# American Music Awards of 1990

The 17th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 22, 1990, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 1989.

## Performances

| Artist(s) | Song(s) | Introduced by |
| Paula Abdul | "The Way That You Love Me" | — |
| Richard Marx | "Too Late To Say Goodbye" | Anita Baker |
| Tone Loc | Medley: "Wild Thing" "Funky Cold Medina" | Anita Baker |
| Randy Travis | "It's Just a Matter of Time" | Naomi Judd Wynonna Judd |
| Janet Jackson | "Escapade" | Naomi Judd Wynonna Judd |
| Warrant | "Heaven" | Naomi Judd Wynonna Judd |
| Gloria Estefan Miami Sound Machine | Medley: "Here We Are" "Get on Your Feet" | Naomi Judd Wynonna Judd |
| New Kids on the Block | Medley: "Cover Girl" "Hangin' Tough" "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" "This One's For The Children" | Gloria Estefan |
| Anita Baker | "Good Love" | Gloria Estefan |
| The Judds | "Calling in the Wind" | Gloria Estefan |
| Alice Cooper | "House of Fire" | Anita Baker |
| Bobby Brown | Medley: "My Prerogative" "Every Little Step" | Anita Baker |
| Great White | "House of Broken Love" | Alice Cooper |
| Rod Stewart | "Downtown Train" | Alice Cooper |

## Winners and nominees

| Subcategory | Winner | Nominees |
| Pop/Rock Category |||
| Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist | Bobby Brown | Richard Marx John Cougar Mellencamp |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist | Paula Abdul | Anita Baker Madonna |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group | New Kids on the Block | Bon Jovi Milli Vanilli |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Album | Hangin' Tough - New Kids on the Block | Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul Don't Be Cruel - Bobby Brown |
| Favorite Pop/Rock Song | "Girl You Know It's True" - Milli Vanilli | "I'll Be There for You" - Bon Jovi "Don't Wanna Lose You" - Gloria Estefan |
| Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist | Milli Vanilli | Living Colour Traveling Wilburys |
| Soul/R&B Category |||
| Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist | Luther Vandross | Bobby Brown Prince |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | Anita Baker | Paula Abdul Stephanie Mills |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group | The O'Jays | Guy Soul II Soul |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Album | Don't Be Cruel - Bobby Brown | Let's Get It Started - MC Hammer Karyn White - Karyn White |
| Favorite Soul/R&B Song | "Miss You Much" - Janet Jackson | "Just Because" - Anita Baker "Keep on Movin'" - Soul II Soul |
| Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist | Milli Vanilli | Babyface Soul II Soul |
| Country Category |||
| Favorite Country Male Artist | Randy Travis | George Strait Hank Williams, Jr. |
| Favorite Country Female Artist | Reba McEntire | K.T. Oslin Dolly Parton |
| Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group | Alabama | Highway 101 The Judds |
| Favorite Country Album | Old 8x10 - Randy Travis | Beyond the Blue Neon - George Strait Greatest Hits III - Hank Williams, Jr. |
| Favorite Country Song | "Deeper Than the Holler" - Randy Travis | "If I Had You" - Alabama "Baby's Gotten Good at Goodbye" - George Strait |
| Favorite Country New Artist | Clint Black | Cee Cee Chapman Skip Ewing |
| Dance Category |||
| Favorite Dance Artist | Paula Abdul | Bobby Brown Janet Jackson |
| Favorite Dance Song | "Miss You Much" - Janet Jackson | "Like a Prayer" - Madonna "Back to Life" - Soul II Soul |
| Favorite Dance New Artist | Tone Loc | De La Soul Soul II Soul |
| Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Category |||
| Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist | Guns N' Roses | Aerosmith Mötley Crüe |
| Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album | Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses | Dr. Feelgood - Mötley Crüe Skid Row - Skid Row |
| Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist | Skid Row | Warrant Winger |
| Rap/Hip-Hop Category |||
| Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist | MC Hammer | Eazy-E Tone Loc |
| Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album | Let's Get It Started - MC Hammer | Eazy-Duz-It - Eazy-E Loc'ed After Dark - Tone Loc |
| Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist | Young MC | Eazy-E Tone Loc |
| Merit |||
| Neil Diamond |||
| Special Achievement Award |||
| Prince |||