Editing 1990 in music (section)

==Events==
===January–March===
*[[January 8]] – Irish singer [[Sinéad O'Connor]] released her famous single "[[Nothing Compares 2 U]]" (originally written, composed and performed by [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]) which was a worldwide success, becoming one of the best selling singles in the world in 1990 and topped the charts in many countries including the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]].
*[[January 18]] – [[Eric Clapton]] plays the first of eighteen shows in a three-week span at London's [[Royal Albert Hall]].
*[[January 21]] – MTV's ''[[MTV Unplugged|Unplugged]]'' is broadcast for the first time, on cable television, with British band [[Squeeze (band)|Squeeze]].
*[[February 6]]
**[[Billy Idol]] is involved in a serious motorcycle accident, resulting in several broken bones. Idol had been scheduled to have a major role in [[Oliver Stone]]'s film ''[[The Doors (film)|The Doors]]'', but due to his injuries, the role was reduced almost to a bit part. The role of the [[T-1000]] in ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]'', originally intended for Idol, was recast entirely as a result of the accident.
**[[Bob Marley]]'s birthday is a national holiday in [[Jamaica]] for the first time.
*[[February 14]] – 50,000 fans watch [[The Rolling Stones]] play the first of 10 concerts at Tokyo's Korakuen Dome, the beginning of the Stones' first ever tour of Japan. The group was originally scheduled to perform there in 1973 but a drug conviction prevented [[Mick Jagger]] from obtaining a visa at the time.
*[[February 16]] – [[Ike Turner]] is sentenced to four years in prison for possession of [[cocaine]].
*[[February 21]] – The [[32nd Annual Grammy Awards]] are presented in [[Los Angeles]], hosted by [[Garry Shandling]]. [[Bonnie Raitt]]'s ''[[Nick of Time (album)|Nick of Time]]'' wins [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]], while [[Bette Midler]]'s cover of "[[Wind Beneath My Wings#Bette Midler version|Wind Beneath My Wings]]" wins both [[Record of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]. [[Milli Vanilli]] win [[Best New Artist]].
*[[February 24]] – [[The Byrds]] ([[Roger McGuinn]], [[Chris Hillman]] and [[David Crosby]]) reunite, for the first time in 25 years, to perform at a Los Angeles tribute to [[Roy Orbison]]. The three are joined unexpectedly on stage by [[Bob Dylan]], who sings "[[Mr. Tambourine Man]]" with the band.
*[[March 15]] – [[MCA Inc.]] purchases [[Geffen Records]] for over $550 million in stock. Under the agreement, [[David Geffen]] will continue to run the record company through an employment contract.
*[[March 16]] – [[Flea (musician)|Flea]] and [[Chad Smith]] of [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] are arrested and charged for an incident two days earlier at a performance in [[Daytona Beach]] during [[MTV Spring Break|MTV's spring break]] coverage, in which they allegedly sexually assaulted and verbally abused a female audience member after jumping from the stage. They are released on $2,000 bail.
*[[March 20]]
**[[Gloria Estefan]]'s tour bus is involved in an accident. Estefan suffers several broken bones in her back.
**A riot almost breaks out in downtown Los Angeles when [[Depeche Mode]] draw a crowd of 20,000 during an in-store appearance at [[Wherehouse Entertainment]] to sign copies of their new album ''[[Violator (album)|Violator]]''.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Ultimate Classic Rock |title=When Depeche Mode's 'Violator' Nearly Caused a Riot: Book Excerpt |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/depeche-mode-violator-riot/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |date=22 December 2020}}</ref>
*[[March 25]] – [[Mötley Crüe]]'s [[Tommy Lee]] is arrested for allegedly exposing his buttocks during a performance in [[Augusta, Georgia]].
*[[March 28]] – [[The Go-Go's]] reunite to play a benefit concert for the California Environmental Protection Act. They play several more reunion shows later in the year.

===April–June===
*[[April 4]] – Gloria Estefan returns to Miami, Florida after undergoing back surgery following the March 20 accident.
*[[April 5]] – [[Michael Jackson]] is awarded 'Artist of the Decade' by [[George H. W. Bush]] at the White House. 
*[[April 6]] – Mötley Crüe's [[Tommy Lee]] suffers a mild concussion after falling off of scaffolding above his elevated drum kit during a performance in New Haven, Connecticut.
*[[April 7]] – [[Neil Young]], [[Elton John]], [[Kris Kristofferson]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[John Mellencamp]], [[Guns N' Roses]] and [[Jackson Browne]] perform at [[Farm Aid]] IV in [[Indiana]]. John dedicates "Candle in the Wind" to AIDS patient [[Ryan White]] during his performance. White dies the following day.
*[[April 13]] – [[Madonna]] starts her controversial [[Blond Ambition Tour]] in Tokyo, Japan.
*[[April 16]] – A massive [[Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa|tribute concert]] is held at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] for recently freed anti-[[apartheid]] activist [[Nelson Mandela]], who appears in a pre-taped 45-minute speech at the event. Performers include [[Anita Baker]], [[Tracy Chapman]], [[Peter Gabriel]], [[The Neville Brothers]] and [[Neil Young]]. The event is broadcast to 61 countries around the world.
*[[April 24]] – [[Janet Jackson]] is honored with a Star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wireimage.com/SearchResults.aspx?igi=43235&s=janet+jackson&sfld=C&vwmd=e |title=Celebrity Pictures, Entertainment News Photo Galleries and Videos |publisher=WireImage |website=www.wireimage.com |access-date=2018-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127010101/http://www.wireimage.com/SearchResults.aspx?igi=43235&s=janet%20jackson&sfld=C&vwmd=e |archive-date=2011-01-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[April 25]] – [[Jimi Hendrix]]'s [[Fender Stratocaster]], on which he performed his famous version of the "[[Star Spangled Banner]]" at [[Woodstock]], is auctioned off in London for $295,000.
*[[April 27]] – [[Axl Rose]] marries model Erin Everly, daughter of singer [[Don Everly]], in a Las Vegas ceremony. Divorce papers are filed on May 24, then withdrawn, then filed again in October.
*[[May 5]] – The 35th [[Eurovision Song Contest 1990|Eurovision Song Contest]], held in [[Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall]] in [[Zagreb]], is won by [[Italy|Italian]] singer [[Toto Cutugno]] for the song "[[Insieme: 1992]]", Italy's first victory in the contest since 1964. At 46 years old, Cutugno becomes the oldest winner of the contest to date, a record he holds until 2001.
*[[May 6]] – [[Valery Leontiev]] show "It seems to me that I have not lived" in the [[Olympic Stadium (Moscow arena)|Olympic Stadium]].
*[[May 12]] – First [[Prague Spring International Music Festival]] following the [[Velvet Revolution]]: [[Rafael Kubelík]] conducts the [[Czech Philharmonic]] orchestra in [[Smetana]]'s ''[[Má vlast]]''.
*[[May 18]] – [[The Rolling Stones]] open their Urban Jungle European tour in [[Rotterdam]], the Netherlands.
*[[May 29]]
**In Canada, Toronto police threaten to arrest Madonna if she performs her simulated [[masturbation]] scene during her performance of "[[Like a Virgin (song)|Like a Virgin]]" on her [[Blond Ambition Tour]].  Madonna refuses to change her show, and the police decide not to press charges, later denying that they had ever threatened to do so (a claim refuted by footage captured during the filming of Madonna's 1991 documentary ''[[Madonna: Truth or Dare|Truth or Dare]]'').
**At the [[Eurovision Young Musicians Competition 1990]] finals, held at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria, pianist Nick van Oosterum of the Netherlands takes first place.
*[[June 10]] – Members of [[rap music|rap]] group [[2 Live Crew]] are arrested and charged with [[obscenity]] after a performance in a [[Hollywood, Florida]] nightclub.
*[[June 12]] – [[Mariah Carey]] releases her [[Mariah Carey (album)|debut]] album, which would go on to top the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] for 11 consecutive weeks.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rowley |first1=Glenn |title=Mariah Carey Shares Cryptic Teaser For 30th Anniversary Celebration of Debut Album |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/mariah-carey-shares-debut-album-anniversary-teaser-9418743/ |website=Billboard |date=15 July 2020}}</ref>
*[[June 30]] – Knebworth 1990, a one-off festival at [[Knebworth Park]], England in support of [[Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy]]. Participating musicians have all been winners of the [[Silver Clef Award]]. The acts include headliners [[Pink Floyd]], [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], [[Robert Plant]], [[Elton John]], [[Dire Straits]], [[Status Quo (band)|Status Quo]], [[Eric Clapton]] and others.

===July–September===
*[[July 7]] – [[The Three Tenors]] give their first concert, at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.
*[[July 14]] – [[Jean Michel Jarre]]'s concert [[Paris la Defense]] attracts 2.5 million spectators.
*[[July 21]] – [[Roger Waters]] and numerous guest stars stage a performance of [[Pink Floyd]]'s ''[[The Wall]]'' in Berlin, Germany to commemorate the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]] eight months earlier. [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]], [[Cyndi Lauper]], [[Thomas Dolby]], [[Sinéad O'Connor]], [[The Band]] and [[Bryan Adams]] are among the performers.
*[[August 5]] – [[Madonna]] ends her controversial [[Blond Ambition Tour]] in Nice, France. The last date was aired live and broadcast on HBO in United States, and later released as Laser Disc only.
*[[August 13]] – [[Curtis Mayfield]] is paralyzed from the neck down in an accident at an outdoor concert in [[Flatbush, Brooklyn]], after stage lighting equipment collapses on top of him.
*[[August 19]] – [[Leonard Bernstein]] conducts his final performance at Tanglewood; he suffers a coughing fit in the middle of one piece which almost brings the concert to a premature end.
*[[August 22]] – [[James MacMillan]]'s symphonic piece ''[[The Confession of Isobel Gowdie]]'' premieres at [[The Proms]] in London.
*[[August 24]]
**A judge rules that [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Judas Priest]] is not responsible for the actions of two [[Nevada]] youths who shot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band's music in December 1985.
**Irish singer [[Sinéad O'Connor]] sparks controversy when she refuses to play a concert at the [[Garden State Arts Center]] in New Jersey unless the venue refrains from its tradition of playing a recording of the [[American national anthem]] before the performance. O'Connor is heavily criticized and her music is dropped from a number of radio stations as a result.
*[[August 27]] – Guitarist [[Stevie Ray Vaughan]] is killed in a helicopter crash following a concert at the [[Alpine Valley Music Theatre]] in [[East Troy, Wisconsin]]. He was 35.
*[[September 4]] – [[Walter Yetnikoff]] steps down after fifteen years as President of [[Sony Music Entertainment|CBS Records]].
*[[September 11]] – After a decade of performing in the Francophone world, [[Céline Dion]] makes her formal English-language debut in the United States with the release of her album ''[[Unison (Celine Dion album)|Unison]]''.
*[[September 26]] – The poorly received ''[[Cop Rock]]'' premieres on US television; it was TV's only musical police drama.

===October–December===
*[[October 9]] – [[Leonard Bernstein]] announces his retirement from the conducting podium; he dies five days later.
*[[October 20]] – A Florida jury acquits [[2 Live Crew]] of the obscenity charges stemming from a June 10 performance of their act known for its sexually explicit lyrics.
*[[October 22]] – [[Pearl Jam]], then named "[[Mookie Blaylock]]", play their first show as a band at the Off Ramp club in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]].
*[[October 27]] – [[Janet Jackson]]'s "[[Black Cat (song)|Black Cat]]" reaches number one.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1990/10/26/black-cat-is-anything-but-bad-luck-for-jackson/|title='Black Cat' Is Anything But Bad Luck For Jackson|work=DeKnock, Jan|publisher=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|date=1990-10-26|access-date=2014-04-20}}</ref> It was also the first song to simultaneously peak atop the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Mainstream Rock]] chart.<ref name="Rock">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-j/janetjackson_main.htm|title=Rock On The Net: Janet Jackson Info Page|work=Rock on the Net|access-date=2014-04-20}}</ref>
*[[November 6]] – [[Madonna]] releases her new single, "[[Justify My Love]]". The accompanying [[Justify My Love (video)|music video]] is banned by [[MTV]] amid international controversy over its sexually explicit content.
*[[November 21]] – [[The Rolling Stones]] frontman [[Mick Jagger]] finally marries longtime girlfriend [[Jerry Hall]] in a traditional Hindu ceremony on the island of [[Bali]], although the wedding's legality is questionable.
*[[November 27]] – Amid growing public skepticism towards the artistic integrity of dance-pop duo [[Milli Vanilli]] as well as creative differences with frontmen [[Fab Morvan]] and [[Rob Pilatus]], music producer [[Frank Farian]] admits that Morvan and Pilatus had been [[lip-synching]] all of their songs, including hits such as "[[Girl You Know It's True (song)|Girl You Know It's True]]." In actuality, the tracks were composed and recorded by an ensemble of much older artists. Milli Vanilli's [[Grammy]] award for Best New Artist is voided in the ensuing fallout; accounts vary as to whether it was revoked or if Morvan and Pilatus returned it themselves.
*[[December 1]] – [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] airs a television special accompanying the ''[[Red Hot + Blue]]'' benefit album in which contemporary pop performers reinterpret the songs of [[Cole Porter]]. The special includes video clips portraying the societal effects of [[AIDS]].
*[[December 3]] – Following the banning of her "[[Justify My Love (video)|Justify My Love]]" music video by MTV, singer Madonna appears on ''[[Nightline]]'' to defend the video.
*[[December 15]] – [[Rod Stewart]] marries model [[Rachel Hunter]].
*[[December 31]] – The nineteenth annual [[New Year's Rockin' Eve]] special airs on ABC, with appearances by [[The Beach Boys]], [[Bell Biv DeVoe]], [[The Kentucky Headhunters]], [[Nelson (band)|Nelson]], [[The O'Jays]] and [[Sweet Sensation (band)|Sweet Sensation]].

===Also in 1990===
*Fall – For the first time, [[Amy Grant]] and [[Gary Chapman (musician)|Gary Chapman]] hold a night of music at their [[Franklin, Tennessee]] Riverstone Farm, for local teenagers. Performers included [[Rich Mullins]], [[Rick Elias]], [[Charlie Peacock]], [[Wes King]] and [[Michael W. Smith]]. The event becomes known as "The Loft".
*Guitarists: Dan Nilsson & Micke Bargstörm, Bassist: Martin Persson & Drummer: Rille Even, all quit [[Opeth]] who were the original members of the band. [[David Isberg]], the only remaining original member hires Guitarists: [[Mikael Åkerfeldt]] (who applied for a bassist position even when the band already had bassist causing friction but ended up as a guitarist) Andreas Dimeo, Bassist: Nick Döring & Drummer: [[Anders Nordin]].
*[[Studio Fredman]] is built.
*[[Sons of Kyuss]] change their name to [[Kyuss]] and add new members, except for guitarist [[Josh Homme]].
*After a hiatus of 7 years, rock group [[Styx (band)|Styx]] reform to record a new album and tour without long-time guitarist [[Tommy Shaw]], who was committed to [[Damn Yankees (band)|Damn Yankees]] at the time.
*Tapes of the original [[William Walton]] score for the 1969 film ''[[Battle of Britain (film)|Battle of Britain]]'' are rediscovered, having been lost since the score was abandoned in favour of one by [[Ron Goodwin]].