Music History

British rapper Dave was at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with “We're All Alone in This Together,” in the chart week beginning August 1.

Forbes named Rihanna the world's wealthiest female musician, with an estimated fortune of $1.7 billion, with the majority of her wealth coming from Fenty Beauty.

Stan Lark, bassist with The Fireballs, died of cancer at the age of 81.

British rapper Dave reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart with his second studio album, “We're All Alone in This Together.”

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga played the second of two sold-out concerts at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It was Tony Bennett's final public performance.

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett played the second of two sold-out concerts at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It was Tony Bennett's final public performance.

Dennis „Dee Tee“ Thomas, spoluzakladatel skupiny Kool & the Gang, zemřel ve spánku několik hodin po vystoupení se skupinou ve věku 70 let. Se skupinou měl mimo jiné americký hit číslo jedna „Celebration“ a britský hit „Joanna“ a v letech 1973 až 1987 se skupinou umístil 22 skladeb v Billboard Top 40.

The Kid Laroi se svým debutovým komerčním mixtapem „F*ck Love“ dostal na první místo amerického žebříčku. Na prvním místě byl také v Austrálii, Kanadě, Nizozemsku a Norsku.

Jason Isbell became the first major artist to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a current negative test for admission to his concerts.

American hip-hop and R&B producer Carl “Chucky” Thompson died at the age of 53 from complications related to COVID-19. In the 1990s, he was a member of Bad Boy Entertainment’s production team The Hitmen and worked with artists including Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Sean Combs and The Notorious B.I.G.

Billie Eilish was at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with her second studio album “Happier Than Ever.” The album also reached No. 1 in the US.

A woman identified only as J.C. filed a lawsuit alleging that Bob Dylan sexually abused her in New York in 1965 and supplied her with drugs and alcohol. Dylan's lawyers called the lawsuit false and extortionate. The woman withdrew the lawsuit in July 2022.

American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Roy Gaines died at the age of 83, one day before his 84th birthday. As a backing musician he worked with the Everly Brothers, The Supremes, Bobby Darin, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight, among others. He co-wrote “No Use Crying,” recorded by George Jones and Ray Charles.

American singer and songwriter Nanci Griffith died at the age of 68. In 1994, she won a Grammy for the album Other Voices, Other Rooms and recorded duets with numerous prominent performers.

The album All Things Must Pass returned to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 for the first time since 1971 following its 50th-anniversary reissue. It also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums, Catalog Albums and Tastemaker Albums charts.

Gene Simmons of KISS confirmed that the band had dropped former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth as the opening act for their current tour. Approximately one week later, Simmons publicly apologized for his remarks.

British rapper Dave reached number one on the UK album chart with his second studio album “We’re Alone in This Together”.

Country singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Country Music Hall of Fame member Tom T. Hall died at the age of 85. He wrote 12 songs that reached No. 1 on the charts, including “Harper Valley P.T.A.”, made famous by Jeannie C. Riley in 1968, and “I Love”, which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Another 26 of his songs reached the Top 10.

Connie Hamzy Parente died after an unspecified illness. She was also known as “Sweet Sweet” Connie or Connie Flowers. She became famous as a well-known groupie who claimed to have had sexual relationships with many rock musicians. Connie Hamzy was immortalized in the song “We're An American Band” by Grand Funk.

Don Everly, the last surviving member of the rock'n'roll duo The Everly Brothers, died at the age of 84. Don and his brother Phil had worldwide hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s including “Bye Bye Love” and “All I Have To Do Is Dream”. The duo had a total of 27 songs in the Billboard Top 40 between 1957 and 1967 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Four of their recordings, “Wake Up Little Susie”, “All I Have To Do Is Dream”, “Bird Dog” and “Cathy's Clown”, reached No. 1 in the US. Don's brother Phil died in 2014 at the age of 74.

British saxophonist Brian Travers of UB40 died of cancer at the age of 62. With UB40, he had a British No. 1 hit in 1983 and the U.S. No. 1 hit “Red Red Wine” in 1988, along with more than 30 other UK Top 40 hits.

Brian Travers, founding saxophonist of UB40, died.

Founding member and keyboardist of Simply Red Fritz McIntyre died at the age of 62.

John Lydon lost a High Court case aimed at preventing the use of Sex Pistols music in a new television drama. Former drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones sued Lydon after he attempted to veto the use of the band's songs in a series directed by Danny Boyle. The series “Pistol” was based on Jones's 2016 memoir “Lonely Boy: Tales of a Sex Pistol”.

Fritz McIntyre, keyboardist in the original lineup of Simply Red and one of the band's founding members, died at the age of 62. He was with the group from its 1985 debut album „Picture Book“ through the 1995 album „Life“.

Charlie Watts, legendary English drummer and graphic artist, died in a London hospital at the age of 80. He originally studied graphic art, later turned to jazz and played in London's rhythm and blues clubs, where he met future members of The Rolling Stones. He joined the group as drummer in 1963 and remained a member for 58 years. In 2016, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 12 on its list of the 100 greatest drummers of all time.

Thirty years after appearing as a baby holding a dollar bill on the cover of Nirvana's album „Nevermind“, Spencer Elden sued the band and others involved in the cover photograph. He claimed that the photograph had caused him „extreme and permanent emotional distress“. He ultimately lost the lawsuit.

The musical Mamma Mia!, featuring songs by ABBA, reopened in London's West End at the Novello Theatre after an interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Performances had been suspended in March 2020.

The Killers reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their seventh studio album “Pressure Machine”.

Olivia Rodrigo was at No. 1 on both the US and UK album charts with her debut studio album “Sour”. The album, originally planned as an EP, was expanded following the viral success of the single “Drivers License”.

Billie Eilish reached No. 1 on the US album chart with her second album “Happier Than Ever”. It became her second US No. 1 album and also topped album charts in 27 other countries. At the 64th Grammy Awards, the album and its title track received a total of seven nominations, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year.

Kanye West released the album "Donda" after several delays and a series of livestreamed listening events.

Jamaican music producer and singer Lee "Scratch" Perry died at the age of 85 from an unspecified illness. He became known for his innovative studio techniques and production style and was a pioneer in the development of dub in the 1970s through his early use of remixing and studio effects to create new instrumental or vocal versions of existing reggae songs. He collaborated with and produced for numerous artists including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, Beastie Boys, Ari Up, The Clash, and The Orb.

Ron Bushy, drummer of Iron Butterfly, died at the age of 79 after battling esophageal cancer.

Ed Sheeran was at No. 1 on the British singles chart with "Bad Habits", the lead track from his fifth studio album, "=". The song spent eleven consecutive weeks at the top of the British and Irish singles charts and became the best-selling single of the year in both countries. In the United States, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Marty Fried, drummer of The Cyrkle, which had the 1966 hits “Red Rubber Ball” and “Turn Down Day,” died at the age of 77 from pancreatic cancer. After the group broke up in 1968, he studied law, graduated from Wayne State University in 1972 and worked for nearly fifty years as an attorney specializing in bankruptcies in the Detroit suburbs.