Table of contents

1 Events 2 Albums released 3 Top hits on record 4 Published popular music 5 Musical theater 6 Births 7 Deaths 8 Awards

Events

• January 21 - MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with musical guest, Squeeze
• February 6 - Billy Idol is involved in a serious motorcycle accident, resulting in several broken bones. Idol had been scheduled to have a major role in Oliver Stone's film The Doors, but had to back out of the project due to his injuries.
• February 8 - 50 year old songwriter Del Shannon dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
• February 14 - 50,000 fans watch The Rolling Stones play the first of 10 concerts at Tokyo's Korakuen Dome, the beginning of the Stones' first ever tour of Japan.
• February 16 - Ike Turner is sentenced to 4 years in prison for possession of cocaine.
• February 17 - Aerosmith appears in the Saturday Night Live sketch Wayne's World, where they perform the Wayne's World theme song.
• February 24 - The Byrds (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and David Crosby) reunite, for the first time in 25 years, to perform at a Los Angeles, California tribute to Roy Orbison. The three are joined unexpectedly on stage by Bob Dylan, who sings "Mr. Tambourine Man" with the band.
• February 27 - In Time Magazine, Milli Vanilli "singer" Rob Pilatus states that their group is, "more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger can't produce a sound. I'm the new Elvis."
• March 20 - Gloria Estefan's tour bus is involved in an accident. Estefan suffers several broken several bones in her back.
• March 25 - Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee is arrested for allegedly exposing his backside during a performance in Augusta, Georgia
• April 4 - Gloria Estefan returns to Miami, Florida after undergoing back surgery in March following a tour bus accident.
• April 6 - Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee suffers a mild concussion after falling off of scaffolding above his elevated drum kit during a performance in New Haven, CT.
• April 7 - Neil Young, Elton John, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Guns N' Roses and Jackson Browne perform at Farm Aid IV in Indiana. John dedicates "Candle in the Wind" to AIDS patient Ryan White during his performance. White died later that evening
• April 25 - Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster that he used to perform his famous version of the "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, is auctioned off in London for $295,000
• May 8 - In Los Angeles, California, Tom Waits wins a $2.5 million lawsuit against Frito-Lay for unlawfully using a sound alike of Waits in its Doritos television commercials.
• May 26 - Gin Blossoms sign a contract with A&M Records
• October - Jamaaladeen Tacuma records Boss of the Bass, that will be a blockbuster in 1991
• Fall - For the first time, Amy Grant and Gary Chapman hold a night of music at their Franklin, Tennessee Riverstone Farm, for local teenagers. Performers included Rich Mullins, Rick Elias, Charlie Peacock, Wes King and Michael W. Smith. The event becomes known as "The Loft".
• November 27 - "Vocal" group Milli Vanilli admits to lip-synching hits such as "Girl You Know It's True." They later have their Grammy award revoked.
• December - The Smashing Pumpkins records Gish, which will be a blockbuster album in 1991
• Madonna's "Justify My Love" music video is banned by MTV. The singer appears on Nightline to defend the video.
• The poorly received Cop Rock preimieres on television, TV's first (and last) musical police drama.
• Will Smith hits primetime television with the sitcom, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
• Spin Doctors' begins performing
• Pearl Jam's career begins
• Ash forms
• Blue Meanies forms
• Blink-182 forms
• Face To Face forms
• Vertical Horizon forms
• Master Sound forms
• Rage Against the Machine forms
• Ricky Martin's career begins
• The Prodigy's career begins
• Mariah Carey's career begins
• Leaders of the New School (including Busta Rhymes) forms
• Master Sound forms
• Face To Face finishes recoring their demos

• Persistence of Time - Anthrax
• Against the Grain - Bad Religion
• Megatop Phoenix - Big Audio Dynamite
• Some Gave All - Billy Ray Cyrus
• Shake Your Money Maker - The Black Crowes
• Ichabod and I - The Boo Radleys
• Eaten Back To Life - Cannibal Corpse
• Vanity/Nemesis - Celtic Frost
• ''Heaven Or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins
• Changesbowie - David Bowie
• If There Was a Way - Dwight Yoakam
• ...But Seriously - Phil Collins
• The Real Thing - Faith No More
• Slappy - Green Day
• Sudden Stop - Colin James
• Ritual de lo Habitual - Jane's Addiction
• Live at Hammersmith '84 - Jethro Tull
  • (A recording made in 1984 and released in 1990)
• Ah Via Musicom - Eric Johnson
• Painkiller - Judas Priest
• Faith Hope Love - King's X
• Time's Up - Living Colour
• Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - MC Hammer
• Rust In Peace - Megadeth
• The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste - Ministry
• Brother's Keeper - The Neville Brothers
• The Good Son - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
• Baghdad - The Offspring
• Cowboys from Hell - Pantera
• Frizzle Fry - Primus
• Fear of a Black Planet - Public Enemy
• Play - Ride
• Here Comes Trouble - Scatterbrain
• Vision Thing - The Sisters Of Mercy
• Up for Grabs - Spin Doctors
• No Depression - Uncle Tupelo
• Passion and Warfare - Steve Vai
• Best of '81-'85 - Y&T
• Ten - Y&T
• GodWeenSatan: The Oneness - Ween

• "Burning Inside" - Ministry
• "Epic" - Faith No More
• "I Go To Extremes" - Billy Joel
• "I Wish It Would Rain Down" - Phil Collins
• "Janie's Got A Gun" - Aerosmith
• "Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinead O'Connor
• "Opposites Attract" - Paula Abdul
• "Painkiller" - Judas Priest
• "U Can't Touch This" - M.C. Hammer
• "The Wagon" - Dinosaur Jr

Published popular music

• "Keep It Together" w.m. S. Bray & Madonna

• Aspects of Love     Broadway production
• A Change in the Heir     Broadway production
• Five Guys Named Moe     Broadway production
• Shogun     Broadway production
• Sunday in the Park with George     London production
• Truly Blessed     Broadway production

Deaths

• January 18 - Melanie Appleby of British duo Mel and Kim, liver cancer
• January 23 - Allen Collins, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, complications from pneumonia
• February 8 - Del Shannon, suicide
• February 25 - Johnnie Ray, liver failure
• March 16 - Andrew Wood, Mother Love Bone
• April 3 - Sarah Vaughan, lung cancer
• August 27 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, blues guitarist performer
• October 14 - Leonard Bernstein, American composer and conductor
• October 16 - Art Blakey, jazz drummer
• December 2 -- Aaron Copland, American composer