1988 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.

Specific locations

Specific genres

Events

January–March

January 20 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony inducts The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Drifters, Bob Dylan and The Supremes.
January 28 – A Tampa, Florida, man files an unusual lawsuit against Mötley Crüe. Matthew John Trippe, who has a history of mental health issues and trouble with the law, claims that he was secretly hired to pose as Nikki Sixx and toured, wrote and recorded with the band for a time during 1983 and 1984. Trippe drops the lawsuit in 1993.
March 2 – The 30th Annual Grammy Awards are presented in New York, hosted by Billy Crystal. U2's The Joshua Tree wins Album of the Year, Paul Simon's "Graceland" wins Record of the Year and Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram's "Somewhere Out There" wins Song of the Year. Jody Watley wins Best New Artist.
March 10 - Pop star Andy Gibb dies at a hospital in Oxford, England five days after his 30th birthday.
March 26 – "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson from the Bad album tops the Billboard Hot 100. It's the first time in history a solo artist has had four Number One singles from the same album.

April–June

April 7 – Alice Cooper almost dies on stage when one of the props, the Gallows, malfunctions.
April 19 – Former rock and roll singer Sonny Bono is inaugurated as the Mayor of Palm Springs, California, USA.
April 25 – Rock supermanager Doc McGhee is sentenced to five years probation after pleading guilty to charges of drug smuggling stemming from a 1982 seizure of nearly 40,000 pounds of marijuana entering North Carolina from Colombia.
April 30 – The Eurovision Song Contest, held in the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion, Dublin, is won by French-Canadian singer Celine Dion, representing Switzerland with the song "Ne partez pas sans moi".
May 14 – Atlantic Records stages a concert at Madison Square Garden celebrating its Fortieth birthday with performances by many of the label's greatest acts of the past. Artists include Crosby, Stills & Nash, Iron Butterfly, Ruth Brown, Foreigner and Wilson Pickett, but the most talked-about performance is by a reunited Led Zeppelin with Jason Bonham on drums.
May 27 – The Monsters of Rock Tour 1988 commences in East Troy, Wisconsin. Van Halen headlines with the other acts on the bill consisting of Metallica, Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come.
June 10 – Singing Revolution begins in Estonia.
June 18 – Depeche Mode play to a crowd of 60,000 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The concert was filmed and recorded by D. A. Pennebaker for the group's documentary-concert film and live album 101.
June 27 – Motown Records is sold to MCA and an investment firm for $61 million.

July–September

July 2 – Michael Jackson with fifth single from Bad, "Dirty Diana", he broke the record to have five consecutive charting singles from same album at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, is the first artist and only male in history to achieve this.
August 12 – Public Enemy garners publicity by staging a concert at Riker's Island prison for 250 inmates and 100 journalists.
September 6–9 – Elton John auctions off many items from his personal collection, including memorabilia and stage-worn clothing, at Sotheby's for a total of $8.5 million. John had been known for wearing flamboyant stage costumes during the glam rock era of the 1970s, but he increasingly abandoned them in later years.
September 10 – Billboard magazine publishes its Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for the first time.
September 24 – James Brown faces a variety of charges after leading police on an interstate chase, after reportedly breaking into a seminar in an Augusta, Georgia, building he owned an office in, waving a gun and demanding to know who had used his restrooms. Earlier in the year Brown had been arrested on drug and firearms-related charges.
September 25 – The Aalto Theatre, Essen, Germany, opens with a performance of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

October–December

October 10 – The new Cairo Opera House is inaugurated by President Hosni Mubarak and Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, brother of the Emperor of Japan. The opening ceremony includes a kabuki performance in recognition of the funds donated by Japan.
November 7 – John Fogerty wins a self-plagiarism lawsuit with Fantasy Records. The record label had contended that Fogerty's 1985 comeback hit "The Old Man Down the Road" was too similar to his 1970 Creedence Clearwater Revival song, "Run Through the Jungle".
November 12 – U2's Rattle and Hum hits the Number One spot on the U.S. charts, the first double album to do so since Bruce Springsteen's The River in 1980.
November 19 – The 17th OTI Festival, held at the Teatro Nacional Cervantes in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is won by the song "Todavía eres mi mujer", written by Carlos Castellón, and performed by representing Argentina.
December 4 – Singer Roy Orbison gives his last concert in Akron, Ohio, USA, before his death from a heart attack.
December 28 – Madonna calls sheriff's officers to the Malibu, California home she shared with her soon-to-be ex-husband Sean Penn. Penn is rumored to have threatened to attack or kill Madonna, tied her up, and threatened to cut her hair. These rumors have been denied by both Madonna and Penn.
December 31 – The 17th annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Natalie Cole, Taylor Dayne, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Richard Marx, Reba McEntire and Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Also in 1988

Peter Ruzicka becomes director of the Hamburg State Opera and State Philharmonic Orchestra.
Andrew Davis begins a term as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and is appointed musical director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera, effective with the 1989 season.
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" experiences a surge in popularity in the USA sparked by television commercials featuring claymation raisin figures dancing to the song. The California Raisins version of the song peaks at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Bands formed

''See Musical groups established in 1988''

Bands disbanded

''See Musical groups disestablished in 1988''

Albums released

Release date unknown

Atomic Arena – Barren CrossAural Guerrilla – The ExCan't Buy a Miracle – Randy StonehillThe Chess Box – Chuck Berry Don't Forget the Struggle, Don't Forget the Streets – WarzoneThe Dubliner's Dublin – The DublinersEnglish Rebel Songs 1381-1984 – ChumbawambaFlowers in the Rain (album) – Mad at the WorldGhost Stories - The Dream SyndicateGo Off! – CacophonyGreg Howe – Greg HoweHome Is Where the Heart Is – David GrismanHoneymoon in Red – Honeymoon in RedHuman Sacrifice – Vengeance RisingI Crush Bozo - Happy FlowersIn America – DefunktIrène Schweizer & Günter Sommer – Irène Schweizer and Günter SommerI Used to Be an Animal – Eric Burdon In Heat – Black 'N BlueIrish Heartbeat – Van Morrison & The ChieftainsKing Kobra III – King KobraLet's Go Scare Al – Gear DaddiesLet's Spin! – The Swirling EddiesLittle Love Affairs – Nanci GriffithLive – Bad BrainsThe Live Brain Wedgie/WAD – WeenLive to Die – BrideLucinda Williams – Lucinda WilliamsMistress Music – Burning SpearNo Man's Land – Various ArtistsNothing Exceeds Like Excess – RavenNothing Wrong – Red Lorry Yellow Lorry On Fire! – Petra Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child – Phil KeaggyProstitute – ToyahRadio Free Albemuth – Stuart HammRemote – Hue & CryRough Night in Jericho – Dreams So RealSavvy Show Stoppers – Shadowy Men on a Shadowy PlanetShadowland – k.d. langShake Sugaree - Taj MahalSilence Screams - REZ Soliloquy for Lilith – Nurse With WoundSomething in Return – Jimmy Lyons and Andrew CyrilleStay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films – Various ArtistsSTP Not LSD – Angry SamoansStreets of This Town – Steve ForbertSwastikas for Noddy – Current 93The Talking Animals – T-Bone BurnettTime Odyssey – Vinnie Moore Today – Galaxie 500Tommy Page – Tommy PageToo Late for Living – SaintThe Winter of '88 – Johnny WinterWorkin' Band – Nitty Gritty Dirt BandYeah, Whatever – Moev

Singles released in 1988

Date	Song	Artist
January 16	"Man in the Mirror"	Michael Jackson
February 25	"Where Do Broken Hearts Go"	Whitney Houston
April 16	"Please Don't Go Girl"	New Kids on the Block
April 18	"Dirty Diana"	Michael Jackson
May 16	"Don't Be Cruel"	Bobby Brown
June 10	"Waiting for a Star to Fall"	Boy Meets Girl
June 27	"Girl You Know It's True"	Milli Vanilli
July 11	"Another Part of Me"	Michael Jackson
October 11	"My Prerogative"	Bobby Brown
October 24	"Smooth Criminal"	Michael Jackson
November 7	"You Got It (The Right Stuff)"	New Kids on the Block
December 27	"Roni"	Bobby Brown

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest
in the charts of 1988.

Artist

Title

Year

Country

Chart Entries

Phil Collins

A Groovy Kind of Love

1988

U.S. best selling singles

The following singles achieved the highest in the U.S. in 1988.

Position	Song title	Artist	Highest position	Weeks at #1
1	Faith	George Michael	1	4
2	Need You Tonight	INXS	1	1
3	Got My Mind Set on You	George Harrison	1	1
4	Never Gonna Give You Up	Rick Astley	1	2
5	Sweet Child o' Mine	Guns N' Roses	1	2

Top selling albums of the year in the US

George Michael – Faith
Madonna – You Can Dance
Michael Jackson – Bad
Guns N' Roses – ''Appetite for Destruction''

Top 40 Chart hit singles

The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in the U.S. in 1988.

Song title	Artist	Release date	US	UK	Highest chart position	Other Chart Performance
"1-2-3"	Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine	June 1988	3	9	3	See chart performance entry
"Angel"	Aerosmith	January 1988	3	69	3	2 - 14
"Angel of Harlem"	U2	December 1988	14	9	1	See chart performance entry
"Another Lover"	Giant Steps	June 1988	13	n/a	13	10 - 12
"Another Weekend"	Five Star	May 1988	n/a	18	12	23 - 24
"Any Love"	Luther Vandross	August 1988	44	31	31	1 - 12
"Anything For You"	Gloria Estefan	March 1988	1	10	1	1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 11 - 19
"Atmosphere"	Joy Division	August 1988	n/a	34	5	n/a
"Blue Monday 1988"	New Order	April 1988	68	3	1	See chart performance entry
"Breakaway"	Big Pig	May 1988	60	89	1	7 - 8 - 10
"Buffalo Stance"	Neneh Cherry	November 1988	3	3	2	See chart performance entry
"Cuddly Toy"	Roachford	May 1988	25	4	4	See chart performance entry
"I Owe You Nothing"	Bros	June 1988	n/a	1	1	See chart performance entry
"Knocked Out"	Paula Abdul	May 1988	41	21	21	See chart performance entry
"Man in the Mirror"	Michael Jackson	February 1988	1	21	1	See chart performance entry
"Never Tear Us Apart"	INXS	August 1988	7	24	2	See chart performance entry
"New Sensation"	INXS	May 1988	3	25	1	See chart performance entry
"Nothin' but a Good Time"	Poison	April 1988	6	35	6	10 - 19
"Simply Irresistible"	Robert Palmer	June 1988	2	44	1	1 - 2 - 2 - 6 - 10 - 57
"Under the Milky Way"	The Church	February 1988	24	90	22	See chart performance entry

Notable singles

Song title	Artist	Release date	Other Chart Performance
"A Little Respect"	Erasure	July 1988	See Chart performance entry
"Ain't No Half-Steppin'"	Big Daddy Kane	July 1988	53
"Ana Ng"	They Might Be Giants	April 1988	11
"Bring the Noise"	Public Enemy	February 1988	56
"Carolyn's Fingers"	Cocteau Twins	June 1988	2 Classical music Gerald Barry – Cheveux-de-frise Luciano Berio – Sequenza XI George Crumb – Zeitgeist for two amplified pianos Mario Davidovsky – Synchronisms No. 9 for violin and tape Joël-François Durand – Die innere Grenze for string sextet Lorenzo Ferrero – La cena delle beffe Michael Finnissy – Red Earth for orchestra Henryk Górecki – String Quartet No. 1, "Already it is Dusk" Stephen Hartke – Pacific Rim Overture Vagn Holmboe – Symphony No. 12, M. 338 Wojciech Kilar – Choralvorspiel for chamber string orchestra Witold Lutosławski – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Frederik Magle – We Are Afraid , cantata for choir and chamber orchestra Carin Malmlöf-Forssling – String Quartet No. 1, "Silverkvartetten" António Chagas Rosa – Piano Sonata Kaija Saariaho – Petals for cello and electronics Bogusław Schaeffer – Concerto for Piano Duet and Orchestra Alfred Schnittke * Concerto for Piano four hands and Orchestra * Piano Quartet * Symphony No. 5 * Klingende Buchstaben Peter Sculthorpe – Kakadu Philip Sparke – Concerto Grosso Bent Sørensen * Angels' Music for string quartet * Camelot by Night for bass flute and guitar * La Notte for piano and orchestra Tōru Takemitsu – Tree Line for chamber orchestra John Tavener – The Akathist of Thanksgiving Takashi Yoshimatsu – Concerto for Bassoon "Unicorn Circuit" Opera Philip Glass – 1000 Airplanes on the Roof Karlheinz Stockhausen – ''Montag aus Licht'' Musical theater Bitter Sweet – London revivalChess – Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre and closed after 65 performancesThe Phantom of the Opera – Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre, and has the longest continuous run in Broadway history, with over 10,000 performances to dateSarafina – Broadway production opened at the Cort Theatre and ran for 597 performances Musical films BirdBridgeThe Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal YearsDaisyDhwaniImagine: John LennonLa BailantaMoonwalkerRattle and HumSatisfactionTapeheads ''Tougher Than Leather'' Births January 7 – Hardwell, Dutch DJ and record producer January 8 – Haruka Abe, Japanese actress January 11 – Li Qinyao, Chinese actress and singer January 14 * Mikalah Gordon, American Idol contestant * Jordy, French singer January 15 * Jessica Poland, American singer-songwriter * Skrillex, American musician and DJ January 16 * FKA Twigs, born Tahliah Barnett, English singer-songwriter, dancer, advocate and actress * Alex Gonzaga, Filipina singer January 20 – Victoria Asher, American musician January 21 * Glaiza de Castro, Filipino actress and singer * AGA, Hong Kong singer-songwriter January 24 – Jade Ewen, English actress and singer January 25 – Yasmien Kurdi, Filipina pop singer February 3 – Cho Kyu Hyun, Korean pop singer February 6 – Bailey Hanks, American actress and singer February 7 * Ai Kago, Japanese pop singer * Lee Joon, South Korean idol singer, dancer, actor and model February 8 – Ao Li, Chinese operatic bass-baritone February 11 * Li Chun, Chinese singer * Paul Kim, South Korean singer February 13 * Mike Posner, American singer-songwriter, poet, DJ and music producer * Aston Merrygold, English R&B singer February 17 – Rod Michael, American singer February 18 – Changmin, Korean pop singer February 20 * Rihanna, Barbadian pop singer * Ángel Di María, Argentine footballer February 22 * Jay Fung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter * Ximena Navarrete, Mexican actress, television host, model and beauty queen February 23 – Ashley Cooper, New Zealand pop singer February 27 – JD Natasha, born Natasha Jeannette Dueñas, American Latin music artist February 28 * Milly Edwards, Australian Idol contestant * Markéta Irglová, Czech songwriter March 2 * James Arthur, English singer-songwriter * Kate Alexa, Australian pop rock singer * Esther Povitsky, American actress, singer, comedian, writer and producer * Nadine Samonte, German pop singer March 6 – Agnes Carlsson, Swedish pop singer March 8 * Benny Blanco, American record producer, songwriter, musician * Johnny Ruffo, Australian singer, songwriter, dancer, actor and television presenter March 10 – Patrick Henry Hughes, American tenor and trumpeter March 15 – Lil Dicky, American comedy-rapper March 16 – Jhené Aiko, American singer-songwriter and rapper March 17 – Grimes, Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, engineer, record producer, visual artist, feminist, activist and producer March 18 * Agir, Portuguese singer and composer * Soukaina Boukries, Moroccan singer March 21 – Gabriela Isler, Venezuelan model and beauty queen March 25 * Big Sean, American rapper * Ryan Lewis, American musician * Wesley Klein, Dutch singer March 27 – Jessie J, English singer-songwriter March 31 – Conrad Sewell, Australian singer-songwriter April 12 – Jessie James Decker, American country pop singer April 17 – Takahiro Moriuchi, Japanese singer April 19 – Alfie Arcuri, Australian singer-songwriter April 22 – Léo Santana, Brazilian singer, composer, and percussionist April 24 – Natalie Zahra, Australian Idol contestant April 25 – Sara Paxton, American singer, actress April 27 * Alfred Hui, Hong Kong singer * Lizzo, born Melissa Jefferson, American singer-songwriter, actress, rapper and activist * Pop Wansel, American record producer, musician and songwriter April 29 * Younha, Japanese and Korean pop singer * Michael Ray, American country music singer-songwriter May 5 * Adele, English singer-songwriter * Brooke Hogan, American actress, singer-songwriter and wrestler * Skye Sweetnam, Canadian singer-songwriter, actress and music video director May 8 – Trisha Paytas, American Internet personality, actress and singer-songwriter May 11 * Ace Hood, American rapper * Nikki Cleary, American pop-rock singer May 13 – Casey Donovan, Australian Idol winner, 2004 May 18 – Tanner Wayne, American drummer May 19 - Anyma, American DJ and producer May 21 – Park Gyu-ri, South Korean idol singer May 22 – Roy English, also known as Jagwar Twin, American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer May 24 – Billy Gilman, American country singer May 27 - J-Min, South Korean singer-songwriter June 1 * Héloïse Letissier, French singer-songwriter * Nami Tamaki, Japanese singer June 2 * Danny Parker, American songwriter * Bảo Thy, Vietnamese singer and actress June 3 – Dave East, American rapper June 6 – Neha Kakkar, Indian pop singer June 7 – Michael Cera, Canadian actor, comedian, producer and singer-songwriter June 9 – Mae Whitman, American actress, voice actress and singer June 11 – Weyes Blood, American musician June 12 – Dave Melillo, American singer-songwriter June 14 – Kevin McHale, American actor, singer, dancer and radio personality June 16 * Banks, American singer-songwriter * Keshia Chanté, Canadian urban singer June 18 – Josh Dun, American multi-instrumentalist and producer r June 20 – May J., Japanese R&B singer June 21 – Beatrice Egli, Swiss singer June 22 * Miliyah Kato, Japanese R&B singer * Vicky Psarakis, Greek-American vocalist-singer-songwriter, lead singer of The Agonist June 23 * Isabella Leong, Hong Kong singer, actress and model * Jasmine Kara, Swedish singer-songwriter June 24 – Nichkhun Horvejkul, Thai singer June 27 – Colin Tilley, American music video director and film maker June 28 – Julian Waterfall Pollack, American jazz pianist and composer June 29 – Martina Šindlerová, Slovak pop singer July 2 – Amali Ward, Australian Idol contestant July 6 * Katy Tiz, British singer * Brittany Underwood, American actress and singer July 7 – Kaci Brown, American pop/R&B singer July 8 * Reinaldo Zavarce, Venezuelan actor and singer * Shocka, English rapper and mental health advocate July 11 – Natalie La Rose, Dutch singer-songwriter and dancer July 12 – Melissa O'Neil, Canadian Idol winner, Canadian singer and actress July 13 * Tulisa Contostavlos, English singer-songwriter and member of N-Dubz * Colton Haynes, American actor, model and singer * Mitch Rowland, American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist July 17 – Anderson East, American rhythm and blues singer/songwriter July 19 – Charlene Soraia, English singer-songwriter and mental health activist July 20 – Julianne Hough, American dancer, singer and actress July 24 – Han Seung-yeon, South Korean singer and actress July 25 – Sarah Geronimo, Filipina pop singer July 28 – Nick Santino, American singer-songwriter and guitarist July 31 – Ruston Kelly, American country singer-songwriter August 1 – Olia Tira, Moldovan singer August 2 * Chris Sebastian, Australian singer-songwriter and won on team Kelly Rowland * Brittany Hargest, American pop singer August 3 Sierra Ferrell, American singer-songwriter and musician Shelley FKA DRAM, American rapper, singer, and record producer August 4 – Tom Parker, English singer-songwriter August 11 – Hoàng Thùy Linh, Vietnamese singer and actress August 13 – MØ, Danish singer-songwriter August 16 – Rumer Willis, American singer and actress August 18 – G-Dragon, Korean rapper, singer-songwriter and producer August 19 – Hoodie Allen, American rapper, singer-songwriter August 21 * Paris Bennett, American singer * Kacey Musgraves, American country singer-songwriter August 23 – Alice Glass, Canadian singer-songwriter August 24 – Kelly Lee Owens, Welsh electronic musician August 25 – Alexandra Burke, English singer-songwriter and actress, X Factor winner August 26 * Erik Hassle, Swedish pop singer-songwriter * Evan Ross, American actor and musician August 27 – Alexa Vega, American musical performer, actor and pop singer September 3 – Devon Welsh, Canadian singer-songwriter September 6 * Max George, English singer-songwriter and actor * Gustav Schäfer, German rock drummer September 12 * Amanda Jenssen, Swedish singer * Petros Iakovidis, Greek singer * Matt Martians, American record producer September 14 – Muni Long, American singer and songwriter September 16 – Teddy Geiger, American singer-songwriter September 19 – Reigan Derry, Australian singer-songwriter September 22 – Bethany Dillon, American Christian-music artist Sana Saeed, Indian actress September 26 * James Blake, English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer * Lilly Singh, Canadian vlogger, singer, rapper and artist September 27 – Alma, French singer-songwriter September 28 * Esmée Denters, Dutch singer and YouTuber * Hana Mae Lee, American actress, model, singer and fashion designer September 30 – Jyongri, Japanese pop singer October 2 – Andreas Moe, Swedish singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist October 2 – Brittany Howard, American singer-songwriter October 3 – A$AP Rocky, American rapper, producer, part of the ASAP mob October 4 * Jessica Benson, American R&B singer * Melissa Benoist, American actress and singer October 5 – Kevin Olusola, Nigerian musician, beatboxer, cellist, rapper, record producer and singer-songwriter October 5 – Bahar Kizil, German singer and songwriter October 11 – Knut Eirik Kokkin, Norwegian singer October 12 – Calum Scott, English singer-songwriter October 13 – Đông Nhi, Vietnamese singer October 14 * Kobra Paige, Canadian singer and songwriter * Pia Toscano, American singer October 17 * Dami Im, Korean-born Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist * Nikki Flores, American Independent pop singer, musician, songwriter and vocal producer October 20 * Risa Niigaki, Japanese pop singer * A$AP Ferg, American rapper, part of the ASAP mob * Balqees, Emirati singer October 28 – Jamie xx, English musician, DJ, record producer and remixer November 2 – Elgiazar Farashyan, Belarusian singer November 6 * Emma Stone, American actress, musical star and singer * Conchita Wurst, Austrian singer and drag queen, Eurovision Song Contest 2014 winner November 7 – Tinie Tempah, English rapper, singer-songwriter November 8 – Pauli Lovejoy, English drummer, recording artist, music director and model November 10 * Chisaki Hama, Japanese singer * Cazzi Opeia, Swedish DJ, producer, singer and songwriter November 16 * Siva Kaneswaran, Irish singer, model, actor and songwriter * Sampha, English singer-songwriter and record producer November 26 – Blake Harnage, American songwriter, music producer, multi-instrumentalist and composer November 28 – Scarlett Pomers, American singer/actress November 30 – Eir Aoi, Japanese singer December 1 * Tyler Joseph, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and rapper * Zoë Kravitz, American actress, singer and model December 6 – Sandra Nurmsalu, Estonian musician December 7 * Emily Browning, Australian actress and singer * Toru Yamashita, Japanese singer * Benjamin Clementine, English-born singer-songwriter * Min, Vietnamese singer December 12 – Hahm Eun-jung, South Korean singer December 14 * Awkwafina, American rapper, comedienne, actor * Vanessa Hudgens, American actor, singer, dancer December 16 – Park Seo-joon, South Korean actor and singer December 17 – Jessi, American-South Korean rapper and singer December 19 – Casey Burgess, Australian singer-songwriter and actress December 20 – Mária Čírová, Slovak singer December 21 – Alexa Goddard, English pop/R&B singer, YouTuber December 23 – Eri Kamei, Japanese pop singer December 25 – Marco Mengoni, Italian singer-songwriter December 26 – Veronika Eberle, German violinist December 27 * Hayley Williams, American singer-songwriter, musician, businesswoman and activist * Lou Yixiao, Chinese singer December 28 – Florrie, English singer-songwriter, drummer and model. December 30 – Leon Jackson, Scottish singer December 31 – Holly Holyoake, Welsh classical soprano singer Unknown – Jihae, South Korean rock singer and actress Deaths January 3 – John Dopyera, stringed instrument maker, 94 January 19 – Evgeny Mravinsky, conductor February 3 – Radamés Gnattali, Brazilian composer, 81 February 9 – Kurt Herbert Adler, conductor and opera administrator February 14 – Frederick Loewe, composer of musicals, 86 February 16 – Jean Carignan, fiddler, 71 February 17 – Alexander Bashlachev, Russian singer, 27 February 24 – Memphis Slim, blues musician, 72 February 27 – Gene de Paul, pianist and composer, 68 March 6 – Jeanne Aubert, singer and actress, 88 March 7 – Divine, singer and drag entertainer, 42 March 8 – Henryk Szeryng, violinist March 10 – William Wordsworth, Scottish composer March 10 – Andy Gibb, singer, 30 March 12 – Gianna Pederzini, operatic mezzo-soprano, 88 March 15 – Frank Perkins, American song composer March 20 – Gil Evans, Canadian jazz pianist, composer and bandleader April 3 – Kai Ewans, Danish jazz musician April 7 – Cesar Bresgen, Austrian composer April 9 * Brook Benton, 56 * David Prater, of Sam & Dave, 50 April 15 – Youri Egorov, Soviet classical pianist, 33 April 20 - Frederick Sharp, English baritone, 76 April 29 – James McCracken, tenor, 61 May 1 – Claude Demetrius, songwriter May 10 – Ciarán Bourke, folk musician, 53 May 13 – Chet Baker, jazz musician, 58 May 21 – Sammy Davis Sr., vaudeville performer, 87 May 22 – Dennis Day, US singer, 72 May 25 – Martin Slavin, composer and music director, 66 June 12 – Marcel Poot, Belgian composer, 87 June 22 – Jesse Ed Davis, guitarist, 43 June 25 Hillel Slovak, Red Hot Chili Peppers, guitarist, 26 Jimmy Soul, American singer, 45 July 2 – Eddie Vinson, jazz/blues musician, 70 July 18 * Joly Braga Santos, Portuguese composer and conductor, 64 * Nico, German singer, 49 July 20 – Richard Holm, German operatic tenor July 28 – Pete Drake, American record producer and pedal steel guitar player, 55 August – Tenor Saw, dancehall artist, 21 August 8 – Félix Leclerc, folk singer, 74 August 9 – Giacinto Scelsi, composer and poet, 83 August 14 * Roy Buchanan, American guitarist, 48 * Robert Calvert, South African writer, poet, and musician, 43 August 19 – Sir Frederick Ashton, British choreographer, 83 August 22 – Frances James, operatic soprano, 85 August 24 * Kenneth Leighton, English composer, 58 * Nat Stuckey, American country singer September 17 – Hilde Gueden, operatic soprano, 71 September 22 – Rezső Sugár, Hungarian composer, 68 September 23 – Arwel Hughes, composer and conductor September 26 – Lord Melody, calypso musician, 62 October 7 – Billy Daniels, singer, 73 October 15 – Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, English composer, music critic and pianist October 18 – Sir Frederick Ashton, dancer and choreographer October 19 – Son House, blues musician October 20 – Mogens Wöldike, Danish conductor November 8 – Warren Casey, US theatre composer, lyricist, writer, and actor, 53 November 13 Antal Doráti, conductor, 82 Jaromír Vejvoda, Czech composer, 86 November 24 – Irmgard Seefried, operatic soprano, 69 November 26 – Antonio Estévez, composer November 30 – Charlie Rouse, saxophonist, 64 December 2 – Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer and lyricist December 6 – Roy Orbison, singer, 52 December 16 – Sylvester, R&B singer, disco performer, 41 December 21 – Paul Jeffreys, bassist, 36 December 25 – Evgeny Golubev, Russian composer, 78 December 26 – Pablo Sorozábal, Spanish composer, 91 date unknown Kenneth Morris, gospel composer and publisher, 71 Håkan Parkman, Swedish composer, arranger and choral director, 33 Awards The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Drifters, Bob Dylan, and The Supremes. Grammy Awards Grammy Awards of 1988 [Country Music Association] Awards 1988 Country Music Association Awards Eurovision Song Contest Eurovision Song Contest 1988 Charts List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1988 1988 in British music#Charts List of Oricon number-one singles of 1988 Books 1 Wuthering Heights 51,239 2 Bridgerton (novel series) 27,933 3 Tales of Dunk and Egg 16,018 4 Project Hail Mary 13,776 5 Hyperion (Simmons novel) 9,310 6 A Song of Ice and Fire 8,076 7 On the Way to the Wedding 7,452 8 Lord of the Flies 7,260 9 Romancing Mister Bridgerton 6,968 10 Heat 2 6,950 Films 1 Scream 7 178,795 2 XXX (film series) 63,276 3 One Battle After Another 43,591 4 Wuthering Heights (2026 film) 43,123 5 Marty Supreme 37,657 6 XXX: Return of Xander Cage 34,041 7 The Housemaid (2025 film) 32,907 8 Scary Movie 6 31,605 9 Sinners (2025 film) 29,737 10 Dhurandhar 28,588 Programming Languages 1 C (programming language) 3,715 2 Python (programming language) 3,243 3 Scratch (programming language) 2,154 4 JavaScript 1,675 5 C++ 1,581 6 COBOL 1,534 7 R (programming language) 1,388 8 Rust (programming language) 1,325 9 Go (programming language) 1,294 10 Java (programming language) 1,246 TV Series 1 Bridgerton 143,887 2 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (TV series) 67,064 3 Love Story (2026 TV series) 54,822 4 Paradise (2025 TV series) 51,319 5 The Night Agent 42,380 6 The Pitt 39,540 7 Monarch: Legacy of Monsters 35,833 8 Scrubs (TV series) 34,448 9 56 Days 30,127 10 Heated Rivalry 27,360 Video Games 1 Resident Evil Requiem 161,010 2 Wordle 22,248 3 Pokémon (video game series) 20,931 4 Resident Evil Village 14,828 5 Marathon (2026 video game) 12,511 6 Poppy Playtime 11,287 7 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard 11,135 8 Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen 10,553 9 Roblox 10,495 10 Minecraft 9,660 © 2026 OWIKI.org. 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1988 in music

Specific locations

Specific genres

Events

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Also in 1988

Bands formed

Bands disbanded

Albums released

Release date unknown

Singles released in 1988

Biggest hit singles

U.S. best selling singles

Top selling albums of the year in the US

Top 40 Chart hit singles

Notable singles

Classical music

Opera

Musical theater

Musical films

Births

Deaths

Awards

Grammy Awards

[Country Music Association] Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

Charts