live 1968 and 1970
	Last of the Red Hot Burritos	The Flying Burrito Brothers	Live
	People ... Hold On	Eddie Kendricks	-
	Roy Orbison Sings	Roy Orbison	-
	Sail Away	Randy Newman	-
	Sailin' Shoes	Little Feat	-
	Skies of America	Ornette Coleman	-
	Still Bill	Bill Withers	-
	Tell Me This Is a Dream	The Delfonics	-

June[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Amazing Grace	Aretha Franklin	Live
	Eagles	Eagles	-
2	Obscured by Clouds	Pink Floyd	-
5	The Osmonds Live	The Osmonds	Live
6	Looking Glass	Looking Glass	-
	The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars	David Bowie	-
9	Earthbound	King Crimson	Live
	There It Is	James Brown	-
10	Moon Shadow	LaBelle	-
12	Some Time in New York City	John Lennon and Yoko Ono	-
13	A Song for You	Carpenters	-
14	Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits	Simon & Garfunkel	Compilation
16	Roxy Music	Roxy Music	-
18	As Recorded at Madison Square Garden	Elvis Presley	Live
23	Living in the Past	Jethro Tull	Compilation
26	Carney	Leon Russell	-
-	666	Aphrodite's Child	-
	Bless Your Heart	Freddie Hart	-
	Blues Roots	Ike Turner
	Free at Last	Free	-
	If an Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home?	Black Oak Arkansas	-
	Let Me Tell You About a Song	Merle Haggard	-
	Number 1 Record	Big Star	-
	School's Out	Alice Cooper	-
	Syreeta	Syreeta	-
	Together	Golden Earring	-

July[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Toulouse Street	The Doobie Brothers	-
4	American Gothic	David Ackles	-
5	Waka/Jawaka	Frank Zappa	-
6	Trilogy	Emerson, Lake & Palmer	-
7	The Harder They Come	Jimmy Cliff	Soundtrack
10	Chicago V	Chicago	-
	Son of Schmilsson	Harry Nilsson	-
15	Moods	Neil Diamond	-
17	Full Circle	The Doors	-
20	Long John Silver	Jefferson Airplane	-
21	Never a Dull Moment	Rod Stewart	-
	The Slider	T. Rex	-
27	All Directions	The Temptations	-
	Flying High Together	Smokey Robinson & The Miracles	-
	Someplace Else Now	Lesley Gore
–	The Academy in Peril	John Cale	-
	America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song	Johnny Cash	-
	Captain Beyond	Captain Beyond	-
	Feel Good	Ike & Tina Turner	–
	Exercises	Nazareth	-
	Foghat	Foghat	-
	I Can See Clearly Now	Johnny Nash	-
	Music Is the Message	Kool & the Gang	-
	Saint Dominic's Preview	Van Morrison	-
	Sofia Rotaru	Sofia Rotaru	USSR
	Straight Shooter	James Gang	-
	Super Fly	Curtis Mayfield	Soundtrack
	White Witch	White Witch	-

August[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
2	Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72	Ella Fitzgerald	Live
4	Ben	Michael Jackson	-
14	Play the Blues	Buddy Guy and Junior Wells	-
15	Rock of Ages	The Band	Live
25	Everybody's in Show-Biz	The Kinks	Double LP; one studio, one live
28	'Ot 'n' Sweaty	Cactus	-
-	And the Hits Just Keep on Comin'	Michael Nesmith	-
	Back Stabbers	The O'Jays	-
	Elf	Elf	-
	Free Will	Gil Scott-Heron	-
	Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes	Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes	-
	Irrlicht	Klaus Schulze	-
	Live at the Paramount	The Guess Who	Live
	Roy Buchanan	Roy Buchanan	-
	Smokin' O.P.'s	Bob Seger	-
	Summer Breeze	Seals and Crofts	-

September[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
8		Mott the Hoople	-
13	Close to the Edge	Yes	-
15	Phoenix	Grand Funk Railroad	-
	Rocky Mountain High	John Denver	-
25	Vol. 4	Black Sabbath	-
26	Live Full House	The J. Geils Band	Live
27	Catch Bull at Four	Cat Stevens	-
29	Glorified Magnified	Manfred Mann's Earth Band	-
-	At Home with Their Greatest Hits	The Partridge Family	Compilation
	Bandstand	Family	-
	Below the Salt	Steeleye Span	-
	Bright Phoebus	Lal and Mike Waterson	-
	Crazy Horses	The Osmonds	-
	Give It Up	Bonnie Raitt	-
	Hot Butter	Hot Butter	-
	Ladies Love Outlaws	Waylon Jennings	-
	My Time	Boz Scaggs	-
	Nervous on the Road	Brinsley Schwarz	-
	Rolling Thunder	Mickey Hart	-
	Sandy	Sandy Denny	-
	Solomon's Seal	Pentangle	-
	Squawk	Budgie	-
	Tequila Sunrise	David Clayton-Thomas	-

October[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	War Heroes	Jimi Hendrix	-
4	Willie Remembers	Rare Earth	-
6	Foxtrot	Genesis	-
8	Music Is My Life	Billy Preston	-
9	Heavy Cream	Cream	Compilation
11	Caravanserai	Santana	-
	On the Corner	Miles Davis	-
14	Crazy Horses	The Osmonds	-
23	I'm Still in Love with You	Al Green	-
28	Talking Book	Stevie Wonder	-
29	My Favorite Songwriter: Porter Wagoner	Dolly Parton	-
-	At Crooked Lake	Crazy Horse	-
	Barnstorm	Joe Walsh	-
	Bustin' Out	Pure Prairie League	-
	Clear Spot	Captain Beefheart	-
	Expectations	Keith Jarrett	-
	Glen Travis Campbell	Glen Campbell	-
	Got the All-Overs for You	Freddie Hart	-
	Greetings from L.A.	Tim Buckley	-
	Guitar Man	Bread	-
	Lady Sings the Blues	Diana Ross	Soundtrack
	The Lady's Not for Sale	Rita Coolidge	-
	Lion's Share	Savoy Brown	-
	Live Concert at the Forum	Barbra Streisand	Live
	Loggins and Messina	Loggins and Messina	-
	The London Chuck Berry Sessions	Chuck Berry	-
	Made in England	Atomic Rooster	-
	Mom's Apple Pie	Mom's Apple Pie	-
	The Moviegoer	Scott Walker	-
	New Blood	Blood, Sweat & Tears	-
	Passin' Thru	James Gang	-
	Rhymes & Reasons	Carole King	-
	Rock & Roll Music to the World	Ten Years After	-
	Round 2	The Stylistics	-
	Sniper and Other Love Songs	Harry Chapin	-
	Stealers Wheel	Stealers Wheel	-
	To Whom It May Concern	Bee Gees	-
	Who Came First	Pete Townshend	-

November[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Burning Love and Hits from His Movies, Volume 2	Elvis Presley	Compilation
	One Man Dog	James Taylor	-
	Romany	The Hollies	-
	Slayed?	Slade	-
5	Europe '72	Grateful Dead	Live
7	The Divine Miss M	Bette Midler	-
	Journey Through the Past	Neil Young	Soundtrack
8	Transformer	Lou Reed	-
10	Baby James Harvest	Barclay James Harvest	-
	The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II	The Byrds	Compilation
	See All Her Faces	Dusty Springfield	-
13	Fresh	Raspberries	-
15	Homecoming	America	-
17	Seventh Sojourn	The Moody Blues	-
20	Get on the Good Foot	James Brown	-
24	Doremi Fasol Latido	Hawkwind	-
25	A Good Feelin' to Know	Poco	-
27	Garden Party	Ricky Nelson	-
-	Boomer's Story	Ry Cooder	-
	Can't Buy a Thrill	Steely Dan	-
	Don McLean	Don McLean	-
	Ege Bamyasi	Can	-
	Ennismore	Colin Blunstone	-
	For the Roses	Joni Mitchell	-
	Free to Be... You and Me	Marlo Thomas & Friends	-
	Good Times	Kool & the Gang	-
	International Superstar	Johnny Cash	Compilation
	Jesus Was a Capricorn	Kris Kristofferson	-
	Joe Cocker	Joe Cocker	-
	The Johnny Cash Family Christmas	Johnny Cash	Christmas
	Killer Joe	Little Jimmy Osmond	-
	Life Goes On	Paul Williams	-
	The Magician's Birthday	Uriah Heep	-
	No Secrets	Carly Simon	-
	Not till Tomorrow	Ralph McTell	-
	Old Dan's Records	Gordon Lightfoot	-
	Passage	Bloodrock	-
	The Partridge Family Notebook	The Partridge Family	-
	The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb	The Supremes	-
	They Only Come Out at Night	Edgar Winter Group	-
	Tigers Will Survive	Ian Matthews	-
	Whatever's for Us	Joan Armatrading	-
	Why Dontcha	West, Bruce and Laing	-
	The World Is a Ghetto	War	-

December[]

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Octopus	Gentle Giant	UK
8	Trouble Man	Marvin Gaye	Soundtrack
9	Hot August Night	Neil Diamond	Live
11	More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies)	The Rolling Stones	Compilation
15	Piledriver	Status Quo	-
16	Across 110th Street	Bobby Womack and J.J. Johnson	Soundtrack
-	The Best of Top of the Pops '72	Top of the Poppers	Compilation
	The Grand Wazoo	Frank Zappa	-
	Gypsy Cowboy	New Riders of the Purple Sage	-
	It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)	Merle Haggard	-
	Made in Japan	Deep Purple	Live
	Pleasure	Ohio Players	-
	R.E.O./T.W.O.	REO Speedwagon	-
	The Sweet's Biggest Hits	Sweet	Compilation
	Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano?	Jerry Lee Lewis	-
	World Woven	The Ides of March	-

Release date unknown[]

Biggest hit singles[]

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1972.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Don McLean	"American Pie"	1972		US Billboard 1 for 19 weeks, Canada RPM 1 for 5 weeks, New Zealand 1 for 3 weeks, Australia 1 for 5 weeks, UK 2 for 16 weeks
2	Harry Nilsson	"Without You"	1972		UK 1 for 20 weeks, Australia 1 for 5 weeks, US Billboard 1 for 19 weeks, New Zealand 1 for 2 weeks
3	Hot Butter	"Popcorn"	1972		Holland 1 for 15 weeks, France 1 for 5 weeks, Switzerland 1 for 17 weeks, Norway 1 for 20 weeks, Germany 1 for 5 months, UK 5 for 19 weeks, US Billboard 9 for 18 weeks
4	Neil Young	"Heart of Gold"	1972		US Billboard 1 for 14 weeks, Canada 1 for 12 weeks, France 2 for 8 weeks, Norway 4 for 11 weeks, Germany 4 for 4 months,
5	The Moody Blues	"Nights in White Satin"	1972		US Billboard 2 for 18 weeks, Canada 2 for 12 weeks, France 1 for 9 weeks, Holland 2 for 14 weeks,

Other selected singles (US, UK)[]

• "10538 Overture" – Electric Light Orchestra
• "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done" – Sonny & Cher
• "A Horse with No Name" – America
• "Ain't Understanding Mellow" – Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager
• "All the Young Dudes" – Mott the Hoople
• "Alone Again (Naturally)" – Gilbert O'Sullivan
• "Amazing Grace" – Pipes and Drums and Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
• "America" – Simon & Garfunkel
• "American Pie" – Don McLean
• "Anticipation" – Carly Simon
• "Apache" – The Shadows (reissue)
• "Baby Blue" – Badfinger
• "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" – Mac Davis
• "Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)" – The Detroit Emeralds
• "Back Off Boogaloo" – Ringo Starr
• "Back Stabbers" – The O'Jays
• "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" – T. Rex
• "Beautiful Sunday" – Daniel Boone

Published popular music[]

• "Alone Again (Naturally)" w.m. Raymond O'Sullivan
• "Alone at a Drive-In Movie"     w.m. Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
• "American Pie" w.m. Don McLean
• "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" w.m. Jim Croce
• "Beautiful Through and Through" w. Bob Merrill m. Jule Styne from the musical Sugar
• "Beauty School Dropout" w.m. Warren Casey & Jim Jacobs from the musical Grease
• "The Beauty That Drives Men Mad" w. Bob Merrill m. Jule Styne from the musical Sugar
• "Bein' Green" w.m. Joe Raposo from the television series Sesame Street.
• "Blues for Newport" m. Dave Brubeck
• "Born to Hand Jive" w.m. Warren Casey & Jim Jacobs from the musical Grease
• "Burning Love"    w.m. Dennis Linde
• "C is for Cookie" w.m. Joe Raposo
• "Clair" w.m. Raymond O'Sullivan
• "Come Dream With Me" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen
• "Corner of the Sky" w.m. Stephen Schwartz from the musical Pippin
• "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" – Simon & Garfunkel
• "Greased Lightning" w.m. Warren Casey & Jim Jacobs from the musical Grease
• "I Can See Clearly Now" w.m. Johnny Nash
• "Killing Me Softly with His Song" w. Norman Gimbel m. Charles Fox
• "Liza with a Z" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander from the television production Liza with a Z
• "Magic To Do" w.m. Stephen Schwartz. Introduced by Ben Vereen in the musical Pippin
• "Maybe This Time" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander from the musical film Cabaret
• "Mooning" w.m. Warren Casey & Jim Jacobs from the musical Grease
• "The Morning After" w.m. Joel Hirschhorn & Al Kasha from the film The Poseidon Adventure
• "No Time at All" w.m. Stephen Schwartz from the musical Pippin
• "The Old Fashioned Way" w. Charles Aznavour, Joel Hirschhorn & Al Kasha m. George Garvarentz
• "Ring Them Bells"     w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander from the television production Liza with a Z
• "Rock and Roll" – Led Zeppelin
• "Shakin' at the High School Hop"     w.m. Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
• "Sing" w.m. Joe Raposo. Introduced by Bob McGrath on Sesame Street
• "Speak Softly, Love"      w. Larry Kusik m. Nino Rota from the film The Godfather
• "Summer Nights" w.m. Warren Casey & Jim Jacobs from the musical Grease
• "Taxi (song)" — Harry Chapin
• "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" w.m. Warren Casey & Jim Jacobs from the musical Grease
• "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" w.m. L. Russell Brown & Irwin Levine
• "Vincent" w.m. Don McLean
• "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" w.m. Stevie Wonder

Other notable songs (world)[]

• "Caro Mozart" – Sylvie Vartan (France)
• "Holidays" – Michel Polnareff (France)

Classical music[]

• Arthur Bliss – Metamorphic Variations
• Friedrich Cerha – Spiegel
• George Crumb – Makrokosmos, Volume I for amplified piano
• Mario Davidovsky – Transientes for orchestra
• Paul Le Flem – Symphony No. 4
• Karel Goeyvaerts
  • Bélise dans un jardin
  • Nachklänge aus dem Theater I–II, for tape
  • Piano Quartet
• Hans Werner Henze – Heliogabalus imperator
• Klaus Huber
  • ...Ausgespannt..., sacred music for baritone, five instrumental groups, loudspeakers, two two-track tapes, and organ
  • Ein Hauch von Unzeit I: Plainte sur la perte de la réflexion musicale – quelques madrigaux pour flûte seule ou flûte avec quelques instruments quelquonques...
  • Ein Hauch von Unzeit II: Plainte sur la perte de la réflexion musicale pour piano à une main et demie... , for piano
  • Ein Hauch von Unzeit III, for 2–7 players (variable instrumentation)
• Dmitri Kabalevsky – A Letter to the 30th Century (oratorio)
• Wojciech Kilar – Prelude and Carol for 4 oboes and strings
• György Ligeti – Double Concerto for flute, oboe and orchestra
• Theo Loevendie – Horn Concerto, "Orbits"
• Yves Prin – Actions-Simultanées II, for orchestra
• Einojuhani Rautavaara
  • Cantus Arcticus, for orchestra
  • Canto III – A Portrait of the Artist at a Certain Moment, for string orchestra
  • Credo, for mixed chorus
  • Book of Life (Elämän kirja), choral suite
• Steve Reich – Clapping Music
• George Rochberg – Recordanza (Soliloquy for Cello and Piano)
• Peter Ruzicka – Bewegung
• Karlheinz Stockhausen –
  • Alphabet für Liège, for soloists and duos, Nr. 36
  • Ylem, for variable ensemble of 19 or more players, Nr. 37
• Toru Takemitsu – Distance
• Veljo Tormis – Curse Upon Iron (Raua needmine)

Opera[]

• Peter Maxwell Davies – Taverner (12 July, Covent Garden, London)
• Kiyoshige Koyama – Sansho Dayu
• Per Nørgård – Gilgamesh
• Thomas Pasatieri
  • Black Widow
  • The Trial of Mary Lincoln
• Charles Wilson – Héloise and Abelard

Jazz[]

Musical theater[]

• Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill – Off-Broadway revue opened at the Theatre de Lys on October 1 and ran for 152 performances
• Company (Stephen Sondheim) – London production opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on January 18 and ran for 344 performances
• Cowardy Custard – London production opened at the Mermaid Theatre on July 10 and ran for 405 performances
• Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope – London production opened at the Playhouse Theatre on April 19 and ran for 914 performances
• Don't Play Us Cheap – Broadway production opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on May 16 and ran for 164 performances
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway revival
• (Music, Lyrics & Book: Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse) London production opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre on December 20 and ran for 309 performances
• Jesus Christ Superstar (Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice) – London production opened at the Palace Theatre on August 9 and ran for 3358 performances
• Grease – Broadway production ran for 3388 performances, the longest run ever at that time
• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Lloyd Webber & Rice) – London production opened at The Roundhouse on November 8 and ran for 43 performances
• Man of La Mancha     Broadway revival
• Pippin – Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on October 23 and ran for 1944 performances
• Sugar – Broadway production opened at the and ran for 505 performances

Musical films[]

• Baharo Phool Barsao
• Cabaret
• Fillmore (musical documentary)
• Jawani Diwani
• Lady Sings the Blues
• Man of La Mancha
• Propala Hramota
• Journey Back to Oz, with music by Walter Scharf, and songs by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn^[2]
• Seeta Aur Geeta (music by R. D. Burman)^[3]

Musical television productions[]

• Liza with a Z

Births[]

• January 3 – Nichole Nordeman, American singer
• January 17 – Aqualung, English songwriter, musician and record producer
• January 19 – Angham, Egyptian singer, record producer and actress
• January 26 – Christopher Boykin, American rapper
• January 27
  • Wynne Evans, Welsh tenor
  • Mark Owen, British singer (Take That)
• February 2 – Dana International, Israeli Eurovision-winning singer
• February 11 – Craig Jones, American heavy metal sampler/keyboardist (Slipknot)
• February 14 – Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter, musician, multi instrumentalist, advocate (Matchbox Twenty)
• February 16 – Taylor Hawkins, American rock musician (Foo Fighters)
• February 17
  • Billie Joe Armstrong, American rock musician, playwright, activist, advocate, actor, and singer-songwriter (Green Day)
  • Yuki Isoya, Japanese singer
• February 20 – K-os, Canadian alternative rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer
• February 24
  • Teodor Currentzis, Greek orchestral conductor
  • Chris Fehn, American heavy metal percussionist/backing vocalist (Slipknot)
• March 4 – Alison Wheeler, British singer (The Beautiful South)
• March 6 – Jaret Reddick, American musician (Bowling for Soup)
• March 8 – Angie Hart, Australian pop singer
• March 9 – AZ, American rapper
• March 10 – Timbaland, American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter and DJ (Ginuwine, Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake)
• March 11 – UA, Japanese singer-songwriter
• April 12 – Şebnem Ferah, Turkish singer and songwriter
• March 13 – Common, American rapper and actor
• March 15 – Mark Hoppus, American rock musician (blink-182)
• March 17 – Melissa Auf der Maur (Hole)
• March 20 – Alexander Kapranos, British rock singer and guitarist (Franz Ferdinand)
• April 1 – Sukshinder Shinda, British bhangra singer-songwriter and record producer
• April 8 – Paul Gray, American heavy metal bass guitarist (Slipknot)
• April 10 – Sami Yli-Sirniö, Finnish rock and metal guitarist
• April 12 – Şebnem Ferah, Turkish singer and songwriter
• April 13 – Aaron Lewis, American nu metal musician (Staind)
• April 20
  • Željko Joksimović, Serbian singer, composer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer
  • Marko Kon, Serbian composer, producer and singer
  • Stephen Marley, Jamaican-American musician
• April 23 – Amira Medunjanin, singer from Bosnia and Herzegovina
• April 24 – Corey Cerovsek, Canadian violinist and pianist
• April 28 – Violent J, American rapper
• April 29 – Fredrik Kempe, Swedish songwriter and opera and pop singer
• May 3 – Mark Morrison, British R&B singer
• May 4
  • Mike Dirnt American musician, songwriter and composer. (Green Day)
  • Chris Tomlin, American contemporary Christian musician (CCM)
• May 7 – Felix da Housecat, American house music DJ and record producer
• May 14 – Salaam Remi, American record producer
• May 19 – Jenny Berggren, Swedish singer (Ace of Base)
• May 20 – Busta Rhymes, American hip hop recording artist, actor, record producer and record executive
• May 21
  • The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (d. 1997)
  • , American record producer, songwriter and musician.
• May 26 – Ahmad Dhani, Indonesian rock musician, songwriter, arranger, producer and politician
• May 27 – Ivete Sangalo, Brazilian female singer
• May 29 – Stanislas, French singer
• June 5
  • Toni Pearen, Australian singer, songwriter, TV host, dancer and actor
  • Paweł Kotla, Polish conductor
• June 6 – Cristina Scabbia, Italian singer
• June 12 – Bounty Killer, reggae/dancehall singer
• June 23 – Fredwreck, Palestinian American music artist and record producer
• June 25 – Mike Kroeger, Canadian rock bass guitarist (Nickelback)
• June 26 – Garou, French Canadian singer
• July 1
  • Sunshine Becker, American backing singer (Furthur)
  • Alex Machacek, Austrian guitarist (BPM and CAB)
• July 4 – Rogue, American dark wave lead singer (The Crüxshadows)
• July 10 – Tilo Wolff, German musician
• July 12 – Brett Reed, drummer (Rancid)
• July 17
  • Elizabeth Cook, American singer and guitarist
  • Jason Rullo, American drummer (Symphony X and Redemption)
• July 20 – Vitamin C, American singer-songwriter, dancer and actress (Eve's Plum)
• July 26 – Wayne Wonder, reggae singer
• July 29 – Anssi Kela, Finnish rock musician
• August 6 – Geri Halliwell, British singer, clothes designer, author and actress (Spice Girls)
• August 8 – Lüpüs Thünder (Bloodhound Gang)
• August 9 – A-mei, Taiwanese Puyuma singer-songwriter
• August 12
  • Del tha Funky Homosapien, American hip-hop artist
  • Demir Demirkan, Turkish rock musician and songwriter
• August 15 – Mikey Graham, Irish singer (Boyzone)
• August 16 – Emily Robison, American country music performer (Dixie Chicks)
• August 18
  • Leo Ku, Hong Kong actor and singer
  • Keiko Yamada, Japanese singer (Globe)
• August 27 – Jimmy Pop, American musician (Bloodhound Gang)
• September 4 – Carlos Ponce, Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer
• September 6 – Idris Elba, English actor, producer, musician and DJ
• September 21 – Liam Gallagher, British singer (Oasis)
• September 23 – Jermaine Dupri, American rapper, record producer, musician
• September 26 – Shawn Stockman, American singer (Boyz II Men)
• September 30 – Shaan, Indian singer
• October 10 – Tor Erik Hermansen, American record producer and songwriter of the team Stargate (music producers)
• October 17
  • Eminem, American rapper, producer, record producer, musician, business man (D12 and Soul Intent (group))
  • Tarkan, Turkish singer
• October 6 – Anders Iwers, Swedish heavy metal guitarist
• October 19 – Pras (Michél), American rapper, hip hop musician, record producer, songwriter and actor (Fugees)
• October 20 – Stephan Moccio, Canadian pianist, composer, producer, arranger and conductor
• October 27 – Elissa, Lebanese singer
• October 28 – Brad Paisley, American country music performer
• November 17 – Kimya Dawson, American singer/songwriter
• November 25 – Mark Morton, American heavy metal guitarist (Lamb of God)
• November 28 – Jesper Strömblad, Swedish death metal guitarist
• December 1 – Greg Upchurch, American rock drummer (Puddle of Mudd, 3 Doors Down)
• December 9 – Tré Cool, German-born American musician, drummer and composer (Green Day)
• December 10
  • Scot Alexander, American alternative rock bass guitarist (Dishwalla)
  • Brian Molko, British rock singer (Placebo)
  • Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, American songwriter and producer of the team Stargate (music producers)
• December 11 – Easther Bennett, British singer (Eternal)
• December 12 – Kevin Parent, Canadian singer-songwriter and actor
• December 13 – Niki Evans, English actress and singer
• December 16 – Ben Kowalewicz, Canadian rock lead singer (Billy Talent)
• December 18 – DJ Lethal, Latvian-born rock musician (Limp Bizkit, House of Pain)
• December 19 – Alyssa Milano, American activist, advocate, producer, singer and actress
• December 22 – Vanessa Paradis, French singer and actress
• December 27 – Matt Slocum, American pop guitarist-composer and multi-instrumentalist (Sixpence None the Richer)
• December 31 – Joey McIntyre, American singer (New Kids on the Block)

Deaths[]

• January 1 – Maurice Chevalier, 83, French singer and actor
• January 16 – David Seville, 52, voice of the Chipmunks
• January 19 – Michael Rabin, 35, violinist (fell downstairs)
• January 20 – Jean Casadesus, 44, French pianist (car accident)
• January 23 – Big Maybelle, 47, singer and pianist
• January 24 – Gene Austin, 69, singer-songwriter
• January 27 – Mahalia Jackson, 61, gospel singer
• January 29 – Margherita Grandi, 77, operatic soprano
• February 8 – Markos Vamvakaris, 66, Greek composer
• February 11 – Rudi Gfaller, Austrian operetta singer and composer (b. 1882)
• February 19 – Lee Morgan, 33, hard bop trumpeter
• February 21 – Marie Dubas, 77, French music-hall singer
• March 2 – Erna Sack, 74, coloratura soprano (cancer)
• March 17 – Linda Jones, 27, soul singer (diabetic coma)
• March 27 – Sharkey Bonano, 67, jazz musician and bandleader
• April 3 – Ferde Grofé, 80, composer, arranger, and pianist
• April 4 – Stefan Wolpe, 69, composer
• May 2 – Les Harvey, 27, guitarist (Stone the Crows) (electrocuted on stage)
• May 5 – Reverend Gary Davis, 76, blues and gospel singer and guitarist
• May 12 – David Hughes, 43, operatic tenor (heart failure)
• June 8 – Jimmy Rushing, 70, blues and jazz singer
• June 13 – Clyde McPhatter, 39, R&B singer
• July 3 – "Mississippi" Fred McDowell, 68, blues musician
• July 9 – Robert Weede, 69, operatic baritone
• July 10 – Lovie Austin, 84, American pianist, composer, and bandleader
• July 24 – Bobby Ramirez, drummer (Edgar Winter's White Trash)
• July 28 – Helen Traubel, 73, operatic soprano
• August 2
  • Brian Cole, 29, bass player in The Association (drug overdose)
  • Rudolph Ganz, 95, Swiss pianist, conductor and composer
• August 14 – Oscar Levant, 65, pianist and composer
• August 21 – Yvonne Gall, 87, operatic soprano
• August 29 – Lale Andersen, 67, Danish singer
• August 31 – Dalva de Oliveira, 55, Brazilian singer (internal bleeding)
• September 19 – Robert Casadesus, French pianist and composer, 73
• September 24 – Alfred Kalmus, music publisher, 93
• September 28 – Rory Storm, 33, English singer (appendicitis)
• September 30 – Grigore Cugler, 69, Romanian riter, artist, composer and violinist
• October 3 – Kari Marie Aarvold Glaser, 71, Norwegian pianist and music teacher
• October 24 – Thelma Votipka, 67, operatic mezzo-soprano
• November 3 – Harry Richman, 77, US singer, actor and composer
• November 6 – Billy Murcia, 21, drummer of New York Dolls (suffocation)
• November 11 – Berry Oakley, 24, bass player (The Allman Brothers Band) (motorcycle accident)
• November 12 – Rudolf Friml, 92, Rose-Marie composer
• November 18 – Danny Whitten, 29, guitarist (Crazy Horse) (drug overdose)
• November 28 – Havergal Brian, 96, English classical composer
• December 3 – Bill Johnson, 100, African American Dixieland jazz double-bassist

Awards[]

Grammy Awards[]

• Grammy Awards of 1972
  • Grammy Album of the Year: The Concert for Bangladesh
  • Grammy Best New Artist: America
  • Grammy Best Album Design: "School's Out" – Alice Cooper
  • Grammy Best Pop Duo or Group: "Where Is the Love" – Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
  • Grammy Best Pop Female Vocal: "I Am Woman" – Helen Reddy
  • Grammy Best Pop Male Vocal: "Without You" – Harry Nilsson
  • Grammy Best R&B Duo or Group: "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" – The Temptations
  • Grammy Best R&B Female Vocal: "Young, Gifted And Black" – Aretha Franklin
  • Grammy Best R&B Male Vocal: "Me And Mrs. Jones" – Billy Paul
  • Grammy Record of the Year: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack
  • Grammy Song of the Year: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack

Country Music Association Awards[]

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Eurovision Song Contest[]

• Eurovision Song Contest 1972

Leeds Piano Competition[]

• Murray Perahia

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Music in 1972.