2009 in American music explained
The following is a list of notable music events and releases that occurred in 2009 in the United States.
Events
January
- January 8 – Lady Gaga's debut single "Just Dance" hits number one on the Billboard Hot 100 after 22 weeks – the second longest climb to number one, since the Creed single, "With Arms Wide Open", in November 2000 (27 weeks).[1]
- January 18 – President Barack Obama's inaugural concert, entitled "We Are One", is held at the Lincoln Memorial. Performers include Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks, Renée Fleming, Caleb Green, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, Beyoncé, Bettye LaVette, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder.[2] Several of the songs performed had been used by Obama's presidential campaign.[3]
- January 20 – Artists including Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5, Stevie Wonder and Will.i.am perform at the Inaugural Ball for President Barack Obama[4]
- January 28 – Kelly Clarkson breaks the record for a song's biggest jump to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 when her single "My Life Would Suck Without You" soars from number 97 to number one fueled by 280,000 digital downloads in the first week of release. Clarkson first broke the record in 2002 with "A Moment Like This".[5]
- January 29 – Madonna announces that she will extend her record-breaking Sticky & Sweet Tour during summer 2009, to visit cities that were excluded during the first run. The tour kicked off at The O2 in London on July 4. The extension took the Sticky & Sweet Tour to a total of over 80 shows, putting it among the top five tours of all time.[7]
February
- February 1 – At Super Bowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, Faith Hill[8] and Jennifer Hudson[9] perform at the pregame show (with Hudson singing the National Anthem) and Bruce Springsteen at the halftime show.[10]
- February 3 – The Fray released their first studio album in four years, The Fray.[11]
- February 8 – The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Alison Krauss and Robert Plant took home the most awards with five each, including Album of the Year with their collaborative album, Raising Sand.
- At the Grammys, Blink-182 announced their reunion and reunion tour after a five-year hiatus.[12]
- R&B singer Chris Brown is arrested after he physically assaulted his then girlfriend, Rihanna. He is charged with assault and making criminal threats, and received five years of probation.
- February 10 – Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys released his first solo studio album, Keep It Hid.
- February 12 — "Crack a Bottle", performed by Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, sets a new record for opening week download sales in the United States, at 418,000 copies. The previous record (335,000) was set by "Live Your Life".[13]
- Billboard announces that Madonna is the highest-earning entertainer of 2008, with US$242,176,466, mostly from her sold-out Sticky & Sweet Tour.[14]
- February 13 – Drake releases his third official mixtape So Far Gone, which goes on to become recognized as one of the best modern mixtapes and Drake's launch into mainstream success.
- February 18 – Flo Rida breaks his own record when his single "Right Round" is downloaded 636,000 units in the opening week. His 2008 chart-topper "Low" set the previous record for most downloaded song with 467,000 units sold in the first week of release.[15]
- February 17 – J-Kwon released his first studio album in five years, Hood Hop 2.
- February 24 – Chris Isaak released his first studio album in five years, Mr. Lucky.
- February 26 – Vocalist Steven Page leaves the Barenaked Ladies.[16]
March
April
- April 1 – Lady Gaga becomes the first artist since Christina Aguilera in 1999/2000 to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their first two chart entries ("Just Dance" and "Poker Face").
- April 4 – The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place, welcoming new inductees Little Anthony & The Imperials, Bobby Womack, Run-D.M.C., and Metallica. Metallica, citing the drama surrounding Blondie, Black Sabbath, and Van Halen's inductions, includes Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted both former bassists for the band in the induction.[18] Newsted also performs with band in its first rendition as a 5-piece band featuring two bass guitarists.[19]
- April 5 – The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Carrie Underwood wins the ACM Entertainer of the Year award, becoming only the seventh female to do so in the history of the ceremony's 44 years.
- April 7 – Jadakiss released his first studio in five years, The Last Kiss.
- April 12 – Carrie Underwood's "I Told You So", from her album Carnival Ride, becomes her tenth straight number one in the country songs chart, making her the only country artist in history to have their first 10 singles reach number one.
- April 14 – Fastball released their first studio album in five years, Little White Lies.
- April 17–19 – Coachella 2009
- April 27 – Creed announced their reunion, new album and tour after a five-year break. They break up for a second time in 2013, only to reunite again in July 2023.
May
June
- June 1 – The Puerto Rican pop singer Ricky Martin announces he is working on a new studio album and first book.
- June 2 – Dave Matthews Band released their first studio album in four years, Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King. It is their first release since the death of saxophonist, LeRoi Moore who died a year earlier.
- June 3 – The Black Eyed Peas released their first studio album in four years, The E.N.D..[22]
- June 25 - Summerfest begins; the event lasts until July 5.
- Roughly two weeks before his This Is It series of concerts is scheduled to begin, Michael Jackson dies in his Los Angeles home of an accidental overdose of propofil and benzodiazepines, later discovered to be the result of medical malpractice by his personal physician, Conrad Murray. The American music icon's passing triggers a surge in posthumous sales making him the best selling artist of the year, with 35 million albums sold worldwide in the months following his death.[23] [24]
July
- July 7 – A public memorial event for Michael Jackson is held at the Staples Center. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Usher, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer, Lionel Richie, and Michael's brother, Jermaine Jackson, perform.
- July 10 – August 15 – Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, headlined by Marilyn Manson and Slayer
- July 13 – Lady Gaga becomes the first artist to have three songs from a debut album to reach number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since Fergie's The Dutchess.
- July 17-21 – Paul McCartney performs three sold-out concerts at Citi Field to open the stadium with opening act, The Script. This is because on August 15, 1965, The Beatles performed the first concert at Shea Stadium and McCartney joined Billy Joel on stage a year ago for the last concert there. Joel joined McCartney again on the first night.
- July 24 – Blink-182 start their reunion tour, Blink-182 in Concert, with Fall Out Boy and Weezer.
August
September
October
November
December
Bands formed
Bands reformed
Bands on hiatus
Bands disbanded
Albums released
January
February
March
Notes and References
- Lady GaGa Dances to the Top Of Hot 100. Cohen . Jonathan. Billboard. January 8, 2009. January 9, 2009.
- Web site: We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration. 2009-02-08. 2009-01-18. RBI. Variety. Gallo, Phil.
- News: Masses pour into Washington to witness history in the making . Lamb, Nicola . . 2009-01-20.
- Web site: At Last! The Obamas Dance Into History. ABC News. 2010-01-19. 2015-12-02.
- Kelly Clarkson Breaks Record For Hot 100 Jump. Pietrioluongo . Silvio. Billboard. January 28, 2009. January 28, 2009.
- Soergel, Matt. "Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell dead at 56 ", The Florida Times-Union, January 28, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- Madonna Resuming Her Sticky & Sweet Tour This Summer. Waddell . Ray. Billboard. January 29, 2009. January 29, 2009.
- Web site: Itzkoff. Dave. Super Bowl Performances Used Recorded Tracks. The New York Times (ArtsBeat blog). February 2, 2009.
- Web site: Jennifer Hudson to Sing National Anthem at Super Bowl . People . January 14, 2009 . June 7, 2012.
- News: Caramanica. Jon. The Boss Takes Over Halftime, With a Few Edits but Little Imagination. February 1, 2009. The New York Times.
- Web site: The Fray – The Fray > Overview. . December 10, 2023. Leahey, Andrew.
- Web site: Kaufman. Gil. Blink-182 Confirm Reunion on Grammy Stage . MTV News. February 8, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210072013/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604564/20090208/blink_182.jhtml. dead. February 10, 2009. December 10, 2023.
- December 5, 2008. Eminem's 'Bottle' Breaks Digital Record. Billboard. February 11, 2009.
- December 12, 2008. Madonna Tops 2009 Music Money Makers List. Billboard. February 12, 2009.
- Flo Rida Topples Single-Week Download Mark . Billboard . September 14, 2009 . June 7, 2012.
- News: Singer Page leaves Barenaked band . BBC News . February 26, 2009 . June 7, 2012.
- Britney Spears Makes Concert Return . Billboard . September 14, 2009 . June 7, 2012.
- Web site: Metallica . Rockhall.com . February 1, 2010.
- Web site: Videos – Shows – Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame . https://web.archive.org/web/20090318235400/http://www.fuse.tv/videos/shows/rock-hall/ . dead . March 18, 2009 . Fuse.tv . February 1, 2010 .
- Web site: Blackout 2: Method Man, Redman: Music . Amazon.com . October 7, 2023.
- Web site: Rancid announce 'Let The Dominoes Fall' for June. Punknews.org. Paul, Aubin. March 30, 2009. December 10, 2023.
- Web site: Black Eyed Peas Album Nears 'The E.N.D.'. Billboard.com. December 10, 2023. October 9, 2008.
- Michael Jackson Music News & Info . Billboard . June 21, 2010 . June 7, 2012.
- Taylor Swift Edges Susan Boyle For 2009's Top-Selling Album . Billboard . January 6, 2010 . January 17, 2014.
- Web site: Vocalist Jim Lindberg leaves Pennywise . August 21, 2009 . Punknews.org . February 1, 2010.
- News: Lisa. Respers. Anger over West's disruption at MTV awards . September 14, 2009. December 10, 2023. CNN.
- Web site: Black Gives Way to Blue. All Music. December 10, 2023.
- Web site: Austin City Limits Music Festival : October 8–10, 2010 : Austin, TX : Zilker Park . Aclfestival.com . February 1, 2010.
- Graff, Gary. "Kiss Makes Sonic Boom Set a Wal-Mart Exclusive". billboard.com. August 17, 2009.
- '3' To 1: Britney Beats Odds To Debut Atop Hot 100 . Billboard . October 14, 2009 . January 17, 2014.
- News: Tyler Says He Is Not Quitting Aerosmith . The New York Times . Dave . Itzkoff . November 12, 2009 . April 23, 2010.
- Web site: Garth Brooks Emerging From Retirement With Solo Shows at Wynn Las Vegas . https://web.archive.org/web/20091018045357/http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1623996/garth-brooks-emerging-from-retirement-with-solo-shows-at-wynn-las-vegas.jhtml . dead . October 18, 2009 . Country Music Television . October 15, 2009 . June 7, 2012.
- Web site: Oh No, Not Stereo – 003 – CD Review . Racket Magazine . March 1, 2009. December 22, 2023. Thornton, Stephanie.
- Web site: Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying Light . Pitchfork . January 19, 2019 . December 22, 2023. Masters, Marc.
- Web site: Coconut Records: Davy. Pitchfork . February 19, 2009. December 22, 2023 . Granzin, Amy.
