January 3 – The Cinemax television special Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night, recorded on September 30, 1987, at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, USA, is broadcast.
January 20 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony inducts The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Drifters, Bob Dylan and The Supremes.{{}}
January 28 – A Tampa, Florida, man files an unusual lawsuit against Mötley Crüe. Matthew John Trippe, who has a history of mental health issues and trouble with the law, claims that he was secretly hired to pose as Nikki Sixx and toured, wrote and recorded with the band for a time during 1983 and 1984. Trippe drops the lawsuit in 1993.
March 26 – "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson from the Bad album tops the Billboard Hot 100. It's the first time in history a solo artist has had four Number One singles from the same album.
April 7 - Alice Cooper almost dies on stage when one of the props, the Gallows, malfunctions.
April 19 – Former rock and roll singer Sonny Bono is inaugurated as the Mayor of Palm Springs, California, USA.
April 25 – Rock supermanager Doc McGhee is sentenced to five years probation after pleading guilty to charges of drug smuggling stemming from a 1982 seizure of nearly 40,000 pounds of marijuana entering North Carolina from Colombia.
April 30 – The Eurovision Song Contest, held in the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion, Dublin, is won by French-Canadian singer Celine Dion, representing Switzerland with the song "Ne partez pas sans moi".
May 14 – Atlantic Records stages a concert at Madison Square Garden celebrating its Fortieth birthday with performances by many of the label's greatest acts of the past. Artists include Crosby, Stills & Nash, Iron Butterfly, Ruth Brown, Foreigner and Wilson Pickett, but the most talked-about performance is by a reunited Led Zeppelin with Jason Bonham on drums.
May 27 – The Monsters of Rock Tour 1988 commences in East Troy, Wisconsin. Van Halen headlines with the other acts on the massive bill consisting of Metallica, Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come.
June 27 – Motown Records is sold to MCA and an investment firm for $61 million.
July 2 – Michael Jackson with fifth single from Bad, "Dirty Diana", he broke the record to have five consecutive charting singles from same album at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, is the first artist and only male in history to get this done.
August 12 – Public Enemy garners publicity by staging a concert at Riker's Island prison for 250 inmates and 100 journalists.
September 6-9 – Elton John auctions off many items from his personal collection, including memorabilia and stage-worn clothing, at Sotheby's for a total of $8.5 million. John had been known for wearing flamboyant stage costumes during the glam rock era of the 1970s, but he increasingly abandoned them in later years.
September 10 – Billboard magazine publishes its Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for the first time.
September 24 – James Brown faces a variety of charges after leading police on an interstate chase, after reportedly breaking into a seminar in an Augusta, Georgia, building he owned an office in, waving a gun and demanding to know who had used his restrooms. Earlier in the year Brown had been arrested on drug and firearms-related charges.
September 25 – The Aalto Theatre, Essen, Germany, opens with a performance of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
October 10 – The new Cairo Opera House is inaugurated by President Hosni Mubarak and Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, brother of the Emperor of Japan. The opening ceremony includes a kabuki performance in recognition of the funds donated by Japan.
November 7 – John Fogerty wins a self-plagiarism lawsuit with Fantasy Records. The record label had contended that Fogerty's 1985 comeback hit "The Old Man Down the Road" was too similar to his 1970 Creedence Clearwater Revival song, "Run Through the Jungle".
November 12 – U2's Rattle and Hum hits the Number One spot on the U.S. charts, the first double album to do so since Bruce Springsteen's The River in 1980.
December 4 – Singer Roy Orbison gives his last concert in Akron, Ohio, USA, before his death from a massive heart attack.
December 31 – The seventeenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Natalie Cole, Taylor Dayne, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Richard Marx, Reba McEntire and Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
Peter Ruzicka becomes director of the Hamburg State Opera and State Philharmonic Orchestra.
Andrew Davis begins a term as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and is appointed musical director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera, effective with the 1989 season.
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" experiences a surge in popularity in the USA sparked by television commercials featuring claymation raisin figures dancing to the song. The California Raisins version of the song peaks at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100.
See Musical groups established in 1988
Bands disbanded
See Musical groups disestablished in 1988
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1988.
The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in the U.S. in 1988.
- George Michael – Faith
- Madonna – You Can Dance
- Michael Jackson – Bad
- Guns N' Roses – Appetite for Destruction
"1-2-3" – Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine
"Angel of Harlem" – U2
"Angel" – Aerosmith
"Another Lover" – Giant Steps
"Another Weekend" – Five Star
"Any Love" – Luther Vandross
"Anything For You" – Gloria Estefan
"Atmosphere" – Joy Division (re-release)
"Bad Medicine" – Bon Jovi
"Beat Dis" – Bomb The Bass
"Behind the Wheel" – Depeche Mode (released in 1987)
"Better Be Home Soon" – Crowded House
"Big Fun" – Inner City
"The Blood That Moves The Body" – a-ha
"Blue Monday 1988" – New Order (remix)
"Born to Be My Baby" – Bon Jovi
"Boys (Summertime Love)" – Sabrina Salerno (released in 1987)
"Bring the Noise" – Public Enemy
"Buffalo Stance" – Neneh Cherry
"Candle In The Wind" – Elton John (live)
"Car Wash/Is It Love You're After" – Rose Royce (re-release)
"Cars And Girls – Prefab Sprout
"Chains of Love" – Erasure
"Circle in the Sand" – Belinda Carlisle
"Crash" – The Primitives
"Cross My Heart" – Eighth Wonder
"Cult of Personality" – Living Colour
"Desire" – U2
"Devil Inside" – INXS
"Dirty Diana" – Michael Jackson
"Divine Emotions" – Narada Michael Walden
"Doctorin the House" – Coldcut featuring Yazz and the Plastic Population
"Doctorin' the Tardis – The Timelords
"Domino Dancing" – Pet Shop Boys
"Don't Talk Dirty to Me" - Jermaine Stewart
"Don't Believe the Hype" – Public Enemy
"Don't Blame It on that Girl" – Matt Bianco
"Don't Make Me Wait/Megablast" – Bomb The Bass
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin
"Dreaming" – OMD
"Drop the Boy" – Bros
"Edge of a Broken Heart" – Vixen
"Endless Summer Nights" – Richard Marx
"Everlasting" – Natalie Cole
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" – Poison
"Everything Your Heart Desires" – Hall & Oates
"Fake 88" – Alexander O'Neal (remix)
"Fast Car" – Tracy Chapman
"Fiesta" – The Pogues
"The Flame" – Cheap Trick
"Fine Time" – New Order
"First Time" – Robin Beck
"Foolish Beat" – Debbie Gibson
"Four Letter Word" – Kim Wilde
"Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" – Billy Ocean
"Girlfriend" - Pebbles
"Giving You the Best That I Got" – Anita Baker
"Got My Mind Set on You" – George Harrison
"Good Life" – Inner City
"Good Tradition" – Tanita Tikaram
"The Great Commandment" – Camouflage
"Hands to Heaven" – Breathe
"Heart" – Pet Shop Boys
"Heaven is a Place on Earth" – Belinda Carlisle (released in 1987)
"Hey Mister Heartache" – Kim Wilde
"Hold Me In Your Arms" – Rick Astley
"Hold On to the Nights" – Richard Marx
"Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" – Cyndi Lauper
"Hot in the City" – Billy Idol
"House Arrest (The Beat Is Law)" – Krush (released in 1987)
"Hungry Eyes" – Eric Carmen
"Hustle! (To the Music...)" – The Funky Worm
"I Can't Help It" - Fun Fun
"I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" – Elton John
"I Don't Want to Be a Hero" - Johnny Hates Jazz
"I Don't Want to Live Without You" – Foreigner
"I Don't Want to Talk About It" – Everything but the Girl
"I Get Weak" – Belinda Carlisle
"I Know You Got Soul" – Eric B. & Rakim
"I Hate Myself for Loving You" – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
"I Owe You Nothing" – Bros
"I Saw Him Standing There – Tiffany
"I Should Be So Lucky" – Kylie Minogue
"I Want You Back" – Bananarama
"I Want Your Love" – Transvision Vamp
"I'll Always Love You" – Taylor Dayne
"I'll Be There for You" – Bon Jovi
"I'll Be With You" – T'Pau
"I'll House You" – Richie Rich meets The Jungle Brothers
"I'm Not Scared" – Eighth Wonder
"Im Nin'Alu" – Ofra Haza
"In The Air Tonight" – Phil Collins (remix)
"Is This Love" – Whitesnake
"It Takes Two" – Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
"It Would Take a Strong Strong Man" – Rick Astley
"I Want to Be Your Man" – Roger
"Jody" -Jermaine Stewart
"Joe le Taxi" – Vanessa Paradis (released in 1987)
"Johnny B. Goode" – Judas Priest
"Jour de neige" – Elsa Lunghini
"Just Got Paid" – Johnny Kemp
"Just Like Paradise" – David Lee Roth
"The King of Rock 'N' Roll – Prefab Sprout
"Kokomo" – The Beach Boys
"Left to My Own Devices" – Pet Shop Boys
"A Little Respect" – Erasure
"Look Away" – Chicago
"Love Bites" – Def Leppard (released in 1987)
"Love Changes (Everything)" – Climie Fisher (remix/released in 1987)
"The Lover In Me" – Sheena Easton
"Lucretia My Reflection" – The Sisters of Mercy
"Make It Real" – The Jets
"Make Me Lose Control" – Eric Carmen
"Mary's Prayer" – Danny Wilson (released in 1987)
"Man in the Mirror" – Michael Jackson
"Mercedes Boy" - Pebbles
"Mistletoe and Wine" – Cliff Richard
"Monkey" – George Michael
"My Prerogative" – Bobby Brown
"Mystify" – INXS (released 1989 in the UK)
"Need You Tonight" – INXS (released in 1987)
"Never Knew Love Like This" – Alexander O'Neal
"Never Tear Us Apart" – INXS
"Never Trust a Stranger" – Kim Wilde
"New Sensation" – INXS
"Nothin' but a Good Time" – Poison
"Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" – Glenn Medeiros (United Kingdom peak)
"Nuit de folie" – Début de Soirée
"One More Try" – George Michael
"One" – Metallica
"The Only Way Is Up" – Yazz and the Plastic Population
"Orange Crush" – R.E.M. (released 1989 in the UK)
"Orinoco Flow" – Enya
"Pamela" – Toto
"Paradise" – Sade
"Paradise City" – Guns N' Roses
"Parents Just Don't Understand" – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
"The Payback Mix" – James Brown
"People Are Strange" – Echo & the Bunnymen
"People Have the Power" – Patti Smith
"Perfect Strangers" – Anne Murray
"Piano in the Dark" – Brenda Russell
"Pink Cadillac" – Natalie Cole
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" – Def Leppard (released in 1987)
"Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" – Mylène Farmer
"Push It/Tramp" – Salt-N-Pepa
"Put a Little Love in Your Heart" – Annie Lennox & Al Green
"Quelque chose dans mon cœur" – Elsa Lunghini
"Quelque part au Soleil" – Dalida
"The Race" – Yello
"Rag Doll" – Aerosmith
"Real Gone Kid" – Deacon Blue
"Revolution Baby" – Transvision Vamp
"Rise To The Occasion (Hip Hop Mix)" – Climie Fisher (remix/released in 1987)
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" – Mel & Kim (released December 1987)
"Rok Da House" – The Beatmasters featuring The Cookie Crew (remix/released in 1987)
"Roll With It" – Steve Winwood
"Roses Are Red" – Mac Band featuring McCampbell Brothers
"Run's House" – Run-D.M.C.
"Rush Hour" - Jane Wiedlin
"I Say a Little Prayer" – Bomb The Bass
"Shaday" – Ofra Haza
"Shake for the Sheik" – The Escape Club
"Shake Your Thang (It's Your Thing)" – Salt-N-Pepa featuring E.U.
"Shattered Dreams" – Johnny Hates Jazz (USA release)
"Ship of Fools" – Erasure
"Sidewalking" – The Jesus and Mary Chain
"Sign Your Name" – Terence Trent D'Arby (released in 1987)
"Simply Irresistible" – Robert Palmer
"Smooth Criminal" – Michael Jackson
"So Emotional" – Whitney Houston (released in 1987)
"Spotlight" – Madonna
"Stakker Humanoid" – Humanoid
"Stand" – R.E.M.
"Stand Up for Your Love Rights" – Yazz
"Stay on These Roads" – a-ha
"Stop!" – Erasure
"Straight Outta Compton" – N.W.A
"Stutter Rap (No Sleep 'Til Bedtime)" – Morris Minor and the Majors
"Superfly Guy" – S-Express
"Suedehead" – Morrissey
"Superstitious" – Europe
"Sweet Child o' Mine" – Guns N' Roses (released in 1987)
"Take Me To Your Heart - Rick Astley
"Teen Age Riot" – Sonic Youth
"That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll" – AC/DC
"Theme from S-Express" – S-Express
"Tougher Than the Rest" – Bruce Springsteen
"Together Forever" – Rick Astley
"Touched by the Hand of God" – New Order
"The Twist (Yo Twist)" – Fat Boys & Chubby Checker
"Twist in My Sobriety" – Tanita Tikaram
"Twist and Shout" – Salt-N-Pepa
"Two Hearts" – Cliff Richard
"Two Strong Hearts" – John Farnham
"Un Roman d'amitié (Friend You Give Me a Reason)" – Elsa Lunghini and Glenn Medeiros
"Waiting For A Star To Fall" – Boy Meets Girl (released on December 10, 1988)
"Walking Away" – Information Society
"The Way You Make Me Feel" - Michael Jackson
"We Call it Acieeed!" – D Mob featuring Gary Haisman
"Wee Rule" – Wee Papa Girl Rappers
"Welcome to the Jungle" – Guns N' Roses (released in 1987)
"(What Can I Say) To Make You Love Me" – Alexander O'Neal
"What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy) – Information Society
"What I Am" – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (released 1989 in the UK)
"What You See Is What You Get" - Madonna
"When You Come" – Crowded House
"When You Put Your Heart In It" – Kenny Rogers
"Wild World" – Maxi Priest
"Wishing Well" – Terence Trent D'Arby (released in 1987)
"A Word in Spanish" — Elton John
"Yé ké yé ké" – Mory Kanté
"You Are the One" – a-ha
"You Came" – Kim Wilde
"You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart – Eurythmics
Gerald Barry – Cheveux-de-frise
Luciano Berio – Sequenza XI
George Crumb – Zeitgeist (Tableaux Vivants) for two amplified pianos
Mario Davidovsky – Synchronisms No. 9 for violin and tape
Joël-François Durand – Die innere Grenze for string sextet
Lorenzo Ferrero – La cena delle beffe (incidental music)
Michael Finnissy – Red Earth for orchestra
Henryk Górecki – String Quartet No. 1, "Already it is Dusk"
Stephen Hartke – Pacific Rim Overture
Vagn Holmboe – Symphony No. 12, M. 338
Witold Lutosławski – Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Frederik Magle – We Are Afraid (Vi er bange), cantata for choir and chamber orchestra
Carin Malmlöf-Forssling – String Quartet No. 1, "Silverkvartetten"
António Chagas Rosa – Piano Sonata
Kaija Saariaho – Petals for cello and electronics
Bogusław Schaeffer – Concerto for Piano Duet and Orchestra
Alfred Schnittke
Concerto for Piano four hands and Orchestra
Piano Quartet
Symphony No. 5 (Concerto Grosso No. 4)
Klingende Buchstaben
Peter Sculthorpe – Kakadu
Philip Sparke – Concerto Grosso
Bent Sørensen
Angels' Music for string quartet
Camelot by Night for bass flute and guitar
La Notte for piano and orchestra
Tōru Takemitsu – Tree Line for chamber orchestra
John Tavener – The Akathist of Thanksgiving
Takashi Yoshimatsu – Concerto for Bassoon "Unicorn Circuit"
Philip Glass – 1000 Airplanes on the Roof
Karlheinz Stockhausen – Montag aus Licht (La Scala, Milan, May 7)
Bitter Sweet (Noël Coward) – London revival
Chess (Tim Rice, Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus) – Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre and closed after 65 performances
The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber) – Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre, and has the longest continuous run in Broadway history, with over 10,000 performances to date
Sarafina - Broadway production opened at the Cort Theatre and ran for 597 performances
Bird
Bridge
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
Daisy
Dhwani
Imagine: John Lennon
La Bailanta
Moonwalker
Rattle and Hum
Satisfaction
Tapeheads
Tougher Than Leather
January 14
Jordy, French singer
Mikalah Gordon, American Idol contestant
January 16 – FKA Twigs, English singer
January 21 – Rapsody, American rapper
January 25 – Yasmien Kurdi, Filipina pop singer
February 3 – Cho Kyu Hyun, Korean pop singer
February 6 – Bailey Hanks, American actress and singer
February 7 – Ai Kago, Japanese pop singer
February 8 – Ao Li, Chinese operatic bass-baritone
February 17 – Rod Michael, American singer (B3)
February 18 – Changmin ("Max"), Korean pop singer
February 20 – Rihanna, Barbadian pop singer
February 23 – Ashley Cooper, New Zealand pop singer
February 27 – JD Natasha, American Latin music artist
February 28 – Milly Edwards, Australian Idol contestant
March 2 – Nadine Samonte, German pop singer
March 6 – Agnes Carlsson, Swedish pop singer
March 10 – Patrick Henry Hughes, American tenor and trumpeter
March 17 – Claire Boucher, Canadian singer, songwriter and producer (Grimes)
April 6 – Raymond David Henriksen, Norwegian singer
April 24 – Natalie Zahra, Australian Idol contestant
April 25 – Sara Paxton, American singer/actress
April 29 – Younha, Japanese & Korean pop singer
May 2 – Guilherme Rodrigues, Portuguese jazz musician
May 5
Adele, English singer
Brooke Hogan, American pop singer
Skye Sweetnam, Canadian pop singer
May 13 – Casey Donovan, 2004 Australian Idol winner
May 18 – Tanner Wayne, American drummer (Underminded, Chiodos, and Scary Kids Scaring Kids)
May 24 – Billy Gilman, American country singer
June 1
Nami Tamaki, Japanese singer
Héloïse Letissier, French singer-songwriter (Christine and the Queens)
June 6 – Neha Kakkar, Indian pop singer
June 12 – Dave Melillo, American singer-songwriter
June 16
Keshia Chante, Canadian urban singer
Banks, American singer-songwriter
June 20 – May J., Japanese R&B singer
June 22 – Miliyah Kato, Japanese R&B singer
June 28 – Julian Waterfall Pollack, jazz pianist and composer
June 29 – Martina Šindlerová, Slovak pop singer
July 2 – Amali Ward, Australian Idol contestant
July 6 – Brittany Underwood, American actress and singer
July 7 – Kaci Brown, American pop/R&B singer
July 12 – Melissa O'Neil, Canadian Idol winner
July 13 – Tulisa Contostavlos, British singer-songwriter and member of N-Dubz
July 25 – Sarah Geronimo, Filipina pop singer
July 28 – Nick Santino, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (A Rocket to the Moon)
August 2 – Brittany Hargest, American pop singer
August 13 – MØ, Danish singer-songwriter
August 14 – Shahd Barmada, Arabian Idol contestant
August 27 – Alexa Vega, American pop singer
September 6 – Gustav Schäfer, drummer of German band Tokio Hotel
September 16 – Teddy Geiger, American singer-songwriter
September 22 – Bethany Dillon, American Christian-music artist
September 30 – Jyongri, Japanese pop singer
October 4 – Jessica Benson, American R&B singer
October 11 – Knut Eirik Kokkin, Norwegian singer
October 20 – Risa Niigaki, Japanese pop singer
October 23 – Caleigh Peters, American pop singer
November 10 – Chisaki Hama, Japanese singer
November 28 – Scarlett Pomers, American singer/actress
December 19 – Paulina Gretzky, American pop singer
December 23 – Eri Kamei, Japanese pop singer
December 26 – Veronika Eberle, German violinist
December 27 – Hayley Williams, singer of American band Paramore
December 30 – James Hall, British singer-songwriter
December 31 – Holly Holyoake, soprano
January 3 – John Dopyera, stringed instrument maker, 94
January 19 – Evgeny Mravinsky, conductor
February 3 - Radamés Gnattali, Brazilian composer, 81
February 9 – Kurt Herbert Adler, conductor and opera administrator
February 14 – Frederick Loewe, composer of musicals, 86
February 16 – Jean Carignan, fiddler, 71
February 24 – Memphis Slim, blues musician, 72
February 27 – Gene de Paul, pianist and composer, 68
March 6 – Jeanne Aubert, singer and actress
March 7 – Divine, singer and drag entertainer, 42 (heart failure)
March 8 – Henryk Szeryng, violinist
March 10 – William Wordsworth, Scottish composer
March 10 – Andy Gibb, singer, 30 (myocarditis)
March 12 – Gianna Pederzini, operatic mezzo-soprano, 88
March 15 – Frank Perkins, American song composer
March 20 – Gil Evans, Canadian jazz pianist, composer and bandleader
April 3 – Kai Ewans, Danish jazz musician
April 7 – Cesar Bresgen, Austrian composer
April 9
Brook Benton, 56 (complications of spinal meningitis)
David Prater, of Sam & Dave, 50 (car accident)
April 15 – Youri Egorov, Soviet classical pianist, 33 (complications of AIDS)
April 29 – James McCracken, tenor, 61
May 1 – Claude Demetrius, songwriter
May 10 – Ciarán Bourke, folk musician (The Dubliners), 53 (brain damage)
May 13 – Chet Baker, jazz musician, 58 (head injuries from fall)
May 21 – Sammy Davis, Sr., vaudeville performer
May 22 – Dennis Day, US singer
May 25 - Martin Slavin, composer and music director, 66
June 22 – Jesse Ed Davis, guitarist, 43
June 25
Hillel Slovak, Red Hot Chili Peppers, guitarist, 26 (speedball overdose)
Jimmy Soul, American singer, 45 (heart attack)
July 2 – Eddie Vinson, jazz/blues musician, 70
July 18
Joly Braga Santos, Portuguese composer and conductor
Nico, German singer, 49 (brain haemorrhage)
July 20 – Richard Holm, German operatic tenor
August – Tenor Saw, dancehall artist, 22 (road accident)
August 8 – Félix Leclerc, folk singer
August 9 – Giacinto Scelsi, composer
August 14 – Roy Buchanan, American guitarist, 48 (suicide)
August 22 – Frances James, operatic soprano, 85
August 24
Kenneth Leighton, English composer
Nat Stuckey, American country singer
September 17 – Hilde Gueden, operatic soprano, 71
September 22 - Rezső Sugár, Hungarian composer, 68
September 23 – Arwel Hughes, composer and conductor
September 26 – Lord Melody, calypso musician, 62
October 7 – Billy Daniels, singer, 73
October 15 – Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, English composer, music critic and pianist
October 18 – Sir Frederick Ashton, dancer and choreographer
October 19 – Son House, blues musician
October 20 – Mogens Wöldike, Danish conductor
November 8 - Warren Casey, US theatre composer, lyricist, writer, and actor, 53 (AIDS-related)
November 13
Antal Doráti, conductor, 82
Jaromír Vejvoda, Czech composer, 86
November 24 – Irmgard Seefried, operatic soprano, 69
November 26 – Antonio Estévez, composer
November 30 – Charlie Rouse, saxophonist, 64
December 2 – Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer and lyricist (Quartetto Cetra)
December 6 – Roy Orbison, singer, 52 (heart attack)
December 16 – Sylvester, R&B singer, disco performer, 41 (complications from AIDS)
December 21 – Paul Jeffreys, bassist (Cockney Rebel), 36 (killed in the crash of Pan Am Flight 103)
December 25 – Evgeny Golubev, Russian composer, 78
date unknown
Kenneth Morris, gospel composer and publisher, 71
Håkan Parkman, Swedish composer, arranger and choral director, 33 (drowned)
The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Drifters, Bob Dylan, and The Supremes.
Grammy Awards of 1988
Eurovision Song Contest 1988
List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1988 (U.S.)
Billboard Top 40 of 1988
