Events in 1990
- 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.
- Firehouse released their debut album “Firehouse”. During the hair metal boom, the album went on to achieve double-platinum certification, largely thanks to the power ballad “Love of a Lifetime”.
- 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.
- American blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan died at the age of 35 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.
- Elton John entered a rehabilitation center in Chicago, where he was treated for bulimia, alcoholism, and drug addiction.
- 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.
- Elton John entered a rehabilitation center in Chicago, where he was treated for bulimia, alcoholism and drug addiction.
- 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.