1971 in music

See also:

Events

• February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music. The film includes footage from Dylan's 1966 UK tour.
• February 16 - Alan David Pasaro, the Hell's Angel who was tried and acquitted for the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter at the Altamont Speedway in 1969, files a lawsuit against The Rolling Stones for invasion of privacy because the documentary film Gimme Shelter showed the stabbing.
• March 13 - The Allman Brothers Band records its live album, Live at the Fillmore East.
• March 16 - The 13th Grammy Awards, honoring musical accomplishments of 1970 are presented.
• December 7 - The Montreux Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, catches fire and burns during a performance by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention when a fan fires a flare gun into its rafters. The band Deep Purple, who were due to begin recording at the casino the next day, watched the scene from their hotel across Lake Geneva, and later immortalized the events in their song, "Smoke on the Water".
• Lancelot Layne's "Blown Away" is the beginning of rapso music.
• The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour premeires on television
• Elton John's musical career begins
• ABBA's musical career begins
• The New York Dolls' musical career begins
• Donna Summer's musical career begins
• Stevie Ray Vaughan's musical career begins
• Roxy Music's musical career begins
• Jesus Christ Superstar is performed for the first time
• Michael Jackson's solo career begins
• Rick Springfield leaves Zoot for a solo career
• The Crystals reunite
• Beach Boys musician Daryl Dragon and singer Toni Tennille meet and begin to perform together as Captain & Tennille