October 21, 1999 George Martin, who produced most of the Beatles albums, lends his reputation and four decades of music business experience to a start-up Internet company catering to unsigned bands. Martin announces that he will serve as chairman of the advisory board for Garageband.com.
October 19, 1999 Primus issue their sixth studio album, Antipop. The song "Eclectic Electric" features guitar from James Hetfield of Metallica, and Jim Martin, formerly of Faith No More.
October 15, 1999 Folk singer/songwriter Terry Gilkyson (of The Easy Riders) dies from complications of an aneurysm in Austin, Texas, at age 83. Known for the 1957 hit "Marianne."
October 9, 1999 Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails earn their first #1 album when The Fragile debuts at the top spot, easily outpacing all other competitors in a market crowded with new releases. The double album includes the band's highest-charting US hit, "The Day The World Went Away," which peaks at #17 on the singles chart.
October 7, 1999 The first and only ARTISTdirect Online Music Awards are held at the House Of Blues in Los Angeles, with winners selected in online voting. Winners include Madonna (Favorite Female Artist), Ricky Martin (Favorite Male Artist) and Nine Inch Nails (Favorite Alternative Fan Site). Chris Isaak, Cypress Hill, No Doubt and The Offspring all perform.
September 28, 1999 Jean-Michel Jarre announces during a press conference at the Cairo Opera House that he has been commissioned by the Egyptian government to create and perform "The Twelve Dreams Of The Sun," a three-act "electronic opera" to mark the millennium night in the Egyptian desert.
September 19, 1999 The Dixie Chicks become the first country group to top the Billboard albums chart when Fly debuts at #1. More
August 23, 1999 Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers marries his third wife, Patti Arnold, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
July 29, 1999 The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith opens at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Before boarding, riders get a virtual Aerosmith experience, peeking in on a recording session before a "super‑stretch" limo (the coaster) rushes them to a show. The ride proves very popular and runs until 2026, when it's replaced with a Muppets theme. Remarkably, the band doesn't do anything to run afoul of Disney standards during that time.
July 25, 1999 Woodstock '99 comes to a fiery conclusion as the crowd loots and burns anything they can find while the Red Hot Chili Peppers play the last set. Poor conditions and a mostly collage-age crowd swelled by testosterone and nu metal have made the riot pretty much inevitable. Remarkably, there are relatively few injuries; when police arrive, the crowd seems more than happy to leave.
July 24, 1999 The rapper Treach (Anthony Criss) from Naughty by Nature ("O.P.P.") marries Pepa (Sandra Denton) of Salt-N-Pepa in a ceremony officiated by Reverend Run of Run-D.M.C., who says it's the first time a rapper has married two rappers. Among the guests are Salt, Queen Latifah and Vivica A. Fox. The couple divorce in 2001, with Pepa alleging abuse.
July 4, 1999 Victoria Adams, better known as Posh Spice of The Spice Girls, marries the soccer star David Beckham. The photogenic couple draw lots of press coverage and become known as "Posh and Becks."
June 22, 1999 Limp Bizkit release the nu metal landmark Significant Other, their second album. Lead by the single "Nookie," it debuts at #1 in America, unseating Millennium by Backstreet Boys.
June 15, 1999 After a seven-year recording hiatus, Santana release the album Supernatural, which goes to #1 thanks to hit singles like "Smooth," "Maria Maria," and "Put Your Lights On." It's their first chart-topping album in 28 years.More
June 1, 1999 Blink-182 spin immaturity into gold (or should we say, Platinum) with their third album, Enema Of The State, which catapults the pop-punk trio to stardom with hit singles like "What's My Age Again?" and "All The Small Things."More
May 18, 1999 Backstreet Boys release their third album (second in America), Millennium, with the hits "I Want It That Way" and "Larger than Life." Primarily produced by Max Martin, it sells over 13 million in America and many more worldwide.
May 11, 1999 After releasing four Spanish-language albums, Ricky Martin releases his first in English, Ricky Martin. It includes the mega-hit "Livin' La Vida Loca," his American breakthrough.
May 4, 1999 Former In Living Color Fly Girl Jennifer Lopez issues her first single, "If You Had My Love." The song lands at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Lopez the first artist to top the chart with a debut single since Britney Spears did the same with "...Baby One More Time" four months earlier.More
April 19, 1999 James Darren begins a five-episode stint on the primetime soap opera Melrose Place as an unscrupulous millionaire named Tony Marlin.
March 17, 1999 Sinead O'Connor records the first ever single via the Internet in a BBC studio as part of the Tomorrow's World program. The song is a cover of Bob Marley's "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)" recorded for the War Child charity.
March 13, 1999 Using the pitch correction software Auto-Tune to distort her vocals, Cher goes to #1 in America with "Believe," opening the floodgates for many more Auto-Tuned hits.More
February 24, 1999 Ricky Martin ushers in a wave of Latin pop with a spellbinding performance of "The Cup Of Life" at the Grammy Awards. Ten weeks later, his song "Livin' La Vida Loca" goes to #1 in America; later in the year, Enrique Iglesias ("Bailamos") and Santana ("Smooth") follow to the top with Latin-flavored hits.
February 23, 1999 Eminem drops his first major-label album, The Slim Shady LP. He quickly becomes the most controversial rapper in the game.More
January 30, 1999 America is abuzz with Britney Spears, whose debut single "...Baby One More Time" goes to #1 as her album also reaches the top.More
January 16, 1999 The inaugural ball for Minnesota Governor (and former professional wrestler) Jesse Ventura goes down at the Target Center in Minneapolis. America play "Ventura Highway," and Warren Zevon does "Werewolves Of London" with Ventura, wearing his trademark bandana and feather boa, howling along on stage.
January 14, 1999 Jerry Hall files for divorce from Mick Jagger, who contests it, claiming they were never actually married. Hall claims adultery, as the Brazilian model Luciana Morad is pregnant with Jagger's baby.
January 12, 1999 Britney Spears releases her first album, ...Baby One More Time.More
January 7, 1999 Rod Stewart and the supermodel Rachel Hunter announce the end of their eight-year marriage.
December 18, 1998 Alice Cooper's Cooper'stown restaurant opens in Phoenix (try the "Welcome To My Nightmare" chili). To celebrate, Cooper performs with his original bandmates Michael Bruce and Neal Smith - the first time the three have been on stage together in 24 years.
November 23, 1998 After his concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, Marilyn Manson has a backstage run-in with Spin magazine editor Craig Marks, who claims that Manson assaults and threatens to kill him.More
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