- Jan 6 Opera "Angel's Bone" by composer Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek premieres at the Prototype Festival, New York City (Pulitzer Prize for Music 2017)
"Blackstar"
Jan 8 ISO/Columbia Records/Sony Music release David Bowie's 26th and final studio album "Blackstar" on his 69th birthday; enters charts in US and UK at #1
Van Morrison Knighted
Feb 4 Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison knighted by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace
Grammy Awards
Feb 15 58th Grammy Awards: Best Song "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran; Best Album "1989" by Taylor Swift
Music History
Feb 20 4-inch lock of John Lennon's hair sells for $35,000 to a memorabilia collector at an auction in Dallas, Texas
Music Concert
Mar 25 The Rolling Stones perform a free outdoor concert at the Ciudad Deportiva de la Habana sports complex, in Havana, Cuba, before an estimated crowd of 500,000
Mind of Mine
Mar 25 Zayn's [Zayn Malik] solo debut album "Mind of Mine" is released, 1st British male artist to debut at No. 1 in US
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Apr 8 31st Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chicago, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, Steve Miller, and N.W.A
- Apr 28 George Wolfe's musical "Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed", based on Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle's original revue, and featuring Audra MacDonald and Billy Porter, opens at the Music Box Theatre, NYC; runs for 100 performances
- Apr 29 "H.O.L.Y" single released by Florida Georgia Line (Billboard Song of the Year, 2016)
- Apr 29 Canadian musician Drake releases "Views", his 4th studio album
Coloring Book
May 13 Chance the Rapper releases his third mixtape "Coloring Book" on Apple Music - first album to chart on Billboard Top 100 based only on streams (Grammy for Best Rap Album)
- May 14 61st Eurovision Song Contest: Ukraine's Jamala wins singing "1944"
Billboard Music Awards
May 22 23rd Billboard Music Awards: The Weeknd wins 8; Adele wins 6
Stranger to Stranger
Jun 3 Concord Records releases "Stranger to Stranger", the thirteenth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon
CMT Music Awards
Jun 8 15th CMT Video Music Awards: Tim McGraw; Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, and Chris Stapleton win
Glastonbury Festival
Jun 22 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Coldplay, and Adele headline; other performers include Tame Impala, Squeeze, Frightened Rabbit; ZZ Top, ELO, and Cyndi Lauper
- Jun 23 Los Angeles court decision clears Led Zeppelin of stealing riff from "Stairway to Heaven" from band Spirit
Music History
Jun 30 Performance of the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's musical "She Loves Me" is 1st Broadway show live stream (via BroadwayHD); later released as a film
- Jul 24 George Wolfe's musical "Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed", based on Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle's original revue, and featuring Audra MacDonald and Billy Porter, closes at the Music Box Theatre, NYC. after 100 performances
Music History
Aug 19 City of San Francisco unveils a statue of singer Tony Bennett outside of the Fairmount Hotel, where he first performed his signature song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in 1961
Music History
Sep 7 Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band perform their longest show in America, at Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - clocking in at 4 hours and 4 minutes
Music History
Sep 8 Billy Corgan announces a new solo album, recorded with producer Rick Rubin, via a Facebook live video
Farm Aid Concert
Sep 17 Farm Aid held in Bristow, Virginia; performers include Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, Alabama Shakes, Sturgill Simpson, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Jamey Johnson & Alison Krauss, Margo Price, and The Wisdom Indian Dancers [1]
This Is Us
Sep 20 "This Is Us" TV drama premieres in the US starring Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia
Illuminate
Sep 23 Shawn Mendes releases his album "Illuminate", debuts at No. 1 US Billboard 200
- Sep 27 American "boy band" pop music group 'Why Don't We' (WDW) forms in Los Angeles
How Far I'll Go
Oct 28 Disney Records releases Alessia Cara's single "How Far I'll Go" from the film "Moana"
Country Music Association Awards
Nov 2 50th Country Music Association Awards: Garth Brooks, Eric Church & Carrie Underwood win
Robinson Gershwin Prize
Nov 15 American singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson receives Library of Congress Gershwin Prize at the Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C.
Hamilton
Nov 28 Musical "Hamilton" starring Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Ramos sets new record for most money earned in a week on Broadway - $3.3 million
- Dec 2 Fire during a dance party at an illegally re=purposed warehouse in Oakland< California kills 36
- Dec 7 Pakistan International Airways plane crashes north of Islamabad, killing all 48 on board, including singer turned preacher Junaid Jamshed
- Dec 10 Bob Dylan is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden; he does not attend
- Dec 14 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Ronnie Spector, Idina Menzal, Darlene Love, and Jennifer Nettles
Ray Davis Honored
Dec 30 British singer-songwriter Ray Davies, of The Kinks, is awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II
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Tupac Shakur
Nicki Minaj
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