Online Encyclopedia

January 7 - After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.
January 7 - Paul McCartney attends the premiere of his step-daughter, Heather 's, first housewares collection in Georgia.
January 11 - During the American Music Awards, Billy Joel is awarded the Special Award of Merit for his "inspired songwriting skills" and "exciting showmanship."
February 14 - Elton John appears as himself in a special Valentine's Day episode of the animated series The Simpsons
February 15 - "Rolling Stones Day" is declared in Minnesota by Governor (and former Rolling Stones bodyguard) Jesse Ventura
February 19 - Marilyn Manson files a defamation countersuit against former Spin Magazine editor Craig Marks, in response to a multi-million dollar lawsuit that Marks filed in January against the singer, the record label Nothing/Interscope, and Manson's bodyguard agency.
February 20 - Trace Adkins performs his first concert following surgery for tendon damage and a broken ankle. Contrary to doctors orders, Adkins does not remain seated during the performance.
February 25 - The Artist Formerly Known as Prince files a lawsuit against nine Web sites for copyright and trademark infringement, claiming that the websites sell bootlegged recordings and offer unauthorized song downloads.
March 1 - Sony Music Distribution raises wholesale prices on audio Compact Discs by 8 cents
March 2 - The House Of Blues in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Mandalay Bay Resort. Bob Dylan performs a concert at the club and is joined by U2's lead singer Bono for an encore of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door".
March 5 - Trauma Entertainment files a $40 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against the members of Bush for failing to deliver a new album.
March 6 - A 67 year old George Jones is seriously injured in a car accident while on his way home. Jones' Lexus crashes into a bridge at about 1:30 p.m. It is later revealed that alcohol was a factor in the accident.
March 15 - Marilyn Manson is injured when he slips and falls during a concert at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. Manson's performance is cut short.
March 28 - Lost Boyz member Freaky Tah is fatally shot in New York as he is leaving his hotel.
April 10 - A charity tribute concert for Linda McCartney is held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Here, There and Everywhere: A Concert For Linda, features performances by Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, Elvis Costello, Sinéad O'Connor, and George Michael. Proceeds raised at the event went to animal rights causes.
April 19 - Neil Young performs at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Due to a mistake by a Madison Square Garden staff member, the marquee read "Bob Dylan, Tonight at 8pm". Young jokingly introduced one of his guitar players as Bob Dylan during the show.
April 20 - Billy Joel performs at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Joel announces that this would be his last public pop music concert. Joel also announces plans on devoting his future efforts to classical music.
April 28 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
April 30 - Columbine High School massacre: Aerosmith visits Columbine High School shooting victim Lance Kirklin in a Colorado hospital before a concert in Denver, Colorado. Kirklin was one of 28 wounded in the April 20 shooting, 13 others were killed.
May 1 - "The Paintings of Paul McCartney" exhibit opens at the Lyz Art Forum in Siegen, Germany. The exhibit features around 70 paintings created by the former Beatle.
December 14 - BMI announces the most played songs on American radio and television in the 20th century. [1] http://www.bmi.com/news/199912/1999121488.asp (full list http://www.bmi.com/awards/1999/top100.asp )
December 29 - Former Beatle George Harrison is stabbed several times in the chest by an unknown assailant, who had broke into Harrison's home. Harrison's wife wrestled the knife out the assailant's hand before the police arrived. The man apparently believed that Harrison was the devil.

Albums Released

Thug Ride - White Dawg
Soundsystem - 311
Premiers Symptomes - Air
Nothing Safe: Best of the Box - Alice in Chains
Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits - The Ataris
Millennium - Backstreet Boys
Midnite Vultures - Beck
Who Else! - Jeff Beck
By Your Side - The Black Crowes
13 - Blur
Bloodthirst - Cannibal Corpse
Hatebreeder - Children of Bodom
The Fragile Art of Existence - Control Denied
Astronimica - Crimson Glory
Manifesto for Futurism - Dali's Dilemma
Euphoria - Def Leppard
Scream for Me Brazil - Bruce Dickinson
Spiritual Black Dimensions - Dimmu Borgir
Fly - Dixie Chicks
Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
Theater of Salvation - Edguy
IX Equilibrium - Emperor
Velocity Overshoot - The Endless Revisions
The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips
Powerplant - Gamma Ray
Further - Gridlock
Alive in Athens - Iced Earth
Colony - In Flames
Stop Staring At Me! - Jerky Boys
J-Tull Dot Com - Jethro Tull
Issues - Korn
Forget About It - Alison Krauss
In a Reverie - Lacuna Coil
Significant Other - Limp Bizkit
My First Album - Lolly
69 Love Songs - The Magnetic Fields
Shapeshifter - Marcy Playground
Still Life - Opeth
Ricky Martin - Ricky Martin
Risk - Megadeth
Mo' Money, Mo' 40z - Mest
Dark Side of the Spoon - Ministry
Dreaming Neon Black - Nevermore
The Fragile - Nine Inch Nails
Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Devil without a Cause - Kid Rock
Anatomy - Stan Ridgway
Supernatural - Santana
Sixpence None The Richer - Sixpence None The Richer
The Hot Rock - Sleater-Kinney
Between the Bridges - Sloan
4 Nights at the Palais Royale - Sloan
...Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
14:59 - Sugar Ray
The Gathering - Testament
NakedSelf - The The
Live - They Might Be Giants
Long Tall Weekend - They Might Be Giants
Fanmail - TLC
X-Ray Sierra - Tom Cochrane
Echo - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Beyond the Veil - Tristania
Greatest Hits - 2Pac
Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon
The White Stripes - The White Stripes
XXX - ZZ Top
The Slim Shady EP - Eminem
Affirmation - Savage Garden

Top Hits

"Kiss Me" - Sixpence None The Richer
"Believe" - Cher
"Smooth" - Santana featuring Rob Thomas
"Freak On A Leash" - Korn
"Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" - Lou Bega
"Genie in a Bottle" - Christina Aguilera
"Livin' La Vida Loca" - Ricky Martin
"New" - No Doubt
"The Kid's Aren't Alright" - The Offspring
"She's Got Issues" - The Offspring
"Why Don't You Get A Job?" - The Offspring
"Blue Monday" - Censored page
"All Star" - Smash Mouth
"Angel" - Sarah McLachlan
"That Don't Impress Me Much" - Shania Twain
"...Baby One More Time" - Britney Spears
"I Need To Know" - Mark Anthony
"Strangers Like Me" - Phil Collins
"You'll Be In My Heart" - Phil Collins

See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1999

Top 10 Selling Albums of the Year

Backstreet Boys - Millennium
Britney Spears - Baby One More Time
Ricky Martin - Ricky Martin
Shania Twain - Come on Over
Limp Bizkit - Significant Other
Santana - Supernatural
TLC - FanMail
Kid Rock - Devil Without a Cause
Christina Aguilera - Christina Aguilera
Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces

Classical music

Patrick Hawes - The Call (song cycle)
Joe Jackson - Symphony No. 1
Karl Jenkins - The Armed Man : A Mass for Peace

Opera

William Bolcom - A View from the Bridge

Musical theater

Annie Get Your Gun (Irving Berlin) - Broadway revival
Fame - The Musical London production
Kiss Me, Kate (Cole Porter) - Broadway revival
Mamma Mia! (Abba) - London production
My Fair Lady (Lerner & Loewe) - London revival
Saturday Night Fever Broadway production

Births

Deaths

January 2 - Rolf Liebermann (88), composer
March 3 - Dusty Springfield (59), British singer, breast cancer
March 4 - Eddie Dean (91), country music artist, actor
March 12 - Yehudi Menuhin (92), violinist and musical director
March 26 - Ananda Shankar (50), Indian classical musician and composer, cardiac arrest
March 28 - Freaky Tah (28), Lost Boyz , gunshot
April 14 - Anthony Newley (67), English songwriter, actor and singer
April 16 - Skip Spence (52), Jefferson Airplane, lung cancer
April 27 - Al Hirt, New Orleans trumpeter
April 30 - Darrell Sweet , Nazareth, heart attack
May 26 - Paul Sacher, conductor
June 5 - Mel Torme, aged 73, U.S. singer
July 6 - Benny Bell , 93, US musician
September 10 - Alfredo Kraus (72 or 73?), opera singer,
October 6 - Amalia Rodrigues (79), Portuguese singer
October 10 - Robert Wright, US songwriter and librettist
October 16 - Ella Mae Morse, (75), US singer
October 19 - Harry Bannink (70), Dutch songwriter
October 26 - Rex Gildo (63), German singer
November 18 - Doug Sahm (58), country and rock musician
December 10 - Rick Danko (56), rock singer in The Band
December 26 - Curtis Mayfield (57), singer/composer