Events in Music History in 1985

Price's Final Aida Appearance

Jan 3 Leontyne Price makes her final operatic appearance in a televised performance of "Aida" at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.

"The King & I"

Jan 7 Revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "The King & I", still starring Yul Brynner opens at Broadway Theater, NYC; runs for 191 performances

"Born in the USA"

Jan 19 "Born in the USA", single by Bruce Springsteen, peaks at #9

Norman Sings at Inauguration

Jan 21 Jessye Norman sings "Simple Gifts" at the second inauguration of US President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D. C.

  • Jan 27 "Doug Henning & His World of Magic" closes at Lunt-Fontanne NY after 60 performances

"We Are the World"

Jan 28 Charity single "We Are the World" recorded by supergroup USA for Africa (Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and other pop stars)

"Harrigan 'n Hart"

Jan 31 Max Showalter and Peter Walker's musical "Harrigan 'n Hart", starring Harry Groening and Mark Hamill, opens at Longacre Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances

  • Feb 3 Max Showalter and Peter Walker's musical "Harrigan 'n Hart", starring Harry Groening and Mark Hamill, closes at Longacre Theater, NYC, after 4 performances
  • Feb 7 "New York, New York" becomes the official anthem of New York City

Like a Virgin

Feb 9 Madonna's album "Like a Virgin" goes #1 for 3 weeks

Whitney Houston

Feb 14 "Whitney Houston" debut album by Whitney Houston is released (Grammy Award Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female 1986, Billboard Album of Year 1986)

Grammy Awards

Feb 26 27th Grammy Awards: "What's Love Got to Do With It?", and Cyndi Lauper win

Music History

Mar 1 American singer Liza Minnelli enters Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California for substance abuse rehabilitation

My One and Only

Mar 3 Musical created around songs of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin "My One and Only", starring Tommy Tune, Twiggy, and Roscoe Lee Brown, closes at St James Theater, NYC, after 767 performances and 3 Tony award wins

Music History

Mar 23 David Bowie is special surprise guest at Tina Turner concert at NEC arena in Birmingham, England; they perform duets of Bowie's "Tonight" and a medley of Chris Montez' "Let's Dance" and Bowie's song of the same name

  • Mar 23 Julian Lennon's 1st concert (San Antonio Texas)
  • Apr 8 "Leader of the Pack" opens at Ambassador Theater NYC for 120 performances
  • Apr 16 "Grind" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 79 performances
  • Apr 18 "Wham!" become the first western pop act to release an album in China

Big River

Apr 25 Roger Miller's musical "Big River", based on Mark Twain's 1884 novel "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", opens at Eugene O'Neill Theater, NYC; runs for 1005 performances, wins 3 Tony Awards

  • May 4 30th Eurovision Song Contest: Bobbysocks! for Norway wins singing "La det swinge" in Gothenburg

Rhythm & Romance

May 6 Columbia Records releases "Rhythm & Romance", the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash; produced by husband Rodney Crowell, the album was her first to feature her songwriting on a majority of the tracks

Music History

May 18 Murray Head's "One Night In Bangkok" single (written by Tim Rice, and Abba's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus) hits #3 in US

Music History

Jun 1 "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" by David Lee Roth hits #12

Dare To Be Stupid

Jun 1 Weird Al Yankovic releases his "Dare To Be Stupid" album

  • Jun 2 39th Tony Awards: "Biloxi Blues" (play) and "Big River" (musical) win

Music City News Awards

Jun 10 19th Music City News Country Awards: Statler Brothers, Barbara Mandrell win

Glastonbury Festival

Jun 21 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Echo & the Bunnyman, Joe Cocker, and The Boomtown Rats headline; other performers include: The Style Council, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, Nick Lowe, Third World, Gregory Isaacs, Hugh Masekela, Clannad, Midnight Oil, Aswad, and The Pogues

  • Jun 22 "Grind" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 79 performances

Music History

Jun 22 "Smuggler's Blues" by Glenn Frey peaks at #12

  • Jun 30 Revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "The King & I" closes at Broadway Theater, NYC, after 191 performances
  • Jul 10 Playboy (and also Penthouse) publish nude pictures of Madonna
  • Jul 12 "Singin' in the Rain", musical adaptation of the 1952 film, opens at Gershwin Theater, NYC; runs for 367 performances
  • Jul 13 "Live Aid" concerts held at both Wembley Stadium (London, England) and JFK Stadium (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) raises over $70 million for African famine relief
  • Jul 21 "Leader of the Pack" closes at Ambassador Theater NYC after 120 performances

Music History

Jul 29 Singer Tina Turner films music video for the song “One Of The Living” at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; song is from the film "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome" in which she co-starred with Mel Gibson

  • Aug 4 "Dreamgirls" closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 1522 performances
  • Aug 5 Establishment of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is announced
  • Aug 11 "Tap Dance Kid" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 669 performances
  • Aug 14 Michael Jackson buys ATV Music (including publishing rights to most of the Beatles song catalog) for $47.5M; 10 years later he sells 1/2 of his interest to Sony for $150M
  • Sep 13 2nd MTV Video Music Awards: Don Henley, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, and USA for Africa win

Music History

Sep 18 Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Song and Dance", starring Bernadette Peters, opens at Royale Theater, NYC; runs for 474 performances and a Tony Award for Peters

Farm Aid Concert

Sep 22 First Farm Aid benefit concert, Champaign, Illinois; organized by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp; performers included Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Hoyt Axton, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, and Emmylou Harris [1]

Music History

Sep 28 "Don't Lose My Number" by Phil Collins peaks at #4

  • Sep 28 "Every Step Of The Way" single by John Waite peaks at #25
  • Sep 28 "Freedom" by Wham! peaks at #3
  • Sep 28 "Janet" by Commodores peaks at #87

Album Release

Sep 30 Island Records releases "Rain Dogs", the ninth studio album by singer-songwriter Tom Waits; the album features guitarist Marc Ribot, guest appearances from Keith Richards, and one of Waits' most covered songs, "Downtown Train"

  • Oct 8 Alain Boubil and Herbert Kretzner's musical "Les Misérables" premieres in London at the Barbican Centre

Music History

Oct 8 Little Richard seriously injured in a single car accident in Los Angeles

Music History

Oct 9 "Strawberry Fields" memorial to John Lennon in Central Park, NYC is dedicated by mayor Ed Koch

  • Oct 9 "Tango Argentino" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC; runs for 198 performances
  • Oct 13 "Sunday in the Park with George" closes at Booth NYC after 604 performances
  • Oct 14 19th Country Music Association Awards: Ricky Skaggs wins
  • Oct 30 "Rockin' with the Rhythm" second studio album by The Judds is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1986)
  • Nov 5 Paul Schierhorn's rock musical "The News" opens at Helen Hayes Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances
  • Nov 9 Paul Schierhorn's rock musical "The News" closes at Helen Hayes Theater, NYC, after 4 performances

Diamond's 9th Symphony

Nov 17 David Diamond's 9th Symphony, dedicated to Dmitri Mitropoulos, premieres with the American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein

Spies Like Us

Nov 18 Paul McCartney releases film theme single "Spies Like Us"

"I'm Not Rappaport"

Nov 19 Herb Gardner's stage comedy "I'm Not Rappaport", starring Judd Hirsch and Cleavon Little, opens at the Booth Theatre, NYC; runs 891 performances, with 3 Tony Award wins

Music Premiere

Dec 2 Rupert Holmes' musical "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", based on an unfinished work of Charles Dickens, opens at the Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 608 performances, winning 5 Tony Awards

  • Dec 18 Jerry Herman's musical revue "Jerry's Girls" opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 139 performances
  • Dec 19 "Wind in the Willows" opens at Nederlander Theater NYC for 4 performances
  • Dec 21 Heart's "Heart" album goes #1
  • Dec 22 "Wind in the Willows" closes at Nederlander Theater NYC after 4 performances