Music History

NASA's Mars InSight mission named a small rock on Mars after The Rolling Stones. The golf-ball-sized rock rolled approximately three feet during the probe's landing in November 2018 as a result of the force of its thrusters. Mick Jagger was delighted and joked that he would like to bring it back and display it on the band's mantelpiece.

The stone wall in front of Elvis Presley's Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee, was spray-painted with messages supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and calling for defunding the police. The messages covered many handwritten notes and tributes that Elvis fans had left there since his death in August 1977.

David Bowie was named the most influential British artist of the previous 50 years in a Sky Arts poll, thanks to his ability to transcend music, film and fashion. Other musicians in the ranking included Spice Girls, Elton John, Stormzy and Boy George.

At the Democratic National Convention, a DJ played a different song for each state while the votes were being presented for Kamala Harris as the future nominee. Massachusetts was represented by “I'm Shipping Up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys, Nevada by “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, and New Jersey by “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen. Lil Jon appeared in person and performed “Turn Down For What” for Georgia.

Reports emerged that former Beatles drummer Pete Best had converted his mother's former home at 8 Haymans Green in Liverpool into a short-term Airbnb rental. The basement of the house once housed the Casbah Coffee Club, where the early Beatles played almost forty times. Best, who was dismissed by the group's manager Brian Epstein on August 16, 1962, still maintained that he was neither angry nor bitter about his dismissal and that the event no longer bothered him.

Taylor Swift, whose wealth was estimated at $1.6 billion, became the world's richest female musician according to Forbes, overtaking Rihanna. The Eras Tour contributed significantly to her wealth and became the first tour in history to gross more than $1 billion.

The Hollies ended their career after more than six decades of existence when longtime guitarist Tony Hicks announced his departure for health reasons and drummer Bobby Elliott left with him. The group, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, had 30 UK and 12 U.S. singles in the Top 40, including “Bus Stop”, “Stop Stop Stop”, “Carrie Anne”, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”, “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” and “The Air That I Breathe”.