1994 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.
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Events

January

* January - German industrial metal band Rammstein founded.
* January 29 - The Supremes' Mary Wilson is injured when her jeep hits a freeway median and flips over just outside of Los Angeles, California. Wilson's 14-year old son is killed in the accident.
* January 31 - Tori Amos releases her second album on Atlantic Records, titled Under the Pink.

February

* February 1 - Green Day's first major label studio album, "Dookie", debuts.
* February 7 - Blind Melon's lead singer Shannon Hoon is forced to leave the American Music Awards ceremony for his loud and disruptive behavior. Hoon is later charged with battery, assault, resisting arrest, and destroying a police station phone.
* February 14 - The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia marries Deborah Koons.
* February 23 - The ground breaking ceremony for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Eddie Van Halen, Chris Isaak, and B.B. King attend the event.

March

* March 1 - Nirvana plays the band's final concert in Munich.
* March 3 - In Rome, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain lapses into a coma after overdosing on Rohypnol and champagne.
* March 5 - Grace Slick is arrested for pointing a shotgun at police in her Tiburon, California home.
* March 8 - Soundgarden releases "Superunknown", a groundbreaking album that stands as one of the most acclaimed from that era.
* March 18 - Courtney Love calls the police fearing that her husband, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, is suicidal. Police confiscate four guns and twenty-five boxes of ammo from Cobain's home.
* March 18 - Bassist Darryl Jones replaces Bill Wyman in The Rolling Stones.
* March 30 - Pink Floyd embarks on what would be their last world tour before their breakup. The record-breaking tour supports their Division Bell album, with the band playing to 5,500,000 people in 68 cities and grossing over £150,000,000.
* March 31 - Madonna appears on "The Late Show with David Letterman", making headlines for her foul mouthed, profanity laced interview. Robin Williams later described the segment as a "battle of wits with an unarmed woman."

April

* April 8 - The body of Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, is found. Cobain's death three days before, is legally declared to be suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot.
* April 8 - The Offspring release their third album, "Smash", which helps bring the 1990s punk scene into the mainstream and has been credited as the highest selling independent album of all time.
* April 19 - Rapper Nas releases his debut album, "Illmatic", which is heralded as a rebirth of East Coast hip hop.
* April 25 - Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys is sentenced to 200 hours of community service for attacking a television cameraman during funeral services for actor River Phoenix in November of 1993
* April 26 - The legendary Fillmore club reopens in San Francisco, California.
* April 26 - Grace Slick pleads guilty to pointing a shotgun at police officers on March 5.

May

* May 6 - Pearl Jam files a complaint against Ticketmaster with the U.S. Justice Department charging that the company has a monopoly on the concert ticket business.
* To help promote his new album, Alice Cooper released a three part comic book that followed the album "The Last Temptation".
* May 10 - Weezer releases their debut album, the self-titled "blue" album, which goes multiplatinum.
* May 10 - Tupac Shakur begins serving a 15-day sentence in a county jail for attacking director Allen Hughes on the set of a video shoot.

June

* June 1 - Sean Aziz is born
* June 7 - Grace Slick is sentenced to 200 hours of community service and three month's worth of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after a March 5 incident with police officers.
* June 21 - Rap Group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony releases their first major debut album Creepin On Ah Come Up, Which eventually goes multiplatinum and garners critical success.

July

* July - The Verbier Festival is launched.

August

* August - Innocent Criminals change to Silverchair.
** Rich Mullins and "Leave a Legacy" contest winner, 76 year old Miguel Garcia Massiate, travel to Bogotá, Colombia with Compassion International. The two men visit the Ciudad Sucre Center where Mullins presented them with over $40,000 that was raised on his summer '94 "Ragamuffin Band tour".
* August 9 - Machine Head release their first album "Burn My Eyes", which was a big success and becomes Roadrunner Records' best selling debut album.
* August 12 to August 14 - Woodstock '94
* August 23 - Luscious Jackson release their first full-length album Natural Ingredients.
* August 30 - Oasis release their debut album Definitely Maybe, it becomes the fastest selling debut album in the United Kingdom at the time until 2006 when it was beaten by the Arctic Monkeys' debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.

eptember

* September 8 - Richard A. Morse, lead male vocalist of RAM, narrowly escapes a kidnapping by armed men during the band's live performance at the Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; the attempted kidnapping was provoked by the performance of "Fèy", a RAM single banned nationwide by the military authorities.

October

* October 4 - Dream Theater releases their third studio album "Awake".

Unknown Date

* Christian Olde Wolbers replaces Andrew Shives in Fear Factory.
* Jeff Burrows signed a Cymbal deal with Sabian.
* ALL parts ways with their original home Cruz Records, and signs a recording contract with Interscope (though they shortly leave that label after releasing an album in the following later).
* The Offspring frontman Dexter Holland and bassist Greg Kriesel form the label Nitro Records, which is famous for being an incubator for punk artists who have subsequently become successful, most notably AFI. The label later releases albums from classic punk bands, including The Damned and TSOL, and also reissues the first Offspring album.
* Social Distortion manager Jim Guerinot forms the label Time Bomb Recordings in joint-venture agreement with Arista. The label actually exists mostly as an imprint for current releases from Social Distortion and solo albums by Mike Ness, along with the administration of the label's back catalog.
* Brett Gurewitz leaves Bad Religion to concentrate on the fast growing Epitaph Records, leaving their singer Greg Graffin and bassist Jay Bentley the only founding members of the band still performing with the group. He was replaced by former Minor Threat/Dag Nasty guitarist Brian Baker, who turned down a touring job for R.E.M. at this time. However, Gurewitz rejoined Bad Religion in 2001 and he is still a member of the band today.
* Frank Sinatra receives the Grammy Awards Lifetime Achievement award. Sinatra's acceptance speech is cut short and other artists, upset by this action, criticize the producer's decision during the show, including Billy Joel who takes extra time to perform his song, "The River of Dreams", noting that he is wasting valuable air time.
* The three surviving members of The Beatles secretly reunite to record additional music for a few of John Lennon's old unfinished demos, presented to Paul McCartney by Yoko Ono, with Jeff Lynne producing. The track, Free As A Bird, is released as a single, reaching #2 in the UK, and evolves into the exhaustive Beatles Anthology project.
* José Cura wins the Operalia – International Plácido Domingo Opera Singer Competition.

Bands formed

* Agoraphobic Nosebleed
* Aqua (as Joyspeed)
* The Aquabats
* Bowling for Soup
* Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
* Coal Chamber
* Crimson Death
* Daimonion
* Dark Age
* Derek Trucks Band
* Elf Power
* Garbage
* Kill Hannah
* La Bouche
* Limp Bizkit
* LBC Crew
* Mineral
* Muse
* Naer Mataron
* Placebo
* Prototype
* Rammstein
* Savage Garden split up from Red Edge
* Sevendust (as Crawlspace)
* Spice Girls
* Static-X
* Texas Is the Reason

Bands disbanded

* a-ha (Re-formed in 1998)
* American Music Club (Re-formed in 2004)
* Deacon Blue
* The Farm
* The God Machine
* Level 42 (Re-formed in 2001)
* Luv' (Re-formed in 2005)
* New Kids On The Block (Re-formed in 2008)
* Nirvana
* Not Drowning, Waving
* Rodan
* Slowdive
* Uncle Tupelo
* The Wonder Stuff (Re-formed in 2000)
* 213 (Re-formed in 1996)

Bands reformed

* Circle Jerks (hiatus since 1989)
* King Crimson (since 1984)

Albums released

January

April

July

October

Release Date Unknown

* "Old Stuff, Part Two" - Anal Cunt
* "Frigate" - April Wine
* "Hell Paso" (EP) - At the Drive-In
* "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy" - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
* "Storyteller" - Crystal Waters
* "Promises" - Bo Diddley
* "Everyone's Got One" - Echobelly
* "The Business Trip" - Hawkwind
* "Jimmy Eat World" - Jimmy Eat World
* "Pandemonium" - Killing Joke
* "Move Me" - Nazareth
* "Sour" - Ours
* "I Hope Your Heart Is Not Brittle" - Portastatic
* "Life in the Streets" - Prince Ital Joe & Marky Mark
* "Stuck" - Puddle of Mudd
* "The Best of Chris Rea" - Chris Rea
* "Rivermaya" - Rivermaya
* "Churn" - Seven Mary Three
* "Change Giver" - Shed Seven
* "Rotting Piñata" - Sponge
* "Robbin' the Hood" - Sublime
* "that dog." - that dog.
* "Live!! New York City 10/14/94" - They Might Be Giants
* "Blue Room" - Unwritten Law
* "Isolationism" - Various Artists
* "Now That's What I Call Music! 27" - Various Artists

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest [http://tsort.info/music/yr1994.htm chart positions] in the charts of 1994.

Top hits

* "21st Century (Digital Boy)" - Bad Religion
* "90's Girl" - BlackGirl
* "100% Pure Love" - Crystal Waters
* "About a Girl (Unplugged)" - Nirvana
* "A Girl Like You" - Edwyn Collins
* "All Apologies - Nirvana
* "All For Love" - Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting
* "All I Wanna Do" - Sheryl Crow
* "All That She Wants" - Ace of Base
* "Always" - Bon Jovi
* "Always" - Erasure
* "Amazing" - Aerosmith
* "Another Night" - M.C. Sar & the Real McCoy
* "Any Time, Any Place" - Janet Jackson
* "Asshole" - Denis Leary
* "Basket Case" - Green Day
* "Backwater" - Meat Puppets
* "Big Empty" - Stone Temple Pilots
* "Better Man" - Pearl Jam
* "Big Poppa" - Notorious B.I.G.
* "Big Yellow Taxi" - Amy Grant
* "Black Hole Sun" - Soundgarden
* "Born To Roll" - Masta Ace
* "Come Out And Play" - The Offspring
* "Coming Back" - P.O.D.
* "Corduroy" - Pearl Jam
* "Closer" - Nine Inch Nails
* "Crazy" - Aerosmith
* "Cut Your Hair" - Pavement
* "Deuces Are Wild" - Aerosmith
* "Don't Turn Around" - Ace of Base
* "Everyday" - Phil Collins
* "Found Out About You" - Gin Blossoms
* "Gin & Juice" - Snoop Doggy Dogg
* "House Of Love" - Amy Grant
* "I Alone" - Live
* "I'll Make Love to You" - Boys 2 Men
* "I Like to Move It" - Reel 2 Real
* "I Stay Away" - Alice in Chains
* "I Swear" - All 4 One
* "Infected" - Bad Religion
* "It Ain't Hard to Tell" - Nas
* "It's Alright" - East 17
* "It's Me" - Alice Cooper
* "I Wanna Be Down" - Brandy
* "Je danse le Mia" - IAM
* "Juicy" - Notorious B.I.G.
* "(Lay Your Head On My) Pillow" - Tony! Toni! Tone!
* "Let The Dream Come True" - DJ Bobo
* "Longview" - Green Day
* "Loser" - Beck
* "Lost In America" - Alice Cooper
* "Love is Strong" - Rolling Stones
* "Lucky One" - Amy Grant
* "Mary Jane's Last Dance" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
* "Mr. Jones" - Counting Crows
* "Never Lie" - Immature
* "No Rain" - Blind Melon
* "Rape Me - Nirvana
* "Regulate" - Warren G featuring Nate Dogg
* "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys
* "Say You'll Be Mine" - Amy Grant
* "Secret" - Madonna
* "Seether" - Veruca Salt
* "Self Esteem" - The Offspring
* "Sensualité" - Axelle Red
* "Seven Seconds" - Neneh Cherry & Youssou N'dour
* "She" - Green Day
* "She Don't Use Jelly" - The Flaming Lips
* "Slow Wine" - Tony! Toni! Tone!
* "Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb
* "The Sign" - Ace of Base
* "Spoonman" - Soundgarden
* "Take a Bow" - Madonna
* "The Man Who Sold the World" - Nirvana
* "The Red Strokes" - Garth Brooks
* "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
* "Tootsee Roll" - 69 Boyz
* "Trouble" - Shampoo
* "Until I Fall Away" - Gin Blossoms
* "Waterfalls" - TLC
* "Welcome to Paradise" - Green Day
* "What Would You Say" - Dave Matthews Band
* "When I Come Around" - Green Day
* "Without You" - Mariah Carey
* "You Want This" - Janet Jackson

"See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1994"

Classical music

* Thomas Beveridge - "Yizkor Requiem"
* George Crumb - "Quest" for guitar, soprano saxophone, harp, double bass, and percussion (two players)
* Richard Danielpour - Cello Concerto
* Mario Davidovsky - "Festino" for guitar, viola, violoncello, contrabass
* Karl Jenkins - "Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary"
* Oliver Knussen - Horn Concerto
* György Kurtág - "Stele"
* Tristan Murail - "L'esprit des dunes"
* Michael Nyman - "Concerto for Trombone"
* Einojuhani Rautavaara - Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light"
* Boris Tishchenko - Symphony No. 7

Opera

* Giovanni Bertolani (orchestrated by Francesco Germini) - "Matilde"
* Vivian Fine - "Memoirs of Uliana Rooney"
* Adam Guettel - "Floyd Collins"
* Nicholas Lens - "The Accacha Chronicles Trilogy: Flamma Flamma - The Fire Requiem"

Musical theater

* "Beauty and the Beast" - Broadway production
* "Carousel" (Rodgers & Hammerstein) - Broadway revival
* "Damn Yankees" (Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) - Broadway revival
* "Grease" - Broadway revival
* "Show Boat" (Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II) - Broadway revival
* "Sunset Boulevard" (Andrew Lloyd Webber) - Broadway production

Musical films

* "The Lion King" - animated feature film with songs by Elton John and Tim Rice
* "That's Entertainment! III"

Births

* Coco Hayley Gordon Moore
* Airi Suzuki, Japanese singer
* April 4 - Risako Sugaya, Japanese singer
* April 28 - Jake Rickman, American Guitar Player for the Alters
* September - Taylor Ware, American singer
* September 1 - Bianca Ryan, American singer
* September 7 - Izzy Kraus, Lead Guitarist

Deaths

* January 6 - Harold Sumberg, violinist
* January 15 - Harry Nilsson, singer, songwriter
* January 17 - Georges Cziffra, pianist
* February 7 - Witold Lutosławski, composer
* February 24 - Dinah Shore, singer, actress
* March 6 - Yvonne Fair, African American Singer
* March 16 - Nicolas Flagello, composer
* March 22 - Dan Hartman, singer
* March 23 - Donald Swann, pianist and entertainer
* April 5 - Kurt Cobain, singer
* June 14 - Henry Mancini, composer
* June 15 - Manos Hadjidakis, composer
* June 16 - Kristen Pfaff, bass guitarist
* June 25 - DJ Train, producer
* June 29 - Kurt Eichhorn, conductor
* July 31 - Anne Shelton, British singer
* September 2 - Roy Castle, musician and all-round entertainer
* September 13 - John Stevens, jazz musician
* September 20 - Jule Styne
* September 24 - Urmas Alender, singer
* September 29 - Cheb Hasni
* October 19 - Martha Raye
* October 22 - Shlomo Carlebach, Jewish songwriter
* November 4 - Fred "Sonic" Smith, MC5 guitarist
* November 7 - Shorty Rogers, jazz trumpeter
* November 11 - Elizabeth Maconchy, composer
* December 10 - Garnett Silk, reggae singer

Awards

* The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Ruth Brown, Cream, Creedance Clearwater Revival, The Doors, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Etta James, Van Morrison, and Sly and the Family Stone
* Inductees of the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame include Tennessee Ernie Ford

Filmfare Awards

* Kumar Sanu - Filmfare Best Male Playback Award
* Filmfare Best Music Director Awards - Rahul Dev Burman

Grammy Awards

* Grammy Awards of 1994

Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

* Eurovision Song Contest 1994

Mercury Music Prize

* "Elegant Slumming" - M People wins.

Juno Award

* "Rascalz" - Juno Award Best rap album

Charts

KROQ

* KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown of 1994

Triple J Hottest 100

* Triple J Hottest 100, 1994

ee also

* 1994 in music (UK)
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