2008 in music.html



This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2008.

Events

January

• 29 January - Face to Face announced that they will reunite for select shows in the US and internationally.¹
• Rage Against the Machine headlined the Big Day Out festivals in Australia and New Zealand, their first shows outside of the United States since reforming, and their first Australian shows in 12 years.²

February

• 10 February - The 50th Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, USA³.
• 19 February - System of a Down guitarist, Daron Malakian, told MTV.com that the band were never likely to reform any time soon as he would be concentrating on his new band project Scars on Broadway.⁴
• 20 February–25 February - The Viña del Mar International Song Festival was held in Chile. ⁵
• 23 February–3 March - The second annual Soundwave Festival was held in Australia.⁶
• 26 February - The Spice Girls do their last performace together of their tour The Return of the Spice Girls in Toronto.
• 26 February - Erykah Badu makes a comeback in releasing her fifth album, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), her first album in five years.

March

• 7 March - The Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2008 took place in Jakarta, Indonesia.⁷
• 7–16 March - The 2008 South By Southwest Conference and Festivals was held in Austin, Texas, USA.⁸
• 11 March - Jazz musician and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton announced his retirement from presenting BBC Radio 2's jazz programme after forty years.⁹
• 20 March - The Eagles began a tour to promote their album, Long Road Out of Eden.^{citation needed}
• 25–29 March - The Miami Winter Music Conference was held in Miami Beach Resort & Spa, Miami, Florida, USA.¹⁰
• 26 March - Guitarist Clint Lowery rejoined the band Sevendust, replacing Sonny Mayo.^{citation needed}
• 27 March
  • British singer Leona Lewis topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with her debut single "Bleeding Love", the first solo British female singer to do so since Kim Wilde in 1987.¹¹
  • Rock band Def Leppard began the first leg of their world tour to promote their album Songs from the Sparkle Lounge.^{citation needed}

April

• 1 April - Scott Weiland's departure from rock band Velvet Revolver became official.¹² Weiland's reunion with his former band, Stone Temple Pilots, and tensions between Weiland and the rest of Velvet Revolver, led to his departure.¹³
• 2 April - Mariah Carey's new single, "Touch My Body", from her album E=MC², is officially confirmed as her eighteenth number one single in the United States making her the artist with the second most number one hit singles behind the Beatles with 20.
• 5 April - The reunited Face to Face performed together for the first time in four-and-a-half-years at The Bamboozle Left in Irvine, California, USA.¹
• 7 April - The newly reunited 90s rock band Stone Temple Pilots held a press conference announcing a 65-date reunion tour and played for the first time since 2002 at a small, private show in Los Angeles, California, USA.^{citation needed}
• 8 April - Japanese superstar Ayumi Hamasaki celebrates the beginning of her 10th year in the music industry.
• 15 April - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa officially proclaimed April 15 as Mariah Carey Day in Los Angeles, California, USA.¹⁴
• 19 April - With her single, "I'm a Fire", Donna Summer became the first artist to have a song reach number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in every decade since the chart's inception in 1974.^{citation needed}
• 19—20 April - The Festival Imperial 2008 was held in Autódromo La Guácima in Alajuela, Costa Rica.^{citation needed}
• 25—27 April
  • The Empire State Building in New York City, USA was lit up in Mariah Carey's motif colors — lavender, pink, and white — in celebration of her achievements in the world of music. Carey is the first person in history to be honored by this event.¹⁵
  • The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was held in Indio, California, USA.^{citation needed}
• 26 April - The MTV Australia Awards 2008 took place in Sydney, Australia.^{citation needed}
• 27 April - Madonna releases her eleventh studio album "Hard Candy" which debuts at #1 atop the Billboard 200 making her the female artist with second most number one albums behind Barbara Streisand.

May

• 3 May - Girls Aloud began their Tangled Up Tour in Belfast, UK.¹⁶
• 3–4 May - The sixth annual The Bamboozle festival was held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA.^{citation needed}
• 10–11 May - The Give It A Name 2008 festival was held at Earls Court, London, UK.¹⁷
• 16 May - The Offspring began the first leg of their Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace Tour to promote their new album, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace.^{citation needed}
• 17 May - The sixteenth annual KROQ Weenie Roast was held at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California, USA.^{citation needed}
• 21 May - David Cook won season 7 of the television talent contest American Idol, with the contest decided by a record breaking 97 million votes.^{citation needed}
• 24 May – The 53rd Eurovision Song Contest final was held in Belgrade, Serbia. 43 countries competed in the event, including newcomers San Marino and Azerbaijan.¹⁸ The contest was won by the Russian entry with the Ukrainians coming second and the Greeks third.^{citation needed}
• 24–26 May - The Sasquatch! Music Festival was held over Memorial Day weekend at The Gorge Amphitheatre in central Washington, USA.^{citation needed}
• 30 May–1 June
  • Rock In Rio Lisboa 2008 took place in Parque da Bela Vista, Chelas, Lisbon, Portugal. The festival continued on 5–6 June.^{citation needed}
  • The fourth annual Mountain Jam Festival was held in Hunter Mountain, New York, USA.^{citation needed}

June

• 1 June - Westlife played their 10th anniversary concert at Europe's fourth biggest stadium, Croke Park, in Dublin, Ireland.¹⁹
• 3 June- Disturbed Indestructible
• 6 and 7 June - Foo Fighters played their biggest UK stadium shows at Wembley Stadium in London.^{citation needed}
• 10 June - Rancid began the first leg of their tour to promote their seventh studio album.²⁰
• 11 June - Ira Losco released her third studio album Fortune Teller. It was produced by Ira herself and Howard Keith (Jagged House)
• 12 – 15 June - Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was held in Manchester, Tennessee, USA.^{citation needed}
• 13 – 15 June
  • The seventh Isle of Wight Festival took place in Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight, UK.^{citation needed}
  • The sixth annual Download Festival took place in Donington Park, UK.^{citation needed}
• 17 June - George Michael began the American leg of his 25 Live tour in San Diego, California, USA, his first U.S. tour for 17 years.^{citation needed}
• 20 June - My Bloody Valentine played their first reunion show at the Roundhouse, London, UK. ²¹
• 27 June - The Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute charity concert took place in Hyde Park in London, in support of Mandela's 46664 Aids Foundation.^{citation needed}
• 27 – 29 June - Glastonbury Festival was held at Worthy Farm, Somerset, UK.^{citation needed}
• 29 June
  • Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, the first video game in the Guitar Hero series to be based around a single music group (Aerosmith), was released.²²
  • The Marquee at Cork Festival, was held in Ireland.^{citation needed}
  • Linkin Park and Jay-Z performed at Projekt Revolution at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, UK.^{citation needed}

July

• 1 July – Crüe Fest commenced in West Palm Beach, Florida
• 3 – 6 July
  • The O2 Wireless Festival took place in Hyde Park, London, UK.²³
  • The Roskilde Festival took place in Denmark.^{citation needed}
  • The Rothbury Music Festival took place in Rothbury, Michigan, USA.^{citation needed}
• 3 – 7 July - The Rock Werchter festival took place in Belgium.^{citation needed}
• 3 – 13 July - The Ottawa Bluesfest took place in Ottawa, Canada.^{citation needed}
• 4 – 6 July - The Heineken Open'er Festival took place in Gdynia, Poland.^{citation needed}
• 10 – 13 July - The EXIT Festival 08 took place at Petrovaradin Fortress, in Novi Sad, Serbia.^{citation needed}
• 14 July - Coheed and Cambria announce the first two dates for Neverender, a four night concert where they played an album a day.
• 20 July
  • The T4 On The Beach music festival took place in Weston-super-Mare, UK.^{citation needed}
  • The Oxegen music festival took place in Kildare, Ireland.^{citation needed}
  • The All Good Music Festival took place in Masontown, West Virginia, USA.^{citation needed}
  • The T in the Park music festival took place at Balado airfield, Kinross, Scotland.^{citation needed}

August

• 1 – 3 August - The Lollapalooza music festival took place in Chicago, USA.
• 10 August - Coheed And Cambria announce Chicago and London dates for Neverender
• 12 – 18 August - Sziget Festival 2008 took place in Budapest, Hungary.
• 22 - 23 August - Coke Live Music Festival takes place in Poland with artists such as Sean Paul, Timbaland and The Prodigy performing.
• 22 - 24 August - Leeds and Reading Festival took place.
• 23 August - Madonna starts her Sticky & Sweet Tour which became the highest grossing tour ever.
• 24 August - Season 6 of the television talent contest, Australian Idol, began.
• 30 August - Filipino rock band, Eraserheads, held their one night only reunion concert in the Fort open field. This is their first concert since 2001. After the 20-minute break, vocalist Ely Buendia was rushed to the hospital because of chest pain due to emotional stress.

September

• 6 September - Six members of The Specials re-unite at the Bestival as a 'Surprise Act'. The group was named "Terry Hall and Friends", because Jerry Dammers, who owns the bands name, did not participate in the event.
• 7 September - The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards event took place at Paramount Studios, Hollywood.
• 10 September - The 22nd Annual ARIA Music Awards were held in Sydney, Australia recognizing Australian music in 2008. Dance-punk group The Presets won Album of the Year.
• 12 September - Metallica's Death Magnetic is released; The season 4 of the Finnish talent contest, Idols, began.
• 15 September - Queen + Paul Rodgers release their studio album The Cosmos Rocks, the first Queen album with a lead singer other than late Freddie Mercury.
• 18 September - Ben Folds Five played a sold out reunion show in Chapel Hill, NC performing the entirety of their 1999 album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, that was filmed for DVD and web release by MySpace in benefit for Operation Smile ²⁴
• 18 September - Crystal Castles played their biggest headline show to date. A sold out show at Electric Ballroom in Camden, London
• 19 September - Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein (DJ AM) survived a plane crash claiming 4 lives
• 20 September - Pink scored her first solo number-one hit in her native USA, with the song "So What"
• 21 September - The Eric Burdon show in Oklahoma was cancelled due his health problems.
• 24 September - Within Temptation release Black Symphony DVD. Featuring the Metropole Orchestra and guest musicians.
• 25 September - Former Beatle Paul McCartney made a single concert in Israel at Tel Aviv park for the first time since The Beatles were banned from Israel in 1965.
• 30 September - Nightmare Revisited is released in the US. Featuring covers from Amy Lee, Korn, Shiny Toy Guns. With Amy Lee's debut solo song.

October

• 14 October - Sean Combs officially sets the record straight on his platinum selling girl group Danity Kane. Both Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods were kicked out of the band on the live finale leaving the remaining members- Dawn Richards, Shannon Bex and Aundrea Fimbres to ponder the groups future as a threesome.
• 16 October - Britney Spears sets a new record for the largest jump to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, rising from number 96 to number one in just one week, with her single "Womanizer". This gave Spears her first American number one song since her debut single "...Baby One More Time".²⁵
• 18 October - Rihanna scores her fifth number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 (as a featured artist on T.I.'s "Live Your Life", which followed "SOS", "Umbrella", "Take a Bow", and "Disturbia"), becoming the leading solo female artist with the most number ones to have charted in this decade.²⁶
• 22 October - Coheed and Cambria began the much anticipated series of concerts called Neverender.
• 22 October - Guns N' Roses release their first single in 9 years. The title track from their Chinese Democracy album is released as the first single for the album.

November

• 2 November - Ac/Dc become the first band to have their own version of the video game Rock Band, releasing the "Ac/Dc Live Rock band Track Pack"
• 18 November - Nickelback release the much-anticipanted Dark Horse to follow up 2005's seven-times platinum album, All the Right Reasons.
• 23 November - Guns N' Roses release their first album after 13 years, Chinese Democracy.

December

• 13 December - Beyoncé scores her fifth number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", which followed "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", "Check on It", and "Irreplaceable", tying with Rihanna as the leading solo female artist with the most number ones to have charted in this decade.²⁷

Bands formed

• Fear and the Nervous System²⁸
• Girlicious²⁹
• Iglu & Hartly
• Two Tongues³⁰
• Hot Leg
• Powerchild

Bands reformed

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)

• Amebix³¹
• Atomic Kitten^{citation needed}
• Bad Company (reformed for a one-off show)^{citation needed}
• Ben Folds Five (reformed for a one time reunion show for Operation Smile on September 18, 2008 as part of myspace's Front to Back series)
• Big Drill Car (reformed for six shows only)^{citation needed}
• Bleed the Dream (the three remaining founding members started playing and writing music again)^{citation needed}
• Blind Faith (Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, reformed for three performances)^{citation needed}
• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony^{citation needed}
• Boyzone^{citation needed}
• Carcass^{citation needed}
• D:Ream ³²
• Died Pretty (reformed for five shows only)^{citation needed}
• Dogs Die In Hot Cars ³³
• Dynamite Boy (reformed for two shows only)^{citation needed}
• En Vogue³⁴
• Eraserheads (reformed for one night only)^{citation needed}
• Eve 6^{citation needed}
• Face to Face^{citation needed}
• The Get Up Kids
• Green River (reformed for a one-off show)^{citation needed}
• Kidneythieves^{citation needed}
• Liberty X^{citation needed}
• Living Sacrifice^{citation needed}
• New Kids on the Block³⁵
• No Doubt³⁶
• Oneida^{citation needed}
• The Pharcyde^{citation needed}
• Pestilence^{citation needed}
• Rival Schools^{citation needed}
• Sixpence None the Richer^{citation needed}
• Snot^{citation needed}
• Spineshank (shortly after the official break-up, the band reformed with Jonny Santos)^{citation needed}
• Stone Temple Pilots³⁷
• Teenage Jesus & the Jerks (reformed for a one-off show)^{citation needed}
• Vision of Disorder^{citation needed}

Returning performers

• AC/DC (first album since 2000)
• Ashanti (Last studio album released in 2004)
• David Byrne & Brian Eno (first album since 1981)
• Vanessa Amorosi (debut international album and first Australian Album since 1999)
• Anastacia (Last studio album released in 2004)
• Brandy (Last studio album released in 2004)
• Boyzone (first studio album released in 1999)
• The Cure (first studio album since 2004)
• Jason Donovan (Last studio album released in 1992)
• Dido (Last studio album released in 2003)
• Eminem (first album since 2004)
• Guns N' Roses (first album of original material since 1991)
• Metallica (first album since 2003)
• New Kids on the Block (first album since 1994)
• Queen (First studio album since 1995, and first with Paul Rodgers on lead vocals.)
• The Offspring (first album since 2003)
• The Specials (as "Terry Hall and Friends")
• Toadies (first album since 2001)
• The Verve (first album since 1997)

Bands disbanded

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)

• 3LW
• Across Five Aprils
• An Angle
• Battle (band)
• Beneath the Sky
• Be Your Own Pet³⁸
• Blinded Black³⁹
• BoNO MUST DIE
• Boy Kill Boy
• The Chalets⁴⁰
• The Dead 60s
• Dead To Fall⁴¹
• Dirty Pretty Things⁴²
• The Departure
• Elle Milano⁴³
• Etan
• Fastlane
• Folly
• From a Second Story Window
• From Autumn To Ashes
• The Fully Down
• Harrisons
• The Hellacopters
• Help She Can't Swim
• Himsa⁴⁴
• Hootie & the Blowfish
• Hopesfall
• I Was A Cub Scout
• Jakobinarina
• Johnny Truant
• Junior Senior ⁴⁵
• Kubichek!
• Life in Your Way⁴⁶
• The Long Blondes⁴⁷
• Meet Me In St. Louis
• Milburn
• Ministry
• Modern Life Is War
• Moros Eros
• Mumm-Ra⁴⁸
• Phantom Planet
• The Police
• The Procussions
• Quiet Riot
• Raging Speedhorn
• The Receiving End of Sirens
• Ride the Sky
• The Servant
• Shot Down Sun
• Spice Girls (disbanded after their final concert together)
• SikTh
• Spineshank (on hiatus since 2004 and officially announced split in February 2008)
• Still Remains
• Submersed
• The Summer Obsession
• This Et Al
• Toto
• Trick Pony
• Victory At Last
• Vincent Vincent and the Villains
• Yellow Swans
• YouInSeries

Bands on hiatus

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)

• ¡Forward, Russia! (indefinite hiatus)⁴⁹
• Big & Rich (until 2009, due to a neck injury suffered by Big Kenny)⁵⁰
• Evanescence - Consisting of Amy Lee, Tim McCord, Terry Balsamo.
• Fear Factory
• Foo Fighters
• The Format
• From Autumn to Ashes
• Glue Gun
• Hell Is for Heroes (band)
• Incubus (on break from touring and recording)⁵¹
• Monkey Swallows the Universe (indefinite hiatus)
• June (indefinite hiatus)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers (2 year hiatus)⁵²
• Reuben
• Rilo Kiley (due to the success of lead singer Jenny Lewis' solo career)
• Social Distortion (due to their lead singer undertaking a solo tour)
• The Dresden Dolls (indefinite break)
• The Starting Line (indefinite break)⁵³
• Velvet Revolver (whilst looking for a new lead singer)
• Westlife (a one year break)
• Wolfmother (whilst looking for new musicians)
• Yellowcard

Albums to be released

Main article: List of albums released in 2008

Deaths

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

January

• 3 January - Henri Chopin, 85, French sound poet
• 11 January - Pete Candoli, 84, American jazz trumpeter
• 13 January - Sergejus Larinas, 51, Russian tenor
• 17 January - Madeleine Milhaud, 105, French librettist
• 19 January - Andy Palacio, 47, Belizean Punta musician
• 19 January - Trevor Taylor, 50, German singer (Bad Boys Blue)
• 19 January - John Stewart, 68, American singer-songwriter
• 20 January - Tommy McQuater, 93, British jazz trumpeter
• 25 January - Evelyn Barbirolli, 97, British oboist
• 30 January - Miles Kington, 66, British bassist

February

• 4 February - Tata Güines, 77, Cuban percussionist and composer
• 10 February - Freddie Bell, 76, American musician
• 10 February - Inga Nielsen, 61, Danish soprano
• 13 February - Henri Salvador, 90, French singer
• 15 February - Willie P. Bennett, 56, Canadian folk singer-songwriter
• 19 February - Yegor Letov, 43, Russian punk singer
• 19 February - Teo Macero, 82, American jazz saxophonist, record producer and composer
• 21 February - Joe Gibbs, Jamaican record producer
• 24 February - Larry Norman, 60, American musician
• 25 February - Stephen "Static Major" Garrett, 33, American rapper
• 26 February - Buddy Miles, 60, American drummer
• 27 February - Ray Kane, 82, American slack-key guitarist
• 27 February - Ivan Rebroff, 76, German singer
• 28 February - Mike Smith, 64, British singer and producer (The Dave Clark Five)

March

• 2 March - Jeff Healey, 41, blind Canadian musician and actor.
• 3 March - Giuseppe Di Stefano, 86, Italian tenor
• 3 March - Norman Smith, 85, British record producer and musician
• 4 March - Leonard Rosenman, 83, American composer
• 12 March - Alun Hoddinott, 78, British composer
• 13 March - Bill Bolick, 90, country musician
• 15 March - Mikey Dread, 53, Jamaican reggae musician and broadcaster
• 16 March - Ola Brunkert, 61, Swedish drummer
• 21 March - Klaus Dinger, 61, German drummer
• 21 March - Shusha Guppy, 72, Iranian folk-singer and composer
• 22 March - Cachao López, 89, Cuban bassist
• 23 March - Neil Aspinall, 66, British music industry executive
• 29 March - Allan Ganley, 77, British jazz drummer

April

• 15 April - Sean Costello, 28, American blues musician
• 15 April - Brian Davison, 65, British drummer
• 17 April - Danny Federici, 58, American rock multi-instrumentalist
• 20 April - Bebe Barron, 82, American electronic music pioneer
• 20 April - VL Mike, 30, American rap artist
• 24 April - Tristram Cary, 82, British composer
• 24 April - Jimmy Giuffre, 86, American jazz musician
• 25 April - Humphrey Lyttelton, 86, British jazz musician
• 26 April - Henry Brant, 94, American composer
• 27 April - Frances Yeend, 95, American soprano
• 29 April - Micky Waller, 66, British drummer

May

• 4 May - Kishan Maharaj, 84, Indian tabla player
• 5 May - Jerry Wallace, 79, American country music singer
• 6 May - Franz Jackson, 95, American jazz saxophonist
• 8 May - Eddy Arnold, 89, American country music singer
• 8 May - Larry Levine, 80, American audio engineer
• 10 May - Leyla Gencer, 79, Turkish soprano
• 11 May - Dottie Rambo, 74, American gospel singer
• 11 May - John Rutsey, 54 or 55, Canadian drummer
• 15 May - Alexander Courage, 88, American composer
• 15 May - Bob Florence, 75, American jazz pianist
• 17 May - Wilfrid Mellers, 94, British musicologist and composer
• 21 May - Siegmund Nissel, 86, Austrian violinist
• 23 May - Utah Phillips, 73, American folk singer-songwriter
• 24 May - Jimmy McGriff, 72, American jazz organist
• 26 May - Earle Hagen, 88, American composer
• 28 May - Danny Moss, 80, British jazz saxophonist
• 30 May - Campbell Burnap, 68, British jazz trombonist and broadcaster
• 30 May - Nat Temple, 94, British big band leader

June

• 1 June - Al Jones, 62, British folk musician
• 2 June - Bo Diddley, 79, American rock and roll and blues singer, songwriter and guitarist
• 4 June - Bill Finegan, 91, American jazz pianist and arranger
• 8 June - Šaban Bajramović, 72, Serbian Roma musician
• 12 June - Danny Davis, 83, American band leader
• 14 June - Jamelão, 95, Brazilian samba singer
• 14 June - Esbjörn Svensson, 44, Swedish jazz pianist
• 16 June - Margaret Kitchin, 94, Swiss pianist
• 17 June - Cyd Charisse, 86, American dancer and actress
• 24 June - Ira Tucker, 83, American gospel singer
• 27 June - Raymond Lefèvre, 78, French easy listening musician
• 27 June - Daihachi Oguchi, 84, Japanese drummer
• 27 June - Leonard Pennario, 83, American pianist
• 30 June - Ángel Tavira, 83, Mexican violinist and composer

July

• 1 July - Mel Galley, 60, British guitarist
• 3 July - Oliver Schroer, 52, Canadian fiddler and composer
• 6 July - Bobby Durham, 71, American jazz drummer
• 7 July - Hugh Mendl, 88, British record producer
• 13 July - Gerald Wiggins, 86, American jazz pianist
• 16 July - Jo Stafford, 90, American singer
• 18 July - Tauno Marttinen, 95, Finnish composer
• 18 July - Dennis Townhill, 83, British organist and composer
• 20 July - Artie Traum, 65, American folk musician and composer
• 22 July - Joe Beck, 62, American jazz guitarist
• 24 July - Norman Dello Joio, 95, American composer
• 25 July - Hiram Bullock, 52, American jazz fusion guitarist
• 25 July - Johnny Griffin, 80, American jazz saxophonist
• 27 July - Horst Stein, 80, German conductor
• 28 July - Wendo Kolosoy, 83, Congolese rumba musician
• 31 July - Lee Young, 94, American jazz drummer and singer

August

• 3 August - Erik Darling, 74, American folk musician
• 3 August - Louis Teicher, 83, American pianist
• 4 August - Nicola Rescigno, 92, Italian American conductor
• 5 August - Robert Hazard, 59, American songwriter
• 5 August - Reg Lindsay, 79, Australian country music singer
• 10 August - Isaac Hayes, 65, American rhythm and blues musician
• 10 August - Alexander Slobodyanik, 66, Ukrainian pianist
• 11 August - Don Helms, 81, American steel guitarist
• 12 August - Donald Erb, 81, American composer
• 14 August - Lita Roza, 82, British singer
• 15 August - Jerry Wexler, 91, American producer
• 16 August - Dorival Caymmi, 94, Brazilian singer-songwriter
• 16 August - Ronnie Drew, 73, Irish folk musician (The Dubliners)
• 16 August - Johnny Moore, 70, Jamaican trumpeter (The Skatalites)
• 18 August - Pervis Jackson, 70, American R&B singer (The Spinners)
• 19 August - LeRoi Moore, 46, American saxophonist (Dave Matthews Band)
• 20 August - Phil Guy, 68, American blues guitarist
• 21 August - Jerry Finn, 39, American record producer
• 21 August - Buddy Harman, 79, American session drummer
• 25 August - Pehr Henrik Nordgren, 64, Finnish composer
• 31 August - Jerry Reed, 71, American country musician

September

• 2 September - Arne Domnérus, 83, Swedish jazz saxophonist
• 7 September - Christian Dudek, 42, German drummer of (Sodom)
• 7 September - Peter Glossop, 80, British opera singer
• 8 September - Hector Zazou, 60, French composer and producer
• 8 September - Jason Stuart, 39, keyboardist (Hawkwind)
• 9 September - Bheki Mseleku, 53, South African jazz musician
• 10 September - Vernon Handley, 77, British conductor
• 12 September - Marjorie Thomas, 85, British contralto
• 12 September - Charlie Walker, 81, American country musician
• 15 September - Richard Wright, 65, British keyboardist (Pink Floyd)
• 16 September - Norman Whitfield, 68, American songwriter and producer
• 16 September - Andrei Volkonsky, 75, Russian (emigré/defector) composer, conductor and harpischordist
• 18 September - Opal Courtney Jr, 71, American R&B/doo-wop singer (The Spaniels)
• 18 September - Mauricio Kagel, 76, Argentine composer
• 19 September - Earl Palmer, 84, American drummer, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• 19 September - Dick Sudhalter, 70, American jazz trumpeter and critic
• 20 September - Nappy Brown, 78, American blues singer
• 22 September - Connie Haines, 87, American singer
• 24 September - Vice Vukov, 72, Croatian singer
• 25 September - Horaţiu Rădulescu, 66, Romanian composer
• 26 September - Bernadette Greevy, 68, Irish mezzo-soprano

October

• 1 October - Nick Reynolds, 75, American folk musician
• 3 October - Johnny "J", 39, American songwriter, music producer and rapper
• 4 October - Levi Kereama, 27, Australian musician
• 4 October - Alfred Gallodoro, 95, American jazz musician
• 9 October - Gidget Gein, 39, American bassist (Marilyn Manson)
• 10 October - Alton Ellis, 70, Jamaican rocksteady musician
• 11 October - Russ Hamilton, 78, British singer
• 11 October - Neal Hefti, 85, American jazz trumpeter and composer
• 13 October - Gus Chambers, 52, British vocalist
• 15 October - Frankie Venom, 51, Canadian vocalist (Teenage Head)
• 17 October - Levi Stubbs, 72, American vocalist (The Four Tops)
• 18 October - Peter Gordeno, 69, Burmese singer
• 18 October - Dave McKenna, 78, American jazz pianist
• 18 October - Dee Dee Warwick, 63, American soul singer
• 24 October - Merl Saunders, 74, American musician⁵⁴
• 27 October - Ray Ellis, 85, American musician⁵⁵
• 29 October - Mike Baker, 45, American singer (Shadow Gallery)⁵⁶
• 31 October - Frank Navetta, American punk rock guitarist (Descendents)⁵⁷

November

• 1 November - Jack Reno, 72, American country singer
• 1 November - Jimmy Carl Black, 70, American drummer (The Mothers of Invention)
• 1 November - Nathaniel Mayer, 64, American R&B singer⁵⁸
• 4 November - Byron Lee, 73, Jamaican musician
• 7 November - Jody Reynolds, 75, american singer
• 10 November - Miriam Makeba, 76, South African singer
• 12 November - Mitch Mitchell, 61, British drummer (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
• 12 November - Paula Goodspeed, 30, Ex-American Idol contestant
• 22 November - MC Breed, 37, American Rapper
• 24 November - Michael Lee, 39, British drummer (The Cult)
• 24 November - Kenny MacLean, 52, Canadian bassist (Platinum Blonde)
• 26 November - Pekka Pohjola, 56, Finnish Composer
• 30 November - Munetaka Higuchi, 49, Japanese drummer (Loudness)

December

• 2 December - Odetta, 77, American folk musician

See also

• 2008 in British music
• 2008 in Canadian music
• 2008 in country music
• 2008 in heavy metal music
• 2008 in hip hop
• 2008 in Hot 100
• 2008 in Irish music
• List of albums released in 2008
• Timeline of musical events

References