9 January:KERRIS DORSEY = American actress and singer
11 August:NADIA AZZI = American classical pianist of Lebanese-Japanese origin
25 August:CHINA ANNE McCLAIN = American singer-songwriter, actress, musician, and dancer
Timeline of Musical Events
January: Interscope Records pays a radio station in Portland, Oregon, USA, $5000 to play the Limp Bizkit single "Counterfeit" fifty times. The business move is widely criticized in the media as "payola", but the controversy serves to further increase publicity for the band.
28 January: "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia. At the same time, he grows out his hair and shaves off his moustache, radically changing his signature look.
31 January: The Presidents of the United States of America play a farewell show in their hometown of Seattle. They would reunite in 2000.
February: Carnatic vocalist M. S. Subbulakshmi becomes the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
5 February: Former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford publicly reveals his homosexuality for the first time in an interview with MTV.
15 February: Sir Edward Elgar's unfinished third symphony, completed by Anthony Payne is performed for the first time at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK.
19 February: The Stray Cats reunite for a benefit show for the Carl Perkins Foundation at House of Blues in Los Angeles, USA.
22 February: In Los Angeles, California, Stevie Wonder is honored as the 1999 MusiCares Person of the Year.
23 February: "Frozen", the first single from Madonna's eighth studio album, Ray of Light, is released. The single is a worldwide hit, peaking at #2 on US Billboard Hot 100 and becoming her first single to enter the charts at #1 in the UK.
24 February: Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace, London, UK. He was mistakenly introduced as "Sir John Elton", but was renamed "Sir Elton John".
28 February: Haitian group RAM survive an assassination attempt while performing at a carnival, after a disagreement with the newly elected mayor of Port-au-Prince.
3 March: Madonna releases her seventh studio album Ray of Light. The album eventually sells over 16 million copies worldwide and gains Madonna four Grammy Awards.
10 March: The South Korean-made MPMan, the first mass-produced digital audio player, is launched at the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover, Germany.
13 March: The Smashing Pumpkins file a US$1 million lawsuit against UK-based Sound And Media Ltd, alleging that the company has released a book and CD about the band without proper clearance.
17 March: Van Halen III is released. It is the first Van Halen album to feature Gary Cherone on vocals.
26 March: Chuck Negron files a lawsuit against his fellow Three Dog Night band mates alleging that they broke a 1990 settlement agreement and interfered with his career.
3 April: Dave Navarro is fired by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
6 April: Organizers announce that Lollapalooza will not be staged in 1998 due to the inability to sign a major headlining act. The festival would return in 2003.
7 April: George Michael is arrested in a public restroom in Beverly Hills, California, USA for lewd conduct. He is subsequently sentenced to community service, and later describes it as a "subconsciously deliberate act".
14 April: The first VH1 Divas Live concert is broadcast on VH1, starring Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Céline Dion, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey.
17-19 April: The second Terrastock festival takes place in San Francisco, USA.
29 April: Steven Tyler breaks his knee at a concert in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, delaying Aerosmith's Nine Lives Tour and necessitating camera angle adjustments for the filming of the video for "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing".
May: The third European Festival of Youth Choirs is held in Basel, Switzerland.
8 May: A British court rules in favor of The Beatles and John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, stopping the release of another Live at the Star Club recording. All copies of the recording and the original tape are awarded to the Beatles, as well as damages and legal costs.
9 May: The 43rd Eurovision Song Contest, held in Birmingham, United Kingdom, is won by Israel's transsexual performer Dana International with the song "Diva"
31 May: Geri Halliwell goes into hiding as her public relations representative, Julian Torton, confirms that she has left the Spice Girls permanently.
1 June: Scott Weiland's public problems with drugs continue when he is arrested in New York after buying heroin.
3 July: Westlife is formally created and signed to the record label BMG.
5 July: Teen singer Billie Piper starts her career by becoming the youngest British solo artist to debut at #1 on the UK singles charts with "Because We Want To".
18 August: Korn's third studio album, Follow the Leader, enters Billboard 200 at number 1, with 268,000 copies sold in its first week. It goes on to be certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and sell over 14 million copies worldwide, thus launching nu metal into the mainstream.
24 August: Pearl Jam's "Do the Evolution" video premieres on MTV's 120 Minutes; it is the group's first music video in six years.
25 August: Lauryn Hill releases her breakthrough debut album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. The album goes on to be certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA and sell over 19 million copies worldwide.
29 August: The Bee Gees open their One Night Only tour in Dublin, Ireland
14 September: Total Request Live is broadcast for the first time on MTV.
16 September: Lou Reed performs for President of the Czech Republic Václav Havel at the White House.
5 October: MuchMoreMusic is launched in Canada.
8 October: The Recording Industry Association of America files in court against Diamond Multimedia in an attempt to block the release of the new Rio PMP300, arguing that the MP3 digital audio player is a music piracy device. The RIAA's application is denied on October 26, clearing the way for the PMP300 to become the first commercially successful MP3 player.
23 October: Britney Spears' debut single, "...Baby One More Time", is released. It would become the top-selling single of 1999, selling over nine million units worldwide.
27 October: The Copyright Term Extension Act is signed into law, giving the entertainment industry 20 more years of exclusive rights to all works created since 1923.
December: Young violinists Nicola Benedetti and Alina Ibragimova play Bach's double violin concerto under the baton of Yehudi Menuhin at the opening ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at UNESCO in Paris.
5 December: Billboard changes its policy for its Hot 100 chart to allow airplay-only singles or album cuts to be accounted in the chart.
Also in 1998:
Guitarist Niklas Engelin quits In Flames. Drummer Bjorn Gelotte abandons drums to fill in Engeln's guitar position. The band then hires Daniel Svensson for the vacant drum spot in the band.
Mikael Oretoft Quits Katatonia.
Soilwork hires Ola Flink & Carlos Del Olmo Holmberg, then Ludvig Svartz and Jimmy Persson quit to be replaced by Ola Frenning & Henry Ranta.
Music group Fields of Aplomb was formed, taking their name from the Dropkick Murphys' song, "Fields of Athenry"
Allen West quits Six Feet Under.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra launches its own recording label, RLPO Live.
Singers Brandy and Monica dominate the Billboard charts with the duet, "The Boy Is Mine", holding the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 spot for 13 weeks.
Composer John Harbison was awarded a Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities.
The Goo Goo Dolls single, "Iris", set a new Billboard Hot 100 Airplay record in the U.S. by achieving 18 weeks at number one.
Six Feet Under hire Steve Swanson.
SWV disbands.
Classical Music
LOUIS ANDRIESSEN:
Writing to Vermeer
LEONARDO BALADA:
Folk Dreams (Three Pieces for Orchestra)
OSVALDAS BALAKAUSKAS:
Symphony No. 4
JOHN BARRY:
The Beyondness of Things
GEORGE CRUMB:
Mundus Canis (A Dog's World) for guitar and percussion
MARIO DAVIDOVSKY:
String Quartet No. 5
LUDOVICO EINAUDI:
Arie
LORENZO FERRERO:
Memoria del fuego (symphonic poem)
A Red Wedding Dress for organ
JAKE HEGGIE:
Sophie's Song
FREDERIK MAGLE:
Cantata to Saint Cecilia
GORDON MCPHERSON:
Miami
ZBIGNIEW PREISNER:
Requiem for my Friend
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA:
Piano Concerto No. 3 Gift of Dreams
JUAN MARIA SOLARE:
Spaghettisssimo
MORTON SUBOTNICK:
Echoes from the Silent Call of Girona
Opera
MARK ADAMO:
Little Women
CHRISTOPHER BUTTERFIELD:
Zurich 1916
PHILIP GLASS:
White Raven
HEINZ HOLLIGER:
Schneewittchen
CONSTANTINE KOUKIAS:
The Divine Kiss
RYAN OSTRANDER:
Madame Butterfly
Musical Theatre
Opening: 18 January 1998 @ Ford Center for the Performing Arts, New York, NY
RAGTIME [Original production]
(Musical, Drama)
Music by: Stephen Flaherty; Book by: Terrence McNally; Lyrics by: Lynn Ahrens
Closing: 16 January 2000 Performance Count: 834
Opening: 29 January 1998 @ Marquis Theatre, New York, NY
THE CAPEMAN [Original production]
(Musical)
Music by: Paul Simon; Book by: Paul Simon, Derek Walcott; Lyrics by: Paul Simon, Derek Walcott
Closing: 28 March 1998 Performance Count: 68
Opening: 14 February 1998 @ the Jane Street Theatre, Off-Broadway
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH [Original production]
(Musical)
Music & Lyrics by: Stephen Trask; Book by: John Cameron Mitchell
Closing: 9 April 2000 Performance Count: 857
Opening: 5 March 1998 @ Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia
THE BOY FROM OZ [Original production]
(Musical)
Music by: Peter Allen; Book by: Nick Enright (original), Martin Sherman; Lyrics by: Peter Allen
Performance Count: 766
Opening: 12 March 1998 @ Martin Beck Theatre, New York, NY
THE SOUND OF MUSIC [Revival production]
(Musical, Drama)
Music by: Richard Rodgers; Book by: Russel Crouse, Howard Lindsay; Lyrics by: Oscar Hammerstein II
Closing: 20 June 1999 Performance Count: 533
Opening: 19 March 1998 @ Kit Kat Klub, New York, NY, moving on 12 November to Studio 54, New York, NY
CABARET [Revival production]
(Musical, Drama)
Music by: John Kander; Book by: Joe Masteroff; Lyrics by: Fred Ebb
Based on: I Am a Camera
Closing: 4 January 2004 Performance Count: 2377
Opening: 27 April 1998 @ St. James Theatre, New York, NY
HIGH SOCIETY [Original production]
(Musical, Comedy)
Music by: Cole Porter; Book by: Arthur Kopit; Lyrics by: Cole Porter
Closing: 30 August 1998 Performance Count: 144
Opening: 28 July 1998 @ Booth Theatre, New York, NY
AN EVENING WITH JERRY HERMAN [Original production]
(Musical, Revue)
Music by: Jerry Herman; Lyrics by: Jerry Herman
Closing: 23 August 1998 Performance Count: 28
Opening: 15 October 1998 @ Prince of Wales Theatre, London
FAME - THE MUSICAL [Revival production]
(Musical)
Book by: Jose Fernandez; Lyrics by: Jaques Levy; Music by: Steve Margoshes
Closing: 16 January 1999
Opening: 22 October 1998 @ Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York, NY
FOOTLOOSE [Original production]
(Musical)
Music by: Tom Snow; Lyrics by: Dean Pitchford
Closing: 2 July 2000 Performance Count: 709
Opening: 12 November 1998 @ Criterion Center Stage Right, New York, NY
LITTLE ME [Revival production]
(Musical, Comedy)
Music by: Cy Coleman; Book by: Neil Simon; Lyrics by: Carolyn Leigh
Closing: 7 February 1999 Performance Count: 99
Opening: 19 November 1998 @ Gershwin Theatre, New York, NY
ON THE TOWN [Revival production]
(Musical, Comedy)
Music by: Leonard Bernstein; Book by: Betty Comden, Adolph Green; Lyrics by: Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Closing: 17 January 1999 Performance Count: 69
Opening: 23 November 1998 @ Marquis Theatre, New York, NY
PETER PAN [Revival production]
(Musical, Comedy)
Music by: Mark Charlap; Lyrics by: Carolyn Leigh
Based on: Peter Pan
Closing: 3 January 1999 Performance Count: 48
Opening: 17 December 1998 @ Vivian Beaumont Theatre, New York, NY
PARADE [Original production]
(Musical, Drama)
Music by: Jason Robert Brown; Book by: Alfred Uhry; Lyrics by: Jason Robert Brown
Closing: 28 February 1999 Performance Count: 85
Please address any comments concerning this page to The Music Maestro
Mark Chard BSc, PLY
Page created: 5th March 1999
Last edited: 20th July 2017
