This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.

Specific locations

• 1978 in British music
• 1978 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

• 1978 in country music
• 1978 in heavy metal music
• 1978 in jazz

Events

January–April

• January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show (until a 1996 reunion) at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom.
• January 16 – Elton John appears on this week's People (magazine) without his trademark glasses. John will still wear glasses occasionally for the next ten years until wearing them permanently again.
• January 17 – Simple Minds make their very first live performance at Glasgow's Satellite City.^[1]
• January 21 – As Saturday Night Fever becomes a cultural phenomenon, the soundtrack hits #1 on the Billboard Charts, where it will stay until July.
• January 23 – Terry Kath, guitarist and founding member of rock band Chicago, dies from an accidental gunshot wound to the head from a gun he thought was unloaded, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles; he is 32 years old.
• January 25
  • Electric Light Orchestra kick off their "Out of the Blue" world tour in Honolulu, Hawaii.
  • Bob Dylan makes his directorial debut in the surrealist film Renaldo and Clara, shot during his Rolling Thunder Revue tour.
• January 26 – Workers at EMI's record processing plant in England refuse to press copies of The Buzzcocks's second single "What Do I Get?" because of its flipside, "Oh Shit!". The single is eventually pressed and goes on to become the band's first hit.
• January 28 – By request, Ted Nugent autographs his name into a fan's arm with a bowie knife in Philadelphia.
• February 4 – Elton John appears as the guest star on The Muppet Show.
• February 10 – Van Halen debuts with a self-titled album; Eddie Van Halen introduces a powerful new sound and technique to world, while David Lee Roth is ushered in as the front man.
• February 23 – The 20th Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by John Denver. Fleetwood Mac's Rumours wins Album of the Year, the Eagles' "Hotel California" wins Record of the Year and, in a rare tie, Barbra Streisand's "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" and Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" both collectively win Song of the Year. Boone also wins Best New Artist.
• March 11 – Kate Bush tops the UK Singles Chart with "Wuthering Heights", becoming the first-ever female artist to top the chart with a self-penned song.^[2]
• March 18 – California Jam II is held at the Ontario Motor Speedway in California. Over 300,000 fans come to see Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Santana, Dave Mason, Foreigner, Heart and more.
• April 22
  • In the Eurovision Song Contest in Paris, France, victory goes to Israel's entry "A-Ba-Ni-Bi", performed by Izhar Cohen & The Alphabeta.
  • The "One Love Peace Concert" is held in Kingston, Jamaica, headlined by Bob Marley, making his first concert appearance since December 1976.
  • Steve Martin performs the original "King Tut" on Saturday Night Live; also this night, The Blues Brothers make their first appearance on the show.

May–July

• May 6 – The Knack is formed (first album released in 1979).
• May 13 – Barry Gibb becomes the only songwriter in history to have written 4 consecutive #1 singles on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart.
• May 18 – The Buddy Holly Story, starring Gary Busey, is released. It would win the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score, and earn a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Busey) and Best Sound.
• May 25 – In a performance used for The Kids Are Alright, The Who play their last show with Keith Moon.
• June 7 - Prince's debut single Soft and Wet is released by Warner Bros. Records.
• June 10 – The Rolling Stones begin their 25-date US summer tour in Lakeland, Florida.
• June 13 – The Cramps play a free concert for patients at the Napa State Mental Hospital.
• June 16 – The film adaptation of the musical Grease, opens in theaters and is a box office hit.
• June 20 – Grace Slick splits with Jefferson Starship the day after a disastrous concert in Hamburg, Germany, in which a heavily intoxicated Slick verbally abused the crowd and groped various fans and bandmates.
• June 29 – Peter Frampton is nearly killed in a car accident in The Bahamas, suffering multiple broken bones, a concussion, and muscle damage.
• July 1 – The first Texxas Jam is held over the July 4 long weekend at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The first day features Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, Heart, Journey, Head East, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Eddie Money, Van Halen and Walter Egan. Sunday consists of Willie Nelson headlining his sixth annual Fourth of July picnic.
• July 15 – The Picnic at Blackbushe Aerodrome, Camberley, Surrey, England, a concert featuring Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading, attracts some 200,000 people.^[3]
• July 19 – Dead Kennedys play their first concert, at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, California.
• July 21 – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, a much-hyped musical film starring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees performing the music of The Beatles, opens in theaters. The film is savaged by critics and proves a box office disappointment.
• July 29 – Glenn Goins, one of the lead vocalists for the band Parliament-Funkadelic dies of Hodgkin's lymphoma at age of 24.
• July 30 – Thin Lizzy officially announces that Gary Moore has replaced Brian Robertson on guitar.

August–December

• August 26 – 80,000 concertgoers attend Mosport Speedway in Ontario for the "Canada Jam Festival", featuring sets by the Doobie Brothers, Commodores, Kansas, Village People, Dave Mason, the Atlanta Rhythm Section and Triumph.
• August 26 – 67,000 Funk fans assembled at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois to attend the first annual Funk Festival, billed as "One Nation Under A Groove", featuring A Taste of Honey, Parlet, Con Funk Shun, the Bar-Kays, and Parliament-Funkadelic.
• September 7 – The Who drummer Keith Moon dies in a central London flat after a prescription drug overdose at the age of 32.
• September 14–16 – The Grateful Dead perform three shows in Giza, Egypt, very close to the Sphinx and Great Pyramid.
• October 12 – Nancy Spungen, the American girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious, is found dead in a New York hotel room of a stab wound. Sid is arrested and charged with her murder.
• October 21 – Founder members John Taylor and Nick Rhodes name their newly formed band Duran Duran after the character "Dr. Durand Durand" from the sci-fi film Barbarella the day after the film had been broadcast on BBC 1.^[4]
• October 24 – Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards pleads guilty to a reduced charge of possessing heroin in Toronto in 1977. The more serious charge of drug trafficking is dropped and Richards is given a one-year suspended sentence as well as ordered to play a charity concert for the blind.^[5]
• October 29 – Michael Schenker plays his final show with UFO in Stanford, California before leaving the group to rejoin Scorpions.
• November – Iron Maiden hires lead singer Paul Di'Anno.
• November 21 – French pop star Dalida performs a concert at New York's Carnegie Hall.
• November 25
  • A now sober Alice Cooper releases the album From the Inside, which tells of his stay in rehab for alcoholism.
  • Aerosmith cuts a concert short after Steven Tyler suffers cuts to his face from a bottle that shatters upon hitting a stage monitor.
  • Donna Summer becomes the first female artist of the modern rock era to have the number one single (Mac Arthur Park) and album (Live and More) on Billboard charts simultaneously.
• November 27 – Def Leppard's permanent drummer Rick Allen joins the band at the age of 15.
• December – Soviet orchestral conductor defects to the Netherlands while on tour there.
• December 2 – The seventh edition of the OTI Festival, the Latin American spin-off of the Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Santiago, Chile. The winning country is Brazil, represented by Denisse de Kalafe with her song "El amor...Cosa tan rara" (Love...Such a strange thing)
• December 31
  • Matthias Jabs joins Scorpions, replacing Uli Jon Roth.
  • The seventh annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with performances by Barry Manilow, Village People, Chuck Mangione, Tanya Tucker and Rick James.
  • CBS airs New Year's Eve with Guy Lombardo for the final time, nearly two years after the band leader's death and ending a 22-year run that began in 1956.
  • The Winterland Ballroom venue in San Francisco closes with a New Year's Eve performance by the Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage and the Blues Brothers.
  • Iron Maiden records a demo, consisting of four songs, at Spaceward Studios in Cambridge which would eventually become The Soundhouse Tapes.

Also in 1978

• 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 five movies based around the song.
• 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.
• Mozambique holds its first National Dance Festival, involving half a million people.
• New Edition formed in Massachusetts, USA.
• Rolnicka Praha children's choir is founded in Prague, Czech Republic.

Bands disbanded

• See Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1978

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Release date unknown

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1978.^[16]

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart entries
1	Bee Gees	Stayin' Alive	1977	/	US BB 1 – Dec 1977, Canada 1 – Jan 1978, Netherlands 1 – Feb 1978, France 1 – Feb 1978, Italy 1 of 1978, Australia 1 for 7 weeks Jan 1979, US CashBox 2 of 1978, Austria 2 – Apr 1978, Switzerland 2 – Mar 1978, Germany 2 – Mar 1978, Scrobulate 2 of disco, Sweden (alt) 3 – Mar 1978, UK 4 – Feb 1978, Norway 4 – Mar 1978, Australia 4 of 1978, South Africa 4 of 1978, US BB 8 of 1978, POP 8 of 1978, AFI 9, OzNet 9, Party 13 of 2007, RYM 34 of 1977, Europe 36 of the 1970s, 80 in 2FM list, RIAA 94, Acclaimed 98, Germany 100 of the 1970s, Rolling Stone 189
2	John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John	You're the One That I Want	1978	/	UK 1 – May 1978, US BB 1 – Apr 1978, Canada 1 – Apr 1978, Netherlands 1 – May 1978, Sweden (alt) 1 – Jul 1978, Switzerland 1 – Jul 1978, Norway 1 – Jul 1978, Australia 1 of 1978, Germany 1 – Jun 1978, Republic of Ireland 1 – Jun 1978, Australia 1 for 2 weeks Apr 1979, Austria 2 – Jul 1978, France 5 – May 1978, US CashBox 9 of 1978, Italy 12 of 1978, POP 15 of 1978, US BB 17 of 1978, Germany 17 of the 1970s, South Africa 17 of 1978, TOTP 20, Poland 26 – Jul 1998, Global 33 (5 M sold) – 1978, Europe 72 of the 1970s, RYM 153 of 1978
3	Village People	Y.M.C.A.	1978		UK 1 – Nov 1978, Netherlands 1 – Dec 1978, Sweden (alt) 1 – Dec 1978, Austria 1 – Jan 1979, Switzerland 1 – Dec 1978, Germany 1 – Jan 1979, Republic of Ireland 1 – Jan 1979, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Oct 1979, POP 1 of 1979, US BB 2 – Nov 1978, Canada 2 – Dec 1978, Norway 2 – Jan 1979, US BB 3 of 1979, France 3 – Dec 1978, Party 03 of 1999, US CashBox 4 of 1979, Global 7 (10 M sold) – 1978, Australia 15 of 1979, Germany 23 of the 1970s, Scrobulate 38 of disco, Europe 86 of the 1970s, RIAA 86, RYM 95 of 1978, Acclaimed 1662
4	Boney M	Rivers of Babylon	1978		UK 1 – Apr 1978, Netherlands 1 – Apr 1978, Sweden (alt) 1 – May 1978, France 1 – May 1978, Austria 1 – May 1978, Switzerland 1 – Apr 1978, Norway 1 – May 1978, Germany 1 – Apr 1978, Republic of Ireland 1 – May 1978, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Apr 1979, South Africa 1 of 1978, Australia 3 of 1978, Germany 3 of the 1970s, TOTP 8, US BB 30 – Jul 1978, Italy 36 of 1978, RYM 77 of 1978, Global 100 (5 M sold) – 1978, OzNet 867
5	Bee Gees	Night Fever	1978	/	UK 1 – Apr 1978, US BB 1 – Feb 1978, US CashBox 1 of 1978, Canada 1 – Feb 1978, France 1 – Apr 1978, Republic of Ireland 1 – Apr 1978, Norway 2 – May 1978, Germany 2 – May 1978, Netherlands 3 – Apr 1978, Switzerland 3 – May 1978, Austria 4 – Jun 1978, Sweden (alt) 5 – May 1978, US BB 10 of 1978, POP 11 of 1978, South Africa 12 of 1978, Italy 29 of 1978, Scrobulate 39 of 70s, RYM 59 of 1978, Party 77 of 1999, Germany 94 of the 1970s, Europe 96 of the 1970s, OzNet 894, Acclaimed 2046

Chronological table of US and UK number one hit singles

US number one singles and artist
(weeks at number one)

UK number one singles and artist
(weeks at number one)

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Other Chart hit singles

Notable singles

Other Notable singles

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

• John Adams (composer) – Shaker Loops, for string septet
• Malcolm Arnold – Symphony No. 8
• Peter Maxwell Davies – Salome, ballet in two acts
• Jacob Druckman – Viola Concerto
• Henri Dutilleux – Timbres, espace, mouvement
• Arvo Pärt – Spiegel im Spiegel
• Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky – Requiem pour une marée noire
• Steve Reich – Music for a Large Ensemble
• Iannis Xenakis – Mycènes Alpha

Opera

• Robert Ashley – Perfect Lives
• Lorenzo Ferrero – Rimbaud, ou le fils du soleil
• 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)

Ballet

• Lorenzo Ferrero – Invito a nozze

Jazz

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. The show moved to Broadway in June 1978, and ran for 1584 performances.
• 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

• American Hot Wax
• The Buddy Holly Story
• Don
• FM
• Grease
• Heeralaal Pannalaal
• Rockers
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• Thank God It's Friday
• The Wiz

Births

• January 3 – Kimberley Locke, American singer
• January 4 – Mai Meneses, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• January 5 – Karnail Pitts, American rapper (d. 1999)
• January 6 – Oksana Lyniv, Ukrainian conductor
• January 9 – A. J. McLean, American singer (Backstreet Boys)
• January 12
  • Kris Roe, American rock guitarist and singer (The Ataris)
  • Jeremy Camp, American Christian guitarist and singer
• January 17 – Ricky Williams, English singer
• January 20 – Sid Wilson, American rock turntablist (Slipknot, DJ Starscream)
• January 21
  • Nokio the N-Tity, American singer-songwriter and producer (Dru Hill)
  • Phil Stacey, American singer
• January 23 – E. Kidd Bogart, American music executive, television producer, music publisher and songwriter
• January 28 - Big Freedia, American rapper
• January 31 – Ibolya Oláh, Hungarian singer
• February 1 – Jeff Conrad (Phantom Planet)
• February 12 – Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
• February 14 – Ryan Griffiths, guitarist (The Vines)
• February 19 – Immortal Technique Underground rapper
• February 22 – Jenny Frost, British singer (Atomic Kitten)
• February 24 – John Nolan, American rock lead singer (Straylight Run)
• February 28 – Jeanne Cherhal, French singer-songwriter
• March 10 – Benjamin Burnley, American musician
• March 12 – Claudio Sanchez, American singer/songwriter (Coheed & Cambria)
• March 19 – Lenka, Australian singer and actress
• March 21 – Kevin Federline, American (Britney Spears, Shar Jackson)
• March 30 – Simon Webbe, English singer (Blue)
• March 31 – Tony Yayo, American rapper
• April 6 – Myleene Klass, English singer (Hear'Say), pianist, media personality and model
• April 7 – Duncan James, English singer (Blue)
• April 9 – Rachel Stevens, English singer, songwriter, actress, television presenter, model and businesswoman (S Club 7)
• April 11 – Thomas Thacker, Canadian singer
• April 12 – Guy Berryman, Scottish rock bass player (Coldplay)
• April 13 – Chris Sligh, American singer
• April 15 – Chris Stapleton, American country musician
• April 16 – Jody Marie Gnant, American singer-songwriter and pianist
• April 21
  • Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish drummer (Nightwish)
  • Branden Steineckert (The Used, Rancid)
• April 22 – Jason Stollsteimer, American lead singer and guitarist (The Von Bondies)
• May 3 – Paul Banks, American rock vocalist (Interpol)
• May 6 - Nick Littlemore, Australian musician, record producer, singer and songwriter
• May 10 – MC Ride, American rapper, songwriter and visual artist (Death Grips)
• May 12 – Wilfred Le Bouthillier, Canadian singer
• May 21 – Adam Gontier, Canadian-born rock musician (Three Days Grace)
• May 22 – Katie Price, English media personality, model, singer, author, and businesswoman.
• May 23
  • Scott Raynor, American rock musician (Blink-182)
  • Phil Elverum, An American musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist, best known for his musical projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie. (Married to deceased Geneviève Castrée, Formerly married to Michelle Williams (actress))
• May 25 – Adam Gontier, Canadian singer, songwriter and musician (Former member of Three Days Grace and member of Saints Asonia)
• May 29 – Adam Rickitt, British actor, singer and model
• May 30 – Kianna Alarid, American indie rock singer and bass guitarist (Tilly and the Wall)
• June 6
  • Carl Barât, English rock singer and guitarist (The Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things)
  • Joy Enriquez, American singer and actress
• June 7 – Tony Ahn, South Korean singer
• June 9 – Matthew Bellamy, English musician, singer and songwriter (Muse)
• June 10 – Shane West, American actor, punk rock musician and songwriter
• June 13 – Jason Michael Carroll, American country musician
• June 19 – Mía Maestro, Argentine actress and singer-songwriter
• June 24
  • Ariel Pink, American singer-songwriter, musician, producer (Atheif)
  • Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish guitarist and songwriter (Nightwish, Brother Firetribe, Altaria and Barilari)
• June 25 – Chuckie, Surinamese DJ and producer
• June 27 – Lolly, English singer
• June 29
  • Sam Farrar (Phantom Planet)
  • Nicole Scherzinger, American recording artist, television personality and performer (The Pussycat Dolls)
• July 10
  • Jesse Lacey, singer/musician, member of Brand New and Taking Back Sunday
  • Ray Kay, Norwegian director, music video director and photographer
• July 16 – T. J. Jackson, American singer and member 3T
• July 17
  • Panda Bear, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Animal Collective and Jane)
  • Trevor McNevan, Canadian singer-songwriter (Thousand Foot Krutch and FM Static)
  • Émilie Simon, French singer-songwriter
• July 18 – Annie Mac, Irish-born DJ and broadcast presenter
• July 20 – Elliott Yamin, American singer
• July 31 – Will Champion, English rock drummer (Coldplay)
• August 1 – Dhani Harrison, English musician and son of George Harrison of The Beatles
• August 6 – Andreas Öberg, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and producer (Eurovision, Taeyeon, Red Velvet, EXO, NCT)
• August 7
  • Jamey Jasta, American rock singer (Hatebreed)
  • Justin Young (singer, born 1978), American Hawaiian singer-songwriter, musician and (former significant other and collaborator of Colbie Caillat, former member of band Gone West)
• August 15
  • Tim Foreman, American rock bassist (Switchfoot)
  • Waleed Aly, Australian lawyer, activist, academic, journalist, comedian, musician and television host
• August 18 – Andy Samberg, American actor, comedian, filmmaker and musician, member of The Lonely Island and spouse of Joanna Newsom
• August 22 – James Corden, English actor, writer, producer, comedian, television host and singer
• August 23 – Julian Casablancas, American indie rock singer-songwriter and record producer (The Strokes)
• August 28
  • Max Collins (Eve 6)
  • Jess Margera, American drummer (CKY)
• August 30 – Maino, rapper
• September 6 – Cisco Adler, American musician
  • Foxy Brown (rapper) American rapper
• September 9 – Johnny Shentall, English singer
• September 11 – Ben Lee, Australian singer
• September 12 – Ruben Studdard, American singer
• September 15 – Charles Grigsby, American singer
• September 20
  • Patrizio Buanne, Italian singer
  • Sarit Hadad, Israeli pop singer
  • DJ White Shadow, American music producer and DJ (Lady Gaga)
• September 24 - Jack Dishel, Russian-American musician, actor, writer, director, comic and producer. (Married to Regina Spektor)
• September 28 – Nikki McKibbin, American singer (d. 2020)
• September 30 – Steve Klein (New Found Glory)
• October 2 – Ayumi Hamasaki, Japanese singer
• October 3 – Jake Shears, American singer
• October 5 – James Valentine, American musician
• October 7 – Alison Balsom, English classical trumpeter
• October 9 – Nicky Byrne, Irish singer (Westlife)
• October 14 – Usher, American singer, dancer and actor
• October 20
  • Kira, German singer
  • Michael Johns, Australian singer (d. 2014)
• October 22 - Ed Droste. American singer-songwriter and musician,
• October 27 – Vanessa-Mae, British violinist
• October 28 – Justin Guarini, American singer
• November 6 – Taryn Manning, American actress, singer-songwriter and fashion designer (Boomkat)
• November 9 – Sisqó, American singer
• November 10 – Eve, American rapper
• November 11 – Aaron Bruno, American singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist (Awolnation, Under the Influence of Giants, Home Town Hero)
• November 13 – Nikolai Fraiture, American rock bassist (The Strokes)
• November 16 – Carolina Parra (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
• November 18 – Andris Nelsons, Latvian conductor
• November 22 – Karen O, South Korean-born American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
• November 23 – Alison Mosshart, American singer, songwriter and artist, lead vocalist of The Kills and The Dead Weather
• November 25 – Shiina Ringo, Japanese singer and musician
• November 30
  • Clay Aiken, American singer
  • Gael García Bernal, Mexican film actor, director, singer, musician, model and producer
• December 1 – Brad Delson, American alternative rock guitarist (Linkin Park)
• December 2
  • Nelly Furtado, Canadian/Portuguese singer, songwriter, record producer, instrumentalist
  • Chris Wolstenholme, English alternative rock bass guitarist ((Muse))
• December 9, – Jesse Metcalfe, American singer and actor
• December 13 – laza Morgan, Jamaican-American singer and rapper
• December 15
  • Coffey Anderson, American singer
  • Ned Brower, American rock drummer (Rooney)
  • Mark Jansen, Dutch guitarist, vocalist and songwriter (After Forever, Epica, MaYaN)
• December 21
  • Maya Jupiter, Mexican/Turkish Australian rapper, songwriter, MC and radio personality
  • Shaun Morgan, South African singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist (Seether)
• December 23 – Esthero, Canadian singer-songwriter
• December 24 – Tonedeff, American rapper
• December 28
  • John Legend, American singer-songwriter, actor, musician and actor
  • Phonte, American rapper
• December 29
  • Steve Kemp, British musician (Hard-Fi)
  • LaToya London, American R&B and soul singer

• Unknown: Leilani Sen, English singer and television personality

Deaths

• January 3 – Jack Oakie, 74, actor in many musical films of the 1940s
• January 23
  • Terry Kath, 31, Chicago guitarist and vocalist (unintentional self-inflicted gunshot )
  • Vic Ames, 52, pop singer (Ames Brothers)
• January 31 – Gregory Herbert, Blood, Sweat & Tears saxophonist
• February 7 – Dimitrie Cuclin, 82, composer and musicologist
• February 24 – Mrs Mills, 59, honky-tonk pianist
• March 4 – Joe Marsala, 71, clarinetist and songwriter
• March 11 – Claude François, 39, singer-songwriter (electrocuted)
• March 17 – Malvina Reynolds, 77, US folk/blues singer-songwriter
• March 18 – Peggy Wood, 86, actress and singer
• March 21 – Louis Cottrell, Jr., 67, saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1911)
• April 3 – Ray Noble, 74, composer and bandleader
• April 21 – Sandy Denny, 31, folk singer (Fairport Convention) (cerebral haemorrhage)
• May 1 – Aram Khachaturian, 74, composer
• May 5 – Ján Móry, 85, Slovak composer
• May 26 – Tamara Karsavina, 93, ballerina
• July 14 – Maria Grinberg, 69, pianist
• July 29 – Glenn Goins, 24, Parliament Funkadelic guitarist and singer (Hodgkin's lymphoma)
• August 1 – Rudolf Kolisch, 82, Viennese and American violinist and quartet leader
• August 14 – Joe Venuti, 74, US jazz violinist
• August 24 – Louis Prima, 67, jazz musician
• September 6 – Tom Wilson, 47, producer
• September 7 – Keith Moon, 32, drummer of The Who (drug overdose)
• September 24 – Ruth Etting, 80, US "torch" singer
• October 6 – Johnny O'Keefe, 43, Australian Singer
• October 9 – Jacques Brel, 49, singer-songwriter
• October 12 – Nancy Spungen, 20, girlfriend of Sid Vicious
• October 23 – Maybelle Carter née Addington, 69, US country singer and musician, member of the Carter Family
• November 12 – Howard Swanson, 71, composer
• November 18 – Lennie Tristano, 59, jazz pianist
• December 3 – William Grant Still, 83, composer
• December 27 – Chris Bell, 27, singer-songwriter (auto accident)

Awards

• 19th Annual Grammy Awards
• 1978 Country Music Association Awards
• Eurovision Song Contest 1978
• 20th Japan Record Awards