This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1972.
Specific locations 1972 in British music 1972 in Japanese music 1972 in Norwegian music 1972 in Scandinavian music
Specific genres 1972 in country music 1972 in heavy metal music 1972 in jazz 1972 in progressive rock
Events January 17 – 12 miles of U.S. Highway 51 in Memphis, Tennessee, from South Parkway East to the Tennessee/Mississippi state line, is renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard." January 20 – The first live performance of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical problems. Dark Side of the Moon would be played in its entirety the following night, but it would be a full year before the album was released. January 21 – Keith Richards jumps on stage to jam with Chuck Berry at the Hollywood Palladium, but is ordered off for playing too loud. Berry later claims that he did not recognize Keith and would not have removed him if he had. January 29–31 – The first Sunbury Music Festival is held in Sunbury, Victoria. Performers include Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, Wendy Saddington, Chain and the La De Da's. January 31 – Over 40,000 mourners file past Mahalia Jackson's open casket to pay their respects in Chicago's Great Salem Baptist Church. February 9 – Paul McCartney's new band, Wings, make their live debut at the University of Nottingham in England. This is McCartney's first public concert since The Beatles' 1966 US tour. February 10 – David Bowie introduces his Ziggy Stardust persona at the second show of the 1972–73 Ziggy Stardust Tour, at The Toby Jug pub, Tolworth, Surrey (England). February 13 – Led Zeppelin's concert in Singapore is canceled when government officials will not let them off the airplane because of their long hair. February 14–18 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-host an entire week of The Mike Douglas Show. February 15 – The United States gives federal copyright protection to sound recordings. Prior to this, phonograph records were only protected at state level, and not in all states. February 19 – Paul McCartney's single "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" (inspired by the "Bloody Sunday" massacre in Ireland on January 30, 1972) is banned by the BBC. The controversy caused by the banning only increases the song's popularity and it ends up in the Top 20 in England. February 23 – Elvis and Priscilla Presley separate. February 29 – John Lennon's U.S. immigration visa expires, beginning his three-and-a-half-year fight to remain in the country. March 15 – At the 14th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Andy Williams, winners include Carole King, Kris Kristofferson, Colin Davis, Michel LeGrand, Isaac Hayes, Julian Bream, Vladimir Horowitz, the Juilliard String Quartet and Bill Withers. King wins Album of the Year (for Tapestry), Record of the Year (for "It's Too Late") and Song of the Year (for "You've Got a Friend"), while Carly Simon wins Best New Artist. March 21 – Terry Knight announces he is launching a $5 million lawsuit against Grand Funk's new manager John Eastman, one week after being fired as the band's manager himself. It triggers a series of suits and counter-suits between Knight and the band throughout the coming months. March 25 – The 17th Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland, is won by German-based Greek singer Vicky Leandros, representing Luxembourg with the song "Après Toi". The song is subsequently released around Europe, having been recorded in several languages, including in English as Come What May. March 31 – Official Beatles fan club closes down. April 2 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold a press conference in New York. The Lennons discuss their appeal against the US Immigration Department's decision to deport John. April 9 – First solo concert of Valery Leontiev. April 29 – New York City mayor John Lindsay announces that he is supporting John Lennon and Yoko Ono in their fight to remain in the United States. May 2 – Stone the Crows lead guitarist Les Harvey is electrocuted on stage during a show in Swansea, Wales, by touching a poorly connected microphone. Harvey dies in a hospital a few hours later. The band's lead singer, Maggie Bell, Harvey's longtime girlfriend, is also hospitalized, having collapsed on stage after the incident. May 8 – Billy Preston becomes the first rock performer to headline at New York's Radio City Music Hall May 27 – The Opryland USA country music theme park opens in Nashville, Tennessee. June – Founding member Roy Wood leaves the Electric Light Orchestra line-up just as the band scores its first hit single.. June 10 – Elvis Presley does the first of four concerts at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. He sells out all the shows in one day. June 14 – Simon & Garfunkel reunite briefly to perform live at Madison Square Garden at a campaign benefit for Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern. Other performers include Peter, Paul and Mary and Dionne Warwick. July 24 – Bobby Ramirez, drummer for Edgar Winter's White Trash, is beaten to death in a Chicago bar fight, reportedly because his hair is too long. August 5 – Clive Davis signs Aerosmith to Columbia Records at Max's Kansas City in New York City. August 30 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono headline the "One To One Concert" at Madison Square Garden to benefit mentally handicapped children. Elephant's Memory, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder and Sha Na Na also perform. September 1–7 – Karlheinz Stockhausen directs performances of his works at the Shiraz Arts Festival, including Mantra, Hymnen, an all-day performance of Aus den sieben Tagen, and world premieres of two compositions from Für kommende Zeiten September 21 – ABC premieres the new TV series In Concert. The first episode features Alice Cooper. September 29 – Miles Davis unveils his new nine-piece band at the Lincoln Center Philharmonic Hall. October 12 – Diana Ross makes her acting debut in the successful film Lady Sings the Blues, winning her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. November 3 – James Taylor and Carly Simon are married in a tiny ceremony in Simon's Manhattan apartment. November 12 – 51,778 fans pack San Diego Stadium for a concert promoted by KGB-AM to see J. Geils Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Foghat and Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. November 25 – The 1st OTI Festival, held at the , in Madrid, Spain, is won by the song "", written by Paulo César Pinheiro and Baden Powell, and performed by Tobias and Claudia Regina representing Brazil. November 26 – Family, touring North America as the warmup act for Elton John, play their last concert on U.S. soil in St. Petersburg, Florida. December 23 – Grand Funk Railroad, completing its 1972 Tour, with a sold-out concert at NYC's Madison Square Garden, with the proceeds from the concert benefiting the Phoenix House Drug Rehabilitation Program, and with the show being filmed for ABC-TV's "In Concert" Series, the band is met by a lawsuit taken out by their former manager, Terry Knight, who attempts to block the show from going on, attempting to seize their equipment. A court injunction is given later in the day, allowing the concert to take place. December 31 – The first New Year's Rockin' Eve, with host Dick Clark, airs on NBC (before moving to ABC) with Three Dog Night as the featured act. Blood, Sweat & Tears, Helen Reddy and Al Green also perform. unknown date Herbert Howells becomes a Companion of Honour. Billy Ray Hearn founds Myrrh Records. Joseph Hoo Kim founds Channel One Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. Numa Labinsky (bass singer) and the brothers Michael and Gerald Reynolds found Nimbus Records, a specialist classical music recording company at Wyastone Leys in Herefordshire, England. Heisei College of Music is established in Mifune, Kumamoto, Japan.
Bands formed See Musical groups established in 1972
Bands disbanded Creedence Clearwater Revival Jefferson Airplane Martha and the Vandellas MC5 Them The Velvet Underground
Albums released January DayAlbumArtistNotes3 The Right Combination / Burning the Midnight Oil Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton -7 Jamming with Edward! The Rolling Stones, Nicky Hopkins, Ry Cooder -10 I've Found Someone of My Own The Free Movement Debut17 Lead Me On Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn - Linda Ronstadt Linda Ronstadt -20 Garcia Jerry Garcia Solo Debut24 Cass Elliot Cass Elliot - Got to Be There Michael Jackson Solo Debut Paul Simon Paul Simon - Young, Gifted and Black Aretha Franklin -31 Let's Stay Together Al Green - - Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult Debut 1+1 Grin - All the Good Times Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - America America Debut Baby I'm-a Want You Bread - Flash Flash Debut Greenhouse Leo Kottke - Halfnelson Sparks as Halfnelson; Debut Hendrix in the West Jimi Hendrix Live 1969–70 I'm the One Annette Peacock - Into the Purple Valley Ry Cooder - Jackson Browne Jackson Browne Debut Keep the Faith Black Oak Arkansas - Kraftwerk 2 Kraftwerk - Loose Crazy Horse - Malo Malo Debut Phase III The Osmonds - Rockpile Dave Edmunds Solo Debut Sex, Dope, Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven Daddy Cool Australia Solid Rock The Temptations - The Spotlight Kid Captain Beefheart - The Unnamables Magma as Univeria Zekt Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine The Doors Compilation
February DayAlbumArtistNotes1 Something/Anything? Todd Rundgren -8 Root Down Jimmy Smith -9 Lonesome Crow Scorpions Debut12 Eat a Peach The Allman Brothers Band -15 Harvest Neil Young -18 Manfred Mann's Earth Band Manfred Mann's Earth Band Debut18 Hellbound Train Savoy Brown -20 Elvis Now Elvis Presley -25 Pink Moon Nick Drake - -The World of Genius HansMoving Gelatine Plates - All I Ever Need Is You Sonny & Cher - Blue River Eric Andersen - Border Lord Kris Kristofferson - Burgers Hot Tuna - Cherish David Cassidy Solo Debut Dinnertime Alex Taylor - Don Quixote Gordon Lightfoot - Fanny Hill Fanny - Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes John Kay Solo Debut Good Hearted Woman Waylon Jennings - Grave New World Strawbs - Greatest Hits Blood, Sweat & Tears Compilation Headkeeper Dave Mason - Oh How We Danced Jim Capaldi Solo Debut Pain Ohio Players - Rockin' The Guess Who - Silver Pistol Brinsley Schwarz - Tantamount to Treason Vol. 1 Michael Nesmith -
March DayAlbumArtistNotes3 Black Magic Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - Glitter Gary Glitter Debut Thick as a Brick Jethro Tull - Music of My Mind Stevie Wonder -6 Bare Trees Fleetwood Mac -10 Shades of a Blue Orphanage Thin Lizzy - Touch Your Woman Dolly Parton -21 Love Theme from "The Godfather" Andy Williams -24 Slade Alive! Slade Live Coming Together New Birth -30 Machine Head Deep Purple -- Alvin Lee and Company Ten Years After Compilation The Ballad of Calico Kenny Rogers and the First Edition - Bobby Whitlock Bobby Whitlock Solo Debut Clube da Esquina Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges - Cold Blue Excursion Ray Dorset Solo Debut D&B Together Delaney and Bonnie - Drowning in the Sea of Love Joe Simon Ennea Chase - Feedback Spirit - Heads & Tales Harry Chapin Debut Just Another Band from L.A. Frank Zappa and The Mothers Live The Killer Rocks On Jerry Lee Lewis - The Kink Kronikles The Kinks US; Compilation Live Cream Volume II Cream Live 1968 Powerglide New Riders of the Purple Sage - Pure Prairie League Pure Prairie League Debut Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden Steve Miller Band - Roadwork Edgar Winter's White Trash - Shopping Bag The Partridge Family - Smokin' Humble Pie - Space and First Takes Lee Michaels - Stories We Could Tell The Everly Brothers -You Are the Music...We're Just the Band Trapeze -
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