1983 in music

Article in other languages:

• 1983 v hudbě
• 1983 en musique
• 1983 во музиката
• 1983年の音楽
• 1983 w muzyce
• 1983 na música
• 1983 год в музыке
• 1983 në muzikë
• Musikåret 1983

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (November 2009)

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.

Events

• "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)"
• January - ZTT Records is founded.
• January 8 - The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization. In 1984 electronic terminals will be used in selected stores to gather sales information, and the old "sales diary" method will be gradually phased out over the next few years.
• February 2 - Menudomania comes to New York as 3,500 screaming girls crowd Kennedy Airport to catch a glimpse of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, who are playing six sold-out shows at the Felt Forum.
• February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York.
• February 13 - Marvin Gaye performs a soulful, extraordinary rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner before the NBA All-Star Game.
• February 26 - Michael Jackson's Thriller album hits #1 on the US charts, the first of thirty-seven (non-consecutive) weeks it would spend there on its way to becoming the greatest-selling album of all time.
• April - Publication of A Generative Theory of Tonal Music by Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff.
• April 5 - US Interior Secretary James Watt causes controversy when he effectively bans the Beach Boys from a return performance at the Fourth of July festivities in Washington, announcing that Wayne Newton would perform instead. Watt claims that rock bands attract "the wrong element". That same week President Reagan, himself an avowed Beach Boys fan, presents Watt with a plaster foot with a hole in it, symbolizing that Watt had shot himself in the foot.
• April 18 - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich becomes the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
• May 16 - the Motown 25 Special airs on NBC, celebrating a quarter century of Motown. The most talked-about performance is by Michael Jackson, who unveils his famous moonwalk dance move during an electrifying performance of Billie Jean.
• May 28-30 and June 4 - the second US Festival is held at Glen Helen Park in California.
• June 18-19 - Menudo's second visit to New York is an even bigger event. This time, the band plays four shows at Madison Square Garden; all 80,000 available tickets had sold out within three days of going on sale.
• July 19 - Simon and Garfunkel begin their North American summer tour in Akron, Ohio.
• July 21 - Diana Ross performs a filmed concert in Central Park in pouring rain; eventually the storm forces her to postpone the rest of the concert till next day.
• July 27 - Madonna releases her first ever album on Warner Bros..
• July 29 - Friday Night Videos premieres on NBC.
• August 16
  • Johnny Ramone suffers a near-fatal head injury during a fight over a girl in front of his East Village apartment.
  • Singer Paul Simon marries actress Carrie Fisher.
• August 20 - The Rolling Stones sign a new $28 million contract with CBS Records, the largest recording contract in history up to this time.
• September 4 - Phil Lynott performs his final show with Thin Lizzy in Nuremberg, Germany.
• September 18 - The members of Kiss show their faces without their makeup for the first time on MTV, simultaneous with the release of their album Lick It Up.
• September 20 - The first ARMS Charity Concert is held at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
• November 26 - Quiet Riot's Metal Health album tops the US album charts, the first heavy metal album to hit #1 in America. This commercial breakthrough confirms the ascendancy of "glam metal", which will remain popular with America's youth for the next eight years.
• December 2 - Michael Jackson's extravagant 14-minute music video for Thriller premieres on MTV.

Bands formed

• See Musical groups established in 1983

Bands disbanded

• Au Pairs
• Bauhaus (reform in 1998 and 2005)
• The Beat (reform in 2003)
• The Birthday Party
• Blondie
• Bow Wow Wow
• Budgie
• The Carpenters
• Earth, Wind and Fire (hiatus until 1988)
• Minor Threat
• The Miracles
• The Misfits (reform in 1995)
• Mission of Burma
• Pylon (reform in 1989)
• Roxy Music
• Southern Death Cult
• The Teardrop Explodes
• The Undertones (reform in 1999)
• Thin Lizzy (reform in 1996)
• Wall of Voodoo (reform in 1985)
• The Who (reunions throughout the late 1980s and 1990s)

Bands reformed

• The Animals
• The Everly Brothers

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1983.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Michael Jackson	"Billie Jean"	1983		UK 1 - January 1983, US BB 1 - January 1983, Canada 1 - February 1983, Switzerland 1 - March 1983, Éire 1 - March 1983, Australia 1 for 5 weeks February 1984, Holland 2 - January 1983, Sweden (alt) 2 - March 1983, France 2 - January 1983, US CashBox 3 of 1983, Austria 3 - April 1983, Poland 3 - February 1983, Germany 3 - March 1983, Australia 4 of 1983, RYM 4 of 1983, POP 4 of 1983, Norway 6 - April 1983, Italy 8 of 1983, South Africa 15 of 1983, 15 in 2FM list, Scrobulate 16 of pop, Global 33 (5 M sold) - 1983, Acclaimed 33, Europe 40 of the 1980s, Party 53 of 2007, Rolling Stone 58, Germany 139 of the 1980s, OzNet 249, WXPN 620
2	Culture Club	"Karma Chameleon"	1983		UK 1 - September 1983, US BB 1 - December 1983, Canada 1 - December 1983, Holland 1 - September 1983, Sweden (alt) 1 - October 1983, Switzerland 1 - October 1983, Norway 1 - October 1983, Éire 1 - September 1983, New Zealand 1 for 6 weeks October 1983, Australia 1 for 5 weeks July 1984, Austria 3 - November 1983, Germany 3 - January 1984, South Africa 7 of 1984, Poland 8 - September 1983, Australia 8 of 1983, US CashBox 14 of 1984, POP 15 of 1984, Italy 16 of 1983, KROQ 25 of 1983, US BB 29 of 1984, RYM 49 of 1983, Scrobulate 71 of 80s, Germany 159 of the 1980s, OzNet 979
3	Irene Cara	"Flashdance... What a Feeling"	1983		US BB 1 - April 1983, US CashBox 1 of 1983, Canada 1 - May 1983, Sweden (alt) 1 - May 1983, France 1 - July 1983, Switzerland 1 - June 1983, Norway 1 - June 1983, Italy 1 of 1983, New Zealand 1 for 6 weeks July 1983, Australia 1 for 5 weeks May 1984, Oscar in 1983, UK 2 - June 1983, Australia 2 of 1983, POP 3 of 1983, Austria 4 - August 1983, Germany 4 - June 1983, US BB 6 of 1983, Japan 7 of all time (international songs), South Africa 9 of 1983, Holland 13 - April 1983, Poland 21 - July 1983, Scrobulate 31 of gay, AFI 55, Germany 57 of the 1980s, RYM 121 of 1983, OzNet 243, RIAA 256
4	David Bowie	"Let's Dance"	1983		UK 1 - March 1983, US BB 1 - April 1983, Canada 1 - March 1983, Holland 1 - March 1983, Sweden (alt) 1 - April 1983, France 1 - March 1983, Switzerland 1 - April 1983, Norway 1 - March 1983, Éire 1 - April 1983, New Zealand 1 for 6 weeks April 1983, Austria 2 - May 1983, Germany 2 - April 1983, US CashBox 4 of 1983, Poland 5 - April 1983, KROQ 6 of 1983, US BB 15 of 1983, Italy 19 of 1983, Australia 24 of 1983, RYM 32 of 1983, Scrobulate 40 of 80s, POP 47 of 1983, Germany 172 of the 1980s, Belgium 258 of all time, Acclaimed 1445
5	The Police	"Every Breath You Take"	1983		UK 1 - May 1983, US BB 1 - June 1983, US BB 1 of 1983, Canada 1 - May 1983, Éire 1 - June 1983, US CashBox 2 of 1983, Sweden (alt) 2 - June 1983, Norway 2 - June 1983, KROQ 3 of 1983, Poland 5 - June 1983, South Africa 5 of 1983, Holland 6 - May 1983, Switzerland 6 - July 1983, Austria 8 - August 1983, Germany 8 - June 1983, France 10 - May 1983, Australia 10 of 1983, Italy 10 of 1983, Virgin 12, Scrobulate 13 of 80s, US BB 16 of 1983, RYM 16 of 1983, Europe 33 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 38, OzNet 38, RIAA 44, POP 49 of 1983, Poland 68 of all time, TheQ 76, Rolling Stone 84, 90 in 2FM list, Belgium 110 of all time, WXPN 216

Top hits on record

• "1999" - Prince
• "A Girl Called Johnny" - The Waterboys
• "Add It Up" - Violent Femmes
• "Africa" - Toto
• "All Night Long (All Night)" - Lionel Richie
• "All Time High" - Rita Coolidge
• "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" - Naked Eyes
• "Another State of Mind" - Social Distortion
• "Australiana" - Austen Tayshus #1 (a)
• "Authority Song - John Mellencamp
• "Baby, Come to Me" - Patti Austin with James Ingram (released in 1982)
• "Baby Jane" - Rod Stewart
• "Bad Boys" - Wham!
• "Bad Day" - Carmel
• "Balls to the Wall" - Accept
• "Bark at the Moon" - Ozzy Osbourne
• "Beat It" - Michael Jackson
• "Big Log" - Robert Plant
• "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson
• "Blind Vision" - Blancmange
• "Blister In The Sun" - Violent Femmes
• "Bloodstone" - Judas Priest
• "Blue Monday" - New Order
• "Blue World" - The Moody Blues
• "Bop Girl - Pat Wilson #1 (a)
• "Borderline" - Madonna
• "Boxerbeat" - JoBoxers
• "Breakaway - Tracey Ullman
• "Breaking Us In Two" - Joe Jackson
• "Buffalo Soldier" - Bob Marley & The Wailers
• "Buried Treasure" - Kenny Rogers
• "Burning Down the House" - Talking Heads
• "Burning Up" - Madonna
• "Calling Your Name" - Marilyn
• "Candy Girl" - New Edition
• "Can't Get Used To Losing You" - The Beat
• "Cattle And Cane" - The Go-Betweens
• "Chance" - Big Country
• "Change" - Tears for Fears
• "Change In Mood" - Kids in the Kitchen
• "China Girl" - David Bowie
• "Chinese Cafe" - Joni Mitchell
• "Church of the Poison Mind" - Culture Club
• "Club Tropicana" - Wham!
• "Come Back And Stay" - Paul Young
• "Computer One" - Dear Enemy
• "Countdown/New World Man" - Rush
• "Crumblin' Down" - John Mellencamp
• "Cry Me A River" - Mari Wilson
• "Cum on Feel the Noize" - Quiet Riot
• "Cuts Like a Knife" - Bryan Adams
• "Dark Is The Night" - Shakatak
• "Der Kommissar" - After the Fire
• "Dead Giveaway" - Shalamar
• "Dear Prudence" - Siouxsie and the Banshees
• "Delirious" - Prince
• "Did You Have To Love Me Like You Do?" - The Coconuts
• "Dirty Laundry" - Don Henley
• "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club
• "Don't Cry" - Asia
• "Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away" - Phil Collins
• "Don't Talk To Me About Love" - Altered Images
• "Don't You Want Me" - The Human League (Released 1981)
• "Double Dutch" - Malcolm McLaren
• "Down Under" - Men at Work
• "Drop The Pilot" - Joan Armatrading
• "Electric Avenue" - Eddy Grant
• "Every Breath You Take" - The Police
• "Everyday I Write The Book" - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
• "Everything Counts" - Depeche Mode
• "Far From Over" - Frank Stallone
• "Family Man" - Hall & Oates
• "Faithfully" - Journey
• "Femme" - Dalida
• "Fields Of Fire (400 Miles)" - Big Country
• "Flashdance... What a Feeling" - Irene Cara
• "Foolin'" - Def Leppard
• "Freak-A-Zoid" - Midnight Star
• "Garden Party" - Marillion
• "Garden Party" - Mezzoforte
• "Gimme All Your Lovin'" - ZZ Top
• "Gloria" - Laura Branigan
• "Gold" - Spandau Ballet
• "He Knows You Know" - Marillion
• "Heart & Soul" - Huey Lewis and the News
• "Heartache Avenue" - The Maisonettes (released in 1982)
• "Holiday" - Madonna
• "Holy Diver" - Dio
• "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" - Laura Branigan
• "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye" - Dionne Warwick & Luther Vandross
• "Human Nature" - Michael Jackson
• "Hungry Like The Wolf" - Duran Duran
• "I Am (I'm Me)" - Twisted Sister
• "I Am Love" - Jennifer Holliday
• "I Cannot Believe It's True" - Phil Collins
• "I Don't Care Anymore" - Phil Collins
• "I Don't Remember (Live)" - Peter Gabriel
• "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" - Elton John (feat. Stevie Wonder)
• "I Like It" - DeBarge
• "I Love Rocky Road" - "Weird Al" Yankovic"
• "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" - Culture Club
• "I'm Still Standing" - Elton John
• "In A Big Country" - Big Country
• "In The Neighborhood" - Tom Waits
• "I.O.U." - Freeez
• "Irresistible Bitch" - Prince
• "Is There Something I Should Know?" - Duran Duran
• "Islands in the Stream" - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
• "It Don't Matter To Me" - Phil Collins
• "Johnny B. Goode" - Peter Tosh
• "Karma Chameleon" - Culture Club
• "Keep Feeling (Fascination)" - The Human League
• "Kiss The Bride" - Elton John
• "Lawyers in Love" - Jackson Browne
• "Let The Music Play" - Shannon
• "Let's Dance" - David Bowie
• "Lick It Up" - Kiss
• "Listen To The Radio:Atmospherics" - Tom Robinson
• "Little Red Corvette" - Prince
• "Long Hot Summer" - The Style Council
• "Looks That Kill" - Mötley Crüe
• "Love Blonde" - Kim Wilde
• "Love Is a Battlefield" - Pat Benatar
• "Love is a Stranger" - Eurythmics
• "Love is for All Time" - The Animals
• "Love of the Common People" - Paul Young
• "Love on Your Side" - Thompson Twins
• "Love Town" - Booker Newberry III
• "Voice of the Heart" - The Carpenters
• "Major Tom" - Peter Schilling
• "Make Believe It's Your First Time" (single) - The Carpenters
• "Mama" - Genesis
• "Maniac" - Michael Sembello
• "Many Rivers To Cross" - UB40
• "Marguerita Time" - Status Quo
• "Market Square Heroes" - Marillion
• "Maxine" - Sharon O'Neil
• "Modern Love" - David Bowie
• "Moonlight Shadow" - Mike Oldfield
• "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" - Bananarama
• "Nasty Girl" - Vanity 6
• "Never Stop" - Echo & the Bunnymen
• "Never Gonna Let You Go" - Sergio Mendes
• "New Frontier" - Donald Fagen
• "New Song" - Howard Jones
• "New Year's Day" - U2
• "Nobody's Diary" - Yazoo
• "Oblivious" - Aztec Camera
• "One on One" - Hall & Oates
• "One Thing Leads to Another" - The Fixx
• "Only For Love" - Limahl
• "Only You" - Rita Coolidge
• "Only You" - The Flying Pickets
• "Orchard Road" - Leo Sayer
• "Ooh To Be Ah" - Kajagoogoo
• "Our House" - Madness
• "Over and Over" - Shalamar
• "Our Lips Are Sealed" - Fun Boy Three
• "Owner of a Lonely Heart" - Yes
• "Pale Shelter" - Tears for Fears
• "Photograph" - Def Leppard
• "Pink Houses" - John Mellencamp
• "Pills and Soap" - The Imposter
• "Pipes Of Peace" - Paul McCartney
• "Pressure Sway" - Machinations
• "Pride and Joy" - Stevie Ray Vaughan
• "Promises, Promises" - Naked Eyes
• "Puttin' on the Ritz" - Taco
• "Radio Free Europe" - R.E.M.
• "Rainbow in the Dark - Dio
• "Reckless" - Australian Crawl #1
• "Ricky" - "Weird Al" Yankovic
• "Rio" - Duran Duran
• "Rip It Up" - Orange Juice
• "Rock 'n' Roll Is King" - Electric Light Orchestra
• "Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard
• "Rock the Casbah" - The Clash (released in 1982)
• "Rockit" - Herbie Hancock
• "Run Runaway - Slade
• "Saved by Zero" - The Fixx
• "Say Say Say" - Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney
• "Screaming for Vengeance" - Judas Priest
• "Send Her My Love" - Journey
• "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" - Journey
• "Sex (Im a...)" - Berlin
• "Shame on the Moon - Bob Seger
• "Sharp Dressed Man" - ZZ Top
• "She Blinded Me with Science" - Thomas Dolby (released in 1982)
• "She Works Hard For The Money" - Donna Summer
• "She's A Beauty" - The Tubes
• "Shiny Shiny" - Haysi Fantazee
• "Shipbuilding" - Robert Wyatt
• "Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash
• "Shout at the Devil" - Mötley Crüe
• "Sign of the Times" - The Belle Stars
• "Solitaire" - Laura Branigan
• "Song To The Siren" - This Mortal Coil
• "Soul Inside" - Soft Cell
• "Space Age Love Song" - A Flock of Seagulls
• "Speak Like A Child" - The Style Council
• "Stand Back" - Stevie Nicks
• "Steppin' Out" - Joe Jackson
• "Straight from the Heart" - Bryan Adams
• "Straight to Hell - The Clash
• "Street of Dreams" - Rainbow
• "Suddenly last Summer" - The Motels
• "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" - Eurythmics
• "Synchronicity 2" - The Police
• "Take Me To Heart" - Quarterflash
• "Talking In Your Sleep" - The Romantics
• "Tell Her About It" - Billy Joel
• "Tell Her No" - Juice Newton
• "Temptation" - Heaven 17
• "Tender Is the Night" - Jackson Browne
• "That's All" - Genesis
• "The Big Apple" - Kajagoogoo
• "The Border" - America
• "The Celtic Soul Brothers" - Dexys Midnight Runners
• "The Chinese Way" - Level 42
• "The Cutter" - Echo & the Bunnymen
• "The First Picture Of You" - The Lotus Eaters
• "The Love Cats" - The Cure
• "The Night" - The Animals
• "The Safety Dance" - Men Without Hats
• "The Shape You're In" - Eric Clapton
• "The Story Of The Blues" - Wah! (released in 1982)
• "The Sun and the Rain" - Madness
• "The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)" - Level 42
• "The Walk" - The Cure
• "The Way He Makes Me Feel" - Barbra Streisand
• "They Don't Know" - Tracey Ullman
• "This Charming Man" - The Smiths
• "This Is The Day" - The The
• "This Time" - Bryan Adams
• "Thriller" - Michael Jackson
• "Thunder And Lightning" - Thin Lizzy
• "Tomorrow's Just Another Day" - Madness
• "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" - Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack
• "Too Low For Zero" - Elton John (in US & Australia; not released in the rest of UK and Europe until 1985/86)
• "Too Shy" - Kajagoogoo
• "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler
• "Tour de France" - Kraftwerk
• "True" - Spandau Ballet
• "True Love Ways" - Cliff Richard
• "2000 Miles" - The Pretenders
• "Tunnel of Love" - Fun Boy Three
• "Twilight Zone" - Golden Earring (released in 1982)
• " Twist of fate" - Olivia Newton John
• "Twisting by the Pool" - Dire Straits
• "Under Attack" - ABBA
• "Thank You For The Music" - ABBA (released in 1977)
• "Undercover of the Night" - The Rolling Stones
• "Union of the Snake" - Duran Duran
• "Up Where We Belong" - Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
• "Uptown Girl" - Billy Joel
• "Vintage '77 (EP)" - The Heartbreakers
• "Vision In Blue" - Ultravox
• "A Volar" - Menudo
• "Walk Out To Winter" - Aztec Camera
• "Walkin' The Line" - Brass Construction
• "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Michael Jackson
• "Watching You Watching Me" - David Grant
• "Waterfront" - Simple Minds
• "We Are Detective" - Thompson Twins
• "We've Got Tonight" Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton
• "What Is Love?" - Howard Jones
• "What Kinda Boy You're Lookin' For (Girl)" - Hot Chocolate
• "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" - Paul Young
• "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" - Grandmaster and Melle Mel
• "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning?" - Phil Collins
• "Wings Of A Dove" - Madness
• "Wishing On A Star" - Rose Royce
• "You Are" - Lionel Richie
• "You Can't Hurry Love" - Phil Collins (released in 1982)

Published popular music

• " I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" w. Bernie Taupin m. Elton John
• "An Innocent Man" w.m. Billy Joel
• "Karma Chameleon" w.m. George O'Dowd, John Moss, Roy Hay, Mickey Craig & Phil Rickett
• "Uptown Girl" w.m. Billy Joel
• "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Jim Steinman

Classical music

• John Cage - Thirty Pieces for String Quartet
• Friedrich Cerha - Requiem für Hollensteiner
• George Crumb - Processional for piano
• Jean Daetwyler - Concerto for Alphorn, Flute, Saxophone and Strings No. 2
• Mario Davidovsky - Romancero, for soprano, flute (piccolo, alto flute), clarinet (bass clarinet), violin and violoncello
• Lorenzo Ferrero
  • Ellipse for flute
  • Onde for guitar
  • My Rock for piano
• Jacques Hétu - Clarinet Concerto
• Witold Lutosławski - Symphony No. 3 (1972-83)
• Krzysztof Penderecki - Viola Concerto
• John Pickard - Nocturne in Black and Gold
• Peter Sculthorpe - Piano concerto
• Iannis Xenakis - Shaar

Opera

• Robert Ashley - Perfect Lives (An opera for television)
• Leonard Bernstein - A Quiet Place
• Oliver Knussen - Where the Wild Things Are (children's)
• Olivier Messiaen - Saint François d'Assise
• Per Nørgård - Det guddommelige Tivoli (The Divine Circus)

Musical theater

• Baby     Broadway production
• La Cage aux Folles     Broadway production
• Doonesbury     Broadway production
• Mame (Jerry Herman) - Broadway revival
• Merlin     Broadway production
• Oliver! (Lionel Bart) - London revival
• On Your Toes     Broadway revival
• My One and Only     Broadway production
• Singin' in the Rain     London production
• The Tap Dance Kid     Broadway production
• Zorba     Broadway revival

Musical films

• Eddie and the Cruisers
• Flashdance
• The Pirates of Penzance
• Rock & Rule
• Staying Alive
• Yentl

Musical television

• Salad Days

Births

• January 19 - Hikaru Utada, singer and songwriter
• March 3 - Katie White, singer (The Ting Tings)
• March 10 - Carrie Underwood, singer
• March 14 - Jordan Taylor Hanson, Hanson
• March 19 - Ana Rezende (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
• March 29 - Luiza Sá (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
• May 11 - Holly Valance, singer and actress
  • Cheryl Tweedy, member of Girls Aloud
  • Patrick Wolf,singer/songwriter
• July 1 - Leeteuk, singer
• July 10-Heechul, singer
• July 2 - Michelle Branch (The Wreckers
• July 11 - Marie Serneholt (A*Teens)
• August 18 - Mika, British singer
• September 14 - Amy Winehouse, English singer
• September 17 - Jennifer Peña, singer and actress
• October 29 - Amit Paul (A-Teens)

Deaths

• January 28 - Billy Fury, singer (b. 1940) (heart attack)
• February 4 - Karen Carpenter, singer (b. 1950) (cardiac arrest due to anorexia nervosa)
• February 12 - Eubie Blake, pianist (b. 1887)
• February 22 - Sir Adrian Boult, conductor (b. 1889)
• February 28 - Winifred Atwell, pianist (b. 1914)
• March 6 - Cathy Berberian, singer and composer (b. 1925)
• March 7
  • Igor Markevitch, Ukrainian composer and conductor (b. 1912)
  • William Walton, British composer (b. 1902)
• April 4 - Danny Rapp (Danny and the Juniors) (b. 1941) (suicide by gunshot)
• April 5 - Cliff Carlisle, country and blues singer (b. 1903)
• April 14 - Pete Farndon (The Pretenders) (b. 1952) (drug overdose)
• April 30
  • Muddy Waters (b. 1913) heart attack
  • George Balanchine, choreographer (b. 1904)
• May 23 - George Bruns, film composer (b. 1914)
• June 2 - Stan Rogers, musician (b. 1949)
• June 25 - Alberto Ginastera, Argentine composer (b. 1916)
• July 5 - Harry James, bandleader (b. 1916)
• July 23 - Georges Auric, composer, member of Les Six (b. 1899)
• August 14 - Omer Létourneau, pianist, organist, composer and conductor (b. 1891)
• August 17 - Ira Gershwin, lyricist (b. 1896)
• August 24 - Arkady Filippenko, composer (b. 1912)
• September 5 - John Gilpin, dancer (b. 1930) (heart attack)
• October 16 - George Liberace, violinist and arranger (b. 1911)
• November 3 - Alfredo Antonini, conductor (b. 1901)
• November 7 - Germaine Tailleferre, composer, only female member of Les Six (b. 1892)
• November 19 - Tommy Evans, bassist of the rock group Badfinger (b. 1947) (suicide)
• December 6 - Lucienne Boyer, singer (b. 1903)
• December 28 - Dennis Wilson, member of the Beach Boys (b. 1944) (drowned)
• date unknown
  • Pat Smythe, jazz pianist (b. 1923)

Awards

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1983

Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1983

Charts

List of No. 1 Hits

• Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1983

See also:

• 1983 in music (UK)
• Record labels established in 1983

Questions for article: