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- Detroit station 8MK began broadcasting. In October 1921 it received a commercial license and became station WBL; on March 3, 1922, its call sign was changed to WWJ after it became apparent that WBL could easily be misheard when received. The station broadcasts at 950 AM and is described as the first American radio station to begin regular broadcasting.
- American country and pop singer and songwriter Jim Reeves was born in Galloway, Texas. He was among the first country artists to achieve significant success in pop as well. He became known for the 1957 hit “Four Walls”; in 1960 he had the U.S. No. 2 hit “He'll Have To Go”, and in 1966 the UK No. 1 hit “Distant Drums”. He died on July 31, 1964, in a single-engine aircraft crash in dense fog.
- Roland Janes, an American rockabilly guitarist and music producer, was born. From 1956 to 1963 he worked with Sun Records and became a regular session guitarist on recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, Sonny Burgess and others. He died on October 18, 2013, aged 80.
- Jazz singer Joya Sherrill was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. She became known, among other things, for the song “I'm Beginning to See the Light” with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
- Jazz trombonist Frank Rosolino was born in Detroit, Michigan.
- Jazz drummer Francis Cappuccio, known as Frank Capp, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts.
- Paul Robi, a member of the American vocal group The Platters, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Platters had the UK and U.S. No. 1 hit “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” in 1959 and were among the first African-American groups to establish themselves as major chart artists. Robi died of cancer on February 1, 1989.
- Country-rock musician, songwriter and steel guitarist Peter “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow was born in South Bend, Indiana. He was one of the original members of The Flying Burrito Brothers, alongside The Byrds' Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons. He also worked with John Lennon and Joni Mitchell. He died on January 6, 2007, aged 72.
- Country singer and songwriter Justin Tubb, son of Texas Troubadour Ernest Tubb, was born in San Antonio, Texas.
- English drummer Clemente “Clem” Cattini was born in north London. He became known as a member of The Tornados and later as a sought-after session musician who played on a record 44 different UK No. 1 singles, including recordings by Tom Jones, T. Rex, The Seekers, Bay City Rollers, Rolf Harris and Hot Chocolate. Jimmy Page originally considered him as the drummer for the emerging Led Zeppelin before choosing John Bonham.
- Orrin Tucker recorded the song “Oh, Johnny, Oh, Johnny, Oh!”.
- John Lantree, bassist and drummer with The Honeycombs, was born in Newbury, Berkshire, England. The Honeycombs had the UK No. 1 hit “Have I The Right” in 1964.
- Leon Trotsky was attacked in exile in Mexico by Stalin's agent Jaime Ramón Mercader del Río, who struck him with an ice axe. Trotsky died in a Mexican hospital the following day from his brain injuries. His assassination was later commemorated in The Stranglers' song “No More Heroes”.
- American singer, songwriter, composer and actor Isaac Hayes was born in Covington, Tennessee. He became known, among other things, for the songs “Soul Man” and “Theme from Shaft”, which reached No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 4 in the UK in 1971. In 1998, as Chef, he reached No. 2 on the British chart with “Chocolate Salty Balls”. He died on August 10, 2008, aged 65.
- Jon Povey, keyboard player with The Pretty Things, was born in London, England.
- Michael B. Tretow, a Swedish music producer, sound engineer and musician best known for his work with the Swedish group ABBA, was born. He worked as a studio manager at Polar Studios. He died on May 20, 2025, aged 80.
- Blues drummer “Uncle John” Turner, who performed with Johnny Winter's backing band, was born in Beaumont, Texas.
- Ralf Hütter, German musician, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer and co-founder of the electronic group Kraftwerk, was born in Krefeld, Germany. Kraftwerk are regarded as pioneers of electronic music, with major albums including “Autobahn”, “Trans-Europe Express”, “The Man-Machine” and “Computer World”. Their music combined electronic sounds with pop melodies, sparse arrangements and repetitive rhythms.
- David Lasley, an American session singer, songwriter and musician, was known for his work as a backing vocalist and songwriter for artists including Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Luther Vandross, Chic, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and Boz Scaggs. He died on December 9, 2021, aged 74.
- Trombonist, songwriter and co-founder of the rock band Chicago James Pankow was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Chicago was formed in Chicago in 1967 as The Chicago Transit Authority and shortened its name in 1970. In 1976, the band had the UK and U.S. No. 1 hit “If You Leave Me Now”.
- Robert Plant, founding member and frontman of Led Zeppelin, was born in West Bromwich, England. After discovering the music of Elvis Presley, he became deeply involved in rock'n'roll and went on to become one of rock's most distinctive singers. Led Zeppelin had the No. 4 U.S. single “Whole Lotta Love” in 1969, and their fourth album “Led Zeppelin IV” from 1971 included “Stairway to Heaven” and sold more than 37 million copies. Plant had the 1983 solo hit “Big Log” and also performed with The Honeydrippers. With Alison Krauss, he won a Grammy for the 2007 album “Raising Sand”, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
- Irish singer, songwriter, bassist and producer Phil Lynott, founding member and frontman of the hard rock band Thin Lizzy, was born in West Bromwich, England. With the group, he had the No. 6 UK hit “Whiskey in the Jar” in 1973, and under his leadership Thin Lizzy became one of Ireland's most important rock bands. Lynott contributed to major songs including “Whiskey in the Jar”, “The Boys Are Back in Town” and “Jailbreak”. He died on January 4, 1986, from heart failure and pneumonia after being in a coma for eight days following a drug overdose. In 2005, a life-size bronze statue of him was unveiled in Dublin.
- American singer, songwriter and guitarist Douglas “Doug” Fieger was born in Oak Park, Michigan. He became known as a member of the rock band The Knack. Their first single, “My Sharona”, became an international No. 1 hit in 1979; Fieger wrote the song for Sharona Alperin, who later became his girlfriend. He died of cancer on February 14, 2010, aged 57.
- American singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist and multi-genre musician John Hiatt was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His songs were recorded by artists including Bob Dylan, The Searchers, Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Three Dog Night, Joan Baez and Iggy Pop.
- Country singer and guitarist Rudy Gatlin of The Gatlin Brothers was born in Olney, Texas.
- Elvis performed at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport as part of Louisiana Hayride. The show began at 8:00 p.m.
- Sun Records released the song “I Forgot to Remember to Forget”. Billboard published a review of it and predicted that it would receive considerable attention. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard National Country Music Chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Most Played By Jockeys chart in February 1956, bringing Elvis his first nationwide publicity and success.
- “Maybellene” by Chuck Berry debuted on the charts.
- Connie Francis began work on her acting debut when MGM began filming the movie “Where the Boys Are” in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The film became a box-office success, but the planned sequel “Where the Girls Are” was never made.
- Shirley Bassey recorded “Goldfinger” in London for the upcoming James Bond film of the same name.
- Davy Jones & The Lower Third released the single “You've Got a Habit of Leaving”, the last song David Bowie, then still performing under his birth name David Jones, released before changing his name. He made the change to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of The Monkees. It was also the first of two singles he recorded with The Lower Third after leaving his previous group, The Manish Boys.
- The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and his partner Tony Calder founded Immediate Records. Its first release was “Hang On Sloopy” by The McCoys. Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Nico attended the launch party. The label later became home to The Small Faces, The Nice, Amen Corner and Chris Farlowe, and the young producer and guitarist Jimmy Page also worked with it.
- The Rolling Stones released the single “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction” in the U.S.
- Darrell Abbott, known as Dimebag Darrell, co-founder and guitarist of the heavy metal band Pantera, was born in Ennis, Texas. Pantera had the No. 19 UK hit “I'm Broken” in 1994. Dimebag Darrell was shot dead on December 8, 2004, during a performance by Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa club in Columbus, Ohio.
- 14,000 fans filled the Forest Hills Music Festival in Queens, New York, where The Supremes, Stevie Wonder and The Temptations performed. It was a major showcase of Detroit soul at a venue best known for tennis championships and major folk and rock events.
- During their final U.S. tour, The Beatles had to cancel and postpone their appearance at the open-air Crosley Field stadium in Cincinnati. Heavy rain and the lack of a roof meant that performing would have posed an almost certain risk of electric shock.
- Cleveland group The Outsiders returned to the Billboard Top 40 following the success of their million-selling hit “Time Won't Let Me” with a cover of “Respectable” by The Isley Brothers. The song climbed to No. 15. The band had a total of four songs on the main Billboard chart and another four in the Bubbling Under category, but none of their recordings made a significant impact in Britain.
- “You Can't Hurry Love” by The Supremes climbed from No. 66 to No. 28 on the chart.
- “Ain't Too Proud To Beg” by The Temptations spent its eighth week at No. 1 on the R&B chart.
- Bobby Darin sold his music publishing company for one million dollars.
- Andy Williams' album “Happy Heart” was certified gold.
- Elvis performed an evening and midnight show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The evening show began at 8:15 p.m., had a capacity of 2,200 and included, among others, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “I Got A Woman”, “All Shook Up”, “Love Me Tender”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Hound Dog”, “Mystery Train”, “Tiger Man”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”, “It's Now Or Never”, “Yesterday”, “Hey Jude”, “In The Ghetto”, “Suspicious Minds” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”. The midnight program is not listed on the source.
- Frank Zappa temporarily disbanded The Mothers of Invention shortly after an eight-day tour of Canada. He said he was tired of playing for people who applauded for all the wrong reasons, as he felt audiences often overlooked the compositional complexity of the music and responded instead to the band's image and superficial eccentricities. He re-formed the group several months later.
- Led Zeppelin performed at The Aerodrome in Schenectady, New York.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival's album “Cosmo's Factory” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200, where it remained for nine weeks.
- Deep Purple performed at the Terrace Ballroom in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Fred Durst, founder and frontman of the nu-metal band Limp Bizkit, was born on August 20, 1970, in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina.
- On the second night of their North American tour, Led Zeppelin performed at Seattle Centre Coliseum in Seattle, Washington.
- Ten Years After and Procol Harum performed at The Forum in Montreal, Quebec.
- David Bowie performed at the Rainbow Theatre in London.
- Stax Records commemorated the seventh anniversary of the 1965 Watts riots with an all-star benefit concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. More than 100,000 fans attended to hear Isaac Hayes, The Bar-Kays, The Staple Singers, Kim Weston and other artists. The event became known as Wattstax.
- Mahavishnu Orchestra performed at the Montreux Pavillion in Montreux, Switzerland.
- The Grateful Dead performed at the Civic Auditorium in San Jose, California.
- Bruce Springsteen played the first of a series of seven nights at Oliver's club in Boston. Each night he performed two 60-minute sets.
- Elvis performed an evening and midnight show at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. The evening program included “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, “See See Rider”, “I Got A Woman/Amen”, “Steamroller Blues”, “Trouble”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Hound Dog”, “Fever”, “Suspicious Minds”, “An American Trilogy”, “Mystery Train/Tiger Man” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”. The midnight show additionally included songs such as “Release Me”, “Help Me Make It Through The Night” and “How Great Thou Art”. The source also mentions later releases of recordings from these concerts.
- The Allman Brothers Band released the single “Ramblin' Man”.
- The Rolling Stones released “Angie”, the lead single from their studio album “Goats Head Soup”. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard chart and No. 5 in Britain; it also topped the charts in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. Speculation surrounded the song's title and possible inspiration, including Angela, the first wife of David Bowie, actress Angie Dickinson, Keith Richards' daughter Dandelion Angela and Marianne Faithfull. Richards, however, stated in his autobiography “Life” that he chose the name at random while writing the song, before he knew that his child would be named Angela or that the child would be a girl.
- Elvis performed an evening and midnight show at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. The program included, among others, “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, “See See Rider”, “I Got A Woman/Amen”, “Love Me”, “It's Midnight”, “Proud Mary”, “Big Boss Man”, “Fever”, “Promised Land”, “Love Me Tender”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “If You Talk In Your Sleep”, “Why Me Lord”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, “Hawaiian Wedding Song”, “Let Me Be There” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”. The evening show featured the Blue Swirl costume, while the midnight show featured Turquoise Phoenix.
- REO Speedwagon, Elvin Bishop and The Allman Brothers Band performed at Bosse Park in Evansville, Illinois.
- Yes performed at the Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio.
- Barbra Streisand spent her fourth week at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with “My Heart Belongs to Me”. The Emotions reached No. 1 with “Best of My Love”, ending Andy Gibb's three-week reign with “I Just Want To Be Your Everything”. Rita Coolidge was climbing with “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher”, while Peter Frampton was falling from its peak at No. 2 with “I'm In You”. The Commodores were at No. 5 with “Easy”, Pablo Cruise at No. 6 with “Whatcha' Gonna' Do?”, Peter McCann at No. 7, Crosby, Stills & Nash at No. 8 with “Just a Song Before I Go”, Alice Cooper at No. 9 with “You and Me”, and Bay City Rollers at No. 10 with “You Made Me Believe In Magic”.
- Pop group Brotherhood of Man scored their second UK No. 1 single with “Angelo”. The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland, Japan, Rhodesia and South Africa.
- Chicago trio The Emotions reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Best of My Love” and began a five-week run at the top. In Britain, the song reached No. 4. Two years earlier, The Eagles had reached No. 1 with a song of the same title. The recording was certified gold and won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.
- The Voyager 2 probe was launched into space carrying the “Golden Record”, a recording of sounds and images representing Earth.
- Bob Dylan released his 19th studio album, “Slow Train Coming”, through Columbia Records, his first album following his conversion to Christianity. The religiously focused songs expressed his personal faith and emphasized the importance of Christian teaching and philosophy. The album reached No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand and Norway, No. 2 in the UK and No. 3 in the U.S. It included “Gotta Serve Somebody”, which reached No. 24 on the U.S. chart and became Dylan's last single to reach the U.S. Top 40. In 1980, it won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male. According to one of the sources, the album alienated some of his longtime fans.
- English jazz and pop singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Cullum was born in Rochford. His album “Twentysomething” reached No. 5 on the British chart in 2003.
- Rod Stewart and his first wife Alana Hamilton welcomed their daughter Kimberly Stewart, who later became an actress and model.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- John Lennon began recording his final album, “Double Fantasy”. The album was released on November 17 by the newly established Geffen Records and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart three weeks later. In February 1982, it won Album of the Year at the 24th Grammy Awards.
- Queen performed at the Civic Centre in Hartford, Connecticut, during their North American tour.
- Blue Öyster Cult performed at Queensway Hall in Dunstable, England.
- Bruce Springsteen performed at the Los Angeles Sports Arena at a benefit concert for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and the Los Angeles Mental Health Center. After the concert, he personally donated $100,000, which was credited with helping save the VVA organization from financial collapse.
- Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy appeared before Kingston Crown Court in London, where he was fined £200 for possession of cocaine. He later publicly expressed great concern about how the case and sentence would affect his career.
- King Crimson and Roxy Music performed in Belenenes in Lisbon, Portugal.
- Elvis Presley's album I Was The One reached No. 83 on the British chart.
- Madness, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, The Police and R.E.M. performed at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. R.E.M. began the concert at 5:00 p.m., with The Police taking the stage later. R.E.M. nervously waited in a small trailer at the back of the venue, while The Police and their entourage arrived backstage in several limousines.
- Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5's compilation album “18 Greatest Hits” began a three-week run at No. 1 on the British chart, knocking The Beach Boys' album “20 Golden Greats” from the top spot. It remained on the British chart for more than 50 weeks and was later certified platinum.
- Taco's cover version of Irving Berlin's “Puttin' On the Ritz” reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, making the 95-year-old Berlin the oldest living songwriter ever to have a song reach the Top 10 of the chart.
- American musician and songwriter Michael Shuman, also known as Mikey Shoes, was born in Los Angeles, California. He became known as the bassist of Queens of the Stone Age, joining the band in 2007. He also sings and plays guitar and other instruments in Mini Mansions and previously performed with Wires on Fire and Jubilee.
- Chrysalis Records released Huey Lewis and the News' fourth studio album, “Fore!”. The album reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard album chart and eventually sold more than three million copies. It produced five successful singles, including “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Stuck with You”, which reached No. 1 in the U.S., as well as “Doing It All for My Baby” at No. 6, “Hip to Be Square” at No. 3 and “I Know What I Like” at No. 9. The latter three songs peaked at No. 12, No. 93 and No. 41 respectively on the British chart.
- Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen performed live with the band for the first time after losing an arm in a car accident. Def Leppard were playing at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England.
- Metallica played a secret concert at The 100 Club in London. Two days later, they performed at Donington Park in Castle Donington as part of the large Monsters of Rock festival, headlined by Bon Jovi.
- Elton John reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with “I Don't Wanna' Go On With You Like That”. Steve Winwood spent his fourth week at No. 1 with “Roll With It”. George Michael moved from No. 8 to No. 2 with “Monkey”, Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine were at No. 3, and Elton John also had “I Don't Wanna' Go On With You Like That” at No. 4. Chicago were at No. 5, Breathe at No. 6, Terence Trent D'Arby at No. 8, and “Sweet Child O' Mine” by Guns N' Roses and “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman entered the Top 10.
- Two fans died during Guns N' Roses' performance at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England. Singer Axl Rose had previously urged the crowd not to kill one another. Because of the wet surface and a record attendance of 107,000 people, a crowd surge occurred during the performance and two fans were trampled or crushed to death.
- Iron Maiden, KISS, David Lee Roth, Megadeth, Guns N' Roses and Helloween performed at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England. Despite bad weather before the festival, more than 107,000 people attended. Two rock fans died during Guns N' Roses' performance while slam dancing.
- Soundgarden performed at Capitol Lake Park in Olympia, Washington, as part of the Capitol Lake Jam festival. Nirvana were also on the bill.
- Steve Winwood reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 with his fifth solo studio album, “Roll with It”, which became his first and only album to top the chart. The title track also reached No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart. The album became one of his most commercially successful releases and sold more than three million copies.
- Aerosmith performed at The Marquee club in London. During the concert, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page joined the band on stage and played five songs with Aerosmith: “I Ain't Got You”, “Think About It”, “Red House”, “Immigrant Song” and “The Train Kept A-Rollin'”.
- Black Sabbath released the album Tyr. It was the band's thirteenth studio album, with Tony Martin, Tony Iommi, Cozy Powell and other musicians in the lineup at the time. The album followed the band's previous work but featured a significant amount of keyboards while retaining its heavy sound.
- Living Colour released their second studio album, Time's Up. The album followed the success of their debut Vivid and continued to combine hard rock and heavy metal with elements of funk, punk, hip-hop and jazz. It reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200, the song “Type” reached the Top 5 of the Mainstream Rock chart, and the album later won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for the title track.
- Prince released his twelfth studio album, “Graffiti Bridge”, which includes the songs “Thieves in the Temple” and “New Power Generation”. The album reached No. 1 in Britain and also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name, in which Prince starred.
- The film “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man” was released in U.S. cinemas. The film featured the song “The Bigger They Come” by Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott, their first collaboration since they had been members of Humble Pie 20 years earlier.
- Nirvana and Sonic Youth began their joint European tour at Sir Henry's Pub in Cork, Ireland.
- Rock band Spin Doctors released their debut studio album, “Pocket Full of Kryptonite”. Driven by the hits “Little Miss Can't Be Wrong” and “Two Princes”, it sold more than 5 million copies. The album reached No. 1 in Australia, Canada and New Zealand and the Top 3 in the U.S. and Britain.
- American pop singer, songwriter and actress Demi Lovato was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She became known, among other things, for her role as Mitchie Torres in the musical television film Camp Rock. In 2009, she had the No. 1 album in the U.S. with Here We Go Again.
- A U.S. doctor filed a $35 million lawsuit against Southwest Bell. He claimed that his wife died because he was unable to get through to the 911 emergency line, as all telephone lines were overloaded by demand for tickets to a Garth Brooks concert.
- During the controversy surrounding the song “Cop Killer”, Ice-T appeared in “Rolling Stone” magazine wearing a police uniform. Inside the magazine was an interview titled “You Gotta Problem With That?”. He had already removed the song from future editions of the “Body Count” album after employees of his record label Warner Bros. had received death threats.
- Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories spent their third week at No. 1 with “Stay (I Missed You)”. Boyz II Men surged from No. 31 to No. 2 with “I'll Make Love To You”.
- After a long-running feud fueled by the press that culminated in the simultaneous release of their singles, “Country House” by Blur reached No. 1 on the British chart ahead of “Roll With It” by Oasis. Oasis subsequently achieved worldwide mainstream success, while Blur later moved away from the Britpop sound and developed a more artistic and experimental style, strongly influenced by Pavement.
- Snoop Doggy Dogg reached an out-of-court settlement with the Woldemariam family in a wrongful-death case the family had filed against the rapper three years earlier. Their 20-year-old son Phillip Woldemariam had been shot by Snoop Doggy Dogg's bodyguard from the back of a moving car that the rapper himself was driving. Snoop Doggy Dogg and his bodyguard claimed the incident occurred in self-defense.
- Governor of Alabama Fob James, together with the mayors of Montgomery and Georgiana, ceremonially dedicated a 50-mile section of Interstate 65 to the memory of Hank Williams. The section was renamed the “Hank Williams Memorial Lost Highway”, beginning near his childhood home in Georgiana and ending in Montgomery, where Hank Williams is buried. The ceremony took place in Montgomery, and Hank Williams Jr. spoke at the event.
- BBC broadcast the documentary Oasis Right Here Right Now, in which the group discussed their troubled previous year and also introduced three new songs.
- Fatboy Slim married BBC presenter Zoe Ball in Somerset, England. Before their separation in 2016, they attracted considerable attention from the tabloid media.
- Bon Jovi played the final concert at the historic Wembley Stadium before its demolition.
- Coldplay, Barenaked Ladies, Moby and Cypress Hill performed on the final day of the V2000 festival in Staffordshire, England.
- Janet Jackson reached No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Doesn't Really Matter”. At the same time, Nelly began a five-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with “Country Grammar”.
- Spiller reached No. 1 on the British singles chart with “Groovejet”. The Italian DJ and producer used the basis of Carol Williams' earlier song “Love Is You” and added new vocals by Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
- The remaining European tour dates for Foo Fighters were canceled after drummer Taylor Hawkins was hospitalized following a drug overdose.
- In Rhode Island, OSHA fined Derco LLC, which operated The Station club, $85,200 for one willful and six serious violations related to the February 20 fire, in which 100 people died and nearly 200 were injured. Great White was fined $7,000 for failing to protect employees from fire hazards.
- Olivia Newton-John postponed her tour so she could be in Australia with her dying 92-year-old mother.
- Madame Tussauds in London opened an interactive Pop Idol exhibit featuring a talking wax figure of judge Simon Cowell. Among other things, the figure delivered ironic comments judging visitors' performances.
- A man from Stoke-on-Trent, England, named singer Bryan Adams in his divorce papers as “the other man” after years of trying to cope with his wife's obsession with the singer. He said that she had a six-foot-tall cardboard cutout of Adams in the bedroom and posters on the walls.
- Country singer Faith Hill scored her third U.S. No. 1 album when “Fireflies” reached the top. The single “Like We Never Loved at All” won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration.
- On the day Phil Lynott would have celebrated his 56th birthday, a concert was held in Dublin featuring Thin Lizzy members Brian Downey, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson. Eric Bell, Thin Lizzy's original lead guitarist, and Gary Moore shared lead vocals and guitar on the famous song “Whiskey In The Jar”.
- The Rolling Stones played the first of two concerts at Twickenham Stadium as part of the A Bigger Bang tour. Feeder and The Charlatans also performed.
- The funeral of music producer, Factory Records founder and radio presenter Tony Wilson was held at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Manchester. Peter Hook and Stephen Morris of Joy Division, the first group signed to Factory Records who later also performed in New Order, attended, along with Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder.
- Roseanne Cash criticized the use of her late father Johnny Cash's name in connection with support for a U.S. presidential candidate. Country singer John Rich suggested that Cash would have supported Republican candidate John McCain. Roseanne Cash called such a claim presumptuous and said that even she would not presume to publicly state what her father actually felt or thought.
- American keyboardist and bassist Larry Knechtel, best known as a member of the studio collective The Wrecking Crew, died at the age of 69 at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in Washington, apparently from a heart attack. In 1970, he won a Grammy for his piano part on Simon & Garfunkel's “Bridge over Troubled Water”. In 1972, he played on Johnny Rivers' recording “Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”, and from 1971 to 1973 he was a member of Bread. As a member of The Wrecking Crew, he worked with Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Monkees, The Doors, Jerry Garcia and Elvis Presley, among others. In 2007, he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville along with other members of the Wrecking Crew studio collective.
- A section of Interstate 40 near Memphis, Tennessee, was named the Isaac Hayes Memorial Highway in honor of Isaac Hayes on what would have been his 68th birthday.
- A New York judge dismissed a $300 million lawsuit filed against Michael Jackson's estate by Allgood Entertainment. The company claimed that Michael Jackson and his agent Frank Dileo had backed out of planned Jackson 5 concerts. According to the court, the decisive factor was that Michael and his brothers had never signed the contract.
- Adele returned to No. 1 on the U.S. chart with her second studio album, “21”. The album reached No. 1 in more than 30 countries and became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
- A New York judge dismissed a $300 million lawsuit brought against Michael Jackson's estate by Allgood Entertainment because no contract with The Jackson 5 had been signed.
- Electronic trio Nero scored their first UK No. 1 single with “Promises”.
- Ross Barbour, singer and co-founder of the vocal quartet The Four Freshmen and the last original member of the group from the 1950s, died at the age of 82 from cancer in Southern California. The group's biggest hit was “Graduation Day”, which reached No. 17 in 1956.
- A version of the video game Angry Birds dedicated to Green Day was released, featuring Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool as green pigs. Players could unlock a new Green Day song from level 10 of the game.
- After her appearance at the V Festival in Britain, Beyoncé was reportedly said to have spent nearly £1,500 at a Nando's branch in Essex. The bill posted on Twitter included 48 whole chickens, 24 portions of coleslaw, 58 portions of chicken wings and 48 portions of fries. The branch manager confirmed that a member of her entourage had placed the order by phone.
- Rapper and producer Dr. Dre reached No. 1 on the UK chart with his third studio album, “Compton”. The album also reached No. 1 that year in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland.
- The LAPD Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force searched the home of Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed in Los Angeles. Authorities clarified that neither the rocker nor any member of his family was a suspect or person of interest; the investigation concerned a crime that had allegedly occurred on their property the previous year while Simmons was on tour with KISS. Simmons and his wife Shannon Tweed fully cooperated with the investigation.
- Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor reached No. 1 on the British singles chart with their debut single “Marvin Gaye”.
- Michael McDonald joined The Doobie Brothers on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”, where they performed a medley of “Long Train Runnin'” and “Takin' It to the Streets”. The group also performed a web-exclusive version of “What a Fool Believes”.
- Alice Cooper announced to CNN that he had decided to run for President of the United States and had chosen actor Tom Hanks as his running mate. Jokingly, he gave his campaign slogan as “I can do nothing as well as they can do nothing” and declared that his platform was “non-existent”. It was part of a long-running joke in which Cooper has claimed to be running for president every four years since the release of his song “Elected” in 1972.
- Former 3 Doors Down guitarist Matt Roberts died at the age of 38 in a hotel room in Wisconsin, probably as a result of an accidental prescription drug overdose. 3 Doors Down achieved international fame with their debut single “Kryptonite”, which reached the Top 3 of the Billboard chart. Their 2000 debut album “The Better Life” was the 11th best-selling album of the year and was certified six-times platinum in the U.S.
- The Tragically Hip played their final concert together in the hometown of their singer Gord Downie, Kingston, Ontario, at the end of a 15-date farewell tour. Downie had been diagnosed with incurable brain cancer in December 2015. The sold-out concert took place at the Rogers K-Rock Centre and was broadcast to more than 11.7 million viewers. Public screenings were held across Canada, with approximately 22,000 fans attending the screening in Kingston. The concert was later released as “The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration”.
- Tom Searle of Architects died at the age of 28 from skin cancer.
- Jerry Lewis, an actor and comedian who also had a Billboard No. 10 hit in 1956 with “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody”, died at the age of 91. After making seventeen films with Dean Martin, he continued with a solo career and succeeded in films such as “The Bellboy” and “The Nutty Professor”. As host of the Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, he helped the charity raise more than $1.5 billion. His will later revealed that he had excluded all six of his sons, including musician Gary Lewis, and left his estate to his second wife SanDee Pitnick and adopted daughter Danielle.
- Eddie “Chank” Willis died at the age of 82 from complications caused by polio. During the 1960s and early 1970s, he played electric guitar and occasionally electric sitar with Motown's studio group The Funk Brothers. He contributed to many hits, including “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes, “The Way You Do the Things You Do” by The Temptations, “You Keep Me Hanging On” by The Supremes and “I Was Made to Love Her” by Stevie Wonder.
- RIAA announced that The Eagles' album “Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975” had surpassed Michael Jackson's “Thriller” to become the best-selling album of all time in the U.S. The collection was certified 38× Platinum, equivalent to 38 million sold and streamed units. The Eagles' “Hotel California” was the third best-selling album in the U.S., with 26 million units. Worldwide, however, “Thriller” remained the best-selling album.
- At the age of 74, Rod Stewart attended his daughter Kimberly's 40th birthday celebration in Los Angeles. He was also accompanied by three of his former wives: Alana Stewart, Kimberly's mother, Kelly Emberg and Rachel Hunter. Rod Stewart has eight children with five different women.
- American rock drummer Frankie Banali died at the age of 68 from pancreatic cancer. He was best known for his work with the multiplatinum heavy metal band Quiet Riot.
- 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.
- 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.
- GottaHaveRockAndRoll offered 24 concert contracts from The Beatles' concerts during their 1964 North American tour for auction. Each document was signed by the band's manager Brian Epstein or NEMS employee Bernard Lee.
- Brent Hinds was killed after his motorcycle was struck by a BMW SUV in Atlanta, Georgia. Police estimated his speed at 63–68 mph, approximately twice the speed limit. Hinds was best known as the lead guitarist and one of the vocalists of the metal band Mastodon.
- 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”.