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Events for this day
- Dwight Hamilton Baldwin, piano manufacturer of Baldwin Piano, died in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 78.
- Singer, dancer and actor Gene Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Bandleader of the dixieland and swing group Bob-Cats and singer Bob Crosby was born in Spokane, Washington. He was one of seven siblings; one of them was another famous artist, Bing Crosby. He founded the Bob-Cats and was Bing Crosby's younger brother.
- John Lee Hooker, the legendary blues singer, songwriter and guitarist, was born.
- Country and Western swing musician Tex Williams, born Sollie Paul Williams, was born in Ramsey, Illinois. He became particularly famous for the song “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)”, which reached number one on the chart.
- Sofia Scalchi, an operatic contralto, died.
- R&B singer Rudy Lewis of The Drifters, born Charles Rudolph Harrell, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Dale Hawkins, the American rockabilly guitarist and singer known for the song “Susie-Q”, was born.
- Lyricist and producer Roger Greenaway was born in Fishponds, Bristol, Gloucestershire. He was a member of David & Jonathan and The Kestrels and became known for his songwriting partnership with Roger Cook on songs including “My Baby Loves Lovin'”, “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress”, “Gasoline Alley Bred”, “You've Got Your Troubles”, “Melting Pot”, “Good Morning Freedom”, “Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart” and “I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)”, which originally originated as a Coca-Cola advertising slogan.
- English pop and rock singer Vicki Brown was born in Liverpool. She was a member of The Vernons Girls and The Breakaways and was one of Britain's longest-serving backing singers. She appeared on recordings by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Petula Clark, The Who and George Harrison. She was the first wife of singer and musician Joe Brown and the mother of singer Sam Brown.
- Pete Shannon, bassist with The Nashville Teens, was born in Antrim, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
- Doo-wop singer Tony “Spaghetti” Micale, frontman of The Reflections, was born in the Bronx, New York. He became known for the 1964 hit “(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet”.
- Noël Coward's musical revue “Sigh No More” premiered at the Piccadilly Theatre in London.
- Rock singer Jim Sohns of The Shadows Of Knight was born in Chicago, Illinois. The group was known for their popular 1966 cover version of “Gloria” by Them.
- English drummer Keith Moon was born in Wembley, London. After playing with the local group Beachcombers, he joined The Who in 1964 before their first single. With the group, he had the hit “My Generation” and more than 20 other Top 40 hits, as well as the US hit “I Can See For Miles” and the rock operas “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia”. He became famous for his wild lifestyle and died on September 7, 1978 after overdosing on Heminevrin, a drug intended to alleviate alcohol dependence.
- Folk-rock singer Linda Thompson was born in London. She became best known for her work with her then-husband, British folk-rock guitarist Richard Thompson, and later worked as a solo artist.
- Margaret Truman, daughter of US President Harry S. Truman, made her first public appearance as a singer. The performance took place at the Hollywood Bowl before an audience of 15,000.
- Rick Springfield, born Richard Lewis Springthorpe, was born in Guildford, New South Wales, Australia. He became known as an Australian-American musician, producer and actor. In 1981 he had the US number-one hit “Jessie's Girl”, for which he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Before becoming a pop star, he played Dr. Noah Drake on the TV series “General Hospital”.
- American rock singer Jimi Jamison was born in Durant, Mississippi. He became famous as the frontman of Survivor, Target and Cobra. With Survivor, he had the 1982 US and UK number-one single “Eye of the Tiger” and was also the voice and co-writer of the title song for the “Baywatch” TV series.
- Mark Hudson, a founding member of the sibling musical group The Hudson Brothers, was born in Portland, Oregon. He also co-wrote several songs for Aerosmith, including the 1993 hit “Livin' On The Edge”.
- Elvis Presley worked for Crown Electric on this day, where he remained until mid-October 1954.
- Mark Avsec, keyboardist and songwriter of Wild Cherry, was born. Wild Cherry had the 1976 US number-one hit and UK number-seven hit “Play That Funky Music”.
- Perez Prado recorded the song “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White”.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Bryan Saddle Club rodeo (Brazos County Rodeo Arena) in Bryan, Texas. A flatbed truck served as the stage.
- Elvis Presley began filming the movie “Love Me Tender”, originally titled “The Reno Brothers”. It was his first major film role.
- Little Richard performed at the Cotton Club in Lubbock, Texas; local native Buddy Holly was among the audience.
- The film “Loving You” starring Elvis Presley premiered in London.
- Ian Mitchell, a member of the Bay City Rollers, was born.
- Scottish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and music publisher Edwyn Collins was born in Edinburgh. He became known as co-founder and singer of the post-punk band Orange Juice. With the band, he had the 1983 UK hit “Rip It Up”, and as a solo artist he had the internationally successful 1995 single “A Girl Like You”. He co-founded the indie label Postcard Records and in 2011 also co-founded Analogue Enhanced Digital.
- Debbi Peterson, a member of The Bangles, was born.
- Roland Orzabal, a member of Tears For Fears, was born.
- John Lennon married his pregnant girlfriend Cynthia Powell at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office in Liverpool. Brian Epstein was the main witness and organized the wedding, paid for the wedding lunch and provided the newlyweds with his own apartment. Paul McCartney and Cynthia's sister-in-law Marjorie Powell signed the marriage document as witnesses at the end of the ceremony. George Harrison was also present but did not sign the documents. Cynthia's stepbrother Tony Powell was also present. John's aunt Mimi boycotted the wedding because she disapproved of the marriage. The attempt to keep the marriage secret failed when the newlyweds were spotted leaving the registry office. That same evening, Lennon performed with The Beatles at the nearby Riverpark Ballroom.
- English musician and songwriter Shaun William George Ryder was born in Little Hulton, Lancashire. He became known as the singer of Happy Mondays and Black Grape. He compared his lyrics to comic-book stories in which different narratives are pieced together, as evident in songs such as “Kinky Afro” and “Loose Fit”.
- The Beatles played their first official concert with new drummer Ringo Starr at the Cavern Club in Liverpool after Pete Best was dismissed.
- In the US Top 10, besides Stevie Wonder at number two, Allan Sherman was at number three with “Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!”, The Four Seasons at number four with “Candy Girl”, and The Angels at number five with “My Boyfriend's Back”. Also in the Top 10 were Lesley Gore, Peter, Paul & Mary, The Surfaris, Kai Winding, Elvis Presley with “(You're The) Devil In Disguise”, and “Denise” by Randy & The Rainbows.
- Peter, Paul & Mary were in their fourth week at number one on the Easy Listening chart with “Blowin' In The Wind”.
- Stevie Wonder became the first artist of the rock era to have both a number-one single (“Fingertips, Pt. 2”) and a number-one album (“The Twelve-Year-Old Genius”) simultaneously, while also being at number one on the R&B chart. “Fingertips” was in its fourth week at the top of the R&B chart.
- The Beatles released the single “She Loves You” in the UK, backed with “I'll Get You”. By 1977, the single had become the best-selling British single of all time, with sales of 1.93 million copies. It entered the UK chart on August 31 and spent 31 consecutive weeks on the chart, including 18 weeks in the Top Three. The record was not surpassed until 1977, when Paul McCartney achieved it with “Mull Of Kintyre”. The single also became their best-selling single in the UK and reached number one in charts in several countries around the world.
- The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on the British television programme “Ready, Steady, Go!”, where they performed their debut single “Come On”. Between 1963 and 1966, they appeared on the programme a total of twenty times.
- Tori Amos, acclaimed singer, songwriter and pianist, was born.
- The Beatles performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California.
- The Beatles performed for the second time at Shea Stadium in New York during their final US tour. Unlike the previous year, the concert was not sold out, with 11,000 tickets remaining unsold out of the total capacity of 55,600. The opening acts were The Remains, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle and The Ronettes. The Beatles performed eleven songs and received $189,000 for the appearance, more than for their previous performance at the stadium. The concert also marked the end of their live performing career in the US.
- The Beatles were at number one on the UK singles chart with the double A-side “Yellow Submarine – Eleanor Rigby”, their eleventh number-one single. Paul McCartney said that he took the name Eleanor from actress Eleanor Bron, who appeared with The Beatles in the film “Help!”, while Rigby came from the name of a shop in Bristol, Rigby & Evens Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers.
- Jamaican singer Cedella Marley was born. With Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers, she had the 1988 UK hit “Tomorrow People”. She is the daughter of reggae singers Bob Marley and Rita Marley.
- Elvis Presley and Priscilla were in Las Vegas with the group after Colonel Parker sent them there because of a traffic accident near Elvis's home in Bel Air involving one of the members of the Memphis Mafia.
- Herman's Hermits, with The Who as their opening act, performed at Atwood Stadium in Flint, Michigan, during their North American tour.
- Joni Mitchell made her first appearance in the UK when she supported The Piccadilly Line at The Marquee club in London.
- Keith Moon of The Who drove a Lincoln into the swimming pool of the Holiday Inn while drunk during a wild celebration of his birthday. When police arrived to end the out-of-control party, Moon attempted to escape in a Lincoln Continental limousine, but after the handbrake was released, the car rolled forward, broke through a fence and ended up in the swimming pool.
- Layne Staley, frontman of Alice In Chains, was born.
- Australian singer and songwriter Paul Colman was born.
- The Beatles continued recording the song “Your Mother Should Know” at Chappell Recording Studios in London's Mayfair. The temporary relocation of the recording session was due to scheduling conflicts at EMI Studios. During the session, they concentrated on layering backing vocals for the song intended for the “Magical Mystery Tour” project. This evening was also the last visit to the studio by their manager Brian Epstein; he died four days later.
- The Beatles met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the Park Lane Hilton in London.
- Fleetwood Mac released their second album, “Mr. Wonderful”. Christine Perfect played keyboards on the album and, over the following few years, married John McVie and became a full member of Fleetwood Mac.
- Pink Floyd played the first two nights of the final stop on their US tour at The Bank club in Torrance, California, in the Los Angeles area.
- During the recording of “The White Album”, Ringo Starr told John Lennon that he was temporarily leaving The Beatles because, in his words, he was not playing well, felt unloved and felt left out. Ringo subsequently went on holiday to Sardinia with his family.
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Soft Machine and Big Brother And The Holding Company performed at the New York Rock Festival at the Singer Bowl in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, New York. Janis Joplin also performed with Big Brother And The Holding Company. The concert was part of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's North American tour and attracted approximately 18,000 people. The atmosphere was disrupted by a heavy police presence because of a violent fight involving thrown chairs that had taken place at the same venue during the previous festival day on August 2.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The evening performance began at 8:15 p.m. and the midnight show at 12:00 a.m.; both had a capacity of 2,200. The source provides separate setlists for both performances and their later official releases associated with the albums “Elvis In Person” and “Elvis At The International”.
- Grateful Dead performed at Pelletier Farm in St. Helens, Oregon, after local authorities refused to allow organizers to hold a three-day festival at the Columbia County Fairgrounds.
- The band Ibex performed at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, Lancashire. Freddie Bulsara, later known as Freddie Mercury, contributed vocals after joining the group earlier that year. Ibex consisted of Freddie Bulsara, guitarist Mike Bersin, bassist John Taylor and drummer Mick Smith.
- Johnny Cash began a four-week run at number one on the US Billboard 200 (Billboard Top LPs and Tape) with his second live album, “Johnny Cash At San Quentin”. The album was a recording of a live concert for inmates at San Quentin State Prison and followed his previous successful live album “At Folsom Prison”. It was nominated for several Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and won Best Male Country Vocal Performance for the song “A Boy Named Sue”. It was later certified triple platinum in the US and gold in the UK.
- The song “A Boy Named Sue” reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and number two on the Hot 100.
- The Beatles had their final professional group photo session at John Lennon's Tittenhurst Park estate.
- The Rolling Stones began a four-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Honky Tonk Women”, their fifth US number-one single. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and was inspired by Brazilian gauchos at the ranch where they stayed in Matão, São Paulo. In the UK, the song also reached number one; it was released one day after the death of founding member Brian Jones and spent 17 weeks on the UK chart, including five weeks at number one. It was the band's last hit involving Brian Jones, who had died by drowning in his swimming pool on July 3. The song also reached number one in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland in 1969.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The evening show began at 8:15 p.m. and the midnight show at midnight; both had a capacity of 2,200. The source provides setlists for both performances and mentions the recording “Ferocious In Vegas”.
- Emerson, Lake And Palmer made their debut at Plymouth Guild Hall in Plymouth, England. It was their first performance ever and also their only warm-up show before the Isle of Wight Festival six days later, where approximately 600,000 people saw them. They were paid approximately £400 for their first concert. During their career, the trio sold more than forty million records and placed ten albums on the Billboard chart and the same number in the UK.
- Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground performed together for the final time at the Max's Kansas City club in New York. The performance and other concerts at the club were recorded by Brigid Polk, an associate of Andy Warhol, on a monophonic cassette recorder. The recordings were later released on the album “Live at Max's Kansas City”. Reed subsequently worked for his father for two years for $40 a week before signing a solo contract.
- Diana Ross was at number one on the UK singles chart with “I'm Still Waiting”, which became her first solo UK number-one single. It remained at the top for four weeks after being heavily promoted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Tony Blackburn on his morning programme.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, both with a capacity of 2,200. The evening performance began at 8:30 p.m. and the midnight show at midnight. The source mentions, among others, the songs “Proud Mary”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Suspicious Minds”, “I'm Leavin'” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”.
- Led Zeppelin performed at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, during their North American tour.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, both with a capacity of 2,200. The source provides extensive setlists including “C.C. Rider”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “What Now My Love”, “Suspicious Minds”, “My Way” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”.
- The Who performed at Kungliga Tennishallen in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, both with a capacity of 2,200. The evening performance began at 8:30 p.m. and included, among others, “How Great Thou Art”, “Suspicious Minds”, “My Boy”, “An American Trilogy” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”.
- Fania Records organized a concert by its artists at Yankee Stadium in New York during the great salsa boom. Among those performing were Willie Colón, Johnny Pacheco and Larry Harlow, and the concert was attended by 63,000 people.
- Aerosmith performed at the Parthenon Theatre in Hammond, Indiana, a former 1920s cinema with a capacity of more than 2,500 people.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, both with a capacity of 2,200. The evening performance began at 8:30 p.m.; the source mentions, among others, “Big Boss Man”, “Fever”, “The Wonder Of You”, “If You Talk In Your Sleep” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”. During the midnight performance, he wished Kathy Westmoreland a Happy Birthday.
- Eric Clapton remained at number one on the US album chart with “461 Ocean Boulevard”. John Denver was second with “Back Home Again”, Elton John third with “Caribou”, Stevie Wonder moved up to fourth with “Fulfillingness' First Finale”, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive II was fifth. Also in the Top 10 were Bad Company, Loggins & Messina, Robin Trower, Bob Dylan & The Band, and Paul McCartney & Wings.
- John Lennon claimed that he saw a UFO from the balcony of his New York apartment, which he shared with May Pang. He described it as a typical flying saucer surrounded by lights, with a red light on top. He later recorded the date and time of the alleged sighting, August 23, 1974 at 9 p.m., in the notes to the album “Walls and Bridges”.
- Seth Brooks Binzer, known as Shifty Shellshock, American rapper and singer and co-founder and frontman of rap-rock group Crazy Town, was born in Los Angeles, California. With the group, he had the 2001 US number-one single “Butterfly”.
- The song “Fallin' in Love” by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for one week. It was their first and only US number-one single. The song was credited to the group even though drummer Tommy Reynolds had left three years earlier and was replaced by Alan Dennison. It reached number 33 in the UK.
- Queen began recording the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales.
- Alan Stivell, Babe Ruth, Heavy Metal Kids, Kursaal Flyers, Snafu, Supertramp, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Thin Lizzy, Yes and Zzebra performed at the Reading Festival.
- The Eagles' album “One of These Nights” entered its final week at number one on the US album chart. It was subsequently replaced at the top by Elton John's album “Captain Fantastic”.
- The Beach Boys became the first rock group to appear on the cover of People magazine. The photograph showed the five original members with beards and was accompanied by the headline “Still Riding The Crest, 15 Hairy Years Later.” Solo artists had appeared on the magazine's cover before.
- Alice Hovartar and Juanita Johnson, both 19 years old, died after a car crashed into a crowd of mourners outside Graceland following Elvis Presley's death. Their funerals were held on this day.
- Rush performed at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.
- Bruce Springsteen appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
- Singer, songwriter and frontman of rock band The Strokes Julian Casablancas was born in New York. His father is business magnate John Casablancas, founder of Elite Model Management, and his mother is Danish model Jeanette Christiansen, who was crowned Miss Denmark in 1965. The Strokes had the 2001 UK hit “Last Nite” and the debut album “Is This It”, which changed the shape of guitar rock.
- Louis Prima, who had the 1958 hit “That Old Black Magic” with his wife Keely Smith, died of pneumonia in New Orleans at the age of 67.
- Comedian Steve Martin received a gold record for his novelty song “King Tut”, which reached number 17 on Billboard and had sold more than 500,000 copies when it received its gold certification. It later reached million-selling status in the US. Although it was credited to “Steve Martin and the Toot Uncommons”, the backing band was actually The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
- B.B. King celebrated his 30th year in the music industry at a special event at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California.
- Led Zeppelin released their final studio album, “In Through the Out Door”, in the United States.
- Richard Neville, singer of the English boy band Five, was born. The group had the UK hits “Everybody Get Up”, “Keep On Movin” and the internationally successful song “When the Lights Go Out”.
- “Ashes to Ashes” reached number one on the UK Official Singles Chart, where it remained for two weeks. For David Bowie, it was his second UK number-one single and his first since “Space Oddity” in 1975. The song came from the album “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” and continued the story of Major Tom from “Space Oddity”. At the time of its release, it was his fastest-selling single. The video cost £250,000, making it the most expensive music video ever made at that time.
- Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, The B-52's, The Pretenders, Rockpile and The Rumour performed at the Heatwave Festival in Toronto, Canada. Tickets cost $30, the festival attracted 50,000 people, and the organizers suffered a loss of more than one million dollars.
- Among those performing at the Heatwave Festival, known as “New Wave Woodstock”, at Mosport Park near Toronto were Elvis Costello, The B-52s, The Pretenders and Talking Heads. Talking Heads performed songs from their forthcoming album “Remain In Light” and also introduced a new touring lineup featuring keyboardist Bernie Worrell and guitarist Adrian Belew.
- Queen released the single “Another One Bites the Dust”.
- On the Saturday program of the Reading Festival, Broken Home, Grand Prix, Iron Maiden, Pat Travers Band, Quartz, Samson, UFO and White Spirit performed.
- Roxy Music reached number one on the UK album chart with their seventh studio album “Flesh and Blood”. The album also reached number one in New Zealand and the Top 10 in five other countries.
- According to Cashbox, the best-selling song in America that week was “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” by The SOS Band. The song reached number three on the Hot 100. The Atlanta, Georgia group took its name from the abbreviation Sounds Of Success and was fronted by Mary Davis.
- Natalie Horler, singer of the German dance group Cascada, was born. The group had the 2007 hit “Everytime We Touch”, for which they received a World Music Award, and the 2009 UK number-one single “Evacuate the Dancefloor”.
- Aerosmith began their Done With Mirrors tour, announcing the return of the band's original lineup to the world.
- Huey Lewis & The News reached number one on the US singles chart for the first time with the song “The Power Of Love”. They were followed by Tears For Fears with “Shout”, Corey Hart with “Never Surrender”, John Parr with “St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)” and Aretha Franklin with “Freeway Of Love”.
- Boris Gardiner began a three-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with his version of the song “I Want to Wake Up with You”, written by Nashville songwriter Ben Peters. The song was first recorded in 1980 by American country singer Mac Davis under the title “I Wanta Wake Up With You”. Gardiner's version became the third best-selling single of 1986 in the UK and also reached number one in Australia.
- Skyler Gordy, professionally known as Sky Blue, was born in Los Angeles, California. He formed half of the electronic dance duo LMFAO, with whom he had the worldwide hits “Party Rock Anthem” and “Sexy And I Know It” in 2011.
- During the Grateful Dead concert marking the 20th anniversary of the Summer of Love at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angel Camp, California, a man who had escaped from a drug treatment facility shot a police officer and was subsequently shot by police.
- Madonna's single “Who's That Girl” reached number one on the charts.
- The band Good Question released their self-titled debut album.
- Lianne La Havas, British singer and songwriter, was born in London. Her 2012 debut studio album “Is Your Love Big Enough?” received a nomination in the BBC Sound of 2012 poll and won the iTunes Album of the Year 2012 award.
- Ric Ocasek of The Cars married model Paulina Porizkova. They met after Porizkova appeared in the video for The Cars' hit “Drive”.
- The Who presented the rock opera “Tommy” at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Guests included Elton John, Phil Collins, Steve Winwood, Billy Idol and Patti LaBelle.
- American composer, orchestra leader, pianist, arranger and conductor David Rose, leader of David Rose & His Orchestra, died in Burbank, California, of natural causes at the age of 80. He was best known for the compositions “Holiday for Strings” and “The Stripper”.
- Nirvana thrilled the audience at the Reading Festival in England. Their performance culminated with Kurt Cobain diving headfirst into Dave Grohl's drum kit. A year later, Nirvana became the festival's headliners.
- Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth, Pop Will Eat Itself, Dinosaur Jr, Chapterhouse, Nirvana, Silverfish, Babes in Toyland, James, The Fall, De La Soul, Blur, Teenage Fanclub, Flowered Up, The Fat Lady Sings, Kingmaker, Mercury Rev, Sisters of Mercy and Ned's Atomic Dustbin performed at the three-day Reading Festival in England.
- British boy band Take That released their debut album “Take That & Party”, which remained on the UK album chart for more than a year.
- Duff McKagan testified in court against his former Guns N' Roses bandmate Steve Adler. During the testimony, the so-called “spaghetti incident” was also discussed, which later became the title of another album by the band, “The Spaghetti Incident”.
- Duran Duran received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- The Los Angeles Police Department formally announced that Michael Jackson was the subject of a criminal investigation following allegations of child sexual abuse.
- Singer, songwriter and guitarist Jeff Buckley released his first and only studio album, “Grace”, through Columbia Records. The album later sold more than three million copies worldwide and received critical acclaim.
- The soundtrack to the film “Natural Born Killers”, compiled by Trent Reznor, was released. The album combined dialogue from the film with recordings by a very diverse range of artists, including Bob Dylan, Patsy Cline and Dr. Dre.
- Prince released the home video “3 Chains O' Gold”.
- The British duo The KLF burned one million pounds on the Scottish island of Jura for no apparent reason.
- Dua Lipa, the British-Albanian pop singer, was born.
- Canadian electronic musician Dwayne Goettel of Skinny Puppy died in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, of a heroin overdose at the age of 31. He was best known for his work with the industrial group Skinny Puppy.
- Natalie Merchant, former singer of 10,000 Maniacs, became the first guest of a series of live chats on the Elektra Entertainment Group website.
- The film “She's The One”, featuring a soundtrack by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, was released in cinemas. Jennifer Aniston and Edward Burns, who appeared in the film, also appeared in the video for the song “Walls”.
- Puff Daddy and the Family returned to number one on the US album chart after a one-week break with the album “No Way Out”. The album also reached number one that year in Austria, Canada, Switzerland and the UK.
- Scottish rock group Texas returned to number one on the UK album chart with their fourth studio album “White on Blonde” after a six-month break at the top.
- Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls, known as “Scary Spice”, announced that she was pregnant.
- Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers married his third wife, Patti Arnold, in Las Vegas. The wedding took place at Caesar's Palace.
- Kenny Loggins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The event was timed to coincide with the home video release of Disney's “Tigger: The Movie”, for which Loggins wrote and sang the song “Your Heart Will Lead You Home”.
- The compilation album “Songbird”, containing live recordings and rehearsal recordings by the late Eva Cassidy, reached number one on the UK chart.
- Lee Ryan of boy band Blue was banned from driving for 18 months after admitting to driving under the influence of alcohol. The court at Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court in London also fined him £2,250.
- Queen became the first rock group to receive official permission to operate in Iran, where Western music was strictly prohibited. Freddie Mercury was of Iranian heritage, and Queen albums had been available in the country for years through unofficial copies.
- Bay City Rollers singer Les McKeown appeared in court in London on charges of possessing and distributing cocaine. At the age of 49, he was charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine along with four other people, including the band's drummer Pat McGlynn. McKeown was arrested in June in Dalston, East London, as part of a major police operation. In February 2006, he was acquitted of intending to distribute the drugs.
- The woman whose son accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse was charged with welfare fraud for allegedly obtaining nearly $19,000 illegally. In November 2006, she pleaded guilty without admitting liability and was ordered to pay restitution and complete 150 hours of community service.
- Queen guitarist Brian May received a doctorate in astrophysics from London's Imperial College, 36 years after beginning his doctoral thesis. He had interrupted his studies to pursue a music career, later completing the 48,000-word thesis, which he submitted earlier in the month, and defending it during a three-hour examination.
- Comedy writer Buddy Sheffield sued Disney, claiming that he had originally come up with the idea for the series “Hannah Montana” but was never paid for it. He claimed that in 2001 he had offered Disney Channel an idea for a series called “Rock and Roland” about a junior high school student who led a secret double life as a rock star.
- Madonna launched her Sticky & Sweet Tour at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, in support of the album “Hard Candy”. It was her first tour as part of her partnership with Live Nation and, after being extended into 2009, became the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist, with 85 concerts in 32 countries grossing approximately $408 million and attracting more than 3.5 million fans. The tour surpassed the previous record Madonna had set with her Confessions Tour in 2006.
- The cast of the film “Mamma Mia!” reached number one on the US Billboard 200 with the “Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack”, which included performances by Pierce Brosnan, Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried and Colin Firth, among others.
- Irish pop-rock trio The Script reached number one on the UK album chart with their debut album “The Script”, just one week after its release.
- Songwriter Jerry Leiber, whose songwriting catalogue included “Hound Dog”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Yakety Yak”, “Poison Ivy” and “Love Potion Number 9”, died at the age of 78. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame with songwriting partner Mike Stoller in 1985 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later.
- Nick Ashford of the songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson died.
- John Lennon's murderer Mark David Chapman was denied parole for the seventh time. The board stated that his release at that time would undermine respect for the law and diminish the tragic loss of life caused by his act. Chapman was held at Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York.
- A man found in the pool house at Jennifer Lopez's estate in the exclusive Hamptons area of New York was charged with stalking. John Dubis, a former firefighter, was reportedly subject to a restraining order keeping him away from the singer and was also charged with burglary, contempt of court and possession of burglary tools.
- In an interview with AARP Magazine, Linda Ronstadt revealed that she had Parkinson's disease, which had ended her singing career in 2009 and made her unable to sing. She used walking sticks when walking on uneven terrain and travelled with a wheelchair.
- Beyoncé won four awards at the MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum in Inglewood, including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Miley Cyrus won Video of the Year for “Wrecking Ball”.
- The soundtrack to the superhero film “Guardians of the Galaxy”, assembled from prominent hits of the 1970s, reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and remained there for two weeks. It featured songs by various artists, including Blue Swede, David Bowie, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye and The Runaways.
- Toots Thielemans, the legendary Belgian jazz harmonica player, died.
- Halsey released the song “Bad at Love”.
- Sonny Burgess, a musician associated with Sun Records, died at the age of 88.
- Singer-songwriter George Ezra reached number one on the UK singles chart with the song “Shotgun”. The song was an international hit and also reached number one in Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
- Mark David Chapman, who murdered John Lennon in December 1980, was denied parole for the tenth time. He was held at Wende Correctional Facility in Alden near Buffalo, New York.
- Taylor Swift released her seventh studio album “Lover” through Republic Records, her first album after ending her partnership with her former label Big Machine Records. The optimistic-sounding record contrasted with her previous album “Reputation”. All 18 tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100, setting a record for the number of songs by a female artist simultaneously on the chart. The album reached number one in 20 countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Sweden and the UK, and became her sixth US number-one album on the Billboard chart.
- 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.
- Travis Scott released the song “The Plan”.
- 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”.
- American songwriter and producer Bob Feldman died at the age of 83. Together with Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, he wrote several hits including “My Boyfriend's Back” by The Angels in 1963. In 1964, the three founded The Strangeloves, who had the hit “I Want Candy”. The trio also wrote the song “Sorrow”, later successful in versions by The Merseys and David Bowie, and produced The McCoys' hit “Hang On Sloopy”.
- The Republican presidential debate opened with a sample of Oliver Anthony's song “Rich Men North Of Richmond”, which criticizes corrupt and incompetent politicians in Washington. The candidates were asked why the song had generated such a strong response across the country.
- Foo Fighters announced that they had not given Donald Trump permission to use the song “My Hero” at his campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona, where he brought Robert F. Kennedy Jr. onto the stage. The band said that they had not been asked for permission and that, had they been asked, they would not have allowed the use of the song. A Foo Fighters representative said that any royalties from the use of the song would be donated to Kamala Harris's campaign.
- Sabrina Carpenter released her sixth album “Short n' Sweet”. With hits including “Espresso” and “Please Please Please”, the album represented her major breakthrough and placed her among successful singers who first became famous as actresses.