1992 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.
Specific locations
- 1992 in British music
- 1992 in Norwegian music
Specific genres
- 1992 in country music
- 1992 in heavy metal music
- 1992 in hip hop music
- 1992 in Latin music
- 1992 in jazz
Events
January–February
- January 11
- * Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to No. 1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s.
- * Paul Simon is the first major artist to tour South Africa after the end of the United Nations cultural boycott.
- January 16 – Mick Jagger attends the Hollywood première of his new movie, Freejack, at Mann's Chinese Theatre.
- February 5 – New Kids on the Block interrupt their tour to perform on The Arsenio Hall Show in response to rumors that the group lip-synchs its concerts.
- February 16 – Slavic music is featured at the Oulu Music Festival, with concerts and opera productions in Oulu, Finland, until February 26.
- February 18 – Vince Neil leaves Mötley Crüe after 11 years as the band's lead singer, to spend more time on his career as a racing car driver.
- February 24
- * Nirvana's Kurt Cobain marries Hole's Courtney Love.
- * The U.S. Postal Service unveils two potential designs for its proposed Elvis Presley postage stamp for fans to vote on. One design is of a young, 1950s Elvis, and the other is of a much older, 1970s Elvis. The young Elvis wins the vote, and the stamp is issued the following January.
- February 25 – Six major record companies reach an agreement to phase out the longbox form of compact disc packaging by April 1993, due to complaints that the packaging is environmentally wasteful.
March–April
- March 10 – At the 1992 Soul Train Music Awards, Prince wins the "Heritage" award for lifetime achievement.
- March 14 – Farm Aid Five takes place in Irving, Texas, USA, hosted by Willie Nelson. Artists performing at the event include John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Paul Simon. Approximately 40,000 people attend the event.
- March 16 – Mariah Carey performs at MTV Unplugged, shows critics her 5-octave range, and gets rave reviews.
- March 24 – A judge in Chicago, Illinois, USA, approves cash rebates of up to US$3 to anyone proving they bought Milli-Vanilli recordings prior to the beginning of the lip synching scandal on November 27, 1990.
- April 1 – Billy Idol, on trial for punching a woman in the face, pleads no contest. Idol is fined and ordered to make public service announcements against alcohol and drug abuse.
- April 20 – The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert takes place at Wembley Stadium in London, England. All proceeds go to AIDS research.
- April 24 – David Bowie marries fashion model Iman.
- April 30 – In Los Angeles, California, USA, Madonna's bustier is stolen from a display in Frederick's of Hollywood. A US$1,000 reward is offered for its return.
May–June
- May 6
- * The first Europäisches Jugendchorfestival, is held in Basel, Switzerland. It is decided to make it a triennial event.
- * Rob Halford announces he is leaving Judas Priest.
- * Selena releases her album Entre A Mi Mundo which contains her first No. 1 hit, "Como La Flor".
- May 7 – John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers leaves the band prior to the publication of a Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring them; he has to be digitally edited out of the photo. Frusciante returned to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1998.
- May 11 – A. R. Rahman's debut film Roja is released. The soundtrack is regarded as a milestone that changed the face of Tamil film music and subsequently contemporary Indian music. Time magazine's film critic, Richard Corliss, stated in 2005 that the "astonishing debut work parades Rahman's gift for alchemizing outside influences until they are totally Tamil, totally Rahman," naming it one of the magazine's "10 Best Soundtracks" of all time.
- June 5 – The Sata Häme Accordion Festival takes place until June 14 in Ikaalinen, Finland.
- June 27
- * Michael Jackson starts the Dangerous World tour, supporting his Dangerous album in Munich, Germany.
- * Guitarist Stefanie Sargent of up-and-coming punk rock band 7 Year Bitch dies of asphyxiation after returning home from a party in which she had drunk alcohol and taken a small amount of heroin. She was 24.
- June 29 – The Northern Accordion Festival takes place in Tornio-Haaparanta, Finland, until July 5.
July–August
- July 4
- *The BudaFest Summer Opera and Ballet Festival is launched in Budapest, Hungary.
- *Mark Heard suffers a heart attack while performing at the Cornerstone Festival in Illinois, USA. Heard goes to hospital immediately after finishing his set, but dies two weeks after being discharged in August.
- July 10 – Seinäjoki Tango Festival.
- July 11 – "November Rain" by Guns N' Roses enters the world record books when it becomes the longest single, at 8 minutes, 57 seconds, to reach the US Top 20. The single's video has a budget of over US$1.5 million, becoming the most expensive at the time.
- July 12 – Opening of the Chamber-Music Festival of Kuhmo, Finland.
- July 18 – Whitney Houston marries Bobby Brown.
- July 28 – Ice-T announces that the controversial track "Cop Killer" is being pulled from Body Count's self-titled album.
- August 2
- * Rozalla becomes the first artist from Zimbabwe to chart on the US Billboard magazine chart.
- * Former Beatle George Harrison tells Billboard magazine that he recently discovered that he was born on February 24, and not February 25 as he had thought for most of his life.
- * Haitian military authorities ban the playing of RAM's single "Fèy"; first performed at the Port-au-Prince Carnival in February, the song was widely interpreted as an anthem of support for exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
- * American pop-punk band Blink-182 form in the suburbs of San Diego but known as Blink until 1995.
- August 3 – Lahti Organ Festival .
- August 5 – Jeff Porcaro, arguably the most highly regarded studio drummer in rock from the mid-'70s to the early '90s, dies aged 38.
- August 8 – During the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour, Metallica frontman James Hetfield is burned by a pyrotechnics blast during a concert at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, forcing the group to cancel the second hour of the show. Co-headliners Guns N' Roses take the stage, but walk off early with Axl Rose complaining of throat problems. The abbreviated show causes angry fans to riot in the streets of Montreal. The tour resumed on August 25, but with a guitar technician replacing Hetfield on guitar for the remainder of the tour.
- August 14 – Opening of the Sibelius-Festival in Loviisa, Finland.
- August 18 – Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love become parents of a daughter, Frances Bean Cobain.
- August 20 – Opening of the Helsinki Festival, with the theme: Music of the Baltics until September 6.
September–October
- September 17 – Frank Zappa, in his final professional public appearance, conducts the Ensemble Modern at the Frankfurt Festival in Germany. Zappa, who is seriously ill with prostate cancer, receives a 20-minute ovation.
- October 3 – Sinéad O'Connor stirs up controversy when she rips up a picture of the Pope on the US television show, Saturday Night Live.
- October 16 – A massive Bob Dylan tribute concert is held at Madison Square Garden in New York. John Cougar Mellencamp, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash and Tracy Chapman are among the many performers, but much attention becomes focused on Sinéad O'Connor, who is loudly booed by much of the audience in response to the Saturday Night Live incident two weeks earlier.
- October 20 – Singer-songwriter Madonna releases her fifth studio album, Erotica, which became one of her most controversial albums to date due to overtly sexual content.
- October 31
- *"End of the Road" by Boyz II Men posts a 12th consecutive week at No. 1 in the US charts, ending a 36-year record previously held by Elvis Presley. Boyz II Men's record was broken on March 6, 1993, by Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You".
- *McTeague, an opera based on the Progressive Era-novel by Frank Norris, premieres at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
November–December
- November 9 – Australian-born singer Kylie Minogue ends her working relationship with UK songwriters and record producers Stock Aitken Waterman and the record label PWL.
- November 15
- * Megan Jasper of Sub Pop creates the grunge speak hoax, tricking The New York Times into printing an article on supposed slang used in the grunge scene in Seattle, USA.
- * Ozzy Osbourne plays the final concert of his "retirement" tour at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California. He is joined on stage by his three former Black Sabbath bandmates for a reunion performance. Black Sabbath opened the show with Rob Halford as lead vocalist, filling in for Ronnie James Dio who had left the band days earlier.
- * , a two-part miniseries based on the Jackson family, premieres on ABC.
- November 17 – The soundtrack album of "The Bodyguard", Whitney Houston's debut film, is released. The album went on to be certified 17 times platinum by the RIAA and sell 45 million copies worldwide. To date the album is still the best selling soundtrack of all time and also one of the best selling albums of all time.
- November 22 – Manchester-based post-punk & electronic music label Factory Records declares bankruptcy. The label had been placed in dire financial straits following the spending of most of their funds by Happy Mondays during the recording of their album Yes Please!, which would end up a commercial failure. Additionally, plans for a buyout from London Records folded when it was discovered that none of Factory's artists were actually signed onto the label; most of these artists, most notably New Order, would end up signing onto London Records anyhow following Factory's foreclosure.
- December 3 – Bill Wyman announces he is quitting The Rolling Stones.
- December 31
- * Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau announces his retirement from the stage to an audience at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.
- * The twenty-first annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by TLC, Bell Biv DeVoe, Slaughter, Jon Secada, Village People and Barry Manilow.
Also in 1992
- David Isberg quits Opeth from his vocalist position. Current guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt fills his position.
- Vibe, a new magazine focusing on R&B and hip-hop music, launches with a special Fall preview issue.
- The MP3 file format is developed as part of a video compression standard.
Bands formed
- See :Category:Musical groups established in 1992|Musical groups established in 1992
Bands disbanded
- See :Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1992|Musical groups disestablished in 1992
Bands reformed
- The Tubes
- April Wine
- Madness
Albums released
January–March
April–June
July–September
October–December
Release date unknown
- Groovus Maximus – Electric Boys
- Shhh – Chumbawamba
Biggest hit singles
# | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
1 | Whitney Houston | I Will Always Love You | 1992 | UK 1 – Nov 1992, US BB 1 of 1992, Holland 1 – Nov 1992, Sweden 1 – Nov 1992, Switzerland 1 – Dec 1992, Norway 1 – Dec 1992, Poland 1 – Nov 1992, Germany 1 – Jan 1993, Republic of Ireland 1 – Dec 1992, Australia 1 for 10 weeks Mar 1993, Grammy in 1993, Austria 2 – Dec 1992, Australia 2 of 1993, US CashBox 5 of 1993, Japan 5 of all time, Italy 7 of 1992, Global 7 – 1992, POP 10 of 1992, Europe 19 of the 1990s, TOTP 19, AFI 65, Germany 67 of the 1990s, Scrobulate 90 of ballad, RIAA 108, RYM 172 of 1992, Party 280 of 1999, Acclaimed 802 | |
2 | Nirvana | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991 | New Zealand 1 for 1 weeks Feb 1992, Sweden 2 – Jan 1992, Norway 2 – Jan 1992, Poland 2 – Jan 1992, Germany 2 – Jan 1992, Holland 3 – Nov 1991, RYM 3 of 1991, Acclaimed 3, US BB 5 of 1992, Scrobulate 5 of rock, US BB 6 of 1992, Switzerland 6 – Feb 1992, Europe 6 of the 1990s, POP 6 of 1992, UK 7 – Nov 1991, Belgium 7 of all time, 7 in 2FM list, Rolling Stone 9, France 10 – Dec 1991, Austria 11 – Feb 1992, Virgin 16, Poland 23 of all time, US CashBox 27 of 1992, Italy 29 of 1992, Global 33 – 1991, WXPN 53, RIAA 80, Germany 152 of the 1990s, TheQ 321, OzNet 900 | |
3 | Boyz II Men | End of the Road | 1992 | UK 1 – Sep 1992, US BB 1 of 1992, US CashBox 1 of 1992, Holland 1 – Oct 1992, Republic of Ireland 1 – Nov 1992, New Zealand 1 for 7 weeks Oct 1992, Australia 1 for 4 weeks Feb 1993, US BB 3 of 1992, Sweden 3 – Oct 1992, Norway 3 – Nov 1992, POP 3 of 1992, Poland 6 – Sep 1992, Switzerland 7 – Oct 1992, Germany 7 – Jan 1993, Australia 21 of 1992, Austria 29 – Nov 1992, Scrobulate 89 of rnb, Germany 337 of the 1990s | |
4 | Snap! | Rhythm is a Dancer | 1992 | UK 1 – Jul 1992, Holland 1 – Apr 1992, Austria 1 – May 1992, Switzerland 1 – Apr 1992, Italy 1 of 1992, Germany 1 – Apr 1992, Republic of Ireland 1 – Aug 1992, France 3 – Apr 1992, Sweden 4 – May 1992, Norway 4 – Jun 1992, US BB 5 of 1993, Germany 6 of the 1990s, US CashBox 12 of 1993, Australia 12 of 1992, US BB 17 of 1992, POP 17 of 1993, Scrobulate 65 of 90s, RYM 96 of 1992 | |
5 | Mr Big | To Be With You | 1991 | US BB 1 of 1992, Holland 1 – Mar 1992, Sweden 1 – Feb 1992, Switzerland 1 – Mar 1992, Norway 1 – Mar 1992, Germany 1 – Mar 1992, New Zealand 1 for 5 weeks Mar 1992, Australia 1 for 3 weeks Aug 1992, Austria 2 – Apr 1992, UK 3 – Mar 1992, Poland 5 – Jan 1992, Australia 7 of 1992, US CashBox 9 of 1992, POP 25 of 1992, Germany 47 of the 1990s, OzNet 386 |
Top hits on record
Top ten best albums of the year
All albums have been named albums of the year for their hits in the charts.- R.E.M. – Automatic for the People
- Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine
- Pavement – Slanted & Enchanted
- Alice in Chains – Dirt
- Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes
- Dr. Dre – The Chronic
- Faith No More – Angel Dust
- Sublime – 40 Oz. To Freedom
- Sonic Youth – Dirty
- Beastie Boys – Check Your Head
Classical music
- Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen – Arctic Landscape for Military Band
- Milton Babbitt
- * Septet, but Equal
- * Counterparts for brass quintet
- Leonardo Balada
- * Symphony No. 4 Lausanne
- * Celebracio for orchestra
- Mario Davidovsky – Synchronisms No. 10 for guitar and electronic sounds
- Lorenzo Ferrero
- * La ruta de Cortés
- * Movimento americano
- *Poi andro in America
- Peter Gahn – Auch ohne Sprache, for guitar
- Philip Glass – Symphony No. 1 Low
- Vagn Holmboe – Svaerm for string quartet
- Elena Kats-Chernin – Clocks
- Ka Nin Chan – Saxophone Quartet
- Andreas Kunstein
- * String Quartet No. 1
- * 10 Epigrams for Toy Piano
- Witold Lutosławski – Symphony No. 4
- William Mathias – Flute Concerto
- Younghi Pagh-Paan – U-MUL
- Krzysztof Penderecki – Symphony No. 5 Korean
- Alwynne Pritchard – Glimpsed Most Clearly from the Corner of Your Eye, for seven cellos
- Roger Reynolds – Kokoro, for solo violin
- David Sawer – Byrnan Wood
- Kurt Schwertsik
- * Uluru, Op. 64 for orchestra
- * Baumgesänge, Op. 65 for orchestra
- * Drei späte Liebeslieder, Op. 66 for cello and piano
- * Human Existence, for voice and chamber ensemble
- John Serry Sr. – The Lord's Prayer, for organ & chorus
- Karlheinz Stockhausen – Signale zur Invasion, for trombone and electronic music, or unaccompanied trombone
- Joan Tower – Violin Concerto
- Malcolm Williamson – Requiem for a Tribe Brother
- Iannis Xenakis – La Déesse Athéna , for baritone solo and mixed ensemble of 11 instruments
Opera
- Antonio Braga – 1492 epopea lirica d'America
- Karel Goeyvaerts – Aquarius
- Ingvar Lidholm – Ett drömspel
- Jukka Linkola – Elina
Jazz
Musical theater
- Crazy for You – Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre and ran for 1622 performances
- Falsettos – Broadway production opened at the John Golden Theatre and ran for 487 performances
- Guys and Dolls – Broadway revival
- Jelly's Last Jam – Broadway production opened at the Virginia Theatre and ran for 569 performances
- The Most Happy Fella – Broadway revival
Musical films
- Aladdin – Animated feature film by Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Celibidache – You Don't Do Anything, You Just Let It Evolve
- Chnam Oun 16
- Khiladi
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Mushketeri dvadsat' let spustya
- Pure Country
- Roja – Tamil Indian film by Mani Ratnam
- Un cœur en hiver, featuring music by Maurice Ravel
Soundtracks
- Aladdin Academy Award winner for Best Song and Best Film Score
- Batman Returns – score Danny Elfman
- – Whitney Houston
- Boomerang – Boyz II Men, Tribe Called Quest, P.M. Dawn, Babyface
- Bram Stoker's Dracula
- Coneheads – Paul Simon, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Cool World – David Bowie, The Cult, Ministry, Moby, Brian Eno
- Deep Cover – Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
- Far and Away – score by John Williams
- Juice – Naughty by Nature, Too Short, EPMD, Cypress Hill
- The Last of the Mohicans – score by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman
- Lethal Weapon 3 – Eric Clapton, Sting
- Malcolm X – Arrested Development, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles
- Mambo Kings – Los Lobos, Linda Ronstadt, Tito Puente
- Medicine Man – score by Jerry Goldsmith
- Mo' Money – Color Me Badd, Public Enemy, Bell Biv DeVoe, Janet Jackson
- Rush – Eric Clapton
- Singles – Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jimi Hendrix, Soundgarden
- Sister Act – Etta James, Whoopi Goldberg, C+C Music Factory
- South Central – Scarface, Cameo, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
- Toys – Tori Amos, Enya, Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Wayne's World – Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath
Births
- January 2 – Alden Richards, Filipino actor, model and singer
- January 7 – Børns, American singer and songwriter
- January 16 – Maja Keuc, Slovenian singer
- January 19 – Mac Miller, American rapper, singer, record producer, musician
- January 20 – Maria Harfanti, Indonesian social activist, pianist, and beauty pageant titleholder
- January 21 – Emma Birdsall, Australian singer-songwriter, contestant on The Voice Australia
- January 23 – Jordan "Rizzle" Stephens of Rizzle Kicks, sometimes works under names: Wildhood and Al, the Native.
- January 28 – Simone Egeriis, Danish singer
- January 31 – Christopher Nissen, Danish singer
- February 3 – Milo, American rapper and producer
- February 7 – Jain, French musician and singer-songwriter.
- February 9 – Avan Jogia, Canadian actor and singer
- February 14 – Elley Duhé, American singer-songwriter
- February 17 – Marika Hackman, English vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter.
- February 23 – Tabitha Nauser, Singaporean pop and r&b singer and musician
- March 6 – Sarah De Bono, Australian singer-songwriter, contestant on The Voice Australia
- March 7 – Im Hyun-sik, South Korean singer-songwriter
- March 10 – Emily Osment, American actress and singer
- March 14 – Jasmine Murray, American singer
- * Kash Doll, American rapper
- April 3 – Young M.A., American rapper
- April 4 – Christina Metaxa, Cypriot singer-songwriter
- April 11 – Naya, Lebanese singer
- April 16 – Ronnie Flex, Dutch rapper
- April 18 – Chloe Bennet, Chinese American singer, actress and activist
- April 23
- * Syd, American singer, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and audio engineer
- * Zelim Bakaev, Chechen singer
- April 26 – Jon Cozart, American musician and comedian
- April 27 – Allison Iraheta, American singer
- April 30 – Travis Scott, American rapper, songwriter, singer
- May 8- Chelcee Grimes, British singer-songwriter and footballer
- May 6 – Vanesa Gabriela Leiro, Argentine actress and singer
- May 10 – Jake Zyrus, Filipino singer
- 1992 – Malcolm David Kelley, American rapper and actor
- May 19
- * Sam Smith, English singer-songwriter
- * Marshmello, American electronic dance music producer and DJ.
- May 21 – Chloe Angelides, American singer, songwriter and producer
- May 23 – Jinny Ng, Hong Kong Cantopop singer
- June 14 – Princess Nokia, American rapper of Afro-Puerto Rican and Taíno descent
- June 20 – Sage the Gemini, American rapper
- June 21 – Max Schneider, American singer-songwriter and actor
- June 25 – Dorian Electra, American singer-songwriter, musician, video and visual artist
- June 26
- * Melanie Amaro, American singer
- * Jennette McCurdy, American actress and singer
- June 30 – Lynx and Lamb Gaede
- July 1 – Caleb Nott, New Zealand musician, producer and songwriter
- July 2 – William Singe, Australian rapper, singer
- July 3
- * Maasa Sudo, Japanese singer
- * Nathalia Ramos, Spanish actress and singer
- July 5 – Mirna Radulović, Serbian singer-songwriter
- July 8 – Sky Ferreira, American singer, songwriter, model, and actress
- July 10 – Angel Haze, American rapper, activist and singer-songwriter
- July 11 – Karise Eden, Australian singer and activist
- July 13 – Rich the Kid, American rapper
- July 18 – Bishop Briggs, British singer-songwriter and musician
- July 19 – Ellie Rowsell, English singer-songwriter and musician.
- July 22 – Selena Gomez, American actress, television producer, advocate, and singer-songwriter
- July 27 – Tory Lanez, Canadian rapper, songwriter, producer
- August 2 – Charli XCX, British singer-songwriter, advocate, record executive, businesswoman, music video director and musician
- August 4 – Tiffany Evans, American singer
- August 12 – Cara Delevingne, British singer/musician/actor/writer
- August 18 – Frances Bean Cobain, American artist, model, creator, activist, daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love
- August 20 – Demi Lovato, American singer-songwriter, actress, advocate, philanthropist, entrepreneur and businesswoman
- August 25
- * Emily Warren, American singer/songwriter, producer
- * Kaytranada, Haitian-Canadian DJ and record producer
- August 27
- * Kim Petras, German singer-songwriter
- * Blake Jenner, American actor & singer
- August 29 – Mallu Magalhães, Brazilian singer, songwriter and musician
- September 2
- * Madilyn Bailey, American singer and songwriter.
- * Rae Morris, British singer and songwriter
- September 11 – Desireé Bassett, American guitarist and recording artist
- September 12 – Shigga Shay, Singaporean rapper
- September 16 – Nick Jonas, member of the American band Jonas Brothers, solo artist, songwriter, singer, musician, actor
- September 18 – Joji, Japanese singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, former Internet personality and comedian
- October 5 – Rupi Kaur, Canadian-Punjabi poet and performer
- October 10 – Gabrielle Aplin, English singer and songwriter
- October 7 – Grace Bawden, Australian independent classical crossover singer,
- October 11 – Cardi B, American rapper/singer/songwriter
- october 16 – Jaden Michaels, American songwriter, singer and musician
- October 19 – Lewis Watson, English singer-songwriter.
- October 22
- * Carrie Hope Fletcher, English singer-songwriter, actress, author
- * 21 Savage, Rapper and songwriter
- October 26 – Lido, Norwegian record producer, singer, and songwriter, frequent collaborator with Halsey
- November 5 – Ming Bridges, Australian Singaporean singer-songwriter, actress and model
- November 12 – Giulietta, Australian singer-songwriter and dancer
- * Erika Costell, American singer-songwriter and musician
- November 19 – Tove Styrke, Swedish singer-songwriter
- November 21 – Conor Maynard, British singer
- November 23 – Miley Cyrus, American singer-songwriter, actress, performer and activist
- December 4 – Jin, South Korean singer-songwriter and member of BTS
- December 9 – Maelyn Jarmon, American musician, winner of The Voice, Team John Legend
- December 14 – Tori Kelly, American musician, singer and songwriter
- December 18 – Bridgit Mendler, American actress and singer
- December 26 – Jade Thirlwall, English singer-songwriter, dancer and member of Little Mix
- December 28 – Gordi, Australian folktronica singer/songwriter
Deaths
- January 14 – Jerry Nolan, drummer for The New York Dolls, 45
- January 15 – Dee Murray, bassist for Elton John, 45
- January 17 – Charlie Ventura, tenor saxophonist and bandleader, 75
- January 23 – Marie-Thérèse Gauley, French opera singer prominent at the Opéra-Comique, 88
- January 27 – Allan Jones, singer and actor, 84
- January 29 – Willie Dixon, blues singer-songwriter & musician, 76
- February 12 – Stella Roman, operatic soprano, 87
- February 21 – Jane Pickens Langley of the Pickens Sisters
- March 4 – Mary Osborne, jazz guitarist, 70
- March 10 – Giorgos Zampetas, Greek composer, 67
- March 20 – Georges Delerue, composer, 66
- March 21 – Shaik Dawood Khan, tabla virtuoso, 75
- March 27 – Harald Sæverud, composer, 95
- April 4 – Arthur Russell, cellist and disco musician, 40
- April 20 – Johnny Shines, guitarist, 76
- April 25 – Yutaka Ozaki, Japanese singer, 26
- April 27 – Olivier Messiaen, composer, 83
- April 30 – Toivo Kärki, composer, arranger and producer, 76
- May 7 – Tiny Timbrell, guitarist, 75
- May 12 – Sylvia Syms, American singer, 74
- May 17 – Lawrence Welk, accordion player and bandleader, 89
- May 23 – Joyce Barker, operatic soprano, 60
- June 3 – Ettore Campogalliani, music teacher and composer, 89
- June 8 – Alfred Uhl, composer, 83
- June 18 – Peter Allen, Australian songwriter, 48
- June 20 – Sir Charles Groves, conductor, 77
- July 4 – Ástor Piazzolla, tango musician and composer, 71
- July 5 – Paul Hackman, Canadian musician, 38
- July 21 – Aloys Fleischmann, composer and musicologist, 82
- July 25 – Alfred Drake, US singer and actor, 77
- July 26 – Mary Wells, Motown singer, 49
- July 29 – William Mathias, composer, 57
- August 2 – Michel Berger, French composer and songwriter, 44
- August 5 – Jeff Porcaro, drummer, Toto, 38
- August 12 – John Cage, U.S. composer, 79
- August 16 – Mark Heard, U.S. singer, 40
- September 19 – Sir Geraint Evans, operatic baritone, 70
- October 3 – Peter Klein, lyric tenor, 85
- October 5 – Eddie Kendricks, singer, 52
- October 7 – Harold Truscott, composer, pianist, broadcaster and writer on music, 78
- October 25 – Roger Miller, singer, 56
- November 10 – Hilda Hölzl, operatic soprano, 65
- November 13 – Ronnie Bond, 52
- November 14 – Teddy Riley, New Orleans jazz trumpeter and bandleader
- November 21 – Severino Gazzelloni, flautist
- November 23 – Roy Acuff, "King of Country Music", fiddler, 89
- November 27 – Daniel Santos, singer and composer of bolero
- November 29 – Paul Ryan, singer, songwriter and record producer, 44
- December 9 – Cesar Gonzmart, violinist, 72
- December 10 – Kate Buchdahl, violinist, 28
- December 15 – Otto Lington, composer, orchestra leader and violinist, 89
- December 21
- * Philip Farkas, horn player, 78
- * Albert King, blues guitarist and singer, 69
- * Nathan Milstein, violinist, 88
- December 26 – Nikita Magaloff, pianist, 80
Awards
- Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees: George Jones and Frances Preston
- Eurovision Song Contest: Main article: Eurovision Song Contest 1992
- Filmfare Best Male Playback Award: Awarded to Kumar Sanu
- Grammy Awards: Main article: Grammy Awards of 1992
- Japan Record Awards: Main article: 34th Japan Record Awards
- Mercury Music Prize: Awarded to Primal Scream for Screamadelica
- Ramon Magsaysay Award: Awarded to Ravi Shankar
- 1992 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards: First prize awarded to "暗戀你" sung by Jacky Cheung
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The following artists were inducted: Bobby Blue Bland, Booker T. and the M.G.s, Johnny Cash, The Isley Brothers, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Sam & Dave, and The Yardbirds