Events in 1981
- Marques Houston, singer and actor known in part as a member of the group Immature, was born in Los Angeles.
- Bruce Springsteen performed at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.
- Olivia Newton-John received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Stevie Nicks released her first solo album, “Bella Donna,” which contained four U.S. Top 40 hits: “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty, “Leather and Lace” with Don Henley, “Edge of Seventeen” and “After the Glitter Fades.”
- Travis “Travie” McCoy, singer of Gym Class Heroes, was born in Geneva, New York.
- Bruce Springsteen vystoupil v Capital Centre v Landoveru v Marylandu.
- Animovaný sci-fi film „Heavy Metal“ měl premiéru. Jeho soundtrack obsahoval skladby interpretů včetně Sammyho Hagara, Devo, Blue Öyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Journey a Black Sabbath a film se později stal kultovní klasikou.
- British rapper, singer and producer Bradley McIntosh was born in London. He became known as a member of the pop group S Club 7.
- Joey Scarbury reached No. 1 on the Cash Box Best Sellers chart with “Theme From The Greatest American Hero”.
- MTV broadcast its first stereo concert, featuring REO Speedwagon in Denver during their tour for the album “Hi Infidelity”.
- Rick Springfield's “Jessie's Girl” remained at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin.
- The Moody Blues spent their third week at No. 1 on the album chart with “Long Distance Voyager”.
- The Pretenders began their second U.S. tour in Fort Pierce, Florida.
- Australian singer Vanessa Joy Amorosi was born. In 2009, she had the Australian No. 1 hit “This Is Who I Am”.
- ZZ Top performed at Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.
- Kansas performed at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan.
- Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alexandria “Sandi” Thom was born in Banff. She became known primarily for the 2006 UK and Australian hit “I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair).”
- Columbia Records released his 21st studio album, “Shot of Love,” which reached No. 6 in the UK and No. 33 in the US; its religious themes drew mixed critical reactions.
- Grateful Dead performed at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Soft Cell performed their hit “Tainted Love” on the British television program Top Of The Pops. Marc Almond wore distinctive makeup and jewelry; the appearance created a striking visual style that influenced electronic music and helped pave the way for Culture Club.
- Judge Joseph Evans ruled that Elvis's estate no longer had to make further payments to Colonel Tom Parker, ending his 36-year control over a large part of Elvis's finances. The question of Parker's identity and citizenship was also revealed for the first time.
- The BBC recording of the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana reached number one on the UK album chart.
- They performed at the Alabama Jam 2 festival at Ladd Memorial Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
- The iconic duet "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie hit No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for a massive nine consecutive weeks, becoming the biggest duet in chart history. It also simultaneously dominated the Billboard R&B chart for seven weeks.
- Her third studio album “Precious Time” reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200, becoming her first and only album to top the chart.
- The BBC recording documenting the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart. It included the procession, wedding vows, speeches and hymns.
- Van Halen performed at the Hollywood Sportatorium in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
- Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant met in an electronics shop in London and began talking about synthesizers. They formed the Pet Shop Boys and five years later had their first hit, “West End Girls”.
- Blue Öyster Cult performed at Queensway Hall in Dunstable, England.
- Bruce Springsteen performed at the Los Angeles Sports Arena at a benefit concert for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and the Los Angeles Mental Health Center. After the concert, he personally donated $100,000, which was credited with helping save the VVA organization from financial collapse.
- Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy appeared before Kingston Crown Court in London, where he was fined £200 for possession of cocaine. He later publicly expressed great concern about how the case and sentence would affect his career.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Cape Cod Coliseum in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
- Bon Jovi were the main attraction at the Monsters of Rock festival in Donington Park, Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England.
- “Girls On Film” reached No. 5 on the British chart and gave Duran Duran their breakthrough hit in Britain. Upon its release in the U.S., the song did not enter the chart, but its popularity increased sharply after the music video was placed in heavy rotation on MTV. The video, directed by Godley and Creme, had to be heavily edited for television broadcast because it was originally intended only for nightclubs and contained adult themes and nudity.
- British-American rock band Foreigner reached No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with their fourth studio album “4”, after just five weeks. Stevie Nicks was at No. 3 with “Bella Donna”, Journey at No. 4 with “Escape”, and the Moody Blues at No. 5 with “Long Distance Voyager”.
- The Carpenters achieved their 15th No. 1 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart with “Touch Me When We're Dancing”.
- Natalie Horler, singer of the German dance group Cascada, was born. The group had the 2007 hit “Everytime We Touch”, for which they received a World Music Award, and the 2009 UK number-one single “Evacuate the Dancefloor”.
- Jiro Wang, Taiwanese singer in Fahrenheit, was born.
- Mark David Chapman, who murdered John Lennon outside the Dakota building in New York on December 8, 1980, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. His parole requests were repeatedly denied.
- The Rolling Stones released their 18th studio album „Tattoo You“ on their own Rolling Stones Records label. The album consisted largely of previously recorded outtakes and topped the charts for nine weeks. „Start Me Up“ became a major hit; the band had first recorded it in 1977 in a reggae rhythm but reworked it into a rock version for the album. The album reached No. 1 in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, France, New Zealand and the U.S.
- American folk singer and songwriter Lee Hays, co-founder of the influential folk quartet The Weavers and co-writer of “If I Had a Hammer”, died at the age of 67. He died at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Tarrytown, New York, from a heart attack. After he was cremated, his friends, following his final wishes, mixed his ashes with compost in his garden in Croton-on-Hudson.
- Ottawa Mayor Marion Dewar and the city council proclaimed “Paul Anka Day” in honor of his 25 years in show business and also named a street Paul Anka Drive after him. The Canadian singer and songwriter had written more than 900 songs at the time, including “My Way”.
- Foreigner’s album “4” was released in the United Kingdom.
- Guy Stevens, British musician, producer, and manager, died at the age of 38 after overdosing on prescription medication he was taking to reduce his dependence on alcohol. He worked with Mott The Hoople, Free, and The Clash and produced The Clash’s third album “London Calling”. He was president of the Chuck Berry Appreciation Society and brought Chuck Berry to the UK for his first tour. Procol Harum and Mott The Hoople also owed their distinctive names to Stevens.
- Aneka's song "Japanese Boy" reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The song also reached No. 1 in Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland, and sold more than five million copies worldwide.
- Electric Light Orchestra's ninth studio album "Time" began a two-week run at No. 1 on the UK album chart. The album is a concept story about a man from the 1980s who travels through time to the year 2095.
- Foreigner's album "4" spent its second consecutive week at No. 1 on the US album chart.
- The two-day Rock on the Tyne festival began in Gateshead, England. Performers included Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, U2, Rory Gallagher, Doll By Doll, Wang Chung, Becket, Dr Feelgood, The Gingers Nutters with Ginger Baker, Trimmer and Jenkins, and Lindisfarne.
- Soft Cell reached No. 1 on the UK chart with "Tainted Love".
- The Grateful Dead performed at the Aladdin Hotel Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Prince released the single “Controversy”.
- The techno-pop duo Soft Cell, consisting of Marc Almond and David Ball, appeared on Top of the Pops with their UK No. 1 hit “Tainted Love”. In the US, the song later reached No. 8 and spent 43 weeks on the chart.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.
- Beyoncé Knowles was born in Houston, Texas. She became famous as the lead singer of Destiny's Child and later achieved a successful solo career. With the group, she had the US number-one hit “Say My Name” in 2000 and the US and UK number-one single and album “Survivor” in 2001. As a solo artist, she had the US and UK number-one hit “Crazy in Love” from the successful album Dangerously in Love in 2003. According to the sources, she has sold more than 100 million records as a solo artist and approximately 60 million more with Destiny's Child.
- George Strait's debut album Strait Country was released in the US.
- John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
- Van Halen performed at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi.
- Stevie Nicks reached number one on the US Billboard 200 with her debut solo album Bella Donna. The album featured the hits “Stop Draggin' My Heart Around” with Tom Petty, “Leather and Lace” with Don Henley and “Edge of Seventeen,” and also topped the chart in Australia.
- The Pretenders had to cancel the final part of their US tour after drummer Martin Chambers injured the tendons and arteries in his hand when he broke a window pane, or according to another source variant put his hand through a sheet of glass.
- The Police reached No. 1 on the British album chart with “Ghost in the Machine.” It was their third album to top the British chart. The album included the singles “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Invisible Sun,” and “Spirits in the Material World.”
- The Police released their fourth album “Ghost in the Machine,” the last in their series of four consecutive autumn albums. The title comes from a psychological book by Arthur Koestler, and the album reached No. 2 in the United States. It included the hit “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.”
- Billy Joel released Songs in the Attic, the first live album recorded using digital technology. It contained songs he had recorded before his major breakthrough with “Just The Way You Are.”
- Two months after MTV began broadcasting, “Burnin' For You” by Blue Öyster Cult peaked at No. 40 on the US chart. It was the group's first Top 40 hit since “(Don't Fear) The Reaper.” The song's success was helped by a music video filmed in a drainage channel in Los Angeles. At the time, few American artists were making music videos, allowing established rock bands such as Blue Öyster Cult and REO Speedwagon to gain airtime. Several years later, the situation changed as more visually distinctive artists began making music videos regularly.
- During the premiere episode of the new season of Saturday Night Live, Rod Stewart invited Tina Turner as a special guest to perform his 1978 hit “Hot Legs” together. Stewart also used the nationally televised appearance to promote Turner's solo potential at a time when her career was rebuilding following her divorce.
- The Kinks played their first concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
- The Rolling Stones' album Tattoo You spent its third week at No. 1 on the US album chart on October 3, 1981. Other albums near the top included 4 by Foreigner, Escape by Journey, and Bella Donna by Stevie Nicks. The Top 10 also included Pirates by Rickie Lee Jones, Nine Tonight by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, The Innocent Age by Dan Fogelberg, Precious Time by Pat Benatar, the Endless Love soundtrack, and Breakin’ Away by Al Jarreau.
- The first episode of the BBC Radio 2 music program All Time Greats, hosted by Desmond Carrington, was broadcast. The program aired on Sunday afternoons and Carrington's program was later renamed The Music Goes Round.
- CBS Records released the children's album In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record.
- Comedian, singer, and songwriter Jud Strunk died at the age of 45 in a small-plane crash in Maine after suffering a heart attack while piloting the aircraft. He became famous for appearing on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and for the hit “Daisy A Day,” which reached No. 14 in 1973.
- King Crimson performed as the headlining band at Moles Club in Bath, England.
- ZZ Top performed at Hemmerleinhalle in Nuremberg, Germany.
- The Rolling Stones performed at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego.
- The Time played their first live concert.
- Endless Love by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie remained at No. 1 for its ninth week, making it the 12th-longest-running No. 1 song of the Rock Era according to the source.
- Christopher Cross held on to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)."
- The Rolling Stones moved to No. 7 on the US singles chart with "Start Me Up."
- The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during their North American tour, with Prince as the support act. Prince, wearing his controversial bikini briefs and trench coat, left the stage after about 15 minutes when the crowd booed and threw beer cans at him.
- The single “Private Eyes” by Hall & Oates reached the U.S. Top 10.
- The single “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie remained at number one on the U.S. chart for a ninth week.
- Eddie Rabbitt's single “Step by Step” reached the U.S. Top 10.
- The single “Hold On Tight” by Electric Light Orchestra remained in the U.S. Top 10.
- Eric Clapton performed at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden.
- Foreigner's single “Urgent” was falling in the U.S. Top 10.
- Christopher Cross's single “Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)” was climbing the U.S. chart.
- Journey's single “Who's Crying Now” maintained its position on the U.S. chart.
- Sheena Easton's single “For Your Eyes Only” rose from number 11 to number five on the U.S. chart.
- The song “Stop Draggin' My Heart Around” by Stevie Nicks featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers reached number three on the U.S. chart.
- The Police reached number one on the UK album chart with Ghost in the Machine. It was their fourth studio album and the group's third album to reach number one. The album also topped the charts in the Netherlands, Australia, Italy and Canada, and reached number two in the U.S.
- The Rolling Stones' single “Start Me Up” rose to number seven on the U.S. chart.
- The Rolling Stones performed at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles as part of their North American tour. Prince appeared as the opening act, but the audience booed him off the stage. The situation escalated after he opened his trench coat to reveal bikini-style underwear. Rioting also broke out, and 95 fans were arrested. The tour became the highest-grossing tour of 1981, generating $50 million in ticket sales.
- The Kinks performed at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida.
- King Crimson perform at the Music Centre in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
- U2 release their second album, October. The record reflects the band members’ Christian faith and contains biblical references, particularly in the song “Gloria.”
- The Grateful Dead performed at the Walter-Köbel-Halle in Rüsselsheim, Germany.
- Journey released the single “Don't Stop Believin'.”