1987 in music

Table of contents

1 Events
2 Albums released
3 Top hits on record
4 Published popular music
5 Musical theater
6 Births
7 Deaths
8 Awards

8.1 Grammy Awards
8.2 Country Music Association Awards
8.3 Eurovision Song Contest

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. Cassette singles become known as cassingles.
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.
November 13 - Sonny and Cher reunite for a performance on Late Night with David Letterman.
Social Distortion returns to record Prison Bound
Jane's Addiction's career begins
Public Enemy's career starts
Paul Oakenfold's career begins
Tori Amos' career begins
Danzig's career begins
Gin Blossoms forms
Mr. Big forms
Nirvana forms
Pennywise forms
Zebra breaks up
Wham breaks up
Hüsker Dü breaks up
Jane's Addiction signs to Warner Bros
Winger signs to Atlantic Records

Albums released

Permanent Vacation - Aerosmith
Among The Living - Anthrax
I'm The Man - Anthrax
Tunnel of Love - Bruce Springsteen
Speed Metal Symphony - Cacophony
Best Before 1984 - Crass
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 (debut)
Music to Strip By - Half Japanese
Bring the Family - John Hiatt
Warehouse: Songs and Stories - Hüsker Dü (final album)
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 (debut)
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
Hold Your Fire - Rush (band)
Sister - Sonic Youth
Floodland - The Sisters Of Mercy
New Again - TexAns
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
Running in the Family - Level 42

Top hits on record

"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

Published popular music

"Children Will Listen" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
"The Time Of My Life" w.m. Franke Previte, Donald Markowitz & John DeNicola

Musical theater

Anything Goes Broadway revival
Bless the Bride London revival
Cabaret Broadway revival
Dreamgirls Broadway revival
Into the Woods Broadway production
Les Misérables Broadway production
Oil City Symphony Broadway production
Starlight Express Broadway production

Births

March 9 - Bow Wow

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