August 7, 1993 Led by the single "Insane In The Brain," the West Coast rap trio Cypress Hill debut at #1 with their second album, Black Sunday. Along with Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg, it's one of just two rap albums to top the chart in 1993.
August 6, 1993 31-year-old Sheryl Crow releases her first album, Tuesday Night Music Club. It takes about a year to catch on, but eventually sells over 7 million copies.
July 28, 1993 10,000 Maniacs perform with lead singer Natalie Merchant for the last time at the birthday bash for New York radio station Z100 (Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, The Proclaimers and Terence Trent D'Arby are also on the bill). Merchant launches a successful solo career and the band soldiers on without her, bringing new lead singer Mary Ramsey into the fold.
July 17, 1993 After two-and-a-half years, the Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion tour comes to an end at a show in Buenos Aires. It is the last time Axl and Slash share a stage until the 2016 GnR reconciliation.
July 2, 1993 Rapper Vince Staples is born Compton, California. He's raised in nearby Long Beach, the topic of many songs from his breakout debut album, Summertime '06. In 2024 he gets his own show on Netflix, The Vince Staples Show.
June 25, 1993 Just a year after forming, Weezer sign with the major label DGC Records. Their self-titled debut album ("The Blue Album") is released the following year and takes off thanks to the hits "Buddy Holly" and "Undone - The Sweater Song."
June 25, 1993 Nora Ephron's romantic comedy Sleepless In Seattle, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, opens in theaters. With songs from Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, and Harry Connick, Jr., the movie spawns a hit soundtrack and renews interest in standards.More
June 22, 1993 The Flaming Lips release their sixth studio album, Transmissions From The Satellite Heart, featuring their breakthrough hit, "She Don't Use Jelly."More
June 22, 1993 Liz Phair releases her debut album, Exile In Guyville. The indie rocker approached the project as a track-by-track response to The Rolling Stones' 1972 album, Exile On Main St. Her candid perspective on sex and relationships earns her favor with critics and a growing fanbase and Guyville is hailed as one of the best albums of the decade.
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June 16, 1993 The US Postal Service issues a booklet of commemorative rock and roll stamps featuring Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Otis Redding, Bill Haley, Ritchie Valens, Clyde McPhatter, and Dinah Washington.
June 9, 1993 Country/soul singer Arthur Alexander dies of a heart attack at age 53, just a month after signing a new publishing and recording contract.
June 7, 1993 On his 35th birthday, Prince changes his name to an unpronounceable symbol, making him, literally, an icon.More
June 7, 1993 Swae Lee is born Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown in Inglewood, California. Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, he forms the hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd with his older brother, Slim Jxmmi. They rise to fame with groundbreaking songs like "Black Beatles," before Swae pursues a solo career with Same Difference in 2026.
June 5, 1993 Mariah Carey marries Tommy Mottola, the music executive who signed her to Columbia Records. The marriage, her first, lasts four years.
June 5, 1993 Toby Keith scores the first of his 20 #1 country hits when his first single, "Should've Been a Cowboy," reaches the top.
June 3, 1993 The Australian band Midnight Oil, of "Beds Are Burning" fame, appear on MTV's Unplugged. Not all the band members are happy with the format, but drummer Rob Hirst is pleasantly surprised: "We spent a few weeks stripping the whole thing down, and what we found was underneath the grunt of the amps and the drums, there were actually some really good, melodic songs."
June 1, 1993 10,000 Maniacs become the first act to appear twice on MTV Unplugged. The network has a policy against return engagements, but when they learn that Natalie Merchant will be leaving the band, they book them.More
May 28, 1993 The action comedy Super Mario Bros., a live adaptation of the popular Nintendo game starring Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi, debuts in US theaters. The movie flops, but the soundtrack's lead single, "Almost Unreal" by Roxette, is a top 10 hit in the UK.
May 26, 1993 At the Ivor Novello Awards, when the duo Shakespears Sister win an award for their album Hormonally Yours, Siobhan Fahey's publicist reads a statement letting her bandmate Marcella Detroit (and the rest of the audience) know they're breaking up. "I wish Marcy all the best for the future," it reads. "All's well that end's well."
May 21, 1993 Sliver, starring Sharon Stone and William Baldwin, is released in the US. The movie is panned by critics, but its prominent use of UB40's cover of the Elvis Presley original "Can't Help Falling in Love" helps give the band their second #1 hit in the States. The song was originally released as the first single from their 1993 album, Promises and Lies.
May 19, 1993 Depeche Mode begin their Devotional tour in Lille, France. They reach new levels of excess on the trek, culminating with lead singer Dave Gahan having a heart attack during a show.More
May 17, 1993 Barry Manilow guest stars on the "One" episode of Murphy Brown as part of a storyline where the lead character can't stand his music but her infant son finds it soothing.
May 13, 1993 Morgan Wallen is born in Sneedville, Tennessee. After competing on The Voice in 2014, he releases his debut album, If I Know Me, in 2018. Over the next several years he becomes the most popular singer in country music, breaking records for album sales and chart entries with a steady stream of songs about heartbreak, small-town life, and learning from one's mistakes.
May 4, 1993 PJ Harvey, fronted by British alt rocker Polly Jean Harvey, release their second and last album as a trio, Rid Of Me. The album is later hailed as one of the defining albums of the decade, but at the time, critics are split over Steve Albini's aggressive production.More
May 1, 1993 Charley Pride becomes just the second African American inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and the only active member (DeFord Bailey, the first, passed away in 1982). Pride first performed there in 1967.
April 25, 1993 RuPaul performs "Supermodel (You Better Work)" at the LGBT March on Washington.More
April 25, 1993 Legendary album artist Stanley "Mouse" Miller, designer of Grateful Dead's "skull and roses" logo, has his upcoming liver transplant financed by the band.
April 20, 1993 At 31, Toby Keith releases his self-titled debut album. The first single, "Should've Been A Cowboy," goes to #1 on the Country chart, the first of 20 chart-toppers for Keith on that tally.
April 10, 1993 Depeche Mode's eighth album, Songs of Faith and Devotion, reaches #1 in America, knocking Whitney Houston's soundtrack from The Bodyguard off the top spot, and holding off challengers Eric Clapton, Kenny G and Sting. Inspired by the grunge scene, the band adds distorted guitars and live drums to their signature synth sound.More
April 6, 1993 Tool disrupt the grunge genre's victory parade with Undertow, their visionary debut album. Aided by the distinctive and unsettling music videos for "Sober" and "Prison Sex" (directed by Adam Jones), the album sells two million copies and earns the band an ardent fan base.
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