Events in 1953
- Donnie Munro, lead singer of the Scottish band Runrig, was born on August 2, 1953.
- Skeeter Davis, then a member of the Davis Sisters, was seriously injured in a car accident near Cincinnati on August 2, 1953. Her singing partner, Betty Jack Davis, was killed in the crash.
- Ian Bairnson, Scottish multi-instrumentalist and member of Pilot and The Alan Parsons Project, was born in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.
- Randy Scruggs, American producer, songwriter, and guitarist and a four-time Grammy Award winner, was born in Nashville.
- Elvis Presley returned to the Tennessee Employment Security Office as a job seeker. He expressed an interest in work involving cleaning and was referred for several job interviews.
- Vini Reilly, English multi-instrumentalist and founder of The Durutti Column, was born in Manchester.
- Mantovani and His Orchestra were at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Song From The Moulin Rouge” from the film of the same name. It was the first instrumental recording to reach No. 1 on the UK chart.
- Jerry Speiser, a founding member and drummer of Men at Work, was born.
- James "J.T." Taylor, singer and later lead vocalist of Kool & the Gang, was born in Laurens, South Carolina.
- British singer, musician, co-founder and frontman of Dexys Midnight Runners Kevin Rowland was born in Wednesfield, England.
- Bassist Marvin Isley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He became famous as a member of the musical family group The Isley Brothers.
- Frankie Laine reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the song “I Believe”.
- American singer Evelyn Thomas, known primarily for the 1980s hi-NRG dance hits “High Energy”, “Masquerade”, “Standing at the Crossroads”, “Reflections” and “Weak Spot”. Thomas died on July 21, 2024, at the age of 70.
- American singer, songwriter and bassist John Cowan was born in Minerva, Ohio. He became known as the singer and bassist of New Grass Revival and also performed with The Doobie Brothers and other projects.
- Alex Lifeson, born Aleksandar Zivojinovic (Zhivojinovic), was born in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada, to parents of Serbian origin. He grew up in Toronto, Ontario. He became known as the co-founding guitarist of the progressive rock band Rush, which had, among others, the British hit “Spirit of Radio” and the US hit “New World Man”. In 1996, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.
- Rick Downey, drummer of the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, was born. In 1976, the group had the US single "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" at No. 12, and in 1978 it had a UK single at No. 16. Blue Öyster Cult have sold more than 24 million records worldwide.
- Bassist Horace Panter, also known as Sir Horace Gentleman, was born in Croydon, England. He became known as a member of 2 Tone and ska band The Specials. In 1981, the group had the UK No. 1 single “Ghost Town”.
- Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery auditioned for the radio program Sunday Party on KDAV in Lubbock, Texas, hosted by disc jockey and talent scout Dave “Hipockets” Duncan. They were given a regular 30-minute Sunday afternoon broadcast slot known as The Bob and Buddy Show.
- American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer and conductor John Zorn was born in New York.
- Guy Mitchell took "Look At That Girl" to No. 1 on the UK singles chart. It was his second UK chart-topper that year, and as an internationally successful singer of the 1950s, he sold more than six million singles.
- American musician and singer Benjamin “Benmont” Tench, keyboardist and founding member of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, was born in Gainesville, Florida. In 1995, he played organ on six tracks from Alanis Morissette's album Jagged Little Pill, including “You Oughta Know”, for which he was rewarded with dinner. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers had, among others, the 1977 single “American Girl”, the 1989 UK hit “I Won't Back Down” and the 1991 album Into The Great Wide Open. Tench also worked with Bob Dylan, U2, Roy Orbison and Stevie Nicks.
- American musician Hector “Tico” Torres was born in New York City. He became famous as the drummer and songwriter of Bon Jovi.
- Stan Freberg reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Pop chart with “St. George and the Dragonet.”
- Scottish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Midge Ure was born in Cambuslang, Scotland. He performed with Slik, Rich Kids, Thin Lizzy, Visage and Ultravox. He co-wrote the 1985 charity single “Do They Know It's Christmas?” His solo album The Gift included the UK hit “If I Was.”
- Stan Freberg's “St. George And The Dragonet” reached number one on the U.S. chart.
- Australian singer Renée Geyer was born. She released 15 studio albums; Moving Along (1977) and Tenderland (2003) both reached No. 11 on the Australian chart. She was also an internationally respected backing vocalist and contributed to recordings by Sting, Chaka Khan, Toni Childs, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond and Men at Work. She died on January 17, 2023, at the age of 69.