1988 in music

See also: 1987 in music, other events of 1988, 1989 in music, 1980s in music and the list of 'years in music'

Events

• Peter Ruzicka becomes director of the Hamburg State Opera and State Philharmonic Orchestra.
• January – Broadcast of the Cinemax television special Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night, recorded on September 30, 1987 at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, California.
• February 13 – Michael Jackson purchases a ranch in Santa Ynez, California. He calls his new home "Neverland".
• February 16 – Billy Vera receives a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame
• February 17 – A 12-year old Mötley Crüe fan in Florida is badly burned while trying to imitate a stunt in the band's "Live Wire" music video. The boy suffered burns over ten percent of his body. Mötley Crüe issued a statement saying the band's stunts should not be tried at home.
• February 24 – Alice Cooper announces that he is going to run for Governor of Arizona.
• March 10 – During a concert in Perth, Western Australia, George Michael thanks Tipper Gore, head of the Parents Music Resource Center, for helping the sales of his Faith album.
• March 12 – Record producer Jimmy Iovine presents the Special Olympics with a donation of $5 million, which was raised with the release of the A Very Special Christmas album.
• April to July – Suicidal Tendencies records How Will I Laugh Tomorrow If I Can't Even Smile Today?, which will be a blockbuster album on September 13
• April 19 – Former rock and roll singer Sonny Bono is inaugurated as the Mayor of Palm Springs, California
• May 1 – Citing the 1st Amendment, a judge drops all charges filed against singer Billy Joel. Joel was being sued by Jack Powers for defamation following an interview with Playboy magazine in which he called Powers a "creep".
• July 1 – Quartetto Cetra's last concert.
• August 28 – While traveling down the Ventura Freeway in Southern California, the motor home carrying the Charlie Daniels band bursts into flames. Daniels and his band members escape without injury.
• October 10 – Acid House: Genesis'88 stage their first illegal Acid House Party in UK
• November – The "Guess The Eddies" contest begins, inviting people to guess the identities of the six members of the rock band The Swirling Eddies.
• Compact discs outsell vinyl records for the first time.
• "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" experiences a surge in popularity sparked by television commercials featuring claymation raisin figures dancing to the song. The California Raisins version of the song peaks at No. 84 on Billboard's Hot 100.
• December 4 – singer Roy Orbison gives his last concert in Akron, Ohio.
• December 31 – Acid House: Genesis & Sunrise/Back to the Future stage the biggest Acid Party in the world in a warehouse in Hackney, UK (5,000 people)

• Nirvana's career begins
• Phish's career begins
• Steven Morrissey begins solo career;
• The Offspring begins their recording career
• Baha Men forms
• After 7 forms
• Blind Melon forms
• Blues Traveler forms
• Cypress Hill forms
• Guttermouth forms
• Jesus Jones forms
• No Doubt forms
• Pennywise forms
• Radiohead forms (as On A Friday)
• Warrior Soul forms
• Big Black break up
• The Cars break up

Albums released

• Blow Up Your Video – AC/DC
• Forever Your Girl – Paula Abdul (debut)
• Y Kant Tori Read – Tori Amos (debut)
• State Of Euphoria – Anthrax
• Pound For Pound – Anvil
• Saints Will Conquer – Armored Saint
• Suffer – Bad Religion
• Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart – Camper Van Beethoven
• Wide Awake In Dreamland – Pat Benatar
• In Heat – Black N' Blue (final album)
• New Jersey – Bon Jovi
• Britny Fox – Britny Fox (debut ALBUM)
• Bullet Boys – Bullet Boys (debut)
• Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman (debut)
• 19 – Chicago
• LOng Cold Winter – Cinderella
• I'm Your Man – Leonard Cohen
• The Trinity Sessions – Cowboy Junkies
• Don't Be Afraid of the Dark – Robert Cray
• Dangerous Age – Bad Company
• Danzig I – Danzig (debut, Glenn Danzig's 3rd band following The Misfits & Samhain)
• Wyau – Datblygu
• Bug – Dinosaur Jr.
• Beast From the East – Dokken (live album)
• Big Thing – Duran Duran
• Copperhead Road – Steve Earle
• Eazy-Duz-It – Eazy-E
• The Innocents – Erasure
• Wild Wild West – The Escape Club
• On Target – Fastway (final album)
• No Exit – Fates Warning
• Only Life – The Feelies
• Lita – Lita Ford
• Live 1 EP – Frehley's Comet
• Second Sighting – Frehley's Comet
• Fugazi (album) – Fugazi (debut EP)
• Breakwater – Lennie Gallant (debut)
• Gipsy Kings – Gipsy Kings
• Lead Me On – Amy Grant
• The Sweet Children – Green Day
• GNR Lies – Guns N' Roses
• Racing after Midnight – Honeymoon Suite
• Over The Edge – Hurricane (debut ALBUM)
• Seventh Son of a Seventh Son – Iron Maiden
• Colin James – Colin James
• Nothing's Shocking – Jane's Addiction
• 20 Years of Jethro Tull – Jethro Tull
• Reg Strikes Back – Elton John
• Greatest Hits (1977–1987) – Journey
• Ram It Down – Judas Priest
• Straight Out The Jungle – The Jungle Brothers
• Shadowland – k.d. lang
• Big Deal – Killer Dwarfs
• Smashes, Thrashes & Hits – KISS
• King Kobra III – King Kobra (final album)
• Blow My Fuse – Kix
• Kylie – Kylie (debut album)
• L.A. Guns – L.A. Guns (debut)
• Lillian Axe – Lillian Axe
• Vivid – Living Colour
• Pontiac – Lyle Lovett
• Odyssey – Yngwie Malmsteen (or Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force)
• So Far, So Good... So What! – Megadeth
• ...And Justice for All – Metallica
• Time Odyssey – Vinnie Moore
• No Sleep At All – Motörhead (live album)
• Isn't Anything – My Bloody Valentine
• Land of Dreams – Randy Newman
• Tender Prey – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
• If You Can't Lick Em'...Lick Em' – Ted Nugent (last solo album before forming the 90's band Damn Yankees)
• The Lion and the Cobra – Sinéad O'Connor
• No Rest for the Wicked – Ozzy Osbourne
• Outrider – Jimmy Page
• Force Majuer – Doro Pesch (former Warlock vocalists solo debut album)
• Introspective – Pet Shop Boys (EP)
• The Indescribable Wow – Sam Phillips
• Delicate Sound of Thunder – Pink Floyd
• Surfer Rosa – Pixies
• Open Up And Say...Ahh!!- Poison
• Lovesexy – Prince
• It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back – Public Enemy
• Operation: Mindcrime – Queensrÿche
• Quiet Riot – Quiet Riot
• Green – R.E.M.
• Abbey Road EP – The Red Hot Chili Peppers
• The Uplift Mofo Party Plan – The Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Talk Is Cheap – Keith Richards
• Skyscraper – David Lee Roth
• Savage Amusement – Scorpions
• Sick Of It All – Sick of it All (debut album)
• Hallowed Ground – Skin Yard
• South of Heaven – Slayer
• Green Thoughts – The Smithereens
• Out Of Order – Rod Stewart
• In God We Trust – Stryper
• How Will I Laugh Tomorrow If I Can't Even Smile Today? – Suicidal Tendencies
• Daydream Nation – Sonic Youth
• The New Order – Testament
• Junekbox – Jamaaladeen Tacuma
• Toots in Memphis – Toots
• Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 – Traveling Wilburys
• The Live Brain Wedgie/WAD – Ween
• Lucinda Williams – Lucinda Williams
• Winger – Winger (debut)
• Roll With It – Steve Winwood
• Rattle and Hum – U2
• OU812 – Van Halen
• 3 – Violent Femmes
• Vixen – Vixen (debut)

Top hits

• "Tell It To My Heart" – Taylor Dayne
• "New Sensation" – INXS
• "I Should Be So Lucky" – Kylie Minogue
• "Kokomo" – The Beach Boys
• "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin
• "Nothing Can Divide Us" – Jason Donovan
• "Age Of Reason" – John Farnham
• "So Exellent" – Kylie Mole
• "Two Strong Hearts" – John Farnham
• "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" – Belinda Carlie
• "Simply Irristable" – Robert Palmer
• "Saved By Love" – Amy Grant
• "Lead Me On" – Amy Grant
• "Love Changes Everything" – Climie Fisher
• "When Will I Be Famous" – Bros
• "That's When I Think Of You" – 1927
• "Push It" Salt 'N' Peppa
• "Revolution Baby" – Transvision Vamp
• "Drop The Boy"- Bros
• "Man in the Mirror" – Michael Jackson
• "Get Outta My Dreams (Get Into My Car)" – Billy Ocean
• "Anything for You" – Gloria Estefan
• "Saved By Love" – Amy Grant
• "Lead Me On" – Amy Grant
• "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" – Poison
• "Never Gonna Give You Up" – Rick Astley
• "Look Away" – Chicago
• "Quelque part au Soleil" – Dalida (inédit)
• "Johnny B. Goode" – Judas Priest
• "One More Try" – George Michael
• "Roll With It" – Steve Winwood
• "Sweet Child O' Mine" -Guns N' Roses
• "Mountain Song" – Jane's Addiction
• "Got My Mind Set On You" – George Harrison
• "1–2–3" – Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine
• "Forever Young" – Rod Stewart
• "Is this Love" – Whitesnake
• "I Get Weak" – Belinda Carlisle
• "The Promise" – When In Rome
• "When You Put Your Heart In It" – Kenny Rogers

Published popular music

• "Kissing A Fool" w.m. George Michael

Classical music

• Gerald Barry – Cheveux-de-frise
• Luciano Berio – Sequenza XI
• Mario Davidovsky – Synchronisms No. 9 for violin and tape
• Stephen Hartke – Pacific Rim Overture
• Nicholas Jackson – Variations on ‘Parise to the Lord, the Almighty’
• Peter Sculthorpe – Kakadu
• Tōru Takemitsu – Tree Line for chamber orchestra
• John Tavener – The Akathist of Thanksgiving
• Takashi Yoshimatsu – Concerto for Bassoon "Unicorn Circuit"

Musical theater

• Bitter Sweet (Noel Coward) – London revival
• Chess (Tim Rice, Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus) – Broadway production
• The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber) – Broadway production
• Sarafina     Broadway production

Births

• January 14 – Jordy, singer
• May 2 – Guilherme Rodrigues, jazz musician
• May 5 – Skye Sweetnam, Canadian pop singer
• May 13 – Casey Donovan, Australian Idol winner
• August 27 – Alexa Vega, Spy Kids as Carmen Cortez and song for "Isle Of Dreams"
• October 8 – Scott Gall, graffiti artist.

Deaths

• January 19 – Evgeny Mravinsky, conductor
• February 14 – Frederic Loewe, composer of musicals
• February 27 – Gene De Paul, US pianist and composer
• March 6 – Jeanne Aubert, singer
• March 7 – [[Divine {Glen Milstead)|Divine]], singer
• March 8 – Henryk Szeryng, violinist
• March 10 – Andy Gibb, singer
• April 9 – Brook Benton, complications of spinal meningitis.
• April 9 – Dave Prater, of Sam & Dave, car accident
• April 29 – James McCracken, tenor
• May 1 – Claude Demetrius, songwriter
• May 10 – Ciaran Bourke, The Dubliners
• May 13 – Chet Baker, jazz musician
• May 21 – Sammy Davis, Sr, vaudeville performer
• May 22 – Dennis Day, US singer
• June 25, Hillel Slovak, Red Hot Chili Peppers, guitarist
• July 2 – Eddie Vinson, jazz/blues musician
• August 8 – Félix Leclerc, folk singer
• August 9 – Giacinto Scelsi, composer
• October 7 – Billy Daniels, US singer
• October 18 – Sir Frederick Ashton, dancer and choreographer
• October 19, Son House, blues musician
• November 13 – Antal Doráti, conductor
• December 2 – Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer and lyricist (Quartetto Cetra)
• December 6, Roy Orbison, singer

Awards

• The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Drifters, Bob Dylan, and The Supremes

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1988

Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1988

Charts

List of No. 1 Hits

• Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1988

KROQ

• KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown of 1988

External links

Acid House E-Group