1987 in music
See also: 1986 in music, other events of 1987, 1988 in music and the list of 'years in music'.
Events
- January 3 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- January 16 - The Beastie Boys become the first act to be censored by American Bandstand.
- February 6 - Sonny Bono announces his candidacy for mayor of Palm Springs, California
- February 26 - The first four Beatles albums, Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night and Beatles for Sale, are released on Compact disc. Capitol Records decides to release the original UK mixes of the Beatles albums, which means that the first four CDs are released in mono. This marks the first time that many of these mono mixes were available in the US.
- March 9 - Carole King is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City
- March 13 - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- March 13 - In the US, Bryan Adams "Heat of the Night" becomes the first single to be commercially released on cassette. The Cassette singles become known as cassingle.
- March 27 - Inspired by The Beatles' 1969 rooftop concert, U2 shoots a music video for the song "Where the Streets Have No Name" on a rooftop in Los Angeles, California.
- April 23 - Carole King sues the owner of her record company, Lou Adler, claiming that she is owed more than $400,000 in royalties. King also asks for rights to her old recordings.
- September - Jamaaladeen Tacuma records Jukebox, that will be a blockbuster album in 1988
- November 13 - Sonny and Cher reunite for a performance on Late Night with David Letterman.
- Jane's Addiction's career begins
- Public Enemy's career starts
- Paul Oakenfold's career begins
- Tori Amos' career begins
- Danzig's musical carrer begins
- Gin Blossoms form
- Mr. Big form
- Nirvana form
- Pennywise forms with long career with Jim Lindberg and Jason Thirsk
- Zebra breaks up
- Twisted Sister breaks up
- Hüsker Dü breaks up
- Winger makes a contract to Atlantic Records
Albums Released
- Permanent Vacation - Aerosmith
- Among The Living - Anthrax
- I'm The Man - Anthrax
- Tunnel of Love - Bruce Springsteen
- Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me - The Cure
- You're Living All Over Me - Dinosaur Jr.
- White Fields - The Escape Club (debut)
- Paid in Full - Eric B. & Rakim
- Introduce Yourself - Faith No More
- Official Version - Front 242
- Faith - George Michael
- Once Bitten... - Great White
- Appetite for Destruction - Guns 'n Roses
- Music to Strip By - Half Japanese
- Bring the Family - John Hiatt
- Warehouse: Songs and Stories - Hüsker Dü
- Rhyme Pays - Ice-T (debut)
- Bad - Michael Jackson
- Jane's Addiction - Jane's Addiction
- Crest of a Knave - Jethro Tull
- Priest... Live! - Judas Priest
- Turbo - Judas Priest
- Abigail - King Diamond
- Crazy Nights - KISS
- Shaka Zulu - Ladysmith Black Mambazo
- Trio - Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton
- Bigger and Deffer - LL Cool J
- By the Light of the Moon - Los Lobos
- Immaculate Deception - Ludichrist
- Strange Weather - Marianne Faithfull
- Huevos - Meat Puppets
- Diesel and Dust - Midnight Oil
- Actually - Pet Shop Boys
- Come On Pilgrim - Pixies
- Sign O' the Times - Prince
- Yo! Bum Rush the Show - Public Enemy
- Randy Travis - Randy Travis
- Document - R.E.M.
- Pleased to Meet Me - The Replacements
- King's Record Shop - Rosanne Cash
- Sister - Sonic Youth
- Floodland - The Sisters Of Mercy
- 1987 - Whitesnake
- Whitesnake - Whitesnake
- Characters - Stevie Wonder
- Introducing the Hardline... - Terence Trent D'Arby
- Love Is for Suckers - Twister Sister (final album)
- The Joshua Tree - U2
- To the Power of 3 - 3
- 3.V - Zebra
- Bridge of spies - T'Pau
Top Hits
- "Livin' on a Prayer" - Bon Jovi
- "(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight" - Cutting Crew
- "Beds Are Burning" - Midnight Oil
- "Walk Like An Egyptian" - The Bangles
- "Shake You Down" - Gregory Abbott
- "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days" - Judas Priest
- "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me" - Aretha Franklin & George Michael
- "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - U2
- "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" - Starship
- "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" - Whitney Houston
- "La Bamba" - Los Lobos
- "With or Without You" - U2
- "Alone" - Heart
- "Faith" - George Michael
- "Luka" - Suzanne Vega
- "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" - Belinda Carlisle
- "Don't Dream It's Over" - Crowded House
- "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" - Genesis
- "You Can Call Me Al" - Paul Simon
- "China in your hand" - T'Pau
Births
Deaths
- April 2 - Buddy Rich, brain tumor
- May 3 - Dalida commits suicide
- May 4 - Paul Butterfield, drug overdose
- May 11 - Peter Tosh is murdered
- October 19 - Jacqueline Du Pre, English Cellist
Awards
- The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The Coasters, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, B. B. King, Clyde McPhatter, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Smokey Robinson, Big Joe Turner, Muddy Waters, and Jackie Wilson