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- Composer and pianist Cécile Chaminade was born in Paris, France.
- Country singer Webb Pierce was born in West Monroe, Louisiana. He became known, among other things, for his popular version of “In the Jailhouse Now” from 1955.
- Fourteen-year-old Benny Goodman landed his first professional engagement as a clarinetist aboard a cruise ship sailing on Lake Michigan near Chicago.
- Blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas.
- Jazz trombonist Urbie Green was born in Mobile, Alabama.
- Country singer Mel Tillis was born in Dover, Florida. He became famous for hits including “I Ain't Never”, “Good Woman Blues” and “Coca-Cola Cowboy”.
- Actress and singer Connie Stevens was born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1960, she had the hit "Sixteen Reasons", which reached No. 3.
- Phil Balsley, baritone singer with The Statler Brothers, was born in Staunton, Virginia.
- Les Brown and his Band of Renown recorded the song “Joltin' Joe DiMaggio”.
- British bassist and singer Johnny Gustafson was born in Liverpool, England. He performed with groups including The Big Three, The Merseybeats, Roxy Music, Quatermass and Ian Gillan Band.
- English guitarist and songwriter John Renbourn was born. He became known for his work with Bert Jansch and as a member of the folk-rock group Pentangle.
- American singer, songwriter and guitarist Michael Johnson was born in Alamosa, Colorado. He became famous for hits including “Bluer Than Blue”, “The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder” and “Give Me Wings”.
- Airrion Love, singer with The Stylistics, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Keith Carradine, known for his leading role in the 1975 film Nashville, where he sang his song “I'm Easy”, was born in San Mateo, California. In 1984, he portrayed a director in Madonna's “Material Girl” music video.
- Andy Fairweather Low, singer and guitarist with Amen Corner, was born in Ystrad Mynach, Wales. He also performed as a backing vocalist on The Who's album "Who Are You".
- Pop and rock drummer Liberatori “Liberty” DeVitto was born in New York City. He became best known as Billy Joel's drummer.
- Northern Irish drummer Les Binks was born. He is best known as the drummer of Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979.
- Drummer D.J. Fontana, who occasionally performed with Elvis Presley, became a regular member of his backing band.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Mayfair Building in Tyler, Texas. This marked the beginning of a week-long tour with Jim Ed and Maxine Brown.
- Alister "Ali" Score, drummer with A Flock Of Seagulls, was born in Beverley, Yorkshire, England.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Municipal Auditorium in Orlando, Florida, at 8:00 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.
- English singer, guitarist and songwriter Christopher Foreman, also known as Chrissy Boy, was born in London. He became famous as the guitarist of the ska band Madness.
- Dennis Drew, founding member and keyboardist of alternative rock group 10,000 Maniacs, was born in Jamestown, New York.
- Elvis Presley took Venetia Stevenson, Lamar Fike, George Klein and other friends to the Memphis Fairgrounds and then to a private midnight screening of the film "Loving You" at the Strand theater.
- Fats Domino released his debut album "This Is Fats".
- Bing Crosby and his second wife Kathryn had their first child together, Harry Lillis Crosby III.
- Chris Foreman, guitarist for Madness, was born in London, England.
- Brian Hyland reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Best Sellers chart with "Itsy Bitsy, Teenie Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". In the U.K., the song reached No. 8.
- Elvis Presley recorded four songs at Radio Recorders studio in Hollywood for the film "Flaming Star" during an overnight recording session.
- Elvis Presley released the single "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame" / "Little Sister". The single reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart and spent four weeks at No. 1 in the U.K.
- Lonnie Donegan achieved his biggest American hit with “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour on the Bedpost Overnight”, which reached No. 5.
- Paul Jackson, bassist for T'Pau, was born. The group had the UK No. 1 hit “China In Your Hand” and the song “Heart And Soul”, which reached No. 4 in both the U.S. and UK.
- Rikki Rockett, born Richard Allan Ream, founding member and drummer of the rock band Poison, was born in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
- American rapper Mohandas Dewese, known as Kool Moe Dee, was born in New York City.
- The Beatles arrived on the island of Guernsey, where they performed two concerts at Candie Gardens. They flew there from Jersey in a twelve-seat aircraft and were to receive £1,000 for both concerts.
- The Searchers reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Sweets For My Sweet”. It was their first of three UK No. 1 hits.
- Bob Dylan released the album "Another Side of Bob Dylan" on Columbia Records.
- Earl-Jean Reavis of The Cookies entered the Billboard Top 40 at No. 38 with "I'm Into Something Good", her highest chart position. Three months later, Herman's Hermits reached No. 13 with the same song.
- The soundtrack to Elvis Presley's film "Kissin' Cousins" reached No. 5 on the U.K. album chart.
- The Animals entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at No. 60 with “House of the Rising Sun”. The song later rose to No. 1 and became their only U.S. No. 1 hit.
- The Young World Singers released “Ringo For President” on Decca Records. The song was created ahead of the U.S. presidential election and reached No. 132 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- The Animals, The Spencer Davis Group and Long John Baldry closed the three-day National Jazz and Blues Festival in Richmond, Surrey, England.
- The Beatles released the album “Revolver”, which marked a major development in their studio work. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of 77 weeks on the chart. It included, among others, the psychedelic track “Tomorrow Never Knows” and the song “Taxman”.
- The Beatles released the double A-side “Eleanor Rigby” / “Yellow Submarine”.
- In response to John Lennon's remark that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ, the South African Broadcasting Corporation banned all Beatles recordings from radio broadcasts. Sales of their records in stores remained permitted, and the ban lasted nearly five years.
- Lorraine Pearson of Five Star was born. The group had the 1986 UK hit “System Addict”, which reached No. 3.
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the final night of a five-day series of concerts at the Salvation Club in New York City.
- Alice Cooper performed at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight concert at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. Each concert had an attendance of 2,200.
- Led Zeppelin performed at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California, during their North American tour, with Jethro Tull as the opening act.
- Jethro Tull performed as the opening act for Led Zeppelin at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California.
- Pink Floyd performed at the ninth National Jazz, Pop, Ballads & Blues Festival at Plumpton Race Track in Strete, England. It was the opening night of the three-day festival, which also featured Soft Machine, The Who, Roy Harper and other artists.
- The Beatles took the photograph for the “Abbey Road” album cover at the crossing outside the Abbey Road studios in London. Photographer Iain MacMillan took six shots, and the entire photo session lasted less than ten minutes. The photograph later became one of the most famous images in music history and also fueled speculation about Paul McCartney's alleged death.
- Yes performed at Mother's club in Birmingham, England.
- Black Sabbath, Cat Stevens, Peter Green, Climax Blues Band, Fotheringay and Strawbs performed at the tenth National Jazz and Blues Festival at Plumpton Race Track in East Sussex. The festival was expanded to four days for the first and only time.
- The album "Blood Sweat & Tears 3" began a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart (Billboard Top LPs & Tape). It was the group's second consecutive No. 1 album. The album produced the singles "Hi-De-Ho" and "Lucretia MacEvil". It overtook "Cosmo's Factory" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival released the song "Lookin' Out My Back Door".
- Christine McVie performed with Fleetwood Mac for the first time at a concert in New Orleans. She became the first woman in the band's lineup and later contributed to several of its albums before becoming a permanent member.
- Janis Joplin wrote the song “Mercedes Benz” while visiting a bar before a concert at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, and sang it later that same evening. She had only one more performance remaining before her death.
- Janis Joplin and Juanita Green paid for a gravestone for blues legend Bessie Smith's previously unmarked grave at Mount Lawn Cemetery in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Joplin considered Smith her greatest musical influence, while Green had worked as Smith's housekeeper.
- Canadian immigration officials turned back thousands of American fans heading to the Strawberry Fields Rock Festival in Mosport, Ontario, because they lacked sufficient funds for their stay. Approximately 8,000 Americans eventually attended the festival, which featured Alice Cooper, Ten Years After, Grand Funk Railroad, Sly and the Family Stone and The J. Geils Band, among others.
- The Carpenters spent their third week at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “(They Long to Be) Close to You”.
- The Stooges fired bassist Dave Alexander after he forgot how to play their songs during their performance at the Goose Lake International Music Festival in Michigan. It was the final concert by the original lineup.
- Gilbert O'Sullivan appeared on the British variety show It's Lulu, performing his third UK hit, “We Will”, which later reached No. 16 on the UK chart.
- Hawkwind performed at the Red Lion in London.
- Eagles performed at Center Coliseum in Seattle, Washington.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. Each concert had an attendance of 2,200.
- Yes performed at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. Each concert had an attendance of 2,200.
- Scott Stapp, co-founder and frontman of the rock band Creed, was born in Orlando, Florida.
- Brian Harvey, singer with the British pop group East 17, was born. In 1994, the group had the U.K. No. 1 hit "Stay Another Day" along with a number of other successful singles and albums.
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. During the concert, they announced to the audience the news of President Richard Nixon's planned resignation and shared the news with the audience before performing the protest song "Ohio".
- Recording began on David Bowie's album "Young Americans" at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.
- Eric Clapton received a gold record for the album "461 Ocean Boulevard", which contained his No. 1 hit "I Shot the Sheriff". The album was later certified platinum in the U.S. for sales of more than one million copies.
- Roberta Flack's song “Feel Like Makin' Love” received a gold certification.
- Hank Williams Jr. survived a 500-foot fall from Ajax Mountain in Montana and suffered facial scarring. After two years of surgeries, he returned to music; he later often concealed the scars with a hat, beard and sunglasses.
- The Rolling Stones, Bobby Womack and The Outlaws performed at the then-Summerfest at Rich Stadium in Buffalo, New York.
- American singer and actor Drew Lachey was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He became known as a member of the pop and R&B group 98 Degrees.
- Alice Cooper performed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
- In the early morning hours, Elvis Presley rented Libertyland amusement park as a special gift for his daughter Lisa Marie and a group of friends.
- Neil Diamond performed at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan.
- KISS performed at Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.
- The Greater London Council banned The Plasmatics from blowing up a car on stage during their British live debut at the Hammersmith Odeon.
- British rapper, singer and producer Bradley McIntosh was born in London. He became known as a member of the pop group S Club 7.
- Joey Scarbury reached No. 1 on the Cash Box Best Sellers chart with “Theme From The Greatest American Hero”.
- MTV broadcast its first stereo concert, featuring REO Speedwagon in Denver during their tour for the album “Hi Infidelity”.
- Rick Springfield's “Jessie's Girl” remained at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin.
- The Moody Blues spent their third week at No. 1 on the album chart with “Long Distance Voyager”.
- The Pretenders began their second U.S. tour in Fort Pierce, Florida.
- Australian singer Vanessa Joy Amorosi was born. In 2009, she had the Australian No. 1 hit “This Is Who I Am”.
- ZZ Top performed at Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.
- John Cipollina, founding member of Quicksilver Messenger Service, joined The Grateful Dead on stage during the final six songs of the second set of their concert at Alpine Valley Music Theatre.
- Billy Joel released his ninth studio album "An Innocent Man". The album reached No. 4 in the U.S. and contained three Billboard Top 10 singles: "Tell Her About It" at No. 1, "Uptown Girl" at No. 3 and "An Innocent Man" at No. 10. It was later certified eight-times platinum.
- Metallica released the single “Whiplash”. It was their first single.
- The Police released the single “King Of Pain”.
- David Crosby of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young was released on parole from a Texas prison on August 8, 1986, after serving a sentence for cocaine possession and illegal possession of a firearm. In November 1987, a Texas appeals court overturned his conviction.
- Genesis released the single “Throwing It All Away”.
- Janet Jackson reached No. 1 on the R&B chart with “The Pleasure Principle”.
- U2 reached No. 1 on the U.S. best-selling singles chart for the second time with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”. The song was released on the album “The Joshua Tree”.
- Danny Elfman released "Batman: Motion Picture Score", containing his music for the film "Batman".
- The group On A Friday, later known as Radiohead, performed at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford, England. The members had met while attending Abingdon School, and the name On A Friday referred to their usual rehearsal day in the school music room.
- A joint Guns N' Roses and Metallica concert at Olympic Stadium in Montreal ended in violent riots. James Hetfield suffered severe second- and third-degree burns after being struck by pyrotechnics during the opening song “Fade to Black”, forcing Metallica to end its concert. Guns N' Roses then played for approximately 55 minutes, or about nine songs, before Axl Rose ended the performance because of sound and vocal problems. An enraged crowd of approximately 53,000 fans then vandalized the stadium and surrounding area, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and dozens of people injured and arrested.
- Madness reunited and played the first of two Madstock concerts at Finsbury Park in London. A total of 75,000 fans attended the two concerts, and the reunion led to the group resuming live performances.
- Madonna's “This Used to Be My Playground” became her tenth U.S. No. 1 hit. It reached No. 3 in the UK and was from the film “A League Of Their Own”. The song also reached No. 1 in Canada, Italy, Mexico and Sweden.
- TLC were at No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart with “Baby-Baby-Baby”.
- The Notorious B.I.G. released his debut solo single “Juicy”, built around a sample of the 1983 funk song “Juicy Fruit” by Mtume.
- KISS performed at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio, during their Alive World Tour. During the concert, a fan threw his artificial leg onto the stage, and all the members signed it and returned it to him.
- Canadian singer and songwriter Shawn Mendes was born in Pickering, Ontario. He became famous for hits including “Treat You Better”, “In My Blood” and “Senorita”.
- Spice Girls reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Viva Forever”. It was their seventh UK No. 1 hit.
- Puddle Of Mudd frontman Wes Scantlin secretly made his way backstage during the Family Values Tour and handed Fred Durst's security guard a demo recording. Durst listened to it and signed the band to his label Flawless Records.
- James Brown's head of security was arrested in connection with a fire in Augusta, Georgia, that destroyed Brown's offices.
- Attorneys general from 28 U.S. states filed a class-action lawsuit against major record companies over alleged efforts to keep CD prices high and penalize retailers that sold them below the minimum price set by the labels. The case was later settled for $143 million, and millions of customers who purchased CDs between 1995 and 2000 received compensation.
- The Dave Matthews Band tour bus dumped wastewater from the Kinzie Street Bridge in Illinois into the river, hitting a tourist boat and covering a group of tourists with the contaminated waste. The band was not on the bus, and the driver denied the incident until confronted with security camera footage.
- Two jurors who voted to acquit Michael Jackson of charges involving child sexual abuse and other offenses later said on NBC's Today show that they regretted their decision.
- Janet Jackson appeared on the cover of Vibe magazine wearing only bikini bottoms and a necklace made of large shells. She had lost a significant amount of weight shortly beforehand.
- Travis Barker of Blink-182 filed for divorce from his former beauty queen wife, Shanna Moakler.
- Amy Winehouse overdosed on a mixture of alcohol, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine after visiting several London pubs. Her hospitalization led to the cancellation of her first U.S. tour. The singer refused her record company's request that she enter rehabilitation for alcohol abuse, which inspired her hit "Rehab". She later did enter rehab, but never remained sober for long.
- The American National Music Publishers' Association joined legal action against YouTube over claims that songwriters were not properly compensated for the use of their music on the platform.
- Demi Lovato reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 for the first time with her second studio album "Here We Go Again".
- The Black Eyed Peas reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “I Gotta Feeling”. The song reached No. 1 in 23 countries, including the U.S.
- Mark David Chapman's parole hearing was postponed until early September so that authorities could gather additional information.
- Ted Kowalski, a member of the Canadian vocal group The Diamonds, died of heart disease at the age of 79. The group had fifteen Billboard Top 40 hits during the second half of the 1950s.
- Gavin DeGraw was attacked by a group of men on a street in New York City while on tour with Maroon 5 and Train. He suffered a broken nose and was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment.
- Elton John filed a lawsuit against the British newspaper The Times over an article published on June 21 that linked him to a tax avoidance scheme. The case was settled in October when the British High Court ruled in favor of The Times.
- Members of Mötley Crüe and KISS announced a $100,000 donation to support victims of the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.
- Cowboy Jack Clement, a songwriter and producer who worked with, among others, Johnny Cash, died at the age of 82 in Nashville, Tennessee, from liver cancer.
- Future reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart for the first time with his album "DS2 (Dirty Sprite 2)". In Canada, the album reached No. 5.
- Judge R. Gary Klausner denied Led Zeppelin and its publishing company nearly $800,000 in legal fees related to the lawsuit over whether the band had plagiarized the chord progression in “Stairway to Heaven”.
- American country-pop singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and television host Glen Campbell died at the age of 81 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. During his career, he had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, 75 additional songs on the country chart and more than 70 studio albums. He sold 45 million records worldwide, hosted his own television show and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
- A guitar played by Jimi Hendrix in the early 1960s was sold at auction for $216,000. Hendrix used it, among other things, as a backing guitarist for Wilson Pickett, Slim Harpo, Sam Cooke, Ike & Tina Turner, Jackie Wilson and The Isley Brothers.
- Taylor Swift became the first artist in history whose album and lead single simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. charts. The album “Folklore” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the song “Cardigan” topped the Billboard Hot 100. “Folklore” also became her seventh consecutive No. 1 album.
- American singer, songwriter and producer Lamont Herbert Dozier died at the age of 81 at his home near Scottsdale, Arizona. As a member of the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting and production team, he contributed to 14 U.S. No. 1 hits, including hits by The Supremes, The Four Tops and The Isley Brothers.
- British-Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John died at the age of 73 from breast cancer. During her career, she won four Grammy Awards, had 15 Billboard Top 10 hits and sold more than 100 million records worldwide. She was also known for her role as Sandy in the film “Grease”.
- English artist Jamie Reid, best known for his work on the album Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and the singles “Anarchy in the U.K.” and “God Save the Queen”, died at the age of 76.
- Singer and songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, whose story was featured in the documentary Searching for Sugar Man, died at the age of 81.