1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982, the year in which Michael Jackson released Thriller, which holds the title for the world's best selling album.
Specific locations
Specific genres
- 1982 in country music
- 1982 in heavy metal music
- 1982 in hip-hop
- 1982 in jazz
- 1982 in progressive rock
Events
January–March
- January 15 – K.C. and the Sunshine Band's Harry Wayne Casey is seriously injured in an automobile accident in Miami, Florida.|
- January 20 – Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a live bat thrown at him during a performance in Des Moines, Iowa. He thought it was rubber.
- January 21 – B. B. King donates his personal record collection, which includes nearly 7,000 rare blues records, to the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture.
- February 13 – A 300-pound gravestone from the grave of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant is stolen from an Orange Park, Florida, cemetery. Police find the gravestone two weeks later in a dry river bed.
- February 19 – Ozzy Osbourne is arrested after urinating on The Alamo, in San Antonio, Texas.
- February 20 – Pat Benatar marries her guitarist, Neil Giraldo, on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
- February 24 – The 24th Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by Quincy Jones. John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy wins Album of the Year, while Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Sheena Easton wins Best New Artist.
- February 27 – The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company gives its final performance at the Adelphi Theatre after more than 110 years.
- March 3 – The Mamas & the Papas begin a reunion tour with a show in the New York club The Other End with original members John Phillips and Denny Doherty, along with Mackenzie Phillips and Spanky McFarlane replacing Michelle Gilliam and Cass Elliot respectively.
- March 4 – Frank Zappa's son Dweezil and daughter Moon Unit form Fred Zeppelin.
- March 5 – Comedian and Blues Brother John Belushi is found dead of an apparent drug overdose in the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.
- March 18 – Teddy Pendergrass is severely injured in a car accident in Philadelphia. Pendergrass's injuries result in him being paralyzed from the chest down.
- March 19 – Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist, Randy Rhoads, is killed in a freak accident in Leesburg, Florida, when the plane in which he is riding buzzes Osbourne's tour bus and crashes into a house. The plane's pilot and a female passenger are also killed.
- March 22 – Iron Maiden release The Number of the Beast, the critically acclaimed yet controversial album often hailed as Iron Maiden's greatest. This was Iron Maiden's first album to feature singer Bruce Dickinson and their first to hit number one in the UK charts.
- March 28 – In Los Angeles, David Crosby is arrested for possession of Quaaludes and drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence of cocaine and carrying a concealed weapon.
April–August
- April 13 – David Crosby is arrested on drug charges for the second time in three weeks when Dallas police catch him preparing cocaine backstage before a show.
- April 15 – Billy Joel is seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in Long Island, New York. Joel spends over a month in the hospital undergoing physical therapy for his hand.
- April 17 – Johnny Cash hosts Saturday Night Live with Cash and Elton John and his classic band as the musical guests. Cash sings I Walk The Line, Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire and Sunday Morning Coming Down. John sings Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) and Ball and Chain. The latter would not appear on the NBC show again until 2011.
- April 24 – Germany wins the 27th annual Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Harrogate Conference Centre, North Yorkshire, with the song "Ein bißchen Frieden", sung by 17-year-old Nicole. She also records the song in English as "A Little Peace", which becomes the 500th chart-topping single in the UK.
- April 26
- *Rod Stewart is mugged in Los Angeles. Stewart loses his $50,000 Porsche to the mugger, but is not hurt. The car is recovered several days later.
- *Joe Strummer vanishes, forcing The Clash to postpone their U.K. tour.
- April 30 – Influential rock journalist Lester Bangs dies in his New York apartment of an apparent accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
- May 10 – The Clash drummer Topper Headon is fired from the band when his heroin addiction became too prevalent.
- May 14 – The first Prince's Trust charity concert is held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With the Prince of Wales in attendance, Status Quo, becomes the first contemporary band to play to British royalty.
- May 18 – Three weeks after disappearing, Joe Strummer and his girlfriend are found living in Paris, two days after they ran the Paris Marathon.
- May 21 – Queen release their tenth studio album, Hot Space, to immense critical outcry. The decision to make a dance-pop album with prominent disco influences at the height of American backlash against the latter genre renders the band a pariah in the United States, and their shift from traditional rock alienates their fans in the United Kingdom. Queen would not recover from the resulting backlash in the United Kingdom until after their Live Aid performance in 1985, while they would remain unpopular in the United States until after Freddie Mercury's death in 1991.
- May 23 – Pink Floyd – The Wall, a film adaptation of Pink Floyd's 1979 album The Wall, premieres at the Cannes Film Festival; the film's wide release would later begin on July 15.
- May 26 – The Rolling Stones open their European tour in Aberdeen, Scotland.
- May 29 – Duran Duran's album Rio peaks at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart in its second week on the chart and will remain on the chart for almost two years.
- June 11 – Grease 2, starring Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer, is released.
- June 16 – James Honeyman-Scott dies of heart failure caused by cocaine intolerance. He is 25 years old.
- June 19 – Amy Grant marries Gary Chapman.
- July – The first known fully staged performance of Jean-Philippe Rameau's tragédie lyrique ''Les Boréades is given by John Eliot Gardiner at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.
- July 3 – ABC's debut album The Lexicon of Love'' enters the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and remain at the top position for four consecutive weeks.
- July 4 – Ozzy Osbourne marries his manager Sharon Arden in Maui, Hawaii.
- July 21 – A second Prince's Trust charity concert is held at the Dominion Theatre in London. Performers include Pete Townshend, Robert Plant, Madness, Phil Collins, Joan Armatrading and Kate Bush.
- August 17 – In Langenhagen near Hanover, Germany begins the first mass production of the compact disc.
- August 31 – Ronnie James Dio plays his final show with Black Sabbath.
September–December
- September 3–5 – The first US Festival is held over Labor Day Weekend near Devore, California. The Police, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, Talking Heads and The B-52's are among the many performers.
- September 22 – The Who begin their only formally announced "farewell" tour in Washington, D.C.
- October 1 – The first compact discs appear in music stores in Japan.
- October 7 – The musical Cats begins its 18-year run on Broadway.
- November 1 – The breakup of the band Blondie is announced publicly.
- November 5 – The first edition of The Tube is broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. Guests on the first programme include The Jam, making their last live TV appearance together.
- November 6 – Tears for Fears first hit single "Mad World" peaks at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart during its 17-week chart run.
- November 21 – Joni Mitchell marries producer and bassist Larry Klein in Malibu.
- November 25–27 – The Jamaica World Music Festival is held in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Acts over the three-day festival include Peter Tosh, Rick James, The Clash, Grateful Dead, Aretha Franklin and, in their final show before disbanding, Squeeze.
- November 27 – The 11th OTI Festival, held at the Coliseo Amauta in Lima, Peru, is won by the song "Puedes contar conmigo", written by and, and performed by representing Venezuela.
- November 29 – Sena Jurinac appears on stage for the last time, with the Vienna State Opera.
- November 30 – Michael Jackson releases his sixth studio album Thriller, which would go on to be the greatest selling album of all time at 70 million units sold worldwide.
- December – Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr is fired and replaced by Nicko McBrain formerly of the French band Trust.
- December 3 – The most successful group of the 1970s, ABBA, release their final original single "Under Attack". A split is never officially announced.
- December 31 – The eleventh annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by The Go-Go's, Hall & Oates, Ronnie Milsap, Barry Manilow and Jermaine Jackson.
Bands formed
- ''See Musical groups established in 1982''
Bands disbanded
- ''See :Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1982''
Albums released
In the US, the RIAA stated that 2,630 albums, 2,710 cassettes and 2,285 singles were released.August
Release date unknown
- And You Thought You Were Normal – Nash the Slash
- Arias & Symphonies – Spoons
- Back from Samoa – Angry Samoans
- Barry Live in Britain – Barry Manilow – Live
- Bean-Spill – The Minutemen – EP
- Beasts – Sex Gang Children
- Before a Word is Said – Alan Gowen, Phil Miller, Richard Sinclair, Trevor Tomkins
- Black Tiger – Y&T
- Boomerang – Shoes
- Breaking the Chains – Dokken – original mix
- Cat People – Giorgio Moroder – soundtrack
- Cha – Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons
- The Changeling – Toyah
- Chris Rea – Chris Rea
- Christ – The Album – Crass
- Comeback – Eric Burdon
- The Concerts in China – Jean-Michel Jarre
- Deliver Us from Evil – Budgie
- D.M.Z. – Resurrection Band
- Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, Vol. 1 – Dr. John
- Broadway Cast Album – Various Artists
- D.S. al Coda – National Health
- Echoes of an Era – Chaka Khan
- Eddie Murphy – Eddie Murphy
- Electric Rendezvous – Al Di Meola
- Ella à Nice – Ella Fitzgerald
- Enter K – Peter Hammill
- Farover – Burning Spear
- Fast Women and Slow Horses – Dr. Feelgood
- The Fittest of the Fittest – Burning Spear
- Flieg' Vogel flieg – Hans-Joachim Roedelius
- Forging Ahead – Bad Manners
- Gap Band IV – The Gap Band
- Garista – Zoviet France
- The Getaway – Chris de Burgh
- Glassworks – Philip Glass
- Good Clean Fun – Bonnie Hayes
- The Great Twenty-Eight – Chuck Berry – Compilation
- Groovy Decay – Robyn Hitchcock
- Here Today – David Grisman
- Heartbeats and Triggers – Translator
- Homotopy to Marie – Nurse With Wound
- Hour Live – Toots & The Maytals
- Humans Only – Earthstar
- ...If I Die, I Die – Virgin Prunes
- In the Name of Love – Thompson Twins
- Inside – Ronnie Milsap
- Kansuigyo – Miyuki Nakajima
- Kenny G – Kenny GLadies of the Eighties – A Taste of Honey
- Leichenschrei – SPK
- Levon Helm – Levon Helm
- Life in the Jungle – The Shadows
- Live at Abbey Road – The Shadows
- Love Over and Over – Kate and Anna McGarrigle
- Main Attraction – Suzi Quatro
- Man Parrish – Man Parrish
- Meat Puppets – Meat Puppets
- Milo Goes to College – Descendents
- Mondialement vôtre – Dalida
- Money Talks – TrooperMore Power To Ya – Petra
- Night Birds – Shakatak
- Night Nurse – Gregory Isaacs
- No Stranger to Danger – Payolas
- No Turning Back:Live – DeGarmo and Key – Live
- Nona – Nona Hendryx
- Nothing Can Stop Us – Robert Wyatt – Compilation
- Now Then... – Stiff Little Fingers
- Now You See Me...Now You Don't – Cliff Richard
- Objects of Desire – Michael FranksOld Friends - Roger Miller & Willie Nelson
- Off the Record – Neil Innes
- Offene Türen – Hans-Joachim Roedelius
- Offering – Axe
- On Rock – Daniel Band
- One Night at Budokan – Michael Schenker Group – Live
- One Vice at a Time – Krokus
- Only Theatre of Pain – Christian Death
- Opus X – Chilliwack
- The Other Woman – Ray Parker Jr.
- Ping Pong over the Abyss – The 77s
- Pleasure Victim – Berlin
- Poet in My Window – Nanci Griffith
- Por Amor – Menudo
- Power Play – April Wine
- Prairie Serenade – Riders in the Sky
- Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape – Bauhaus – Live
- Pure and Natural – T-Connection
- Rêveries No. 2 – Richard Clayderman
- Ruff Cuts EP – Twisted Sister
- Scatterlings – Juluka
- Select – Kim Wilde
- Sleepwalking – Gerry Rafferty
- Song of the Bailing Man – Pere Ubu
- Songs of the Free – Gang of Four
- Special Beat Service – The Beat
- Spécial Dalida – Dalida
- Speech and Music – Pierre Schaeffer
- Stand by Your Man – Motörhead & Wendy O. Williams
- Tenebrae – Simonetti-Morante-Pignatelli – Soundtrack
- Tough – Kurtis Blow
- Trance – Chris & Cosey
- Troops of Tomorrow – The Exploited
- Truce – Jack Bruce and Robin Trower
- Turn It Loud – Headpins
- Underwater Kites – The Modern Art
- Vandenberg – Vandenberg
- The Very Best of Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan – Rufus – Compilation
- Wasted Youth – Girl
- We Are...The League – Anti-Nowhere League
- Windsong – Randy Crawford
- Word and Music – Hank Marvin
- Work of Heart – Roy Harper
Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highestin the charts of 1982.
| # | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
| 1 | Survivor | Eye of the Tiger | 1982 |  Chronological table of US and UK and Japan number one hit singlesJapanese Oricon number one singles and artist
Published popular music
[Classical music]
Ballet''See List of 1982 ballet premieres''Opera
[Musical theater]Andy Capp – London production opened at the Aldwych Theatre on September 28 and ran for 99 performancesCats – Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on October 7 and ran for 7485 performances, the longest run in the history of Broadway to dateJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Broadway production opened at the Royale Theatre on January 27 and ran for 747 performancesLittle Shop of Horrors – off-Broadway production opened at the Orpheum Theatre on July 27 and ran for 2209 performancesNine – Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre on May 9 and ran for 729 performancesPirates Of Penzance – London revivalSeven Brides For Seven Brothers – Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on July 8 and ran for 5 performancesSong and Dance – London production opened at the Palace Theatre on April 7 and ran for 781 performances[Musical film]sAliceAnnieThe Best Little Whorehouse in TexasDisco DancerGrease 2One from the HeartParsifalPatnam Vachina PativrathaluPink Floyd – The WallStarstruckUne chambre en villeVictor/Victoria
Musical televisionLive at Austin City LimitsSweeney Todd
Births
Deaths
Awards[Grammy] Awards[Country Music Association] Awards[Eurovision Song Contest]ChartsList of No. 1 Hits">List of Number 1 Hits (United States)">List of No. 1 Hits |