The Year in Music

In 1999 the idea of using the Internet to make music more democratic was still in its infancy. Although the Net was a boost to indie artists, concert promoters and established musicians with a passion for technology, it's still too soon to say if downloaded music is a fad or the future. One thing that wasn't a fad was the greeting Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band received from fans across the country--including those in New Jersey, who, in hours, bought out the first 15 nights of their reunion concerts. No wonder our readers chose it as the concert of the year. Other reunions of note: Blondie, J. Geils, Guy, the Bangles and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Not surprisingly, there were veteran groups with something new to say.

The Latin surge was both sublime (Buena Vista Social Club) and ridiculous (Mambo Number 5), but the airwaves were flooded with Ricky, Marc Anthony, Jennifer and Enrique anyway. And the best moment--Carlos Santana's return to the charts--helped contribute to the surge in the sales of Latin music by at least 11 percent in the past year.

Our female rock vocalist winner, Cher, had her own comeback that began with singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl and ended with a number one single and an album in the top ten.

White rockers with rap attitude showed up large at festivals, in concert and on CD--pretty-fly white guys, including our music poll winners the Offspring, Korn and Limp Bizkit, as well as Kid Rock. Black rap tried some new directions (the Roots, Mos Def), while some famous names courted trouble (Jay-Z, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Puffy).

The current crop of teens has more talent than Frankie, Bobby and by and Fabian, but only the next few years will show what--if any--staying power 'NSync, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera have. Our readers voted for the Backstreet Boys. That makes us think they'll stick around.

In country, it was all Dixie Chicks--on the charts, in concert and on our poll. Garth's alter ego, Chris Gaines, starred in a TV special and on a CD, neither of which impressed his fans. The comeback of George Jones was thrilling. A near-death experience--both in life and on contemporary country radio--couldn't hold him back. He told the Cold Hard Truth and people bought it.

Exciting new jazz flourished in downtown New York clubs (check out Sex Mob), while big names such as Joe Lovano and Wynton Marsalis put themselves out in front with a series of CDs and performances that embraced both historical and contemporary music. But jazz lost some guys who were part of its history, too: Al Hirt, Joe Williams, Charlie Byrd, Mel Tormé, Lester Bowie and Milt Jackson, among others.

Other events of the year: Sheryl Crow and friends played a free concert in New York's Central Park and laid down the tracks for a live CD. Aretha dished men in her autobiography, received the National Medal of Arts and sang for the Pope. Eric Clapton sold a load of guitars to bankroll the rehab clinic he started in Antigua. Elton wrote the music for Disney's version of Aida and had a pacemaker installed. Lollapalooza was canceled again. The Backstreet Boys sold over a million copies of Millennium during its first week of release. Celine retired--for now. The Stones played indoors for the first time in decades. And some 200,000 people attended Woodstock, which ended in mayhem. John Lennon's 20-line lyric sheet for I Am the Walrus brought in $129,200 at auction.

There has always been music for teenagers. Remember, Frank Sinatra was once a teen idol.

What did we like? Bob Dylan and Paul Simon on the same bill. The Blondie reunion. Macy Gray. Prince's Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic album. Hearing Annie Lennox sing those songs again. The Roots. Paul McCartney's salute to the old days on Run Devil Run.

We'll be watching all the angry young men, white and black, to see if they can channel any of that stuff into something more than a punch in the eye or a drop of the pants. We'll be listening for melody--songs you can dance to, kiss to, make love to. It could happen. We'll watch the Internet to see how it will play out in the consumers' favor. We'll keep an eye on all the mergers of music and media companies. We'll see who has legs in the millennium. Will you be listening?

Hall of Fame

Whether you know him as the minister of funk or the hardest-working man in show business, James Brown's flashy style, fancy footwork and boundless energy have influenced more than five decades of music. He was born in 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina and by 1956, when he recorded Please, Please, Please, Brown's primal voice, galvanizing grooves and athletic dance moves (later cribbed by Michael Jackson) had already catapulted him to fame. He was ahead of his time--and he has endured. Brown's 1968 release Say It Loud--I'm Black and I'm Proud became an anthem of the Black Pride movement. Thirty years later he opened Woodstock 99. So get on the good foot and welcome the godfather of soul, James Brown, to Playboy's Hall of Fame.

2000 Playboy Music Poll Winners