- Jan 8 Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas' percussion revue "Stomp" closes at the Orpheum Theatre, NYC, after for 11,475 performances
Springsteen and E Street Band's World Tour
Feb 1 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kick off their world tour at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida
Ozzy Osbourne Cancels Tour
Feb 1 Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne announces cancellation of upcoming concerts and his retirement from touring via social media due to health issues
65th Grammy Awards
Feb 5 65th Grammy Awards: Best Album Harry Styles "Harry’s House”, Best Record Lizzo "About Damn Time", Best Song Bonnie Raitt “Just Like That”, Beyoncé breaks record for most wins with her 32nd Grammy [1]
Pharrell Threads the Needle
Feb 14 Rapper and musician Pharrell Williams appointed menswear designer for Louis Vuitton [1]
Album Release
Feb 15 Jason Mraz releases the single "I Feel Like Dancing" from his upcoming album "Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride"
Joni Mitchell Receives Gershwin Prize
Mar 1 Canadian-American singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell receives Library of Congress Gershwin Prize at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
MI5 Apologizes for Manchester Arena
Mar 2 Head of UK security service MI5 apologizes for not acting on intelligence to stop the 2017 Manchester Arena attack at an Ariana Grande concert by a suicide bomber [1]
Beethoven's DNA Analysis
Mar 22 New DNA analysis of composer Ludwig van Beethoven's hair reveals he probably died of cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis B, but doesn't explain his deafness [1]
Bad Cinderella
Mar 23 Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel's musical "Bad Cinderella" opens at Imperial Theatre, NYC; runs for 85 performances
CMT Music Awards
Apr 2 22nd CMT Video Music Awards: Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown, Lainey Wilson, and Jelly Roll win
- Apr 16 Broadway’s longest-running show, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart's musical "Phantom of the Opera", directed by Hal Prince and starring Laird Mackintosh substituting for ill Ben Crawford) and Emelie Kouatchou, closes at Majestic Theater, NYC, after 13,981 performances and 7 Tony Award wins [1] [2]
Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Concert
Apr 29 Country singer Willie Nelson hosts first of two-night 90th birthday concerts for himself at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California; guest performers include Lyle Lovett; Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, George Strait; Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Norah Jones, Chris Stapleton, Beck, Edie Brickell, Tom Jones, and Ziggy Marley, among others
- Apr 30 Country singer Willie Nelson hosts second of two-night 90th birthday concerts for himself at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California; guest performers include Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Keith Richards, Bob Wieir, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliffe, Dwight Yoakam, Sheryl Crow, and Billy Strings, among others
Ed Sheeran Cleared of Copyright Infringement
May 4 Ed Sheeran found not guilty of copying Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On" for his 2014 single “Thinking Out Loud" by a Manhattan federal jury; copyright infringement suit was filed by the heirs of Gaye's co-writer Ed Townsend [1]
The Little Mermaid
May 8 Disney live-action film musical "The Little Mermaid" starring Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, directed by Robb Marshall, premieres in the US [1]
'Here Comes The Sun' Hits 1B Streams
May 9 George Harrison's "Here Comes The Sun" becomes 1st Beatles song to register a billion streams on Spotify, it is also the oldest song to do so
Seven Psalms
May 19 Owl/Legacy Recordings releases "Seven Psalms", the fifteenth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon
Josh Freese Joins the Foo Fighters
May 21 Rock band Foo Fighters introduce new drummer Josh Freese in a live stream event promoting new album and tour
- Jun 3 Ed Sheeran concert with 77,900 concertgoers breaks attendance record at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jun 4 Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel's musical "Bad Cinderella" closes at Imperial Theatre, NYC, after 85 performances; 1st time in 43 years that Webber is without a show on Broadway
- Jun 16 The Recording Academy announces new rules for Grammy Awards aimed at AI use - stating “only human creators” can win but a work containing AI eligible as long as human input is meaningful [1]
- Jun 20 Pharrell Williams makes his debut as menswear designer of fashion label Louis Vuitton staging his show on Paris' Port Neuf bridge
Glastonbury Festival
Jun 23 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Arctic Monkeys, Guns 'n' Roses, and Elton John headline; other performers include Foo Fighters (in a surprise appearance), Rickie Lee Jones, Lizzo, Little Nas X, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp, Fred Again, and The War on Drugs
- Jun 23 Jason Mraz releases his album "Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride" on his 46th birthday
Louis Armstrong Center
Jul 6 Louis Armstrong House Museum opens new archive facility, the Louis Armstrong Center, in Queens, NYC
Peace and Love
Jul 7 NASA beams Ringo Starr’s voice wishing “peace and love" across the universe via the Deep Space Network in honor of his 83rd birthday
- Jul 8 British singer-songwriter Elton John completes his international "Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour" at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden
- Jul 15 Singer Ed Sheeran welcomes surprise guest Eminem for two duets during his concert at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
- Jul 16 Jam rock band Dead & Company, an outgrowth of the Grateful Dead, plays the final show of its final concert tour, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California
Speak Now Debuts at #1
Jul 16 Taylor Swift’s re-recorded "Speak Now" album debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200, her 12th No. 1 album, surpassing Barbra Streisand's record for #1 albums by a female artist [1]
- Jul 22 Taylor Swift concert in Seattle shakes the ground so hard it registers equivalent to magnitude 2.3 earthquake (does the same the next night) [1]
- Aug 3 Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard's musical "Back to the Future: The Musical", based on the 1985 Robert Zemeckis film, and starring Roger Bart and Casey Likes, opens at Winter Garden Theatre, NYC
Tory Lanez Sentenced
Aug 8 Canadian rapper Tory Lanez sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot several times during an argument [1]
- Sep 2 American rock band Aerosmith kicks off "Peace Out: The Farewell Tour" with concert at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Sep 5 American singer Joe Jonas (34) files for divorce from English actress Sophie Turner (27) in Miami, Florida, after 4 years of marriage [1]
- Sep 6 American rocker Bruce Springsteen (73) postpones remaining 8 shows of his summer tour under doctor's advice to treat peptic ulcer disease
Aerosmith Postpones Tour
Sep 11 American rock band Aerosmith postpones their "Peace Out: The Farewell Tour" after three shows due to vocal chord injury of singer Steven Tyler (75)
- Sep 12 42nd MTV Video Music Awards: Taylor Swift wins 9, passing Madonna and second only to Beyoncé for career; SZA, and Måneskin also win
- Sep 16 Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner removed from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame board of directors after disparaging remarks about female and Black musicians [1]
Farm Aid Concert
Sep 23 Farm Aid held in Noblesville, Indiana; performers include Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews. Margo Price, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros, Bob Dylan, The String Cheese Incident, and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
- Sep 24 Taylor Swift attends Kansas City Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, amid rumours she is dating player Travis Kelce [1]
- Sep 27 Revival of Gary Geld and Peter Udell's musical "Purlie", based on Ossie Davis' "Purlie Victorious" and starring Leslie Odom, Jr, opens at the Music Box Theater, NYC, for a limited run
- Sep 29 Duane "Keffe D" Davis arrested for the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shukar in Las Vegas [1]
Merrily We Roll Along
Oct 10 Revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's musical "Merrily We Roll Along", based on George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's play, opens at Hudson Theater, NYC
- Oct 12 Concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” premieres at the Grove Shopping Complex in Los Angeles [1]
Hackney Diamonds
Oct 20 Polydor releases "Hackney Diamonds", the 24th studio album by British rock band the Rolling Stones (26th album in US); record is their first of original music since 2005, and features appearances by Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney
The Woman in Me
Oct 24 American pop singer Britney Spears releases her memoir "The Woman in Me" [1]
- Oct 27 Taylor Swift releases her “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” album, beating her own Spotify record for most streams in a day [1]
Now and Then
Nov 2 Apple Records release the last Beatles song "Now and Then" as a double A-sided single, backed with their first "From Me To You"; the new song was built from an unfinished 1978 John Lennon demo and 1995 attempt to complete it that had been abandoned due to technical issues, resolved by new technology [1]
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Nov 3 38th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Kate Bush; Sheryl Crow; Missy Elliott; George Michael; Willie Nelson; Rage Against the Machine; The Spinners; DJ Kool Herc; Link Wray; Chaka Khan; Al Kooper; Bernie Taupin; and Don Cornelius
Country Music Association Awards
Nov 8 57th Country Music Association Awards: Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs & Tracy Chapman win
Music Premiere
Nov 16 Revival of John Du Prez and Eric Idle's musical "Spamalot", based on the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," opens at the St. James Theatre, NYC
Music History
Nov 21 Bradley Cooper's film "Maestro" about conductor Leonard Bernstein's marriage to actress Felicia Montealegre is released in US
- Nov 25 Concert film “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” premieres at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills [1]
- Nov 29 Taylor Swift is Spotify's most-streamed global artist of the year with 26.1 billion streams, with Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” the most-streamed song [1]
- Dec 2 American rock band KISS concludes farewell "End of the Road" tour at Madison Square Garden, NYC; the encore is performed by the premiere of digital avatars of the group
Kennedy Center Honors
Dec 3 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony held for pop singer Dionne Warwick, singer-songwriter Barry Gibb, comic-actor Billy Crystal, operatic soprano Renée Fleming, and singer-actress Queen Latifah, in Washington D.C.
- Dec 6 Taylor Swift is named Time's Person of the Year [1]
- Dec 15 American jazz vocal quartet "The Manhattan Transfer" marks their 50th anniversary with a farewell concert at Disney Hall in Los Angeles, California [1]
- Dec 15 State memorial held for Australian entertainer Barry Humphries (behind Dame Edna Everage character) at Sydney Opera House [1]
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
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