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1981 in music |
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Events
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January 10 - Revival of the
Gilbert and Sullivan
operetta
The Pirates of Penzance opens at
Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring
Linda Ronstadt and
Rex Smith
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February 14 -
Billy Idol leaves the band
Generation X to begin a solo career
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February 15 - Blues guitarist
Mike Bloomfield is found dead in
San Francisco. The cause of death was
ruled an accidental drug overdose
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March 14 - Suffering from bleeding
ulcers,
Eric Clapton is admitted to United
Hospital in
St. Paul, Minnesota. Clapton's 60 city
tour of the US is canceled.
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April 7 - Former
Who manager
Kit Lambert dies after falling down a
flight of stairs in his mother's home in
London. Lambert managed the band between
1964 and
1967.
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April 11 -
Van Halen's lead guitarist
Eddie Van Halen marries actress
Valerie Bertinelli.
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April 17 -
Eric Clapton is released from St. Paul's
Hospital in
Minnesota following a month-long
treatment for bleeding ulcers.
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April 18 -
Yes announces that they're breaking up.
(They would however reunite frequently in
years to come).
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April 20 -
The Mamas and the Papas'
John Phillips is sentenced to five years
in jail after pleading guilty to drug
possession charges. Phillips' sentence would
be suspended after thirty days in exchange
for 250 hours of community service.
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April 22 -
Eric Clapton is taken to the hospital
suffering from bruised ribs and a lacerated
shin, following a car accident in
Seattle, Washington.
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April 25 -
Paul McCartney's backing band,
Wings, breaks up
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May 11 - The musical
Cats begins its 8949 performance run
on
London's
West End.
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May 20 -
Alice Cooper's daughter,
Calico Cooper, is born.
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August 1 -
MTV debuts on
cable television, playing
music videos 24 hours a day.
- August, UK - the
success of
Stars On 45 leads to a short-lived
medley
craze. The most successful imitator of
the Stars On 45 format is, rather
unexpectedly, the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra whose
"Hooked On Classics (Parts 1&2)" reaches
number two in the charts.
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August 23 - The
Violent Femmes are discovered by members
of
The Pretenders busking outside the
Milwaukee venue where The Pretenders
will be playing, and invited to play a
10-minute acoustic set as a second opening
act that night.
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September 19 -
Simon and Garfunkel perform a free
reunion concert in
New York City's
Central Park attended by over 500,000
fans.
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November 18 - While sitting in Tom's
Restaurant in
New York City,
Suzanne Vega composes the song "Tom's
Diner".
- The organ at the
famous
Heinävesi Church in Finland is renewed,
using locks from the original organ.
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Alice Cooper drastically changes his
appearance, leaving behind his trademark
make-up and donning a
Military uniform.
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Synth pop enjoys mainstream popularity
in the UK, with groups such as
Ultravox,
Depeche Mode,
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark and
Human League releasing hit singles and
albums.
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Menudo's golden era (1981-1985)
begins in
Latin America, parts of
Europe and
Asia.
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U2 appears on the Tomorrow show
with
Tom Snyder, their first U.S. television
appearance
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Phil Collins releases his first solo
album (although he won't leave the band
Genesis until
1995)
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Hal Willner "invents" the modern
tribute album with Amacord Nino Rota
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Chronological Table of
US and UK Number One Hit Singles
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Other significant
singles of the year
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Births
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January 5 -
Carmen Monarcha, operatic soprano
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January 29 -
Jonny Lang, blues artist
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January 31 -
Justin Timberlake, former member of boy
band
*NSYNC
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February 11 -
Kelly Rowland, member of
Destiny's Child
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February 27 -
Josh Groban,
David Foster prodigy
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March 9 -
Chad Gilbert,
New Found Glory
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March 11 -
Russell Lissack,
Bloc Party
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April 1 -
Theresa Sokyrka,
Canadian Idol 2 runner-up
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June 8 -
Alex Band,
The Calling
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June 21 -
Brandon Flowers,
The Killers
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August 28 -
Iracema Trevisan,
Cansei de Ser Sexy
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September 4 -
Beyoncé Knowles, member of
Destiny's Child
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September 26 -
Christina Milian,
US singer
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October 1 -
Jamelia, British singer
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October 13 -
Kele Okereke,
Bloc Party
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October 15 -
Nick White,
Tilly and the Wall
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November 17 -
Sarah Harding,Girls
Aloud
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November 20 -
Kimberley Walsh,Girls
Aloud
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November 26 -
Natasha Bedingfield, British singer
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December 2 -
Britney Spears
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December 13 -
Amy Lee,
Evanescence
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Deaths
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January 23 -
Samuel Barber
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January 25 -
Adele Astaire, US dancer, actress and
singer
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February 1
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February 9 -
Bill Haley,
rock and roll pioneer,
heart attack
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February 15 -
Mike Bloomfield,
blues
guitarist
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April 5
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April 7 -
Kit Lambert, former manager and producer
for
The Who
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April 8 -
Bert Shevelove,
librettist
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April 14 -
Ivan Galamian, violin teacher
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April 28 -
Steve Currie, 33,
bassist for
T. Rex
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May 11 -
Bob Marley
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July 16 -
Harry Chapin, US singer, automobile
accident
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August 18 -
Robert Russell Bennett, composer and
arranger
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September 15 -
Chick Bullock, US singer
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October 13 -
Marius Casadesus, violinist and composer
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October 15 -
Elsie Randolph, English actress, dancer
and singer
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October 29 -
Georges Brassens, singer-songwriter
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November 27 -
Lotte Lenya, actress and singer, wife of
Kurt Weill
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December 13 -
Cornelius Cardew,
avant-garde composer
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December 27 -
Hoagy Carmichael
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| Awards |
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Country Music Association Awards |
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| Charts |
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| From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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