Events in 1977
- Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols was fined £125 at a London court after being caught with a knife at the 100 Club punk festival the previous year.
- The Who purchased Shepperton Studios in London for half a million dollars.
- AC/DC performed at the Dubs club in Gainesville, Florida.
- The Police, The Clash and The Damned performed at the second Mont de Marsan Punk Festival in France, held in a bullfighting arena. Other performers included The Boys, The Rich Kids, Electric Kellar and Asphalt Jungle.
- The Police performed at The Red Cow on Hammersmith Road in London.
- On the UK singles chart that week, “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer was at No. 1, “Ma Baker” by Boney M at No. 2, “Angelo” by Brotherhood Of Man at No. 3, “Pretty Vacant” by The Sex Pistols at No. 4 and “Fanfare For The Common Man” by ELP at No. 5.
- AC/DC vystoupili v Hollywood Sportatorium v Pembroke Pines na Floridě.
- Alice Cooper performed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
- In the early morning hours, Elvis Presley rented Libertyland amusement park as a special gift for his daughter Lisa Marie and a group of friends.
- Aaron Kamin, lead guitarist of The Calling, was born in Studio City, California.
- Elvis Presley screened several films at General Cinemas in Whitehaven, including “The Spy Who Loved Me.”
- Sixteen years after its release, Ricky Nelson's single “Travelin' Man” received RIAA gold certification for sales of 500,000 copies. Jerry Fuller wrote the song with Sam Cooke in mind, but Cooke's manager rejected the demo. Nelson's version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was released on Imperial Records as a double A-side with “Hello Mary Lou”, which reached No. 9. In the UK, the two songs jointly reached No. 2, and “Travelin' Man” became Nelson's biggest British hit.
- Yes performed at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- American singer and songwriter Hillary Lindsey was born. She wrote and co-wrote songs for Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Shakira, Carrie Underwood, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan. She won two Grammys for Best Country Song.
- Henri Padovani left The Police after nine months, and the band continued as a trio.
- The departure of guitarist Henri Padovani reduced The Police to a trio.
- Bachman-Turner Overdrive announced their breakup after Randy Bachman left the group. Since 1974, the group had placed seven songs in the Billboard Top 40, including “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet”, which reached No. 1. Five years later, the group reunited.
- “My Heart Belongs to Me” spent its third week at No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.
- The album Going for the One reached No. 1 on the UK chart. It was Yes's second UK No. 1 album and also marked the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman.
- He planned to leave for a tour that was scheduled to begin in Portland. In the afternoon he watched television and in the evening went to the dentist. Fans at the gates of Graceland captured what were his last known live photographs.
- 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.
- Singer Claire Richards, a member of the British dance-pop group Steps, was born.
- Florists Transworld Delivery announced that the number of flower orders delivered to Graceland in a single day had surpassed all previous records associated with any event in the company's history. Florists in the Memphis area ran out of supplies, and additional flowers had to be flown in from other cities.
- Rush headlined at the RKO Orpheum Theatre in Davenport, Iowa.
- Finnish singer Tarja Turunen was born.
- Two girls from Missouri were killed and a third was critically injured when an eighteen-year-old Memphis driver drove into a crowd of more than 2,000 mourners outside the Graceland music gates at around 4 a.m. The driver was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and two counts of second-degree murder. He ultimately served about two and a half years of a ten-year sentence.
- Elvis Presley's funeral service was held at Graceland from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Approximately 150 invited mourners were inside, while about 75,000 fans gathered outside. Elvis was then buried in a white marble crypt at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis near his mother Gladys's grave. In November, he was reburied at Graceland at his father's request.
- Foreigner performed at the Circle Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Canadian multi-instrumentalist and singer Régine Chassagne, a founding member of Arcade Fire, was born.
- The Police performed live as a three-piece for the first time at Rebecca's club in Birmingham, England, after original guitarist Henri Padovani left the band.
- A year after the group Labelle broke up, Patti LaBelle released her self-titled debut album, which featured one of her signature songs, “You Are My Friend”.
- The Sex Pistols began a secret British tour in Wolverhampton under the name The Spots, an abbreviation of “Sex Pistols on Tour Secretly”. The group was under intense scrutiny from the national media because of its reputation for causing trouble, which would have made it virtually impossible for them to perform in these clubs. During the six nights, they therefore performed under a different name each time: in Doncaster as Tax Exiles, in Scarborough as Special Guest, in Middlesbrough as Acne Rabble, in Plymouth as The Hamsters, and on the final night in Penzance as A Mystery Band of International Repute.
- Barbra Streisand spent her fourth week at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with “My Heart Belongs to Me”. The Emotions reached No. 1 with “Best of My Love”, ending Andy Gibb's three-week reign with “I Just Want To Be Your Everything”. Rita Coolidge was climbing with “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher”, while Peter Frampton was falling from its peak at No. 2 with “I'm In You”. The Commodores were at No. 5 with “Easy”, Pablo Cruise at No. 6 with “Whatcha' Gonna' Do?”, Peter McCann at No. 7, Crosby, Stills & Nash at No. 8 with “Just a Song Before I Go”, Alice Cooper at No. 9 with “You and Me”, and Bay City Rollers at No. 10 with “You Made Me Believe In Magic”.
- Pop group Brotherhood of Man scored their second UK No. 1 single with “Angelo”. The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland, Japan, Rhodesia and South Africa.
- Chicago trio The Emotions reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Best of My Love” and began a five-week run at the top. In Britain, the song reached No. 4. Two years earlier, The Eagles had reached No. 1 with a song of the same title. The recording was certified gold and won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.
- The Voyager 2 probe was launched into space carrying the “Golden Record”, a recording of sounds and images representing Earth.
- Yes performed at the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester, New York.
- Donovan performed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
- Peter Frampton played the first of three sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden.
- Alice Hovartar and Juanita Johnson, both 19 years old, died after a car crashed into a crowd of mourners outside Graceland following Elvis Presley's death. Their funerals were held on this day.
- Rush performed at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.
- Waylon Jennings was arrested by federal agents at American Sound Studio in Nashville and charged with conspiracy and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Shortly before, he had been named honorary police chief of Nashville. The monitored shipment contained 27 grams of cocaine and had been sent to Jennings in Nashville. The charges were later dropped because of procedural defects in the arrest and search warrants; before the agents could correct the error, drummer Richie Albright flushed most of the cocaine down the toilet. The incident later inspired Jennings's song „Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand“.
- California Governor Jerry Brown appointed singer and longtime environmental activist Helen Reddy to the state Parks Commission.
- KISS played the first of three concerts at The Forum in Inglewood, California. These concerts were used for the album “Alive II”, released in October.
- At the 17th edition of the three-day Reading Festival in England, performers included Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Golden Earring, Aerosmith, The Doobie Brothers, Hawkwind, Racing Cars, John Miles, Graham Parker, The Enid, No Dice and Frankie Miller’s Full House. A three-day ticket cost £7.95.
- Ten of Elvis Presley's albums reappeared on the charts. Fleetwood Mac's album “Rumours” was at No. 1 on the US album chart for the third time, and “Float On” by The Floaters reached No. 8 on the singles chart.
- Jackson Browne performed at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. His performances of “Running On Empty” and “The Load Out/Stay” from this concert were later released on the album “Running on Empty”.
- Thirty-year-old Jimmy Buffett married his second wife, twenty-six-year-old Jane Slagsvol from Columbia, South Carolina. Slagsvol helped write Buffett's songs “Something So Feminine About A Mandolin” and “Kick It In Second Wind”. They later separated for nine years but subsequently reunited.
- Styx released the album “The Grand Illusion”, which became their breakthrough album and included the song “Come Sail Away”.
- The Floaters reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Float On”. In the USA, the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. For the Detroit soul-funk group, it was their only UK hit, making them a one-hit wonder.
- Donna Summer released “I Feel Love” in the United States.
- Yes performed at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, near Churchill Downs, where the Kentucky Derby is held.
- AC/DC performed at the famous Whisky A Go-Go club in Los Angeles.
- Three men were arrested in Memphis while attempting to steal Elvis Presley's body from his mausoleum at Forest Hills Cemetery and demand a ransom for it. Police were waiting for them after receiving a tip about the planned break-in. The city of Memphis subsequently approved Vernon Presley's request to change the use of the land at Graceland and establish Presley Family Cemetery. Elvis's remains were then moved to the Meditation Garden at Graceland, where they were placed in safety.
- Canadian progressive rock band Rush released their fifth studio album "A Farewell to Kings".
- Jun Matsumoto, Japanese singer and actor from the group Arashi, was born.
- Co-founder and frontman of alternative rock band The Vines, Craig Nicholls was born in Sydney, Australia.
- American musician and songwriter Derek Gruen, known as Del Marquis, was born in New York City. He became known as a member of pop-rock band Scissor Sisters.
- Yes performed at Dane County Memorial Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin.
- Blondie signed their first contract with a major record label, Chrysalis Records. The group had been signed to the independent label Private Stock Records, which released their self-titled debut album in late 1976. Chrysalis Records bought out their existing contract with Private Stock and acquired the rights to the original recordings.
- Cabaret and music performer Clinton Leupp, known as Coco Peru, was born.
- Generation X released their debut single “Your Generation.”
- Despite sharp disputes over the group's artistic direction and financial management, The Beach Boys played a free concert in New York's Central Park before an estimated audience of more than 150,000 people. Despite the tension backstage, they delivered an energetic concert featuring hits such as “California Girls,” “In My Room,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and “Help Me, Rhonda.”
- Lyricist and composer René Goscinny died at the age of 51.
- The Commodores remained at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart with “Three Times A Lady”.
- Thin Lizzy released the album “Bad Reputation”. The group appeared as a three-piece on the recording after guitarist Brian Robertson left during the recording sessions. The album included the songs “Dancing in the Moonlight”, “Dear Lord” and “Killer Without a Cause”.
- After Elvis Presley’s death, he had 27 albums and nine singles in the UK Top 100; the album “Moody Blue” reached No. 1 on the album chart and “Way Down” topped the singles chart. Presley thus achieved a total of 17 UK No. 1 singles, equal to The Beatles.
- Grateful Dead, with supporting acts The Marshall Tucker Band and New Riders Of The Purple Sage, played a headline concert at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. The concert lasted 11 hours and, with an attendance of 107,019, set a US record for attendance at a paid concert outside festivals, which stood until 2024, when it was surpassed by George Strait.
- Studio engineer Keith Harwood was killed in a car accident shortly after leaving a recording session with The Rolling Stones. He worked with David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, among others; The Rolling Stones later dedicated the album Love You Live to him.
- Rush performed at Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, on the shores of Lake Superior.
- Dutch house DJ and producer Fedde Le Grand was born. In 2006, his single “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” reached No. 1 in the UK.
- Rush performed at Winnipeg Arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
- Elton John became the first non-sporting figure inducted into the Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame in New York, in recognition of the record attendance at his concerts in June 1977.
- Meco’s “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band” rose from No. 8 to No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and began a two-week run at the top. The approximately fifteen-minute disco version of music from the film “Star Wars” also included a sound effect resembling R2-D2 and became the best-selling single in the USA. The recording was led by producer and musician Domenico Monardo; both the single and the album “Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk” received platinum certification in the United States.
- The Grateful Dead performed at the Paramount Theater in Portland, Oregon.
- The remains of Elvis Presley and his mother Gladys were moved from Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis to the Meditation Garden at his Graceland estate for security reasons. The family took this step after an attempted theft of the singer's body for ransom was uncovered in August. The transfer took place after dark under police supervision.
- Grateful Dead played the second of two concerts at the Paramount Theater in Portland, Oregon.
- The television special Elvis In Concert was broadcast by CBS in the United States during Presley's final concert tour. The program was filmed in June 1977 in Omaha, Nebraska, and Rapid City, South Dakota, just weeks before Elvis's death, and was broadcast on October 3, 1977. Footage showing Elvis during the final months of his life shocked many viewers. The special became the most-watched television program of the week, with approximately 24.1 million households watching it. On the day of the broadcast, Myrna Smith initially told Jerry Schilling by phone that Elvis looked good and had lost some weight, but after watching the program she burst into tears and said that everyone had been “wearing blinders.”
- Canadian composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Richard Reed Parry, known as a member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire, was born. The band won a Grammy and had a US number-one album, Everything Now.
- British singer Kele Le Roc was born.
- Britt Ekland filed a $15 million palimony lawsuit against Rod Stewart. The case never went to trial and was eventually settled out of court, with Stewart providing Ekland with a property settlement worth approximately $500,000.
- Frank Zappa performed at Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.
- Aerosmith performed at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
- The album From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee received a gold certification from the RIAA.
- Steve Hackett left Genesis to pursue a solo career.
- The Grateful Dead performed at University Arena, also known as “The Pit,” at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
- Billy Joel's breakthrough album The Stranger entered the Billboard album chart and later reached the Top 10. It contained four U.S. Top 30 singles: “Just the Way You Are” at No. 3, “Movin' Out” at No. 17, “Only the Good Die Young” at No. 24, and “She's Always a Woman” at No. 17. It was also his first album to enter the British album chart, where it reached No. 24.
- David Soul reached No. 1 on the British singles chart with “Silver Lady,” his second No. 1 of the year. His previous hit, “Don't Give Up on Us,” had topped the British chart earlier in the year and reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in April. “Silver Lady” also reached No. 1 in Ireland.
- Debbie Boone's “You Light Up My Life” began an eight-week run at No. 1 on the Cash Box Best Sellers chart and spent ten weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It reached No. 48 in the UK.
- Fleetwood Mac's Rumours reached its 22nd week at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart.
- The Paul Simon Special was broadcast on NBC-TV. Art Garfunkel appeared as a guest and sang “Old Friends” with Paul Simon.
- Stephen Bishop's biggest hit, “On and On,” reached No. 11 on the Hot 100 during its 28-week chart run. It reached No. 6 in Canada but did not become a hit in the UK.
- Aerosmith appeared at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Paul Simon released the song "Slip Slidin' Away."
- A spectator threw an M-80 firecracker onto the stage during an Aerosmith concert at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The explosion injured singer Steven Tyler's cornea and guitarist Joe Perry's hand. The band avoided the venue for a year afterward. When they returned in November 1978, a bottle thrown onto the stage struck Tyler in the face, leading to further tightening of security measures at concert venues.
- Kansas released the album Point of Know Return, which became their highest-charting album in the United States and achieved multi-platinum certification.
- The Grateful Dead performed at the Lloyd Noble Center on the University of Oklahoma campus.
- Grateful Dead play at Manor Hall in Austin, Texas.
- Justin Peroff, drummer for Broken Social Scene, was born.