1971 in British music

1970s in music in the UK
Number-one singles
Number-one albums
Best-selling singles
Best-selling albums
Summaries and charts 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
←1969	1980→
Top 10 singles 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
←1969	1980→

This is a summary of 1971 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Events

• 3 February - Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees
• 1 March – Bassist John Deacon joins Queen
• 4 March – The Rolling Stones open their UK tour in Newcastle upon Tyne, intended as a "farewell" to the UK prior to the band's relocation to France as "tax exiles".
• 5 March – Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, sees the first live performance of Led Zeppelin's iconic song "Stairway to Heaven".
• 6 April – The Rolling Stones hold a party in Cannes to officially announce their new contract with Atlantic and the launch of Rolling Stones Records.
• 12 May – Mick Jagger marries Bianca de Macías in Saint-Tropez, France, in a Roman Catholic ceremony. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and their wives are among the wedding guests.
• 16 May - BBC television makes the first broadcast of Benjamin Britten's opera for television, Owen Wingrave.
• 20-24 June – The first Glastonbury Festival to take place at the summer solstice is held in South West England. Performers include David Bowie, Traffic, Fairport Convention, Quintessence and Hawkwind.
• 19–24 July - Benjamin Britten conducts recording of Edward Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius at Snape Maltings.
• 1 August - The Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden, New York, starring Ravi Shankar, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, and Leon Russell; also featuring Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Jesse Ed Davis, and Badfinger.
• 14 August - The Who release their fifth studio album Who's Next, reaching No. 1 in the UK and No. 1 in the US.
• 8 November – Led Zeppelin release their officially untitled fourth studio album, which would become the band's biggest-selling album.

Number Ones

Singles

Date[1]	Single	Artist	Weeks
9 January	"Grandad"	Clive Dunn	4
30 January	"My Sweet Lord"	George Harrison	5
6 March	"Baby Jump"	Mungo Jerry	2
20 March	"Hot Love"	T. Rex	6
1 May	"Double Barrel"	Dave & Ansel Collins	2
15 May	"Knock Three Times"	Dawn	5
19 June	"Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep"	Middle of the Road	5
24 July	"Get It On"	T. Rex	4
21 August	"I'm Still Waiting"	Diana Ross	4
18 September	"Hey Girl Don't Bother Me"	The Tams	3
9 October	"Maggie May / Reason to Believe"	Rod Stewart	5
13 November	"Coz I Luv You"	Slade	4
11 December	"Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)"	Benny Hill	4

Albums

Date[2]	Single	Artist	Weeks
9 January	Greatest Hits	Andy Williams	1
16 January	Bridge Over Troubled Water	Simon & Garfunkel	3
6 February	All Things Must Pass	George Harrison	8
3 April	Home Lovin' Man	Andy Williams	2
17 April	Motown Chartbusters Vol.5	Various Artists	3
8 May	Sticky Fingers	The Rolling Stones	4
5 June	Ram	Paul & Linda McCartney	2
19 June	Sticky Fingers	The Rolling Stones	1
26 June	Tarkus	Emerson, Lake & Palmer	1
3 July	Bridge Over Troubled Water	Simon & Garfunkel	5
7 August	Hot Hits 6	Various Artists	1
14 August	Every Good Boy Deserves Favour	The Moody Blues	1
21 August	Top of the Pops, Volume 18	Various Artists	3
11 September	Bridge Over Troubled Water	Simon & Garfunkel	1
18 September	Who's Next	The Who	1
25 September	Fireball	Deep Purple	1
2 October	Every Picture Tells a Story	Rod Stewart	4
30 October	Imagine	John Lennon	2
13 November	Every Picture Tells a Story	Rod Stewart	2
27 November	Top of the Pops, Volume 20	Various Artists	1
4 December	Four Symbols	Led Zeppelin	2
18 December	Electric Warrior	T. Rex	3

Year-end Charts

Singles

(Covering 16th Jan to 18th Dec 1971)

1. "My Sweet Lord" - George Harrison 890,000
2. "Maggie May/Reason to Believe" - Rod Stewart 615,000 in total
3. "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" - Middle of the Road 614,000 in total
4. "Knock Three Times" - Dawn 531,500
5. "Hot Love" - T. Rex 530,000
6. "The Pushbike Song" - The Mixtures 500,000
7. "Never Ending Song of Love" - The New Seekers 421,000
8. "I'm Still Waiting" - Diana Ross 420,000
9. "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" - The Tams 415,000
10. "Get It On" - T-Rex 413,000
11. "Coz I Luv You" - Slade410,000
12. "Amazing Grace" - Judy Collins 405,000
13. "Grandad" - Clive Dunn 400,000
14. "Double Barrel" - Dave and Ansil Collins 395,000
15. "Rose Garden" - Lynn Anderson 394,000
16. "Baby Jump" - Mungo Jerry 388,000
17. "Did You Ever" - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood 370,000
18. "For All We Know" - Shirley Bassey362,000
19. "Brown Sugar" - The Rolling Stones 360,000
20. "Stoned Love" - The Supremes 355,000
21. "Co-Co" - Sweet 354,000
22. "It's Impossible" - Perry Como 351,000
23. "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" - Benny Hill 350,000
24. "Resurrection Shuffle" - Ashton, Gardner & Dyke 345,000
25. "Another Day" - Paul McCartney 344,000
26. "Witch Queen of New Orleans" - Redbone 340,000
27. "Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum" - Middle of the Road 336,000
28. "I Did What I Did for Maria" - Tony Christie 335,000
29. "Bridget the Midget" - Ray Stevens 335,000
30. "The Banner Man" - Blue Mink 331,000
31. "Till" - Tom Jones 330,000
32. "You've Got a Friend" - James Taylor 326,000
33. "Mozart 40" - Waldo De Los Rios 325,000
34. "Jeepster" - T-Rex 325,000
35. "Indiana Wants Me" - R. Dean Taylor 324,000
36. "I'm Gonna Run Away from You" - Tami Lynn 322,000
37. "Don't Let It Die" - Hurricane Smith 320,000
38. "He's Gonna Step On You Again" - John Kongos 315,000
39. "Back Street Luv" - Curved Air 310,000
40. "Tom Tom Turnaround" - New World 305,000
41. "What are You Doing Sunday" - Dawn 300,000
42. "It Don't Come Easy" - Ringo Starr 295,000
43. "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" - Lobo 295,000
44. "In My Own Time" - Family 285,000
45. "Johnny Reggae" - The Piglets 284,000
46. "No Matter What" - Badfinger 282,000
47. "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" - Cher 281,0000
48. "I Believe (In Love)" - Hot Chocolate 280,000
49. "The Devil’s Answer" - Atomic Rooster 265,000
50. "Banks of the Ohio" - Olivia Newton-John 260,000

Albums

1. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
2. Every Picture Tells a Story - Rod Stewart
3. Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
4. Motown Chartbusters Vol.5 - Various Artists
5. Electric Warrior - T-Rex
6. Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon - James Taylor
7. Every Good Boy Deserves Favour - The Moody Blues
8. Greatest Hits - Andy Williams
9. Ram - Paul & Linda McCartney
10. Tapestry - Carole King

^[3]

Classical music: new works

• Benjamin Britten - Cello Suite No. 3

Film and Incidental music

• John Barry -
  • Diamonds Are Forever, starring Sean Connery.
  • Mary, Queen of Scots, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson.
  • Walkabout directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Jenny Agutter.
• Richard Rodney Bennett - Nicholas and Alexandra.
• Roy Budd - Get Carter, starring Michael Caine.

Births

• 8 January – Karen Poole (Alisha's Attic)
• 11 January - The Chemical Brothers (Chemical Brothers)
• 13 January – Lee Agnew (Nazareth)
• 20 January - Gary Barlow, singer-songwriter (Take That)
• 2 February - Michelle Gayle, singer
• 13 February – Sonia, singer
• 16 February - Steven Houghton, actor and singer
• 6 March – Betty Boo, singer
• 31 March – Ewan McGregor, actor and singer
• 9 May – Paul McGuigan bassist (Oasis)
• 17 May – Vernie Bennett, singer (Eternal)
• 31 May – Adam Walton, DJ
• 14 July – Nick McCabe, English guitarist (The Verve and Black Submarine)
• 11 September – Richard Ashcroft, singer and songwriter (The Verve)
• 21 September – Jimmy Constable, singer (911)
• 30 October – John Alford, singer and actor
• 5 November – Jonny Greenwood, musician, songwriter and composer
• 25 December – Dido, singer

Deaths

• 1 February – Harry Roy, bandleader, 71
• 6 March – Thurston Dart, harpsichordist and conductor, 49
• 30 March - Harold Craxton, pianist and composer, 85
• 21 May - Dennis King, actor and singer, 73
• 11 June – Ambrose, bandleader and violinist, 74
• 16 June - Ellaline Terriss, actress and singer, 100

References

1. ChartArchive - Number One singles(Link redirected to OCC website)
2. ChartArchive - Number One albums(Link redirected to OCC website)
3. ChartHeaven Charts taken from Music Week / Record Mirror