1940s
- 1949 in music - Birth of Bruce Springsteen, Valery Leontiev, Paul Rodgers, Billy Joel, Mark Knopfler, Roger Taylor, RCA Victor introduces 45 RPM records
- 1948 in music - Columbia Records introduces 33 RPM (LP) records. Birth of James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Steven Tyler, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Ozzy Osbourne, Robert Plant, John Bonham, Kenny Loggins, Olivia Newton-John, and Donna Summer.
- 1947 in music - Birth of David Bowie, Elton John, Bob Weir, Carlos Santana, Emmylou Harris, Arlo Guthrie, Tracy Nelson, Paul Brady, Tim Buckley, Jim Messina, Mick Fleetwood, Organum
- 1946 in music - Birth of John Paul Jones, Dolly Parton, Bon Scott, Donovan, Linda Ronstadt, Marianne Faithfull, Cher, Freddie Mercury, Gram Parsons, Patti Smith, Toquinho
- 1945 in music - Birth of Bob Marley, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Deborah Harry, Neil Young, Carly Simon, John Fogerty, Itzhak Perlman; Death of Jerome Kern; Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten premieres in London
- 1944 in music - Birth of Diana Ross, Jimmy Page, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Townes Van Zandt, Marvin Hamlisch; Disappearance of Glenn Miller, borns Chico Buarque a Brazilian composer.
- 1943 in music - Birth of George Harrison, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Jim Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Robbie Robertson, John Denver, Richard Manuel, Gavin Bryars; Death of Lorenz Hart, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Formation of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Carl Ruggles, Evocations; The original Broadway production of Oklahoma! opened on March 31, 1943 at the St. James Theatre in New York City.
- 1942 in music - Births of Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Brian Jones, Jerry Garcia, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Carole King, Rick Danko, Lou Reed, Paul Butterfield, Jerry Jeff Walker, John P. Hammond; Death of George M. Cohan
- 1941 in music - Les Paul builds one of the first solid-body electric guitars; Birth of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Hank Marvin, Aaron Neville, Charlie Watts, Neil Diamond, Richie Havens, Wilson Pickett and Ritchie Valens
- 1940 in music - Birth of Frank Zappa, Cliff Richard, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Phil Ochs, Levon Helm, Smokey Robinson, Ricky Nelson, Tim Hardin, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Hatfield, Bill Medley, (both of the Righteous Brothers)
Read more about this topic: Timeline Of Musical Events