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The Righteous Brothers re-enter the Top 40 with "Unchained Melody."
Nearly 25 years after the song was released, thanks to the movie "Ghost." Soul singer/songwriter Curtis Mayfield is paralyzed in a stage accident, and blues guitar master Stevie Ray Vaughan is killed in a helicopter crash. M.C. Hammer releases "U Can't Touch This," which revitalizes the dance scene. -
CDs outsell cassettes
Guns N' Roses releases "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" simultaneously -- both dominate the Top 200 at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, for two consecutive weeks. Metallica releases its self-titled black album, which holds the No. 1 position for four consecutive weeks. Freddy Mercury, Queen's lead singer, dies of complications related to AIDS. -
Seattle band Nirvana unleashes the No. 1-selling album.
Nevermind," Queen's "Bohemian Rapsody," originally released in 1975, hits No. 2, thanks to the Mike Myers/Dana Carvey flick "Wayne's World." -
1970 power balladeer Meat Loaf.
Meat Loaf releases "Bat Out of Hell II," which immediately races to No. 1 on the Top 200. U2 wraps up its state-of-the-art "Zoo/Zooropa" tour. -
Nirvana.
Nirvana's 27-year-old lead singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain commits suicide. Sheryl Crow's "Tuesday Night Music Club," Hootie & the Blowfish's "Cracked Rear View" and the Eagles' "Hell Freezes Over" are released. -
Beatles.
The Beatles history is televised in three parts on ABC. Two new Beatles songs, "Free as a Bird" and "More Love" are aired. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opens in Cleveland. The Grateful Dead call it quits after the death of band leader Jerry Garcia. Alanis Morissette releases "Jagged Little Pill," which goes multiplatinum (selling more than 2 million copies). -
Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey.
Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey's duet, "One Sweet Day," breaks records by holding the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top 100 for 16 consecutive weeks. Five members of the 1970s power-rock group Styx regroup, but original drummer John Panozzo dies before the band launches its comeback tour. Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" wins a Grammy for Album of the Year. -
Sarah McLachlan.
Sarah McLachlan forms the Lilith Fair, a festival tour consisting of all-female artists and female-fronted bands. Fleetwood Mac returns with its 1970s lineup and releases "The Dance." Elton John's remake of "Candle in the Wind" -- for Princess Diana's funeral -- sells 32 million copies in 37 days, making it the best-selling single of all time. Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync release self-titled, multiplatinum debut albums. -
Frank Sinatra.
Frank Sinatra dies of a heart attack. Aerosmith lands its first No. 1 hit, "Don't Want to Miss a Thing," from the film "Armageddon." Year-end figures show for the first time people under the age of 30 aren't buying more music than those over 30. Record companies begin to watch the Internet, wondering if free downloads will have an impact on record sales. -
Cher, David Bowie, christina Aguilera
Cher's "I Believe" hits No. 1, her first since her 1971's "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves." David Bowie allows his album "Hours" to be downloaded for $17.98 off the Internet. Britney Spears releases her multiplatinum No. 1 album " . . . Baby, One More Time." Christina Aguilera releases her multiplatinum No. 1 self-titled album.
