Music Concert
Jan 3 Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night premieres on Cinemax; concert performance includes James Burton; Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and k.d. lang)
- Jan 10 "Don't Get God Started" closes at Longacre Theater NYC after 86 performances
#1 in the Charts
Jan 16 George Harrison's single "Got My Mind Set On You" tops the Billboard charts
- Jan 17 "Teddy & Alice" closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 77 performances
Hall of Fame
Jan 20 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Beach Boys; The Beatles; The Drifters; Bob Dylan; The Supremes; Woody Guthrie; Leadbelly; Les Paul; and Berry Gordy, Jr.
Music Awards
Jan 25 15th American Music Awards: Anita Baker; Paul Simon; & Whitney Houston win
- Jan 25 George Harrison releases "When We Was Fab"
- Jan 26 "Phantom of the Opera" opens at Majestic Theater, NYC ; runs for 4,000+ performances
- Jan 28 South African Mbongeni Ngema's musical "Sarafina!" opens at Cort Theater NYC for 597 performances
Music History
Feb 25 Bruce Springsteen's "Tunnel of Love" Tour begins in Worcester, Massachusetts
Grammy Awards
Mar 2 30th Grammy Awards: Record of the year - Paul Simon "Graceland"; Album of the Year - U2 "The Joshua Tree"; Jody Watley Best New Artist
- Mar 17 "Les Miserables" opens at Det Norske Teatret, Oslo
Music Awards
Mar 21 23rd Academy of Country Music Awards: Hank Williams Jr, Randy Travis, and Reba McEntire win
Album Release
Mar 23 Geffen Records releases "Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm", Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell's 13th studio album
Soul Train Music Awards
Mar 30 2nd Soul Train Music Awards: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston win
Academy Awards
Apr 11 60th Academy Awards: "The Last Emperor", Michael Douglas & Cher win
- Apr 14 "Mail" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 36 performances
Music Recording
Apr 18 Barbra Streisand records "Warm All Over"
- Apr 21 Barbra Streisand records "You'll Never Know"
Film and TV Awards
Apr 26 1st TNN Viewers choice awards-Randy Travis wins in 5 categories
Music Premiere
Apr 28 Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice's musical "Chess" opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 68 performances
Music History
Apr 30 33rd Eurovision Song Contest: Celine Dion for Switzerland wins singing "Ne partez pas sans moi" in Dublin
- May 1 "Romance/Romance" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 297 performances
- May 8 Brazilian musical revue "Oba Oba" closes at Ambassador Theater, NYC, after 46 performances
- May 12 "Carrie" opens at Virginia Theater NYC for 5 performances
- May 14 "Mail" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 36 performances
- May 15 Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford's musical "Carrie", based on Stephen King's novel, closes at Virginia Theater, NYC, after 5 performances
- May 15 "Gospel at Colonus" closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 61 performances
- May 21 "Da'Butt" by EU hits #35
Music History
May 21 Weird Al Yankovic's "Fat" (a parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad") hits #99
- Jun 1 "Les Miserables" opens at Shubert Theatre, LA
- Jun 4 Revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb's "Cabaret" closes at Imperial Theater, NYC, after 262 performances
- Jun 4 42nd Tony Awards: "M Butterfly" and "Phantom of the Opera" win
- Jun 6 22nd Music City News Country Awards: Randy Travis & Statler Brothers win
- Jun 11 "Everything Your Heart Desires" by Daryl Hall & John Oates peaks at #3
- Jun 11 "Rooty Toot Toot" by John Cougar Mellencamp peaks at #61
- Jun 11 Freedomfest - Mandela addresses Wembley Stadium London
Music Concert
Jun 11 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert includes Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, Hugh Masekela & Miriam Makeba, Youssou N’Dour, Peter Gabriel, Al Green, Joan Armatrading; Jessye Norman, and The Eurythmics at Wembley Stadium, London; broadcast to 67 countries with estimated audience of 600 million
- Jun 13 George Harrison releases single "This Is Love"
Music History
Jun 14 Woman sues Chuck Berry for $5,000,000, alleges he hit her
Musical Finale
Jun 25 Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice's musical "Chess" closes at Imperial Theater, NYC, after 68 performances
Music History
Jul 7 Hungarian state funeral for composer Béla Bartók in Budapest, 42 years after his death with his remains relocated from New York
- Jul 8 Rockers Jonathan "Chico" & Robert DeBarge indicted on drug trafficking
Music History
Jul 8 Stevie Wonder announces he will run for mayor of Detroit in 1992; he does not follow through
Album Release
Aug 8 Rap group N.W.A. release their debut studio album "Straight Outta Compton"
- Aug 15 "Ain't Misbehavin'" opens at Ambassador Theater NYC for 176 performances
- Sep 2 Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! tour begins in Wembley Stadium, London
- Sep 7 5th MTV Video Music Awards: INXS wins
- Sep 9 "Look Away" single released by Chicago (Billboard Song of the Year 1989)
- Sep 15 "Les Miserables" opens at Raimund Theatre, Vienna
- Sep 16 Fish leaves rock group Marillion
- Sep 20 "Loving Proof" second studio album by Ricky Van Shelton is released (Billboard Song of the Year 1989)
- Oct 10 22nd Country Music Association Award: Highway 101, K. T. Oslin win
- Oct 13 Concert at Masada ends Israel's 40th-anniversary festival
- Oct 15 Amnesty International's "Human Rights Now!" Concert Tour ends in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Oct 16 "Smile Jamaica" concert for Hurricane Gilbert victims held in London
- Oct 17 Traveling Wilburys release debut album "Volume 1", featuring the single "Handle With Care"; pseudonymous band members include Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty
Music Concert
Oct 22 Elton John sells out Madison Square Garden, NYC, for a record 26th time
- Oct 27 "Les Miserables" opens at Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
- Nov 9 Don Sebesky and Gloria Nissenson's musical "Prince of Central Park", starring Jo Anne Worley opens at Belasco Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances
- Nov 20 "Les Miserables" opens a Bus & Truck tour in Tampa
- Nov 25 Chuck Berry pays $250 fine to resolve NYC assault charges
- Dec 26 "Legs Diamond" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 64 performances