1997 in music

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Events

January

• January 9 - David Bowie
  David Bowie
  
  David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and Arrangement. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s....
   performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert (the day after his birthday) at Madison Square Garden
  Madison Square Garden
  
  Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City....
  , New York City, USA with guests Frank Black
  Frank Black
  
  Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, where he performed under the stage name Black Francis....
  , The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth
  Sonic Youth
  
  Sonic Youth is an American rock music rock band formed in New York City in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Mark Ibold and Steve Shelley ....
  , Robert Smith
  Robert Smith (musician)
  
  Robert James Smith is an England guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the Rock music band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976....
   of The Cure
  The Cure
  
  The Cure are an English Rock music band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several lineup changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member....
  , Lou Reed
  Lou Reed
  
  Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock music musician best known as the guitarist, Singing and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground as well as a successful solo artist whose career has spanned several decades....
  , and Billy Corgan
  Billy Corgan
  
  William Patrick Corgan, Jr. is an United States of America singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet. Corgan is the vocalist and lead guitarist for alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins....
   of The Smashing Pumpkins
  The Smashing Pumpkins
  
  The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. While the group has gone through several lineup changes, The Smashing Pumpkins consisted of Billy Corgan , James Iha , D'arcy Wretzky , and Jimmy Chamberlin for most of the band's recording career....
  , with the opening act Placebo
  Placebo (band)
  
  Placebo are an alternative rock musical ensemble formed in London in 1994, consisting of Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Steve Forrest. To date, they have released five studio albums, six Extended plays and twenty-seven singles....
  . Proceeds from the concert went to the Save the Children
  Save the Children
  
  Save the Children is a leading international organisation helping children in need around the world. First established in the United Kingdom in 1919, separate national organisations have been set up in more than twenty-eight countries, sharing the aim of improving the lives of children through education, health care and economic opportuniti...
   fund.
• January 10 - James Brown receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
  Hollywood Walk of Fame
  
  The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment hall of fame....
   in Hollywood, USA.
• January 19 - Madonna
  Madonna (entertainer)
  
  Madonna is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance....
   wins Best Actress In A Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy, for her part in Evita
  Evita (film)
  
  Evita is the 1996 in film film adaptation of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita based on the life of Eva Per?n. It was directed by Alan Parker and starred Madonna , Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce....
  , at the 54th annual Golden Globe Awards in the USA.
• January 28 - The Virginia Senate votes to retire "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
  Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
  
  "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is a song which was written by James A. Bland , an African American minstrel who wrote over 700 folk songs. Written in 1878, soon after the American Civil War, when many of the newly freed slaves were struggling to find work, the song has become controversial in modern times....
  " as the official state song, and begins looking for a replacement.

February

• February 2 - Rich Mullins
  Rich Mullins
  
  Richard Wayne Mullins was an United States Contemporary Christian Music singer and songwriter born to John and Neva Mullins in Richmond, Indiana....
  ' musical The Canticle of the Plains
  The Canticle of the Plains
  
  Canticle of the Plains is a Musical theater written by songwriters Rich Mullins, Mitch McVicker and Beaker , loosely based on the life of St....
   premieres in Wichita, Kansas
  Wichita, Kansas
  
  Wichita , is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas. The 2006 estimated population of 361,420 makes it the 51st largest city in the U.S....
  .
• February 12 - David Bowie
  David Bowie
  
  David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and Arrangement. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s....
   receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, USA.
• February 13
• Michael Jackson
  Michael Jackson
  
  Michael Joseph Jackson is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group....
  's first son is born.
• The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   knock Toni Braxton
  Toni Braxton
  
  Toni Michelle Braxton is an American contemporary R&B singer-songwriter and actor. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards and has sold over forty million records worldwide....
  's "Unbreak My Heart" off the top spot in the US singles chart. They are the first British group to have a US number one with their debut single.
• February 20 - Ben and Jerry's introduce Phish Food, a new flavor of ice cream named after the rock group Phish
  Phish
  
  eruses4|the band|deceptive internet practices|Phishing}}Phish is an United States band noted for their musical improvisation, extended jam sessions, exploration of music between genres, and their "fiercely loyal fans." Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983, the band's four members performed together for over 20 years until their hia...
  . The ingredients are chocolate ice cream, marshmallows, caramel and fish-shaped fudge.
• February 24 - The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   win Best Video for "Say You'll Be There
  Say You'll Be There
  
  "Say You'll Be There" is a dance-pop song performed by the English girl group Spice Girls. The song was written by the Spice Girls and Eliot Kennedy, for their debut album Spice ....
  " and Best Single for "Wannabe
  Wannabe (song)
  
  "Wannabe" is a song by the United Kingdom pop group Spice Girls, released as their debut single, and widely considered to be their signature song....
  " at the BRIT Awards
  Brit Awards
  
  The BRIT Awards, often simply called The BRITs, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of British or Britannia, but has subsequently become a "backronym" for British Record Industry Trust....
  . Geri Halliwell
  Geri Halliwell
  
  Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an England pop music singer-songwriter, children's author, actress and UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund....
  's Union Jack dress from the girls' live performance hogs the headlines the next day.

March

• Pianist David Helfgott
  David Helfgott
  
  David Helfgott is an Australian concert pianist. He is as well-known for having schizoaffective disorder as he is for his piano playing.Helfgott's life inspired the Academy Awards-winning film, Shine , directed by Scott Hicks and starring Geoffrey Rush and Noah Taylor....
   performs at the Boston Symphony Hall, in Boston, USA, during his world tour. The Boston Globe describes his performance as "without phrasing, form, harmonic understanding, differentiation of style and often basic accuracy; worst of all, it was without emotional content."
• March 1 - The rock band Phish
  Phish
  
  eruses4|the band|deceptive internet practices|Phishing}}Phish is an United States band noted for their musical improvisation, extended jam sessions, exploration of music between genres, and their "fiercely loyal fans." Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983, the band's four members performed together for over 20 years until their hia...
   records "Slip Stitch and Pass
  Slip Stitch and Pass
  
  Slip Stitch and Pass is a live album by Phish. It was released on October 28, 1997 by Elektra Records and features nine tracks from March 1, 1997, at the Markthalle Club in Hamburg, Germany, during Phish's European Tour....
  " live at Markthalle, Hamburg
  Hamburg
  
  Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany , and is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg metropolitan area has more than 4.3 million inhabitants....
  , Germany.
• March 3 - U2
  U2
  
  U2 are a rock music band from Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. .The band formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency....
   release the opinion-dividing Pop
  Pop (album)
  
  Pop is the ninth studio album by Republic of Ireland rock music band U2, released in March 1997. It is notable for combining elements of popular techno music, dance music, and electronica influences with traditional alternative rock....
   album. Along with the Oasis
  Oasis (band)
  
  Oasis are an English rock music band that formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as "The Rain", the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul Arthurs , Paul McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher ....
   album Be Here Now
  Be Here Now
  
  Be Here Now is the third studio album by the English Rock music band Oasis . Released in August 1997 the album was highly anticipated by both music critics and fans as a result of the band's previous worldwide successes with their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe and its 1995 follow up Morning Glory?....
  , it becomes a major release that fails to sell to industry expectations, particularly in the US, despite many strong initial reviews.
• March 9
• The Notorious B.I.G.
  The Notorious B.I.G.
  
  Christopher George Latore Wallace , popularly known by Biggie Smalls , and his primary stage name, The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper....
   is shot dead while sitting in the passenger seat of a car after a Soul Train Awards party in the USA.
• The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   become the first act in the history of the UK Top 40 singles charts to have four consecutive number one hits with Mama
  Mama (Spice Girls song)
  
  "Mama" is a song by the Spice Girls, releasesd as the fourth single from their debut album, Spice . It was released as a double-A side along with the Comic Relief music video for "Who Do You Think You Are"....
  /Who Do You Think You Are
  Who Do You Think You Are
  
  "Who Do You Think You Are" is a song by the Spice Girls, released as the fourth and final single from their debut album, Spice in March 1997 in the UK....
  . Profits from the single go to Comic Relief
  Comic Relief
  
  File:Comic Relief.svgComic Relief is a British charity organisation that was founded in the United Kingdom in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis in response to famine in Ethiopia....
   and provide the biggest individual contribution of 1997.
• March 11 - Paul McCartney
  Paul McCartney
  
  Sir James Paul McCartney Member of the Order of the British Empire is a multiple Grammy Award-winning England singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record producer, film producer, Painting, and Animal rights....
   is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
  Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
  
  Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
  .
• March 17 - Whirlwind Heat
  Whirlwind Heat
  
  Whirlwind Heat is a three-piece band from the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Michigan. Although they are avid genre-hoppers, they are often categorized as alternative rock....
   play their first show.
• March 19 - March 20 - The reunited Monkees perform two sold-out concerts at Wembley Arena
  Wembley Arena
  
  Wembley Arena is an indoor arena in Wembley, London, UK. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium. It was built for the 1934 British Empire Games by Arthur Elvin, and originally housed a swimming pool, as reflected by its former name, the Empire Pool....
   in London, UK.
• March 30 - The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   launch Britain's new television channel, Channel 5.

April

• April - Nigel Kennedy
  Nigel Kennedy
  
  Nigel Kennedy is a violinist and violist....
  , now calling himself simply Kennedy, returns to the stage at the Royal Festival Hall after a five-year absence from the concert stage resulting from neck surgery.
• April 2 - Joni Mitchell
  Joni Mitchell
  
  Joni Mitchell, Order of Canada is a Canada musician, songwriter, and Painting.Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Western Canada and then busking on the streets of Toronto....
   is reunited with her daughter, Kilauren Gibb, whom she gave up for adoption 32 years earlier.
• April 14 - Depeche Mode
  Depeche Mode
  
  Depeche Mode is an electronic music band formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex, England. The group's original line-up was Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andrew Fletcher and Vince Clarke ....
   come back with their 9th album Ultra
  Ultra
  
  Ultra was the name used by the United Kingdom for intelligence resulting from decryption of encrypted Nazi Germany radio communications in World War II....
  
• April 25 – April 27 - The first Terrastock
  Terrastock
  
  Terrastock is a music festival organised periodically by Phil McMullen, formerly editor of the Ptolemaic Terrascope and since 2005 the publisher of the Terrascope Online website....
   festival
  Music festival
  
  A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday....
   is held in Providence, Rhode Island
  Providence, Rhode Island
  
  Providence is the Capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States....
  , USA.

May-June

• 5ive's musical career begins after auditions are held in London, UK to find potential band members, with over 3,000 hopefuls showing up to audition.
• The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   attend the Cannes Film Festival
  Cannes Film Festival
  
  The Cannes Film Festival , founded in 1946, is one of the world's oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals alongside Venice Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival....
   to announce their plans to hit the big screen with Spiceworld: The Movie. A photo call on top of the Hotel Martinez entrance brings the area to a standstill.
• May 11 - The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   perform their first British live gig for the Prince's Trust 21st anniversary concert at the Manchester Opera House
  Manchester Opera House
  
  The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England is a 1,920 seater commercial touring theatre which plays host to touring Musical theatres, ballet, concerts and a spectactular Christmas pantomime....
   They break royal protocol by kissing Prince Charles on the cheeks and even pinching his bottom.
• May 15 - The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
  ' album Spice
  Spice (album)
  
  Spice is the multi-platinum debut album by England pop music group Spice Girls, released in 1996 and 1997 by Virgin Records. It yielded the single "Wannabe ", number one in 31 nations, including UK and US....
   reaches number one on the US charts, making them the first British act to top the charts with a debut album.
• June 16 - Radiohead
  Radiohead
  
  Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire. The band is composed of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway ....
   release OK Computer
  OK Computer
  
  OK Computer is the third album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 16 June 1997. Radiohead recorded the album in rural Oxfordshire and Bath, Somerset, during 1996 and early 1997, with Record producer Nigel Godrich....
   to huge critical acclaim. Now recognized as a classic album.*

August

• August 3 - The Black Crowes
  The Black Crowes
  
  The Black Crowes are an United States of American, blues music-oriented hard rock jam band that have sold over 20 million albums. They were hailed by Melody Maker as "The Most Rock 'n' Roll Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World"....
   perform their last show with Johnny Colt
  Johnny Colt
  
  Johnny Colt is an American bassist, and he was the original bassist for The Black Crowes. He went on to form the Brand New Immortals and is currently the bass player for Train and also the temporary replacement for Jason Newsted in Rock Star Supernova....
   and Marc Ford
  Marc Ford
  
  Marc Ford , is the former lead guitarist of the rock and roll jam band The Black Crowes....
  .
• August 4 - Nigerian afrobeat
  Afrobeat
  
  Afrobeat is a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, and funk rhythms, fused with Percussion instrument and vocal styles, popularized in Africa in the 1970s....
   pioneer and dissident pop star Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
  Fela Kuti
  
  Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela, was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of afrobeat music, human rights Activism, and Politics maverick....
   dies in Lagos
  Lagos
  
  Lagos is the most populous conurbation in Nigeria with 7,937,932 inhabitants at the 2006 census. It is currently the second most Largest cities in africa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa , immediately following Bamako....
  , Nigeria
  Nigeria
  
  Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federation constitutional republic comprising States of Nigeria and one Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria....
  , of HIV
  HIV
  
  Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that can lead to AIDS , a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections....
  -related illness.
• August 7 - Garth Brooks
  Garth Brooks
  
  Troyal Garth Brooks is an American country music artist. His eponymous first album was released in 1989; it peaked at #2 in the US country album chart and reached #13 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart....
   performs to an estimated 800,000 to one million people during a free concert given in Central Park
  Central Park
  
  Central Park is a large public, urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually. Most of the areas immediately adjacent to the park are known for impressive buildings and valuable real estate....
  , New York City.
• August 16 - August 17 - Phish perform at the two day music festival, The Great Went, at Loring Air Force Base
  Loring Air Force Base
  
  Loring Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base that was under the operational control of the Strategic Air Command for most of its existence....
   in Limestone
  Limestone
  
  File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
  , Maine
  Maine
  
  The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
  , USA. They play 500 minutes of music, six sets and two encores. There was an estimated attendance of between 65,000-70,000 and it was the top grossing concert of the season making over $4,000,000 in box office receipts.
• August 19 - The reunited Fleetwood Mac
  Fleetwood Mac
  
  Fleetwood Mac are a United Kingdom/United States rock music band formed in 1967 which have experienced a high turnover of personnel and varied levels of success....
   release The Dance
  The Dance (album)
  
  The Dance is a live performance by the band Fleetwood Mac, released on CD and VHS in 1997 in music, and later on DVD. It hailed the return of the band's most successful line-up , who had not released an album together since 1987's Tango in the Night....
   and begin a concert tour in the United States.
• August 21 - Oasis
  Oasis (band)
  
  Oasis are an English rock music band that formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as "The Rain", the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul Arthurs , Paul McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher ....
  ' third album, Be Here Now
  Be Here Now
  
  Be Here Now is the third studio album by the English Rock music band Oasis . Released in August 1997 the album was highly anticipated by both music critics and fans as a result of the band's previous worldwide successes with their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe and its 1995 follow up Morning Glory?....
  , is released. It becomes the fastest selling music album of all time, moving 695,761 copies in the first week in the UK.

September-October

• September 6 - Elton John
  Elton John
  
  Sir Elton Hercules John Order of the British Empire is an England singer-songwriter, composer and pianist.In his four-decade career, John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s....
   performs "Candle in the Wind
  Candle in the Wind
  
  "Candle in the Wind" is a song with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier....
  " at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales
  Diana, Princess of Wales
  
  Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Their sons, Princes Prince William of Wales and Prince Henry of Wales , are second and third Line of succession to the British throne of the British monarchy and fifteen other Commonwealth Realms....
  ; John Tavener
  John Tavener
  
  Sir John Tavener is a United Kingdom composer,British honours systemed in 2000 for his services to music....
  's Song for Athene
  Song for Athene
  
  "Song for Athene" is a musical composition by United Kingdom composer John Tavener which is intended to be sung a cappella by a four-part choir....
   is performed at the same ceremony, with soprano Lynne Dawson
  Lynne Dawson
  
  Lynne Dawson is an England soprano. She came to great prominence through her performance as a soloist in ?Libera Me? from Verdi?s Requiem with the BBC Singers at Princess Diana?s funeral in September 1997....
   singing the solo part.
• September 17 - The KLF
  The KLF
  
  The KLF, also known as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu , The Timelords and other names, were one of the seminal bands from the Music of the United Kingdom acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
   return for 23 minutes
  23 (numerology)
  
  The 23 Enigma refers to the belief that most incidents and events are directly connected to the number 23 , some permutation of the number 23, or a number related to the number 23, given enough ingenuity on the part of the interpreter....
   with their performance of Fuck the Millennium
  Fuck the Millennium
  
  "Forget the Millennium" or "***K the Millennium" is an electronic music protest song that was released as a single in 1997 by 2K . Based upon The KLF's acid house track "What Time Is Love?", it was promoted as a comeback single and released to mark the tenth anniversary of Drummond and Cauty's first collaborations; however, it was also...
  .
• September 19 - While on his way to a benefit concert
  Benefit concert
  
  A benefit concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable organization purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis....
   in Kansas
  Kansas
  
  The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
  , USA, Rich Mullins
  Rich Mullins
  
  Richard Wayne Mullins was an United States Contemporary Christian Music singer and songwriter born to John and Neva Mullins in Richmond, Indiana....
   loses control of his Jeep
  Jeep
  
  Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler. It is the oldest off-road vehicle brand, with Land Rover coming in second. The original vehicle which first appeared as the prototype Bantam GP became the primary light 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the US Army and allies during the World War II and postwar period....
  , flipping the automobile and throwing both Mullins and passenger Mitch McVicker
  Mitch McVicker
  
  Mitch McVicker is a Contemporary Christian Music artist who attended Friends University in Wichita, Kansas in the early 1990s, where he met and befriended the late Rich Mullins....
   out onto the road. A tractor-trailer approaching the scene swerves to miss McVicker, striking and killing Mullins instantly. McVicker survives, but suffered major injuries.
• September 23 - Björk
  Björk
  
  Bj?rk Gu?mundsd?ttir is an Icelandic singer-songwriter, composer, actor and record producer, whose work includes seven solo albums and two film soundtracks....
   releases Homogenic
  Homogenic
  
  Homogenic is the third studio album by Icelandic singer-songwriter and musician Bj?rk, released on 23 September 1997 by One Little Indian and Elektra Records....
  , moving towards a darker sound and away from her 'pixie
  Pixie
  
  Pixies are mythical creatures of folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall, suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name....
  ' image.
• September 29
• The Rolling Stones
  The Rolling Stones
  
  The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
   release Bridges to Babylon
  Bridges to Babylon
  
  Bridges to Babylon is an album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1997. It would prove to be their final studio album of the 1990s and their last full-length release of new songs until 2005....
  .
• The Verve
  The Verve
  
  The Verve are a British people Rock music band formed in Wigan, Greater Manchester in 1989 at Winstanley College, by vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones , and drummer Peter Salisbury....
   release Urban Hymns
  Urban Hymns
  
  Urban Hymns is the third album by English rock band The Verve released on 29 September 1997. After the release of the band's previous album, A Northern Soul, The Verve broke up due to growing tensions between Richard Ashcroft and Nick McCabe....
  . Ironically, in a controversial legal dispute, the majority of their royalties and songwriting credit for their single "Bittersweet Symphony" go to The Rolling Stones
  The Rolling Stones
  
  The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
  .
• October 13 - The "Prince Igor
  Prince Igor (single)
  
  "Prince Igor" is a 1997 in music single . The single was inspired by the Polovetsian Dances of Prince Igor opera. The main vocals are performed by Warren G, the refrain by Sissel Kyrkjeb? and the instrumental background is provided by The Rapsody....
  " single, jointly performed by The Rhapsody, Warren G
  Warren G
  
  Warren Griffin III better known by his stage name Warren G, is an United States West Coast hip hop rapping and hip hop producer. His biggest hit was the single "Regulate " with Nate Dogg released in 1994....
   and Sissel Kyrkjebø
  Sissel Kyrkjebø
  
  Sissel Kyrkjeb? , also known as just Sissel, is a Norway soprano. She is best known for singing the Olympic Hymn at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, for duets with Pl?cido Domingo, Charles Aznavour, Jos? Carreras, Neil Sedaka, Warren G, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Josh Groban, Diana K...
   is released.

November-December

• November 3 - The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   release Spiceworld
  Spiceworld
  
  Spiceworld is the second album by British pop music group the Spice Girls, released in 1997 . It is also the name of their Spiceworld The Movie....
  , their second number one album, making the group the first British band since The Beatles
  The Beatles
  
  The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
   to have two albums in the US chart at the same time. Spice
  Spice (album)
  
  Spice is the multi-platinum debut album by England pop music group Spice Girls, released in 1996 and 1997 by Virgin Records. It yielded the single "Wannabe ", number one in 31 nations, including UK and US....
   and Spiceworld
  Spiceworld
  
  Spiceworld is the second album by British pop music group the Spice Girls, released in 1997 . It is also the name of their Spiceworld The Movie....
   have amassed enough sales for one out of every two people in Britain to own a Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   album.
• November 4 - Shania Twain
  Shania Twain
  
  Shania Twain Order of Canada is a Canadian singer and songwriter in the country music and popular music genres. Her third album Come on Over is the List of best-selling albums worldwide of all time by a female musician and the best-selling album in the history of country music....
   releases her album Come on Over
  Come on Over (Shania Twain album)
  
  Come on Over is the third studio album recorded by country singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 4, 1997. The best-selling Country Music album of all time, it is certified 20? Multi-Platinum in the US, 2× Diamond in Canada, 15? Platinum in Australia, and 10× Platinum in Great Britain....
   which goes on to sell over 34 million copies worldwide and later became the biggest selling album in country music
  Country music
  
  Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
   history and the biggest selling album by a female music artist.
• November 6 - The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   make the decision to take over the running of the group and drop Simon Fuller
  Simon Fuller
  
  'Simon Fuller' is one of the most successful artist managers of all time and is globally recognized for his work as a television producer, talent manager and creator of the Idol series, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK and over 100 other versions including American Idol, Australian Idol, Canadian Idol, Deutschland sucht den...
   as their manager.
• December 26 - The Spice Girls
  Spice Girls
  
  The Spice Girls are an English pop girl group formed in 1994. They consist of Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell....
   release their big screen debut Spiceworld: The Movie, starring Richard E. Grant
  Richard E. Grant
  
  Richard E. Grant is a British people Swaziland actor, screenwriter and film director....
  , Roger Moore
  Roger Moore
  
  Sir Roger George Moore Order of the British Empire is an English actor. He is perhaps best known for portraying two British action heroes, Simon Templar in the television series The Saint from 1962 to 1969, and James Bond in James Bond ....
  , Sir Elton John and Stephen Fry
  Stephen Fry
  
  Stephen John Fry is an England actor, comedian, author and television presenter. With Hugh Laurie, as the comedy double act Fry and Laurie, he co-wrote and co-starred in A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and the duo also played the title roles in Jeeves and Wooster....
  . The movie makes £6.8m in its first week of release.
• December 31 - The Home of Country Music, the Opryland USA theme park
  Opryland USA
  
  Opryland USA was a amusement park located in Nashville, Tennessee. It operated from 1972 until 1997. During the late 1980s nearly 2.5 million people visited the park annually....
  , in Nashville, Tennessee
  Nashville, Tennessee
  
  Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
  , USA closes and is subsequently demolished.

Undated

• The companies Memorex
  Memorex
  
  Established in 1961 in Silicon Valley, Memorex is today a consumer electronics brand of Imation specializing in disk recordable media , travel drives, flash storage, computer accessories and other electronics....
  , Maxell
  Maxell
  
  , or Maxell, is a Japanese company which manufactures consumer electronics. The company's notable products are Battery and electronics -- the company's name is a contraction of "maximum capacity dry cell" -- and recording media, including audio cassettes and blank VHS tapes, and recordable optical discs like CD-R/RW and DVD?RW....
  , and TDK introduce blank recordable CDs.
• Rob Gommerman leaves Finger Eleven
  Finger Eleven
  
  Finger Eleven is a Canada alternative rock band formed in 1989. They originated in Burlington, Ontario, as Rainbow Butt Monkeys. They have currently released five studio albums, with their album The Greyest of Blue Skies bringing them into the mainstream....
   due to extensive touring.
• Derrick Green
  Derrick Green
  
  Derrick Green is the vocalist for the metal band Sepultura, whom he joined on the departure of their previous vocalist Max Cavalera in 1997....
   replaces Max Cavalera
  Max Cavalera
  
  Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is an Brazilian singer, guitarist and songwriter originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He was the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal music band Sepultura, before forming Soulfly in the late 1990s....
   in Sepultura
  Sepultura
  
  Sepultura is a Brazilian Heavy metal music band from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal and thrash metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and their later experiments melding hardcore punk and industrial music with extreme metal provided a blueprint for the groove metal gen...
  .
• Glenn Ljungström
  Glenn Ljungström
  
  Glenn Ljungstr?m was the original guitarist of the Sweden melodic death metal band In Flames along with the band's founder, Jesper Str?mblad. He was a member of In Flames from 1993 until 1997, after which he quit In Flames to support his family with a more stable job....
   & Johan Larsson
  Johan Larsson
  
  Johan Larsson was the original bassist of the Sweden melodic death metal band In Flames. He was a member of In Flames from 1993 until 1997, after which he quit In Flames for unknown reasons....
   leaves In Flames
  In Flames
  
  In Flames is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed in 1990. The band is considered to be a pioneer and major influence to the melodic death metal music genre....
  .
• Wynton Marsalis
  Wynton Marsalis
  
  Wynton Learson Marsalis is an United States trumpeter and composer. He is among the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era and is also a well-known instrumentalist in European classical music....
   became the first jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music
  Pulitzer Prize for Music
  
  The Pulitzer Prize for Music was first awarded in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer did not call for such a prize in his will, but had arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year....
  .

Bands formed

• See Musical groups established in 1997

Bands disbanded

• Acid Bath
  Acid Bath
  
  Acid Bath was a seminal United States sludge metal band from Houma, Louisiana, Louisiana that was active from 1991 to 1997. Acid Bath combined sludge metal with influences from hardcore punk and death metal....
  
• Atomic Swing
  Atomic Swing
  
  Atomic Swing is a Sweden pop rock group formed in 1992. Their debut album, A Car Crash in the Blue, produced several hits in the Swedish charts....
  
• Les Avions
  Les Avions
  
  Les Avions was a France pop rock band formed in 1980 in Paris by Jean-Pierre Morgan , Jean Nakache and J?r?me Lambert . The keyboardist Sylvain Pauchard also greatly contributed to Les Avions'albums for the arrangements and programming....
  
• Brainiac
  Brainiac (band)
  
  Brainiac was an influential United States synthpunk band formed in 1992 and disbanded after the sudden death of lead singer Tim Taylor in 1997....
  
• Christie Front Drive
  Christie Front Drive
  
  Christie Front Drive was an indie rock/Emo band formed in Denver in 1993. Citing as influences Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate, Buffalo Tom and Drive Like Jehu, the lineup consisted of Ron Marschall , Jason Begin , Kerry McDonald and Eric Richter ....
  
• The Clouds
  The Clouds
  
  The Clouds is a Greek comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes lampooning the sophists and the intellectual trends of late fifth-century Athens....
  
• Cocteau Twins
  Cocteau Twins
  
  Cocteau Twins was a Scottish band active from 1979 to 1997....
  
• Commander Venus
  Commander Venus
  
  Commander Venus was an indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, United States fronted by singer-songwriter Conor Oberst of the bands Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos ....
  
• Def FX
  Def FX
  
  Def FX was an Australian Industrial rock-electronic dance music-rock and roll group, formed in Sydney. The core of the group was keyboardist and vocalist Sean Lowry and vocalist Fiona Horne ....
  
• Dinosaur Jr.
• Failure
  Failure (band)
  
  Failure was an influential United States rock band that was active from 1990 to 1997, during which they recorded and released three Music critic albums....
  
• Gin Blossoms
  Gin Blossoms
  
  The Gin Blossoms are an alternative rock band formed in 1987, in Tempe, Arizona. They took their name from a photo of W.C. Fields which bore the caption "W.C....
  
• Glue Gun
  Glue Gun (band)
  
  Glue Gun is an United States punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1991 by The Grim's Bob Oedy, who is the lead singer and only constant member as of the band's reunion....
  
• The Monkees
  The Monkees
  
  The Monkees were a pop singing quartet assembled in Los Angeles in 1965 in music for the United States television series The Monkees , which aired from 1966 to 1968....
  
• Porno for Pyros
  Porno for Pyros
  
  Porno for Pyros was an United States alternative rock group formed in 1992. It was Perry Farrell's and Stephen Perkins' next project after the breakup of their former band Jane's Addiction....
  
• Pungent Stench
  Pungent Stench
  
  Pungent Stench was a black humor death metal band from Vienna, Austria, which formed in 1988. Their last known lineup consists of Martin Schirenc , El Gore , and Alex Wank ....
  
• Soundgarden
  Soundgarden
  
  Soundgarden was an American Rock music band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by lead singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto....
  
• Soul II Soul
  Soul II Soul
  
  Soul II Soul is a 2-time Grammy winning act that emerged at the end of the 1980s from London. The group initially attracted attention as a sound system , playing records at house and street parties ....
  
• The Sundays
  The Sundays
  
  The Sundays were an England alternative rock group. The band, formed in the mid-1980s, released three albums of material in the late 1980s and 1990s....
  
• Swans
  Swans (band)
  
  Swans was an influential United States post-punk band active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira....
  
• Tad
  Tad (band)
  
  TAD was an American Grunge music band from Seattle, Washington. They were among the first of the many bands which came out of Seattle in the grunge era....
  
• Throwing Muses
  Throwing Muses
  
  Throwing Muses are an alternative rock musical ensemble formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, Rhode Island, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects....
  
• Ugly Kid Joe
  Ugly Kid Joe
  
  Ugly Kid Joe was an United States hard rock band from Isla Vista, California, California. The band?s name is a pun on the band Pretty Boy Floyd ....
  
• White Zombie
• X Japan
  X Japan
  
  is a Japan band founded in 1982 by Toshi and Yoshiki . Originally named X , the group achieved its breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood ....
  

Bands reformed

• Black Sabbath
  Black Sabbath
  
  Black Sabbath are an English Rock music band. Formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward , the band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with a total of twenty-two former members....
   (reformed after being on hiatus since 1994)
• Depeche Mode
  Depeche Mode
  
  Depeche Mode is an electronic music band formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex, England. The group's original line-up was Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andrew Fletcher and Vince Clarke ....
   (reformed after being on hiatus since 1995)
• Echo & the Bunnymen
  Echo & the Bunnymen
  
  Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. Their original lineup consisted of singer Ian McCulloch , guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine....
   (reformed after being on hiatus since 1992)
• Sunny Day Real Estate
  Sunny Day Real Estate
  
  Sunny Day Real Estate was an Independent music band from Seattle, Washington. While not the first band to be classified as emo, they were instrumental in establishing the genre....
   (reformed after being on hiatus since 1995)

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August