September 9, 1992 During a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, Nirvana plays "Lithium," ending in a grand finale where bassist Krist Novoselic tosses his instrument high into the air. When he tries to catch it, he misses, and the bass whacks him in the head. Still, it's a pretty awesome performance.
September 9, 1992 Nirvana's feud with Guns N' Roses reaches a tense climax when Axl Rose threatens Kurt Cobain backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards.More
September 8, 1992 Tom Waits' album Bone Machine drops a sonic avalanche of apocalyptic percussion sounds, snarls, and deathly wails - and fans love him for it.More
September 5, 1992 Following in the tradition of Billy Joel and David Bowie, John Mellencamp marries a supermodel: Elaine Irwin.More
August 31, 1992 Prince extends his contract with Warner Bros. in a deal reported as being worth $100 million, but worth far less in reality.More
August 30, 1992 Nirvana headline the Reading Festival in England. On the bill is L7, whose frontwoman Donita Sparks throws a (used) tampon into the crowd.More
August 27, 1992 The Heights, a drama series about a group of working-class youths struggling to form a rock band, premieres on the FOX network. Produced by Aaron Spelling, the short-lived show spawns a #1 single with its theme song, "How Do You Talk To An Angel."
August 23, 1992 The British boy band Take That release their debut album, Take That & Party, which stays on the UK albums chart for over a year.
August 20, 1992 Embroiled in controversy over his song "Cop Killer," Ice-T doubles down by appearing in a police uniform on the cover of Rolling Stone.More
August 15, 1992 Boyz II Men and TLC, both on the 2 Legit 2 Quit tour opening for MC Hammer, claim the top two spots in the US with "End Of The Road" and "Baby-Baby-Baby." Both songs were written and produced by Babyface, L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons.
August 11, 1992 The Mall of America opens in Bloomington, Minnesota, with Ray Charles performing "America The Beautiful."
August 8, 1992 Madness reunite for the first of two "Madstock" shows at Finsbury Park in London. 75,000 fans come out of the woodwork for the two shows; the reunion sticks and the band resumes touring. Madstock returns in 1994, 1996 and 1998.
August 8, 1992 Opening for Guns N' Roses at a show in Montreal, James Hetfield of Metallica is injured by the pyrotechnics, which burn the entire left side of his body. Metallica can't continue, and Guns N' Roses cut their set short after just 15 minutes when Axl Rose leaves the stage, upset over monitor problems. A near riot ensues at Olympic Stadium as fans are not pleased.
August 4, 1992 Thanks to controversy generated from the song "Cop Killer," the self-titled album by Ice-T's hardcore metal group Body Count is certified Gold for sales of 500,000 in the US.
August 1, 1992 Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" video, depicting the teen suicide described in the song, makes its debut on MTV. It goes on to win Video of the Year at the VMAs.More
July 28, 1992 Mary J. Blige releases her debut album, What's The 411?, executive produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs. It takes the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart as well as #6 on the Billboard 200. Her unique blend of hip-hop and soul earns her the nickname "Queen of Hip Hop Soul."More
July 26, 1992 Mary Wells, "Queen of Motown," dies in Los Angeles, California, at age 49 during a bout of pneumonia made worse by a cancer recurrence.
July 25, 1992 Mary J. Blige's first single, "You Remind Me," hits #1 on the R&B chart, establishing her unique blend of "hip-hop soul." Her next single, "Real Love," tops the chart in October.
July 22, 1992 Selena Gomez is born in Grand Prairie, Texas. She starts her career in TV, starring in Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place. In 2009 she releases her first album, Kiss & Tell, with her band Selena Gomez & the Scene on Disney's Hollywood Records. Her adult accomplishments include the hits "Lose You to Love Me" and "The Heart Wants What It Wants," and an acclaimed role on the series Only Murders In The Building.
July 11, 1992 Jerry Garcia, who has a passion for painting and studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, introduces a line of neckties he designed.More
July 4, 1992 The king of all booty songs, Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back," hits #1 in America.More
June 30, 1992 Kyuss' Blues for the Red Sun, one of stoner metal's all-time classic albums, is released via Dali Records. It was produced by the band and Chris Goss.
June 24, 1992 Billy Joel graduates! He finally gets his high school diploma from Hicksville High School in Long Island, New York. He didn't graduate with his class in 1967 because of a missed English credit.More
June 20, 1992 Mariah Carey's cover of the Jackson 5 classic "I'll Be There" goes to #1 in America. Recorded for her MTV Unplugged special, it's the first song from the MTV acoustic showcase to become a hit. A few months later, Eric Clapton has a hit with his Unplugged version of "Layla."
June 12, 1992 Jordan and Danny of New Kids on the Block are acquitted in copyright-infringement charges stemming from their song "I'll Be Your Everything," which the estate of Percy Sledge claimed borrowed heavily from Sledge's 1975 song of the same name.
June 10, 1992 The Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas calls for a boycott of Time Warner, whose label Sire is distributing the song "Cop Killer" by Body Count, Ice-T's hardcore group. Six weeks later, the song is pulled from the album, but not before it sells over 500,000 copies, mostly due to the controversy.
June 4, 1992 The Children Of The Night foundation opens a shelter in Van Nuys, California for teenagers who have been forced into prostitution. It is funded in part from proceeds from Richard Marx' song "Children Of The Night," which he wrote after spending time with kids who were helped by the organization.
June 4, 1992 When the United States Post Office decides to do an Elvis stamp, they put it up for a vote: a young Elvis or an old Elvis image, and young Elvis wins by a landslide, getting more votes by a factor of three to one. Priscilla Presley makes the announcement at Graceland.More
June 3, 1992 Arkansas governor Bill Clinton, campaigning for US president, makes a whistle stop on The Arsenio Hall Show, where he plays the Elvis Presley hit "Heartbreak Hotel" on the saxophone to a cheering, youthful audience. The appearance is later seen as the definitive moment when Clinton captured the trust and support of young voters, and locked the election on charisma points.More
May 29, 1992 Concerned that students are identifying with Freddie Mercury, who has recently died of AIDS, the principal at Sacred Heart School in Clifton, New Jersey, doesn't allow 8th graders to perform the Queen song "We Are The Champions" at their graduation ceremony. When students flood the radio station Z100 with requests for the song, it is re-released as a single.More
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