November 13, 1995 MC Hammer plays a benefit concert in Moscow supporting the "Our Home Is Russia" party, who are facing opposition in upcoming elections from the Communist party. The communists claim that Hammer symbolizes the wealth disparity and vapid consumerism that Russia should avoid.
November 8, 1995 Sony gets control of the publishing rights to many Beatles songs when Michael Jackson merges his ATV Music Publishing with Sony Music Publishing in a deal estimated at $600 million. Jackson purchased the Beatles catalog in 1985 for $47.5 million.
November 3, 1995 Hootie & the Blowfish settle out of court with Bob Dylan, who sees their lifting of lyrics from "Tangled Up In Blue" on their hit "Only Want To Be With You" as more plagiarism than tribute.
November 2, 1995 Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders guest stars on the Friends episode "The One with the Baby on the Bus." She sings "Angel of the Morning" and learns "Smelly Cat" from Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow).
October 28, 1995 At Neil Young's ninth annual Bridge School benefit concert, the Pretenders pay tribute to the late Shannon Hoon, whose band Blind Melon was supposed to play the event, with a cover of Young's "The Needle And The Damage Done." Beck, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Bruce Springsteen also perform.
October 27, 1995 Copycat debuts in US movie theaters. Harry Connick, Jr. plays a murderer who terrorizes Sigourney Weaver and mentors a budding serial killer in the psychological thriller. It's quite a departure for the smooth singer of love songs.
October 24, 1995 Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders goes back to Ohio to sing the national anthem before Game 3 of the World Series in Cleveland. The Indians pull this one out, but lose the series to the Atlanta Braves.
October 23, 1995 Former Selena fan club president Yolanda Saldivar is convicted of murdering the Tejano star outside a Texas motel on March 31, 1995. The jury deliberates only 2 1/2 hours before handing down their guilty verdict.
October 23, 1995 Smashing Pumpkins release their double album Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. Many of the songs, including "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," find lead singer Billy Corgan poking fun at his reputation for never seeming happy by leaning into it in very dramatic fashion.
October 17, 1995 Rhino releases all 58 episodes of the The Monkees in a deluxe VHS box set. It's a big box: 21 tapes, making it the largest video release of all time.More
October 15, 1995 Paul McCartney and his wife Linda appear on an episode of The Simpsons where they help Lisa become a vegetarian. Paul explains that if you play "Maybe I'm Amazed" backwards, you'll hear a recipe for lentil soup.
October 12, 1995 Tupac Shakur is released from jail after Death Row Records boss Suge Knight posts a $1.4 million bond to release him. Knight puts the rapper to work, flying Tupac to LA, to record his fourth album, All Eyez on Me. Tupac had been serving time on sexual abuse charges stemming from a 1993 incident.
October 7, 1995 Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill reaches the top of the US albums chart in its 15th week, giving the Maverick label, founded by Madonna, its first #1. Morissette is the fourth female artist to have a debut album reach #1 in the 1990s, following Paula Abdul, Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton.More
October 4, 1995 Alan Jackson wins the prestigious Entertainer of the Year award at the annual Country Music Association's award ceremony. Alison Krauss sweeps Top Female vocalist. Vince Gill wins Top Male vocalist.
October 3, 1995 The Youngbloods frontman Jesse Colin Young's house in Port Reyes, California burns to the ground in the Mount Vision wildfires. His song "Ridgetop" is about the house.
October 1, 1995 Farm Aid 8 takes place in Louisville, Kentucky, with Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Hootie & the Blowfish and The Dave Matthews Band raising over $1 million to support American farmers.
September 30, 1995 Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" becomes just the second single to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (the first was Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone"). It stays at the top spot for eight weeks.
September 13, 1995 Rapper Playboi Carti is born Jordan Terrell Carter in Atlanta. With a range of vocal techniques, including his signature "baby voice," he becomes a go-to guy for features, with guest spots on tracks by Tyler The Creator, Camila Cabello, Travis Scott and many others.
September 12, 1995 Lenny Kravitz releases his fourth studio album, Circus. The lead single, "Rock and Roll Is Dead," is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
September 2, 1995 Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone" becomes the first song to debut at #1 on the Hot 100. In the video, Jackson and his wife, Lisa Marie Presley, appear topless.More
September 2, 1995 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opens in Cleveland, with opening ceremony performances by Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Al Green, The Allman Brothers Band, Booker T. & the MG's, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, The Pretenders, John Fogerty, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, George Clinton, The Kinks, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, The Animals' Eric Burdon, and Boz Scaggs.
August 29, 1995 Junior M.A.F.I.A. release their debut album, Conspiracy. The group is led by The Notorious B.I.G. and also features newcomer Lil' Kim, one of the few female rappers to be part of a group. Two hits emerge from the album: "Player's Anthem" and "Get Money."
August 24, 1995 Microsoft launches the Windows 95 operating system. The start-up music is composed by Brian Eno, a pioneer in ambient music who in 1978 released an album designed to soothe travelers at airports (Ambient 1: Music for Airports).More
August 23, 1995 Industrial/techno musician Dwayne Goettel (of Skinny Puppy) dies of a heroin overdose in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, at age 31.
August 20, 1995 After a lengthy press-fueled feud culminates in simultaneous singles releases, Blur's "Country House" beats Oasis' track "Roll With It" to the #1 spot in the UK. Oasis go on to enjoy worldwide mainstream success, while Blur later veer from the Britpop sound, developing an artier, more experimental style – heavily inspired by Pavement.
August 17, 1995 Depeche Mode lead singer Dave Gahan slashes his wrists with razor blades in a suicide attempt. He is saved when a friend comes by and calls paramedics, who take him to Cedars Sinai Medical Center, where he wakes up the next morning in the psychiatric ward.More
August 15, 1995 Spanish pop duo Los del Rio release the single "Macarena" in the US. Inspired by a beautiful flamenco dancer, the song lights a fire in Miami beach clubs and spreads across the country, igniting the '90s hottest dance craze.More
August 15, 1995 Garbage release their self-titled debut album, adding a much-needed female voice (Shirley Manson) to the alternative rock scene. Hits from the album include "Queer" and "Only Happy When It Rains."
August 11, 1995 Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer as an inner-city schoolteacher, debuts in US theaters. The movie's soundtrack tops the Billboard albums chart thanks to its lead single, Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise."
August 9, 1995 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead dies from a heart attack at age 53. His voice fills the airwaves as millions of Deadheads mourn.More
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