Events in Music in 1988

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 16 George Harrison's single "Got My Mind Set On You" tops the Billboard charts

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.

Jan 25 15th American Music Awards: Anita Baker; Paul Simon; & Whitney Houston win

Feb 25 Bruce Springsteen's "Tunnel of Love" Tour begins in Worcester, Massachusetts

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 21 23rd Academy of Country Music Awards: Hank Williams Jr, Randy Travis, and Reba McEntire win

Mar 23 Geffen Records releases "Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm", Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell's 13th studio album

Mar 30 2nd Soul Train Music Awards: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston win

Apr 11 60th Academy Awards: "The Last Emperor", Michael Douglas & Cher win

Apr 18 Barbra Streisand records "Warm All Over"

Apr 26 1st TNN Viewers choice awards-Randy Travis wins in 5 categories

Apr 28 Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice's musical "Chess" opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 68 performances

Apr 30 33rd Eurovision Song Contest: Celine Dion for Switzerland wins singing "Ne partez pas sans moi" in Dublin

May 21 Weird Al Yankovic's "Fat" (a parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad") hits #99

Jun 11 "We All Sleep Alone" by Cher peaks at #14

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 14 Woman sues Chuck Berry for $5,000,000, alleges he hit her

Jun 25 Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice's musical "Chess" closes at Imperial Theater, NYC, after 68 performances

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 Stevie Wonder announces he will run for mayor of Detroit in 1992; he does not follow through

Jul 9 Jessye Norman begins recording Bizet's "Carmen"

Jul 13 Sting performs his 1st Rain Forest benefit at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

Aug 8 Rap group N.W.A. release their debut studio album "Straight Outta Compton"

Sep 19 Bon Jovi release their 4th album "New Jersey" - most top ten hits of any rock/glam metal album (5)

Oct 22 Elton John sells out Madison Square Garden, NYC, for a record 26th time