1993 in music



This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.



January–February

 * January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992.
 * January 9 - The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album becomes the first album in history, since the Nielsen SoundScan introduced a computerized sales monitoring system in May 1992, to sell over 1 million copies in one week in the US.
 * January 12 – Cream reunites for a performance at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles, USA. Other inductees include Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ruth Brown, The Doors, Van Morrison, and Sly & The Family Stone.
 * January 13 – Bobby Brown is arrested in Augusta, Georgia, USA for simulating a sex act onstage.
 * January 31 - Michael Jackson plays the halftime show of Super Bowl XXVII. The performance is a ratings success and begins a trend of the NFL signing big-name acts to play at the Super Bowl in order to increase the spectacle and hype surrounding the game.
 * February 10 – Oprah Winfrey interviews Michael Jackson during a US television prime time special. It becomes one of the most watched interviews in television history and is Jackson's first in fourteen years.
 * February 14 – Harry Nilsson suffers a non-fatal heart attack.
 * February 19 - Elton John is forced to end a concert in Melbourne, Australia a half-hour early when a swarm of grasshoppers invades the stage.

March–April

 * March 4 – Patti LaBelle receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, USA.
 * March 6 – Whitney Houston's single "I Will Always Love You" posts its 14th week at number one in the USA, becoming the longest-running number one single of all time.
 * March 22 – Depeche Mode becomes the first alternative British band to achieve the number one in U.S.A. on the Billboard 200, with the album Songs of Faith and Devotion.
 * March 29 – Suede release their eponymous debut album. It enters the album chart at Number 1 in the UK, setting a new record for the fastest-selling debut album by a UK act in Britain.
 * April 6 - Yanni releases his ninth studio album and receives his second Grammy nomination
 * April 12
 * Actress Lisa Bonet files for divorce from Lenny Kravitz, after a two-year separation.
 * The Grateful Dead sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the San Francisco Giants' home opener at Candlestick Park.
 * April 16 – Paul McCartney headlines a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, USA to celebrate "Earth Day". Other performers included Ringo Starr, Steve Miller and Don Henley.
 * April 17 – The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs marries screenwriter Jay Roach in Los Angeles, USA.
 * April 21 – Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman marries designer Suzanne Accosta in France.
 * April 22 - The Who's Tommy opens on Broadway.
 * April 24 – Willie Nelson, John Cougar Mellencamp, Neil Young and more than 30 other artists perform at Farm Aid 6 in Ames, Iowa, USA.
 * April 29 – An animated version of Barry White appears on an episode of the US television cartoon series, The Simpsons.

May–June

 * May 31 – Oasis plays at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, UK supporting 18 Wheeler. Creation Records boss Alan McGee, who is in the audience, offers them their first recording contract after the show.
 * June 1 – Janet Jackson's janet. debuts at No. 1 becoming the first to do so by a female artist in the Soundscan era. The album's first single "That's the Way Love Goes" began the sixth week of its two-month run at number one.
 * June 4 - Kurt Cobain is taken to jail after a domestic row with wife Courtney Love. No charges are filed.
 * June 5 - Mariah Carey weds music executive Tommy Mottola in Manhattan.
 * June 7
 * On his 35th birthday, Prince announces that he is changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol. This led to him being called The Artist Formerly Known as Prince until 2000.
 * The groundbreaking ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is held in Cleveland with Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry and Billy Joel among those in attendance. The museum will open in 1995.

July–August

 * July 7 - Singer Mia Zapata of punk band The Gits is found dead after being beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled in the Capitol Hill district of Seattle. Her murder goes unsolved for a decade until DNA evidence leads to an arrest and conviction.
 * July 17 – Guns N' Roses play the final gig on their Use Your Illusion Tour. This will be the last time the original band play together on stage.
 * July 18 - At a Lollapalooza concert in Philadelphia, Rage Against the Machine uses their entire 14-minute performance time to protest their single "Killing in the Name" being banned from radio. With only guitar feedback for sound, the group appears on stage naked with the letters "PMRC" painted on their chests and electrical duct tape over their mouths.
 * July 21 - Ilaiyaraaja becomes the first Asian composer to have a symphony performed by a major UK orchestra (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).
 * August 5 - Singer Natalie Merchant announces on MTV that she is leaving 10,000 Maniacs after twelve years in the band.
 * August 10
 * Mayhem guitarist Euronymous is stabbed to death by fellow band member Varg Vikernes in Oslo, Norway, causing the temporary end of Mayhem.
 * Billy Joel releases River of Dreams, his final studio album before quitting music.
 * August 24 – News breaks to the public that Michael Jackson is being investigated on allegations of child molestation.
 * August 28 – Bruce Dickinson plays his final show with Iron Maiden (until his return in 1999) in London. The show is broadcast on British television, and later released on VHS and DVD.

September–October

 * September 2 - Snoop Dogg and his bodyguard are charged with the August 25 murder of a 20-year-old gang member in a drive-by shooting. They are cleared of the charges in 1996.
 * September 14 - A civil lawsuit is filed against Michael Jackson by thirteen-year-old Jordan Chandler and his parents, accusing the singer of sexually abusing the boy over the course of their friendship.
 * September 20 - Depeche Mode becomes among the earliest bands to go on the Internet to interact with fans, as the group holds a question-and-answer session on AOL. The event is marred by technical difficulties as many participants, including the band members themselves, have trouble logging on to the chat.
 * September 25 - Madonna starts The Girlie Show World Tour in London, England. And visit some countries for the very first time like Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Australia.
 * October 1 - MTV Latin America is launched.
 * October 17 – Savatage guitarist and co-founder Christopher Michael "Criss" Oliva killed in a car accident by a seven-time drunk driver.
 * October 19 – Pearl Jam release their second album Vs., which sells 950 000 copies in one week.
 * October 31 - Tupac Shakur is arrested and charged with shooting two off-duty police officers in Atlanta. The charges are later dropped.

November–December

 * November 9 – Wu-Tang Clan releases their acclaimed album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and A Tribe Called Quest releases their acclaimed album Midnight Marauders.
 * November 11 – Michael Jackson ends his Dangerous World Tour in Mexico City, Mexico.
 * November 18 – Nirvana play their unplugged concert in New York for MTV.
 * November 19 – Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder is arrested in New Orleans, USA on charges of public drunkenness after a bar room brawl. Madonna also ended her tour in Tokyo, Japan.
 * November 23 – Ace of Base releases their debut album for Arista The Sign, also known as Happy Nation, and Happy Nation U.S Version.
 * November 29 – Autechre's debut album "Incunabula" is released on Warp Records
 * November 30 – A new opera house opens in Töölö, Helsinki, Finland.
 * December 22 - Michael Jackson makes his first public statement regarding the child molestation allegations leveled against him. In a videotaped address, Jackson calls the accusations "totally false" and asks the public to "wait to hear the truth before you label or condemn me."
 * December 31 - The twenty-second annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Brooks & Dunn, Daryl Hall, Kiss, Joey Lawrence, SWV and Barry Manilow.

Also in 1993

 * Anders Fridén quits Dark Tranquillity from his lead vocalist position. Then guitarist/vocalist, Mikael Stanne fills in Fridén's position while abandoning his guitarist position. The band hires Fredrik Johansson to fill the vacant guitar position.
 * Rick Astley retires from the music industry at the age of 27 after selling 40 million records in a five-year period.
 * Jesper Strömblad leaves Ceremonial Oath while Anders Fridén joins the band.
 * New Order break up whilst on the tour for their album Republic, and apparently do not speak to each other for another 5 years.
 * Christian rock label Tooth & Nail Records is formed.
 * Keiko Abe becomes the first woman to be inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.

Bands formed

 * See Musical groups established in 1993

Bands disbanded

 * See Musical groups disestablished in 1993

Bands reformed

 * Big Star
 * Luv'
 * Steely Dan
 * The Seekers

Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1993.

Top hit singles

 * 1) It Was a Good Day Ice Cube]