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
• 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
• July - The Dead Kennedys form.
• 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
• The Beastie Boys form
• The Pretenders form
• Social Distortion form

Albums released

• Big Star's The Third Album - Big Star
• #1 Record/Radio City - Big Star
• Never Say Die - Black Sabbath
• Parallel Lines - Blondie
• 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
• Running on Empty - Jackson Browne
• Social Living - Burning Spear
• The Kick Inside - Kate Bush
• 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
• Peter Gabriel II - Peter Gabriel
• Along the Red Ledge - Hall & Oates
• All Mod Cons - The Jam
• The Stranger - Billy Joel
• Misfits - The Kinks
• Waiting For Columbus - Little Feat
• 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
• Grease - Original Soundtrack
• Saturday Night Fever - Original Soundtrack
• The Modern Dance - Pere Ubu
• City To City - Gerry Rafferty
• Some Girls - The Rolling Stones
• Hemispheres - Rush
• Stranger In Town - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
• The Scream - Siouxsie and the Banshees
• Darkness On The Edge Of Town - Bruce Springsteen
• More Songs About Bulidings And Food - Talking Heads
• Talking Heads'77 - Talking Heads
• Live And Dangerous - Thin Lizzy
• Van Halen - Van Halen
• But Seriously Folks - Joe Walsh
• Who Are You - The Who
• Chairs Missing - Wire
• Germ Free Adolescent - X-Ray Spex
• The Gambler - Kenny Rogers

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
• "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
• "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
• "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
• "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" - Ian Dury and the Blockheads
• "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
• "Sign Of The Times" - Bryan Ferry
• "Rhiannon" - Fleetwood Mac
• "Follow You Follow Me" - Genesis
• "Nobody's Scared" - Vic Goddard and the Subway Sect
• "Instant Replay" - Dan Hartman
• "Forever Autumn" - Justin Hayward
• "Jilted John" - Jilted John
• "Just The Way You Are" - 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
• "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" - Meatloaf
• "You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth" - Meatloaf
• "Airport" - The Motors
• "Native New Yorker" - Odyssey
• "Best Of Both Worlds" - Robert Palmer
• "Every Kinda People" - Robert Palmer
• "Public Image" - Public Image Limited
• "Fat Bottomed Girls" - Queen
• "She Believes In Me" - Kenny Rogers
• "The Gambler" - Kenny Rogers
• "Hong Kong Garden" - Siouxsie and the Banshees
• "Oh Carol" - Smokie
• "Renegade" - Styx
• "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
• "Life's Been Good" - Joe Walsh
• "Eve Of The War" - Jeff Wayne
• "Just The Way You Are" - Barry White
• "Who Are You" - The Who
• "Lovely Day" - Bill Withers
• "I Just Wanna Stop" - Gino Vannelli
• "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 from 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

Classical music

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

Opera

• Robert Ashley - Perfect Lives
• György Ligeti - Le grand macabre
• 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 20 - Jenny Frost,Atomic Kitten
• March 11 - Joel , Good Charlotte
• April 22 - Daniel Johns, Silverchair
• May 1 - Matt Lovato, Mest
• August 23 - Julian Casablancas, The Strokes
• August 28 - Max Collins, Eve 6
• September 13 - Fiona Apple
• September 30 - Steve Klein , New Found Glory
• October 14 - Usher
• October 27 - Vanessa-Mae, violinist
• November 9 - Sisqo
• December 1 - Brad Delson, Linkin Park

Deaths

• January 23 - Terry Kath, Chicago guitarist and vocalist
• January 31 - Greg Herbert , Blood, Sweat & Tears saxophonist
• April 21 - Sandy Denny, Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, cerebral haemorrhage
• May 1 - Aram Khachaturian, composer
• 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 23 - Maybelle Carter née Addington, US country singer and musician, member of the Carter Family
• November 12 - Howard Swanson, composer