Overview of the events of 1978 in British music
List of years in British music
This is a summary of 1978 in music in the United Kingdom.
Events [ ]
14 January - The Sex Pistols played their final show (until a reunion in 1996), at Winterland, San Francisco.
24 January - Wings ' "Mull of Kintyre " made No.1 for its ninth (and final) week - becoming the biggest-selling single in UK history at that point.
25 January - Electric Light Orchestra kicked off their Out of the Blue world tour in Honolulu , Hawaii.
11 March - Kate Bush became the first female solo artist to reach number one in the UK charts with a self-written song ("Wuthering Heights ").
30 April - The Clash , Tom Robinson Band , Steel Pulse , X-Ray Spex , the Ruts , Misty in Roots and Generation X all play live in Victoria Park , Hackney at the Anti-Nazi League /Rock Against Racism festival, following a march from Trafalgar Square .
25 May - The Who played their last show with Keith Moon .
30 July – Thin Lizzy officially announced that Gary Moore had replaced Brian Robertson on guitar.
18 August - The Who released their eighth studio Who Are You . It is The Who's last album with Keith Moon as the drummer; Moon died twenty days after the release of this album.
September - Second anti-racism event staged in Brockwell Park , South London, featuring Elvis Costello , Stiff Little Fingers & Aswad , with 150,000 attending.[citation needed ]
27 November - Def Leppard 's permanent drummer Rick Allen joined the band at the age of 15.
The Bee Gees ' Saturday Night Fever became the biggest-selling album of all time (until overtaken in 1983).
First BBC Young Musician of the Year competition for classical players won by trombonist Michael Hext .
Operatic contralto Helen Watts is appointed a CBE .
Multitone Records is founded by Pranil Gohil and specializing in bhangra style music.
Charts [ ]
Number one singles [ ]
Date
Song
Artist
7 January
"Mull of Kintyre " / "Girls' School "
Wings
14 January
21 January
28 January
4 February
"Uptown Top Ranking "
Althea & Donna
11 February
"Figaro "
Brotherhood of Man
18 February
"Take a Chance on Me "
ABBA
25 February
4 March
11 March
"Wuthering Heights "
Kate Bush
18 March
25 March
1 April
8 April
"Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs "
Brian and Michael
15 April
22 April
29 April
"Night Fever "
Bee Gees
6 May
13 May
"Rivers of Babylon "
Boney M
20 May
27 May
3 June
10 June
17 June
"You're the One That I Want "
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
24 June
1 July
8 July
15 July
22 July
29 July
5 August
12 August
19 August
"Three Times a Lady "
The Commodores
26 August
2 September
9 September
16 September
23 September
"Dreadlock Holiday "
10cc
30 September
"Summer Nights "
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
7 October
14 October
21 October
28 October
4 November
11 November
18 November
"Rat Trap "
The Boomtown Rats
25 November
2 December
"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? "
Rod Stewart
9 December
"Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord "
Boney M
16 December
23 December
30 December
Number one albums [ ]
Date
Album
Artist
Weeks
7 January
Disco Fever
Various Artists
2
14 January
21 January
The Sound of Bread
Bread
1
28 January
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
1
4 February
The Album
ABBA
7
11 February
18 February
25 February
4 March
11 March
18 March
25 March
20 Golden Greats
Buddy Holly and The Crickets
3
1 April
8 April
15 April
20 Golden Greats
Nat 'King' Cole
3
22 April
29 April
6 May
Saturday Night Fever
Original Soundtrack
18
13 May
20 May
27 May
3 June
10 June
17 June
24 June
1 July
8 July
15 July
22 July
29 July
5 August
12 August
19 August
26 August
2 September
9 September
Nightflight to Venus
Boney M
4
16 September
23 September
30 September
7 October
Grease
Original Soundtrack
13
14 October
21 October
28 October
4 November
11 November
18 November
25 November
2 December
9 December
16 December
23 December
30 December
Year-end charts [ ]
The tables below include sales between 31 December 1977 and 30 December 1978: the year-end charts reproduced in the issue of Music Week dated 23 December 1978 and played on Radio 1 on 31 December 1978 only include sales figures up until 16 December 1978.
Best-selling singles [ ]
[1]
Best-selling albums [ ]
[2]
Notes :
^ Reached number 1 in 1979
^ Reached number 4 in 1977
^ Reached number 5 in 1979
^ Reached number 1 in 1979
^ Reached number 9 in 1981
^ Reached number 1 in 1976
^ Reached number 1 in 1979
^ Reached number 3 in 1977
^ Reached number 1 in 1976
Classical music: new works [ ]
Film and Incidental music [ ]
Births [ ]
1 January - Tarik O'Regan , composer
3 January - , co-founder of Mostar Records
15 January - , singer (allSTARS* )
13 February - Hamish Glencross , Scottish guitarist
14 February - Ryan Griffiths (The Vines )
22 February - Jenny Frost , singer (Atomic Kitten )
6 April - Myleene Klass , singer (Hear'Say ), radio and TV presenter
7 April - Duncan James , singer (Blue )
9 April - Rachel Stevens , singer (S Club 7 )
28 April - Lauren Laverne , singer, radio DJ and TV presenter
4 May - Matthew Rose , bass
22 May - Jordan , model and would-be singer
6 June - Sophie Solomon , violinist
27 June - Lolly , singer
4 July - Stephen McNally , English singer-songwriter (BBMak )
15 September - David Sneddon , singer-songwriter
9 October - Nicky Byrne , Irish singer (Westlife )
27 November - Mike Skinner , rapper, musician and record producer
18 December - Lindsay Armaou , Greek-born Irish-based singer (B*Witched )
Deaths [ ]
11 January - William John Edwards , Cerdd Dant singer (b. 1898)
15 January - Jack Jackson , trumpeter, bandleader and radio disc jockey (b. 1906)
24 February - Mrs Mills , pianist (b. 1918)
9 March - L. Radley Flynn , singer and actor (b. 1902)
12 March - Tolchard Evans , songwriter, composer, pianist and bandleader (b. 1901)
3 April - Ray Noble , composer and bandleader (b. 1903)
21 April - Sandy Denny , singer (Fairport Convention ) (b. 1947) (cerebral haemorrhage)
14 August - Victor Silvester , dance band leader (b. 1900)
7 September
15 September - Robert Bruce Montgomery , composer (b. 1921)
13 November - W. S. Gwynn Williams , musician and composer (b. 1896)
See also [ ]
References [ ]
^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1979). "Top 200 Singles in 1978". BPI Year Book 1979 (4th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 186–89. ISBN 0-906154-02-2 .
^ Scaping (1979). "Top 200 LPs in 1978". pp. 182–85.
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