Gourt Home::Gourt :: 1990 in music
See also: 1989 in music, 1990 in British music, other events of 1990, 1991 in music, 1990s in music and the list of 'years in music'
Events
- January 21 - MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with musical guest, 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, but due to his injuries, the role was reduced down almost to a bit part.
- 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.
- February 16 - Ike Turner is sentenced to 4 years in prison for possession of cocaine.
- February 17 - Aerosmith appears in the Saturday Night Live sketch Wayne's World, where they perform the Wayne's World theme song.
- February 24 - The Byrds (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman
- February 27 - In Time Magazine, Milli Vanilli "singer" Rob Pilatus states that their group is, "more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger can't produce a sound. I'm the new Elvis."
- March 03 - Freedom To Party Demonstration London, organised by Party Promoters including Genesis'88 Biology parties Sunrise/Back to the Future for later club licences and all night Music and Dance Licences for large-scale Dance Parties Staged free-party later that night in Watford UK (12,000 people).
- March 20 - Gloria Estefan's tour bus is involved in an accident. Estefan suffers several broken bones in her back.
- March 25 - Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee is arrested for allegedly exposing his backside during a performance in Augusta, Georgia
- April 4 - Gloria Estefan returns to Miami, Florida after undergoing back surgery in March following a tour bus accident.
- 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, CT.
- 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 died later that evening
- April 25 - Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster that he used to perform his famous version of the "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, is auctioned off in London for $295,000
- May 8 - In Los Angeles, California, Tom Waits wins a $2.5 million lawsuit against Frito-Lay for unlawfully using a sound alike of Waits in its Doritos television commercials.
- May 26 - Gin Blossoms sign a contract with A&M Records
- July 14 - Jean-Michel Jarre's concert Paris la Defense attracts 2.5 million spectators.
- September - In the UK, two singles, "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite and "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band (featured in a current TV jeans commercial), are announced to have sold the same number of copies in one week and a tie-break is used to decide which should be number one. "The Joker" wins, as it had climbed the most from the previous week.
- September 11 - After a decade of performing in the Francophone world, Céline Dion makes her formal English-language debut when she releases her album Unison.
- October - Jamaaladeen Tacuma records Boss of the Bass, that will be a blockbuster in 1991
- Fall - For the first time, Amy Grant and 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".
- November 27 - "Vocal" group Milli Vanilli admits to lip-synching hits such as "Girl You Know It's True." They later have their Grammy award revoked.
- December - The Smashing Pumpkins begin recording Gish, which will be a blockbuster album in 1991
- December 13 - Genesis'88 stage weekly Acid House night in legally acquired warehouse in Stratford, London under the banner imagine
- Dance music breaks out.
- Madonna's "Justify My Love" music video is banned by MTV. The singer appears on Nightline to defend the video.
- Pennywise signs a contract to their recent label Epitaph Records
- The poorly received Cop Rock premieres on television, TV's first (and last) musical police drama.
- Will Smith hits primetime television with the sitcom, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
- Ace of Base forms
- Spin Doctors' begins performing
- Pearl Jam's career begins
- The Candyskins' career begins
- Ricky Martin's career begins
- The Prodigy's career begins
- Mariah Carey's career begins
- School of Fish's career begins
- Ash forms
- Blue Meanies forms
- Leaders of the New School (including Busta Rhymes) forms
- Letters To Cleo forms
- Master Sound forms
- RAM forms
- Sun Dial forms
- Vertical Horizon forms
- Guadalcanal Diary disbands
- The Lurkers disband
- Eurythmics disband
- Mother Love Bone disband
- Camper Van Beethoven disband
- Pussy Galore disband
- The Vaselines disband
- Spandau Ballet disbands
- Starship disbands
- The Style Council disband
- Garth Brooks releases his second album, "No Fences" and wins various awards across the music industry, including "best new country artist."
- Del Amitri's second album, and first for five years, Waking Hours effectively relaunches their career. It provides them with the UK hit Nothing Ever Happens and the minor US hit Kiss This Thing Goodbye.
- Sons of Kyuss changed their named to Kyuss, add new members except guitarist Josh Homme.
- After a hiatus of 7 years, rock group Styx (band) reform to record a new album and tour without long time guitarist Tommy Shaw who was committed to Damn Yankees at the time. With his blessing, A&M recording artist Glen Burtnik joins Styx and release "Edge of The Century". The first single was Burnik's "Love Is The Ritual" which barely entered the Billboard 100. The follow-up single -- a religiously inspired ballad entitled "Show Me The Way" with Dennis DeYoung on vocals -- became a minor hit but then suddenly skyrocketed to the #1 spot on the Billboard 100 after radio stations took the liberty and produced their own versions of the song featuring comments from Operation: Desert Storm soldiers during the solo break -- a move that reportedly didn't sit well with the band, who believed it unfairly politicized their music, the Christian religious faith, and the sacrifices of the troops.
Albums released
Albums A-E
- Livin' Like Hustlers - Above the Law (debut)
- The Razor's Edge - AC/DC
- Seraut Wajah - Ebiet G. Ade
- Albi Achikha - Ragheb Alama
- Facelift - Alice in Chains
- Enchanted - Marc Almond
- Humanap Ka Ng Panget - Andrew E.
- Never, Neverland - Annihilator
- Persistence of Time - Anthrax
- Yellow Man With Heart With Wings - Robert Ashley
- Piece of Time - Atheist
- Severed survival - Autopsy
- Holy Water - Bad Company
- Against the Grain - Bad Religion
- Thermos - Bailter Space
- Two Fires - Jimmy Barnes
- Music Extravaganza - Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister & The African International Music Ambassadors
- Hammerheart - Bathory
- The Law of Things - The Bats
- Riverside - Luka Bloom
- Black Milk - The Beasts Of Bourbon
- Choke - The Beautiful South
- Maria Bethânia (25 anos) - Maria Bethânia
- Victorious Against Personal Demons - Beyond
- Megatop Phoenix - Big Audio Dynamite
- You Lucky People - Big Pig
- Biohazard - Biohazard
- Rabindra samgita - Debabrata Biswas
- Gling-Gló - Björk
- Shake Your Money Maker - The Black Crowes
- Highlights & Lowlives - Blue Cheer
- Too Much Sleep - Bongwater
- Boomania - Betty Boo
- JAPANESKA - The Boom
- Ichabod and I - The Boo Radleys
- New Funky Nation - Boo-Yaa TRIBE
- Changesbowie (Greatest Hits) - David Bowie
- The Internationale - Billy Bragg
- The Brand New Heavies - Brand New Heavies
- One for All - Brand Nubian
- As I Came Of Age - Sarah Brightman
- No Fences - Garth Brooks
- Dance!...Ya Know It! - Bobby Brown
- The Sinking of the Titanic - Gavin Bryars
- Dead City Radio(spoken word) - William S. Burroughs
- Pump Action - The Butcher Shop
- Keep On - Cabaret Voltaire
- Gonna Make You Sweat - C&C Music Factory
- Eaten Back To Life - Cannibal Corpse
- Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey
- 101 Damnations - Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine
- Vanity/Nemesis - Celtic Frost
- Dear Agnes - Carpenters collection - Agnes Chan
- Waiting For You - Danny Chan
- Songbird - Nadia Chan
- Freefall (ep) - Chapterhouse
- Ezi Oyi Akama - Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe & his Nigerian Sound Makers International
- Dreaming - Leslie Cheung
- The Decomposition of Violets - Christian Death
- Gold Afternoon Fix - The Church
- In A Live - The Clean
- Heaven Or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins
- Unnatural History - Coil
- Lloyd Cole - Lloyd Cole
- Some Like It Cold - Coldcut
- Jungle Bass - Bootsy Collins
- ...But Seriously - Phil Collins
- The Myth Of Rock - Consolidated
- Consumer Revolt - Cop Shoot Cop
- Inside Out - Chick Corea Electric Band
- Plural - Gal Costa
- Paradise Discotheque - Crime and the City Solution
- Ritmo en el Corazon - Celia Cruz and Ray Barretto
- Mixed Up - The Cure
- Looney Runes - Current 93
- Some Gave All - Billy Ray Cyrus
- Danzig II: Lucifuge - Danzig
- Pyst - Datblygu
- Charlotte - Miles Davis
- Spiritual Healing - Death
- Act III - Death Angel
- The Wall of Sacrifice - Death In June
- World Clique - Deee-Lite
- Deicide - Deicide
- The Flower That Shattered The Stone - John Denver
- Violator - Depeche Mode
- Tattooed Millionaire - Bruce Dickinson (debut solo album)
- Every Brilliant Eye - Died Pretty
- World Sinfonia - Al Di Meola
- Unison - Céline Dion (English-language debut)
- Fire In The Night - Dion DiMucci
- Rising - Donovan
- The Classics Live - Donovan
- DAAS Icon - Doug Anthony All Stars
- Obey The Time - The Durutti Column
- Blood Guts & Pussy - The Dwarves
- The North At It's Heights - 808 State
- Utd State 90 - 808 State
- Dare To Be Different - Tommy Emmanuel
- MCMXC a.D. - Enigma (debut)
- Left Hand Path - Entombed
- The Language Of Life - Everything but the Girl
- Distino di Belita - Cesária Évora
- The Massacre - The Exploited
Albums F-J
- The Real Thing - Faith No More
- The River - Ali Farka Toure
- Chain Reaction - John Farnham
- FireHouse - FireHouse
- Brahms: Lieder - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Set The Booty Upright (ep) - Fishbone
- Hispanic Causing Panic - Kid Frost
- Repeater - Fugazi
- This Is Our Music - Galaxie 500
- Cancer Planet Mission - Gaye Bykers on Acid
- Tokyo Anal Dynamite - The Gerogerigegege
- Anything is Possible - Debbie Gibson
- Concierto en vivo con Pete Seeger - León Gieco
- Live at the Royal Festival Hall 1989 - Dizzy Gillespie
- I was the Hunter and I was the Prey - Dave Graney 'n' The Coral Snakes
- Without A Net - Grateful Dead
- 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours - Green Day
- Slappy - Green Day
- Pastoral Hide And Seek - The Gun Club
- Allegria - Gypsy Kings
- A Bag of Cats - The Hafler Trio
- Dislocation - The Hafler Trio
- Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches - Happy Mondays
- Brand New Dance - Emmylou Harris
- Naked In Garden Hills - Harry Crews (band)
- Brigade - Heart
- Strap It On - Helmet (band)
- Shuffletown - Joe Henry
- I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston
- Collected Works - Hunters & Collectors
- Que Te Vaya Bien - Cheo Hurtado
- AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted - Ice Cube
- Iced Earth - Iced Earth (debut)
- Released in Europe only.
- Feedback of N.M.S. - Incapacitants
- La Baiser - Indochine
- The best of Rhoma Irama - Rhoma Irama
- Jaka Swara - Rhoma Irama
- No Prayer for the Dying - Iron Maiden
- Red Warrior - Ronald Shannon Jackson
- Gold Mother - James
- Sudden Stop - Colin James
- Ritual de lo Habitual - Jane's Addiction
- Arvo Pärt, Tabula Rasa - Keith Jarrett
- Waiting for Cousteau - Jean-Michel Jarre
- Live at Hammersmith '84 - Jethro Tull
- (A recording made in 1984 and released in 1990)
- Jonathon Goes Country - Jonathan Richman
- Neighbourhood Threat - Johnny Crash (one and only album)
- 1990 - Daniel Johnston
- Ah Via Musicom - Eric Johnson
- Painkiller - Judas Priest
Albums K-P
- Live at the Opera House - Kamahl
- Yiyin Efendiler - Cem Karaca
- Parakou - Angélique Kidjo
- Door to Door - Albert King
- Authority - King Sunny Ade & His New African Beats
- Faith Hope Love - King's X
- Chill Out - The KLF
- Naive - KMFDM
- I've Got That Old Feeling - Alison Krauss
- Black Angels - Kronos Quartet
- Today Wonder - Ed Kuepper
- Confusion Break Bones - Fela Kuti
- Loving You, Never Stop - Aaron Kwok
- ZIZS - Kalle Laar, Kazamaki Takashi
- Two Worlds, One Heart - Ladysmith Black Mambazo
- Macbeth - Laibach (band)
- The Last Temptation of Reid - Lard
- The La's - The La's
- Rhythm of Love - Lava
- Leningrad Cowboys Go America - Leningrad Cowboys
- Leon - Leon Lai
- Aku Ingin - Indra Lesmana
- Les Têtes Brulées - Les Têtes Brulées
- Stinky Grooves - Limbomaniacs
- Time's Up - Living Colour
- Mamma Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J
- Lust - Lords of Acid
- A Ti Madrecita - Los Tigres del Norte
- From a Scream to a Whisper - Lowlife
- Wicked Sensation - Lynch Mob
- The Immaculate Collection - Madonna
- Yo! - Francis Magalona
- Southern Cross - Phil Manzanera
- Shinsen Na Clitoris - Masonna
- Tune In Tomorrow... The Original Soundtrack - Standard Time Vol. 3: The Resolution Of Romance - Wynton Marsalis
- Como Un Juguete - Martika
- Take A Look Around - Master Ace
- Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - MC Hammer
- Armed Audio Warfare - Meat Beat Manifesto
- Rust In Peace - Megadeth
- Pentagram - Mezarkabul
- Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 - George Michael
- The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste - Ministry
- Love And Kisses - Dannii Minogue
- Rhythm Of Love - Kylie Minogue
- Still Got The Blues - Gary Moore
- Apple - Mother Love Bone
- Shiver - Jenny Morris
- Cover Girl - Anita Mui
- Deep - Peter Murphy
- Glider (ep) - My Bloody Valentine
- Confessions Of A Knife - My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
- Aashiqui - Nadeem-Shravan
- Yoru o Yuke - Miyuki Nakajima
- Naugad - Nautilus Pompilius
- Set - Youssou N'Dour
- Brother's Keeper - The Neville Brothers
- Step By Step (album) - New Kids On The Block
- The Good Son - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
- Gnawa Music Of Marrakesh - Night Spirit Masters
- Fun To Be Had - Nitzer Ebb
- Unlimited Everything - Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper
- Caveat - Nuclear Death
- Cause of Death - Obituary
- I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got - Sinéad O'Connor
- Baghdad - The Offspring
- Amarok - Mike Oldfield
- Da Atlântida à Bahia... ... o Mar é o Caminho - Olodum
- Erpland - Ozric Tentacles
- Ma Maison - Oui Oui
- Cowboys from Hell - Pantera
- Contribution - Mica Paris
- Home For Christmas - Dolly Parton
- Bossanova - Pixies
- Wildcard/A Word From the Wise - Pennywise (compilation of their self-released EPs)
- Shinamania - Sir Shina Peters
- Behaviour - Pet Shop Boys
- Gub - Pigface
- Brick By Brick - Iggy Pop
- Cure For Sanity - Pop Will Eat Itself
- Frizzle Fry - Primus
- Beyond Thee Infinite Beat - Psychic TV
- Fear of a Black Planet - Public Enemy
- Goza Me Timbal - Tito Puente
Albums Q-V
- Empire - Queensrÿche
- Volume 2 - Reagan Youth
- In Dub - Renegade Soundwave
- Play - Ride
- Charcoal Road - Archie Roach
- Love Is Strange - Kenny Rogers
- Turned On - Rollins Band
- Valses Venezolanos - Aldemaro Romero
- Heart Still Beating - Roxy Music
- Back From Hell - Run DMC
- Chronicles - Rush
- Blacks Magic - Salt-N-Pepa
- Welcome to Love - Pharoah Sanders
- Spirits Dancing In The Flesh - Carlos Santana
- Here Comes Trouble - Scatterbrain
- School of Fish - School of Fish (debut)
- Scenic Roots - Seldom Scene
- ''Intercourse - S'Express
- Tales of Gil Scott Heron and his Amnesia Express - Gil Scott-Heron
- Automaton (Slave with Ewer Device) - Murat Ses
- Jatuh Cinta Lagi - Yuni Shara
- Shonen Knife (compilation) - Shonen Knife
- My Romance - Carly Simon
- Have You Seen Me Lately - Carly Simon
- The Simpsons Sing the Blues - The Simpsons
- Vision Thing - The Sisters of Mercy
- Fist Sized Chunks - Skin Yard
- Too Dark Park - Skinny Puppy
- Seasons in the Abyss - Slayer
- Stick It To Ya - Slaughter
- World Power - Snap!
- Social Distortion - Social Distortion
- Goo - Sonic Youth
- Back To The Coast - Nikki Sudden
- Sons of Kyuss - Sons of Kyuss
- Originally recorded by Kyuss' original name of the same title.
- Vol. II: 1990 - A New Decade - Soul II Soul
- Louder Than Love - Soundgarden
- Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To - Spacemen 3
- Up for Grabs - Spin Doctors
- Pesta Panen - Elvy Sukaesih
- Other Way Out - Sun Dial (debut)
- Affection - Lisa Stansfield
- Edge Of The Century - Styx
- Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic - The Sundays
- Superchunk - Superchunk (debut)
- I'll Give All My Love To You - Keith Sweat
- Live Au Zenith - Tabou Combo
- Strange Things - Tackhead
- Firmament - Alan Tam (Alan Tam Wing Lun)
- Celebrated Blazons - Cecil Taylor
- Everybody Wants To Shag The Teardrop Explodes - The Teardrop Explodes
- Ave Maria - Kiri Te Kanawa
- Five Man Acoustical Jam - Tesla
- Souls of Black - Testament
- Flood - They Might Be Giants
- Magic Music - Third Ear Band
- New Inside - Tiffany
- Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee
- Tears of Civilisation - Paula Tsui
- No Depression - Uncle Tupelo
- Footprints - Jai Uttal
- Passion and Warfare - Steve Vai
- To the Extreme - Vanilla Ice
- Family Style - The Vaughan Brothers (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan)
- Nineteen 90 - Regine Velasquez
- Tear Your Soul Apart - Venom
- The Wonder - Tom Verlaine
- Debacle: The First Decade - Violent Femmes
Albums W-Z
- Cherry Pie - Warrant
- Room To Roam - The Waterboys
- The Oneness - Ween
- Wilson Phillips (album) - Wilson Phillips
- Goodbye Jumbo - World Party
- Wild Side Of The City Lights - Link Wray
- Heart Over Mind - Tammy Wynette
- Best of '81-'85 - Y&T
- Ten - Y&T
- If There Was a Way - Dwight Yoakam
- Ragged Glory - Neil Young and Crazy Horse
- A Smithsonian Collection – various artists
- Nights Without Sleeping - Chaba Zahouania
- Naked City - John Zorn
- Look Into Me - Zoviet France
Top hits on record
- "Advice For The Young At Heart" - Tears For Fears
- "All I Wanna Do (Is Make Love To You)" - Heart
- "Better The Devil You Know" - Kylie Minogue
- "Bird On A Wire" - The Neville Brothers
- "Black Cat" - Janet Jackson
- "Blaze of Glory" - Bon Jovi
- "Blue Savannah" - Erasure
- "Blue Sky Mine" - Midnight Oil
- "Chain Reaction - John Farnham
- "Close to You" - Maxi Priest
- "Come Back to Me" - Janet Jackson
- "Dangerous" - Roxette
- "Downtown Train" - Rod Stewart
- "Elephant Stone" - Stone Roses
- "Enjoy the Silence" - Depeche Mode
- "Epic" - Faith No More
- "Escapade" - Janet Jackson
- "Every Beat Of My Heart" - Taylor Dayne
- "Everybody Everybody" - Black Box
- "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" - The Blues Brothers
- "Four Bacharach And David Songs (EP)" - Deacon Blue
- "Friends In Low Places" - Garth Brooks
- "Hard To Handle" - The Black Crowes
- "Hello" - The Beloved
- "Higher Ground" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
- "Hippychick" - Soho
- "Hold On" - En Vogue
- "Hold On" - Wilson Philips
- "I Go To Extremes" - Billy Joel
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down" - Phil Collins
- "Ice Ice Baby" - Vanilla Ice
- "It Must Have Been Love" - Roxette
- "I'll Be Your Shelter" - Taylor Dayne
- "I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston
- "Janie's Got A Gun" - Aerosmith
- "Jukebox In Siberia" - Skyhooks
- "Just Like Jesse James" - Cher
- "Justify My Love" - Madonna
- "Killer" - Adamski feat. Seal
- "Lay Down Your Guns" - Jimmy Barnes
- "Listen To Your Heart" - Roxette
- "Loaded" - Primal Scream
- "Love And Kisses" - Dannii Minogue
- "Love Takes Time" - Mariah Carey
- "Love Shack" - The B-52's
- "Love Will Lead You Back" - Taylor Dayne
- "More Than Words Can Say" - Alias
- "Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinéad O'Connor
- "Opposites Attract" - Paula Abdul
- "Poison" - Bell Biv Devoe
- "Rhythm Nation" - Janet Jackson
- "Right Here Right Now" - Jesus Jones
- "Sacrifice / Healing hands" - Elton John
- "She Ain't Worth It" - Glenn Medeiros feat. Bobby Brown
- "Step Back in Time" - Kylie Minogue
- "Suicide Blonde" - INXS
- "Summer Rain" - Belinda Carlisle
- "Tears On My Pillow" - Kylie Minogue
- "That's Freedom" - John Farnham
- "The Power" - Snap!
- "Three Strange Days" - School of Fish (debut single)
- "The Thunder Rolls" - Garth Brooks
- "U Can't Touch This" - M.C. Hammer
- "Unbelievable" - EMF (debut single)
- "Vision of Love" - Mariah Carey
- "Vogue" - Madonna
- "Wouldn't It Be Nice" - The Beach Boys
Charts
KROQ
Other significant singles
- "Little Fluffy Clouds" - The Orb (Sampling led to legal action.)
- Sampling copyright debate continues over the Soho single Hippychick, which uses a sample from How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths.
Published popular music
- "Keep It Together" w.m. S. Bray & Madonna
- "The Simpsons theme song" m. Danny Elfman
Classical music
- Mario Davidovsky - Biblical Songs for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
- Mario Davidovsky - Concertante for string quartet and orchestra
- John Harbison - The Flight into Egypt (cantata)
- Paul Lansky - Smalltalk
- Alvin Lucier - Music for Piano with One or More Snare Drums
- Meredith Monk - Book Of Days
- John Pickard - The Flight of Icarus
- Takashi Yoshimatsu - Symphony No. 1 Kamui-Chikap
- John Zorn - The Dead Man
Opera
- Gerald Barry - The Intelligence Park
- Azio Corghi - Blimunda
- Mark Lanz Weiser - Purgatory (chamber opera, based on a play by W. B. Yeats)
Musical theater
- Aspects of Love (Andrew Lloyd Webber) - Broadway production
- A Change in the Heir Broadway production
- Five Guys Named Moe Broadway production
- Shogun Broadway production
- Sunday in the Park with George (Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine - London production)
- Truly Blessed Broadway production
Computer and video game music
Awards
- The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Hank Ballard, Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, The Kinks, The Platters, Simon and Garfunkel and The Who
- Grammy Awards of 1990
- Eurovision Song Contest 1990
- Luc Ferrari wins the International Koussevitzky Prize for Recordings for his composition Histoire du plaisir et de la désolation
- Juno Awards: Best Composer: David Tyson/Christopher Ward
- Dalida virtualy receives the "Star Registry" awards with the International Diploma three years after her death in USA.
- Scottish composer Thomas Wilson is awarded a CBE.
Music festivals
- In Australia, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival is founded by Michael Easton and Len Vorster.
Births
- January 21 - Sasha Boldachev, harpist
- December 20 - JoJo, R&B artist
Deaths
- January 18 - Melanie Appleby of British duo Mel and Kim, liver cancer
- January 23 - Allen Collins, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, complications from pneumonia
- February 8 - Del Shannon, suicide by shotgun
- February 24 - Johnnie Ray, liver failure
- March 16 - Andrew Wood, Mother Love Bone
- April 3 - Sarah Vaughan, lung cancer
- June 20 - June Christy, US singer
- July 15 - Heavy D & the Boyz back-up singer Trouble T-Roy misjudges the edge of the stage following a show and falls to his death.
- August 27 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, blues guitarist performer
- September 13 - Phil Napoleon, jazz trumpeter
- October 14 - Leonard Bernstein, American composer and conductor
- October 16 - Art Blakey, jazz drummer
- October 16 - Jorge Bolet, pianist
- November 3 - Mary Martin, US singer and actress
- December 2 - Aaron Copland, American composer
- December 18 - Paul Tortelier, cellist
1990 en musique | 1990 - muzyka | 1990 в музыке | Musikåret 1990
"1990 in music"