Events in 1990
- On July 29, 1990, Elton John officially registered and was admitted to Parkside Lutheran Hospital in Chicago.
- Mariah Carey began a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Vision of Love.” It was her debut single and first U.S. No. 1 hit.
- Janet Jackson was scheduled to perform at St. Louis Arena, but the concert was postponed until the following day because of her health problems. At the rescheduled show on August 5, she performed three songs before collapsing backstage and being taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with an acute viral infection.
- Madonna concluded her Blond Ambition Tour with a performance in Nice, France. The concert was broadcast on HBO with a time delay.
- Anglický zpěvák a skladatel Josh Franceschi, frontman skupiny You Me at Six, se narodil. Jejich čtvrté studiové album „Cavalier Youth“ se dostalo na první místo britského žebříčku.
- While warming up before an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, a stage lighting structure collapsed due to strong winds and landed on his back. The accident paralyzed him from the neck down; he lived with the effects of his injuries until his death in 1999.
- George Michael released the single “Praying for Time”, the first single from the album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1.
- Tenor singer, guitarist, songwriter and founding member of The Statler Brothers Lew DeWitt died at the age of 52 from heart and kidney disease. He wrote their hit “Flowers on the Wall”, which reached No. 4.
- Singer and actress Pearl Bailey died in Philadelphia at the age of 72 from arteriosclerotic coronary artery disease. In 1952, she had a Top 10 hit with the song “Takes Two to Tango”.
- The film Wild at Heart was released in North America. Nicolas Cage portrayed a character who was partly inspired by Elvis Presley.
- Jimmy Page joined Aerosmith on stage during the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in the UK, and together they performed two songs.
- Leonard Bernstein conducted his final concert. At Tanglewood in Massachusetts, he led the Boston Symphony Orchestra in performances of Benjamin Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes” and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.
- Aerosmith performed at The Marquee club in London. During the concert, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page joined the band on stage and played five songs with Aerosmith: “I Ain't Got You”, “Think About It”, “Red House”, “Immigrant Song” and “The Train Kept A-Rollin'”.
- Black Sabbath released the album Tyr. It was the band's thirteenth studio album, with Tony Martin, Tony Iommi, Cozy Powell and other musicians in the lineup at the time. The album followed the band's previous work but featured a significant amount of keyboards while retaining its heavy sound.
- Living Colour released their second studio album, Time's Up. The album followed the success of their debut Vivid and continued to combine hard rock and heavy metal with elements of funk, punk, hip-hop and jazz. It reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200, the song “Type” reached the Top 5 of the Mainstream Rock chart, and the album later won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for the title track.
- Prince released his twelfth studio album, “Graffiti Bridge”, which includes the songs “Thieves in the Temple” and “New Power Generation”. The album reached No. 1 in Britain and also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name, in which Prince starred.
- Alice in Chains released their debut album “Facelift”, one of the early grunge albums to achieve widespread popularity. The album was among the recordings released on August 21, 1990 that combined hard rock with alternative rock.
- Anthrax released the album “Persistence of Time”, which ranks among their most successful recordings.
- B.B. King received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Jane's Addiction released their second studio album “Ritual de lo Habitual”, a significant alternative rock album that singer Perry Farrell described as being filled with “sex and violence and joy and happiness”. The album later sold more than two million copies and reached No. 19 in the US.
- Prince released the soundtrack to the film “Graffiti Bridge”.
- Ratt released the album “Detonator”, which marked the end of their most successful period. It was their fifth album in six years.
- American composer, orchestra leader, pianist, arranger and conductor David Rose, leader of David Rose & His Orchestra, died in Burbank, California, of natural causes at the age of 80. He was best known for the compositions “Holiday for Strings” and “The Stripper”.
- Donald Fagen of Steely Dan and his girlfriend Libby Titus organized the first „New York Rock & Soul Revue“ in Southampton, New York. The second revue later led to the creation of the live album „The New York Rock and Soul Revue: Live at the Beacon“.
- Judas Priest were cleared of liability in Reno, Nevada, in a civil case concerning the suicides of two seventeen-year-old fans who had listened to the album „Stained Class“. The victims' families claimed that the music contained subliminal messages that led to their actions and sought a total of $6.2 million.
- The three-day British Reading Festival began, with Jane's Addiction and Faith No More headlining the first day. Also performing were The Cramps, Inspiral Carpets, Pixies, The Fall, Jesus Jones, Ride, Dinosaur Jr., The Wedding Present, Billy Bragg and others. A three-day ticket cost £35.
- Sinéad O'Connor refused to perform at Garden State Arts Plaza in Holmdel, New Jersey, unless the U.S. national anthem was not played before her concert. She stated that she was protesting a wave of music censorship; the dispute triggered a major media and patriotic reaction, and some radio stations subsequently banned her music.
- “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” by Bombalurina reached number one on the UK singles chart. Bombalurina was a project by children's television presenter Timmy Mallett and was a new version of Brian Hyland's 1960 hit.
- “Come Back To Me” by Janet Jackson was a new song at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.
- English singer, songwriter and actor Lil' Chris was born. He came to public attention in 2006 after appearing on the Channel 4 program “Rock School”, in which Gene Simmons formed a rock band with students.
- Mariah Carey remained at No. 1 on the US chart for a third week with “Vision of Love”.
- Randy Newman surprisingly received an Emmy Award for his music for ABC's series “Cop Rock”.
- Stevie Ray Vaughan performed his final concert with Eric Clapton at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. A few hours later, he died in a helicopter crash.
- Garth Brooks scored his first US country No. 1 single with “Friends in Low Places”.
- Stevie Ray Vaughan, aged 35, died in a helicopter crash near East Troy, Wisconsin, after a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theatre. The helicopter crashed into an artificial ski slope while flying in dense fog. During the evening, Vaughan performed with Robert Cray and his Memphis Horns, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and his older brother Jimmie Vaughan. Three members of Eric Clapton's entourage also died in the crash; everyone on board was killed. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked Vaughan No. 7 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
- Alice in Chains released their debut studio album “Facelift” in the United States through Columbia Records. The album subsequently sold more than three million copies and became the first grunge album to receive an RIAA gold certification.
- The Black Crowes’ album “Shake Your Money Maker” was released in the United Kingdom.
- After soundcheck before her concert in Saratoga Springs, New York, Sinead O'Connor refused to perform if the US national anthem was played before her show.
- A public memorial service for Stevie Ray Vaughan was held at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas, four days after he was killed in a helicopter crash in Wisconsin at the age of 35. Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Wonder led a communal singing of "Amazing Grace" at the end of the memorial.
- George Michael released his second solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, through Columbia and Epic Records. The album later sold more than eight million copies and reached the Top 3 in ten countries, including No. 1 in the United Kingdom.
- R.E.M. began recording their album Out of Time at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York.
- English singer, songwriter and guitarist James Bay was born in Hitchin, England. He became known for his debut studio album Chaos and the Calm, which according to the source reached number one on the chart.
- Queensryche released Empire, a triple-platinum album featuring the song “Silent Lucidity.”
- Charley Charles, drummer with Ian Dury and the Blockheads, died of cancer. The group had a UK number-one single in 1978 with “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick.”
- Paul Anka became a US citizen.
- Paul Anka, who was born in Ottawa, Canada, became a U.S. citizen in Las Vegas. During the ceremony, he joked that after paying a million dollars in taxes every year, he felt it was the right time to gain the right to do everything else. During the ceremony, his improperly parked car was also towed away.
- Rhythm guitarist and founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival Tom Fogerty died in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 48 from AIDS-related complications, including a tuberculosis infection. According to sources, he contracted HIV through blood transfusions received for back problems. He left the group in 1971 because he did not have enough opportunities to sing and record his own songs. From 1972 to 1981, he released five solo albums, the most successful being his debut album "Tom Fogerty", which reached No. 78 in the U.S. He was the older brother of John Fogerty and co-founded Creedence Clearwater Revival with him, Doug Clifford and Stu Cook. In 1969, the group had three albums in the U.S. Top 10 and four singles in the Top 5.
- The musical “Street Scene” opened at the New York State Theatre.
- Forbes magazine ranked New Kids On The Block among the five highest-earning American artists, with the group reportedly earning $78 million during the previous year.
- The owner of E-C Records in Fort Lauderdale, Charles Freeman, was found guilty of obscenity on October 3, 1990, for selling the 2 Live Crew album “As Nasty As They Wanna Be.” He sold the album two days after a federal court ruled that its content was obscene. Freeman had originally been arrested on June 8 after selling the recording to an undercover police officer. He was later fined $1,000, which he was ordered to donate to a local elementary school specializing in arts education. In 1993, the conviction was overturned.
- A federal court in Georgia heard two lawsuits against Ozzy Osbourne and CBS Records. The parents of two teenagers claimed that their children had committed suicide after listening to the song “Suicide Solution” and that the recording contained subliminal messages encouraging suicide. The cases were dismissed with reference to a 1988 California precedent, and in 1992 the US Supreme Court declined to hear the families' appeal.
- M.C. Hammer's album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em spent its 18th week at No. 1 on the album chart.
- Paul Young spent his third consecutive week at No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart with his cover of “Oh Girl” by The Chi-Lites.
- The Righteous Brothers had the week's highest-debuting song with “Unchained Melody,” 25 years after the song had first become a major hit.
- Soundgarden, Iggy Pop, Ice-T, The Cramps, Joan Baez and Public Enemy performed at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in California as part of the A Gathering of Tribes event, organized by Ian Astbury of The Cult. The festival is considered an inspiration for Lollapalooza, which began a year later.
- Metallica began recording their self-titled album, also known as The Black Album.
- Soundgarden, Iggy Pop, Ice-T, The Cramps, Joan Baez, Public Enemy and other artists performed at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in California as part of the A Gathering of Tribes festival, organized by Ian Astbury of The Cult. The festival preceded Lollapalooza, which launched a year later.
- Soundgarden performed at the Gathering of the Tribes festival at Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California. Eddie Vedder was in the audience; the festival and Soundgarden's performance are documented as taking place on October 7, 1990.
- British rock drummer Barrie “B.J.” Wilson of Procol Harum died at the age of 43 after spending three years in a coma caused by a severe drug and alcohol overdose. He joined the band in 1967, shortly after the recording of “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” on which session drummer Bill Eyden had played.
- Eddie Vedder flew from his home in San Diego to Seattle, where he first met his future Pearl Jam bandmates and began a week of recording that became the foundation of their debut album Ten. He was selected based on vocals he had added to the band's three-song instrumental demo.
- Ringo Starr released his first live album, Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. His All-Starr Band featured Joe Walsh, Dr. John, Billy Preston, Rick Danko and Levon Helm of The Band, Clarence Clemons and Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band. Bruce Springsteen also appeared as a guest during the tour.
- The Go-Go's posed for the first PETA “Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign poster.
- Composer of "West Side Story" Leonard Bernstein ended his conducting career at the age of 72 due to emphysema. He died five days later.
- All four members of The Stone Roses were each fined £3,000 after being found guilty of criminal damage at their former record company's offices.
- Hindu Love Gods, a project featuring Warren Zevon and members of R.E.M., released their self-titled album Hindu Love Gods.
- Bob Dylan performed before more than 4,000 cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, in Eisenhower Hall. Many future army officers stood up and sang along to his anti-war song "Blowin' in the Wind".
- The single "Praying for Time" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Canadian chart. It was George Michael's sixth solo US number-one hit and his last solo single to reach the top of the US chart.
- M.C. Hammer's album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em remained at number one on the US album chart for a fifteenth week.
- Thanks to the popularity of the film Ghost, “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers reached number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, 25 years after it had originally become a hit.