1990 in music

See also: 1989 in music, other events of 1990, 1991 in music, 1990s in music and the list of 'years in music'

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 03 – Freedom To Party Demonstration London, organised by Party Promoters including Genesis'88 Biology parties Sunrise/Back to the Future for later club licences and all night Music and Dance Licences for large-scale Dance Parties Staged free-party later that night in Watford UK (12,000 people).

• 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
• September – In the UK, two singles, "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite and "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band (featured in a current TV jeans commercial), are announced to have sold the same number of copies in one week and a tie-break is used to decide which should be number one. "The Joker" wins.
• September 11 – After a decade of performing in the Francophone world, Céline Dion makes her formal English-language debut when she releases her album Unison.
• 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 begin recording Gish, which will be a blockbuster album in 1991
• December 13 – Genesis'88 stage weekly Acid House night in legally acquired warehouse in Stratford London under the banner imagine

• Madonna's "Justify My Love" music video is banned by MTV. The singer appears on Nightline to defend the video.
• Pennywise signs a contract to their recent label Epitaph Records
• The poorly received Cop Rock premieres on television, TV's first (and last) musical police drama.
• Will Smith hits primetime television with the sitcom, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
• Ace of Base forms
• Spin Doctors' begins performing
• Pearl Jam's career begins
• Ash forms
• Blue Meanies forms
• Vertical Horizon forms
• Master Sound forms
• The Candyskins' career begins
• Ricky Martin's career begins
• The Prodigy's career begins
• Mariah Carey's career begins
• School of Fish's career begins
• Leaders of the New School (including Busta Rhymes) forms
• Letters To Cleo forms
• Master Sound forms
• Sun Dial forms
• Guadalcanal Diary disbands
• The Vaselines disband
• Garth Brooks releases his second album, "No Fences" and wins various awards across the music industry, including "best new country artist."
• Del Amitri's second album, and first for five years, Waking Hours effectively relaunches their career. It provides them with the UK hit Nothing Ever Happens and the minor US hit Kiss This Thing Goodbye.
• In Australia, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival is founded by Michael Easton and Len Vorster.

Albums released

• The Razor's Edge – AC/DC
• Livin' Like Hustlers – Above the Law (debut)
• Facelift – Alice in Chains
• Persistence of Time – Anthrax
• Holy Water – Bad Company
• Against the Grain – Bad Religion
• Hammerheart – Bathory
• Megatop Phoenix – Big Audio Dynamite
• No Fences – Garth Brooks
• Some Gave All – Billy Ray Cyrus
• Gling-Gló – Björk
• Shake Your Money Maker – The Black Crowes
• Ichabod and I – The Boo Radleys
• No Fences – Garth Brooks
• Eaten Back To Life – Cannibal Corpse
• Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey
• Vanity/Nemesis – Celtic Frost
• Heaven Or Las Vegas – Cocteau Twins
• Mixed Up – The Cure
• Changesbowie – David Bowie
• Violator – Depeche Mode
• ...But Seriously – Phil Collins
• Pyst – Datblygu
• Spiritual Healing – Death
• Deicide – Deicide
• Tattooed Millionaire – Bruce Dickinson (debut solo album)
• Unison – Céline Dion (English-language debut)
• Rising – Donovan
• The Classics Live – Donovan
• Blood Guts & Pussy – The Dwarves
• Left Hand Path – Entombed
• The Real Thing – Faith No More
• Firehouse – Firehouse
• 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours – Green Day
• Slappy – Green Day
• Iced Earth – Iced Earth (debut)
  • Released in Europe only.
• No Prayer for the Dying – Iron Maiden
• 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)
• Neighbourhood Threat – Johnny Crash (one and only album)
• Ah Via Musicom – Eric Johnson
• Painkiller – Judas Priest
• Faith Hope Love – King's X
• Chill Out – The KLF
• Rhythm of Love – Lava
• Time's Up – Living Colour
• Wicked Sensation – Lynch Mob
• Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em – MC Hammer
• Rust In Peace – Megadeth
• The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste – Ministry
• Apple – Mother Love Bone
• Deep – Peter Murphy
• Brother's Keeper – The Neville Brothers
• The Good Son – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
• Cause of Death – Obituary
• Baghdad – The Offspring
• Cowboys from Hell – Pantera
• Wildcard/A Word From the Wise – Pennywise (compilation of their self-released EPs)
• Frizzle Fry – Primus
• Fear of a Black Planet – Public Enemy
• Empire – Queensrÿche
• Play – Ride
• Love Is Strange – Kenny Rogers
• Chronicles – Rush
• Here Comes Trouble – Scatterbrain
• School of Fish – School of Fish (debut)
• Vision Thing – The Sisters Of Mercy
• Fist Sized Chunks – Skin Yard
• Seasons in the Abyss – Slayer
• Stick It to Ya – Slaughter
• Up for Grabs – Spin Doctors
• Other Way Out – Sun Dial (debut)
• Five Man Acoustical Jam – Tesla
• Souls of Black – Testament
• Flood – They Might Be Giants
• No Depression – Uncle Tupelo
• Passion and Warfare – Steve Vai
• To The Extreme – Vanilla Ice
• Best of '81-'85 – Y&T
• Ten – Y&T
• If There Was a Way – Dwight Yoakam
• GodWeenSatan: The Oneness – Ween

Top hits on record

• "Ball and Chain" – Social Distortion
• "Blaze of Glory" – Jon Bon Jovi
• "Blue Sky Mine" – Midnight Oil
• "Chain Reaction – John Farnham
• "Close to You" – Maxi Priest
• "Dangerous" – Roxette
• "Epic" – Faith No More
• "Escapade" – Janet Jackson
• "Friends In Low Places" – Garth Brooks
• "I Don't Want To Be With Nobody But You – Absent Friends
• "I Go To Extremes" – Billy Joel
• "I Wish It Would Rain Down" – Phil Collins
• "Ice Ice Baby" – Vanilla Ice
• "It Must Have Been Love" – Roxette
• "I'll Be Your Shelter" – Taylor Dane
• "Janie's Got A Gun" – Aerosmith
• "Jukebox In Siberia" – Skyhooks
• "Lay Down Your Guns" – Jimmy Barnes
• "Love Will Lead You Back" – Taylor Dane
• "Nothing Compares 2 U" – Sinéad O'Connor
• "Opposites Attract" – Paula Abdul
• "Step by Step" – New Kids on the Block
• "That's Freedom" – John Farnham
• "Three Strange Days" – School of Fish (debut single)
• "The Thunder Rolls" – Garth Brooks
• "U Can't Touch This" – M.C. Hammer
• "Unbelievable" – EMF (debut single)
• "Vision of Love" – Mariah Carey
• "Vogue" – Madonna

See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1990

Published popular music

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

Classical music

• Harrison Birtwistle – Gawain (opera)
• Mario Davidovsky – Biblical Songs for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
• Mario Davidovsky – Concertante for string quartet and orchestra
• John Harbison – The Flight into Egypt (cantata)
• Paul Lansky – Smalltalk
• John Pickard – The Flight of Icarus
• Takashi Yoshimatsu – Symphony no 1 "Kamui-Chikap"
• John Zorn – The Dead Man

Opera

• Gerald Barry – The Intelligence Park
• Azio Corghi – Blimunda
• Mark Lanz Weiser – Purgatory (chamber opera, based on a play by W. B. Yeats)

Musical theater

• Aspects of Love (Andrew Lloyd Webber) – Broadway production
• A Change in the Heir     Broadway production
• Five Guys Named Moe     Broadway production
• Shogun     Broadway production
• Sunday in the Park with George (Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine – London production)
• Truly Blessed     Broadway production

Births

• January 21 – Sasha Boldachev, harpist

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 24 – Johnnie Ray, liver failure
• March 16 – Andrew Wood, Mother Love Bone
• April 3 – Sarah Vaughan, lung cancer
• June 20 – June Christy, US singer
• August 27 – Stevie Ray Vaughan, blues guitarist performer
• October 14 – Leonard Bernstein, American composer and conductor
• October 16 – Art Blakey, jazz drummer
• October 16 – Jorge Bolet, pianist
• November 3 – Mary Martin, US singer and actress
• December 2 – Aaron Copland, American composer
• December 18 – Paul Tortelier, cellist

Awards

• The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Hank Ballard, Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, The Kinks, The Platters, Simon and Garfunkel and The Who
• Grammy Awards of 1990
• Eurovision Song Contest 1990

Charts

KROQ

• KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown of 1990