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- He was born Darrell Crofts in Cisco, Texas, and became known as one half of Seals and Crofts.
- The country singer and songwriter, known for the 1964 hit “Once A Day”, was born Constance June Meador in Elkhart, Indiana.
- He was born in Los Angeles. He was a singer, songwriter and founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, with whom, and sometimes with Neil Young, he achieved great success. With The Byrds, he took folk-rock to a new level, while with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young he helped establish new standards for vocal harmonies. Throughout his life, he had numerous problems, mostly drug-related, and in 1986 he spent five months in prison.
- The comedian and actor was born in Waco, Texas. He is best known as a comedian and actor, but is also an acclaimed banjo player and frequently performs with the Steep Canyon Rangers.
- The bassist from Sly and the Family Stone was born in Beaumont, Texas.
- The English bassist known for his work with Elvis Costello and the Attractions was born.
- The Washington, D.C., disc jockey founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Elvis Presley after reading too many articles portraying Elvis Presley as a hillbilly or a threat to society. Elvis was frequently criticized in national news coverage and described in headlines as a hillbilly and a threat to society.
- While staying at home at Graceland, he received a telephone call from his father telling him that his mother Gladys had died. She died at the age of 46. At the time, he was a private in the US Army stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and was home on emergency leave. At her funeral two days later, he was so overcome with grief that he could not stand and had to be supported. More than 500 police officers supervised the service to keep the enormous crowd from gaining access.
- The film A Private's Affair, starring Sal Mineo, premiered in New York. It also featured the song “The Same Old Army”.
- The song “Right Or Wrong” entered the Billboard Pop chart and later reached number 29.
- The group and their manager Brian Epstein decided to fire drummer Pete Best. Best played his final concert the following night at The Cavern in Liverpool. Ringo Starr, who was nearing the end of a three-month engagement with Rory Storm & the Hurricanes at a Butlin’s holiday camp, received a phone call from John Lennon asking him to join. Ringo gave Rory Storm three days' notice and made his first appearance as a member of The Beatles on August 18.
- The rockabilly singer and lead vocalist of The Rock and Roll Trio died in a boating accident while fishing on Clear Lake, California, at the age of 30. His unlit boat was struck by an inattentive motorboat, throwing him overboard and causing him to drown. His body was found on August 16, but the coroner determined that he had drowned on August 14. In 1961, his US single “Your Sixteen” reached number 8 and its UK release reached number 3.
- They released the UK EP 5 x 5, recorded at Chess Studios on Chicago's South Side, the home studio of their blues heroes. Keith Richards said that when they arrived at the building, they found Muddy Waters painting the ceiling. Several months later, the EP was expanded to album length and released in America as 12 x 5.
- At the time performing under the name David, he made his Billboard Hot 100 debut with the single “What Are We Going To Do?”, which reached only number 100 after spending a single week on the chart. The following year, he was chosen as a member of The Monkees.
- The EP “Tickle Me” reached number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The recording used existing Elvis songs rather than new material.
- The doo-wop tenor singer from The Olympics was shot dead at the age of 25 during the Watts riots in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles group reached number 8 in the US and number 12 in the UK in 1958 with the song “Western Movies”.
- They began a three-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “I Got You Babe”. Sonny Bono was reportedly inspired to write the song by the popularity of the word “babe” in Bob Dylan's “It Ain’t Me Babe”. The recording also reached number one in the UK two weeks later and became a Top Ten hit in nine other countries. Written by Sonny Bono, the song was awarded a gold record for selling more than one million copies in the US.
- They filmed a performance for the CBS-TV program The Ed Sullivan Show at Studio 50 in New York. They performed “I Feel Fine”, “I’m Down”, “Act Naturally”, “Ticket to Ride”, “Yesterday” and “Help!”. The recording was broadcast on September 12, 1965, and was their fourth appearance on the show. Their fifth album Help! also began a nine-week run at number one on the UK chart.
- “Hang On Sloopy” was released. Three weeks later, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one in the first week of October. The recording was also successful in the UK, where it reached number 5.
- Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Shadows and The Castiles, with Bruce Springsteen on vocals, performed at the Surf ’n’ See Club in Seabright, New Jersey.
- The London Catholic newspaper The Catholic Herald published an editorial calling John Lennon's recent statement that the group was “bigger than Jesus” generally accurate but “arrogant”. Meanwhile, the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano accepted Lennon's public apology.
- They performed at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. It was the first concert held at the stadium. The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd and Aerosmith also performed there later.
- The new Marine Broadcasting Offences Act came into force in Britain, forcing all but one of the famous “pirate”, or unlicensed, radio stations to cease broadcasting. Radio Caroline continued broadcasting until March 1968.
- Thousands of people arrived early the day before Woodstock and set up camp.
- The first day of the three-day British Yorkshire Folk, Blues & Jazz Festival took place in Krumlin, Yorkshire. Pink Floyd did not perform because fog left them stranded at a Paris airport. Weekend tickets cost £3.
- They scored their first number-one song with “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”.
- He performed a Dinner Show at 8:30 p.m. and a Midnight Show at midnight at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. Both performances were attended by 2,200 people. The Midnight Show included, among others, “That’s All Right”, “Mystery Train/Tiger Man”, “Folsom Prison Blues/I Walk The Line”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “The Wonder Of You”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Suspicious Minds”.
- He was arrested at a motel in La Jolla, California, for possession of cocaine and barbiturates after being found crawling along a corridor in a confused and combative state. He was later released on $2,500 bail. It was another complication for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, who did not tour together again until 1974.
- Seven months after marrying music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Rhonda. Her biological father was later revealed to be Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr. Rhonda was raised by Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein and learned her father's true identity at the age of 12.
- “If Not for You” reached number one on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart, later known as Adult Contemporary.
- “Maggie May” was released in the US, where it later reached number one and became his first Billboard hit.
- Mercury Records officially changed the A-side of the single “Maggie May” from the original “Reason to Believe” after radio stations and listeners unexpectedly took a liking to “Maggie May”. The recording subsequently reached number one and became his first Billboard song.
- Ten Years After and Edgar Winter’s White Trash performed at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- “Sweet City Woman” debuted at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 8 in October. More than one million copies of the recording were sold, and it spent sixteen weeks on the chart.
- They released their iconic fifth studio album Who’s Next, which featured the classic songs “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. The album entered the US chart and later reached number 4, while in the UK it was released on August 25 and reached number one. It is the group's only album to reach the top of the chart in any country. John Mendelsohn of Rolling Stone described it as an intelligently conceived, brilliantly performed and produced rock album, and it later became widely regarded as one of the greatest rock recordings in history. In 2007, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
- The date of the Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii concert was moved to January 1973 due to the upcoming release of the film Elvis: On Tour.
- An American singer and television presenter was born. With Scissor Sisters, she had a UK number-one album in 2004.
- Neil Peart made his first appearance as a member of Rush, replacing drummer John Rutsey. The concert took place in Pittsburgh.
- Neil Peart made his first appearance with Rush at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as they opened for Manfred Mann and Uriah Heep.
- “Devil Woman” entered the Billboard Top 40 and later reached number 6.
- Their cover of Chuck Berry's “Rock And Roll Music” reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their first Top Ten hit since “Good Vibrations” in 1966.
- They released their third single, “Can’t Stand Losing You”, which followed their debut hit “Roxanne”. The song was written by singer and bassist Sting as a song about suicide and caused controversy with its cover depicting Stewart Copeland appearing to hang himself.
- A statue of Elvis Presley was unveiled at Elvis Presley Plaza in Memphis. It was later moved inside the Memphis Welcome Centre.
- Judge Joseph Evans ruled that Elvis's estate no longer had to make further payments to Colonel Tom Parker, ending his 36-year control over a large part of Elvis's finances. The question of Parker's identity and citizenship was also revealed for the first time.
- The BBC recording of the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana reached number one on the UK album chart.
- “Someday Someway” entered the Billboard Top 40, where it reached number 36. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the film Night Shift.
- He outbid Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono at auction and acquired ATV Music Publishing for $47.5 million, a company controlling the rights to The Beatles' catalog. The catalog contained the rights to more than 4,000 songs, approximately 250 of which were Beatles compositions. Three years after their collaboration on “The Girl Is Mine”, Paul McCartney recommended that Jackson invest in music publishing rights. McCartney had previously negotiated with Yoko Ono, who withdrew from the deal for “astrological” reasons. The investment proved highly profitable but permanently damaged the friendship between Jackson and McCartney.
- The guitarist died at the age of 48 in Fairfax, Virginia, after hanging himself with his own T-shirt in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he had been detained for intoxication. His death was ruled a suicide, although friends and family disputed this conclusion. He released more than 15 solo albums, and in 1975 Jeff Beck dedicated the song “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” to him on the album Blow by Blow.
- The film was released in limited distribution in the US. All four members of The Corrs appeared in minor roles, including the youngest, Andrea, in a speaking role as Sharon Rabbitte. During the film's auditions, The Corrs met future manager John Hughes, who helped them refine their sound and eventually helped the group secure a contract with Atlantic Records for their debut album Forgiven, Not Forgotten.
- The member of The Platters died in his sleep in Manhattan, New York, at the age of 64 from emphysema. He sang most of the group's hits until 1961, when he was replaced by Sonny Turner. His lead vocals contributed to the success of “Only You (And You Alone)”, “The Great Pretender”, “My Prayer” and “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”. The Platters had the US and UK number-one single “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” in 1959. In 1990, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Platters.
- Posthumously scored his first solo number-one hit on the UK chart with a remix of “Living On My Own”, originally released in 1985 on his solo album Mr. Bad Guy. The song was a minor hit in its original version in 1985 and was later re-released in a remixed version, leading to major chart success.
- After turning down an invitation to the original festival in 1969, he performed on the final day of Woodstock '94. On the main North Stage, he sang “It Ain't Me Babe”, “It's All Over Now, Baby Blue”, “Masters Of War”, “Just Like A Woman” and “Highway 61 Revisited”. Meanwhile, on the South Stage, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong threw handfuls of mud at fans, triggering a massive mud fight. Bassist Mike Dirnt lost his front teeth in the chaos after being struck by a security guard.
- The real-life mountain man from Tennessee who inspired Claude King's 1964 country hit “Wolverton Mountain” died at the age of 101, still living on his mountain. He left behind 15 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
- The English multi-instrumentalist of the indie pop group Blossoms was born.
- The members met and decided to disband following the recent tragic death of founder and leader Jerry Garcia.
- The festival lasted three days and began in Bethel, New York, where Woodstock had originally been held 29 years earlier. Rock veterans Pete Townshend and Stevie Nicks, as well as newer bands Third Eye Blind and The Goo Goo Dolls, took part in the event.
- The former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev visited the 10th edition of the Popkomm music trade fair.
- PBS aired a documentary about his Indigenous heritage titled “Robbie Robertson: Making A Noise – A Native American Musical Journey”.
- The former teen idol pleaded guilty to drug possession in Los Angeles so that he could enter a rehabilitation program. He had been arrested on June 29, 1999.
- He had the UK number-one single “When You Say Nothing At All”, his first solo single after his time with Boyzone. The song was featured in the film Notting Hill.
- Nineteen-year-old Craig David released his debut album Born To Do It, which debuted at number one on the UK album chart and became the fastest-selling debut album by a British solo artist.
- They played a free protest concert in Los Angeles across the street from Staples Center, where the Democratic National Convention was being held. After the concert, police used pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of 9,000 people after the event turned violent.
- A pizza-stained piece of paper signed by three of the four members was sold for $48,000 (£17,441) to an anonymous collector at an auction in Melbourne. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison signed it during the band's 1964 Australian tour at a hotel in Adelaide. Ringo Starr had laryngitis and did not join the tour.
- The lead singer of the American hard rock band Drowning Pool was found dead on the band's tour bus during Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest tour in Manassas, Virginia. An autopsy concluded that he suffered from a form of heart disease. More than 1 million copies of the debut album Sinner had been sold in the US since its release in June 2001.
- She was at number one on the US chart with the album Fireflies, her third consecutive album to debut at number one on both the country and Billboard album charts.
- He spent his fifth consecutive week at number one on the UK singles chart with “You’re Beautiful” and was also at number one on the album chart with Back to Bedlam. Celine Dion was the last artist to achieve the same feat, in 1995.
- The soundtrack to the film High School Musical 2 was released and reached number one on the US chart in its first week, selling approximately 615,000 copies. By the end of 2007, it became the second-best-selling album of the year, with nearly 3 million copies sold. Only Josh Groban's Christmas album Noël sold more.
- Apple announced that John Lennon's complete catalog would be available on the iTunes Music Store.
- At the age of 31, he released his debut album I'll Stay Me. Before that, he had found success as a songwriter in Nashville, writing songs including “Good Directions” for Billy Currington and “My Honky Tonk History” for Travis Tritt.
- She died in Liverpool, England. In 1953, she had a number-one hit with her version of Patti Page's “How Much Is That Doggie In The Window”. She was the first British female singer to reach number one on the UK singles chart.
- They broke the attendance record at Wembley Stadium when 88,000 people attended their concert. The previous record was held by Rod Stewart, whose 1995 concert drew 83,000 people.
- A founding member of Blue Öyster Cult died in Manhattan, New York, at the age of 67 from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (C.O.P.D.) after a long battle with lung disease.
- Michael Jackson's former wife testified at the Los Angeles Superior Court in a civil case concerning the death of her former husband. She said that Michael had a very low tolerance for pain and that some doctors treating his pain tried to determine who could provide him with the best pain medication.
- Police raided his estate in Berkshire, England, searching for evidence of an alleged sexual assault dating from 1985. He was in Portugal at the time, while the BBC received a tip and had reporters and a helicopter at the scene. He was later cleared of the allegations and sued the BBC for invasion of privacy.
- The first presidential playlists were released. The selection included songs by Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and John Legend.
- The American music producer died at the age of 83 in Nashville, Tennessee. He produced numerous important albums, including Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning; Simon & Garfunkel's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme and Sounds of Silence; Leonard Cohen's Songs from a Room; and Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison. He also produced for Aretha Franklin, The Byrds and Patti Page.
- She released her solo album Midnight, marking the end of her group Grace Potter And The Nocturnals. Her current and future husbands played on the album: Matt Burr, whom she married in 2013, and Eric Valentine, whom she married in 2017.
- The former keyboardist and synthesizer player, who worked with Nine Inch Nails from 1991 to 1994 and also with Rob Halford's group 2wo, died at the age of 49. He fell from a ladder in his studio in Illinois and died from neck injuries. John 5 of Marilyn Manson also played in 2wo.
- Collectors from around the world gathered at Graceland in Memphis to bid on items and memorabilia associated with him as part of the 40th anniversary of Elvis Week. The August 12 auction sold 315 items for more than $1.6 million. All came from private collectors rather than the Graceland archives owned by Lisa Marie Presley.
- Pantone announced a new color, a shade of purple honoring Prince and named after his famous Love Symbol #2.
- On the 60th anniversary of Gladys Presley's death, her gravestone was added to the Meditation Garden at Graceland. She died on August 14, 1958, and was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis. Her original gravestone had been stored in the Graceland archives since 1977.
- The English hard rock and heavy metal bassist died at the age of 69 from life-threatening injuries sustained in an accident two months earlier. He was the bassist of UFO and a founding member of Waysted and Fastway, and also played with the Michael Schenker Group and Ozzy Osbourne.
- The sports comedy-drama series premiered on Apple TV+ with a theme song by Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons. Jason Sudeikis, who plays the title character, is a longtime friend of the British folk musician and also appeared as Mumford in the band's 2013 music video for the single “Hopeless Wanderer”.