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Events for this day
- German composer Heinrich August Marschner was born.
- French composer Henri-Constant-Gabriel Pierné was born.
- American baritone singer Al Hibbler, who sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra and later had success as a solo artist, was born.
- Ernie Freeman, bandleader and pianist, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He also worked as a session musician and contributed to recordings including Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" and Frank Sinatra's "That's Life".
- Jazz pianist Bill Evans, a major figure in post-bop jazz, was born.
- R&B and pop singer and actress Ketty Lester, best known for the 1962 hit "Love Letters", was born in Hope, Arkansas.
- American blues musician Robert Johnson died at the age of 27, probably poisoned near Greenwood, Mississippi. His recordings from 1936–1937 influenced generations of musicians.
- English-Australian drummer Snowy Fleet, a member of The Easybeats, was born in Liverpool.
- Frankie Masters and his orchestra recorded the song "Marching Along Together".
- R&B singer and songwriter Barbara George, known for the 1961 hit "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)", was born in Smithridge, Louisiana.
- Robert "Squirrel" Lester, founding member and second tenor of the vocal group The Chi-Lites, was born in McComb, Mississippi.
- American singer and songwriter Kin Vassy was born. In addition to his solo work, he also recorded with Kenny Rogers, Frank Zappa and Elvis Presley.
- Kevin Ayers, singer, songwriter and founding member of Soft Machine, was born in Herne Bay, Kent, England.
- Gary Loizzo, frontman and member of The American Breed, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
- Gordon Fleet, drummer for The Easybeats, was born in Merseyside, England.
- Barry Hay, singer and frontman of the Dutch rock band Golden Earring, was born.
- Scott Asheton, founding member and drummer of the American rock band The Stooges, was born in Washington, D.C.
- James "J.T." Taylor, singer and later lead vocalist of Kool & the Gang, was born in Laurens, South Carolina.
- Buddy Holly and The Crickets began a six-night engagement at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. They were the first white rock act to perform there; the audience initially rejected them because it expected an R&B group with the same name, but they won the audience over after several nights.
- Ricky Nelson recorded "Be-Bop Baby" during his first recording session for Imperial Records. The song had 750,000 advance orders before its release; it later sold more than one million copies and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B chart.
- Tim Farriss, guitarist for the Australian rock band INXS, was born in Perth, Western Australia.
- After being drafted into the US Army, Elvis Presley was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, West Germany.
- Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan.
- Principal photography began on Elvis Presley's film Flaming Star at Conejo Movie Ranch in Thousand Oaks, California.
- Drummer Chris Pedersen, known for his work with Camper Van Beethoven and Monks of Doom, was born in Great Lakes, Illinois.
- Canadian musician Astrid Young, Neil Young's half-sister, was born.
- After being informed of his dismissal, Brian Epstein asked Pete Best to perform with The Beatles that evening at the Riverpark Ballroom in Chester. Best did not appear, and Johnny Hutchinson of The Big Three temporarily replaced him.
- Pete Best was dismissed from The Beatles by manager Brian Epstein and replaced by Ringo Starr. Epstein gave him the news at his record shop.
- Warner Bros. released the single "If I Had a Hammer" by Peter, Paul and Mary. The song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Grammy Awards for Best Folk Recording and Best Performance by a Vocal Group.
- Twelve-year-old Little Stevie Wonder released his first single, "I Call It Pretty Music (But The Old People Call It The Blues)", issued by Motown Records. Marvin Gaye played drums on the recording, which reached No. 101 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- The body of rockabilly singer Johnny Burnette was found in Clear Lake, California. Burnette had drowned after a boating accident on August 14, when a motorboat struck his unlit boat.
- Matt Lukin, founding member and bassist of Melvins and Mudhoney, was born in Aberdeen, Washington.
- David Jones officially changed his stage name to David Bowie.
- Elvis received a telegram from the president of Capitol Records inviting him to a cocktail party in Los Angeles on August 24, where he was to meet The Beatles.
- Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton formed the band Cream. Although the group existed for only two years, it made a significant mark on music history.
- During their US tour, The Beatles performed at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, playing their set during a severe electrical storm.
- The Byrds played the first of two concerts at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.
- Colgems Records released The Monkees' debut single "Last Train to Clarksville", almost a month before the premiere of the band's television series. Micky Dolenz sang the lead vocal, while studio musicians including guitarist Louie Shelton provided the instrumental backing. The lyrics tell the story of a man called to fight in the Vietnam War who wonders whether he will ever return home.
- Louis Armstrong went to United Recording Studios in Las Vegas after his midnight performance at the Tropicana, where he recorded "What a Wonderful World". The recording session ended around 6 a.m.
- MC Remedee of the English rap duo Cookie Crew was born.
- Pink Floyd worked in Studio 3 at EMI Studios on Abbey Road, recording material for the album A Saucerful of Secrets.
- Bruce Springsteen's new group Earth played their first concert on August 16 at the Off Broad Street Coffee House in Red Bank, New Jersey. Eighteen-year-old Springsteen sang and played guitar; the repertoire included songs by Cream, Hendrix and Traffic as well as original blues jams. The group existed for only six months.
- Pink Floyd played the first of two concerts at the Sound Factory club in Sacramento, California.
- The Beatles recorded 14 versions of George Harrison's new song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at Abbey Road, developing it from its original acoustic version into an electric arrangement.
- Blind Faith released their self-titled debut album.
- Blind Faith performed at the Earl Warren Fairgrounds in Santa Barbara, California.
- Child, featuring Bruce Springsteen, played the first of two concerts over two days at the Student Prince in Asbury Park. Because of these concerts, Springsteen was unable to perform at Woodstock.
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed together for the first time at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, where they played two concerts. Joni Mitchell performed with them. It was the historic debut of the CSNY lineup, just two days before their appearance at Woodstock.
- David Bowie performed at the Free Festival organized by the Beckenham Arts Lab in Beckenham, London. He later commemorated the event in his song "Memory of a Free Festival".
- Elvis Presley performed two concerts at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, an evening show at 8:15 p.m. and a midnight show, both attended by approximately 2,200 spectators. The programs included songs such as Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, Memories, In the Ghetto, Suspicious Minds, Yesterday/Hey Jude and Can't Help Falling in Love.
- Led Zeppelin performed at Convention Hall in Asbury Park with Joe Cocker as the opening act. Because of this concert, they were unable to perform at Woodstock.
- The Guess Who's "These Eyes" received a gold certification.
- The Jackson 5 played one of their first major concerts as the opening act for Diana Ross and The Supremes at The Forum in Inglewood, Los Angeles.
- During The Who's performance at Woodstock, activist Abbie Hoffman interrupted the concert and seized the microphone. After a brief speech about John Sinclair, Pete Townshend struck him with his guitar and knocked him off the stage.
- On the second day of the Woodstock festival, performances included Santana, Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane; Carlos Santana performed under the influence of mescaline.
- Elvis Presley performed both an evening and a midnight concert at the International Hotel in Las Vegas as part of his That's the Way It Is engagement.
- Elvis Presley reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "The Wonder of You", his 16th UK No. 1.
- The final day of the three-day Yorkshire Folk, Blues & Jazz Festival took place in Krumlin, Yorkshire, featuring among others The Kinks, Mungo Jerry, Yes, Ginger Baker's Air Force and Edgar Winter.
- Elvis Presley performed both an evening and a midnight concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. The programs included songs such as Proud Mary, Sweet Caroline, Polk Salad Annie, Johnny B. Goode, Heartbreak Hotel, Suspicious Minds, Mystery Train/Tiger Man and Can't Help Falling in Love.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Civic Center in Philadelphia.
- The Who and Wishbone Ash performed at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois.
- Elvis Presley performed both an evening and a midnight concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. The programs included songs such as See See Rider, Johnny B. Goode, Proud Mary, Fever, Suspicious Minds, My Way, An American Trilogy and Can't Help Falling in Love.
- Emily Robison, singer, songwriter and member of The Chicks, was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
- Hawkwind performed at the Town Hall in Torquay, England.
- Elvis Presley performed both an evening and a midnight concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. The programs included songs such as See See Rider, I Got a Woman/Amen, You Gave Me a Mountain, Trouble, Fever, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Suspicious Minds, Mystery Train/Tiger Man, An American Trilogy, How Great Thou Art and Can't Help Falling in Love.
- Drummer Max Weinberg made a mistake during a performance when, instead of watching Bruce Springsteen's cue, he focused on a girl in the audience; Ultimate Classic Rock compared the incident to a moment from the film This Is Spinal Tap.
- Peter Gabriel publicly confirmed his departure from Genesis after the tour for the album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. His departure was also announced in the August 16, 1975 issue of Melody Maker.
- The Stylistics reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)", their only UK No. 1. Their compilation album The Best of The Stylistics was also at No. 1 on the UK albums chart.
- AC/DC performed at the Marquee Club in London.
- Cliff Richard became one of the first Western artists to perform behind the Iron Curtain when he gave a concert in Leningrad, USSR.
- Yes performed at the Mecca Arena in Milwaukee.
- Elvis Presley was found unresponsive in his bathroom at Graceland in Memphis by his girlfriend Ginger Alden. He was taken to Baptist Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at the age of 42.
- The Buzzcocks signed a contract with United Artists, an EMI label.
- The Knack received a gold record from the RIAA for the single "My Sharona", which had sold one million copies in the US. Doug Fieger wrote the song for his girlfriend, Sharona Alperin.
- Bob Hardy, bassist for the Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, was born.
- The first edition of the Monsters of Rock festival took place at Castle Donington in England.
- American singer, songwriter and pianist Vanessa Carlton was born in Milford, Pennsylvania. She is best known for the song "A Thousand Miles".
- Paul Simon married actress Carrie Fisher after a six-year relationship. Their relationship inspired several of Simon's songs, including the title track of the album Hearts and Bones.
- RCA Victor Records released Elvis Presley's single "Baby, Let's Play House".
- Red Hot Chili Peppers released their second studio album, Freaky Styley, produced by George Clinton. Guitarist Hillel Slovak also returned to the band.
- Rick Allen made his first live return to the stage with Def Leppard after losing his left arm in a car accident. It took place at the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington.
- Madonna's album True Blue reached No. 1 on the US albums chart, while the single "Papa Don't Preach" began a two-week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart.
- Dan Smyers, guitarist of the country duo Dan + Shay, was born in Wexford, Pennsylvania.
- KISS performed at the Marquee Club in London during their 129-date Crazy Nights tour.
- British radio presenter and commentator Wilfrid Thomas died in London at the age of 87. He wrote the English lyrics for the song "Rose, Rose, I Love You", recorded by Frankie Laine in 1951.
- American rapper and singer Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Barenaked Ladies released their second studio album, Maybe You Should Drive.
- Neil Young released his 22nd studio album, Sleeps with Angels. The album reached No. 9 in the US and No. 2 in the UK and received gold certification in both countries.
- Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys performed live for the first time with his daughters Carnie and Wendy, known from the trio Wilson Phillips, at the SOB Club in New York. The event marked a significant public reconciliation within the family.
- Phish held their first weekend festival, The Clifford Ball, in Plattsburgh, New York. The event marked the beginning of the band's tradition of large-scale festivals.
- More than 30,000 fans came to Memphis on the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death and gathered at his grave for a ten-minute memorial ceremony.
- A memorial concert was held in Memphis to mark the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. Lisa Marie Presley unveiled the music video "Don't Cry Daddy", a virtual duet combining her father's original vocals with her own singing.
- The seventh Lollapalooza tour concluded at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, with Korn, Snoop Dogg and Tool among the main acts. It was the final Lollapalooza tour until 2003.
- The two-day UK V97 festival took place in Chelmsford and Leeds, featuring among others Blur, The Prodigy, Beck, Kula Shaker, Dodgy, Foo Fighters, Placebo, James, Ash and Gene.
- Will Smith began a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Men In Black" from the film of the same name. He won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for the song.
- Alan Caddy, guitarist for The Tornados on their American and British hit "Telstar", died at the age of 60. He was also an original member of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, played on their hit "Shakin' All Over", and worked as a session musician and arranger.
- Coldplay reached the top of the UK best-selling albums chart with their debut album, Parachutes.
- Twenty-five years after Elvis Presley's death, an album containing his 30 US No. 1 singles was released, with "A Little Less Conversation" included as a bonus track.
- The United States Postal Service (USPS) unveiled a new commemorative stamp honoring the recently deceased composer Henry Mancini, known among other things for his music for The Pink Panther.
- Robbie Williams reached his fifth consecutive No. 1 on the UK albums chart with the album Escapology.
- P. Diddy announced on the US television program Today that he was dropping the "P." from his stage name and would use the name Diddy. The change also led to a dispute with London DJ Richard "Diddy" Dearlove.
- Madonna suffered three broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a broken arm in a fall from a horse at her country estate, Ashcombe House. The accident occurred on her 47th birthday.
- Country and bluegrass fiddler Vassar Clements, known among other things for his work with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, died in Jamestown, New York, from lung cancer at the age of 77.
- Katy Perry began a five-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with the single "I Kissed a Girl".
- 5 Years Time, the first single from Noah and the Whale's debut album, reached No. 7 on the UK singles chart and became their most successful song.
- Thousands of mourners paid tribute to Elvis Presley at his grave in Graceland on the 34th anniversary of his death. Flowers and wreaths were placed at the grave while his music played in the background.
- Norwegian duo Nico & Vinz began a two-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Am I Wrong".
- One Direction reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Drag Me Down". It was their first single following Zayn Malik's departure.
- Aretha Franklin, known as the "Queen of Soul" and one of the best-selling female recording artists of all time, died in Detroit at the age of 76 from pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. During her career, she had 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard R&B chart, 45 Billboard Top 40 hits and won 18 Grammy Awards.
- The bandstand at Croydon Road Recreation Ground, where David Bowie performed on August 16, 1969, shortly after the release of "Space Oddity", was granted Grade II listed status. Bowie performed there at a one-day festival he helped organize, which later inspired the song "Memory of a Free Festival".
- Gene Simmons of KISS confirmed that the band had dropped former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth as the opening act for their current tour. Approximately one week later, Simmons publicly apologized for his remarks.
- American music producer and manager Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M Records with Herb Alpert, died at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, at the age of 88.
- The original 1953 Gibson Les Paul owned by Carl Perkins was offered at auction by GottaHaveRockandRoll.com. Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes" on the instrument and also played it on his recordings for Sun Records; the estimated value was $150,000.