1998 in music



This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.

Specific locations

 * 1998 in British music
 * 1998 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

 * 1998 in classical music
 * 1998 in country music
 * 1998 in heavy metal music
 * 1998 in hip hop music
 * 1998 in jazz

January

 * January 28
 * Interscope Records pays a radio station in Portland, Oregon, USA, $5000 to play the Limp Bizkit single "Counterfeit" fifty times. The business move is widely criticized in the media as "payola", but the controversy serves to further increase publicity for the band.
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia. At the same time, he grows out his hair and shaves off his moustache, radically changing his signature look.
 * January 31 – The Presidents of the United States of America play a farewell show in their hometown of Seattle. They would reunite in 2000.

February

 * February 5
 * Carnatic vocalist M. S. Subbulakshmi becomes the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
 * Former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford publicly reveals his homosexuality for the first time in an interview with MTV.
 * February 15 – Sir Edward Elgar's unfinished third symphony, completed by Anthony Payne is performed for the first time at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK.
 * February 19 - The Stray Cats reunite for a benefit show for the Carl Perkins Foundation at House of Blues in Los Angeles, USA.
 * February 22 – In Los Angeles, California, Stevie Wonder is honored as the 1999 MusiCares Person of the Year.
 * February 23 – "Frozen", the first single from Madonna's eighth studio album, Ray of Light, is released. The single is a worldwide hit, peaking at #2 on US Billboard Hot 100 and becoming her first single to enter the charts at #1 in the UK.
 * February 24 - Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace, London, UK. He was mistakenly introduced as "Sir John Elton", but was renamed "Sir Elton John".
 * February 28 – Haitian group RAM survive an assassination attempt while performing at a carnival, after a disagreement with the newly elected mayor of Port-au-Prince.

March

 * March 3 – Madonna releases her seventh studio album Ray of Light. The album eventually sells over 16 million copies worldwide. The album received near universal acclaim upon release. Her collaborations with producer William Orbit, as well as her conversion to Kabbalah resulted in a completely new and unique lyric and musical approach for Madonna, which inevitably gains her four Grammy Awards out of a total of six nominations, as well as many other prestigious awards.
 * March 10 – The South Korean-made MPMan, the first mass-produced digital audio player, is launched at the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover, Germany.
 * March 13 – The Smashing Pumpkins file a US$1 million lawsuit against UK-based Sound And Media Ltd, alleging that the company has released a book and CD about the band without proper clearance.
 * March 17 – Van Halen III is released. It is the first Van Halen album to feature Gary Cherone on vocals.
 * March 24 - NSYNC bursts onto the music scene with the release of their debut album NSYNC
 * March 26 – Chuck Negron files a lawsuit against his fellow Three Dog Night band mates alleging that they broke a 1990 settlement agreement and interfered with his career.

April

 * April 3 – Dave Navarro is fired by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
 * April 6 – Organizers announce that Lollapalooza will not be staged in 1998 due to the inability to sign a major headlining act. The festival would return in 2003.
 * April 7 – George Michael is arrested in a public restroom in Beverly Hills, California, USA for lewd conduct. He is subsequently sentenced to community service, and later describes it as a "subconsciously deliberate act".
 * April 14 – The first VH1 Divas Live concert is broadcast on VH1, starring Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Céline Dion, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey.
 * April 17-19 – The second Terrastock festival takes place in San Francisco, USA.
 * April 29 – Steven Tyler breaks his knee at a concert in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, delaying Aerosmith's Nine Lives Tour and necessitating camera angle adjustments for the filming of the video for "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing".

May

 * May 5 - South Korean boy band, Shinhwa debuted under SM Entertainment.
 * May 8
 * The third European Festival of Youth Choirs is held in Basel, Switzerland.
 * A British court rules in favor of The Beatles and John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, stopping the release of another Live at the Star Club recording. All copies of the recording and the original tape are awarded to the Beatles, as well as damages and legal costs.
 * May 9 – The 43rd Eurovision Song Contest, held in Birmingham, United Kingdom, is won by Israel's transsexual performer Dana International with the song "Diva" See:
 * May 26 – Anggun releases her debut album, Snow on the Sahara in North America, which would go on to sell 1 million copies across Europe and America. Becoming the best-selling album by Asian artist outside Asia.
 * May 31 – Geri Halliwell goes into hiding as her public relations representative, Julian Torton, confirms that she has left the Spice Girls permanently.

June

 * June 1 – Scott Weiland's public problems with drugs continue when he is arrested in New York after buying heroin.

July

 * July 3 – Westlife is formally created and signed to the record label BMG.
 * July 5 – Teen singer Billie Piper starts her career by becoming the youngest British solo artist to debut at #1 on the UK singles charts with "Because We Want To".

August

 * August 18 – Korn's third studio album, Follow the Leader, enters Billboard 200 at number 1, with 268,000 copies sold in its first week. It goes on to be certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and sell over 14 million copies worldwide, thus launching nu metal into the mainstream.
 * August 20 – Cirith Ungol Founding guitarist Jerry Fogle dies from liver failure.
 * August 24 – Pearl Jam's "Do the Evolution" video premieres on MTV's 120 Minutes; it is the group's first music video in six years.
 * August 25 – Lauryn Hill releases her breakthrough debut album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. The album goes on to be certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA and sell over 19 million copies worldwide.
 * August 29 – The Bee Gees open their One Night Only tour in Dublin, Ireland

September

 * September 14 – Total Request Live is broadcast for the first time on MTV.
 * September 16 – Lou Reed performs for President of the Czech Republic Václav Havel at the White House.

October

 * October 5 – MuchMoreMusic is launched in Canada.
 * October 6 - Kurupt's debut studio album, Kuruption!, is released by Antra Records. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 on October 24, 1998.
 * October 8 – The Recording Industry Association of America files in court against Diamond Multimedia in an attempt to block the release of the new Rio PMP300, arguing that the MP3 digital audio player is a music piracy device. The RIAA's application is denied on October 26, clearing the way for the PMP300 to become the first commercially successful MP3 player.
 * October 19 - Believe, the first single of Cher's twenty-second studio album of the same name is released, becoming a super smash hit. After seven consecutive weeks atop of the UK official sigles chart, it became the best selling single in that country, also the best selling single by a female artist in UK history. In March 13 of 1999, Believe became Cher's 5th number one single in US, spending four consecutive weeks at #1 and becoming the best selling single of that year.
 * October 23 – Britney Spears' debut single, "...Baby One More Time", is released. It would become the top-selling single of 1999, selling over nine million units worldwide.
 * October 27 –  The Copyright Term Extension Act is signed into law, giving the entertainment industry 20 more years of exclusive rights to all works created since 1923.

November

 * November 10 - Cher released her twenty-second studio album Believe  which became the most successful of her career: it peaked at number one in seven countries, #4 in US and #7 in UK. The album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and is certified platinum (or more) at least in sixteen countries, becoming one of the highest selling albums of all time.
 * November 17 - The Offspring release Americana to massive mainstream success. It goes on to be certified 5x platinum by the RIAA and sells over 11 million copies worldwide. The hit single Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) becomes one of the best charting worldwide punk songs of all time, topping charts in 9 different countries.

December

 * December 5
 * Young violinists Nicola Benedetti and Alina Ibragimova play Bach's double violin concerto under the baton of Yehudi Menuhin at the opening ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at UNESCO in Paris.
 * Billboard changes its policy for its Hot 100 chart to allow airplay-only singles or album cuts to be accounted in the chart.
 * December 29 - India issues a set of postage stamps on the subject of Indian musical instruments.

Also in 1998

 * The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra launches its own recording label, RLPO Live.
 * Singers Brandy and Monica dominate the Billboard charts with the duet, "The Boy Is Mine", holding the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 spot for 13 weeks.
 * Composer John Harbison was awarded a Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities.
 * The Goo Goo Dolls single, "Iris", set a new Billboard Hot 100 Airplay record in the U.S. by achieving 18 weeks at number one.
 * Six Feet Under hire Steve Swanson.
 * SWV disbands.

Bands formed

 * ''See Musical groups established in 1998

Bands reformed

 * Modern Talking
 * Culture Club

Bands disbanded

 * See Musical groups disestablished in 1998

Biggest hit singles
The following singles achieved the highest aggregated chart positions in 1998, according to TsorT.

Top hits

 * 1) All I Need Air

Births

 * February 8 - Šarlote Lēnmane, Latvian singer-songwriter
 * August 11 – Nadia Azzi, pianist
 * August 25 – China Anne McClain, singer

Deaths

 * January 2 –  Nick Venet, record producer, 61 (Burkitt's Lymphoma)
 * January 4 – Mae Questel, singer and actress, the voice of Betty Boop, Olive Oyl, Little Audrey & Little Lulu, 89
 * January 5 – Sonny Bono, singer and songwriter, 63
 * January 7 – Owen Bradley, record producer, 82
 * January 8 – Sir Michael Tippett, composer, 93
 * January 11 – Klaus Tennstedt, conductor, 71
 * January 15 – Junior Wells, harmonica player, 64
 * January 17 –  Junior Kimbrough, blues guitarist and singer, 67
 * January 19 – Carl Perkins, singer 65, complications following a series of strokes
 * January 22 – Anselmo Sacasas, jazz pianist and bandleader, 85
 * January 24 – Justin Tubb, country music singer and songwriter, 62
 * January 26
 * Orlando DiGirolamo, jazz accordionist, pianist, composer, and teacher, 73
 * Shinichi Suzuki, violinist and inventor of the international Suzuki method of music education, 99
 * February 3 – Fat Pat, American rapper (shot)
 * February 5
 * Tim Kelly, guitarist (Slaughter), 35 (car accident)
 * Nick Webb, jazz guitarist, 43 or 44 (pancreatic cancer)
 * February 6
 * Carl Wilson, The Beach Boys, 51 (lung cancer)
 * Falco, rock star, 40 (car accident)
 * February 10 – Alex Kramer, Canadian songwriter, 94
 * February 13 – Thomas Chapin, composer and saxophonist, 40 (leukemia)
 * February 17 – Bob Merrill, songwriter, 76 (suicide)
 * February 19 – Grandpa Jones, star of Hee Haw, comedian and musician, 84
 * February 25 – Rockin' Sidney, soul musician, 59
 * February 28 – Todd Duncan, first Porgy in Porgy and Bess, 95
 * March 8 – Roger Christian, The Christians
 * March 13 – Judge Dread, ska and reggae performer, 52 (heart attack on stage)
 * March 29 – Nada Tončić, operatic soprano, 88
 * March 31 – Joel Ryce-Menuhin, pianist, 64
 * April 1 – Rozz Williams, founder of Christian Death, suicide (hanging)
 * April 2 – Rob Pilatus, member of Milli Vanilli, 32
 * April 4 – Pierre Lantier, pianist and composer, 87
 * April 5 – Cozy Powell, drummer for Rainbow and Black Sabbath, 50 (car accident)
 * April 6 – Tammy Wynette, country singer, 55
 * April 7 – Wendy O. Williams, The Plasmatics, 48 (suicide)
 * April 9 – Tom Cora, cellist and composer, 44
 * April 11 – Lillian Briggs, US singer and trombonist, 65 (lung cancer)
 * April 15 – Rose Maddox, country singer, 72
 * April 17 – Linda McCartney, rock photographer, keyboard player (Wings) and entrepreneur, wife of Paul McCartney, 56 (breast cancer)
 * May 2 – Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto, Japanese rock artist, 33, (hanging, apparently accidental)
 * May 5 – Tommy McCook, Jamaican saxophonist, 71
 * May 7 – Eddie Rabbitt, country singer, 56, lung cancer
 * May 9 – Alice Faye, actress and singer, 83
 * May 10
 * Lester Butler, blues harmonica player and singer, 38 (drug overdose)
 * Clara Rockmore, thereminist and violinist, 87
 * May 14 – Frank Sinatra, singer and actor, 82 (heart attack)
 * May 19 – Dorothy Donegan, jazz pianist, 76
 * May 20 – Robert Normann, Norwegian jazz guitarist, 81
 * May 22 – Royce Kendall, country musician, 62
 * June 2 – Ricky Hyslop, violinist, conductor, composer, and arranger, 83
 * June 8 – Harry Lookofsky, jazz violinist, 84
 * June 10 – Steve Sanders, the Oak Ridge Boys, 45, suicide
 * June 25 – Lounès Matoub, assassinated
 * July 6 – Roy Rogers, actor and singer, 86
 * July 14 – Herman David Koppel, pianist and composer, 89
 * July 21 – O'Landa Draper, O'Landa Draper and the Associates (gospel choir), 34 (renal failure)
 * July 23 – André Gertler, violinist, 90
 * July 28 – Olga De Blanck Martín, pianist, guitarist and composer, 62
 * August 3 – Alfred Schnittke, composer, 63
 * August 11 – Benny Waters, jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, 96
 * August 19
 * Ilva Ligabue, operatic soprano, 66
 * Sylvia Stahlman, operatic soprano, 69
 * August 22 – Sergio Fiorentino, pianist, 70
 * August 24 – Gene Page, arranger, producer and conductor, 58
 * August 25 – Lamar Crowson, pianist, 72
 * August 29 – Charlie Feathers, country blues musician, 66
 * September 14 – Johnny Adams, blues, jazz and gospel singer, 66
 * September 18 – Charlie Foxx, R & B and soul musician, 58 (leukemia)
 * September 26 – Betty Carter, jazz singer, 69
 * September 30 – Pavel Štěpán, pianist, 73
 * October 1 - Pauline Julien, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress, 60
 * October 2 – Gene Autry, actor and country singer, 91
 * October 5 – Jacques Abram, pianist, 83
 * October 7 – Arnold Jacobs, American tuba player and educator, 83
 * October 14 – Frankie Yankovic, America's "Polka King," 83
 * October 17 – Antonio Agri, violinist, conductor and composer, 66
 * October 25 – Warren Wiebe, "Soulful Rain Man", vocalist and session artist, 45 (suicide)
 * November 8
 * Consuelo Villalon Aleman, pianist, 91
 * Lonnie Pitchford, blues musician, 43 (AIDS)
 * November 12 – Kenny Kirkland, jazz keyboardist, 43 (congestive heart failure)
 * November 20 – Roland Alphonso, saxophonist, 67
 * November 27 – Barbara Acklin, soul singer, 55
 * December 4 – Egil Johansen, jazz drummer, 64
 * December 11 – Lynn Strait, (Snot), 30 (car accident)
 * December 21
 * Avril Coleridge-Taylor, pianist, conductor and composer, 95
 * Karl Denver, Scottish singer, 67
 * December 25 – Bryan MacLean, singer, guitarist and songwriter (Love), 52 (heart attack)
 * December 30 – Johnny Moore, R & B singer, 64

Awards

 * The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas & the Papas, Lloyd Price, Santana and Gene Vincent
 * Inductees of the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame include Andrae Crouch, The Imperials, The Jordanaires and The LeFevres

Mercury Music Prize

 * Bring It On – Gomez wins.

MTV Video Music Awards
Main article 1998 MTV Video Music Awards