January 3 – Ex-Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs.
January 4 – The Who drummer Keith Moon fatally runs over his chauffeur with his Bentley trying to escape a mob outside a pub. The death is later ruled an accident.
January 7 – Max Yasgur, owner of the New York farm where the 1969 Woodstock Festival was held, is sued for $35,000 in property damages by neighboring farmers.
January 9 - Led Zeppelin performs at The Royal Albert Hall. John Bonham plays a fifteen minutes rendition of Moby Dick.
January 14 – Diana Ross and the Supremes perform for the last time together at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.
January 16 – John Lennon's London art gallery exhibit of lithographs, Bag One, is shut down by Scotland Yard for displaying "erotic lithographs".
January 24 – James "Shep" Sheppard, of The Heartbeats and Shep and the Limelites, is found murdered in his car on the Long Island Expressway.
January 26 – Simon & Garfunkel release their final album together, Bridge Over Troubled Water. The title track and album stay #1 on the Billboard charts for six weeks and go on to win a record six Grammys at the 13th Grammy Awards, including "Record of the Year", "Song of the Year", and "Album of the Year." In Britain it tops the album chart at regular intervals over the next two years, and becomes the best-selling album in Britain during the 1970s.
January 27 - Miles Davis makes the final recordings for his experimental album Circle in the Round, featuring sitar and tabla.
January 28 – The newly formed Band of Gypsies breaks up when guitarist Jimi Hendrix walks out after playing just two songs, telling the audience "I'm sorry we just can't get it together".
February 11 – The film The Magic Christian, starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, is premiered in New York City. The film's soundtrack album, including Badfinger's "Come and Get It" (written and produced by Paul McCartney), is released on Apple Records.
February 13 – English band Black Sabbath release their self titled debut album in the U.K., credited as the first major album in the heavy metal genre.
February 14 – The Who records Live At Leeds in Yorkshire, England. The Grateful Dead plays an equally historic concert on the same date at the Fillmore East, New York City.
February 17 – Joni Mitchell announces that she is retiring from live performances, following her show at London's Royal Albert Hall. She would be back performing concerts within a year.
February 23 – Ringo Starr appears on the television show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.
February 27 – Jefferson Airplane is fined $1,000 for using profanity during a concert in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
February 28 – Led Zeppelin perform in Copenhagen under the pseudonym The Nobs, to avoid a threatened lawsuit by Count Eva von Zeppelin, descendant of airship designer Ferdinand von Zeppelin.
March 4 – Janis Joplin is fined $200 for using obscene language during a concert performance in Tampa, Florida.
March 6 – Cult leader and suspected murderer Charles Manson releases an album titled Lie: The Love and Terror Cult to help finance his defense.
March 7 – Mountain, one of the many bands credited as having influence in the development of heavy metal music, releases Climbing!, their debut album.
March 15 – West German pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka features 5½ hours' daily live performances of the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen (to September 13).
March 19 – David Bowie marries model Angela Barnett.
March 21 – In Amsterdam, Dana wins the 15th annual Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland with the song All Kinds of Everything. She is elected to the European Parliament some 29 years later.
March 25 – José José gives a masterful performance of the song "El Triste" at the "Latin Song Festival II", predecessor of the OTI Festival.
March 26 – Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) pleads guilty to "taking immoral liberties" with a 14-year-old girl in Washington, D.C., on August 31, 1969.
April 2 – The London Magistrate's Court hears arguments on John Lennon's indecency summons for his exhibition of erotic lithographs during his art exhibit on January 16.
April 3 – Minneapolis nightclub the Depot opens, eventually renamed to First Avenue.
April 10 – Paul McCartney publicly announces the break-up of The Beatles.
April 14 - Michael Nesmith announces he has left The Monkees.
April 17 – Johnny Cash performs at the White House at the invitation of President Richard M. Nixon.
April 20 – Paul McCartney's first solo album, McCartney, is released.
April 24 – Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane is invited to a tea party at the White House by Tricia Nixon, daughter of U.S. President Richard Nixon. Slick arrives at the party with Abbie Hoffman, who is on trial for conspiring to riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The pair planned to spike Nixon's tea cup with a heavy dose of LSD. Slick is recognized (although Hoffman is not) and told to leave because she is on the FBI list.
May 4 – Charles Wuorinen, 32, becomes the youngest composer ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
May 8 – The Beatles' last LP, Let It Be, is released.
May 16
Randy Bachman leaves the Guess Who to start up Brave Belt.
The Who release Live at Leeds which is their first live album. Since its initial reception, Live at Leeds has been cited by several music critics as the best live rock recording of all time.
May 20 – The Beatles' film Let It Be premières in London and Liverpool. None of the four band members are in attendance at either screening.
May 23–24 – Grateful Dead make their first British appearance at Hollywood Festival, Newcastle-under-Lyme, on a bill also featuring Black Sabbath, Free, and José Feliciano. Everyone is completely upstaged by the previously unknown Mungo Jerry, whose debut single "In the Summertime" becomes the best-selling hit of the year.
June - Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe receives the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
June 7 - The Who play two shows of Tommy, at the New York Metropolitan Opera House.
June 13
"The Long and Winding Road" becomes the Beatles' last U.S. Number 1 song, though it is never released as a single in Britain.
The Stooges play at the Cincinnati Pop Festival, Midsummer Rock.
July 4 – The music countdown show American Top 40 debuts.
July 17 – The Guess Who perform at the White House for President Nixon and his guest The Prince of Wales. At Pat Nixon's request, they do not play their breakthrough hit "American Woman" due to the song's supposed anti-American lyrics.
July 26 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix plays at his hometown of Seattle at Sicks Stadium where, under the influence of drugs, he starts verbally abusing members of the audience.
August 3 – Janis Joplin makes her final TV appearance, on the Dick Cavett Show.
August 26–30 – The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 takes place on East Afton Farm off the coast of England. Some 600,000 people attend the largest rock festival of all time. Artists include The Moody Blues, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Chicago, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Jethro Tull.
August 30 – The Rolling Stones open their European tour in Malmö, Sweden.
September 6 – During his final European tour, guitarist Jimi Hendrix is greeted by booing and jeering by German fans as a result of his late appearance on stage and incoherent stage performance. Bassist Billy Cox quits the tour and returns to the United States.
September 17 – Jimi Hendrix makes his last appearance, with Eric Burdon & War jamming at Ronnie Scotts Club in London. Hendrix, aged 27, dies the following day from a barbiturate overdose at his London hotel.
October 4 – Janis Joplin is found dead in her bedroom in the Landmark Motor Hotel in Hollywood. She died from a heroin overdose, at the age of 27.
October 10 – Newly independent Fiji adopts God Bless Fiji as its national anthem.
October 30 – Jim Morrison of The Doors, found guilty of indecent exposure and profanity because of his behavior during a March 1, 1969, concert, is sentenced to eight months of hard labor and a $500 fine.
November 12 - After Yehudi Menuhin accepts honorary citizenship from Switzerland, he receives a letter from the United States State Department telling him that both he and his son will lose their US citizenship as a result.
November 23 – The Electric Factory concert venue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania' closes its doors.
December 8 – John Lennon conducts a lengthy and intensely candid interview with Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine. He discusses his new solo album and the influence of primal therapy on its creation, as well as his personal traumas dating back to childhood. He also makes many revelations about his time in The Beatles, including his account of the group's breakup.
December 12 - The Doors play their final concert with singer Jim Morrison at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana. After the concert The Doors decide that they will not play live anymore due to Morrisons unpredictable live persona.
December 31
The Beatles officially and finally split up after 10 years.
Dalida, still unable to cut a UK record deal, leaves Barclay Records for Orlando Records.
See Musical groups established in 1970
Bands disbanded
The Beatles break up permanently.
The Nice disband.
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band split, with reunions in 1972, 1988, and 2006.
Simon & Garfunkel – both members of the duo go on to solo careers, although they have reunited and performed together numerous times since breaking up.
The Turtles (reform in 1983)
See also Musical groups disestablished in 1970
In 1970, 4,000 albums and 5,700 singles were released in the US.
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1970.
Top hits – US and UK singles
"ABC" – The Jackson 5
"After Midnight" – Eric Clapton
"Ain't It Funky Now (Part 1)" – James Brown
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" – Diana Ross
"Airport Love Theme (Gwen & Vern)" – Vincent Bell & Orchestra
"All I Have to Do Is Dream" – Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell
"All Kinds of Everything" – Dana (Won the Eurovision song contest)
"All Right Now" – Free
"Always Something There to Remind Me" – R. B. Greaves
"Amazing Grace" – Judy Collins
"American Woman" – The Guess Who
"Amos Moses" – Jerry Reed
"Are You Ready?" – Pacific Gas & Electric
"Arizona" – Mark Lindsay
"As the Years Go By" – Mashmakhan
"Baby Hold On" – The Grass Roots
"Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" – The Temptations
"Band of Gold" – Freda Payne
"Be My Baby" – Andy Kim
"Beaucoups of Blues" – Ringo Starr
"The Bells" – The Originals
"Betty" – The Commodores (Not from Tuskegee, but a white quintet from Chatsworth, California)
"Big Yellow Taxi" – Joni Mitchell
"Black Magic Woman" – Santana
"Black Night" – Deep Purple
"(Blame It) On The Pony Express" – Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon
"Blowing Away" – The 5th Dimension
"Border Song (Holy Moses)" – Aretha Franklin
"Born to Wander" – Rare Earth
"The Boxer" – Simon & Garfunkel
"Bridge over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel
"Brontosaurus" – The Move
"Brother Rapp (Parts 1 & 2)" – James Brown
"Call Me" – Aretha Franklin
"Candida" – Tony Orlando and Dawn
"Can't Help Falling in Love" – Andy Williams
"Cecilia" – Simon & Garfunkel
"Celebrate" – Three Dog Night
"Check Out Your Mind" – The Impressions
"Chestnut Mare" – The Byrds
"(They Long to Be) Close to You" – The Carpenters
"I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" – Grand Funk Railroad
"Come And Get It" – Badfinger
"Come Running" – Van Morrison
"Come Saturday Morning" – The Sandpipers
"Cottonfields" – The Beach Boys
"Cracklin' Rosie" – Neil Diamond
"Cry Me a River" – Joe Cocker
"Cupid" – Johnny Nash
"Daughter of Darkness" – Tom Jones
"Deeper and Deeper" – Freda Payne
"Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" – The Delfonics
"Do It" – Neil Diamond
"Do the Funky Chicken" – Rufus Thomas
"Do What You Wanna Do" – Five Flights Up
"Do You See My Love (for You Growing)" – Jr. Walker & the All-Stars
"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" – Chicago
"Domino" – Van Morrison
"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" – Aretha Franklin
"Easy Come, Easy Go" – Bobby Sherman
"El Condor Pasa" – Simon & Garfunkel
"Eli's Coming" – Three Dog Night
"Engine Number 9" – Wilson Pickett
"Everybody Get Together" – The Dave Clark Five
"Everybody's Got the Right to Love" – The Supremes
"Everybody's Out of Town" – B. J. Thomas
"Everything Is Beautiful" – Ray Stevens
"Everything's Tuesday" – Chairmen of the Board
"Evil Ways" – Santana
"Express Yourself" – Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
"Farewell is a Lonely Sound" – Jimmy Ruffin
"Fire and Rain" – James Taylor
"For the Good Times" – Ray Price
"For the Love of Him" – Bobbi Martin
"Friends" – Arrival
"Get Ready" – Rare Earth
"Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" – James Brown
"Gimme Dat Ding" – The Pipkins
"The Girls' Song" - The 5th Dimension
"Give Me Just a Little More Time" – Chairmen of the Board
"God, Love and Rock & Roll" – Teegarden & Van Winkle
"Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha" – Cliff Richard
"Gotta Hold on to This Feeling" – Jr. Walker & the All Stars
"Govinda" – Radha Krishna Temple
"Green-Eyed Lady" – Sugarloaf
"The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Prong Crown)" – Fleetwood Mac
"Groovin' with Mr. Bloe" – Mr. Bloe
"Groovy Situation" – Gene Chandler
"Gypsy Woman" – Brian Hyland
"Hand Me Down World" – The Guess Who
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" – Neil Diamond
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" – The Hollies
"Heaven Help Us All" – Stevie Wonder
"Heed the Call" – Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
"Hey Lawdy Mama" – Steppenwolf
"Hey There Lonely Girl" – Eddie Holman
"Hey, Mister Sun" – Bobby Sherman
"Hi-De-Ho" – Blood, Sweat & Tears
"Hitchin' a Ride" – Vanity Fare
"Holly Holy" – Neil Diamond
"Home Lovin' Man" – Andy Williams
"Honey Come Back" – Glen Campbell
"House of the Rising Sun" – Frijid Pink
"I (Who Have Nothing)" – Tom Jones
"I Ain't Got Time Anymore" – Cliff Richard
"I Am Somebody (Part 2)" – Johnnie Taylor
"I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top" – The Hollies
"I Don't Believe In If Anymore" – Roger Whittaker
"I Hear You Knocking" – Dave Edmunds
"I Just Can't Help Believing" – B. J. Thomas
"I'm Not My Brother's Keeper" – The Flaming Ember
"I Really Don't Want to Know" – Elvis Presley
"I Think I Love You" – The Partridge Family
"I Want You Back" – The Jackson 5
"I Will Survive" – Arrival
"If I Were Your Woman" – Gladys Knight & the Pips
"If You Could Read My Mind" – Gordon Lightfoot
"(If You Let Me Make Love to You Then) Why Can't I Touch You?" – Ronnie Dyson
"I'll Be There" – The Jackson 5
"I'll Never Fall in Love Again" – Dionne Warwick
"I'll Say Forever My Love" – Jimmy Ruffin
"I'm A Man" – Chicago
"I'm Not My Brother's Keeper" – The Flaming Ember
"Immigrant Song" – Led Zeppelin
"In the Summertime" – Mungo Jerry
"Indiana Wants Me" – R. Dean Taylor
"Instant Karma!" – John Lennon, Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band
"It Don't Matter to Me" – Bread
"It's a New Day (Parts 1 & 2)" – James Brown
"It's a Shame" – The Spinners
"It's All in the Game" – Four Tops
"It's Impossible" – Perry Como
"It's Only Make Believe" – Glen Campbell
"It's So Easy" - Andy Williams
"I've Lost You" – Elvis Presley
"(I Know) I'm Losing You" – Rare Earth
"You've Got Me Dangling on a String" – Chairmen of the Board
"5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years of Love)" – The Presidents
"Jam Up and Jelly Tight" – Tommy Roe
"Jennifer Tomkins" – Street People
"Jingle Jangle" – The Archies
"Joanne" – Michael Nesmith & The First National Band
"Joy of Living" – Cliff & Hank
"Julie, Do Ya Love Me" – Bobby Sherman
"Kentucky Rain" – Elvis Presley
"Knock Knock, Who's There?" – Mary Hopkin
"Knock Three Times" – Tony Orlando and Dawn
"Lady Barbara" - Herman's Hermits
"Lady D'Arbanville" – Cat Stevens (all other versions were dubbed)
"Lay A Little Lovin' On Me" – Robin McNamara
"Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" – Melanie with The Edwin Hawkins Singers
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" – Peter, Paul and Mary
"Let A Man Come in and Do the Popcorn (Part 2)" – James Brown
"Let It Be" – The Beatles
"Let's Work Together" – Canned Heat
"The Letter" – Joe Cocker with Leon Russell
"Little Green Bag" – George Baker Selection
"Lola" – The Kinks
"Lonely Days" – Bee Gees
"The Long and Winding Road" – The Beatles
"Long Lonesome Highway" – Michael Parks
"Long, Long Time" – Linda Ronstadt
"Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma" – The New Seekers
"Lookin' Out My Back Door" – Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" – Edison Lighthouse
"Love Land" – Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
"Love of the Common People" – Nicky Thomas
"Love on a Two-Way Street" – The Moments
"Love or Let Me Be Lonely" – The Friends of Distinction
"Love the One You're With" – Stephen Stills
"The Love You Save" – The Jackson 5
"Lucretia MacEvil" – Blood, Sweat & Tears
"Ma Belle Amie" – The Tee Set
"Make It Easy on Yourself" – Dionne Warwick
"Make It with You" – Bread
"Make Me Smile" – Chicago
"Mama Told Me Not to Come" – Three Dog Night
"Me And My Life" – The Tremeloes
"Midnight Cowboy" – Ferrante & Teicher
"Mississippi Queen" – Mountain
"Mongoose" – Elephant's Memory
"Montego Bay" – Bobby Bloom
"Most of All" – B. J. Thomas
"Mr. Bojangles" – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
"My Baby Loves Lovin'" – White Plains
"My Sweet Lord" – George Harrison
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" – Steam
"Natural Sinner" – Fair Weather
"Neanderthal Man" – Hotlegs
"Never Had a Dream Come True" – Stevie Wonder
"New World Coming" - Mama Cass
"New World in the Morning" – Roger Whittaker
"No Matter What" – Badfinger
"No Sugar Tonight" - The Guess Who
"No Time" – The Guess Who
"Ohio" – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"One Day of Your Life" - Andy Williams
"One Less Bell to Answer" – The 5th Dimension
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" – Neil Young
"On the Beach (In the Summertime)" - The 5th Dimension
"Ooh Child" – The Five Stairsteps
"Our House" – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"Out in the Country" – Three Dog Night
"Overture from Tommy (A Rock Opera)" – The Assembled Multitude
"Paranoid" – Black Sabbath
"Patches" – Clarence Carter
"Psychedelic Shack" – The Temptations
"Puppet Man" – The 5th Dimension
"Question" – The Moody Blues
"Rainbow" – Marmalade
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" – B. J. Thomas
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" – Bobbie Gentry
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" – Sacha Distel (dubbed)
"Rainy Night In Georgia" – Brook Benton
"The Rapper" – The Jaggerz
"Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" – Diana Ross
"Reflections of My Life" – Marmalade
"Remember Me" – Diana Ross
"Ride Captain Ride" – Blues Image
"Rubber Duckie" – Ernie (Jim Henson)
"Ruby Tuesday" – Melanie
"Save the Country" – The 5th Dimension
"See Me, Feel Me" – The Who
"Share the Land" – The Guess Who
"She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" – Joe Cocker
"Shilo" – Neil Diamond
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" – Stevie Wonder
"Silver Bird" – Mark Lindsay
"Sly, Slick & The Wicked" – Lost Generation
"Snowbird" – Anne Murray
"Solitary Man" – Neil Diamond
"Somebody's Been Sleeping" – 100 Proof (Aged in Soul)
"Someday We'll Be Together" – Diana Ross & the Supremes
"Something" – Shirley Bassey
"Something's Burning" – Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
"Son of a Preacher Man" – Aretha Franklin
"A Song of Joy (Himno A La Alegria)" – Miguel Rios
"Soolaimon (African Trilogy II)" – Neil Diamond
"Spill the Wine" – Eric Burdon & War
"Spirit in the Dark" – Aretha Franklin
"Spirit in the Sky" – Norman Greenbaum
"Stand By Your Man" – Candi Staton
"Steal Away" – Johnnie Taylor
"Still Water (Love)" – Four Tops
"Stoned Love" – The Supremes
"Stoney End" – Barbra Streisand
"Stop the War Now" – Edwin Starr
"Sugar, Sugar" – Wilson Pickett
"Summertime Blues" – The Who
"Super Bad (Parts 1 & 2)" – James Brown
"Sweet Gingerbread Man" - Mark Curb Congregation
"Sweet Inspiration" – Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon
"Take a Letter Maria" – R. B. Greaves
"Teach Your Children" – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"The Tears of a Clown" – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
"Tell It All, Brother" – Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
"Temma Harbour" – Mary Hopkin
"Temptation Eyes" – The Grass Roots
"Tennessee Bird Walk" – Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
"Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" – Sly & the Family Stone
"That's Where I Went Wrong" – Poppy Family
"The Thrill Is Gone" – B. B. King
"Ticket to Ride" – The Carpenters
"Tighter, Tighter" – Alive N Kickin'
"Tobacco Road" – Eric Burdon & War
"Tracy" – The Cuff Links
"Travelin' Band" – Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Turn Back the Hands of Time" – Tyrone Davis
"25 or 6 to 4" – Chicago
"Ugena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World)" – The Temptations
"United We Stand" – The Brotherhood of Man
"Up Around the Bend" – Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Up on Cripple Creek" – The Band
"Up the Ladder to the Roof" – The Supremes
"Vehicle" – The Ides of March
"Venus" – Shocking Blue
"Viva Tirado (Part 1)" – El Chicano
"Voodoo Chile" – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
"Walk a Mile in My Shoes" – Joe South
"Wand'rin' Star" – Lee Marvin
"War" – Edwin Starr
"We Gotta Get You a Woman" – Runt (Todd Rundgren)
"Westbound #9" – The Flaming Ember
"We've Only Just Begun" – The Carpenters
"What Is Truth" – Johnny Cash
"When I'm Dead And Gone" – McGuinness Flint
"Which Way You Goin' Billy?" – Poppy Family
"Whole Lotta Love" – Led Zeppelin
"Whole Lotta Love" – C.C.S.
"Who'll Stop the Rain" – Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Who's Your Baby" – The Archies
"Wild World" - Cat Stevens
"The Witch" – The Rattles
"The Witch's Promise"/"Teacher" – Jethro Tull
"Without Love" – Tom Jones
"The Wonder of You"/"Mama Liked the Roses" – Elvis Presley
"Wonderful World, Beautiful People" – Jimmy Cliff
"Woodstock" – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"Woodstock" – Matthews Southern Comfort
"Years May Come, Years May Go" - Herman's Hermits
"Yellow River" – Christie
"You Can Get It If You Really Want" – Desmond Dekker
"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" – Elvis Presley
"You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)" – Gladys Knight & the Pips
"Young, Gifted and Black" – Bob and Marcia
"An American Trilogy" medley written & arranged by Mickey Newbury
"Bein' Green" w.m. Joe Raposo, from the TV series Sesame Street
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" w.m. John C. Fogerty
"I Love youuuuuu" w.m. Jeff Moss, from the TV series Sesame Street
"If Not For You" w.m. Bob Dylan
"Kentucky Rain" w.m. Eddie Rabbitt & Dick Heard
"The Ladies Who Lunch" w.m. Stephen Sondheim. Introduced by Elaine Stritch in the musical Company.
"Lookin' out My Back Door" w.m. John C. Fogerty
"People in Your Neighborhood" w.m. Jeff Moss, from the TV series Sesame Street
"Rubber Duckie" w.m. Jeff Moss, from the TV series Sesame Street
"Teach Your Children" w.m. Graham Nash
"(They Long to Be) Close to You" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
"Who'll Stop the Rain" w.m. John C. Fogerty
"Where Do I Begin" (Love Story) – w. Carl Sigman, m. Francis Lai
Sir Arthur Bliss – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
George Crumb
Ancient Voices of Children for mezzo-soprano, boy soprano, oboe, mandolin, harp, amplified piano (and toy piano), and percussion (three players)
Black Angels (Images I) for electric string quartet
Mario Davidovsky – Synchronisms No. 6 for piano and electronic sound
Charles Dodge – Earth's Magnetic Field
Henri Dutilleux – Figures de résonances for two pianos
Morton Feldman
Madame Press Died Last Week at Ninety
The Viola in My Life 1, 2 and 3
Luc Ferrari – Presque rien No. 1 "Le Lever du jour au bord de la mer"
Miloslav Kabeláč – Symphony No. 8 "Antiphonies"
György Ligeti – Continuum
Witold Lutosławski – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
Olivier Messiaen – La Fauvette des Jardins
Allan Pettersson – Symphony No. 9
Poul Ruders – Piano Sonata No. 1
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Expo for three players with short-wave radios, and sound projectionist
Mantra for two pianos and live electronics
Pole for two players with short-wave radios, and sound projectionist
Herman D. Koppel – Macbeth
1776, London production
Applause (book: Betty Comden & Adolph Green, lyrics: Lee Adams, music: Charles Strouse) – Broadway production opened at the Palace Theater and ran for 896 performances
The Boy Friend (Sandy Wilson) – Broadway revival
Cabaret (Kander and Ebb) – Vienna production
Company (Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theater and ran for 705 performances
Dames at Sea, Broadway revival
Georgy, Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theater and ran for four performances
Golden Bat Off-Broadway production opened at the Sheridan Square Playhouse on July 21 and ran for 152 performances
The Great Waltz, London production
Look to the Lilies (Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn) – Broadway production opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and ran for 25 performances
The Me Nobody Knows, started as an off-Broadway production, then moved to Broadway, where it ran for 378 performances
Minnie's Boys, Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre and ran for 80 performances
Purlie, Broadway production opened at The Broadway Theatre and ran for 688 performances
The Rothschilds (book: Sherman Yellen, lyrics: Sheldon Harnick, music: Jerry Bock), Broadway production opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on October 19 and ran for 507 performances. Starring Hal Linden, Jill Clayburgh and Paul Hecht.
Two by Two, Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre and ran for ten months
The Aristocats, animated feature film with the voices of Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Thurl Ravenscroft, Hermione Baddeley and Sterling Holloway
Darling Lili, starring Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, Lance Percival and Jeremy Kemp
Dastak, Hindi film starring Sanjeev Kumar
Johny Mera Naam, Hindi film starring Dev Anand and Pran
Let It Be, a documentary film featuring The Beatles
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Barbra Streisand, Yves Montand and Bob Newhart
Peau d'Âne, starring Catherine Deneuve and Jean Marais, with music by Michel Legrand
Scrooge, starring Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Kenneth More, Suzanne Neve and Anton Rodgers
Song of Norway, starring Toralv Maurstad, Florence Henderson and Harry Secombe.
Woodstock, a documentary film featuring Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat and others
January – Frank Mullen, American rock singer (Suffocation)
January 2
Eric Whitacre, composer
Karen Kamensek, orchestra conductor
January 9
Lara Fabian, Belgian singer
Mia X, rapper
January 12
Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against the Machine)
Raekwon, rapper
January 18 – DJ Quik, rapper and record producer
January 20 – Edwin McCain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
January 23 – Brendan O'Connor, Irish singer and television host
January 26 – Kirk Franklin, gospel singer
January 27 – Mark Trojanowski (Sister Hazel)
January 31
Minnie Driver, actress and singer
Danny Michel, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
February 18
Susan Egan, American actress and singer
Raine Maida, Canadian musician and beat poet
February 26 – Linda Brava, Finnish violinist
March 5 – John Frusciante, guitarist (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
March 7 – Vladislav Adelkhanov, Russian classical violinist and writer
March 9
La India, salsa singer
Shannon Leto, American drummer (Thirty Seconds to Mars)
March 17 – Gene Ween, guitarist and vocalist (Ween)
March 18 – Queen Latifah, American rapper, singer and actress
March 24 – Sharon Corr, Irish musician
March 25 – Teri Moïse, American singer
March 27
Brendan Hill, drummer (Blues Traveler)
Mariah Carey, American singer and songwriter
April 4 – Sean Kelly, Canadian musician
April 5 – Miho Hatori, Japanese singer and songwriter (Cibo Matto)
April 6 – Joe Gittleman, guitarist (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones)
April 10 – Mike Mushok, guitarist (Staind)
April 11 – Delroy Pearson, British singer (Five Star)
April 12 – Nick Hexum, American singer and guitarist
April 13
Eduardo Capetillo, Mexican actor and singer
Seagram, American rapper (d. 1996)
April 17 – Redman, rapper
April 18 – Greg Eklund, American rock drummer (Everclear)
April 19 – Luis Miguel, Mexican singer
April 20 – Phife Dawg, rapper
April 22 – Regine Velasquez, Filipino singer, actress, model and record producer
April 26 – Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, singer and songwriter TLC
May 4 – Gregg Alexander, singer-songwriter (New Radicals)
May 9 – Ghostface Killah, American rapper
May 10 – Perry Blake, Irish singer-songwriter
May 15 – Attrell Cordes (P.M. Dawn)
May 17 – Jordan Knight, American singer (New Kids on the Block)
May 18 – Billy Howerdel, guitarist, songwriter and producer (A Perfect Circle)
June 2 – B-Real, rapper (Cypress Hill)
June 3 – Peter Tägtgren, Swedish musician (Hypocrisy)
June 10 – Mike Doughty, American singer
June 13 – Rivers Cuomo, singer, guitarist and songwriter (Weezer)
June 15 – Claus Norreen, Danish musician and record producer (Aqua)
June 17 – Sasha Sokol, Mexican singer
June 19
MJ Hibbett, English singer-songwriter
Brian Welch, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Korn and Love and Death)
June 21
Eric Reed, American pianist and composer (Black Note)
Pete Rock, American rapper and producer (Pete Rock & CL Smooth)
June 22 – Steven Page, Canadian singer and songwriter (Barenaked Ladies)
June 23 – Yann Tiersen, Breton musician
June 24 – Glenn Medeiros, American singer
July 4 – Christian Giesler, American bass player (Kreator)
July 6 – Morten Ryelund Sørensen, Danish violinist and conductor
July 8 – Beck, singer-songwriter
July 10
Gary LeVox, American singer
Jason Orange, British singer (Take That)
July 12 – Juba Kalamka, American rapper (Deep Dickollective)
July 14 – Thomas Lauderdale, American pianist (Pink Martini)
July 15 – Chi Cheng (musician), American rock bassist
August 3 – Itamar Golan, Israeli pianist
August 11 – Andy Bell, bassist
August 19 – Joseph Cartagena (Fat Joe), American rapper
August 23 – River Phoenix, actor and singer of Aleka's Attic (d. 1993)
August 24 – Kristyn Robyn Osborn, American country singer (SHeDAISY)
August 28 – Sherrié Austin, actress and singer
August 30 – Guang Liang, Malaysian singer
August 31 – Debbie Gibson, American singer-songwriter
September 4 – Daisy Dee, singer
September 5 – Liam Lynch, songwriter and music video director
September 7 – Chad Sexton, drummer (311)
September 8 – Benny Ibarra, Mexican singer
September 9 – Macy Gray, singer
September 10
Jeff Marx, American Broadway composer
Ménélik, French rapper
September 14 – Craig Montoya, bassist (Everclear)
September 15 – Jukka Jokikokko, Finnish musician and studio engineer
September 19 – Takanori Nishikawa, singer and actor (T.M. Revolution)
September 23 – Ani DiFranco, singer, guitarist and songwriter
October 5 - South Park Mexican,Chiacno rapper
October 6 – Amy Jo Johnson, American actress and singer
October 15 – Eric Benét, American singer
October 21 – Tony Mortimer, British singer (East 17)
October 24 – Jarkko Martikainen, Finnish rock musician
October 27 – Adrian Erlandsson, Swedish drummer
October 31 – Linn Berggren, Swedish musician (Ace of Base)
November 2 – Ely Buendia, Filipino rock lead singer and rhythm guitarist (The Eraserheads)
November 7 – Neil Hannon, Northern Irish musician (The Divine Comedy)
November 9
Susan Tedeschi, American musician and singer
Scarface, American rapper
November 12 – Sarah Harmer, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
November 15 – Jack Ingram, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
November 20 – Q-Tip, rapper
December 2
Sergei Krylov, violinist
Treach, American rapper (Naughty by Nature)
December 6 – Ulf Ekberg, Swedish musician (Ace of Base)
December 9 – Kara DioGuardi, American songwriter
December 14 – Beth Orton, British singer-songwriter
December 16 – Benjamin Kowalewicz, Canadian musician
December 18
DMX, American rapper
Cowboy Troy, American singer and rapper
December 24 – Will Oldham, American musician
December 29 – Aled Jones, Welsh boy soprano, later baritone
date unknown - Ralph Farris, American violist, violinist, composer, arranger, producer and conductor (ETHEL)
January 5 – Roberto Gerhard, composer, 73
January 9 – Jani Christou, composer, 44 (car accident)
January 17
Simon Kovar, bassoonist
Billy Stewart, scat singer, 32 (car accident)
January 25 – Jane Bathori, opera singer, 92
January 31 – Slim Harpo, blues musician, 46 (heart attack)
February 1 – Blaž Arnič, composer, 69 (car crash)
February 12
Ishmon Bracey, blues musician, 69
Nick Pantas, guitarist (Elf) (car accident)
André Souris, composer and writer, 70
February 19 - Pavel Ludikar, operatic bass, 87
February 20 – Albert Wolff, conductor, 86
March 1 – Lucille Hegamin, blues singer, 75
March 16 – Tammi Terrell, singer, 24 (brain tumor)
April 12 - Kerstin Thorborg, operatic contralto, 73
April 20 – Shakeel Badayuni, songwriter, 53 (diabetes-related)
April 21 – Earl Hooker, blues musician, 41 (tuberculosis)
April 23 – Adeline Genée, ballerina
April 24 – Otis Spann, blues musician, 40 (liver cancer)
April 26 – Gypsy Rose Lee, burlesque entertainer, 59 (cancer)
May 11 – Johnny Hodges, jazz musician
May 14 – Jack Fina, pianist and bandleader, 56 (heart attack)
May 22 - John Waterhouse, Canadian violinist, conductor, and music educator, 92
May 23 – Nydia Westman, actress and singer
June – Calvin Boze, trumpeter and bandleader
June 11 – Earl Grant, pianist and singer, 39 (car accident)
June 16
Heino Eller, composer and music teacher
Lonnie Johnson, blues and jazz musician
July 7 – Charles Tobias, US songwriter and singer
July 12 – L. Wolfe Gilbert, Russian-born US songwriter
July 13 – Roger Edens, composer and arranger, 64
July 14 – Luis Mariano, singer and actor
July 17 – Stanley Wilson, conductor, arranger and film composer, 54 (heart attack)
July 23 – Leith Stevens, composer, 60 (heart attack)
July 29 – Sir John Barbirolli, conductor and cellist, 70 (heart attack)
July 29 - Jonel Perlea, conductor, 69
July 30 – George Szell, conductor and composer, 73 (cancer)
July 31 – Booker Ervin, jazz musician, 39 (kidney failure)
August 10 – Bernd Alois Zimmermann, composer, 52 (suicide)
September 2
Mercedes Llopart, operatic soprano, 75
Kees van Baaren, composer and music teacher, 63
September 3 – Alan Wilson, singer of Canned Heat, 27 (drug overdose)
September 18
Jimi Hendrix, guitarist and singer, 27 (asphyxiated)
Maxwell Davis, saxophonist, 54
September 25 - Yefim Golyshev, Ukrainian violinist, painter and composer, 73
October 2 – Bo Linde, Swedish composer, 37
October 4
Janis Joplin, singer, 27 (heroin overdose)
George Frederick McKay, composer, 71
October 13 – Julia Culp, operatic soprano ("the Dutch nightingale"), 90
October 22
Pauline Donalda, operatic soprano, 88
Samson François, pianist, 46
October 28 – Baby Huey, singer, 26 (heart attack)
October 31 – Arvid Andersen, violinist, conductor and composer
November 6 – Agustín Lara, composer, 73
November 7 – Eddie Peabody, banjo player, 68
November 19 – Maria Yudina, pianist, 71
November 25 – Albert Ayler, saxophonist and composer, 34
December 19 - Giulia Recli, composer and writer, 80
December 23 – Mimi Benzell, operatic soprano, 46 (cancer)
December 31
Ray Henderson, songwriter, 74
Cyril Scott, composer, 91
date unknown
Efisio Melis, folk musician
Rokneddin Mokhtari, Iranian violinist
Grammy Awards of 1970
Eurovision Song Contest 1970
