Music History

Sterling Morrison, founding member and guitarist of The Velvet Underground, died in Poughkeepsie, New York, from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, one day after his 53rd birthday. He left the group in August 1971 and rejoined it in 1992 for a European tour. In the 1980s, he became a tugboat captain in Houston. The Velvet Underground were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Louis Armstrong was honored with the issuance of a U.S. postage stamp.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Cleveland, Ohio, to mark the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum officially opened the following day.

“You Are Not Alone” became the first song in the 37-year history of the Billboard singles chart to debut at number one, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records. It remained at the top for one week before “Gangsta's Paradise” by Coolio featuring L.V. moved it to number two.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame building opened in Cleveland, Ohio. Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Little Richard, The Allman Brothers, Boz Scaggs, James Brown and Martha Reeves were among those who performed at the opening ceremony.

Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz died at the age of 68.

Blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers and The Stone Roses recorded tracks for the charity album War Child, which was released five days later. All proceeds went to children affected by the war in the former Yugoslavia.

Jethro Tull released the album Roots to Branches.

Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis sang the U.S. national anthem at Camden Yards in Baltimore before Cal Ripken Jr. set the record for consecutive baseball games played.

Joan Jett sang the U.S. national anthem before a game between the Baltimore Orioles and the California Angels. It was Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's record. Jett, a major Orioles fan and Ripken's girlfriend, then watched the rest of the game with a number of baseball legends, including Willie Mays and Joe DiMaggio.

Farm Aid 8 took place in Louisville, Kentucky. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Hootie and the Blowfish, and The Dave Matthews Band performed; according to the source variants, the concert raised nearly one million dollars, or more than one million dollars, to support American farmers.

Alanis Morissette's album Jagged Little Pill reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its 15th week. For Maverick, the record label founded by Madonna, it was the first album to reach the top of the chart. According to the source, Morissette was the third female singer of the 1990s whose debut album reached No. 1.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue released their joint duet “Where the Wild Roses Grow.” The song later won three ARIA Awards in 1996: Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Release.

Oasis released their second album “(What's the Story?) Morning Glory,” which entered the British album chart at No. 1 and, according to the source, turned the British band into global stars. It sold more than 18 million copies worldwide and in 2010 received the award for Best British Album of the Last 30 Years at the BRIT Awards. The epic song “Champagne Supernova,” released as a single only in the United States, reached No. 1 on the Modern Rock chart.

The home of Jesse Colin Young, frontman of The Youngbloods, was burned to the ground in the Mount Vision wildfires in Point Reyes, California. His song “Ridgetop” is about this very house.

At the 29th annual Country Music Association Awards, Alan Jackson won Entertainer of the Year, Alison Krauss was named Female Vocalist of the Year, and Vince Gill won Male Vocalist of the Year. Alison Krauss was also the evening's most successful recipient, winning four awards.

“Grind,” the first track from Alice in Chains' self-titled album, was released to radio stations via satellite uplink to prevent the recording from spreading uncontrollably. The song had previously leaked to radio stations in early October.

Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA attended the premiere of their new musical Kristina från Duvemåla at the Storan Theatre in Malmö, Sweden.

Alanis Morissette's album Jagged Little Pill reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 in its 15th week, giving Maverick Records its first album to reach the top. She became the first Canadian female solo artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the fourth female artist of the 1990s whose debut album reached the top of the chart. The album produced six successful singles, including “You Oughta Know,” “Ironic,” “You Learn,” “Hand in My Pocket,” and “Head over Feet,” later received 17× platinum certification in the US, and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

Mariah Carey's album Daydream reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. At the time, the album was also at the top of the charts in Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the US.

Peter Frampton began his tour in Boston, three days before the release of the album Frampton Comes Alive II. The album was released on October 10, 1995, and was a follow-up to his famous live album Frampton Comes Alive!

Tone Loc was arrested in Los Angeles for taking $80 from a pizzeria. He later pleaded no contest.

American rapper G Herbo, formerly known as Lil Herb, was born.

A five-CD compilation album by Elvis Presley, Walk a Mile in My Shoes – The Essential '70s Masters, was released.

No Doubt released their third studio album, Tragic Kingdom, featuring the hits “Just a Girl” and “Don't Speak.” The album reached number one in nine countries, including the U.S. and Canada, sold 10 million copies in America, and catapulted singer Gwen Stefani to fame.

Peter Frampton released his second live album, Frampton Comes Alive! II, through IRS Records, 21 years after the enormous success of the 1975 album Frampton Comes Alive!, which sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. The new album featured live versions of songs from his solo albums of the 1980s and 1990s, but it was not commercially successful, reaching only number 121 in the UK and failing to enter the U.S. Billboard 200.

Tupac Shakur was released from Clinton Correctional Prison on $1.4 million bail paid by Suge Knight. In return, Tupac signed a three-album deal with Knight's record label, Death Row Records.

Tupac Shakur is released from prison on $1.4 million bail, paid by Death Row Records head Suge Knight. Tupac awaits an appeal hearing and then travels to Los Angeles to record the album All Eyez on Me.

Tupac Shakur was released from prison after eight months, having served a sentence in connection with a case involving the sexual assault of a woman in a New York hotel room.