This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1946.

Specific locations 1946 in British music 1946 in Norwegian music

Specific genres 1946 in country music 1946 in jazz

Events January 6 – A somewhat revised and streamlined revival of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Show Boat opens on Broadway at the Ziegfeld Theatre, the same theatre at which the original production played in 1927. This production features newly designed sets and costumes, new, more extended choreography, and a new song, Nobody Else But Me, by Kern and Hammerstein. February – Kathleen Ferrier's recording contract with Columbia Records expires, and she transfers to Decca. May 24 – John Serry Sr. collaborates with the vocalist Sidor Belarsky and the Mischa Borr Orchestra in recordings of Ukrainian folk songs and "Dark Night"."Discography of American Historical Recordings" - John Serry on adp.library.ucsb.edu August 22 - John Serry Sr performs as the "outstanding accordionist of the year" with the conductor Archie Bleyer on Gordon Macrae's Skyline Roof broadcast with the CBS network. August – American singer Doris Day leaves Les Brown's band and begins her solo career. September 11 – The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra holds its first rehearsal. Formation of Bamberg Symphony; Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra; and RIAS Symphonie-Orchester. Al Jolson rerecords his old hits for the soundtrack of his Columbia biopic The Jolson Story (released October 10 in the United States), and becomes a superstar to the post-war generation too. B. B. King begins working as a professional musician in Memphis, Tennessee. Chet Atkins makes his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. Georgia Gibbs signs with the Majestic label. Bill Haley's professional musical career begins as a member of The Down Homers. His earliest known recordings are made during a Down Homers radio performance, but will not be released until 2006. John Serry Sr. appears as the guest accordion soloist on the Danny O'Neil Show on the CBS network.Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection Item 8 audio disc p. 18 in The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music

Albums released Accordion Capers – Joe Biviano Accordion Rhythm Sextette with Tony Mottola and John Serry.Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History - "Accordion Capers" (Sonora MS-476, 1946) with accordionists Joe Biviano & John Serry on americanhistory.si Annie Get Your Gun – Original Broadway cast Show Boat – Original Broadway cast Frank Sinatra Conducts the Music of Alec Wilder – Frank Sinatra Lombardoland – Guy Lombardo Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five – Louis Jordan Manhattan Tower – Gordon Jenkins The Voice of Frank Sinatra – Frank Sinatra Merry Christmas Music – Perry Como What We So Proudly Hail – Bing Crosby Favorite Hawaiian Songs, Vol. One – Bing Crosby Favorite Hawaiian Songs, Vol. Two – Bing Crosby Blue Skies – Bing Crosby Don't Fence Me In – Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters

Top popular records of 1946 For each Year in Music (beginning 1940) and Year in Country Music (beginning 1939), a comprehensive Year End Top Records section can be found at mid-page (popular), and on the Country page.

The charts are compiled from data published by Billboard magazine, using their formulas, with slight modifications. Most important, there are no songs missing or truncated by Billboard's holiday deadline. Each year, records included enter the charts between the prior November and early December. Each week, fifteen points are awarded to the number one record, then nine points for number two, eight points for number three, and so on. This system rewards songs that reach the highest positions, as well as those that had the longest chart runs. This is our adjustment to Mr. Whitburn's formula, which places no. 1 records on top, then no 2 and so on, ordered by weeks at that position. This allows a record with 4 weeks at no. 1 that only lasted 6 weeks to be rated very high. Here, the total points of a song's complete chart run determines its position. Our chart has more songs, more weeks and may look nothing like Billboard's, but it comes from the exact same surveys.

Before the Hot 100 was implemented in 1958, Billboard magazine measured a record's performance with three charts, 'Best-Selling Popular Retail Records', 'Records Most-Played On the Air' or 'Records Most Played By Disk Jockeys' and 'Most-Played Juke Box Records'. As Billboard did starting in the 1940s, the three totals for each song are combined, with that number determining the final year-end rank. For example, 1944's "A Hot Time in the Town of Berlin" by Bing and the Andrews Sisters finished at no. 19, despite six weeks at no. 1 on the 'Most-Played Juke Box Records'(JB) chart. It scored 126 points, to go with its Best-Selling chart (BS) total of 0. Martha Tilton's version of "I'll Walk Alone" peaked at no. 4 on the Juke Box chart, which only totalled 65 points, but her BS total was also 65, for a final total of 130, ranking no. 18. Examples like this can be found in "The Billboard" magazine up to 1958. The 'Records Most-Played On the Air' chart didn't begin until January 1945, which is why we only had two sub-totals.

Our rankings are based on Billboard data, but we also present info on recording and release dates, global sales totals, RIAA and BPI certifications and other awards. Rankings from other genres like 'Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs' or 'Most Played Juke Box Race Records', Country charts including 'Most Played Juke Box Folk (Hillbilly) Records', 'Cashbox magazine', and other sources are presented if they exist. We supplement our info with reliable data from the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 and other sources as specified.

The following songs appeared in The Billboard's 'Best Selling Retail Records', 'Records Most-Played On the Air' and 'Most Played Juke Box Records' charts, starting November 1945 and before December 1946. Rank Artist Title Label Recorded Released Chart positions 1 Eddy Howard and His Orchestra "To Each His Own" Majestic 7188 US Billboard 1946 #1, US #1 for 8 weeks, 24 total weeks, 576 points, CashBox #3, 1,000,000 sales 2 The Ink Spots "The Gypsy" Decca 18817 US Billboard 1946 #2, US #1 for 13 weeks, 23 total weeks, CashBox #1, US Most-Played Race Records 1945 #3, Race Records #1 for 3 weeks, 13 total weeks, 548 points, 1,000,000 sales 3 Frankie Carle and his Orchestra (vocal by Marjorie Hughes) "Rumors Are Flying" Columbia 37069 US Billboard 1946 #3, US #1 for 11 weeks, 28 total weeks, 477 points, CashBox #6, 1,000,000 sales 4 Frank Sinatra "Five Minutes More" Columbia 37048 US Billboard 1946 #4, US #1 for 7 weeks, 19 total weeks, 453 points 5 Swing and Sway With Sammy Kaye "The Old Lamp-Lighter" RCA Victor 20-1963 US Billboard 1946 #5, US #1 for 8 weeks (Juke Box), 21 total weeks, 452 points, CashBox #8 6 Frankie Carle and his Orchestra (vocal by Marjorie Hughes "Oh! What It Seemed to Be" Columbia 36892 US Billboard 1946 #6, US #1 for 11 weeks (Juke Box), 20 total weeks, 436 points, CashBox #5 7 Perry Como "Prisoner of Love" RCA Victor 20-1814 US Billboard 1946 #7, US #1 for 3 weeks, 20 total weeks, 429 points, 1,000,000 sales 8 Dinah Shore "The Gypsy" Columbia 36964 US Billboard 1946 #8, US #1 for 8 weeks, 17 total weeks, 358 points, CashBox #2, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, 1,000,000 sales 9 Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" Victor 20-1759 US Billboard 1946 #9, US #1 for 6 weeks, 16 total weeks, 349 points 10 King Cole Trio "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" Capitol 304 US Billboard 1946 #10, US #1 for 7 weeks, 16 total weeks, CashBox #1, US Most-Played Race Records 1945 #20, Race Records #3 for 2 weeks, 8 total weeks, 293 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2018, 1,000,000 sales 11 Betty Hutton "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" Capitol 220 US Billboard 1946 #10, US #1 for 1 week, 22 total weeks, 299 points 12 Frank Sinatra "Oh! What It Seemed to Be" Columbia 36905 US Billboard 1946 #11, US #1 for 8 weeks, 28 total weeks, 295 points, CashBox #7 13 Freddy Martin and His Orchestra "Symphony" Victor 20-1747 US BB 1945 #12, US #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks 14 Johnny Mercer and The Pied Pipers "Personality" Capitol 230 US Billboard 1946 #13, US #1 for 1 weeks, 17 total weeks, 289 points, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 15 Freddy Martin and His Orchestra "To Each His Own" RCA Victor 20-1921 US Billboard 1946 #14, US #1 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks, 255 points, CashBox #4 16 Kay Kyser and His Orchestra "Ole Buttermilk Sky" Columbia 37073 US Billboard 1946 #15, US #1 for 7 weeks, 16 total weeks, 253 points 17 Perry Como "Surrender" RCA Victor 20-1877 US Billboard 1946 #16, US #1 for 9 weeks, 17 total weeks, 250 points 18 Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters "South America, Take It Away" Decca 23569 US Billboard 1946 #18, US #2 for 13 weeks, 17 total weeks, 213 points, 1,000,000 sales 19 Hoagy Carmichael and Orchestra "Ole Buttermilk Sky" ARA 155 US Billboard 1946 #19, US #1 for 1 weeks, 17 total weeks, 182 points, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 20 Dinah Shore "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" Columbia 36976 US Billboard 1946 #20, US #3 for 1 weeks, 17 total weeks, 159 points, CashBox #3 21 Dinah Shore "Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)" Columbia 36964 US Billboard 1946 #21, US #3 for 1 weeks, 17 total weeks, 158 points, CashBox #3 22 Kay Kyser and His Orchestra "The Old Lamp-Lighter" Columbia 37095 US Billboard 1946 #22, US #1 for 7 weeks, 16 total weeks, 143 points, CashBox #9 23 Swing and Sway With Sammy Kaye "I'm A Big Girl Now" RCA Victor 20-1812 US Billboard 1946 #23, US #1 for 1 week, 18 total weeks, 141 points, CashBox #6, 1,000,000 sales

Top race records

Billboard Most-Played Race Records of 1946 is a year-end list compiled by Billboard magazine, printed in the January 4, 1947, issue. It includes rankings for the calendar year only, handicapping records at the beginning and end of the year such as "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie", which finished second as a result. For all year-end charts on these pages, records that enter the chart in December of the previous year, or remain on the chart after December of the current year, receive points for their full chart runs. Each week, a score of 15 points is assigned for the no. 1 record, 9 points for no. 2, 8 points for no. 3, and so on, and the total of all weeks determined the final rank. Additional information from other sources is reported, but not used for ranking. This includes dates obtained from the Discography of American Historical Recordings website, chart performance from Billboards 'Best Selling Retail Records, Records Most-Played On the Air and Most Played Juke Box Records charts, Most Played Juke Box Folk (Hillbilly) Records, Cashbox, and other sources as noted. Additional information can also be found at List of Most Played Juke Box Race Records number ones of 1946.