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- Louis Armstrong, jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Herb Ellis, acclaimed jazz guitarist and member of the Oscar Peterson Trio, was born in Farmersville, Texas.
- Jimmie Rodgers made his first recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company: “Sleep, Baby, Sleep” and “The Soldier’s Sweetheart.”
- Elsbeary Hobbs, bassist and vocalist with The Drifters, was born in New York City.
- Frankie Ford, the American rock 'n' roll and R&B singer best known for the hit “Sea Cruise,” was born in Gretna, Louisiana.
- Larry Knechtel, American keyboardist, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist best known as a member of The Wrecking Crew and later Bread, was born in Bell, California.
- The film “Holiday Inn” had its world premiere at the Paramount Theatre in New York. The film introduced the famous song “White Christmas.”
- David Carr, keyboardist with the British group The Fortunes, was born in Leyton, London.
- American bassist Walter Powers III, who later played with The Velvet Underground, was born.
- German electronic musician Klaus Schulze, formerly the drummer of Tangerine Dream, was born in Berlin.
- Paul Layton, singer and bassist with The New Seekers, was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.
- Larry Morris, vocalist with the New Zealand garage rock group Larry's Rebels, was born in New Zealand.
- Roy Flowers, drummer with Sweet Sensation, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
- Moya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin, singer, songwriter, and harpist with Clannad, was born in Dublin, Ireland.
- Vini Reilly, English multi-instrumentalist and founder of The Durutti Column, was born in Manchester.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Municipal Hall Auditorium in Camden, Arkansas, at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. as part of the All-Star Jamboree. Other performers included Webb Pierce, Red Sovine, Bud Deckelman, Charlie Feathers, and Wanda Jackson.
- The Platters scored their second U.S. No. 1 hit with “My Prayer.” The song was originally based on the French song “Avant de Mourir” from 1926.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Olympia Theater in Miami at 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. Other performers included The Jordanaires and The Headliners.
- The Everly Brothers made their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing “Bye Bye Love” and “Hey Doll Baby.”
- Billboard combined the existing sales, jukebox, and radio charts into the unified Hot 100. The first song to top the new chart was “Poor Little Fool” by Ricky Nelson.
- “Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin reached No. 3 on the U.S. chart.
- Ian Broudie, English singer, songwriter, musician, and producer best known for The Lightning Seeds, was born in Liverpool.
- Ricky Nelson became the first artist to top the newly created U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Poor Little Fool.”
- Robbin Crosby, guitarist with Ratt, was born in La Jolla, California.
- Graham Massey, keyboardist with 808 State, was born.
- Elvis Presley was fitted with brown contact lenses for his role as Pacer Burton in the film “Flaming Star,” intended to change his naturally blue eyes to brown. He ultimately did not use them in the film.
- Johnny Kidd & The Pirates began their run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Shakin' All Over.”
- “Shakin' All Over” by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart.
- Paul Reynolds, lead guitarist with A Flock of Seagulls, was born in Liverpool, England.
- The Rolling Stones played the first of 22 consecutive weekly shows at the Ealing Jazz Club in London. During this period, they performed under the name The Rollin' Stones.
- The Beatles first appeared on the U.S. music charts when “From Me to You” debuted at No. 116 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100.
- The Beatles performed at the Queen's Theatre in Blackpool. Because of the crowds of fans, they had to enter the theater through a construction site, climb scaffolding onto the roof, and were then lowered through an opening in the roof.
- The Kinks released their third single, “You Really Got Me,” in the UK on Pye Records. The song became their breakthrough hit, later reaching No. 1 on the UK chart and No. 7 in the U.S.
- Elvis Presley worked at Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood on music for the film “Paradise, Hawaiian Style,” including vocal overdubs.
- Andy Henderson, drummer with Echobelly, was born.
- The controversy over John Lennon’s remark that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus Christ” spread throughout the United States. Several radio stations began boycotting the group’s music, followed by protests and record burnings.
- The Troggs reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “With a Girl Like You.” It was their only UK No. 1 hit.
- The Temptations released the Gordy single “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep.” The song later reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the R&B chart, and No. 18 in the UK.
- Pink Floyd released their debut album “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and reached No. 6 on the UK albums chart.
- The Who performed at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.
- A fan of The Monkees hid aboard the band’s plane between concerts in Minneapolis and St. Louis. Her father subsequently threatened legal action over the transportation of a minor across state lines.
- Rob Cieka, drummer with the British alternative rock band The Boo Radleys, was born.
- Jimi Hendrix performed at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.
- The second and final day of the two-day Newport Pop Festival took place in Costa Mesa, California. Performers included Blue Cheer, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Grateful Dead, Illinois Speed Press, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and The Byrds. More than 100,000 people attended the festival.
- Max Cavalera, Brazilian guitarist and vocalist, co-founder and original frontman of Sepultura, was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
- Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys married his second wife, Barbara Charren, in Los Angeles. They divorced in 1974.
- Yo-Yo, born Yolanda Whitaker, the American rapper and actress, was born in Compton, California.
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Elvis Presley began a new engagement at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas with an opening evening performance. The show began at 8:30 p.m. and the venue had a capacity of 2,200.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Community Theater in Berkeley, California.
- The film “Super Fly” was released in theaters along with Curtis Mayfield’s soundtrack, which became an important landmark in soul music.
- “The Morning After,” the title song from the film “The Poseidon Adventure,” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and began a two-week run at the top.
- The Carpenters were at No. 1 on the Cashbox chart with “Yesterday Once More.” The song also reached No. 2 in the UK and on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their best-selling recording.
- KISS performed at the Morris Civic Auditorium in South Bend, Indiana.
- Robert Plant, his wife, and their children suffered serious injuries in a car accident on the Greek island of Rhodes. Plant sustained several fractures, including injuries to his ankles and elbow. The accident led to the postponement of Led Zeppelin’s planned North American tour.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
- Grateful Dead performed at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey.
- AC/DC performed at the Dubs club in Gainesville, Florida.
- Led Zeppelin headlined the festival at Knebworth Park in England in front of approximately 120,000 people. It was their first British concert in more than four years.
- A benefit concert in support of the ailing Lowell George of Little Feat was held, featuring members of his band as well as Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, and Bonnie Raitt.
- In honor of the late Lowell George and to help support his family, members of Little Feat organized a benefit concert at The Forum in Inglewood. Performers included Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, and Nicolette Larson, while additional guests joined various artists throughout the evening. The nearly three-hour concert was held as a one-night-only event.
- The film “Rock & Roll High School,” starring the Ramones, premiered in New York.
- Blue Öyster Cult performed at the Mary E. Sawyer Auditorium in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
- Pink Floyd began a five-show run at Earls Court in London as part of The Wall tour. The production featured a massive wall that was gradually built throughout the performance, eventually separating the band from the audience.
- John Lennon and Yoko Ono began recording the album “Double Fantasy” at The Hit Factory in New York, Lennon’s final studio album.
- Marques Houston, singer and actor known in part as a member of the group Immature, was born in Los Angeles.
- Bruce Springsteen performed at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.
- Metallica performed at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, California.
- The album “Purple Rain” began a 24-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
- Phil Collins married Jill Tavelman.
- The soundtrack to the film “Dirty Dancing” was released by RCA Records.
- Tom Parker, singer with The Wanted, was born in Bolton, England.
- Mariah Carey began a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Vision of Love.” It was her debut single and first U.S. No. 1 hit.
- Janet Jackson was scheduled to perform at St. Louis Arena, but the concert was postponed until the following day because of her health problems. At the rescheduled show on August 5, she performed three songs before collapsing backstage and being taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with an acute viral infection.
- Singer Jeri Southern died of pneumonia at the age of 64.
- Body Count’s self-titled album was certified Gold in the United States for sales of more than 500,000 copies.
- Oasis played two sold-out concerts at Balloch Castle Country Park in Scotland, drawing more than 80,000 fans. During preparations for the concerts, roadie James Hunter was killed after being crushed between a forklift and a lorry; the accident occurred the day before the first show.
- MTV suspended broadcasting to approximately 500,000 households in Amsterdam after cable operator A2000 demanded that MTV share its previously exclusive channel with two other operators and pay for distribution.
- Craig David scored his second UK No. 1 hit with “7 Days.”
- The film “Coyote Ugly” premiered in U.S. theaters.
- Atomic Kitten reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with their version of “Eternal Flame.”
- “Bootylicious” by Destiny's Child reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was their fourth U.S. No. 1 hit.
- Dave Stewart married fashion photographer Anoushka Fisz on a private beach on the French Riviera. Guests included Elton John, Mick Jagger, Liam and Noel Gallagher, and Annie Lennox.
- The News of the World reported that Mariah Carey had hired private investigator Jack Palladino to monitor her former husband, Tommy Mottola. Palladino said Carey believed that Mottola was conducting a smear campaign against her.
- Bruce Springsteen scored his fifth UK No. 1 album with “The Rising,” which was also No. 1 in the United States.
- American blues singer and guitarist Little Milton died at the age of 70 after suffering a brain aneurysm on July 25, followed by a stroke and a coma.
- Apple launched the iTunes Music Store in Japan with a catalog of one million songs.
- Yahoo! launched a beta version of Yahoo! Audio Search, allowing users to search more than 50 million audio files, including music, podcasts, and spoken-word content.
- John Locke, keyboardist with Spirit and Nazareth, died in Ojai, California, at the age of 62 from cancer.
- Lee Hazlewood, American singer, songwriter, and producer known in part for his work with Nancy Sinatra, died at the age of 78 at his home near Las Vegas after a three-year battle with kidney cancer.
- A federal jury ruled that Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum must pay four music companies $675,000 for illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs.
- Don Henley reached an out-of-court settlement with Republican candidate Chuck DeVore over the unauthorized use of parodies of the songs “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” and “The Boys of Summer” in campaign videos.
- Rondor Music threatened legal action over the use of the title and borrowed lyrical elements from “California Girls” in Katy Perry's “California Gurls.” No lawsuit was ultimately filed.
- Big Sean was arrested in Lewiston, New York, in connection with allegations of sexual assault during a concert. He later accepted a plea deal for second-degree unlawful imprisonment and was fined $750.
- “"Spectrum (Say My Name)" by Florence + The Machine reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart, becoming their first UK No. 1 hit.
- Blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Johnnie Bassett died of cancer at the age of 76.
- Plan B’s soundtrack album “Ill Manors” reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart.
- Country music producer, songwriter, and arranger Billy Sherrill died after a short illness at the age of 78.
- Supertramp canceled their planned European tour so that Rick Davies could undergo treatment for multiple myeloma.
- Electric Light Orchestra reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart with the compilation “All Over the World.” Originally released in 2005, the album returned to the chart after the group’s performance at Glastonbury Festival.
- Forbes named Rihanna the world's wealthiest female musician, with an estimated fortune of $1.7 billion, with the majority of her wealth coming from Fenty Beauty.
- Stan Lark, bassist with The Fireballs, died of cancer at the age of 81.
- Sam Gooden, founding member of the soul group The Impressions, died in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the age of 87 from a heart attack.
- English singer, songwriter, and guitarist Terry Reid, nicknamed “Superlungs,” died in Rancho Mirage, California, at the age of 75.