January 8 – Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder hosts "Self-Pollution Radio", a four-and-a-half hour radio broadcast with live performances by Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and others. Any station with a satellite receiver could pick up and carry the program.[1]
February 7 – Rapper Tupac Shakur is sentenced to one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in prison on a sexual abuse charge.[7] He is later released on appeal.
February 14 – Richey Edwards' Vauxhall Cavalier is found abandoned in a service station on the Bristol side of the Severn Bridge in the UK, with evidence that he had been living in it. Although he was near a notorious suicide spot, there is still no evidence to suggest he committed suicide.[9]
Roxette play to a crowd of 12,000 in Beijing, China, becoming the first Western band to be allowed to perform in the Workers' Indoor Arena for ten years.[10]
February 25 – Lyle Lovett suffers a broken collarbone in an accident while riding his motorcycle in Mexico. The accident prevented Lovett from attending the Grammy Awards (he ended up winning two awards).[12]
R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry leaves the stage during a concert in Switzerland after suffering a brain aneurysm. He undergoes successful brain surgery two days later in Switzerland.[13]
March 14 – With the release of Me Against the World, Tupac Shakur became the first male solo artist to have a number one album on the American Billboard 200 chart while in prison.[15] The album remained at the top of the charts for four weeks.
March 25 – The Cult perform its last show in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, with Ian Astbury leaving the band. The Cult would reunite in April 1999.
Tejano singer Selena is shot and killed by Yolanda Saldivar, her former personal assistant and former fan club president, who had recently been fired for embezzling money from the fan club. The event was called "Black Friday" by Hispanics worldwide.
During a performance in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA, Jimmy Page narrowly escapes being stabbed by a man who rushes the stage with a knife.[18] The man was tackled by security guards who were injured in the brawl.
April 29 – Tupac Shakur marries Keisha Morris inside the Clinton Correctional Facility, New York, USA. Shakur was serving a four-and-a-half year jail term on sexual assault charges. They would later divorce.
May–June
May 5 – Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler is arraigned on a felony count of possession of heroin, in addition to two misdemeanor drug charges.[20]
June 16 – Michael Jackson released his first double-album HIStory, which became the best-selling multiple-album of all time, with 35 million copies (70 million copies) sold worldwide.
July–August
July 3 – The members of TLC file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, declaring debts of over $3.5 million.
July 14 – George Michael and Sony Music complete their acrimonious split. In 1994 Michael lost a lawsuit seeking to be released from his Sony contract, but he vowed to never sing for the company again. Michael will now record for the new label DreamWorks Records.[23]
July 18 – Selena becomes the first Hispanic singer to have an album debut and peak at number-one on the US Billboard 200 chart. She also becomes the first and only female singer to place five albums simultaneously on the Billboard 200 chart.
Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead passes away of a heart attack at age 53. In cities all over the United States, deadheads spontaneously gather to mourn his death and celebrate his life.[25]
August 22 – Rancid release their third studio album ...And Out Come the Wolves. Along with Green Day's Dookie and The Offspring's Smash (both released a year before), this album helped revive mainstream popular interest in punk rock in the mid-1990s, and becomes one of the best-selling independent records of all time. ...And Out Come the Wolves eventually goes platinum.
Oingo Boingo announce that they will break up following a series of Halloween shows in Los Angeles, California, USA.[citation needed] Lead singer Danny Elfman has established a career scoring motion pictures.
The official end of Sarah Records is marked with a farewell party featuring live sets by many of the label's acts. It was the last live appearance by The Orchids before they split up.[citation needed]
September 27 – Time Warner agrees to sell back its 50 percent share of Interscope Records. The media giant had come under intense fire for the explicit lyrics of rap artists on the label.[29]
The first International Guitar Festival is held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[30]
Oasis release their second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. The album spawns several number one singles around the world and eventually becomes the third best-selling album in the UK of all time.
Green Day release their fourth album Insomniac. While it didn't sell as well as their previous album Dookie, it still sold 4 million copies.
October 11 – Tupac Shakur is released from Clinton Correctional Facility, New York, USA, on US$1.4 million bail which was posted by Suge Knight. In return, Tupac signed a three-album deal with Knight's Death Row Records.
Cher releases her first album in four years, It's A Man's World, her first original recording for Warner Music Group. The album would get its U.S. debut in June 1996.
dc Talk release their 4th studio album Jesus Freak. It was a departure from their previous hip hop albums taking on a rap rock sound. It achieved the biggest 1st week sales for a Christian album selling more than 80,000 copies in its first week and entering the Billboard Top 200 at #16. It is known as one of the most important Christian albums of all time.
The Offspring re-release their debut album (which originally appeared in 1989), on CD for the first time. This proves to be the band's final release on Epitaph Records; they leave Epitaph and sign with Columbia Records the next year.
Enrique Iglesias releases his debut album, in Spanish. It tops the Latin album charts and would go on to win a Grammy and produce five No. 1 singles on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart.[citation needed]
December 21 – Madonna is subpoenaed to testify on January 3, 1996, against her stalker, Robert Hoskins, at the Criminal Courts Building in Los Angeles, California, USA. Hoskins was shot by a security guard outside her estate in Los Angeles in May 1995 for trespassing on her property and threatening to marry or kill her.
United Kingdom: 1 – October 1995; United States Billboard: 1 of 1995; The Netherlands: 1 – October 1995; Sweden: 1 – October 1995; Austria: 1 – November 1995; Switzerland: 1 – November 1995; Norway: 1 – October 1995; Italy: 1 of 1996; Germany: 1 – January 1996; Republic of Ireland: 1 – October 1995; New Zealand: 1 for 9 weeks October 1995; Australia: 1 for 13 weeks January 1996; France: 3 – October 1995; Poland: 3 – October 1995; Australia: 6 of 1995; United States Billboard: 11 of 1995; United States Cash Box: 12 of 1995; Germany: 16 of the 1990s; Scrobulate: 27 of rap; Pop Culture Madness: 31 of 1995; Global: 33 (5 million sold) – 1995; Europe: 48 of the 1990s; Rate Your Music: 69 of 1995; Acclaimed: 439
UK 1 – September 1995, Italy 1 of 1995, Republic of Ireland 1 – September 1995, New Zealand 1 for 2 weeks September 1995, Australia 1 for 1 weeks May 1996, Norway 2 – September 1995, Germany 2 – September 1995, US BB 3 of 1995, Austria 3 – October 1995, Switzerland 3 – October 1995, Netherlands 4 – September 1995, Sweden 4 – September 1995, US BB 6 of 1995, POP 7 of 1995, France 8 – August 1995, Australia 8 of 1996, US CashBox 23 of 1995, Scrobulate 34 of dancehall, Germany 181 of the 1990s
UK 1 – April 1995, Sweden 1 – April 1995, Norway 1 – April 1995, Germany 1 – April 1995, Republic of Ireland 1 – March 1995, Australia 1 for 2 weeks August 1995, Netherlands 2 – April 1995, Switzerland 2 – April 1995, Austria 3 – May 1995, US BB 7 of 1995, Australia 9 of 1995, Poland 10 – January 1995, Italy 28 of 1995, RYM 53 of 1995, OzNet 126, Germany 128 of the 1990s
UK 1 – September 1995, US BB 1 of 1995, Switzerland 1 – September 1995, Poland 1 – August 1995, Republic of Ireland 1 – September 1995, New Zealand 1 for 3 weeks September 1995, Austria 2 – September 1995, Germany 3 – September 1995, Sweden 5 – August 1995, Netherlands 6 – August 1995, Norway 9 – September 1995, US CashBox 13 of 1995, Australia 25 of 1995, Italy 45 of 1995, Germany 262 of the 1990s
Norway 1 – June 1995, Poland 1 – January 1995, Republic of Ireland 1 – June 1995, New Zealand 1 for 1 weeks July 1995, Australia 1 for 6 weeks October 1995, UK 2 – June 1995, Austria 4 – July 1995, Switzerland 5 – July 1995, Netherlands 9 – June 1995, Germany 9 – July 1995, Sweden 15 – August 1995, US BB 16 of 1995, Australia 16 of 1995, Italy 27 of 1995, POP 59 of 1995, RYM 72 of 1995
The following ten albums from 1995 are the highest rated, as per aggregate ratings compiled from over 33,000 different "greatest album" charts.[37] Results accurate as of April 2018.
January 17 - Heather Baron-Gracie, British singer, songwriter, and musician best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for the indie rock band Pale Waves.
^Sullivan, Caroline; Alex Bellos (February 22, 1995). "Sweet exile". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Archived from the original on November 25, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
^Browne, David (March 17, 1995). "R.E.M.:Road Worriers". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
^Schneider, Karen S. (April 10, 1995). "One Last Sad Song". People. Time Inc. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
