Music History

Singer and songwriter Rina Sawayama was born.

Usher released his self-titled debut studio album.

Oasis released their debut album, "Definitely Maybe", in the United Kingdom.

27-year-old R. Kelly married fifteen-year-old Aaliyah at the Sheraton Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. Her age was listed as 18 on the marriage certificate. The marriage was annulled after Aaliyah's family learned of it, and because neither side spoke publicly about it, few details emerged.

English dancer, singer, television presenter and musician Roy Castle died of lung cancer two days after his 62nd birthday.

Brian Setzer, former member of the Stray Cats, married Christine Schmidt.

The album After the Storm by Crosby, Stills and Nash was released.

R&B singer Major Lance died of heart failure at the age of 55. During his career, he placed 19 recordings on the Billboard R&B chart and another 12 on the Hot 100; he was best known for the hits “The Monkey Time” and “Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um”.

Prince, performing as The Artist, appeared on Soul Train as the bassist accompanying Nona Gaye on “Love Sign”.

Oasis performed at The Hacienda in Manchester to celebrate the release of their debut album Definitely Maybe. The album went on to become the fastest-selling debut album in UK history.

Rod Stewart and his second wife, model Rachel Hunter, welcomed their son Liam McAlister Stewart.

Bad Religion released their eighth studio album, "Stranger Than Fiction". It was their only gold-certified album in the United States and their final recording with founding guitarist Brett Gurewitz before his return seven years later.

English keyboardist, pianist and organist Nicky Hopkins died in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 50 from complications following intestinal surgery. He was one of the most respected session musicians and worked with The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, Jeff Beck, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, John Lennon, George Harrison and the Jerry Garcia Band, among others. The Kinks' song "Session Man" from the album "Face to Face" was dedicated to Hopkins, who also played on it. Hopkins suffered from Crohn's disease throughout his life.

The Cranberries began releasing material connected with the album "No Need to Argue".

Fifteen-year-old Brandy released her debut album “Brandy”, which subsequently sold more than 4 million copies and made her an R&B star. The album's hits included “I Wanna Be Down” and “Baby”.

After Pink Floyd's concert at Prague's Strahov Stadium, attended by 110,000 people, President of the Czech Republic Václav Havel invited the band to dinner.

Weezer released their breakthrough single “Buddy Holly”, named after the rock'n'roll icon. The song appeared on the band's debut album “Weezer”, also known as “The Blue Album”, and reached No. 6 in Canada and No. 12 in the UK. It was released on the day Buddy Holly would have celebrated his 58th birthday.

Eric Clapton entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 with his twelfth solo studio album, “From the Cradle”. The album also reached No. 1 in the UK, Austria, and Switzerland. The blues recording followed the success of “Unplugged” and won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album; it was also nominated for Album of the Year.

Luther Vandross reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with his ninth studio album, “Songs”, which consisted mainly of cover versions of well-known songs.

Megadeth became the first musical act to launch its own official website on the then newly accessible World Wide Web. The site included a chat, photo gallery, and song samples.

The British Daily Mirror published a photograph of Michael Jackson wearing a scout leader’s uniform with five young scouts. It was later clarified that the photograph came from a ceremony in Los Angeles in September 1990, where Jackson received the Good Scout Humanitarian Award. A representative of the scouting organization subsequently stated that Jackson had no connection with the organization and had never served as a scout leader.

The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center opened in California at California State University, Long Beach.

At the age of 42, John Mellencamp confirmed that he had recently suffered a mild heart attack, which he attributed to his then consumption of approximately 80 cigarettes a day and a cholesterol level of 300. Following the event, he withdrew from musical activity for nearly 18 months, changed his diet, began exercising regularly, and reduced his smoking to three or four cigarettes a day.

After performing at the Bridge School benefit concert in Mountain View, California, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers parted ways with their original drummer Stan Lynch. Petty said that Lynch had lost all loyalty to the group and was trying to play with other bands, and that he felt Lynch was staying only for the money. Lynch was replaced by Average White Band drummer Steve Ferrone.

Guitar virtuoso Danny Gatton died by suicide with a firearm in his garage at his farm in Newburg, Maryland, on October 4, 1994, at the age of 49. He left no note or explanation. He was known for his exceptional mastery of blues, rockabilly, jazz, and country. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked him No. 63 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

Dream Theater released the album Awake.

Stomach surgery for Eagles singer Glenn Frey caused a delay to the band's long-awaited reunion tour, which was aptly titled Hell Freezes Over.

Glenn Frey underwent surgery on his colon because of pain caused by inflammation, which forced the Eagles to postpone their reunion tour.

Jamie Walters, who sang the theme song “How Do You Talk To An Angel?” for the series The Heights, joined Beverly Hills 90210 as Ray Pruit, an aspiring musician. His character began abusing the popular character Donna Martin, which also had a negative impact on Walters' real-life music career.

Glenn Frey underwent abdominal surgery for diverticulitis, which led to the postponement of the remaining concerts of the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over reunion tour.

English hip-hop musician Loyle Carner was born.

The Eagles interrupted their Hell Freezes Over reunion tour after Glenn Frey underwent emergency surgery for diverticulitis in Los Angeles. The health problem temporarily canceled the final 17 concerts of their first tour in 14 years. Frey recovered and the group resumed performing in early 1995.

Elvis Aaron Presley: The Tribute was broadcast live in the U.S. via pay television from the Pyramid Arena in Memphis. Tony Bennett, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chris Isaak performed Elvis Presley songs, while Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson watched the show from a private box.

Joe Esposito's book Good Rockin' Tonight: Twenty Years on the Road and on the Town with Elvis was published. In it, he recalls twenty years spent travelling and socialising with Elvis Presley.

Korn released their self-titled debut album, Korn, whose intense songs explored singer Jonathan Davis's personal demons. This theme would continue to appear frequently in the band's lyrics. The album initially attracted little attention, but after the band built a fan base, it sold more than two million copies.

During the opening concert of Pink Floyd’s run at London’s Earls Court, a temporary stand holding around 1,200 spectators collapses shortly after “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” begins. Dozens are injured, nearly 100 people require treatment, and 36 are taken to hospital. The concert is cancelled and rescheduled for October 17.

No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded, documenting a musical performance by former Led Zeppelin members, premieres on MTV. According to the source, it becomes the highest-rated episode of the Unplugged music series.