1985 in music



This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.

January–March

 * January 1 – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
 * January 11
 * One of the biggest music festivals in the world begins 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 many more. National artists such as Gilberto Gil, Elba Ramalho, Barão Vermelho and Paralamas do Sucesso also perform.
 * Willie Dixon sues Led Zeppelin over the song "Whole Lotta Love", on the grounds that it contains too many similarities to his own song "You Need Love". The lawsuit is settled out of court.
 * January 28 – 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".
 * February 22
 * Whitney Houston releases her debut album.
 * The "One Night with Blue Note" concert, celebrating the relaunch of Blue Note Records and featuring over 30 jazz greats, is held at The Town Hall in New York. Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, McCoy Tyner and Grover Washington, Jr. are just a few of the performers.
 * March 27 – 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.
 * March 28 – A wax likeness of Michael Jackson is unveiled at Madame Tussaud's in London, UK.

April–June

 * April 1 – After months of squabbling, David Lee Roth leaves Van Halen to begin a solo career.
 * April 7 – Wham! becomes the first Western pop group to perform in China when they play a concert in Beijing's Workers Stadium during an historic 10-day visit.
 * April 10 – Madonna begins her very first tour, The Virgin Tour (named after her Like a Virgin album) in Seattle, Washington, USA.
 * May – Russian singer Valery Leontiev starts his 10-date tour "Alone with all" and it become an instant hit. Queues for tickets blocked the traffic on a few central streets of Leningrad.
 * May 4 – With "La det swinge" by Bobbysocks!, Norway scores its first win at the Eurovision Song Contest, in Gothenburg, Sweden.
 * May 13 – Dire Straits release Brothers in Arms which went on to be the highest selling of the 1980s in the UK.
 * June 11 – Madonna ends The Virgin Tour at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA.

July–September

 * July 13 – The Live Aid concert takes place in Wembley Stadium, London, UK and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, USA. The headlining acts at the latter venue included a Led Zeppelin reunion, the first since their 1980 disbandment.
 * September 6 – Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights for most of the Beatles' music for $47 million, much to the dismay of Paul McCartney, against whom he is bidding.
 * September 19 – 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.
 * September 22
 * The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.
 * Massimo Bogianckino, general manager of the Paris Opera and former head of both the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and La Scala, is elected mayor of Florence.

October–December

 * December 5 – 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.
 * December 23 – Two young fans of Judas Priest in Sparks, Nevada shoot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band's records. A lawsuit is brought against the group in 1986 claiming that they were compelled by backwards subliminal messages hidden in their music.
 * December 31 – The fourteenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special is aired on ABC television, with appearances by Four Tops, The Judds, Barry Manilow, The Motels, Tears for Fears and The Temptations.

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.
 * Metal Edge magazine is launched.

Bands formed

 * See Musical groups established in 1985

Bands disbanded

 * See Musical groups disestablished in 1985

Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest in the charts of 1985.

Top hit singles

 * 1) Let's Go All the Way Sly Fox

Births

 * January 2 – Luis Beza (Suburban Legends)
 * January 16 – Gintaras Janusevicius, classical pianist
 * January 18 – Simone Simons, symphonic metal singer
 * January 29 – Mikey Hachey, American bass player
 * January 31 – Kalomira, American-Greek singer
 * February 5 – Lindsey Cardinale, American singer
 * February 8 – Jeremy Davis, American bass player and songwriter (Paramore)
 * February 11 – William Beckett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Academy Is...)
 * February 20 – Yulia Volkova, Russian singer, (t.A.T.u.)
 * March 29 – Mirusia Louwerse, Dutch-Australian lyric soprano
 * April 3 – Leona Lewis, singer
 * April 20 – Jadyn Douglas, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and actress
 * May 2 – Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter
 * May 10 – Ashley Poole, singer (Dream)
 * May 11 – Matt Giraud, American singer-songwriter and pianist
 * May 18 – Francesca Battistelli, American singer, CCM
 * May 22 – Vangie Tang, singer
 * June 2 – Ana Cristina, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
 * June 15 – Nadine Coyle (Girls Aloud)
 * June 21 – Lana Del Rey, singer
 * June 22 – Scott MacIntyre, American singer-songwriter and pianist
 * July 5 – Alle Farben, German DJ and producer
 * July 6
 * Diamond Rings, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Matters)
 * D. Woods, American singer, dancer, and actress (Danity Kane)
 * July 9 – Hee Ah Lee, handicapped pianist
 * July 17 – Tom Fletcher (McFLY)
 * July 18 – Hopsin, American rapper, producer, and actor
 * August 1 – Dina, singer
 * August 3
 * Holly Blake-Arnstein, singer (Dream)
 * Brent Kutzle (OneRepublic)
 * August 13 – Lacey Brown, American singer-songwriter
 * August 29 – Achilles Liarmakopoulos, Greek trombonist (Canadian Brass)
 * September 23 – Diana Ortiz, singer (Dream)
 * September 28 – Alina Ibragimova, violinist
 * October 1
 * Porcelain Black, American industrial pop singer
 * Ciara, American singer-songwriter and actress
 * October 8 – Bruno Mars
 * October 15 – Nicola Roberts (Girls Aloud)
 * October 22 – Zac Hanson (Hanson)
 * October 23 – Miguel, singer
 * October 25 – Ciara, singer
 * October 28 – Tina Guo, Chinese-American cellist and erhuist
 * November 21 – Carly Rae Jepsen, singer
 * December 10 – Raven-Symoné, actress and singer
 * December 12 – Erika Van Pelt, American singer
 * December 23 – Harry Judd (McFLY)
 * December 29 – Alexa Ray Joel, singer-songwriter and pianist

Deaths

 * January 3 – Lucien Cailliet, clarinetist, conductor, arranger and composer, 87
 * January 4 – Lovro von Matačić, Croatian conductor, 85
 * January 10 – Anton Karas, Austrian zither player and composer, 78
 * January 25 – Paul Smith, American film and television composer, 78
 * February 7 – Matt Monro, English singer, 54 (liver cancer)
 * February 11 – Heinz Eric Roemheld, American composer, 83
 * February 12 – Leslie Sarony, English singer, comedian and songwriter, 87
 * February 18
 * Willy Alberti, Dutch singer, 58 (liver cancer)
 * Gábor Darvas, composer and musicologist, 74
 * February 22 – Efrem Zimbalist, violinist, 94
 * February 28 – David Byron, vocalist of Uriah Heep, 38 (alcohol-related)
 * March 1 – Eugene List, American classical pianist, 66
 * March 16 – Roger Sessions, American composer, 88
 * March 23 – Zoot Sims, jazz saxophonist, 59
 * March 31 – Jeanine Deckers, known as The Singing Nun, 51 (suicide)
 * May 2
 * Bridget D'Oyly Carte, opera impresario, 77
 * Leonard Falcone, baritone/eupohonium virtuosos and director of bands at Michigan State, 86
 * May 8 – Karl Marx, composer and conductor, 87
 * May 12 – Rodolfo Arizaga, Argentinian composer
 * May 19 – Hilding Rosenberg, composer, 92
 * July 23 – Kay Kyser, US bandleader, 80
 * July 30 – Peter Knight, conductor, arranger and composer, 68
 * August 11 – Nick Ceroli, jazz drummer, 45
 * August 12 – Kyu Sakamoto, Japanese singer, 43 (plane crash)
 * August 24 – Paul Creston, American composer, 78
 * September 6 – Little Brother Montgomery, jazz and blues pianist and singer, 79
 * September 8 – Frederick May, Irish composer, 74
 * September 11 – William Alwyn, English composer, 79
 * September 18 – Ed Lewis, jazz trumpeter, 76
 * September 19 – Rockdrigo González, folk & rock singer-songwriter, 34 (1985 Mexico City earthquake)
 * October 6
 * Lola Gjoka, Albanian pianist, 75
 * Nelson Riddle, US conductor, composer and arranger, 64
 * October 11 – Tex Williams, US country singer, 68
 * October 12 – Ricky Wilson, guitarist (The B-52's), 32
 * October 14 – Emil Gilels, pianist, 68
 * October 18 – Stefan Askenase, pianist, 94
 * October 20 – Boris Lisanevich, dancer, 80
 * October 22 – Viorica Ursuleac, operatic soprano, 91
 * November 15 – Seán Ryan, Irish fiddler and whistler
 * November 18 – Stephan Henrik Barratt-Due, Norwegian violinist and music teacher, 66
 * November 24 – Big Joe Turner, blues singer, 74
 * December 12 – Ian Stewart (The Rolling Stones), 42 (heart attack)
 * December 22 – D. Boon, lead singer of Minutemen, 27 (car accident)
 * December 31 – Ricky Nelson, singer, former teen idol, 45 (plane crash)

Awards

 * Eurovision Song Contest 1985
 * 27th Japan Record Awards

Charts

 * Billboard (USA)