- Jan 2 "Camelot" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 48 performances
Event of Interest
Jan 20 Heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a bat on stage in Des Moines, Iowa
Ozzy Osbourne
- Jan 21 "Little Me" opens at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC for 36 performances
Music Awards
Jan 25 9th American Music Awards: Pat Benatar & Kenny Rogers win
Kenny Rogers
Event of Interest
Feb 13 Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of the Moon" marks 402 weeks in the album charts
Roger Waters
David Gilmour
Film and TV Awards
Mar 10 8th People's Choice Awards: Burt Reynolds, Sally Field & Jane Fonda win (Motion Picture) and Alan Alda & Barbara Mandrell win (TV)
Music Single
Mar 26 Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder release the single "Ebony & Ivory" in the UK
Stevie Wonder
Paul McCartney
Event of Interest
Apr 26 Rod Stewart is mugged, gunman steals his $50,000 Porsche
Rod Stewart
Music Awards
Apr 29 17th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama, Merle Haggard, and Barbara Mandrell win
Merle Haggard
Barbara Mandrell
Event of Interest
May 10 WABC NYC plays its last record (John Lennon's Imagine)
John Lennon
- May 16 "Barnum" closes at St James Theater NYC after 854 performances
- May 16 "Is There Life after High School?" closes at Barrymore after 12 performances
- May 27 "Do Black Patent Leather Shoes..." opens at Alvin NYC for 5 performances
- May 29 "I Know What Boys Like" by The Waitresses hits #62
- May 30 "Do Black Patent Leather Shoes..." closes at Alvin NYC after 5 performances
- May 31 "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" opens at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC for 63 performances
- Jun 2 "Blues in the Night" opens at Rialto Theater NYC for 53 performances
- Jun 5 "Murphy's Law" by Cheri hits #39
Event of Interest
Jun 7 16th Music City News Country Awards: Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Event of Interest
Jun 21 Paul McCartney releases "Take it Away"
Paul McCartney
- Jun 27 "Dancin'" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 1,774 performances
- Jun 30 "Lena Horne: Lady, Music" closes at Nederlander NYC after 333 performances
- Jul 1 ABC national music radio network scheduled premiere (never happened)
- Jul 3 Riot at building Stopera Amsterdam (damages Ÿ1 million)
- Jul 8 "7 Brides for 7 Brothers" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 5 performances
- Jul 11 "7 Brides for 7 Brothers" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 5 performances
- Jul 18 "Blues in the Night" closes at Rialto Theater NYC after 53 performances
- Jul 20 T Macauly & D Vosburghs musical "Windy City," premieres in London
- Jul 24 "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" closes at E O'Neill NYC after 63 performances
Music Premiere
Jul 27 Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's musical "Little Shop of Horrors" opens Off-Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre in NYC
Alan Menken
- Aug 28 "Sugar Babies" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 1208 performances
- Aug 29 Steve Miller's "Abracadabra" hits #1
- Sep 2 Rolling Stone Keith Richard's house burns down
- Sep 6 Paul McCartney releases "Tug of War"
- Sep 9 "Your Arm's are Too Short..." opens at Alvin NYC for 69 performances
- Sep 10 Decca releases Beatle audition "Complete Silver Beatles" album
Music Single
Sep 17 "Bad to the Bone" single by George Thorogood and the Destroyers first released
George Thorogood
Album Release
Oct 1 Marvin Gaye releases his last studio album "Midnight Love" featuring single "Sexual Healing"
Marvin Gaye
- Oct 7 Musical "Cats" opens at Winter Garden Theater on Broadway NYC and runs for nearly 18 years before closing on September 10, 2000.
Music Awards
Oct 11 16th Country Music Association Award: Willie Nelson & Ricky Skagg
Willie Nelson
Event of Interest
Oct 29 Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson release "Girl is Mine"
Michael Jackson
Paul McCartney
- Oct 31 "Rock 'n Roll!: The 1st..." closes at St James NYC after 9 performances
Album Release
Nov 5 George Harrison releases "Gone Troppo" album
George Harrison
- Nov 7 "Your Arms are Too Short to Box" closes at Alvin NYC after 69 performances
- Nov 28 "Pirates of Penzance" closes at Uris Theater NYC after 772 performances
- Nov 30 "Thriller", 6th studio album by Michael Jackson is released (Grammy Award Album of the Year 1984, best-selling album of all time, Billboard Album of the Year 1983)
- Dec 8 "Herman Van Veen: All of Him" opens at Ambassador NYC for 6 performances
- Dec 12 "Herman Van Veen: All of Him" closes at Ambassador NYC after 6 performances
Event of Interest
Dec 29 Bob Marley postage stamp issued in Jamaica
Bob Marley