Events

• January 1 - The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy.
• January 12 - Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is fined 750 pounds for possession of cocaine which was found in his wrecked car on May 19, 1976. Richards was charged an additional 250 pounds for court costs and found "not guilty" of possession of LSD.
• January 26
  • Patti Smith falls off the stage while opening for Bob Seger in Tampa, Florida. Smith is rushed to the hospital for 22 stitches to close head lacerations. While recovering, Smith writes her fifth book of poetry, Babel.
  • Fleetwood Mac's original lead guitarist, Peter Green, is committed to a mental hospital in England after firing a pistol at a delivery boy bringing him a royalties check
• Alice Cooper enters rehab for his alcoholism, after ten years of drinking a pack of beer a day.
• January 27 - After releasing only one single for the band, EMI terminates its contract with the Sex Pistols.
• February 4 - American Bandstand celebrates its 25th anniversary on television with a special hosted by Dick Clark. An "all-star band" made up of Chuck Berry, Seals & Crofts, Gregg Allman, Junior Walker, Johnny Rivers, the Pointer Sisters, Charlie Daniels, Doc Severinsen, Les McCann, Donald Byrd, Chuck Mangione and three members of Booker T and the MGs perform "Roll Over Beethoven."
• February 14 - The B-52's make their debut at a party in Athens, Georgia
• February 15 - Sid Vicious replaces Glen Matlock as the bassist for the Sex Pistols.
• February 27 - Royal Canadian Mounted Police raid Keith Richards' Toronto hotel suite while he's sleeping and seize 22 grams of heroin, 5 grams of cocaine and narcotics paraphernalia. Richards is arrested and charged with possession of heroin with intent to traffic, and possession of cocaine. He is released on $25,000 bail
• March 1 - Sara Lowndes Dylan files for divorce from her husband of 11 years, Bob Dylan.
• March 10 - A&M Records signs the Sex Pistols in a ceremony in front of Buckingham Palace. The contract is terminated on March 16.
• April 22 - Pink Floyd opened the North American leg of their "Animals" tour in Miami, Florida
• April 24 - Several artists including Joan Baez, Santana and others perform at a free concert for the inmates of California's Soledad Prison.
• April 25 - During a concert at the Saginaw, Michigan Civic Center, Elvis Presley makes what would turn out to be the last recordings he'd ever make. Three songs recorded at the show would later appear (with overdubs), on the posthumously released album, Moody Blue.
• April 26 - New York's disco Studio 54 opens.
• June - Founding of the Nikikai Opera Foundation.
• May 11 - The Stranglers and support band London start a 10 week national UK tour.
• June 12 - The Supremes performed for the last time together at Drury Lane Theatre in London and officially disbanded.
• July 24 - Led Zeppelin perform in Oakland at their last ever concert in the United States.
• August 16 - Elvis Presley is found dead at his home Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
• August 17 - Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD) reported that in one day the number of orders for flowers to be delivered to Graceland for the funeral of Elvis Presley had surpassed the number for any other event in the company's history.
• September 16 - T. Rex frontman Mark Bolan is killed in an automobile accident.
• October 20 - A plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in Mississippi, killing songwriter & vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and background vocalist Cassie Gaines.
• December 14 Saturday Night Fever appears in theaters, igniting a new popularity for Disco music.
• Kenny Rogers releases his album "Ten Years Of Gold" less than 12 months after scoring his first solo hit, following the break up of his pop/country band, The First Edition. The album features the original versions of his recent solo hits and re-recordings of First Edition classics.
• INXS forms in Sydney, Australia
• Black Flag forms
• The Kats forms in Hollywood, California
• The B-52's forms
• Crass forms
• Def Leppard forms in Sheffield, Yorkshire
• Whitesnake forms
• X (US) forms
• The Fall forms in Manchester, England
• The Meters break up
• Dire Straits is founded
• Stiff Little Fingers is founded
• The Cars sign a contract with Elektra Records
• Devo signs a contract with Warner Bros.
• Midnight Oil sign a contract with CBS Records
• The Neville Brothers sign a contract with A&M Records
• The Police sign a contract with A&M Records
• Van Halen signs a contract with Warner Bros.
• Van Morrison releases a new album after a three-year absence
• Luv', a Dutch girl group, is formed

Albums released

Works Volume I - Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1977.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	The Eagles	Hotel California	1977		US BB 1 - Mar 1977, Canada 1 - Mar 1977, France 1 - Jun 1977, Grammy in 1977, Switzerland 2 - Jul 1977, OzNet 3, Norway 5 - May 1977, Europe 5 of the 1970s, US BB 6 of 1977, Germany 6 - Jun 1977, TheQ 6, POP 6 of 1977, UK 8 - Apr 1977, Holland 8 - May 1977, Austria 13 - Sep 1977, Belgium 18 of all time, RYM 18 of 1977, Scrobulate 28 of rock, US CashBox 35 of 1977, Poland 38 of all time, Acclaimed 43, Virgin 44, RIAA 46, Rolling Stone 49, 68 in 2FM list, WXPN 73, Party 87 of 2007, Italy 88 of 1977, Germany 317 of the 1970s
2	Donna Summer	I Feel Love	1977		UK 1 - Jul 1977, Holland 1 - Aug 1977, France 1 - Sep 1977, Austria 1 - Aug 1977, Australia 1 for 1 weeks May 1978, Switzerland 2 - Aug 1977, Germany 3 - Aug 1977, Sweden (alt) 5 - Jul 1977, Italy 5 of 1977, US BB 6 - Sep 1977, RYM 7 of 1977, Norway 8 - Nov 1977, Canada 9 - Oct 1977, Australia 17 of 1977, Scrobulate 32 of disco, US CashBox 57 of 1977, Acclaimed 181, Germany 271 of the 1970s, Rolling Stone 411
3	Wings	Mull of Kintyre	1977		UK 1 - Nov 1977, Holland 1 - Dec 1977, Austria 1 - Feb 1978, Switzerland 1 - Jan 1978, Germany 1 - Jan 1978, Éire 1 - Dec 1977, Australia 1 for 11 weeks Jul 1978, Norway 2 - Dec 1977, Australia 2 of 1978, South Africa 5 of 1978, Sweden (alt) 14 - Dec 1977, Germany 21 of the 1970s, RYM 28 of 1977, Europe 76 of the 1970s, Italy 97 of 1978
4	Boney M	Ma Baker	1977	/ /	Holland 1 - May 1977, Sweden (alt) 1 - May 1977, France 1 - Jun 1977, Austria 1 - Jun 1977, Switzerland 1 - May 1977, Norway 1 - Jun 1977, Germany 1 - May 1977, UK 2 - Jun 1977, Italy 16 of 1977, Australia 24 of 1977, Global 33 (5 M sold) - 1978, Germany 55 of the 1970s, Scrobulate 80 of disco, RYM 101 of 1977
5	Baccara	Yes Sir, I Can Boogie	1977		UK 1 - Sep 1977, Holland 1 - Jun 1977, Sweden (alt) 1 - Jul 1977, Switzerland 1 - Jun 1977, Norway 1 - Aug 1977, Germany 1 - Jun 1977, Éire 1 - Nov 1977, France 2 - Jun 1977, Austria 2 - Aug 1977, Germany 31 of the 1970s, Italy 81 of 1978, RYM 123 of 1977

Chronological table of US and UK Number One hit singles

US Number One Singles and Artist (Weeks at Number One)

UK Number One Singles and Artist (Weeks at Number One)

"Tonight's the Night" - Rod Stewart (7 weeks in 1976 + 1 week in 1977) "You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)"- Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr (1) "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" - Leo Sayer (1) "I Wish" - Stevie Wonder (1) "Car Wash" - Rose Royce (1) "Torn Between Two Lovers" - Mary MacGregor (2) "Blinded by the Light" - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1) "New Kid In Town" - The Eagles (1) "Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen)" - Barbra Streisand (3) "Rich Girl" - Hall & Oates (2) "Dancing Queen" - ABBA (1) "Don't Give Up On Us" - David Soul (1) "Don't Leave Me This Way" - Thelma Houston (1) "Southern Nights" - Glen Campbell (1) "Hotel California" - The Eagles (1) "When I Need You" - Leo Sayer (1) "Sir Duke" - Stevie Wonder (3) "I'm Your Boogie Man" - KC & The Sunshine Band (1) "Dreams" - Fleetwood Mac (1) "Got to Give It Up" - Marvin Gaye (1) "Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky) - Bill Conti (1) "Undercover Angel" - Alan O'Day (1) "Da Do Ron Ron" - Shaun Cassidy (1) "Looks Like We Made It" - Barry Manilow (1) "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" - Andy Gibb (4) "Best Of My Love" - The Emotions (5) "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" - Meco (2) "You Light Up My Life" - Debby Boone (10), best selling single of the year "How Deep Is Your Love" - Bee Gees (2 weeks in 1977 + 1 week in 1978)

"When A Child Is Born" - Johnny Mathis (1 week in 1976 + 2 weeks in 1977) "Don't Give Up On Us" - David Soul (4) "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Julie Covington (1) "When I Need You" - Leo Sayer (3) "Chanson D'Amour" - The Manhattan Transfer (3) "Knowing Me, Knowing You" - ABBA (5) "Free" - Deniece Williams (2) "I Don't Want to Talk About It/The First Cut Is the Deepest" - Rod Stewart (4) "Lucille" - Kenny Rogers (1) "Show You The Way To Go" - The Jacksons (1) "So You Win Again" - Hot Chocolate (3) "I Feel Love" - Donna Summer (4) "Angelo" - Brotherhood of Man (1) "Float On - Floaters (1) "Way Down" - Elvis Presley (5) "Silver Lady" - David Soul (3) "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" - Baccara (1) "The Name Of The Game" - ABBA (4) "Mull Of Kintyre/Girl's School" - Wings, (5 weeks in 1977 + 4 weeks in 1978), best selling single of the year

Other significant singles and major hits