Events in 1999
- Patsy Cline received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 3, 1999.
- Music by Johann Sebastian Bach was discovered in Ukraine among the musical estate of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The material had been thought to have been destroyed for more than 50 years.
- Dick Latvala died at the age of 56 after falling into a coma caused by a heart attack. From the early 1980s, he managed The Grateful Dead's archive of live recordings, which later became the “Dick's Picks” album series.
- Violence broke out before a Dave Matthews Band concert in Hartford, Connecticut, and 55 people were arrested in the parking lot at Meadows Music Theater.
- Ronan Keating's version of “When You Say Nothing at All” reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The song also topped the charts in Ireland and New Zealand.
- Puddle Of Mudd frontman Wes Scantlin secretly made his way backstage during the Family Values Tour and handed Fred Durst's security guard a demo recording. Durst listened to it and signed the band to his label Flawless Records.
- Spice Girls manager Bob Herbert died in a car accident in Windsor, England. He was involved in the formation of the Spice Girls and Five, and managed the group Bros in the 1980s.
- It was announced that Oasis rhythm guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs had left the band after completing his guitar parts for their fourth album “Standing on the Shoulder of Giants”.
- All four original members of KISS attended the unveiling of their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. The star is located at 7092 Hollywood Boulevard. At the time, the band had released more than 30 albums and sold more than 80 million records worldwide.
- Four music festivals were held in Cornwall, England, during the total solar eclipse. Performers at the various events included James, The Levellers, Van Morrison, Kula Shaker and Happy Mondays.
- The film “Detroit Rock City,” produced by KISS, received its nationwide theatrical release in the United States.
- The film Detroit Rock City premiered in US cinemas. The story follows four young KISS fans trying to attend their favorite band's concert; the film was inspired by KISS and its fans and recalled the reunion of KISS's original lineup at the time.
- The London High Court declared the marriage of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall invalid. The court ruled that their 1990 ceremony in Bali was not a valid marriage under either Indonesian or English law.
- Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend at his recording studio on Sunset Boulevard. He was released on bail.
- The former teen idol pleaded guilty to drug possession in Los Angeles so that he could enter a rehabilitation program. He had been arrested on June 29, 1999.
- He had the UK number-one single “When You Say Nothing At All”, his first solo single after his time with Boyzone. The song was featured in the film Notting Hill.
- Former Bay City Rollers drummer Derek Longmuir appeared in court in Edinburgh on charges of possessing child pornography and drugs. He denied the charges and was later sentenced to 300 hours of community service.
- Irish rock musician Elijah Hewson, son of U2 singer Bono, was born in Dublin. He later founded the band Inhaler.
- Led Zeppelin topped the chart of British artists with the largest number of bootleg recordings. The British Phonographic Industry recorded 384 bootleg titles featuring their performances. The Beatles were second with 320 titles.
- Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos began their 5 1/2 Weeks Tour in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was sponsored by MP3.com, then a rapidly growing technology company that allowed users to download songs for free. Morissette received company stock as part of the deal.
- Lauryn Hill received the New Artist of the Year and Album of the Year awards at the Source Hip Hop Music Awards in Los Angeles. R. Kelly won R&B Artist of the Year, while DMX received Artist of the Year and Solo and Live Performer of the Year.
- A television advertisement featuring the late Linda McCartney, calling for a boycott of fishing, was banned in the UK by the Advertising Clearance Centre.
- Fatboy Slim married BBC presenter Zoe Ball in Somerset, England. Before their separation in 2016, they attracted considerable attention from the tabloid media.
- Backstreet Boys returned to No. 1 on the US chart and began a three-week run at the top with their third studio album “Millennium”.
- Westlife reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “If I Let You Go”. The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland and Norway.
- Former Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) achieved her first solo No. 1 single on the UK Singles Chart with the Latin-pop song "Mi Chico Latino." It was the second single from her debut solo album "Schizophonic."
- Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers married his third wife, Patti Arnold, in Las Vegas. The wedding took place at Caesar's Palace.
- Eighteen-year-old Christina Aguilera released her self-titled debut album, which contained three No. 1 hits: „Genie in a Bottle“, „What a Girl Wants“ and „Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)“. The album ushered in a new era of teen pop alongside her former Mickey Mouse Club colleague Britney Spears.
- Warner Bros. released Prince's album „The Vault...Old Friends 4 Sale“.
- American big-band trombonist and studio musician Warren Covington died in New York at the age of 78.
- Lionel Richie performed under the stars in front of the pyramids at Giza in Egypt as part of a series of concerts by major musicians intended to support tourism in the country. Approximately 3,000 people attended the exclusive outdoor concert, including Egyptian diplomats, celebrities and foreign visitors.
- Oasis bassist Paul McGuigan announced his departure from the band several days after guitarist Bonehead had left.
- Robert Fisher of the new wave duo Naked Eyes and the group Climie Fisher died of cancer at the age of 39. With Climie Fisher he had the 1988 UK hit “Love Changes Everything” and wrote songs for Rod Stewart, Milli Vanilli, Fleetwood Mac and Jermaine Jackson.
- Alice Cooper claimed that the KISS song “Dreamin'” was copied from his 1971 song “Eighteen”. The two sides subsequently reached an out-of-court settlement.
- Johnny Byrne, guitarist with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, died in Liverpool, Merseyside, at the age of 59 from motor neuron disease.
- At the three-day Carling Reading festival in England, The Charlatans, Blur, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Offspring, Catatonia, Reef, The Chemical Brothers, The Divine Comedy, Pavement, Silverchair and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion performed. Tickets cost £78.
- Scottish rock band Travis reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their second studio album “The Man Who”.
- HBO premiered the program "Cher: Live In Concert From Las Vegas", in which Cher performed at the MGM Grand Las Vegas complex.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers released the album “Californication” as part of its international release.
- Led by the successful single "Ready To Run", the Dixie Chicks released their second major-label album, "Fly".
- Van Morrison became the first inductee into the Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame in Dublin.
- Lou Bega reached number one on the UK singles chart with his version of “Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…).” The song became a major international hit and reached number one in 22 countries.
- After spending 58 weeks on the UK albums chart, Shania Twain's Come On Over reached number one. It became the best-selling country album and one of the best-selling studio albums by a female artist.
- American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams was born in Los Angeles, California, to director J. J. Abrams and producer Katie McGrath. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she began building a fan base through livestreams from her childhood bedroom on Zoom. After releasing her debut album “Good Riddance” in 2023, she performed as an opening act on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. In 2024, she had the UK No. 1 single “That's So True” and the US Top 20 hit “I Love You, I'm Sorry”.
- David Bowie released the album Hours…
- David Bowie released the album “Hours...”, which was first made available as a complete digital album for download over the Internet. It became the first complete album by a major artist to be officially released in this way. The physical CD followed in October 1999.
- David Bowie offered a virtual guided tour of the controversial exhibition “Sensation: Young British Artists From The Saatchi Collection” on his official website. The exhibition included, among other works, Damien Hirst's shark suspended in formaldehyde, “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” and Tracey Emin's tent, “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995.”
- Twenty-year-old Eve reached No. 1 in the United States with her debut album “Ruff Ryders' First Lady.” For the Ruff Ryders label, it was the third No. 1 album in 1999, following DMX's “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood” and the joint project “Ruff Ryders Ryde or Die Vol. 1.” The next female rapper to reach No. 1 was Nicki Minaj in 2012 with “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.”
- Rob Thomas, singer of Matchbox Twenty, married Puerto Rican American model Marisol Maldonado at a ranch in California. Maldonado appeared with Thomas in the music video for Santana's “Smooth.” The wedding was broadcast on ABC in the program “Celebrity Weddings In Style.”
- Akio Morita, co-founder of Sony, died on October 3, 1999, in Tokyo from pneumonia at the age of 78. Morita founded Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo with Masaru Ibuka in 1946; the company later became Sony. In 1957, the company introduced a pocket transistor radio, and in 1958 Morita decided to rename the company Sony; the name was derived from the Latin “sonus” (“sound”) and the then-common American expression “sonny.” Morita strongly supported the company's development of new products. In 1979, Sony introduced the portable Walkman player, which fundamentally changed the way people around the world listened to music; by 2010, cumulative Walkman sales had reached approximately 400 million units.
- Tom Jones returned to No. 1 on the UK album chart with Reload after 25 years. At the age of 59, he became the oldest artist to reach the top of the UK album chart with newly recorded material. The album sold more than six million copies worldwide and featured, among others, Robbie Williams, Stereophonics, Barenaked Ladies, The Pretenders, and Mousse T. His collaboration with Mousse T. on the song "Sexbomb" reached No. 3 on the UK singles chart and later appeared in The Simpsons. Jones's age record was later surpassed in 2021 by the album Surrounded by Time, when he was 80.
- Jazz trumpeter Art Farmer died in New York of a heart attack at the age of 71.
- Fifteen-year-old country singer Jessica Andrews received the first-ever Youth Achievement Award in her home county of Carroll County, Tennessee.
- Janie Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix's half-sister, announced plans to exhume his body and move it to a new mausoleum. The plan included paid fan visits, the option to purchase burial plots near Hendrix's new grave, and other ways of financing the memorial. Following public outrage, the plan to exhume and move the remains was abandoned.
- Paul McCartney released the album “Run Devil Run,” returning to his rock 'n' roll roots after the period following the death of his wife Linda. The album consisted mainly of rock 'n' roll cover versions, including “Coquette” and “Movie Magg.” Musicians who played on the recording included David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Ian Paice of Deep Purple.
- Paul McCartney released the album Run Devil Run, his first album following the death of Linda McCartney in April 1998. The album combined early rock 'n' roll covers with new original songs and reached No. 27 in the US and No. 12 in the UK.
- Prince released the single “The Greatest Romance Ever Sold.”
- Roger Daltrey announced the reunion of The Who after their 1983 breakup and their comeback concert in Las Vegas on October 29. The concert was heavily promoted by technology startup Pixelon and was intended to be broadcast live over the internet, but the transmission failed due to technical problems. The concert itself was filmed and later released on DVD as The Vegas Job.
- Portuguese singer and actress Amália Rodrigues died in Lisbon, Portugal, at the age of 79.
- Winners at the Mobo Awards included Kele Le Roc for Best Newcomer and Best Single, Shanks & Bigfoot for Best Dance Act, and TLC for Best Video for “No Scrubs.” Lauryn Hill won Best International Artist and Tina Turner received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
- The first and only ARTISTdirect Online Music Awards ceremony was held at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, with winners selected through online voting. Winners included Madonna, Ricky Martin, and Nine Inch Nails. Chris Isaak, Cypress Hill, No Doubt, and The Offspring also performed.
- Don Henley and Eagles Ltd. filed a federal lawsuit against Sarasota, Florida-based internet company Lovearth over the registration of several domain names associated with Henley and the Eagles, including don-henley.net, don-henley.org, donhenley.org, theendoftheinnocence.com, and e-a-g-l-e-s.com. The dispute concerned trademarks and cybersquatting.
- Garth Brooks released an album as “Chris Gaines,” a fictional character created for a planned film. The concept alienated some fans, and the album was Brooks's first since 1995 not to debut at No. 1; it ranked behind Creed's Human Clay.
- Michael Jackson's wife, Deborah Rowe, filed for divorce after three years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in April 2000, and Rowe gave Jackson full custody of their two children, Prince and Paris.
- The estate of Elvis Presley donated items for a charity auction at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. A cigar box sold for $25,000, a wristwatch for $25,000, an autographed baseball for $19,000 and Elvis's 1956 Lincoln Continental for $250,000.
- Eurythmics, George Michael, David Bowie, Robbie Williams and Bono appeared at NetAid, a series of three benefit concerts held simultaneously in London, New Jersey and Geneva to raise money for global poverty. The concerts were broadcast live on the internet.
- Mariah Carey and rapper Jay-Z started a two-week run at number one in the US with "Heartbreaker."
- Nine Inch Nails scored their first No. 1 album in the US with their third studio album, "The Fragile," which also topped the charts in several other countries.
- Tom Jones went to number one in the United Kingdom with his thirty-fourth studio album "Reload." The LP sold over 4 million copies worldwide and features the international hit "Sex Bomb."
- A charity auction of Elvis Presley's personal items was held in Las Vegas. A wristwatch sold for $32,500, a cigar box for $25,000, a signed baseball for $19,000, and a 1956 Lincoln Continental for $250,000.
- American singer, songwriter and actor Hoyt Axton died of a heart attack in Victor, Montana, at the age of 61. He wrote songs for Elvis Presley, Three Dog Night, John Denver, Ringo Starr and Glen Campbell. His mother, Mae Boren Axton, co-wrote “Heartbreak Hotel.”
- Christina Aguilera reached number one on the UK singles chart with “Genie in a Bottle.” In the United States, the song spent five weeks at number one, and Aguilera later won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
- Michael Jackson's second wife, Debbie Rowe, filed for divorce and gave Jackson full custody of their two children, Prince and Paris.
- The city of Miami allowed the Cuban dance band Los Van Van to perform at the James L. Knight Center after the American Civil Liberties Union and Havana Caliente Records threatened legal action.
- Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee was released on $5,000 bail in connection with charges of disorderly conduct at a 1997 concert in North Carolina. He was accused of encouraging the audience to attack a security guard and pouring a drink on him.
- The Isle of Man issues six commemorative postage stamps honoring the Bee Gees, whose members were born on the island. Their mother once ran a local post office there. Because of rules concerning depictions of living people, the brothers’ portraits appear in the margins and selvage of the commemorative sheets rather than directly on the stamps.
- David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young appear at Madison Square Garden in New York to announce the forthcoming CSNY2K album and tour.
- American Delta blues musician and harmonica player Frank Frost dies of cardiac arrest in Helena, Arkansas, aged 63.
- British radio DJ Johnny Walker was convicted of possessing cocaine and fined £2,000. According to the source, the tabloid The News of the World had encouraged him to take the drug in a London hotel and filmed him doing so. BBC Radio 2 suspended him after the incident but later rehired him.
- The online music service Myplay.com was launched, entering a highly competitive online music market.