1985 in music: Definition and Links by Encyclopedian.com

See also: 1984 in music, other events of 1985, 1986 in music and the list of 'years in music'.

Table of contents

1 Events

2 Albums Released

3 Top Hits

4 Births

5 Deaths

6 Awards

6.1 Grammy Awards
6.2 Country Music Association Awards
6.3 Eurovision Song Contest

Events

January - 90 Contemporary Christian music artists, including Larry Norman, Amy Grant, Randy Stonehill and Steve Camp[?], join together to record "Do Something Now"
January 28 - Various artists, including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers[?], Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder, record the song "We Are The World". The single arrived in record stores on
February 1 - The Eagles' Glenn Frey[?] appears in an episode of the popular US television series Miami Vice[?]. The episode is based on Frey's song, "Smuggler's Blues."
February - Whitney Houston releases her first album
March 3 - A wax likeness of Michael Jackson is unvieled at London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum.
March 7 - Menudo hits the United States charts with "Indianapolis" and "Like a Cannonball", both of which were on the soundtrack of Cannonball Run 2[?]. Ironically, this would be the beginning of the end of Menudo's golden era.
March 23 - Billy Joel marries model Christy Brinkley[?] in New York.
April 1 - David Lee Roth[?] leaves Van Halen to begin a solo career.
July 13 - Live Aid superconcert raises funds for famine relief
August - Fleetwood Mac records Tango in the Night[?], which will be a blockbuster album in 1987
August 1 - Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights for most of the Beatles' music for $47 million, much to the dismay of the surviving members of the band.
August 11 - the sailboat Drum capsizes during the Fastnet[?] yacht race; Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran and others are trapped beneath the hull
September 19 - The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) testifies at a hearing before the United States Senate about "alarming new trends" in rock music; leading to the labeling of "offensive" recordings. One of the organizations most outspoken leaders is Tipper Gore[?], wife of Tennessee Senator, and future Vice President Albert Gore.
December 5 - The first fully digital reggae single, Wayne Smith[?]'s 'Under Me Sleng Teng[?]', is recorded at Prince Jammy[?]'s studio; it is the beginning of ragga style reggae.
December 27 - Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran marries 20-year-old supermodel Yasmin Parveneh[?]

Mark Heard's Mosaics album is released - the album's cover artwork was created by dozens of musicians including Heard himself, Bill Batstone[?], T-Bone Burnett, Tim Chandler, Dave de Coup-Crank[?], Terry Scott Taylor, David Edwards[?], Tom Howard[?], Tonio K, Ed McTaggart, John Mehler[?], Leslie Phillips, Randy Stonehill, and Pat Terry[?]. Actor Jerry Houser[?] also worked on the artwork.
They Might Be Giants career begins in earnest; playing weekly sold-out shows in New York's East Village[?] and garnering a review in People magazine[?]
Eric B. & Rakim meet and and begin making music together
The Offspring form in Garden Grove, California
Duran Duran splits into two side projects (Power Station[?] and Arcadia); Live Aid is the last time Duran performs in its original five-member incarnation.

Albums Released

Reckless[?] - Brian Adams[?]
Hunting High And Low[?] - A-Ha
7800 Fahrenheit - Bon Jovi
Hounds of Love[?] - Kate Bush
Telephone Free Landslide Victory - Camper Van Beethoven
To Mega Therion - Celtic Frost
No Jacket Required - Phil Collins
The Head on the Door[?] - The Cure
Frankenchrist - Dead Kennedys
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
The Firm - The Firm
Centerfield[?] - John Fogerty
Who's Zooming Who[?] - Aretha Franklin
Unguarded[?] - Amy Grant
Heart[?] - Heart[?]
New Day Rising[?] - Husker Du
Original Masters[?] - Jethro Tull
A Classic Case[?] - Jethro Tull
Ice on Fire[?] - Elton John
Defenders of the Faith - Judas Priest
Radio - LL Cool J
Off The Board[?] - Ludichrist
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! - Megadeth
Scarecrow[?] - John Cougar Mellencamp
Three-Way Tie for Last[?] - Minutemen
Low-Life[?] - New Order
Riptide[?] - Robert Palmer[?]
Diamond Life[?] - Sade
Rum Sodomy and the Lash[?] - The Pogues
Two Wheels Good[?] - Prefab Sprout[?]
Power Station[?] - Power Station[?]
Around the World in a Day[?] - Prince
Fables of the Reconstruction[?] - R.E.M.
Tim - The Replacements
Cupid & Psyhe '85[?] - Scritti Politti[?]
The Dream of the Blue Turtles[?] - Sting
Little Creatures[?] - Talking Heads
Songs from the Big Chair[?] - Tears for Fears[?]
Whitney Houston[?] - Whitney Houston
We are the World[?] - USA for Africa[?]
Soul To Soul[?] - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
Suzanne Vega[?] - Suzanne Vega
Rain Dogs - Tom Waits
Make it Big[?] - Wham!
No Tellin' Lies - Zebra

Top Hits

"Power of Love" - Huey Lewis & the News[?]
"Don't You Forget About Me" - Simple Minds
"We Built This City" - Starship
"Oh Sheila" - Ready for the World[?]
"Shout" - Tears for Fears[?]
"I Want to Know What Love Is" - Foreigner
"Careless Whisper" - Wham!
"Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" - Judas Priest
"Crazy for You" - Madonna
"Money for Nothing" - Dire Straits
"19" -- Paul Hardcastle[?] (UK)
"Say You, Say Me" - Lionel Richie
"We Are the World" - USA for Africa[?]
"Take On Me" - A-Ha
"Born In The U.S.A." - Bruce Springsteen
"Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore" - REO Speedwagon
"Private Dancer" - Tina Turner
"Indianapolis" - Menudo

Births

October 22 - Zachary Hanson[?], Hanson

Deaths

February 11 - Heinz Eric Roemheld[?]
February 11 - Ulysses Simpson Kay[?]
February 28 - David Byron, Uriah Heep
September 6 - Little Brother Montgomery
December 12 - Ian Stewart[?], The Rolling Stones, cerebrovascular accident
December 22 - D. Boon, lead singer of The Minutemen