This is a list of notable events in music from 1982, the year in which Michael Jackson released Thriller, which holds the title for the world's best selling album.
Specific locations 1982 in British music 1982 in Japanese music 1982 in Norwegian music 1982 in Scandinavian music
Specific genres 1982 in country music 1982 in heavy metal music 1982 in hip-hop music 1982 in jazz 1982 in progressive rock
Events January–March January 15 – K.C. and the Sunshine Band's Harry Wayne Casey is seriously injured in an automobile accident in Miami, Florida.| January 20 – Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a live bat thrown at him during a performance in Des Moines, Iowa. He thought it was rubber.Top 10 crazy music myths January 21 – B. B. King donates his personal record collection, which includes nearly 7,000 rare blues records, to the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture. February 13 – A 300-pound (136 kg) gravestone from the grave of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant is stolen from an Orange Park, Florida, cemetery. Police find the gravestone two weeks later in a dry river bed. February 19 – Ozzy Osbourne is arrested after urinating on The Alamo, in San Antonio, Texas. February 20 – Pat Benatar marries her guitarist, Neil Giraldo, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. February 24 – The 24th Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by Quincy Jones (who wins a total of five awards). John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy (the final album released by Lennon in his lifetime) wins Album of the Year, while Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Sheena Easton wins Best New Artist. February 27 – The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company gives its final performance at the Adelphi Theatre after more than 110 years. March 3 – The Mamas & the Papas begin a reunion tour with a show in the New York club The Other End with original members John Phillips and Denny Doherty, along with Mackenzie Phillips and Spanky McFarlane replacing Michelle Gilliam and Cass Elliot respectively. March 4 – Frank Zappa's son Dweezil and daughter Moon Unit form Fred Zeppelin. March 5 – Comedian and Blues Brother John Belushi is found dead of an apparent drug overdose in the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. March 18 – Teddy Pendergrass is severely injured in a car accident in Philadelphia. Pendergrass's injuries result in him being paralyzed from the chest down. March 19 – Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist, Randy Rhoads, is killed in a freak accident in Leesburg, Florida, when the plane in which he is riding buzzes Osbourne's tour bus and crashes into a house. The plane's pilot and a female passenger are also killed. March 28 – In Los Angeles, David Crosby is arrested for possession of Quaaludes and drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence of cocaine and carrying a concealed weapon.
April–August April 13 – David Crosby is arrested on drug charges for the second time in three weeks when Dallas police catch him preparing cocaine backstage before a show. April 15 – Billy Joel is seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in Long Island, New York. Joel spends over a month in the hospital undergoing physical therapy for his hand. April 17 – Johnny Cash hosts the US TV program Saturday Night Live, with Cash and Elton John and his classic band as the musical guests. Cash sings I Walk The Line, Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire and Sunday Morning Coming Down. John sings Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) and Ball and Chain. The latter would not appear on the NBC show again until 2011. April 24 – Germany wins the 27th annual Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Harrogate Conference Centre, North Yorkshire, with the song "Ein bißchen Frieden", sung by 17-year-old Nicole. She also records the song in English as "A Little Peace", which becomes the 500th chart-topping single in the UK. April 26 Rod Stewart is car-jacked in Los Angeles. Stewart loses his $50,000 Porsche to the mugger, but is not hurt. The car is recovered several days later. Joe Strummer goes into hiding, forcing The Clash to postpone their U.K. tour. May 14 – The first Prince's Trust charity concert is held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With the Prince of Wales (later Charles III) in attendance, Status Quo, becomes the first contemporary band to play to British royalty. May 18 – Three weeks after disappearing, Joe Strummer and his girlfriend are found living in Paris, two days after they ran the Paris Marathon. May 21 – Queen release their tenth studio album, Hot Space, to immense critical outcry. The decision to make a dance-pop album with prominent disco influences at the height of American backlash against the latter genre renders the band a pariah in the United States, and their shift from traditional rock alienates their fans in the United Kingdom. Queen would not recover from the resulting backlash in the United Kingdom until after their Live Aid performance in 1985, while they would remain unpopular in the United States until after Freddie Mercury's death in 1991. May 23 – Pink Floyd – The Wall, a film adaptation of Pink Floyd's 1979 album The Wall, is premiered at the Cannes Film Festival; the film's wide release would later begin on July 15. May 29 – Duran Duran's album Rio peaks at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart in its second week on the chart and will remain on the chart for almost two years. June 16 – James Honeyman-Scott dies of heart failure caused by cocaine intolerance. He is 25 years old. June 19 – Amy Grant marries Gary Chapman. July – The first known fully staged performance of Jean-Philippe Rameau's tragédie lyrique Les Boréades (1763) is given by John Eliot Gardiner at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.Notes to Gardiner's recording. July 3 – ABC's debut album The Lexicon of Love enters the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and remain at the top position for four consecutive weeks. July 4 – Ozzy Osbourne marries his manager Sharon Arden in Maui, Hawaii. July 21 – A second Prince's Trust charity concert is held at the Dominion Theatre in London. Performers include Pete Townshend, Robert Plant, Madness, Phil Collins, Joan Armatrading and Kate Bush. August 17 – In Langenhagen near Hanover, Germany begins the first mass production of the compact disc.
September–December September 3–5 – The first US Festival is held over Labor Day Weekend near Devore, California. The Police, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, Talking Heads and The B-52's are among the many performers. October 1 – The first compact discs appear in music stores in Japan. November 1 – The breakup of the band Blondie is announced publicly. November 5 – The first edition of The Tube is broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. Guests on the first programme include The Jam, making their last live TV appearance together. November 6 – Tears for Fears first hit single "Mad World" peaks at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart during its 17-week chart run. November 21 – Joni Mitchell marries producer and bassist Larry Klein in Malibu, California. November 25–27 – The Jamaica World Music Festival is held in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Acts over the three-day festival include Peter Tosh, Rick James, The Clash, Grateful Dead, Aretha Franklin and, in their final show before disbanding, Squeeze. November 27 – The 11th OTI Festival, held at the Coliseo Amauta in Lima, Peru, is won by the song "", written by Luis Gerardo Tovar and , and performed by representing Venezuela. November 27 and 28 - Rita Lee and Roberto de Carvalho previews their upcoming Tour Brasil 83 with two megashows at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, which were recorded for TV Globo's year-end special O Circo. November 29 – Sena Jurinac appears on stage for the last time, with the Vienna State Opera. November 30 – Michael Jackson releases his sixth studio album Thriller, which would go on to be the greatest selling album of all time at 70 million units sold worldwide.
Bands formed See Musical groups established in 1982
Bands disbanded See :Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1982
Albums released In the US, the RIAA stated that 2,630 albums, 2,710 cassettes and 2,285 singles were released.
January DayAlbumArtistNotes11Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?The Waitresses –15All for a SongBarbara Dickson –18Mystical AdventuresJean-Luc Ponty –19How Could Hell Be Any Worse?Bad Religion –27MesopotamiaThe B-52'sEP29FriendsShalamar –Picture ThisHuey Lewis and the News –?Another Day/Another DollarGang of FourCompilationAnyone Can SeeIrene Cara –Breaking PointCentral Line –The David Frizzell and Shelly West AlbumDavid Frizzell and Shelly West –Flex Your HeadVarious Artists –KasimKasim Sulton –Objects of DesireMichael Franks –Oriental BeatHanoi Rocks –RepercussionThe dB's –ShadowsGordon Lightfoot –The SistersSister Sledge –Somewhere over ChinaJimmy Buffett –Southern ComfortConway Twitty –StreetheartStreetheart – White Heart White Heart -Yes It's You LadySmokey Robinson –
February DayAlbumArtistNotes5Bad BrainsBad Brains –CelebrationSimple Minds Compilation10Bobbie SueThe Oak Ridge Boys –12English SettlementXTC –16Beautiful VisionVan Morrison –The Concert in Central ParkSimon & GarfunkelLive23The Blue MaskLou Reed –24Swing to the RightUtopia –25Mountain MusicAlabama –262XSNazareth –SetThompson Twins –?BaalDavid BowieSoundtrackBlack on BlackWaylon Jennings –Chase the DragonMagnum –Crumbling the Antiseptic BeautyFelt –Gamma 3Gamma –Green LightBonnie Raitt –Growing in the DarkGlass Moon –Just Another Day in ParadiseBertie Higgins –MechanixUFO –Nick the KnifeNick Lowe –One from the HeartTom Waits and Crystal GayleSoundtrackPelican WestHaircut One Hundred –Seasons of the HeartJohn Denver –Times of Our LivesJudy Collins –Weather ReportWeather Report –You Can't Hide Your Love ForeverOrange Juice –
March DayAlbumArtistNotes4Wild in the StreetsCircle Jerks –5WindowsCharlie Daniels Band –8BlackoutScorpions –Hex Enduction HourThe Fall –12DiamondSpandau Ballet –The GiftThe Jam –15Shoot Out the LightsRichard and Linda Thompson –18AsiaAsia Debut19Batteries Not IncludedAfter the Fire –Five Miles OutMike Oldfield –22Alligator WomanCameo –Reel MusicThe BeatlesCompilation23Success Hasn't Spoiled Me YetRick Springfield –24The Name of This Band Is Talking HeadsTalking HeadsLiveOnly Theatre of PainChristian DeathDebut25The Blurred CrusadeThe Church Australia26The AnvilVisage –Bill WymanBill Wyman –29The Number of the BeastIron Maiden –Angst in My PantsSparks –?Always on My MindWillie Nelson –Ambient 4: On LandBrian Eno –BraniganLaura Branigan –BrillianceAtlantic Starr –The Early TapesLevel 42 Recorded in 1980Filth Hounds of HadesTank DebutFun Boy ThreeFun Boy Three –GrasshopperJJ Cale –New BritainWhitehouse –One to OneCarole King –Sonic YouthSonic YouthDebut/EPThe Tunes of Two CitiesThe Residents –V DeepThe Boomtown Rats –Walk Among UsThe Misfits Debut
April DayAlbumArtistNotes1Toto IVToto 2Cat PeopleGiorgio Moroder Soundtrack5All Four OneThe Motels –8D.E. 7thDave Edmunds –9A Flock of SeagullsA Flock of Seagulls DebutBroadsword and the BeastJethro TullUKJump Up!Elton John –12American FoolJohn Cougar –14Straight Between the EyesRainbow –Friends in LoveDionne Warwick –15Metal on Metal Anvil –161+9+8+2Status Quo –19Diver DownVan Halen Extraterrestrial LiveBlue Öyster CultLiveBig ScienceLaurie Anderson Debut23The Single FactorCamel Complete MadnessMadnessCompilationAfter the SnowModern English –26Tug of WarPaul McCartney –Are You ReadyBucks Fizz –28Marshall CrenshawMarshall Crenshaw –?AbominogUriah Heep –Album – Generic FlipperFlipper DebutRevelationsKilling Joke –Circus AnimalsCold Chisel –Four Cuts EPDiamond HeadEPHeartbreak ExpressDolly Parton –High NotesHank Williams, Jr. –Iron FistMotörhead –JinxRory Gallagher –Maybe It's LiveRobert PalmerLive +4 studio tracksA New Chapter of DubAswad –Rhythm of YouthMen Without Hats –Time and TideSplit Enz –White EagleTangerine Dream –
May