1959 in British music

This is a summary of 1959 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Summary

Events

• April 21 - Ballerina Margot Fonteyn is jailed for 24 hours in Panama on suspicion of planning a coup against the government of president Ernesto de la Guardia.^[1]
• June 1 - The first edition of Juke Box Jury, presented by David Jacobs, is broadcast on BBC television. The first panel consists of Pete Murray, Alma Cogan, Gary Miller and Susan Stranks.

The Official UK Singles Chart

Charts

Classical music: new works

• Arnold Bax - Symphony No. 4
• Francis Jackson - Diversion for Mixtures
• Grace Williams - All Seasons shall be Sweet

Musical theatre

• Sandy Wilson - Pieces of Eight

Births

• January 14 - Chas Smash (Madness)
• January 28 - Dave Sharp (The Alarm)
• February 25 - Mike Peters, singer/songwriter (The Alarm)
• March 17 - Mike Lindup, singer/keyboard player (Level 42)
• April 10 - Brian Setzer, singer/guitarist (The Stray Cats)
• April 21 - Robert Smith, singer (The Cure)
• June 18 - Sean Terrington Wright singer/songwriter (International Heroes)
• June 24 - Andy McCluskey (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)
• October 4 - Chris Lowe, keyboard player (Pet Shop Boys)
• October 10 - Kirsty Maccoll, singer/songwriter (d. 2000)
• November 27 - Charlie Burchill (Simple Minds)
• December 30 - Tracey Ullman, actress and singer

Deaths

• March 25 - Billy Mayerl, pianist and composer (b. 1902)
• June 9 - Sonnie Hale, actor and singer (b. 1902)
• September 6 - Kay Kendall, musical comedy actress (b. 1926) (leukaemia)
• September 21 - Agnes Nicholls, operatic soprano (b. 1877)
• September 28 - Gerard Hoffnung, German-born artist, musician and humorist (b. 1925) (cerebral haemorrhage)
• November 26 - Albert Ketèlbey, pianist, conductor and composer (b. 1875)
• December 30 - G. W. Briggs, hymn-writer (b. 1875)

References