Aretha Franklin 1st Female
Jan 3 Aretha Franklin is the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Jan 3 Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashman's musical "Smile", loosely based on the 1975 film of the same name, closes at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater, NYC, after 48 performances
Musical Finale
Jan 3 Musical revue "Oh, Coward!" featuring the songs of Noël Coward, closes at the Helen Hayes Theater, NYC, after 56 performances
- Jan 20 Rhino Records 1st #1, Billy Vera & Beaters' "At This Moment"
Second Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Jan 21 Second Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Coasters; Eddie Cochran; Bo Diddley; Aretha Franklin; Marvin Gaye; Bill Haley; B.B. King; Clyde McPhatter; Ricky Nelson; Roy Orbison; Carl Perkins; Smokey Robinson; Joe Turner; Muddy Waters; Jackie Wilson; Louis Jordan; T-Bone Walker; Hank Williams; Leonard Chess; Ahmet Ertegun; Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller; and Jerry Wexler
14th American Music Awards
Jan 26 14th American Music Awards: Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie & Alabama win
- Feb 7 "Ronnies Rap" by Ron & DC Crew peaks at #93
Disqualified for Kneeling
Feb 15 1982 Masters champion Craig Stadler is disqualified from Andy Williams Open for kneeling on a towel to make a shot
- Feb 19 Musical revue "Stardust - The Mitchell Parish Musical", featuring songs of the Lithuanian-American lyricist, opens at Biltmore Theater, NYC; runs for 101 performances
Grammy Awards
Feb 24 29th Grammy Awards: "Higher Love" by Steve Winwood; "Graceland" by Paul Simon; and Bruce Hornsby win
Musical Finale
Mar 15 Revival of Neil Simon, Cy Coleman, and Dorothy Fields' musical "Sweet Charity" starring Debbie Allen and Bebe Neuwirth, closes at the Minskoff Theater, NYC, after 368 performances and 4 Tony Award wins
Soul Train Music Awards
Mar 24 1st Soul Train Music Awards: Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross win
- Apr 2 "Mikado" opens at Virginia Theater NYC for 46 performances
Music History
Apr 4 "Always & Forever" second studio album by Randy Travis (Billboard Album of the Year 1988)
Academy of Country Music Awards
Apr 6 22nd Academy of Country Music Awards: Hank Williams Jr, Randy Travis, and Reba McEntire win
- Apr 15 "Barbara Cook: A Concert" opens at Ambassador, NYC; runs for 13 performances
- Apr 26 "Barbara Cook: A Concert" closes at Ambassador NYC after 13 performances
- May 3 "Mikado" closes at Virginia Theater NYC after 46 performances
- May 9 32nd Eurovision Song Contest: Johnny Logan for Ireland wins singing "Hold Me Now" in Brussels
Musical Finale
May 16 Rupert Holmes' musical "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", based on an unfinished work of Charles Dickens, closes at the Imperial Theatre, NYC, after 608 performances and 5 Tony Award wins
Music History
May 16 Weird Al Yankovic performs live at 72nd National Orange Show
- May 17 Musical revue "Stardust - The Mitchell Parish Musical", featuring songs of the Lithuanian-American lyricist, closes at Biltmore Theater, NYC, after 101 performances
- May 29 British pop singer Freddie Mercury and Spanish opera diva Montserrat Caballé debut their song "Barcelona" at the Ibiza Fest
Music History
May 29 Michael Jackson attempts to buy Elephant Man's remains
Music History
Jun 5 Prince's Trust Rock Gala: Eric Clapton leads an all-star band including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Phil Collins, and Jeff Lynne at Wembley Stadium, London
- Jun 7 41st Tony Awards: "Fences" (play) and "Les Misérables" (musical) win
- Jun 8 21st Music City News Country Awards: Randy Travis wins
Glastonbury Festival
Jun 19 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Elvis Costello, and Van Morrison headline; other performers include: New Order, The Robert Cray Band, Los Lobos, Ben E. King, Taj Mahal, Richard Thompson, Courtney Pine, Hüsker Dü, The Woodentops, The Mighty Lemon Drops, Michelle Shocked, and World Party
King's Record Shop
Jun 26 Columbia Records releases "King's Record Shop", the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, and the final of her albums produced by husband Rodney Crowell
Music History
Jul 13 Federal judge throws out Bette Midler's $10 million suit against Ford Motor Co, who used a sound alike voice for their TV commercials
Locomotion
Jul 13 Kylie Minogue releases her debut single "Locomotion"
Music History
Jul 14 American rocker Steve Miller's star is unveiled on Hollywood's Walk of Fame
Music History
Jul 15 Boy George barred from British TV show, he may be a bad influence
Appetite for Destruction
Jul 21 Guns & Roses debut album "Appetite for Destruction" is released, and becomes the best-selling debut album of all time with more than 30 million copies sold
Agreement of Interest
Jul 29 Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Jerry Garcia agree on new flavor: Cherry Garcia - cherry ice cream with cherries and fudge flakes
Music History
Aug 1 Music video channel MTV Europe launches, with Elton John throwing the switch; "Money For Nothing" Dire Straits is the first video presented
- Aug 22 Madonna's "Who's That Girl" single goes #1
- Aug 25 Madonna sings in Rotterdam
- Aug 31 Michael Jackson's "Bad" video, directed by Martin Scorcese, premieres during TV special "Michael Jackson: The Magic Returns" on CBS
- Sep 7 "I Want Her" single released by Keith Sweat (Billboard Song of the Year, 1988)
Video Music Awards
Sep 11 4th MTV Video Music Awards: Peter Gabriel wins (many times)
Farm Aid Concert
Sep 19 Farm Aid III held in Lincoln, Nebraska; performers include Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, John Denver, and Joe Walsh [1]
Big River
Sep 20 Roger Miller's musical "Big River", based on Mark Twain's 1884 novel "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater, NYC, after 1005 performances and 3 Tony Awards
TV Show Appearance
Sep 28 Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson appear on TV game show "The $10,000 Pyramid"
- Sep 29 "Didn't We Almost Have It All," by Whitney Houston hits #1
Roy Orbison and Friends
Sep 30 Roy Orbison and friends (including James Burton; Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and k.d. lang) film performance at the Ambassador Hotel's Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles, California for Cinemax
- Oct 1 "Roza" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 12 performances
Faith
Oct 6 "Faith" single released by George Michael (Billboard Song of the Year 1988)
Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
Oct 9 "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll" documentary film directed by Taylor Hackford of 1986 concerts celebrating rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry is released
- Oct 10 Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen's 8th studio album "Tunnel of Love"
- Oct 12 21st Country Music Association Awards: Hank William Jr wins
Got My Mind Set On You
Oct 12 George Harrison releases single "Got My Mind Set On You", it becomes his third solo #1 hit, and the last chart-topper by any of the Beatles
- Oct 15 Allan Knee and Brian Gari's musical "Late Nite Comic" opens at Ritz Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances
- Oct 17 "Late Nite Comic" closes at Ritz Theater NYC after 4 performances
- Oct 19 "Anything Goes" opens at Beaumont Theater NYC for 804 performances
- Oct 22 American composer John Adams's first opera, "Nixon in China", premieres at the Houston Grand Opera, in Houston, Texas
Music History
Oct 22 Revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb's "Cabaret" opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 262 performances
Lettice & Lovage
Oct 27 Peter Shaffer's musical "Lettice & Lovage" premieres in London
- Oct 29 "Don't Get God Started" opens at Longacre Theater NYC for 86 performances
- Oct 30 "Faith" debut album by George Michael is released
- Nov 2 George Harrison releases album "Cloud 9" & Paul McCartney releases greatest hits album "All the Best"
Into the Woods
Nov 5 Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's fairytale musical "Into the Woods" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC; runs for 764 performances, wins 3 Tony Awards and 5 Drama Desk Awards
Sonny & Cher
Nov 13 Sonny & Cher perform together for the final time, singing "I Got You Babe" on 'Late Night with David Letterman' (NBC)
- Nov 14 "La Cage aux Folles" closes at Palace Theater NYC after 1761 performances
Once Upon a Long Ago
Nov 16 Paul McCartney releases single "Once Upon a Long Ago"
- Nov 17 The Madonna compilation album "You Can Dance" is released
- Nov 24 "Make It Last Forever" debut album by Keith Sweat is released (Billboard Song of the Year 1988)
- Nov 24 Concert performance of Heitor Villa-Lobos' folk operetta "Magdalena" debuts at Alice Tully Hall in NYC's Lincoln Center
- Nov 29 Revival of Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen's musical ."Dreamgirls" closes at Ambassador Theater, NYC, after 177 performances
Nuts
Dec 11 Martin Ritt's dramatic film "Nuts", starring Barbra Streisand and Richard Dreyfus premieres
- Dec 15 First National US tour of musical "Les Misérables" opens at Shubert Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts
Nikki Sixx Overdoes
Dec 22 Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx overdoses from heroin
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