2008 in American music

January

• 6 – "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by Soulja Boy became the first song ever to sell over 3 million digital copies in the United States.^[1]
• 15 – The Magnetic Fields released their first studio album in four years, Distortion.^[2]
• 29 — Course of Nature released their first studio album in six years, and also their final album, Damaged.^[3]
  • Decrepit Birth released their first studio album in over four years, Diminishing Between Worlds.
  • Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla released his solo debut studio album, Field Manual.^[4]
  • The Helio Sequence released their first studio album in four years, Keep Your Eyes Ahead.
  • Idina Menzel released her first studio album in four years, I Stand.^[5]
  • Classical soprano singer Margaret Truman, the only child of President Harry S. Truman, died at the age of 83.

February

• 3 – Jordin Sparks performed the National Anthem and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed the halftime show during Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
• 5 – Lenny Kravitz released his first studio album in four years, It Is Time for a Love Revolution.^[6]
• 10 – The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Amy Winehouse took home the most awards with five including Record and Song of the Year with "Rehab". Herbie Hancock won Album of the Year with River: The Joni Letters.

March

• 3 – The Black Crowes released their first studio album in seven years, Warpaint.
• 25 – Counting Crows released their first studio album in nearly six years, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings.
  • The B-52s released their first studio album in sixteen years, Funplex.^[7]
• 31 – R.E.M. released their first studio album in almost four years, Accelerate.

April

• 3 – 14 years after their breakup, Donnie Wahlberg confirmed that New Kids on the Block were reuniting along with a new album and tour.^[8]
• 7 – The Breeders released their first studio album in six years, Mountain Battles.^[9]
• 8 – Stone Temple Pilots announced their reunion after five years apart with a tour beginning in May 2008.^[10]
  • Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery released his debut solo album, Help Wanted.^[11]
• 14 – The CMT Music Awards took place at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee.^[12]
• 15 – Phantom Planet released their first studio album in four years, Raise the Dead. The band then announced a hiatus later in the year.
• 17 – Danny Federici, founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, died at the age of 58 due to melanoma.^[13]
• 22 – Blind Melon released their first studio album in nearly thirteen years, For My Friends. It is the first studio album released since the death of original lead singer Shannon Hoon in 1995, with Travis Warren stepping in as lead vocalist on this album.^[14]
• 23 – Jane's Addiction played their first show after a four year break at the NME Awards. This was the band's first performance with original bassist Eric Avery since 1991.

May

• 6 – Gavin DeGraw released his first studio album in five years, Gavin DeGraw.
• 13 – Usher released his first studio album in four years, Here I Stand.
  • Filter released their first studio album in six years, Anthems for the Damned.
• 18 – The 43rd Academy of Country Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley won the most awards with two each.
• 21 – David Cook won the seventh season of American Idol. David Archuleta was named runner-up. This is the last season where the judging panel consisted of only Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, as songwriter Kara DioGuardi joined the panel the following season.

June

• 3 – Journey released Revelation, their first studio album with new lead singer, Arnel Pineda.
• 10 – Emmylou Harris released her first studio album in five years, All I Intended to Be.^[15]
  • N.E.R.D. released their first studio album in four years, Seeing Sounds.
• 11 – The Offspring released their first studio album in nearly five years, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace.
• 29 – "Low" by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain became the first song ever to sell four million digital copies in the United States.^[16]

July

• 1 – G-Unit released their first studio album in five years, T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight).
• 5 – Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the 1,000th No. 1 song of the rock era.^[17]
• 22 – Candlebox released their first studio album in ten years, Into the Sun.

August

• 10 – Issac Hayes died at the age of 65 at his home in Memphis, Tennessee.
• 12 – Michelle Williams released her first studio in four years, Unexpected.
• 19 – LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died at the age of 46 due to injuries he sustained from an ATV accident on his farm.
• 26 – Jimmy Wayne released his first studio album in five years, Do You Believe Me Now.^[18]
  • Slipknot released their first studio album in four years, All Hope Is Gone.
  • Solange released her first studio album in six years, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams.

September

• 2 – New Kids on the Block released their first studio album in fourteen years, The Block.
• 6 – T.I. broke the Billboard Hot 100 record for a song's biggest jump to number 1 with "Whatever You Like". It jumped from number 71–1.^[19]
• 7 – The MTV Video Music Awards took place at Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles. Britney Spears won the most awards with 3.
• 12 – Metallica released their first studio album in five years, Death Magnetic. It is also their first album with bassist Robert Trujillo, who replaced longtime bassist Jason Newsted in 2003 following Newsted's departure from the band in 2001.
• 30 – The Archies released their first studio album in 37 years, The Archies Christmas Album.^[20]

October

• 14 – Sixpence None the Richer released their first studio album in six years, The Dawn of Grace.
• 17 – Levi Stubbs, lead singer and founding member of the Four Tops, died at the age of 72.
• 18 – T.I. broke his own Billboard Hot 100 record for a song's biggest jump to number 1 with "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna. In went from number 80–1.^[21]
• 23 – The BET Hip Hop Awards took place at the Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
• 25 – Britney Spears's "Womanizer" breaks the Billboard Hot 100 record for a song's biggest jump to number 1, going from 96–1. She held the record until February 7, 2009, when Kelly Clarkson reclaimed it with "My Life Would Suck Without You".^[22]

November

• 4 – Q-Tip released his sophomore solo album, The Renaissance. It was also his first studio album in nine years.
  • Deftones bassist Chi Cheng was seriously injured in a car crash that left him in a coma. The injuries he sustained in the crash eventually led to his death in April 2013.
• 12 – The CMA Awards took place at the Sommett Center in Nashville, Tennessee. George Strait, Brad Paisley and Sugarland took home the most awards with three each.
• 13 – The 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
• 23 – The American Music Awards took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Chris Brown won the most awards with 3.
  • Guns N' Roses released their first studio album in 15 years and their first album of original material in 17 years, Chinese Democracy. It was also their first album to not feature guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan, or guitarist and co-founder Izzy Stradlin.^[23]
• 25 – Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland released his first solo album in 10 years, "Happy" in Galoshes.

December

• 5 – Brandy released her first studio album in four years, Human.
• 20 – Rock and blues singer-guitarist Bo Diddley died at the age of 80.
• 25 – Singer and actress Eartha Kitt died in her home in Connecticut at the age of 81 due to colon cancer.^[24]

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs

• "Bleeding Love" – Leona Lewis (4 weeks)
• "Disturbia" – Rihanna (2 weeks)
• "I Kissed a Girl" – Katy Perry (7 weeks)
• "Live Your Life" – T.I. featuring Rihanna (5 weeks)
• "Lollipop" – Lil Wayne featuring Static Major (5 weeks)
• "Love in This Club" – Usher featuring Young Jeezy (3 weeks)
• "Low" – Flo Rida featuring T-Pain (10 weeks)
• "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" – Beyoncé (2 weeks)
• "So What" – Pink (1 week)
• "Take a Bow" – Rihanna (1 week)
• "Touch My Body" – Mariah Carey (2 weeks)
• "Viva La Vida" – Coldplay (1 week)
• "Whatever You Like" – T.I. (5 weeks)
• "Womanizer" – Britney Spears (1 week)

Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 Hits

All songs that reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the year, complete with peak chart placement.