1985 in music

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

Awards

Grammy Awards

• Grammy Awards of 1985

Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1985