- Jan 3 "Side Show," closes at Richard Rodgers NYC after 91 performances
- Jan 3 American "Hee Haw" banjo player Grandpa Jones suffers a stroke
- Jan 4 Anton Chekov's dramatic play "Ivanov", translated and adapted by David Hare, closes at Vivian Beaumont Theater, NYC, after 51 performances
- Jan 4 Jeffrey Stock and Susan Birkenhead's musical "Triumph of Love" closes at Royale Theater, NYC, after 85 performances
"A Funny Thing Happened"
Jan 4 Second successful revival of by Stephen Sondheim's musical "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum", starring Nathan Lane, closes at St James, NYC, after 715 performances and 1 Tony Award
- Jan 11 "Proposals" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 76 performances
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Jan 12 13th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Eagles; Fleetwood Mac; The Mamas & the Papas; Lloyd Price; Santana; Gene Vincent; "Jelly Roll" Morton; and Allen Toussaint
- Jan 13 "Patti LaBelle On Broadway" opens at St James Theater NYC
- Jan 18 Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, and Terrence McNally's musical "Ragtime" opens at Ford Theater, NYC; runs for 834 performances
- Jan 25 "Patti LaBelle On Broadway" closes at St James Theater NYC
- Jan 25 Musical "Grease" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 1,503 performance
Posh and Becks Get Engaged
Jan 25 Spice Girl Victoria Adams (Posh) and soccer player David Beckham get engaged
- Jan 26 25th American Music Awards: Spice Girls & Babyface win
"The Capeman"
Jan 29 Paul Simon and Derek Walcott's musical "The Capeman", about a 1959 gang murder, starring Marc Anthony and Ruben Blades, opens at the Marquis Theatre, NYC; runs for 68 performances
Music History
Feb 18 Andrea Bocelli makes his operatic debut as Rodolfo in "La bohème" at the Teatro Comunale in Cagliari
- Feb 22 "King & I" closes at Neil Simon Theater NYC after 781 performances
Knighthood
Feb 24 Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London
- Feb 25 40th Grammy Awards: "Sunny Came Home" best song, Paula Cole best new artist
Soul Train Music Awards
Feb 27 12th Soul Train Music Awards: Puff Daddy, Whitney Houston win
- Feb 28 "View From the Bridge" closes at Criterion Theater NYC
- Mar 12 "The Sound of Music" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC
Music History
Mar 15 Revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb's "Cabaret", starring Alan Cumming and Natasha Richardson, opens at Club Expo Theater, NYC; runs for 2,377 performances and wins 4 Tony Awards
- Mar 28 Paul Simon and Derek Walcott's musical "The Capeman", about a 1959 gang murder, starring Marc Anthony and Ruben Blades, closes at the Marquis Theatre, NYC, after 68 performances
Academy of Country Music Awards
Apr 22 33rd Academy of Country Music Awards: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and George Strait win
Music Concert
Apr 27 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, Madonna, Billy Joel, Joe Cocker, Emmylou Harris, Roberta Flack, Wynonna Judd, and Tsidii Leloka
- Jun 7 52nd Tony Awards: "The Lion King" (musical) and '"Art" (play) win
Music City News Awards
Jun 15 32nd Music City News Country Awards: Neal McCoy, Lorrie Morgan & Billy Ray Cyrus win
- Jun 21 "Don't Be Cruel" second studio album by Bobby Brown is released (Grammy Award Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, 1990)
Glastonbury Festival
Jun 26 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Primal Scream, Blur, and Pulp headline; other performers include Bob Dylan, Tony Bennett, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Tori Amos, The Foo Fighters, and Hothouse Flowers
Music History
Jun 28 Revival of Neil Simon's comedy "The Sunshine Boys", starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, closes at Lyceum Theater, NYC, after 230 performances
No Matter What
Aug 3 Irish band Boyzone release their best-selling single "No Matter What" composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Aug 25 "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" debut album by Lauryn Hill is released (5 Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, Billboard Album of the Year 1998)
Video Music Awards
Sep 10 15th MTV Video Music Awards: Madonna & Will Smith win
- Sep 23 32nd Country Music Association Awards: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood & George Strait win
Baby One More Time
Sep 29 Jive Records releases debut single by Britney Spears "...Baby One More Time"; it becomes a worldwide smash, topping the charts in 25 countries
Painted from Memory
Sep 29 Mercury Records releases Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach's collaborative album "Painted from Memory"
Taming The Tiger
Sep 29 Reprise Records releases "Taming The Tiger", Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell's 16th studio album
Farm Aid Concert
Oct 3 Farm Aid 11 held in Tinley Park, Illinois; performers include Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Phish, Steve Earle, Wilco, and Del McCoury Band [1]
Music History
Oct 27 The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton
- Oct 31 American jam band Phish performs The Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll" as a musical costume during a show at the Thomas & Mack Center at the University of Nevada in Paradise, Nevada
- Nov 3 "400 Degreez" 3rd studio album by Juvenile is released (Billboard no. 1 year end Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 1999)
#1's
Nov 17 Mariah Carey releases album "#1's"
My Love is Your Love
Nov 17 Whitney Houston releases her fourth studio album "My Love is Your Love"
Kendrick Lamar
Eminem
XXXTentacion
Tupac Shakur
Nicki Minaj
Coolio