18 January:SIMONE SIMONS = Dutch singer-songwriter. She is the lead vocalist of Dutch symphonic metal band Epica
20 February:YULIA VOLKOVA = Russian singer, member of t.A.T.u.
3 April:LEONA LEWIS = British singer, songwriter and animal welfare campaigner
10 May:ASHLEY POOLE = American singer, member of Dream
22 May:VANGIE TANG = Hong Kong singer
15 June:NADINE COYLE = Irish singer, songwriter, actress, and model, member of Girls Aloud
9 July:HEE AH LEE = South Korean handicapped pianist
17 July:TOM FLETCHER = English singer-songwriter, guitarist, children's author and YouTube vlogger, member of McFLY
1 August:DINA = Norwegian pop/trance artist
3 August:HOLLY BLAKE-ARNSTEIN = American singer, member of Dream
23 September:DIANA ORTIZ = American singer, member of Dream
15 October:NICOLA ROBERTS = English recording artist, fashion designer, and songwriter, member of Girls Aloud
22 October:ZAC HANSON = American singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the pop rock band Hanson
25 October:CIARA = American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress
10 December:RAVEN-SYMONÉ = American actress, singer, songwriter, television personality, and producer
23 December:HARRY JUDD = English musician who is best known as the drummer for British pop rock band McFLY
29 December:ALEXA RAY JOEL = American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She is the older daughter of singer-songwriter Billy Joel and first child of model Christie Brinkley
Timeline of Musical Events
11 January: One the biggest song festivals in the world started in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Rock in Rio, had a public of 1.5 million people at all, including artists like Iron Maiden, Nina Hagen, The B52's, Go Go's, Queen, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, AC/DC, and much more, and national artists such as, Gilberto Gil, Elba Ramalho, Barão Vermelho and Paralamas do Sucesso.
28 January: Various artists, under the group name USA For Africa, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, Kenny Loggins, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Tina Turner, Sheila E., Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Dionne Warwick, Waylon Jennings, Bob Geldof and Stevie Wonder, record the song "We Are the World".
27 March: The South African Broadcasting Corporation bans Stevie Wonder's music in response to Wonder dedicating the Oscar he had won the night before to Nelson Mandela.
28 March: A wax likeness of Michael Jackson is unveiled at Madame Tussaud's wax museum in London, UK.
1 April: After months of squabbling, David Lee Roth leaves Van Halen to begin a solo career.
10 April: Madonna begins her very first tour, The Virgin Tour (named after her Like a Virgin album) in Seattle, Washington, USA.
4 May: With "La det swinge" by Bobbysocks!, Norway scores its first win at the Eurovision Song Contest, in Gothenburg, Sweden.
May: Russian singer Valery Leontiev started a 10-date tour "Alone with all" and it became an instant hit. Queues for tickets blocked the traffic on a few central streets of Leningrad.
11 June: Madonna ends The Virgin Tour at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA.
13 July: The Live Aid concert takes place in Wembley Stadium, London, UK and Philadelphia, USA. The headlining acts at the latter venue included a Led Zeppelin reunion, the first since their 1980 disbandment.
16 August: On her 27th birthday, Madonna marries actor Sean Penn. (They divorce on September 14, 1989.)
6 September: Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights for most of the Beatles' music for $47 million, much to the dismay of Paul McCartney, whom he is bidding against.
19 September: The Parents Music Resource Center's (P.M.R.C.) United States Senate hearing on rock censorship begin in Washington, D.C. Heavy metal singer Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, rock star Frank Zappa and country singer John Denver testify against the P.M.R.C.
22 September: The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.
16 November: John Farnham, formerly a teen idol in Australia (as Johnny Farnham), revives his recording career when his hit, "You're The Voice" goes to the top of the charts at #1 for seven weeks and his album Whispering Jack goes to the top of the Albums charts at #1 for a record-breaking twenty-five weeks.
5 December: The first fully digital reggae single, Wayne Smith's "(Under Me) Sleng Teng", is recorded at Prince Jammy's studio; it is the beginning of ragga style reggae.
Also in 1985
Several hundreds of thousands of US dollars in publishing royalties are released to the surviving members, and families of the deceased members, of the British music group, Badfinger. Two band members, Pete Ham and Tom Evans, previously committed suicide due to financial problems.
Classical Music
JOHN ADAMS
The Chairman Dances
MARIO DAVIDOVSKY
Capriccio for Two Pianos
PETER MAXWELL DAVIES
Orkney Wedding, With Sunrise
HENRI DUTILLEUX
L'arbre des Songes violin concerto
LORENZO FERRERO
Canzoni d'amore (song cycle)
Empty Stage
My Rock
JACQUES HÉTU
Missa pro trecentisimo anno
NICHOLAS JACKSON
Organ Sonata
WITOLD LUTOSLAWSKI
Chain 2
Chain 3
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER
Requiem
JOHN RUTTER
Requiem
ALFRED SCHNITTKE
String Trio
ISABEL SOVERAL
Fragmentos
JOAN TOWER
Piano Concerto
ROBERT WARD
Raleigh Divertimento
Opera
DOMINICK ARGENTO
Casanova's Homecoming
LORENZO FERRERO
Mare nostro
Salvatore Giuliano
Night
PHILIP GLASS and ROBERT MORAN
The Juniper Tree
HANS WERNER HENZE
The English Cat
DOROTHY RUDD MOORE
Frederick Douglass
Ballet
LORENZO FERRERO
Lotus Eaters
The Miracle
Musical Theatre
BIG RIVER
Broadway, New York, USA production
DAMES AT SEA
off Broadway revival
THE KING AND I
(Rodgers & Hammerstein)
Broadway revival
LEADER OF THE PACK
Broadway production
ME AND MY GIRL
(Noel Gay)
London, UK revival
LES MISÉRABLES
London production
THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD
Broadway production
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
(Saul Chaplin, Gene de Paul and Johnny Mercer)
London production
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
Broadway production
SONG AND DANCE
Broadway production
Please address any comments concerning this page to The Music Maestro
Mark Chard BSc
Page created: 27th August 2011
Last edited: 21st February 2024
