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Years in music: 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
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Years: 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985

This is a list of notable events in music from 1982, a year in which Madonna made her debut and Michael Jackson released Thriller, which still holds the title for the world's best selling album.

Events[]

January–March[]

  • January 15K.C. and the Sunshine Band's Harry Wayne Casey is seriously injured in an automobile accident in Miami, Florida.
  • January 20Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a live bat thrown at him during a performance in Des Moines, Iowa. He thought it was rubber.[1]
  • January 21B. B. King donates his personal record collection, which includes nearly 7,000 rare blues records, to the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture.
  • January 22Tommy Tucker, writer of "Hi Heel Sneakers", dies of carbon tetrachloride poisoning sustained while finishing floors in his home.
  • February 13 – A 300-pound (136 kg) gravestone from the grave of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant is stolen from an Orange Park, Florida cemetery. Police found the gravestone 2 weeks later in a dry river bed.
  • February 19Ozzy Osbourne is arrested after urinating on The Alamo, in San Antonio, Texas.
  • February 20Pat Benatar marries her guitarist, Neil Giraldo, on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
  • February 27 – The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company gives its final performance at the Adelphi Theatre after more than 110 years.
  • March 3The Mamas & the Papas begin a reunion tour with a show in the New York club The Other End. Spanky McFarlane replaces Mama Cass.
  • March 4Frank Zappa's son Dweezil and daughter Moon Unit form Fred Zeppelin.
  • March 5 – Comedian and Blues Brother John Belushi is found dead of an apparent drug overdose in the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles.
  • March 18Teddy Pendergrass is severely injured in a car accident in Philadelphia. Pendergrass's injuries result in him being paralyzed from the chest down.
  • March 19Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist, Randy Rhoads, is killed in a freak accident in Leesburg, Florida when the plane in which he is riding buzzes Osbourne's tour bus and crashes into a house. The plane's pilot and a female passenger are also killed.
  • March 22Iron Maiden release The Number of the Beast (album), the critically acclaimed yet controversial album which is often hailed as Iron Maiden's greatest. Christians in the United States went out and bought Iron Maiden's albums (along with those of Ozzy Osbourne's) and burned them in protest to what they thought were Satanic lyrics. This album hit number one in the UK charts.
  • March 28 – In Los Angeles, David Crosby is arrested for possession of Quaaludes and drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence of cocaine and carrying a concealed weapon.

April – August[]

  • April 13 – David Crosby is arrested on drug charges for the second time in three weeks when Dallas police catch him preparing cocaine backstage before a show.
  • April 15Billy Joel is seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in Long Island, New York. Joel spends over a month in the hospital undergoing physical therapy for his hand.
  • April 17Johnny Cash hosts Saturday Night Live with Cash and Elton John and his classic band as the musical guests. Cash sings I Walk The Line, Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire and Sunday Morning Coming Down. John sings Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) and Ball and Chain. The latter would not appear on the NBC show again until 2011.
  • April 24Germany wins the 27th annual Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Harrogate Conference Centre, North Yorkshire, with the song "Ein bißchen Frieden", sung by 17-year-old Nicole. She also records the song in English as "A Little Peace", which becomes the 500th chart-topping single in the UK.
  • April 26
    • Rod Stewart is mugged in Los Angeles. Stewart loses his $50,000 Porsche to the mugger, but is not hurt. The car is recovered several days later.
    • Joe Strummer vanishes, forcing The Clash to postpone their U.K. tour.
  • April 30 – Influential rock journalist Lester Bangs dies in his New York apartment of an apparent accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
  • May 14 – The first Prince's Trust charity concert is held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With The Prince of Wales in attendance, Status Quo, becomes the first contemporary band to play to British royalty.
  • May 18 – Three weeks after disappearing, Joe Strummer and his girlfriend are found living in Paris, two days after they ran the Paris Marathon.
  • May 26The Rolling Stones open their European tour in Aberdeen, Scotland.
  • June 11Grease 2, starring Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer (in her feature film debut), is released.
  • June 16James Honeyman-Scott dies of heart failure caused by cocaine intolerance. He was 25 years old.
  • June 19Amy Grant marries Gary Chapman.
  • July 4Ozzy Osbourne marries his manager Sharon Arden in Maui, Hawaii.
  • July 21 – A second Prince's Trust charity concert is held at the Dominion Theatre in London. Performers include Pete Townshend, Robert Plant, Madness, Phil Collins, Joan Armatrading and Kate Bush.
  • August 17 – In Langenhagen near Hanover, Germany began the first mass production of the compact disc.
  • August 18 – Four streets in Liverpool are named after each of The Beatles.
  • August 31Ronnie James Dio plays his final show with Black Sabbath (until 1992).

September–December[]

Also in 1982[]

  • December Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr is fired and replaced by Nicko McBrain formally of the French band Trust.

Bands formed[]

Bands disbanded[]

Albums released[]

In the US, the RIAA stated that 2,630 albums, 2,710 cassettes and 2,285 singles were released.

  1. The Number of the Beast Iron Maiden

Biggest hit singles[]

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1982.

# Artist Title Year Country Chart Entries
1 Survivor Eye of the Tiger 1982 United States UK 1 – Jul 1982, US BB 1 – Jun 1982, US CashBox 1 of 1982, Canada 1 – Jun 1982, Norway 1 – Aug 1982, Australia 1 of 1982, Kazakhstan 1 – Jul 1982, Ireland 1 – Sep 1982, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Aug 1983, Netherlands 2 – Sep 1982, Austria 2 – Sep 1982, South Africa 2 of 1982, Sweden (alt) 5 – Aug 1982, Switzerland 6 – Aug 1982, US BB 7 of 1982, France 7 – Jan 1983, POP 7 of 1982, Germany 18 – Jan 1983, Scrobulate 20 of 80s, Italy 23 of 1982, Poland 24 – Jul 1982, Global 33 (5 M sold) – 1982, Europe 46 of the 1980s, OzNet 82
2 Men at Work Down Under 1982 Australia UK 1 – Jan 1983, US BB 1 – Nov 1982, Canada 1 – Sep 1982, Switzerland 1 – Jun 1982, Poland 1 – Jan 1983, Ireland 1 – Jan 1983, New Zealand 1 for 2 weeks Feb 1982, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Nov 1982, Netherlands 2 – Mar 1982, Norway 2 – Feb 1983, France 4 – Aug 1982, Sweden (alt) 6 – Feb 1983, US CashBox 8 of 1983, South Africa 8 of 1982, OzNet 8, Germany 10 – Mar 1983, POP 16 of 1983, US BB 21 of 1983, Australia 24 of 1982, Europe 36 of the 1980s, KROQ 70 of 1982, Scrobulate 83 of 80s, RYM 96 of 1981
3 Joan Jett & The Blackhearts I Love Rock 'n' Roll 1982 United States US BB 1 – Feb 1982, Canada 1 – Jan 1982, Netherlands 1 – Apr 1982, Sweden (alt) 1 – Jun 1982, New Zealand 1 for 4 weeks Jun 1982, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Mar 1983, Poland 2 – May 1982, Switzerland 3 – Mar 1982, UK 4 – Apr 1982, POP 4 of 1982, US CashBox 5 of 1982, Austria 5 – May 1982, Germany 6 – Apr 1982, Australia 7 of 1982, South Africa 7 of 1982, US BB 8 of 1982, France 10 – Mar 1982, KROQ 71 of 1982, Party 80 of 1999, RIAA 177, Acclaimed 295, Germany 348 of the 1980s, TheQ 463, Rolling Stone 484
4 Dexys Midnight Runners Come On Eileen 1982 United Kingdom UK 1 – Jul 1982, US BB 1 – Feb 1983, Canada 1 – Nov 1982, Switzerland 1 – Nov 1982, Ireland 1 – Aug 1982, New Zealand 1 for 4 weeks Nov 1982, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Sep 1983, POP 2 of 1983, Netherlands 4 – Aug 1982, US BB 5 of 1983, France 5 – Jan 1983, Germany 5 – Jan 1983, Austria 9 – Nov 1982, RYM 11 of 1982, US CashBox 12 of 1983, Australia 12 of 1982, Scrobulate 15 of 80s, Party 36 of 2007, Virgin 85, OzNet 117, Germany 244 of the 1980s, Acclaimed 1040
5 Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder Ebony and Ivory 1982 United States United Kingdom UK 1 – Apr 1982 (10 weeks), US Billboard 1 – Apr 1982 (19 weeks), Canada 1 – Apr 1982 (14 weeks), Norway 1 – Apr 1982 (18 weeks), Belgium 1 – Apr 1982 (10 weeks), Germany 1 – May 1982 (5 months), Eire 1 for 3 weeks – Apr 1982, Canada RPM 1 for 5 weeks – May 1982, Germany 1 for 5 weeks – Jun 1982, Spain 1 for 1 week – Jun 1982, Sweden (alt) 2 – Apr 1982 (21 weeks), Switzerland 2 – Apr 1982 (12 weeks), Grammy in 1982 (Nominated), Netherlands 3 – Apr 1982 (9 weeks), Austria 3 – May 1982 (5 weeks), Springbok 3 – May 1982 (13 weeks), US CashBox 4 of 1982, Poland 4 – May 1982 (7 weeks)

Chronological table of US and UK number one hit singles[]

UK number one singles and artist
(weeks at number one)
U.S. number one singles and artist
(weeks at number one)

"Don't You Want Me" – The Human League (3 weeks in 1981 + 2 weeks in 1982)
"Land of Make Believe" – Bucks Fizz (2)
"Oh Julie" – Shakin' Stevens (1)
"The Model" – Kraftwerk (1)
"Town Called Malice" – The Jam (3)
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" – Tight Fit (3)
"Seven Tears" – Goombay Dance Band (3)
"My Camera Never Lies" – Bucks Fizz (1)
"Ebony and Ivory" – Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (3)
"A Little Peace" – Nicole (2) 500th UK No. 1 single
"House of Fun" – Madness (2)
"Goody Two Shoes" – Adam Ant (2)
"I've Never Been to Me" – Charlene (1)
"Happy Talk" – Captain Sensible (2)
"Come on Eileen" – Dexys Midnight Runners (4) best selling single of the year
"Eye of the Tiger" – Survivor (4)
"Pass the Dutchie" – Musical Youth (3)
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" – Culture Club (3)
"I Don't Wanna Dance" – Eddy Grant (3)
"Beat Surrender" – The Jam (2)
"Save Your Love" – Renée and Renato (2 weeks in 1982 + 2 weeks in 1983)

"Physical" – Olivia Newton-John (6 weeks in 1981 + 4 weeks in 1982) best selling single of the year
"I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" – Daryl Hall & John Oates (1)
"Centerfold" – The J. Geils Band (6)
"I Love Rock 'N Roll" – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (7)
"Titles" – Vangelis (1)
"Ebony And Ivory" – Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (7)
"Don't You Want Me" – The Human League (3)
"Eye Of The Tiger" – Survivor (6)
"Abracadabra" – Steve Miller Band (2)
"Hard To Say I'm Sorry" – Chicago (2)
"Jack And Diane" – John Cougar (4)
"Who Can It Be Now?" – Men at Work (1)
"Up Where We Belong" – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes (3)
"Truly" – Lionel Richie (2)
"Mickey" – Toni Basil (1)
"Maneater" – Daryl Hall & John Oates (2 weeks in 1982 + 2 weeks in 1983)
Or see: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1982

1982's significant singles[]

  1. Shipbuilding Robert Wyatt

Published popular music[]

  • How Do You Keep the Music Playing? w. Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman m. Michel LeGrand. From the film Best Friends.
  • "key Largo" w.m. Sonny Limbo & Bertie Higgins
  • "Let's Go to the Movies" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the film version of the musical Annie
  • "Sandy (Dumb Dog)" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the film version of the musical Annie
  • "Sign!" w. Martin Charnin w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the film version of the musical Annie
  • "St. Elsewhere theme song" m. Dave Grusin
  • "Up Where We Belong"     w. Will Jennings m. Buffy Sainte-Marie & Jack Nitzsche
  • "We Got Annie" w. Martin Charnin m. Charles Strouse from the film version of the musical Annie
  • "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" w.m. Judy Hart Angelo & Gary Portnoy, theme from the TV series Cheers
  • "Without Us" w. Tom Scott m. Jeff Barry, theme from the TV series Family Ties


Births[]

  • January 6Morgan Lander, Canadian musician (Kittie)
  • January 11Ashley Taylor Dawson, (allSTARS*)
  • January 14Caleb Followill, singer (Kings of Leon)
  • January 17Alex Varkatzas, Greek-American lead vocalist (Atreyu)
  • January 18
    • Quinn Allman, guitarist (The Used)
    • Joanna Newsom, American musician
  • January 19Angela Chang, Taiwanese singer and actress
  • January 21André Lousada, Portuguese conductor
  • January 25Sho Sakurai, Japanese singer
  • January 28Ryan Sheridan, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • January 29Adam Lambert, singer, stage actor, American Idol 8 finalist
  • January 31Elena Paparizou, Greek-Swedish singer
  • February 1Kim Jong-wook, South Korean singer
  • February 3Jessica Harp, American singer and guitarist (The Wreckers)
  • February 4Kimberly Wyatt, singer (The Pussycat Dolls)
  • February 9Ami Suzuki, Japanese singer
  • February 16Lupe Fiasco, American rapper
  • February 25Bert McCracken, lead singer of American rock band The Used
  • March 13Darbuka Siva, percussionist and composer
  • March 20Nick Wheeler (The All-American Rejects)
  • March 21Jocie Kok, Chinese-Singaporean singer
  • March 22Pete Bennett, English rock singer (Daddy Fantastic) and television personality (Big Brother 2006)
  • April 7Kelli Young, (Liberty X)
  • April 8Keegan DeWitt, American singer-songwriter and actor (Wild Cub)
  • April 18Marie-Élaine Thibert, Canadian singer
  • April 21Lynn Hilary, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Celtic Woman and Anúna)
  • April 24Kelly Clarkson, first American Idol winner
  • April 26
    • Nadja Benaissa, German pop singer
    • Jon Lee, (S Club 7)
  • April 30Lloyd Banks, African American/Puerto Rican rapper
  • May 4Vera Schmidt, Hungarian singer-songwriter
  • May 15Jessica Sutta, singer from The Pussycat Dolls
  • June 2Jewel Staite, Canadian actress and singer
  • June 4Jin Au-Yeung, Chinese-American rapper
  • June 7Amy Nuttall, British actress and opera singer
  • June 14Lang Lang, pianist
  • July 5Dave Haywood, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Lady Antebellum)
  • July 6Tay Zonday, American musician, voice actor
  • July 7Cassidy, rapper
  • July 10Alex Arrowsmith, American musician
  • July 14Dmitry Chaplin, Russian So You Think You Can Dance finalist
  • July 15Haley Scarnato, American singer and American Idol finalist
  • July 17Natasha Hamilton, (Atomic Kitten)
  • July 18Ryan Cabrera, American musician and TV host
  • July 19Christopher Bear, American drummer (Grizzly Bear)
  • July 23Claudette Ortiz, American soul singer
  • August 19Willy Denzey, French singer
  • August 28LeAnn Rimes, singer
  • September 3
    • Andrew McMahon, American musician
    • Kaori Natori, Japanese singer and model
  • September 7Race Wong, Hong Kong singer/actress, Member of 2R
  • September 9Ai Otsuka, Japanese singer
  • September 22Billie Piper, singer and actress
  • September 27Lil Wayne, American rapper
  • October 1Sandra Oxenryd, Swedish pop singer
  • October 6MC Lars, American rapper
  • October 7Lockett Pundt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Deerhunter)
  • October 18Ne-Yo, R&B singer
  • October 27Keri Hilson, American singer
  • November 13
    • Michael Copon, American actor model and singer
    • Kumi Koda, Japanese singer
  • November 22Charlene Choi, Hong Kong singer and actress
  • December 3Jaycee Chan, Hong Kong actor and singer
  • December 13Anthony Callea, Australian singer
  • December 14Anthony Way, British singer and actor
  • December 20
    • David Cook, American singer
    • Jason Zhang, Chinese pop singer
  • December 23Beatriz Luengo, singer, dancer and actress
  • December 24Robert Carmine, vocalist (Rooney)
  • December 27Terji Skibenæs, Faroese guitarist (Týr)
  • Undated – Guanqun Yu, Chinese operatic soprano

Deaths[]

  • January – Sudhin Dasgupta, music director, lyricist, and singer, 52
  • January 16Harald Agersnap, Danish classical musician, 92
  • January 17Tommy Tucker, songwriter, 48 (carbon tetrachloride poisoning)
  • January 19Elis Regina, Brazilian singer, 36
  • January 30
    • Stanley Holloway, English actor and singer, 91
    • Lightnin' Hopkins, blues singer, 69
  • February 4Alex Harvey, rock singer and guitarist, 46
  • February 17Thelonious Monk, jazz pianist, 64
  • February 18Nathaniel Shilkret, composer and musician, 92
  • February 21Murray the K, disc jockey, 60
  • February 25Chao Yuen Ren, composer, 89
  • March 5John Belushi, entertainer of The Blues Brothers fame, 33 (drug overdose)
  • March 19Randy Rhoads, guitarist, 25 (plane crash)
  • March 24Aileen Stanley, singer, 84 or 85
  • March 26Ferdinando Garimberti, violin maker, 88
  • March 29Carl Orff, German composer, famous for the choral work Carmina Burana, 86
  • April 2Sam Coslow, songwriter and singer, 79
  • May 1William Primrose, violist, 77
  • May 5Cal Tjader, Latin jazz musician, 56
  • May 8Neil Bogart, owner of Casablanca Records, 39 (cancer)
  • May 12Humphrey Searle, composer, 66
  • May 13Renzo Rossellini, film composer, 74
  • May 15Joëlle Mogensen, French singer, 29 (drug overdose)
  • May 16Adriano Correia de Oliveira, Portuguese composer and singer, 40
  • May 26Nanny Larsén-Todsen, operatic soprano, 97
  • May 30Leon René, songwriter, 80
  • June 15Art Pepper, jazz saxophonist, 56 (brain hemorrhage)
  • June 16James Honeyman-Scott, guitarist, 25 (heart failure from cocaine use)
  • July 9Wingy Manone, jazz trumpeter, 82
  • July 10Maria Jeritza, operatic soprano, 96
  • July 15Bill Justis, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer, 55 (cancer)
  • July 22Sonny Stitt, jazz saxophonist, 58
  • July 28Keith Green, gospel singer, 28 (plane crash)
  • August 13Joe Tex, Southern soul singer, 49
  • September 1Clifford Curzon, pianist, 75
  • September 12Federico Moreno Torroba, composer, 91
  • September 14Christian Ferras, French violinist, 49 (suicide)
  • September 17Manos Loïzos, Greek composer, 44
  • September 29A. L. Lloyd, folk song collector, 74
  • October 4Glenn Gould, pianist, 50 (stroke)
  • October 16
    • Jakov Gotovac, composer and conductor, 87
    • Mario del Monaco, operatic tenor, 67
  • October 21Radka Toneff, Norwegian jazz singer, 30
  • October 29William Lloyd Webber, British organist and composer, 68
  • November 16Al Haig, jazz pianist, 58
  • December 2David Blue, folk singer, 41
  • December 8Marty Robbins, country singer, 57
  • December 10Roy Webb, film composer, 94

Awards[]

Grammy Awards[]

  • Grammy Awards of 1982

Country Music Association Awards[]

Template:Empty section

Eurovision Song Contest[]

Charts[]

List of No. 1 Hits[]

  • Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1982

See also[]

  • 1982 in music (UK)
  • Record labels established in 1982
  • List of 'years in music'

References[]