1990 in music

See also: 1989 in music, other events of 1990, 1991 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 had to back out of the project due to his injuries.
• February 8 - 50 year old songwriter Del Shannon dies of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
• 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.
• "Vocal" group Milli Vanilli admits to lip-synching hits such as "Girl You Know Its True." They later have their Grammy award revoked.
• Madonna's "Justify My Love" music video is banned by MTV. The singer appears on Nightline to defend the video.
• The poorly received Cop Rock preimieres on television, TV's first (and last) musical police drama.
• Will Smith hits primetime television with the sitcom, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
• Spin Doctors' begins performing
• Pearl Jam's career begins
• Blue Meanies forms
• Blink-182 forms
• Vertical Horizon forms
• Master Sound forms
• Rage Against the Machine forms
• Ricky Martin's career begins
• The Prodigy's career begins
• Mariah Carey's career begins
• Leaders of the New School (including Busta Rhymes) forms
• Master Sound forms

Albums Released

• Persistence of Time - Anthrax
• Against the Grain - Bad Religion
• Megatop Phoenix - Big Audio Dynamite
• Some Gave All - Billy Ray Cyrus
• Shake Your Money Maker - The Black Crowes
• Ichabod and I - The Boo Radleys
• Eaten Back To Life - Cannibal Corpse
• Vanity/Nemesis - Celtic Frost
• Changesbowie - David Bowie
• If There Was a Way - Dwight Yoakam
• ...But Seriously - Phil Collins
• The Real Thing - Faith No More
• Slappy - Green Day
• Ritual de lo Habitual - Jane's Addiction
• Live at Hammersmith '84 - Jethro Tull
  • (A recording made in 1984 and released in 1990)
• Ah Via Musicom - Eric Johnson
• Faith Hope Love - King's X
• Time's Up - Living Colour
• Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - MC Hammer
• Rust In Peace - Megadeth
• The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste - Ministry
• Brother's Keeper - The Neville Brothers
• Baghdad - The Offspring
• Cowboys from Hell - Pantera
• Frizzle Fry - Primus
• Fear of a Black Planet - Public Enemy
• Play - Ride
• Here Comes Trouble - Scatterbrain
• Vision Thing - The Sisters Of Mercy
• Up for Grabs - Spin Doctors
• No Depression - Uncle Tupelo
• Passion and Warfare - Steve Vai
• GodWeenSatan: The Oneness - Ween

Top Hits

• "I Wish It Would Rain Down" - Phil Collins
• "I Go To Extremes" - Billy Joel
• "Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinead O'Connor
• "Opposites Attract" - Paula Abdul
• "Janie's Got A Gun" - Aerosmith
• "Burning Inside" - Ministry
• "U Can't Touch This" - M.C. Hammer
• "The Wagon" - Dinosaur Jr.
• "Epic" - Faith No More

Deaths

• January 23 - Allen Collins, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, complications from pneumonia
• February 8 - Del Shannon, suicide
• March 16 - Andrew Wood, Mother Love Bone
• August 27 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, blues guitarist performer
• October 14 - Leonard Bernstein, American composer and conductor
• October 16 - Art Blakey, jazz drummer
• December 2 -- Aaron Copland, American composer

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