1931 in music

Events

Roy Rogers' musical career begins
Mary Garden retires from the Chicago Opera

Classical music

Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 4 and Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, both written specially for Paul Wittgenstein.

Published popular music

"Adios" w. Eddie Wood m. Enric Madriguera
"All Of Me" w.m. Seymour Simons & Gerald Marks
"As Time Goes By" w.m. Herman Hupfeld
"At Your Command" w.m. Harry Barris, Bing Crosby & Harry Tobias
"Black Jazz" m. Gene Gifford
"Blah, Blah, Blah" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
"Blues In My Heart" w. Irving Mills m. Benny Carter
"Brighter Than The Sun" w. Anona Winn m. Ray Noble
"By The River Sainte Marie" w. Edgar Leslie m. Harry Warren
"Call Me Darling, Call Me Sweetheart, Call Me Dear" w. (Eng) Dorothy Dick w.m. Bert Reisfeld, Mart Fryberg & Rolf Marbet
"Close Your Eyes" w.m. Bernice Petkere
"Come To Me" w. B. G. De Sylva & Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
"Concentratin' On You" w. Andy Razaf m. Fats Waller
"Crosby, Columbo And Vallee" w. Al Dubin m. Joe Burke
"Cuban Love Song" w.m. Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh & Herbert Stothart
"Dancing In The Dark" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
"Delishious" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
"Doin' What I Please" Waller, Razaf
"Down Sunnyside Lane" Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly
"Dream A Little Dream Of Me" w. Gus Kahn m. Fabian Andre & Wilbur Schwandt
"An Evening In Caroline" w.m. Walter Donaldson
"A Faded Summer Love" w.m. Phil Baxter
"Goodnight, Sweetheart" w.m. Ray Noble, James Campbell & Reg Connelly
"Got A Date With An Angel" w. Clifford Grey & Sonny Miller m. Jack Waller & Joseph Tunbridge
"Got The Bench, Got The Park" w.m. Al Sherman, Al Lewis & Fred Phillips
"Green Eyes" w. (Eng) E. Rivera & Eddie Woods (Sp) Adolfo Utrero m. Nilo Menendez
"Guilty" w. Gus Kahn m. Richard A. Whiting & Harry Akst
"Hang Out The Stars In Indiana" w. Billy Moll m. Harry Woods
"He Played His Ukulele As The Ship Went Down" w.m. Arthur LeClerq
"Heartaches" w. John Clenner m. Al Hoffman
"Hold My Hand" w. Douglas Furber m. Noel Gay
"Home" w.m. Peter Van Steeden, Harry Clarkson & Geoff Clarkson
"Hoops" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
"I Apologise" w.m. Al Hoffman, Al Goodhart & Ed Nelson
"I Don't Know Why" w. Roy Turk m. Fred E. Ahlert
"I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five And Ten Cent Store)" w. Billy Rose & Mort Dixon m. Harry Warren
"I Heard" w.m. Don Redman
"I Love Louisa" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
"I Surrender, Dear" w. Gordon Clifford m. Harry Barris
"If You Should Ever Need Me" w. Al Dubin m. Joe Burke
"I'll Be Good Because Of You" w.m. Ray Noble & Alan Murray
"I'm All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart" Fisher, Unger, Stern
"I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby" w. Alex Hill m. Fats Waller
"I'm Gonna Get You" w.m. Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias & Jules Lemare
"I'm Good For Nothing But Love" Ballard, Maltin
"I'm Through With Love" w. Gus Kahn m. Matty Malneck & Fud Livingston
"It's The Darndest Thing" w. Dorothy Fields m. Jimmy McHugh
"It's The Girl" w. Dave Oppenheim m. Abel Baer
"It's You!" Razaf, Waller
"I've Got Five Dollars" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
"Jazz Nocturne" m. Dana Suesse
"Just One More Chance" w. Sam Coslow m. Arthur Johnston
"Kicking The Gong Around" w. Ted Koehler m. Harold Arlen
"Lady Of Spain" w.m. Robert Hargreaves, Tolchard Evans, Stanley J. Damerell & Henry J. Tilsley
"Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries" w. B. G. De Sylva & Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
"Little Girl" w.m. Madeline Hyde & Francis Henry
"Love Is Sweeping The Country" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
"Love Letters In The Sand" w. Nick Kenny & Charles Kenny m. J. Fred Coots
"Lullaby Of The Leaves" w. Joe Young m. Bernice Petkere
"Mad Dogs And Englishmen" w.m. Noel Coward
"Makin' Faces At The Man In The Moon" w.m. Max Rich, Kate Smith, Al Hoffman & Ned Washington
"Mama Inez" w. (Eng) L. Wolfe Gilbert m. Eliseo Grenet
"Maria, My Own" w. (Eng) L. Wolfe Gilbert m. Ernesto Lacuona
"Marta" w. (Eng) L. Wolfe Gilbert m. Moises Simons
"Mausie" w. (Eng) Harry Graham m. Paul Abraham
"Me!" w.m. Irving Berlin
"Minnie The Moocher" w.m. Cab Calloway, Clarence Gaskill & Irving Mills
"Mood Indigo" w.m. Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard & Irving Mills
"Moonlight Saving Time" w.m. Irving Kahal & Harry Richman
"My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes" Koehler, Pola, Golden
"My Song" w. Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
"Nevertheless" w. Bert Kalmar m. Harry Ruby
"Now's The Time To Fall In Love" w.m. Al Sherman & Al Lewis
"Of Thee I Sing" w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwin
"Oh, Monah" w.m. Ted Weems & Joe "Country" Washburn
"Ooh That Kiss" w. Mort Dixon & Joe Young m. Harry Warren
"Out Of Nowhere" w. Edward Heyman m. John Green
"Paradise" w. Nacio Herb Brown & Gordon Clifford m. Nacio Herb Brown
"Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone)" w.m. Will Jason & Val Burton
"Pied Piper Of Hamelin" w.m. Noel Gay
"Poor Pierrot" w. Otto Harbach m. Jerome Kern
"Popeye The Sailor Man" w.m. Sammy Lerner
"Prisoner Of Love" w. Leo Robin m. Russ Columbo & Clarence Gaskill
"River, Stay 'Way From My Door" w. Mort Dixon m. Harry Woods
"Roll On, Mississippi, Roll On" w.m. James McCaffrey, Eugene West & Dave Ringle
"Running Between The Raindrops" w. James Dyrenforth m. Carroll Gibbons
"Sally" w.m. William Haines, Harry Leon & Leo Towers
"Shadrack" w.m. Robert MacGimsey
"She Didn't Say "Yes"" w. Otto Harbach m. Jerome Kern
"Smile, Darn Ya, Smile" w. Charles O'Flynn & Jack Meskill m. Max Rich
"Sweet And Lovely" w.m. Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias & Jules Lemare
"Thanks To You" w. Grant Clarke m. Pete Wendling
"That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine" w.m. Jimmy Long & Gene Autry
"That's My Desire" w. Carroll Loveday m. Helmy Kresa
"This Is The Missus" w.m. Lew Brown & Ray Henderson
"The Thrill Is Gone" w.m. Lew Brown & Ray Henderson
"Till The Real Thing Comes Along" w.m. Mann Holiner, Alberta Nichols, Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin & L. E. Freeman
"Twentieth Century Blues" w.m. Noel Coward
"Under The Bridges Of Paris" w.m. Vincent Scotto, Jean Rodor, Dorcas Cochran
"Underneath The Arches" w.m. Reg Connelly & Bud Flanagan
"Wabash Moon" w.m. Dave Dreyer & Morton Downey
"Was I?" w. Charles Farrell m. Chick Endor from the revue Ziegfeld Follies Of 1931
"Was That The Human Thing To Do?" w. Joe Young m. Sammy Fain
"We'll Be The Same" w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers
"Were You Sincere" w. Jack Meskill m. Vincent Rose
"When I Take My Sugar To Tea" w.m. Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal & Pierre Norman Connor
"When It's Sleepy Time Down South" w.m. Leon Rene, Otis Rene & Clarence Muse
"When The Bloom Is On The Sage" w.m. Nat Vincent & Fred Howard Wright
"When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain" w.m. Howard Johnson, Harry Woods & Kate Smith
"When Your Lover Has Gone" w.m. E. A. Swan
"When Yuba Plays The Rhumba On The Tuba" w.m. Herman Hupfeld
"Where The Blue Of The Night" w.m. Roy Turk, Bing Crosby & Fred E. Ahlert
"Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" w. Ted Koehler & Billy Moll m. Harry Barris
"Yes, Yes, My Baby Said Yes, Yes" Cliff Friend, Con Conrad
"You Are My Heart's Delight" w. Harry Graham m. Franz Lehar Music 1923
"You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)" w.m. Con Conrad, Gladys Du Bois, Russ Columbo & Paul Gregory
"You Can't Stop Me From Loving You" w. Mann Holiner m.Alberta Nichols
"You Rascal You" w.m. Sam Theard
"You Try Somebody Else" w. B. G. De Sylva & Lew Brown m. Ray Henderson
"You're Blasé" w. Bruce Sievier m. Ord Hamilton
"You're My Decline And Fall" George Posford
"You're My Everything" w. Mort Dixon & Joe Young m. Harry Warren
"Yours" (orig. "Quiereme Mucho") w. (Eng) Jack Sherr (Sp) Augustin Rodriguez m. Gonzalo Roig

Top hits on record

"As Time Goes By" by Rudy Vallee
"Dream A Little Dream Of Me" by Wayne King, The Waltz King
"Goodnight, Sweetheart" by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
"I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In a 5 and 10 Cent Store)" by The Boswell Sisters
"Just One More Chance" by Bing Crosby
"Lady, Play Your Mandolin" by Nick Lucas
"Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries" by Rudy Vallee
"Mood Indigo" by Duke Ellington & His Jungle Band
"Out Of Nowhere" by Bing Crosby
"The Peanut Vendor (El Manicero)" by Don Azpiazu
"Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" by Gene Austin
"Star Dust" by Bing Crosby
"Time On My Hands" by Al Bowlly with The New Mayfair Dance Orchestra
"When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain" by Kate Smith
"When Yuba Plays the Rumba On the Tuba" by Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees
"You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)" by Russ Columbo

Musical theater

The Band Wagon Broadway production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on June 3 and ran for 260 performances
Bitter Sweet London revival
The Cat And The Fiddle Broadway production opened at the Globe Theatre on October 15 and ran for 395 performances
Cavalcade London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on October 13 and ran for 405 performances
Die Dubarry Berlin production opened on August 14
The Land Of Smiles London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on May 8
The Third Little Show Broadway production opened at the Music Box Theatre on June 1 and ran for 136 performances
Victoria And Her Hussar London production opened at the Palace Theatre on September 17 and ran for 100 performances
White Horse Inn London production opened at the Coliseum Theatre on April 8 and ran for 651 performances

Musical films

Fifty Million Frenchmen

Births

January 8 - Bill Graham, rock music entrepreneur (+ 1991)
January 21 - Rudi Maugeri, The Crew Cuts
January 22 - Sam Cooke
February 14 - Phyllis McGuire, The McGuire Sisters
March 14 - Phil Phillips
April 29 - Lonnie Donegan
May 4 - Ed Cassidy, Spirit
May 7 - Teresa Brewer
June 3 - Dakota Staton, US singer
July 6 - Della Reese
July 11 - Tab Hunter
July 18 - Papa Dee Allen, War
July 31 - Morey Carr, The Playmates
August 1 - Ramblin' Jack Ellott
August 28 - John Perkins, The Crewcuts
September 19 - Brook Benton
September 22 - George Chambers, The Chambers Brothers
November 5 - Ike Turner
December 30 - Skeeter Davis

Deaths

February 11 - Thomas Edison, inventor of the phonograph
February 23 - Dame Nellie Melba, operatic soprano
July 4 - Buddy Petit
August 6 - Bix Beiderbecke
September 23 - Harry Macdonough, pioneer recording artist