Events in 1952
- Les Dudek, the American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who worked with the Steve Miller Band, Stevie Nicks, Cher, Boz Scaggs, and The Allman Brothers Band, was born on August 2, 1952.
- Moya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin, singer, songwriter, and harpist with Clannad, was born in Dublin, Ireland.
- Irish music manager Louis Walsh, known for his work with Westlife, Boyzone and Girls Aloud, was born in Kiltimagh, County Mayo, Ireland.
- Singer, songwriter and musician Pat MacDonald, co-founder of Timbuk3, was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
- American guitarist Vinnie Vincent was born. He was a member of KISS from 1982 to 1984 and later formed his own band, Vinnie Vincent Invasion.
- Hank Williams was dismissed from the Grand Ole Opry and told not to return until he was sober. The reason was his drinking problem and frequent absences. He died four months later.
- Hughie Thomasson was born in Tampa, Florida. He later became a guitarist, singer, and founding member of the Outlaws and also performed with Lynyrd Skynyrd.
- In Los Angeles, she recorded the original version of “Hound Dog”, which became the first hit for songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The recording spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and sold nearly two million copies.
- Hank Williams was arrested for drunkenness and disorderly conduct in Alexander City, Alabama. The arrest came just days after he had been fired from the Grand Ole Opry because of his drinking.
- Patrick Swayze, actor and singer, was born.
- 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.
- English musician and co-founder of the punk rock band The Clash John Mellor, known by his stage name Joe Strummer, was born in Ankara, Turkey. He was born John Graham Mellor.
- English keyboardist, songwriter and producer Geoffrey Downes was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England. He became known for his work with The Buggles, Yes and Asia.
- American guitarist Jack Holder of Black Oak Arkansas was born. The group achieved its greatest fame in the 1970s and had a hit with “Jim Dandy (To The Rescue)”.
- Dave Malone, singer, songwriter, and guitarist of The Radiators, was born.
- Kenny Andrews of the British doo-wop revival group Darts was born. In 1978, the group had the UK No. 2 single “Boy From New York City”.
- Atlantic Records bought Ray Charles's contract from Swingtime Records. He thereby moved to a label that began steering him toward harder rhythm and blues rather than the polished pop and West Coast blues in which he had previously recorded.
- American entertainer and occasional singer Jimmy Connors was born.
- Leroy Smith, keyboard player and member of the British soul group Sweet Sensation, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
- The vocal group The Pips was formed at the birthday party of Gladys Knight's brother, Merald “Bubba” Knight. After their first major hit, “Every Beat of My Heart,” reached number six in 1961, the group was renamed Gladys Knight & The Pips.
- American guitarist Earl Slick was born. He became known for his work with David Bowie, John Lennon, and Robert Smith.
- English guitarist and singer-songwriter John Otway was born. In 1977, he had the British single “Really Free” with Wild Willy Barrett at No. 27, and in 2002 “Bunsen Burner” reached No. 7.
- The long-running radio hit The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet, now featuring twelve-year-old Rick Nelson, premiered on CBS-TV. The show continued for another 14 years, bringing its total run to 22 years.
- American drummer and producer Jody Stephens, a member of Big Star with Alex Chilton, was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He also worked as a producer and is the last surviving original member of Big Star. Three of the band's studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone's lists of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
- German composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Harold Faltermeyer was born in Munich. He became best known for the film themes “Axel F” from Beverly Hills Cop and “Top Gun Anthem” from the film Top Gun.
- The daily dance program Bandstand premiered on WFIL-TV in Philadelphia, hosted by Bob Horn. In 1956, Dick Clark took over the program, later renamed it American Bandstand, and it became a nationally renowned institution of rock and roll culture.
- American bassist Ricky Phillips was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. He performed with Styx, The Babys, and Bad English and also worked with Coverdale-Page and Ted Nugent.
- Cliff Adams, trombonist with Kool & the Gang, was born in Trenton, New Jersey.
- Dennis Stratton, singer and guitarist with Iron Maiden, was born.
- British-American television personality, music manager and author Sharon Osbourne was born. She is the wife of Ozzy Osbourne and became known through MTV's "The Osbournes" before serving as a judge on "The X Factor" and "America's Got Talent."
- American country singer and songwriter Paulette Carlson was born. In the 1980s, she became known as the founder and lead singer of the country group Highway 101. The group scored four No. 1 hits and seven Top 10 singles and received two Country Music Association Awards. As a solo artist, she placed five times on the Hot Country Songs chart.