1997 in music



This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.

Specific locations

 * 1997 in British music
 * 1997 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

 * 1997 in classical music
 * 1997 in country music
 * 1997 in heavy metal music
 * 1997 in hip hop music
 * 1997 in jazz

January

 * January 1 – Townes Van Zandt dies
 * January 7 – the Spice Girls release their debut single, "Wannabe" in the U.S. and premiere the video eighteen days later.
 * January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert (the day after his birthday) at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, with the opening act Placebo. Proceeds from the concert went to the Save the Children fund.
 * January 10 – James Brown receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, USA.
 * January 19 – Madonna wins Best Actress In A Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy, for her part in Evita, at the 54th annual Golden Globe Awards in the USA.
 * January 20 – Daft Punk's debut album Homework is released.
 * January 28 – The Virginia Senate votes to retire "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" as the official state song, and begins looking for a replacement.

February

 * February 2 – Rich Mullins' musical The Canticle of the Plains receives its première in Wichita, Kansas.
 * February 4 – The Offspring release Ixnay on the Hombre, their fourth studio album.
 * February 10 – Blur release their self-titled album, with a shift in sound from Britpop to a more lo-fi sound, to a critical and commercial success.
 * February 12 – David Bowie receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, USA.
 * February 13
 * Michael Jackson's first son Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. is born.
 * The Spice Girls knock Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" off the top spot in the US singles chart. They are the first female British group to have a US number one with their debut single.
 * February 20 – Ben and Jerry's introduce "Phish Food", a new flavor of ice cream named after the rock group Phish. The ingredients are chocolate ice cream, marshmallows, caramel and fish-shaped fudge.
 * February 24 – The Spice Girls win Best Video for "Say You'll Be There" and Best Single for "Wannabe" at the BRIT Awards. Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress from the girls' live performance hogs the headlines the next day.
 * February 28 – Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight is sentenced to nine years in prison for violating his probation. He would be released in August 2001.

March

 * March 1
 * Pianist David Helfgott performs at the Boston Symphony Hall, in Boston, USA, during his world tour. The Boston Globe describes his performance as "without phrasing, form, harmonic understanding, differentiation of style and often basic accuracy; worst of all, it was without emotional content".
 * The jam band Phish records "Slip Stitch and Pass" live at Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany.
 * March 3 – U2 release the opinion-dividing Pop album. Along with the Oasis album Be Here Now, it becomes a major release that fails to sell to industry expectations, particularly in the US, despite many strong initial reviews.
 * March 9
 * The Notorious B.I.G. is shot dead while sitting in the passenger seat of a car after a post Soul Train Awards party in Los Angeles, CA.
 * The Spice Girls become the first act in the history of the UK Top 40 singles charts to have four consecutive number one hits with Mama/Who Do You Think You Are. Profits from the single go to Comic Relief and provide the biggest individual contribution of 1997.
 * March 10 – A Marilyn Manson concert in Columbia, South Carolina is canceled in response to pressure from religious and civic groups.
 * March 11 – Paul McCartney is knighted by Elizabeth II.
 * March 17 – Whirlwind Heat play their first show.
 * March 18 – Aerosmith releases Nine Lives, their 12th studio album.
 * March 19–20 – The reunited Monkees perform two sold-out concerts at Wembley Arena in London, UK.
 * March 30 – The Spice Girls launch Britain's new television channel, Channel 5.

April

 * April 2 – Joni Mitchell is reunited with her daughter, Kilauren Gibb, whom she gave up for adoption 32 years earlier.
 * April 7 – Wynton Marsalis becomes the first jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
 * April 8 – Third Eye Blind releases their self-titled debut album, selling 6,000,000 copies in the US and featuring the massive hit "Semi-Charmed Life".
 * April 10 – Nigel Kennedy, now calling himself simply Kennedy, returns to the stage at the Royal Festival Hall after a five-year absence from the concert stage resulting from neck surgery.
 * April 14 – Depeche Mode come back with their 9th album, Ultra.
 * April 15 – Hanson releases "MMMBop", one of the most successful debut singles of all time, reaching number one in 27 countries.
 * April 25–27 – The first Terrastock festival is held in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

May

 * May 3
 * 5ive's musical career begins after auditions are held in London, UK to find potential band members, with over 3,000 hopefuls showing up to audition.
 * The Spice Girls attend the Cannes Film Festival to announce their plans to hit the big screen with Spiceworld: The Movie. A photo call on top of the Hotel Martinez entrance brings the area to a standstill.
 * At the 42nd Eurovision Song Contest, held in Dublin's Point Theatre, the UK win with "Love Shine a Light", sung by Katrina and the Waves.
 * The Notorious B.I.G. single Hypnotize is #1 for three weeks.
 * May 6 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is held in Cleveland at the site of the hall itself for the first time. Prior to this year, the ceremony had only been held in New York City.
 * May 11 – The Spice Girls perform their first British live gig for the Prince's Trust 21st anniversary concert at the Manchester Opera House They break royal protocol by kissing The Prince of Wales on the cheeks and even pinching his bottom.
 * May 15 – The Spice Girls' album Spice reaches number one on the US charts, making them the first British act to top the charts with a debut album.
 * May 20
 * Foo Fighters release their album The Colour and the Shape.
 * Michael Jackson releases Blood on the Dance Floor: History in the Mix which became the best seller remix album with 15 million copies sold.
 * May 23 – Brainiac frontman Tim Taylor is killed in a car crash driving to his Dayton, Ohio home. He was 29. The band soon announces they will not continue.
 * May 24 – The first proper Ozzfest tour kicks off at the Nissan Pavilion in Washington, D.C, featuring Pantera and a reconstituted Black Sabbath with three of the four original members.
 * May 28 – Japanese pop singer and songwriter Miho Komatsu release her first and debut song entitled Nazo. It is used as an opening soundtrack in popular hit anime Detective Conan.

June

 * June 14 – Puff Daddy and The Family's "I'll Be Missing You" single is #1 on the Hot 100 charts for the next eleven weeks, only to be replaced by The Notorious B.I.G. posthumous single "Mo Money Mo Problems", also featuring Puff Daddy.
 * June 16 – Radiohead release OK Computer in the United Kingdom (almost one month later than in Japan) to huge critical acclaim.
 * June 17 – Blink-182 release their second studio album Dude Ranch which gains small mainstream success. This is the last album that drummer Scott Raynor contributes to. He is replaced by Travis Barker in 1998.
 * June 24 – Disney-owned Hollywood Records drops Insane Clown Posse from their roster and pulls the album The Great Milenko after only six hours of release, in an attempt to placate the Southern Baptist Church who were threatening to boycott the company for straying from its family-friendly image. The controversy generates tremendous publicity for the band, who soon sign with Island Records.
 * June 29 – Missy Elliott releases single "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" from her debut album Supa Dupa Fly.

July–August

 * July 1 – Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to China: Tan Dun's Symphony 1997: Heaven, Earth, Mankind for orchestra, biānzhōng bells, children's chorus and solo cello is premièred as part of the official ceremony.
 * July 5 - The first Lilith Fair tour kicks off at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. Sarah McLachlan, Tracy Chapman and Jewel are among the performers.
 * July 15–20 – The second Yoyo A Go Go punk and indie rock festival opens in Olympia, Washington.
 * July 29 – 98 Degrees release their debut album 98 Degrees
 * August 3 – The Black Crowes perform their last show with Johnny Colt and Marc Ford.
 * August 4 – Nigerian afrobeat pioneer and dissident pop star Fela Anikulapo-Kuti dies in Lagos, Nigeria, of HIV-related illness.
 * August 7 – Garth Brooks performs to an estimated 800,000 to one million people during a free concert given in Central Park, New York City.
 * August 11 – The Backstreet Boys come back with the release of their second international album Backstreet's Back.
 * August 12 – The Backstreet Boys burst onto the music scene in the United States with the release of their debut album Backstreet Boys.
 * August 14 – Godspeed You! Black Emperor releases debut album, F♯ A♯ ∞
 * August 16–17 – Phish perform at the two-day music festival, The Great Went, at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine, US. They play 500 minutes of music, six sets and two encores. There is an estimated attendance of between 65,000 and 70,000, and it is the top-grossing concert of the season, making over $4,000,000 in box office receipts.
 * August 19 – The reunited Fleetwood Mac release The Dance and begin a concert tour in the United States.
 * August 21 – Oasis' third album, Be Here Now, is released. It becomes the fastest selling album of all time in the UK, moving 695,761 copies in the first week.
 * August 30 – "Mo Money Mo Problems" reaches #1 on the Hot 100 singles chart, making Notorious B.I.G. the first artist to achieve two posthumous #1 singles.

September–October

 * September 6 – Elton John performs "Candle in the Wind" at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales; John Tavener's Song for Athene is performed at the same ceremony, with soprano Lynne Dawson singing the solo part.
 * September 16
 * After a tumultuous divorce from her first husband, Mariah Carey releases the album "Butterfly", which moved her sound in a more Hip-Hop and R&B direction.
 * Aaliyah releases the single "Hot Like Fire"/"The One I Gave My Heart To".
 * September 17 – The KLF return for 23 minutes with their performance of "Fuck the Millennium".
 * September 19 – While on his way to a benefit concert in Kansas, USA, Rich Mullins loses control of his Jeep, flipping the automobile and throwing both Mullins and passenger Mitch McVicker out onto the road. A tractor-trailer approaching the scene swerves to miss McVicker, striking and killing Mullins instantly. McVicker survives, but suffers major injuries.
 * September 20 – U2 plays at Reggio Emilia during their PopMart Tour to over 150,000 people.
 * September 22 – Björk releases Homogenic, moving towards a darker sound and away from her 'pixie' image.
 * September 23 – U2 perform a concert in Sarajevo during their PopMart Tour.
 * September 27 – Bob Dylan performs for Pope John Paul II at a Catholic youth event in Bologna, Italy.
 * September 29
 * The Rolling Stones release Bridges to Babylon.
 * The Verve release Urban Hymns. Ironically, in a controversial legal dispute, the majority of their royalties and songwriting credit for their single "Bittersweet Symphony" go to The Rolling Stones.
 * October 7 – Everclear release their multi-platinum third album So Much for the Afterglow, containing "Father of Mine" and "I Will Buy You a New Life".
 * October 13 – The "Prince Igor" single, jointly performed by The Rhapsody, Warren G and Sissel Kyrkjebø is released.
 * October 15 – Michael Jackson ends the History World Tour, which included an attendance record of 4,500,000 fans.
 * October 23 – R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry announces his departure from the group.

November–December

 * November 3 – The Spice Girls release Spiceworld, their second number one album, making the group the first British band since The Beatles to have two albums in the US chart at the same time. Spice and Spiceworld have amassed enough sales for one out of every two people in Britain to own a Spice Girls album.
 * November 4 – Shania Twain releases her album Come on Over which goes on to sell over 40 million copies worldwide to date and later became the biggest selling album in country music history and the biggest selling album by a female music artist.
 * November 6 – The Spice Girls make the decision to take over the running of the group and drop Simon Fuller as their manager.
 * November 18 – American indie rock band Modest Mouse release their second full-length album, The Lonesome Crowded West.
 * November 19 – Gary Glitter is arrested after images of child pornography are found on a laptop computer that he had taken in for repairs.
 * November 22 – INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence is found dead in a Sydney, Australia hotel room, aged 37.
 * November 25 – Will Smith releases his debut solo studio album Big Willie Style.
 * November 26 – In a performance billed as the "highest" gig on Earth, Spiritualized play in the deck of the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for an audience of 150 people.
 * December 1 – Aaron Carter bursts onto the music scene at the age of 10 with the release of his debut album Aaron Carter, making him the youngest male artist in the world since Michael Jackson in 1969.
 * December 4-5 – Black Sabbath perform a pair of reunion shows in their hometown of Birmingham, England. They are the first full-length concerts by the original lineup of the band since 1978.
 * December 26 – The Spice Girls release their big screen debut Spiceworld: The Movie, starring Richard E. Grant, Roger Moore, Elton John and Stephen Fry. The movie makes £6.8m in its first week of release.
 * December 31 – The Home of Country Music, the Opryland USA theme park, in Nashville, Tennessee, USA closes and is subsequently demolished.

Also in 1997

 * Mikael Åkerfeldt and Peter Lindgren fire Johan De Farfalla from Opeth; then Anders Nordin quits the band. To replace the ex-members, Mike and Pete hire Martin Lopez and Martin Mendez.
 * The companies Memorex, Maxell, and TDK introduce blank recordable CDs.
 * The first John Lennon Songwriting Contest is held.
 * Rob Gommerman leaves Finger Eleven due to extensive touring.
 * Derrick Green replaces Max Cavalera in Sepultura.
 * Glenn Ljungström and Johan Larsson leave In Flames.
 * Big Audio Dynamite's final album Entering a New Ride, which features Ranking Roger from The Beat, gets rejected for release by their record label, so is released independently as one of the first ever well known musical downloads, for free on their website.

Bands formed

 * See Musical groups established in 1997

Bands disbanded

 * Musical groups disestablished in 1997
 * Maroon 5

Bands reformed

 * Blondie (reformed after broke up in 1982)
 * Depeche Mode (reformed after being on hiatus since 1995)
 * Echo & the Bunnymen (reformed after being on hiatus since 1992)
 * Sunny Day Real Estate (reformed after being on hiatus since 1995)

Singles released

 * 1) Communication Breakdown Led Zeppelin

Births

 * January 11 – Cody Simpson, Australian teen pop singer
 * March 2 – Becky G, Mexican-American teen singer
 * June 21 – Rebecca Black, American singer
 * October 1 – Sam Verlinden, New Zealand singer and actor
 * December 16 - Zara Larsson, Swedish singer songwriter
 * December 20 – Suzuka Nakamoto, Japanese singer (Babymetal)

Deaths

 * January 1 – Townes Van Zandt, country-folk musician, 52
 * January 2 – Randy California, rock guitarist, 45 (drowned)
 * January 5 – Burton Lane, composer and lyricist, 84
 * January 10 – Kenny Pickett, vocalist (The Creation), 54
 * January 18 – Keith Diamond, songwriter, 46
 * January 21 – Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager, 87
 * January 22
 * Richard Berry, songwriter (notably wrote "Louie Louie"), 61
 * Billy Mackenzie, Scottish vocalist of The Associates, 39 (suicide)
 * January 27 – Gerald Marks, American songwriter, 96
 * February 10 – Brian Connolly, vocalist (Sweet), 51 (liver failure)
 * February 23 – Tony Williams, jazz drummer, 51
 * March 3 – Finn Høffding, Danish composer, 97
 * March 9 – The Notorious B.I.G., rapper, 24 (shot)
 * March 10 – LaVern Baker, R & B singer, 67
 * March 17 – Jermaine Stewart, vocalist, 39 (AIDS)
 * March 24 – Harold Melvin, soul musician, 57
 * April 8 – Laura Nyro, singer-songwriter, 49 (ovarian cancer)
 * April 9
 * Mae Boren Axton, songwriter and music promoter, 82
 * Yank Rachell, blues guitarist, 87
 * April 19 – Eldon Hoke, metal/punk singer and drummer, 39
 * May 11 – Ernie Fields, American trombonist, pianist, and bandleader, 93
 * May 29 – Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist, 30 (drowned)
 * June 2 – Doc Cheatham, jazz trumpeter, 91
 * June 4 – Ronnie Lane, member of The Small Faces, 51 (multiple sclerosis, pneumonia)
 * June 7 – Arthur Prysock, jazz singer, 68
 * June 16 – John Wolters (Dr Hook), 52 (liver cancer)
 * June 19 – Bobby Helms, country singer, 63
 * June 20 – Lawrence Payton (The Four Tops), 59
 * June 24 – Prince Nico Mbarga, Nigerian highlife musician, 47
 * June 26 – Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, Hawaiian musician, 38
 * July 5 – Mrs. Elva Miller, American singer, 89
 * August 1 – Sviatoslav Richter, pianist, 82
 * August 2 – Fela Kuti, Nigerian musician and composer, 58 (Kaposi's sarcoma)
 * August 5 – Don Steele, American disc jockey, 61
 * August 10 – Conlon Nancarrow, composer, 84
 * August 12 – Luther Allison, blues guitarist, 57
 * August 16 – Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, qawwali singer and world music ambassador, 48
 * September 5 – Sir Georg Solti, conductor, 84
 * September 8 – Derek Taylor, press agent for The Beatles, 65
 * September 18 – Jimmy Witherspoon, blues singer, 77
 * September 19 – Rich Mullins, singer, 41
 * October 5 – Arthur Tracy, singer, 98
 * October 12 – John Denver, American folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician, 53 (air crash)
 * October 19 – Glen Buxton, guitarist for the original Alice Cooper Band, 49 (pneumonia)
 * October 20 – Henry Vestine, guitarist (Canned Heat), 52
 * November 6 – Epic Soundtracks, English singer-songwriter, drummer of Swell Maps, Crime and the City Solution and These Immortal Souls, 38
 * November 12 – Carlos Surinach, Spanish-American composer and conductor, 82
 * November 20 – Robert Palmer, writer, musicologist, clarinetist and producer, 52
 * November 22 – Michael Hutchence, singer of INXS, 37 (hanging)
 * December 1 – Stephane Grappelli, French violinist, 89
 * December 2 – Michael Hedges, composer and guitarist, 43 (car accident)
 * December 16 – Nicolette Larson, pop singer ("Lotta Love"), 45 (cerebral edema)
 * December 19 – Jimmy Rogers, blues musician, 73
 * December 21 – Amie Comeaux, American singer and actress, 21 (traffic accident)
 * December 28 – Henry Barraud, French composer, 97
 * December 31 – Floyd Cramer, pianist, 64

Awards

 * Eurovision Song Contest: Won by Katrina and the Waves (UK) with the song "Love Shine a Light". Main article: Eurovision Song Contest 1997
 * Gospel Music Hall of Fame: Inductees include Gloria Gaither, and Billy Ray Hearn (founder of Myrrh Records).
 * Grammy Awards Main article: Grammy Awards of 1997
 * Mercury Music Prize: Awarded to Roni Size/Reprazent for the album New Forms.
 * MTV Video Music Awards Main article: 1997 MTV Video Music Awards
 * Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The following artists are inducted: The (Young) Rascals; the Bee Gees; Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills and Nash; The Jackson 5; Joni Mitchell; and Parliament-Funkadelic.

Charts

 * Triple J Hottest 100: Main article: Triple J Hottest 100, 1997