Events in 1971
- Carole King's masterpiece "Tapestry" reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, beginning a historic 15-week consecutive run at the top. It remains the record for the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 by a female solo artist.
- Creedence Clearwater Revival began their final U.S. tour on August 2, 1971, with a concert at the Assembly Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- The fifth studio album, titled *“Who's Next,” was released, originally conceived as part of Pete Townshend's ambitious Lifehouse project. The project was ultimately not completed, but many of the songs written for it found their way onto this album. The record features now-legendary tracks such as “Baba O'Riley,” “Bargain,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and “Won't Get Fooled Again.”* Its prominent use of synthesizers and distinctive sound made it one of the most significant rock recordings of the early 1970s.
- Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new group. The lineup included his wife Linda McCartney, former Moody Blues member Denny Laine, and drummer Denny Seiwell. The group did not yet have a definitive name at the time; the name Wings was chosen later.
- Ringo Starr received a gold record for “It Don't Come Easy,” which reached No. 4 in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
- 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.
- Pink Floyd visited Japan for the first time and played the first of three concerts at the Hakone Aphrodite ’71 festival at Seikei Gakuen Jofundai near Lake Ashi in Hakone.
- Procol Harum recorded a concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which was later released as the album “Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.”
- Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention nahráli album „Just Another Band From L.A.“, které bylo posledním Zappovým albem s Howardem Kaylanem a Markem Volmanem ze skupiny The Turtles.
- Hawkwind vystoupili v Under The Arches v Londýně.
- Kompilační album „Hot Hits 6“ od různých anonymních interpretů se dostalo na první místo britského albového žebříčku. Obsahovalo dvanáct coververzí populárních skladeb.
- James Taylor měl podle žebříčku Cashbox nejprodávanější singl v USA se skladbou „You've Got A Friend“ od Carole King. Skladba dosáhla 4. místa ve Velké Británii.
- Olivia Newton-John dosáhla se svou verzí skladby Boba Dylana „If Not for You“ prvního místa v Easy Listening chartu.
- Paul Revere & the Raiders byli se skladbou „Indian Reservation“ na druhém místě amerického singlového žebříčku.
- The Who měli vystoupit v Yale Bowl v New Havenu v Connecticutu, ale místní úřady koncert zrušily kvůli jeho blízkosti k plánovanému shromáždění Black Panthers. The Who místo toho odehráli ještě jeden večer v Bostonu.
- 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.
- Elvis Presley performed at the International Hotel in Las Vegas at the opening show of his next engagement.
- King Crimson performed at the Marquee Club in London.
- The Who performed at the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester, New York.
- On August 10, 1971, Elvis Presley performed two shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada: a Dinner Show at 8:15 p.m. and a Midnight Show. The documented Dinner Show setlist included “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” “That’s All Right,” “Proud Mary,” “I Walk the Line,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Polk Salad Annie,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “It’s Over,” “Love Me,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” “Suspicious Minds,” “I’m Leavin’,” “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” The reported audience was approximately 2,200 people.
- The Who performed at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Lefty Baker, born Eustace Britchforth Baker, guitarist for Spanky And Our Gang, died at the age of 29 from cirrhosis of the liver. He joined the group during the recording of their 1968 hit “Like To Get To Know You.”
- John Lennon and Yoko Ono donated £1,000 to a support fund for Scottish shipyard workers' unions.
- Queen performed at the Tregye Hotel in Truro during their British tour.
- Elvis Presley performed two concerts at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas—an evening show and a midnight show. Both concerts had a capacity of 2,200 spectators.
- John Lennon flew from London's Heathrow Airport to New York. According to the source, he never subsequently set foot on British soil again, although he planned to visit his aunt Mimi before his death in December 1980.
- King Curtis was stabbed to death at the age of 37 during an argument with two drug dealers whom he found on the steps outside his Manhattan apartment. His saxophone appeared on numerous hits of the 1950s and 1960s, including “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters.
- The single “The Back Seat of My Car” / “Heart of the Country” was released. Noise11 lists it among the major events of August 13.
- Pink Floyd played their first concert in Australia at Festival Hall in Melbourne.
- Seven months after marrying music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Rhonda. Her biological father was later revealed to be Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr. Rhonda was raised by Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein and learned her father's true identity at the age of 12.
- “If Not for You” reached number one on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart, later known as Adult Contemporary.
- “Maggie May” was released in the US, where it later reached number one and became his first Billboard hit.
- Mercury Records officially changed the A-side of the single “Maggie May” from the original “Reason to Believe” after radio stations and listeners unexpectedly took a liking to “Maggie May”. The recording subsequently reached number one and became his first Billboard song.
- Ten Years After and Edgar Winter’s White Trash performed at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- “Sweet City Woman” debuted at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 8 in October. More than one million copies of the recording were sold, and it spent sixteen weeks on the chart.
- They released their iconic fifth studio album Who’s Next, which featured the classic songs “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. The album entered the US chart and later reached number 4, while in the UK it was released on August 25 and reached number one. It is the group's only album to reach the top of the chart in any country. John Mendelsohn of Rolling Stone described it as an intelligently conceived, brilliantly performed and produced rock album, and it later became widely regarded as one of the greatest rock recordings in history. In 2007, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
- On August 15, 1971, Elvis Presley performed two shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas: the Dinner Show at 8:15 p.m. and the Midnight Show at midnight. Each performance had an audience capacity of approximately 2,200 people.
- Singer Thomas Wayne, known for the 1959 hit “Tragedy”, which reached No. 5 on the US chart, died at the age of 31 in a car accident in Memphis. His car crossed four lanes and the median into oncoming traffic. By then, he was working mainly behind the scenes as a recording engineer and producer in Nashville.
- 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.
- On August 17, 1971, Elvis Presley performed at the International Hotel in Las Vegas for the Dinner and Midnight Shows. The documented Midnight Show included “That's All Right”, “Proud Mary”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “It's Impossible”, “Suspicious Minds” and “Can't Help Falling in Love”.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at Boston Common in Boston. Duane Allman played slide guitar on “Soul Serenade” as a tribute to King Curtis, who had died four days earlier. J. Geils joined them for “Stormy Monday”, and Wet Willie performed as the opening act.
- Electronic composer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ Richard David James, known as Aphex Twin, was born in Limerick, Ireland.
- On August 18, 1971, Elvis Presley performed Dinner and Midnight Shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The documented Dinner Show included “That's All Right”, “Proud Mary”, “Love Me Tender”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “It's Impossible” and “Suspicious Minds”. The recorded setlist also included “Can't Help Falling in Love”.
- John Denver's song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” was certified in the US for sales of one million copies. Although the song refers to West Virginia as “almost heaven,” Denver and co-writers Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert had never visited the state before writing it.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas in both the evening and midnight shows. The evening show began at 8:30 p.m. and included “That’s All Right”, “Proud Mary”, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”, “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “It’s Impossible”, “Love Me”, “Blue Suede Shoes/Whole Lotta Shakin’ On”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Teddy Bear/Don’t Be Cruel”, “Hound Dog”, “Suspicious Minds”, “I’m Leavin’”, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. The midnight show also included “Love Me Tender” and “Sweet Caroline” and ended with “Closing Vamp”.
- Led Zeppelin began their North American tour at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada, before a sold-out audience of more than 17,000 fans. Around 3,000 additional people without tickets clashed with local police outside the venue.
- On the second night of their North American tour, Led Zeppelin performed at Seattle Centre Coliseum in Seattle, Washington.
- Ten Years After and Procol Harum performed at The Forum in Montreal, Quebec.
- Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come, Hawkwind, Duster Bennett, Brewers Droop, Indian Summer, Graphite and Queen performed at the Tregye Festival in Truro, Cornwall, England.
- Diana Ross began a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK chart with “I'm Still Waiting”. The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland.
- Elvis Presley performed at 8:30 p.m. and at midnight at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas before 2,200 spectators. He wore a black Cisco Kid suit at both shows. The evening setlist included “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, “That's All Right”, “Proud Mary”, “I Got A Woman/Amen”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “The Impossible Dream”, “Love Me”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel”, “Hound Dog”, “Love Me Tender”, “I'm Leavin'”, “Suspicious Minds”, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”. The midnight setlist included “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, “That's All Right”, “Proud Mary”, “I Got A Woman/Amen”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “Love Me”, “Blue Suede Shoes/Whole Lotta Shakin'”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel”, “Hound Dog”, “It's Impossible”, “Love Me Tender”, “Little Sister/Get Back”, “Mystery Train/Tiger Man”, “I'm Leavin/Suspicious Minds”, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”.
- Reissued Elvis Presley single “Heartbreak Hotel” reached No. 10 on the UK chart. Elvis's single “I'm Leavin'” reached No. 36 in the US.
- Murderer George Jackson was shot dead during a bizarre escape attempt from San Quentin prison, which inspired Bob Dylan's song “George Jackson”.
- Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and music producer Liam Howlett was born in Braintree, Essex, England. He became known as the co-founder and leading figure of the electronic group The Prodigy.
- Marvin Gaye spent his second consecutive week at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”.
- Olivia Newton-John spent her third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with “If Not For You”.
- Paul and Linda McCartney moved from No. 65 to No. 21 with “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”.
- The Band performed at Borough of York Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.
- The Bee Gees spent their third consecutive week at No. 1 with “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”. “Mr. Big Stuff” by Jean Knight was at No. 2, John Denver was at No. 3, and Marvin Gaye moved from No. 9 to No. 4 with “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”. James Taylor was at No. 5 with “You've Got A Friend”, Creedence Clearwater Revival at No. 6 with “Sweet Hitch-Hiker”, Chicago at No. 7 with “Beginnings/Colour My World”, Five Man Electrical Band at No. 8 with “Signs” and Tommy James and The Shondells at No. 9 with “Draggin' The Line”, while Three Dog Night entered the Top 10 with “Liar”.
- Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul & Mary performed together at the Odeon Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- On August 22, 1971, Elvis Presley performed two shows at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas during his fifth Las Vegas season. The evening show began at 8:30 p.m. and the midnight show at midnight; both had a capacity of 2,200 spectators. The setlist for the evening show was not provided. The midnight show included Also Sprach Zarathustra, That's All Right, Proud Mary, I Got A Woman/Amen, Sweet Caroline, Polk Salad Annie, Johnny B. Goode, It's Impossible, Love Me, Blue Suede Shoes, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, Heartbreak Hotel, Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel, Hound Dog, Love Me Tender, Suspicious Minds, I'm Leavin', Lawdy Miss Clawdy and Can't Help Falling In Love. The recording is listed as “The Cisco Kid Strikes Again”. Elvis wore a white two-piece Cisco Kid suit with black shoulders and a gold attendance belt.
- Elvis Presley was feeling somewhat better, but was still concerned about throat problems, and a specialist was called in.
- Diana Ross was at number one on the UK singles chart with “I'm Still Waiting”, which became her first solo UK number-one single. It remained at the top for four weeks after being heavily promoted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Tony Blackburn on his morning programme.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, both with a capacity of 2,200. The evening performance began at 8:30 p.m. and the midnight show at midnight. The source mentions, among others, the songs “Proud Mary”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Suspicious Minds”, “I'm Leavin'” and “Can't Help Falling In Love”.
- Led Zeppelin performed at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, during their North American tour.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas in the evening show at 8:30 p.m. and again at midnight, in both cases before approximately 2,200 people. The evening show included „Proud Mary“, „Sweet Caroline“, „Polk Salad Annie“, „Suspicious Minds“ and „Mystery Train/Tiger Man“, while the midnight show included „Proud Mary“, „Sweet Caroline“, „Lawdy Miss Clawdy“, „All Shook Up“ and „Can't Help Falling in Love“.
- Led Zeppelin performed at Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening concert at 8:30 p.m. and a midnight concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, both for approximately 2,200 spectators. The evening programme included “That's All Right”, “Proud Mary”, “Love Me Tender”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “Suspicious Minds” and “I'm Leavin'”. The midnight programme was similar and a recording of “That's All Right” exists from it.
- During their North American tour, Led Zeppelin performed at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.
- The Who released their fifth studio album “Who's Next” in the UK, one of the most significant albums in rock history.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening concert followed by a second midnight concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. His set included “That's All Right”, “Proud Mary”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “Suspicious Minds” and “Can't Help Falling in Love”, among others.
- Mexican singer, songwriter and actress Thalia was born.
- The Grateful Dead performed at Gaelic Park in the Bronx, New York.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas at 8:15 p.m., followed by a midnight concert. The evening included “That's All Right”, “Proud Mary”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “Suspicious Minds” and “Can't Help Falling in Love”, among others.
- Elvis Presley became the youngest artist and the first rock musician to receive the prestigious Bing Crosby Award from NARAS for outstanding artistic contribution to recorded music. Because he disliked award ceremonies, the lifetime achievement plaque was presented to him privately in his dressing room at the Las Vegas Hilton.
- John Denver’s first major hit, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 behind the Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?”. Denver and co-writers Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert had never visited West Virginia when they wrote the song. The lyrics were inspired by postcards from West Virginia that Bill Danoff received from a friend living in the state. The song later became one of West Virginia’s state anthems.
- Mott the Hoople opened the performances at the Weeley Festival in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England. The lineup also included Rory Gallagher, Caravan, Lindisfarne, The Faces with Rod Stewart, and Van Der Graaf Generator, who performed at 11:30 p.m.
- Alex Griffin of the English rock group Ned's Atomic Dustbin was born. In 1991, the group had the UK single "Happy" at No. 16, while its debut album "God Fodder" reached No. 4 on the UK album chart.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas before an audience of 2,200. During the evening, he gave an 8:30 p.m. concert as well as a midnight concert.
- The Beach Boys released their 17th studio album “Surf’s Up” through Brother/Reprise Records. The album reached No. 29 in the US and No. 15 in the UK and became their highest-charting album of new material in the US since 1967. Daryl Dragon can be heard on the album playing Moog synthesizer, organ, piano, electric guitar, bass guitar and vibraphone.
- John Lennon left England with his wife Yoko Ono to begin a new life in New York. He never returned to England.
- The Rolling Stones, together with Brian Jones's father Lewis Jones, filed a lawsuit in the High Court against former managers Andrew Loog Oldham and Eric Easton. They alleged that in 1963 the managers had made a secret agreement with Decca Records intended to deprive the group of appropriate royalties.
- On September 1, 1971, Elvis Presley performed the Dinner Show and Midnight Show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The documented Dinner Show included “That's All Right”, “I've Got a Woman”, “Amen”, “Proud Mary”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “I Just Can't Help Believin'”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “It's Impossible”, “Love Me”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Teddy Bear”, “Don't Be Cruel”, “Hound Dog”, “Long Tall Sally”, “All Shook Up”, “I Need Your Loving Everyday”, “Suspicious Minds” and “I'm Leavin'”. The surviving setlist may be incomplete.
- Hawkwind performed at Powis Square in London.
- On September 2, 1971, Elvis Presley performed the Dinner Show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. The documented setlist included “That's All Right”, “I Got a Woman”, “Amen”, “Proud Mary”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “It's Impossible”, “Love Me”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Teddy Bear”, “Don't Be Cruel”, “Hound Dog” and “Suspicious Minds”. The show concluded with “Can't Help Falling in Love”.
- Grateful Dead released their second live album, simply titled Grateful Dead. Rolling Stone magazine reported that Jerry Garcia had originally wanted to call it “Starfuck”. The album became the group’s first to reach the Top 25.
- Former Grateful Dead manager Lenny Hart was arrested for embezzling $70,000 from the group’s funds.
- The Rolling Stones sued their former manager Andrew Loog Oldham over unpaid royalties.
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and a midnight concert at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. The midnight performance included “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, “That’s All Right”, “Proud Mary”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “Love Me Tender”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “His Latest Flame”, “Little Sister/Get Back” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
- John Lennon left the United Kingdom and traveled to New York, from where he never permanently returned to Britain.
- Led Zeppelin played a one-night concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. The top ticket price was $7.50.
- Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new band Wings. The lineup included his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Denny Laine.
- Ringo Starr received a gold record for “It Don’t Come Easy”, which reached No. 4 in both the US and UK. Ringo received full writing credit, although George Harrison later made significant contributions to the song’s final form.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at Place de Nations in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- The E Street Band was formed at a Bruce Springsteen concert at the Student Prince in Asbury Park, New Jersey, when saxophonist Clarence Clemons first performed on stage with the group. The story was later captured in the song “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.”
- Elvis Presley performed an evening and midnight show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, with 2,200 people attending each show.
- During their North American tour, Led Zeppelin performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada.
- Paul and Linda McCartney reached number one on the US singles chart with “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” from the album Ram, released only in the US. It was Paul McCartney's first US solo number-one hit. The song also topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand that year. Paul later explained that “Uncle Albert” was based on his real uncle, while “Admiral Halsey” referred to US Admiral William “Bull” Halsey.
- Paul McCartney's album Ram reached number one on the UK chart.
- Motown's The Undisputed Truth had their only Billboard Top 40 hit when “Smiling Faces Sometimes” reached number three. The trio's other singles never climbed higher than number 63.
- Ty Longley, guitarist and singer of Great White, was born. The band had a hit in 1989 with their cover of Ian Hunter's “Once Bitten Twice Shy.” Longley died on February 20, 2003, along with 100 fans after pyrotechnics ignited a nightclub during a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
- Elvis Presley performed evening and midnight shows at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. The evening show drew approximately 2,200 people, and Elvis performed in the Black Cisco Kid costume.
- Led Zeppelin performed at the Chicago International Amphitheatre during their North American tour.
- American drummer Will Hunt, known for his work with Evanescence and other bands, was born.
- Singer and songwriter Dolores O'Riordan was born in Ballybricken, County Limerick, Ireland. She became famous as the lead singer of alternative rock band The Cranberries, who had the 1994 hits "Linger", "Dreams" and "Zombie". O'Riordan died unexpectedly on January 15, 2018, in London, where she was attending recording sessions.
- Elvis Presley completed the final day of his Las Vegas engagement at the Hilton Hotel. During the evening performance, he ended the concert wearing a cape for the first time. He also performed a midnight show that same day.
- David Bowie began recording material at London's Trident Studios that would later become the concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The character of Ziggy was initially inspired by British rock'n'roll singer Vince Taylor.
- Iggy Pop first met David Bowie at Max's Kansas City, a club and restaurant in New York City. They quickly became friends, and the following day Pop signed a recording contract with manager Tony DeFries's MainMan company on Bowie's recommendation.
- Led Zeppelin performed at Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Their setlist included “Immigrant Song”, “Heartbreaker”, “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, “Black Dog”, “Dazed and Confused”, “Stairway to Heaven”, “Celebration Day”, “That’s the Way”, “Going To California”, “What Is and What Should Never Be”, “Moby Dick”, “Whole Lotta Love” (medley), “Communication Breakdown”, “Organ solo / Thank You” and “Rock and Roll”.
- Cat Stevens released his fifth studio album, “Teaser and the Firecat”. The album reached No. 2 in both the USA and the UK, reached No. 1 in Australia, and sold more than four million copies. It also produced major hits including “Moonshadow”, “Morning Has Broken”, and “Peace Train”.
- John Lennon’s album “Imagine” received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States. The certification was later upgraded to double platinum for more than two million copies sold in the USA.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Community Concourse Convention Hall in San Diego, California.
- “Peace Train” by Cat Stevens moved up from No. 88 to No. 50 on the U.S. chart.
- Thirteen-year-old Donny Osmond reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with his cover of “Go Away Little Girl” by Steve Lawrence, originally released in 1963. A few days later, the recording was certified gold by the RIAA for one million copies shipped.
- Elvis Presley's album Almost in Love reached No. 38 on the British album chart.
- Elvis Presley bought six pistols, two derringer pistols, and ammunition at Frontier Gun Shop in Palm Springs.
- Joan Baez spent her fifth week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
- John Lennon's album “Imagine” entered the U.S. album chart at No. 155 and climbed to No. 1 during October. The first copies of the album included a postcard featuring Lennon holding a pig as a reference to the photograph of Paul McCartney with a sheep on the cover of the album “Ram.”
- “Maggie May” / “Reason to Believe” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Rod Stewart his first solo No. 1 hit in the United States. “Maggie May” was inspired by his first sexual experience in 1961 and in 2004 was ranked No. 130 on Rolling Stone's list.
- The album “Every Picture Tells a Story” reached No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. At the same time, Rod Stewart reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Maggie May” and “Reason to Believe.”
- The weekly television program Soul Train, focused on contemporary R&B performers, premiered nationally in the United States. The show was created and hosted by Don Cornelius. The first national broadcast featured Gladys Knight and the Pips, former Temptations member Eddie Kendricks, and the group Honey Cone. The program later ran for an astonishing 35 years.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles.
- Hawkwind performed at the Northcote Arms in Southall, England.
- Singer and founding member of boy band Backstreet Boys Kevin Richardson was born in Lexington, Kentucky. Backstreet Boys had the US single “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” at No. 2 in 1997 and the UK No. 1 single “I Want It That Way” in 1999.
- Australian musician Darren Middleton, guitarist and songwriter for Powderfinger, was born. Their third album, Internationalist, reached number one on the Australian albums chart in 1998.
- Ten Years After performed at the Town Hall in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.
- The Moody Blues performed at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.
- American heavy metal musician Donnie Steele, co-founder and one of the two original guitarists of Slipknot, was born in Des Moines, Iowa.
- Elvis Presley returned to Los Angeles and stayed at Monovale House for the first time, where Priscilla, Lisa Marie, Sonny and Judy West, and Charlie Hodge lived permanently.
- Pat Boone hosted an episode of The Academy from the NBC television thriller Night Gallery.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
- Fairport Convention performed at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.
- Motown Records released 13-year-old Michael Jackson's first solo single, “Got to Be There,” launching his solo career alongside his work with the Jackson 5. The song became an international hit, reaching No. 1 on the Cashbox chart, No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 5 in the UK.
- The Allman Brothers Band headlined at Santa Fe Downs in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The opening acts were Cowboy and Cheech and Chong.
- The Moody Blues performed at St. Louis Arena in St. Louis.
- John Lennon released the single “Imagine” in the UK.
- Led Zeppelin II had spent 100 weeks on the British album chart. It was the band's first album to reach No. 1 in the U.S., where it remained for seven weeks. In 1999, it received 12× platinum certification in the U.S. for more than 12 million copies sold.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California.
- John Lennon's Imagine LP was released. It reached #1 on both sides of the Atlantic and was later ranked #76 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
- John Lennon celebrated his 31st birthday at Yoko Ono's first major art exhibition, "This Is Not Here", at the Everson Art Museum in Syracuse, New York. Ringo Starr, Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa and several Hollywood actors also attended.
- Rod Stewart was at No. 1 on the US and UK singles charts with "Maggie May." Originally released as the B-side to "Reason to Believe," it was Stewart's first of six UK No. 1 singles and spent five weeks at the top in Britain; in the US it was No. 1 for the second of five weeks.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
- The Who played a small, low-key show at the University of Surrey in Guildford. John Sebastian joined them on harmonica for "Magic Bus," making him the only outside musician to jam with The Who on stage. Backstage, the group celebrated John Entwistle's 27th birthday.
- Kraftwerk performed at the Karlsbergsaal in St. Ingbert, Germany.
- Mike Smith, guitarist with Limp Bizkit, was born.
- American musician and singer Petra Haden was born. She performed with her sisters Rachel and Tanya as The Haden Triplets. She also collaborated with The Decemberists, Beck, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Weezer and Victoria Williams.
- Pink Floyd performed at Birmingham Town Hall in Birmingham, England.
- The musical Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice premieres on Broadway.
- Rock ’n’ roll pioneer Gene Vincent, born Vincent Eugene Craddock, dies at age 36 from a perforated stomach ulcer. He is best known for the 1956 hit “Be-Bop-A-Lula,” as well as “Lotta Lovin’,” and appeared in the film The Girl Can’t Help It. He also achieved considerable success on the UK charts between 1956 and 1961.
- Bing Crosby, co-owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game Four of the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.
- King Crimson performed at Town Hall in Birmingham, England.
- Yes performed at City Hall in Sheffield, England.