August 1983 in Music History

Events in Music

Aug 5 American rock singer David Crosby sentenced to 5 years in Texas state prison on drug and weapons convictions
Aug 7 Richard Levinson, William Link, Elmer Bernstein. and Don Black's musical "Merlin", starring magician Doug Henning and Chita Rivera, closes at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC, after 199 performances

Aug 8 Columbia Records releases "An Innocent Man", singer-songwriter Billy Joel's ninth studio album

Aug 15 Ramones guitarist Joey Ramone beaten in fight, and undergoes brain surgery
Aug 21 Jerry Herman's musical "La Cage aux Folles", based Jean Poiret's French play of the same name, opens at Palace Theater, NYC; runs for 1761 performances, wins 6 Tony Awards

Aug 28 Revival of Jerry Herman's musical "Mame", starring Angela Lansbury, closes at the George Gershwin Theater, NYC, after 41 performances

Aug 5 Dawn Richard, American pop, and R&B singer (Danity Kane), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Aug 18 Daniel Keith Swain (Danny!), American record producer and hip-hop artist, born in Killeen, Texas
Aug 18 Mika [Michael Holbrook Penniman] British-American pop singer (Grace Kelly; Dodgy Holiday), an Italian television personality, born in Beirut, Lebanon
Aug 19 Tammin Sursok, Australian actress & singer, born in Johannesburg, South Africa
Aug 19 [Melissa] Missy Higgins, Australian singer-songwriter (Scar; The Sound Of White), born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Aug 25 James Righton, British rock musician (Klaxons), born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Aug 28 Alfonso Herrera, Mexican actor, and pop singer (RBD), born in Mexico City, Mexico
Aug 30 Jonne Aaron [Liimatainen], Finnish rock vocalist, and songwriter (Negative), born in Tampere, Finland
Aug 30 Jun Matsumoto, Japanese singer and actor, born in Toshima, Tokyo

Aug 16 American singer-songwriter Paul Simon (41) weds American actress and writer Carrie Fisher (26); divorce in 1984

Aug 29 Canadian-American actor Dan Aykroyd (31) weds American actress Donna Dixon (26); separate in 2022

Aug 1 "Wild Bill" Moore, American R&B and jazz tenor saxophone player ("We're Gonna Rock, We're Gonna Roll": Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me"), dies at 65
Aug 2 James Jamerson, American session bass guitarist (Motown Records' "Funk Brothers"), dies of alcohol-related complications at 47
Aug 6 Klaus Nomi [Sperber], German new wave singer, and performance artist, dies of AIDS at 39