''See also:''
- January 7 - Genesis '88 and Sunrise/Back To The Future stage large-scale illegal Acid House party in London
- January 14 - Paul McCartney releases '' Снова в СССР '' exclusively in Russia . Bootleg copies sell for as much as $1,000 in the United States
- January 14 - Genesis '88 and Sunrise/Back To The Future stage large-scale illegal Acid House party in London
- January 23 - James Brown is sentenced in Georgia to 6 years in jail in connection with a police chase through two different states
- January 25 - Madonna files for divorce from Sean Penn after three-and-a-half years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
- January - Phil Keaggy and Randy Stonehill form the "Keaggy/Stonehill Band" for a one time tour that pays tribute to 1960s artists like The Beatles . Tim Chandler plays bass for the band and David Raven plays drums.
- January 28 - Genesis '88 stage large-scale illegal Acid House (from strength to strength) party in London
- February 6 - King Tubby Jamaican Dub Music master, was shot and killed by unknown persons outside his home in Duhaney Park, upon returning from a session at his Waterhouse studio, probably in a robbery attempt.
- February 12 - Tiny Tim launches an unsuccessful campaign to be the mayor of New York City .
- February - Roy Orbison joins Elvis Presley as the only singers to ever simultaneously have two Top 5 albums on the Billboard Charts
- February 17 - Whitesnake 's David Coverdale marries Tawny Kitaen
- Alice Cooper completes his return with the album Trash . It becomes one of the best selling albums of the year.
- March 6 - Smokey Robinson 's autobiography ''Inside My Life'' is published. Dream Theater releases their first studio album When Dream And Day Unite
- March 21 - Madonna 's " Like A Prayer " Music Video attracts criticism for its use of Catholic iconography and for the use of cross burning imagery, but also garnered praise for its interpretation of Discrimination , Rape , and Faith . Pepsi drops Madonna as a spokesperson out of fear the video will cause religious groups to Boycott the company.
- April - Three young men attempt to mug Record Producer and author Reed Arvin . Reed, being a rather large man, was able to go home with his money. The three young men were forced to return to their homes empty handed and nursing a few bruises.
- April 9 - The Rolling Stones ' Bill Wyman announces that he's getting married to 19 year old Mandy Smith , whom he has dated for 6 years.
- April 12 Garth Brooks debut album released, it will reach the top of the Country charts and make top 20 in the American pop charts.
- April 28 - Jon Bon Jovi marries his high school sweetheart Dorothea Hurley at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada
- May 1 - California jewelry store employees call the police reporting a suspicious person hanging around their store. The person turned out to be Michael Jackson shopping in disguise
- May - The first issue of '' Ptolemaic Terrascope '' is published
- June 13 British -born singer Sonia made her debut Disco hit "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" went straight #1 in her native Home Country in the UK charts after She was sign PWL Records and team up with Stock Aitken Waterman .
- July 9 - All four original members of The Monkees reunite in Los Angeles for a concert performance at the Universal Amphitheater. The following day the quartet attend an induction ceremony at the Hollywood Walk Of Fame , where they receive a star.
- August 11 - 12 - Moscow Music Peace Festival held in the Soviet Union . The event was put together by Doc McGhee and the Make A Wish Foundation to expose the Russian people to Western Culture , promote international cooperation in fighting the Drug War , and promote peace. The event came to epitomize the fall of the Soviet Union and the height of pop metal. Headlined by Bon Jovi , Ozzy Osbourne , Mötley Crüe , Skid Row , Cinderella , and the Scorpions .
- September 14 - Madonna and Sean Penn's divorce is granted.
- December 12 - Genesis '88 stage large-scale illegal Acid House (the fight goes on) party in London
- December 17 - Gloria Mills "Millie" Chapman is born as the second child of Amy Grant and Gary Chapman . Amy's 1991 hit "Baby Baby" was dedicated to her.
- December 24 - Genesis '88 and Biology parties stage illegal Acid House party in Slough UK
- December 31 - Genesis '88 and Biology parties stage biggest Acid House (FREE) party (Future Power People) of the night in Slough Panasonic building (15,000 people), which was later joined by Sunrise/Back To The Future after their Event was stopped by Police .
- '' Jed - Goo Goo Dolls
- ''Eat the Heat'' - Accept
- ''Adeva!'' - Adeva
- '' Pump '' - Aerosmith
- ''After 7'' - After 7 (debut)
- ''Two Highways'' - Alison Krauss & Union Station
- '' Allroy's Revenge '' - ALL
- '' 5643 Song EP (EP) '' - Anal Cunt
- '' 88 Song E.P. (EP) '' - Anal Cunt
- '' Alice In Hell '' - Annihilator
- '' Penikufesin EP '' - Anthrax
- '' Cosmic Thing '' - The B-52's
- ''Quickness'' - Bad Brains
- '' Badlands '' - Badlands (former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee and former Black Sabbath and then-future Kiss drummer Eric Singer's new band's debut)
- '' No Control '' - Bad Religion
- '' Speaking Of Dreams '' - Joan Baez
- ''Psycho Café'' - Bang Tango (debut)
- '' Different Light '' - The Bangles
- '' Paul's Boutique '' - The Beastie Boys
- '' Mr. Music Head '' - Adrian Belew
- '' Best Shots '' - Pat Benatar
- '' Surprise '' - Better Than Ezra (debut)
- '' Headless Cross '' - Black Sabbath
- '' Follow The Blind '' - Blind Guardian
- '' Blue Murder '' - Blue Murder (John Sykes and former King Kobra drummer Carmine Appice's group) (debut)
- '' Killin' Time '' - Clint Black
- ''Hats'' - The Blue Nile
- '' Realm Of Chaos - Slaves To Darkness '' - Bolt Thrower
- ''A Peacetime Boom'' - The Boom
- '' Garth Brooks '' - Garth Brooks
- ''Heart Shaped World'' - Jackson Browne
- ''Dig?'' - Bill Bruford
- '' The Sensual World '' - Kate Bush
- '' Go Off! '' - Cacophony
- '' Key Lime Pie '' - Camper Van Beethoven
- ''Runaway Horses'' - Belinda Carlisle
- '' Vanity/Nemesis '' - Celtic Frost
- '' The Cinderella Theory ''- George Clinton
- '' Heart Of Stone '' - Cher
- '' Raw Like Sushi '' - Neneh Cherry (debut)
- '' Journeyman '' - Eric Clapton
- ''Steady On'' - Shawn Colvin
- '' Trash '' - Alice Cooper
- '' Boomerang '' - The Creatures
- '' Oh Yes I Can '' - David Crosby
- '' Disintegration '' - The Cure
- '' Danger Danger '' - Danger Danger (debut)
- '' Dangerous Toys '' - Dangerous Toys (debut)
- '' Waking Hours '' - Del Amitri
- '' Spike '' - Elvis Costello
- '''' - Crass
- ---Recorded live in Nottingham in 1984
- '' Best Wishes '' - Cro-Mags
- '' Sonic Temple '' - The Cult
- ''Live ED'' - Étienne Daho
- '' Tragedy Again '' - D.I.
- '' DC Talk '' - Dc Talk
- '' Liebe Ist... '' - Die Flippers
- '' Lotosblume '' - Die Flippers
- '' Thrash Zone '' - D.R.I.
- ''Sumiran Karle (Bhajan)'' - Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta
- '' Leprosy '' - Death
- ''Yo Frankie'' - Dion DiMucci
- ''Just Like Heaven'' - Dinosaur Jr.
- ''Force Majeure'' - Doro (debut)
- '' 3 Feet High And Rising '' - De La Soul
- '' Stuck In Wonderamaland '' - Dramarama
- '' When Dream And Day Unite '' - Dream Theater
- '' Big Thing '' - Duran Duran
- '' Oh Mercy '' - Bob Dylan
- '' Copperhead Road '' - Steve Earle
- '' Cuts Both Ways '' - Gloria Estefan
- '' Wild! '' - Erasure
- ''What You Don't Know'' - Exposé
- '' Extreme '' - Extreme (debut)
- '' Seminal Live '' - The Fall
- '' Me And A Monkey On The Moon '' - Felt
- '' The Raw And The Cooked (album) '' - Fine Young Cannibals
- '' Truth And Soul '' - Fishbone
- '' All That Jazz '' - Ella Fitzgerald
- '' Greatest Hits '' - Fleetwood Mac
- ''Through The Storm'' - Aretha Franklin
- '' Trouble Walkin' '' - Ace Frehley
- ''Margin Walker'' - Fugazi
- '' 13 Songs '' - Fugazi
- '' Technique '' - New Order
- '''' - Peter Gabriel
- ---This album is regarded as a landmark in the popularization of World Music
- '' Kiss Of Life '' - Gene Loves Jezebel
- ''Like A Girl, I Want You To Keep Coming'' - various artists, see John Giorno
- ''Long Hard Look'' - Lou Gramm
- '' ...Twice Shy '' - Great White
- '' 1,000 Hours '' - Green Day
- '' Hallelujah '' - Happy Mondays
- '' Def, Dumb And Blonde '' - Deborah Harry
- ''Desert Wind'' - Ofra Haza
- ''Modern'' - Hijokaidan
- ''Magnum Cum Louder'' - Hoodoo Gurus
- '' The Healer '' - John Lee Hooker
- '' Enter The Realm '' - Iced Earth (demo EP)
- ''The Iceberg/Freedom Of Speech...Just Watch What You Say'' - Ice T
- '' Heart Shaped World '' - Chris Isaak
- '' Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 '' - Janet Jackson
- '' Nothing's Shocking '' - Jane's Addiction
- ''Jaya'' - Jaya
- '' Rock Island '' - Jethro Tull
- ''Sleeping with the Past'' - Elton John
- '' Bulletproof Heart '' - Grace Jones
- '' Mick Jones '' - Mick Jones
- ''Back on the Block'' - Quincy Jones
- '' West Textures '' - Robert Earl Keen
- '' City Streets '' - Carole King
- '' Conspiracy '' - King Diamond
- '' Hot In The Shade '' - Kiss
- ''Night of Rage'' - Kraut
- ''Extreme Aggression'' - Kreator
- '' Let Love Rule '' - Lenny Kravitz (debut)
- '' Cocked & Loaded '' - L.A. Guns
- '' A Night To Remember '' - Cyndi Lauper
- ''Western Shadows'' - Carole Laure
- ''Piretos tou erota'' - Vicky Leandros
- '' Flying Cowboys '' - Rickie Lee Jones
- '' The Death Of A Dictionary '' - Live (debut)
- '' Godhead '' - Lowlife
- ''Powertrip'' - Ludichrist (final album)
- ''Drowning In Limbo'' - Lydia Lunch
- '' Kite '' - Kirsty MacColl
- '' The White Room '' - The KLF
- '' Like A Prayer '' - Madonna
- '' Trial By Fire / Live In Leningrad '' - Yngwie Malmsteen
- ''Rasta Souvenir'' - Manu Dibango
- '' Flowers In The Dirt '' - Paul McCartney
- ''No More Blues'' - Susannah McCorkle
- '' Touch '' - Sarah McLachlan
- '' Ozma '' - Melvins
- '' Devil's Night Out '' - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
- '' Girl You Know It's True '' - Milli Vanilli (US release)
- '' The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste '' - Ministry
- ''All Aboard the Mind Train'' - The Modern Art
- '' Altars Of Madness '' - Morbid Angel
- '' Avalon Sunset '' - Van Morrison
- ''Face of Despair'' - Mortal Sin
- '' Shine '' - Mother Love Bone (debut EP)
- '' Dr. Feelgood '' - Mötley Crüe
- '' Mr. Big '' - Mr. Big (debut)
- '' Straight Outta Compton '' - N.W.A.
- '' Helter Stupid '' - Negativland
- ''Yellow Moon'' - The Neville Brothers
- '' The Other Side Of The Mirror '' - Stevie Nicks
- '' Pretty Hate Machine '' - Nine Inch Nails (debut)
- '' Bleach '' - Nirvana (debut)
- ''Once We Were Scum, Now We Are God'' - No (band)
- '' S&M Airlines '' - NOFX
- '' Wrong '' - NoMeansNo
- ''Get Yer Jujus Out'' - Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey & His Inter-Reformers Band
- '' The Offspring '' - The Offspring (debut)
- ---Originally recorded and released in 1989 on vinyl and it was not released on CD until 1995.
- '' Energy '' - Operation Ivy
- '' No Rest For The Wicked '' - Ozzy Osbourne (first album with Zakk Wylde )
- '' White Limozeen '' - Dolly Parton
- '' I Enjoy Being A Girl '' - Phranc
- '' Nick Of Time '' - Bonnie Raitt
- '' New York '' - Lou Reed
- ''Something Inside So Strong'' Kenny Rogers
- '' Presto '' - Rush
- '' The Early Years '' - Roxy Music
- '' Mystery Girl '' - Roy Orbison
- '' A Black & White Night Live '' - Roy Orbison
- '' Sittin' Pretty '' - The Pastels
- '' A Word From The Wise '' - Pennywise (EP)
- '' Consuming Impulse '' - Pestilence
- '' Full Moon Fever '' - Tom Petty
- '' Doolittle '' - Pixies
- ''Record Collectors'' - Poison Idea
- '' Suck On This '' - Primus (live debut)
- '' Batman '' - Prince
- '' Fear Of A Black Planet '' - Public Enemy
- '' Fight The Power...Live! '' - Public Enemy (live, released on VHS)
- '' The Miracle '' - Queen
- '' All Hail The Queen '' - Queen Latifah (debut)
- ''The Good News and The Bad News'' - The Rainmakers
- '' Brain Drain '' - The Ramones
- '' Mother's Milk '' - Red Hot Chili Peppers
- '' Blow '' - Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
- '' The Symphony Sessions '' - Red Rider
- '' Don't Tell A Soul '' - The Replacements
- '' Riders Go Commercial - Riders In The Sky
- '' Hard Volume '' - Rollins Band
- '' Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind '' - Linda Ronstadt,featuring Aaron Neville
- '' Workin' Overtime '' - Diana Ross
- '' Nearly Human '' - Todd Rundgren
- ''Samiam'' - Samiam (debut)
- ''Early Music'' - Santana
- '' Better Than A Stick In The Eye '' - SNFU
- '' Flying In A Blue Dream '' - Joe Satriani
- ''Best Of Rockers & Ballads'' - Scorpions
- '' Buzz Factory '' - Screaming Trees
- ''Nothing Matters Without Love'' - Seduction
- '' Beneath The Remains '' - Sepultura
- ''Century Flower'' - Shelleyan Orphan
- '' Bound By The Beauty '' - Jane Siberry
- '' Blood, Sweat & No Tears '' - Sick Of It All
- '' Street Fighting Years '' - Simple Minds
- '' Skid Row '' - Skid Row (debut)
- '' Rabies '' - Skinny Puppy
- '' Tweez '' - Slint (debut)
- '' 11 '' - The Smithereens
- '' Agent Orange '' - Sodom
- ''Club Classics Vol. I'' - Soul II Soul
- ''Nights Like This '' - Stacey Q.
- '' Love Among The Cannibals '' - Starship (final album)
- '' In Step '' - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble (final album)
- '' The Stone Roses '' - The Stone Roses (debut)
- ''Surprise'' - Syd Straw
- '' Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! '' - Björk & The Sugarcubes
- '' Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà Vu '' - Suicidal Tendencies
- ''Another Place & Time'' - Donna Summer
- '' Kaleidoscope World '' - Swing Out Sister
- '' The Seeds Of Love '' - Tears For Fears
- '''' - Technotronic
- ''Special'' - The Temptations
- '' Neither Fish Nor Flesh (A Soundtrack Of Love, Faith, Hope & Destruction) '' - Terence Trent D'Arby
- '' The Great Radio Controversy '' - Tesla
- '' Practice What You Preach '' - Testament
- '' Up To Here '' - The Tragically Hip (Debut)
- '' Lincoln '' - They Might Be Giants
- '' Foreign Affair '' - Tina Turner
- ''Different'' - Thomas Anders
- '' Life Is...Too Short '' - Too
- '' The Black Swan '' - The Triffids
- '' As Nasty As They Wanna Be '' - 2 Live Crew
- '' Peace Thru Vandalism/When In Rome Do As The Vandals '' - The Vandals
- '' Dum Dum '' - The Vaselines
- '' 3 '' - Violent Femmes
- ''Liberation'' - Bunny Wailer
- '' Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich '' - Warrant (debut)
- '' The Headless Children '' - W.A.S.P.
- '' Prime 5 '' - Ween
- '' Big Game '' - White Lion
- '' Slip Of The Tongue '' - Whitesnake
- '' Oranges And Lemons '' - XTC
- '' UHF '' - "Weird Al" Yankovic
- '' Niki Nana - Yanni
- '' Freedom '' - Neil Young
- '' Broadway The Hard Way '' - Frank Zappa
- '' You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 '' - Frank Zappa
- '' The Real Thing - Faith No More (first album with singer Mike Patton )
- '' Doolittle - Pixies
The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in 1989.
- January 20 - Beatrice Lillie , Canadian actress and singer
- February 5 - Joe Raposo , composer and lyricist, '' Bein' Green ''
- February 6 - King Tubby Jamaican DJ and composer, father of dub reggaeΉ
- February 23 - Florencio Morales Ramos , singer and composer
- March 19 - Alan Civil , horn player
- March 20 - Archie Bleyer , US arranger and bandleader
- April 26 - Lucille Ball , US actress and singer
- May 10 - Woody Shaw
- May 30 - Zinka Milanov , operatic soprano
- June 24 - Hibari Misora , Japanese enka singer
- July 16 - Herbert Von Karajan , conductor
- August 1 - John Ogdon , pianist
- August 2 - Luiz Gonzaga , Brazilian musician
- August 21 - Raul Seixas , singer and songwriter
- September 14 - Perez Prado , 72, Cuban bandleader and composer
- September 15 - Jan DeGaetani , mezzo-soprano
- September 22 - Irving Berlin , 101, composer, lyricist
- September 30 - Virgil Thomson , composer
- October 17 - Morteza Hannaneh , composer
- October 19 - Alan Murphy , guitarist, member of Level 42 and Go West .
- October 22 - Ewan MacColl , folk singer
- November 5 - Vladimir Horowitz , pianist
- November 15 - Alejo Duran , composer of Vallenatos
- December 6 - Sammy Fain , US composer
- December 26 - Sir Lennox Berkeley , composer
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