1984 in Music

• Jan 9 Rock band Van Halen release their most successful album "1984"

• Jan 27 Michael Jackson is burned during filming for Pepsi commercial
• Feb 4 "9" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 739 performances
• Feb 4 "Backstage Magic" opens at CommuniCore
• Feb 7 Michael Jackson awarded a 4-ft-high platinum disc by CBS
• Feb 9 "Rink" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 204 performances
• Feb 19 "Doonesbury" closes at Biltmore Theater NYC after 104 performances
• Feb 28 26th Grammy Awards: Michael Jackson wins 8 Grammys

• Apr 5 "Human Comedy" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 13 performances
• Apr 15 "Human Comedy" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 13 performances
• Apr 21 After 37 weeks Michael Jackson's album "Thriller" is knocked off as top album by "Footloose"


• Apr 28 "La Tragedie de Carmen" closes at Beaumont Theater NYC after 187 performances
• Apr 29 "Oliver!" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 17 performances

• May 2 "Sunday in the Park with George" opens at Booth NYC for 604 performances
• May 5 29th Eurovision Song Contest: Herreys for Sweden wins singing "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" in Luxembourg
• May 12 White Horse by Laid Back hits #26
• May 13 "Oliver!" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 17 performances
• May 14 19th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama, Lee Greenwood, and Janie Fricke win
• May 16 "When Doves Cry" single released by Prince (Billboard Song of the Year 1984)

• May 19 109th Preakness: Angel Cordero Jr aboard Gate Dancer wins in 1:53.6
• May 20 "On Your Toes" closes at Virginia Theater NYC after 505 performances
• May 24 "Wiz" opens at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC for 13 performances
• Jun 3 "Wiz" closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 13 performances
• Jun 4 18th Music City News Country Awards: Statler Brothers

• Jun 9 Weird Al Yankovic gives a live performance at Starlight Amphitheater
• Jun 19 Weird Al Yankovic gives free live performance at Del Mar Fair

• Jul 1 "Baby" closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 241 performances
• Jul 11 Britain's MusicBox begins satellite transmission to Europe

• Aug 4 Prince's "Purple Rain" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 24 weeks


• Aug 8 "Rink" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 204 performances
• Aug 30 Sotheby's in London begins 2 day auction of rock memorabilla
• Sep 2 "Zorba" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 362 performances
• Sep 4 Nigerian singer Fela Kuti sentenced to 2 years
• Sep 12 Country singer Barbara Mandrell is badly injured in a car accident
• Sep 14 1st MTV Video Music Awards: The Cars win with "You Might Think"

• Sep 25 "Quilters" opens at Jack Lawrence Theater NYC for 24 performances
• Sep 25 1st London performance of musical "Stepping Out" presented
• Sep 29 "(What) In Name Of Love" by Naked Eyes peaks at #39
• Sep 29 "Cruel Summer" by Bananarama peaks at #9
• Sep 29 "Drive" by Cars peaks at #3
• Sep 29 "Layin' It On Line" by Jefferson Starship peaks at #66
• Sep 29 "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince & Revolution peaks at #1
• Sep 29 "Pretty Mess" by Vanity peaks at #75
• Sep 29 "Torture" by Jacksons peaks at #17
• Sep 29 "When You Close Your Eyes" by Night Ranger peaks at #14
• Oct 8 18th Country Music Association Award: Alabama wins
• Oct 14 "Quilters" closes at Jack Lawrence Theater NYC after 24 performances
• Oct 22 Paul McCartney releases "Give My Regards to Broad Street" soundtrack
• Oct 31 Howard Goodall & Melvyn Bragg's musical "Hired Man" premieres in London
• Nov 11 "Three Musketeers" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 9 performances
• Nov 12 Paul McCartney releases "We All Stand Together"
• Nov 15 "Emergency" 16th studio album by American band Kool & the Gang is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1985)
• Nov 18 "3 Musketeers" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 9 performances

• Dec 11 "Doug Henning & His World..." opens at Lunt-Fontanne NYC for 60 performances
• Dec 20 33 unknown Bach keyboard works found in Yale library
• Dec 22 Madonna's "Like a Virgin" single goes #1 for 6 weeks
• Dec 29 Blues took 27 shots against Islanders in 1 period
• Dec 31 Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen loses his arm in a car crash

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 110

• Jan 16 Jared Slingerland, Canadian musician
• Jan 18 Benji Schwimmer, American dancer
• Jan 18 Maarja Kivi, Estonian singer
• Jan 20 Toni Gonzaga, Filipina Actress and Singer
• Jan 24 Witold Kiełtyka, Polish drummer (Decapitated) (d. 2007)
• Feb 6 Piret Järvis, Estonian singer
• Feb 9 Han Kyung, Korean singer Super Junior
• Feb 11 Matt Good, US musician, born in Valrico, Florida
• Feb 11 Aubrey O'Day, US singer, born in San Francisco, California
• Feb 15 Doda [Dorota Rabczewska], Polish musical artist (Virgin), born in Ciechanów, Poland
• Feb 18 Buddy Nielsen, American singer (Senses Fail)
• Feb 25 Lovefoxxx, Brazilian singer (CSS)
• Feb 26 Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer
• Feb 27 Antti Tuisku, Finnish singer
• Feb 28 Ben Fagan, American musician and reality show contestant
• Mar 8 Dave Moffatt, Canadian musician
• Mar 10 Li Yuchun [Chris Lee], Chinese singer-songwriter and actress (Supergirl), born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China
• Mar 11 Anna Tsuchiya, Japanese model, actress and singer
• Mar 12 Shareefa [Faradah Cooper], American R&B singer, born in Newark, New Jersey
• Mar 12 Shreya Ghoshal, Indian singer
• Mar 13 Yuuka Nanri, Japanese actress, voice actress and pop singer, born in Nagasaki, Japan
• Mar 20 Winta, Norwegian musician
• Mar 25 Katharine McPhee, American singer-songwriter and actress (scorpion), born in Los Angeles, California
• Mar 26 Stéphanie Lapointe, French-Canadian singer
• Mar 30 Anna Nalick, American singer and songwriter.
• Apr 2 Meryl Cassie, New Zealand actress and singer (The Tribe), born in George, Cape Province, South Africa
• Apr 6 Max Bemis, American musician/songwriter
• Apr 9 Linda Chung, Hong Kong actress and singer
• Apr 10 Mandy Moore, American singer (Candy) and actress (Rebecca Pearson-This Is Us), born in Nashua, New Hampshire
• Apr 14 Adán Sánchez, Mexican-American singer (d. 2004)
• Apr 15 Ben Kasica, Guitarist of rock band Skillet
• Apr 22 Amelle Berrabah, British singer (Sugababes)
• Apr 24 Tyson Ritter, American singer and songwriter (The All-American Rejects), born in Stillwater, Oklahoma
• Apr 26 Mija Martina, Bosnian singer

• Apr 27 Frank Carter, British musician (Gallows) and tattooist, born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England
• May 1 Keiichiro Koyama, Japanese musician (NEWS)
• May 3 Cheryl Burke, American professional dancer (Dancing with the Stars), born in San Francisco, California
• May 5 Wade MacNeil, Canadian guitarist (Alexisonfire)
• May 5 Eve Torres, American dancer and model
• May 20 Kenny Vasoli, American singer
• May 25 Marion Raven, Norwegian singer-songwriter (M2M)
• May 25 Kostas Martakis, Greek singer
• Jun 4 Rainie Yang, Taiwanese singer and actress
• Jun 5 Cécilia Cara, French singer and actress
• Jun 9 Kaleth Morales, Colombian singer and songwriter (d. 2005)
• Jun 14 Siobhán Donaghy, British singer (ex-Sugababes)

• Jun 29 Derek Lee Rock, American drummer
• Jun 30 Fantasia Barrino, American singer
• Jul 4 Gina Glocksen, American singer
• Jul 4 Akanishi Jin, Japanese singer
• Jul 5 Yu Yamada, Ryukyuan model, actress and singer
• Jul 6 Lauren Harris, British rock singer
• Jul 7 Marie-Mai, Canadian singer
• Jul 9 Jacob Hoggard, Canadian singer (Hedley), born in Surrey, British Columbia
• Jul 12 Gareth Gates, British singer
• Jul 14 Chris Steele, Canadian musician, (Alexisonfire)
• Jul 15 Vice Cooler, American musician
• Jul 17 Asami Kimura, Japanese singer (Country Musume)
• Jul 24 John Dhani Lennevald, Swedish singer (A-Teens)
• Aug 13 Baby Blue, American rapper (Pretty Ricky)
• Aug 21 Alizée Jacotey, French singer (Moi... Lolita), born in Ajaccio, France
• Sep 1 Joseph Trohman, American musician (Fall Out Boy)
• Sep 2 Jack Peñate, English singer and musician (Matinée), born in London, England
• Sep 4 Camila Bordonaba, Argentine actress, singer and composer
• Sep 5 Trey Hill, Grammy-nominated musician
• Sep 10 Matthew Followill, American alternative-rock backing vocalist and musician (Kings of Leon), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Sep 14 Melissa McGhee, American singer
• Sep 16 Sabrina Bryan, American actress and singer
• Sep 16 Katie Melua, Georgian-British singer
• Sep 18 Dizzee Rascal [Dylan Kwabena Mills], English rapper (Boy in da Corner), born in London, England
• Sep 19 Eamon [Doyle], American pop singer (Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)), born in Staten Island, New York City
• Sep 22 Eduardo Rubio, Mexican pilot and pianist
• Sep 22 Theresa Fu, Hong Kong singer and actress
• Sep 22 Ross Jarman, Drummer The Cribs
• Sep 23 Louie Stephens, American musician (Rooney)
• Sep 26 Keisha Buchanan, English singer (Sugababes)

• Sep 28 Melody Thornton, American singer and dancer
• Sep 30 T-Pain, American rapper/singer
• Oct 3 Ashlee Simpson, American singer, born in Waco, Texas
• Oct 4 Lena Katina, Russian singer (t.A.T.u.)
• Oct 6 Joanna Pacitti, American actress and singer
• Oct 7 Ikuta Toma, Japanese Singer/Actor
• Oct 9 Ghetts [Justin Clarke], British musician, born in Plaistow, East London, England
• Oct 10 Stephanie Cheng, Hong Kong singer (Traffic Light), born in Hong Kong
• Oct 13 Misono, Japanese singer (Day After Tomorrow), born in Kyoto, Japan
• Oct 16 Shayne Ward, UK singer, winner of The X Factor, series 2005
• Oct 18 Esperanza Spalding, American jazz bassist and singer (Chamber Music Society), born in Portland, Oregon
• Oct 24 Kaela Kimura, Japanese model and singer
• Oct 25 Danny .S., English record producer
• Oct 25 Sara Helena Lumholdt, Swedish musician (A-Teens)

• Oct 26 Amanda Overmyer, American Singer, American Idol (season 7)
• Nov 2 Tamara Hope, Canadian actress (The Sandy Bottom Orchestra), born in Toronto, Ontario
• Nov 9 Delta Goodrem, Australian singer
• Nov 12 Omarion, American R&B musician
• Nov 14 Marija Šerifović, Serbian singer
• Nov 18 Johnny Christ, American musician (Avenged Sevenfold)

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• Jul 7 Singer Frankie Valli (50) marries Randy Clohessy (24)
• Aug 18 Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes (22) weds Des Moines department store heiress Julie Anne Friedman (25) at London registrar's office

• Oct 27 "Jessie's Girl" singer Rick Springfield (35) weds Barbara Porter in Australia

• Jan 1 Alexis Korner, British blues musician (b. 1928)
• Jan 11 Fritz Geissler, German composer, dies at 62
• Jan 14 Paul Ben Haim [Frankenburger], Israeli composer, dies at 86
• Jan 17 Kostas Giannidis [Yannis Constantinidis], Greek composer and pianist, dies at 80
• Jan 18 Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer and songwriter (b. 1915)
• Jan 21 Jackie Wilson, American soul singer-songwriter and performer (I Get the Sweetest Feeling), dies at 49
• Jan 23 Samuel Gardner, American composer, dies at 92
• Jan 23 Dean Goffin, New Zealand composer, dies at 67
• Feb 9 Balasaraswathi, Indian classical dancer, dies in Madras
• Feb 15 Ethel Merman, singer/actress (Kid Million), dies in her sleep at 76
• Feb 19 Ina Ray Hutton, American orchestra leader (Ina Ray Hutton Show), dies at 66
• Feb 20 Fikret Amirov, Azerbaijani-Soviet composer (Azerbaijan Capriccio, Shur), dies at 61
• Mar 4 Shalva Mikhaylovich Mshvelidze, composer, dies at 79
• Mar 5 Harry Salter, orchestra leader (Stop the Music), dies at 85
• Mar 5 Tito Gobbi, Italian baritone (Scarpia in Tosca), dies at 70
• Mar 6 Pierre Cochereau, French composer, dies at 59
• Mar 11 Kostas Roukounas, Greek rembetiko singer and song writer (b. 1903)
• Mar 16 Evencio Castellanos, Venezuelan pianist, dies at 68
• Mar 18 Paul Frances Webster, lyricist, dies of Parkinson's disease at 76
• Mar 28 Carmen Dragon, American conductor, composer and arranger (b. 1914)

• Apr 6 Jimmy Kennedy, Irish singer-songwriter (Teddy Bears' Picnic, My Prayer), dies at 81
• Apr 6 Ral Donner, singer/narrator, dies at 41
• Apr 13 Ralph Kirkpatrick, American musician, musicologist and harpsichordist (Domenico Scarlatti), dies at 72
• Apr 15 Machito [Francisco "Frank" Grillo], Latin jazz musician and creator of Cubop and salsa music (Afro-Cubans), dies following a stroke at 72 or 75
• Apr 20 Mabel Mercer, English/US singer (Fly me to the moon), dies at 84
• Apr 23 Red [William] Garland, American jazz pianist (Miles Davis Quintet), dies of a heart attack at 60
• Apr 26 William "Count" Basie, American jazz musician and bandleader, dies at 79
• May 1 Gordon Jenkins, orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour), dies at 73
• May 4 Diana Dors [Fluck], British actress and singer (Berserk!, Steaming), dies of cancer at 52
• May 14 Larry Stock, songwriter (Blueberry Hill), dies
• May 25 Piet Ketting, Dutch pianist/conductor/composer, dies at 79
• Jun 1 Nate Nelson, American singer (Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes for You), dies at 52
• Jun 2 Georgios Kasassoglou, Greek musician (b. 1908)
• Jun 8 Gordon Jacob, British composer, dies at 88
• Jun 13 Marinus de Jong, Dutch composer, dies at 92
• Jun 13 António Variações [António Joaquim Rodrigues Ribeiro], Portuguese singer-songwriter (Dar & Receber), dies at 39 of AIDS-related pneumonia complications
• Jun 15 Meredith Willson, composer (Meredith Willson Show), dies at 82
• Jun 19 Wladimir Rudolfovich Vogel, composer, dies at 88
• Jun 20 Hans Studer, Swiss composer, dies at 73
• Jul 2 Ramiro Cortes, composer, dies at 50
• Jul 4 Jimmie Spheeris, American singer-songwriter (b. 1949)
• Jul 8 Christine McIntyre, American actress and singer (The Three Stooges, The Rangers' Round-Up), dies from cancer at 73
• Jul 9 Randall Thompson, US composer (Trip to Nahant), dies at 85
• Jul 11 Karel Mengelberg, Dutch composer and conductor, dies at 81
• Jul 14 Philippe Wynne, American soul singer (I'll Be Around), dies at 43
• Jul 16 Billy Williams, singer (Your Show of Shows), dies at 73
• Jul 17 J Delos Jewkes, singer/actor (Stars & Stripes Forever), dies at 89
• Jul 20 Gail Kubik, American composer (Gerald McBoing Boing), dies at 69
• Jul 21 Michael Osborne, American rock guitarist and vocalist (Axe), dies at 34
• Jul 25 Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, American rhythm-and-blues singer and songwriter (Hound Dog, Ball & Chain, Stronger than Dirt), dies of heart and liver disorders at 57
• Jul 28 Ahti Sonninen, Finnish composer (Pessi and Illusia, Rauhaa, vain rauhaa), dies at 70
• Jul 29 Fred Waring, American musician and conductor (name behind the Waring Blender), dies at 84
• Jul 31 Paul Le Flem, composer, dies at 103
• Aug 7 Esther Phillips, US singer (What a Difference a Day Makes), dies at 48
• Aug 11 Percy Mayfield, US singer (Hit the Road Jack), dies at 63
• Aug 13 Clyde Cook, actor (Dawn Patrol, Jazz Heaven), dies in his sleep at 92
• Aug 14 Peter Wishart, English composer, dies at 63
• Aug 14 Bobo Jenkins [John Pickens Jenkins], American blues singer-songwriter (Democrat Blues), dies at 68
• Aug 16 György Kósa, Hungarian composer, dies at 87
• Aug 22 Charles Whittenberg, composer, dies at 57
• Sep 6 Ernest Tubb, singer (Grand Ole Opry), dies at 70
• Sep 8 Rene Bernier, Belgian composer, dies at 79
• Sep 9 Walter Kaufmann, composer, dies at 77
• Sep 11 Hilding Hallnäs, Swedish composer (Kärlekens ringdans), dies at 81
• Sep 19 June Preisser, American acrobatic dancer and actress (Babes in Arms, Strike Up the Band), dies in a car crash at 64
• Sep 20 Steve Goodman, American folk singer and songwriter (Somebody Elses Trouble), dies at 36
• Sep 23 Anatoly Grigor'yevich Novikov, composer, dies at 87
• Oct 17 Alberta Hunter, US blues singer/composer, dies at 89
• Oct 21 Dalibor Cyril Vačkář, Czech composer, dies at 78
• Oct 22 Harold Laurence Walters, composer, dies at 66
• Oct 25 Pascale Ogier, actress (Ghost Dance), dies of heart attack at 24
• Oct 26 John Woods Duke, American composer, dies at 85
• Nov 8 Carl Gustav Sparre Olsen, Norwegian composer, dies at 81
• Nov 11 Jan Novák, Czech classical composer, dies at 63
• Nov 16 Vic Dickenson, American trombonist (b. 1906)
• Nov 16 Leonard Rose, American concert cellist (NY Phil 1943-51), dies at 66
• Nov 20 Alexander Moyzes, Slovak composer, dies at 78
• Dec 8 Razzle, English Musician and drummer for Hanoi Rocks (b.1960)
• Dec 9 Razzle, English drummer (Hanoi Rocks) (b. 1960)
• Dec 15 Jan Peerce, [Perelmuth], operatic tenor, dies at 80 following a stroke
• Dec 19 Michel Magne, composer, dies at 54
• Dec 29 Leo Robin, lyricist, dies of heart failure at 84

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