Events in 1991
- Rick James and his girlfriend Tanya Hijazi were arrested in Hollywood on August 2, 1991, and charged with, among other offenses, assault with a deadly weapon, torture, and unlawful imprisonment.
- Pearl Jam performed at the RKCNDY club in Seattle. The concert was filmed, and footage from the show was used to create the music video for “Alive.”
- “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams was at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
- “Summertime” by D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince was at No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart.
- Singer Jeri Southern died of pneumonia at the age of 64.
- Paul Simon odehrál bezplatný koncert v Central Parku v New Yorku, podobně jako v roce 1981 s Artem Garfunkelem. Vystoupení bylo později vydáno jako album „Paul Simon’s Concert In The Park“.
- The group On A Friday, later known as Radiohead, performed at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford, England. The members had met while attending Abingdon School, and the name On A Friday referred to their usual rehearsal day in the school music room.
- Rick James pleaded not guilty to charges that he had imprisoned, tortured and sexually assaulted a woman at his California home.
- The 5th Dimension received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. The ceremony honored the original lineup of Billy Davis Jr., Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue, Ron Townson and LaMonte McLemore. Between 1966 and 1983, the group placed 20 songs in the Billboard Top 40 and 14 albums on the Billboard album chart.
- Luciano Pavarotti reached his third No. 1 on the UK albums chart with his album “The Essential Pavarotti II”.
- The 5th Dimension received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- They released their fifth studio album Metallica, known as The Black Album, which reached No. 1 in eight countries and sold 16 million copies in the U.S.
- Cypress Hill released their debut album Cypress Hill, whose lead single was “How I Could Just Kill A Man”, about gang life in South Gate, California.
- Mariah Carey released the single “Emotions”, the title track of her second studio album.
- The film was released in limited distribution in the US. All four members of The Corrs appeared in minor roles, including the youngest, Andrea, in a speaking role as Sharon Rabbitte. During the film's auditions, The Corrs met future manager John Hughes, who helped them refine their sound and eventually helped the group secure a contract with Atlantic Records for their debut album Forgiven, Not Forgotten.
- He staged a free concert in New York's Central Park, which was broadcast live on HBO and later released as the album “Paul Simon's Concert in the Park”. Attendance figures vary significantly among sources, ranging from 600,000 to 750,000 people, while later estimates suggest a much lower actual park capacity.
- 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.
- Nirvana filmed the music video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” at GMT Studios in Culver City, California. The video was conceived as a chaotic school rally at “Anarchy High School” and featured real Nirvana fans recruited at a concert two days earlier. The filming cost less than $50,000, and the video became a major MTV hit that helped Nirvana break into the mainstream.
- Billy Preston was arrested in Los Angeles on charges of assaulting a sixteen-year-old boy. Later, in a separate case involving possession of cocaine and a dangerous weapon, he pleaded no contest and received five years' probation and 90 days of house arrest.
- Rick Griffin died after being forced off the road on his motorcycle, a Harley Heritage Softail, while attempting to overtake a van. Among his best-known works were the cover of the Grateful Dead album Aoxomoxoa and the legendary “Flying Eyeball” poster for a series of concerts by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Albert King and John Mayall in San Francisco.
- Sweet Jesus performed at the Boardwalk club in Manchester. The opening act was The Rain, later known as Oasis, without Noel Gallagher, who joined his brothers' band only later.
- At CNE Stadium in Toronto, during the final concert of the Operation Rock & Roll tour, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford’s motorcycle entrance ended disastrously. He crashed into a metal support beam, breaking his nose and suffering a neck sprain. He finished the concert but was taken to hospital immediately afterward.
- The film “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man” was released in U.S. cinemas. The film featured the song “The Bigger They Come” by Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott, their first collaboration since they had been members of Humble Pie 20 years earlier.
- Nirvana and Sonic Youth began their joint European tour at Sir Henry's Pub in Cork, Ireland.
- Rock band Spin Doctors released their debut studio album, “Pocket Full of Kryptonite”. Driven by the hits “Little Miss Can't Be Wrong” and “Two Princes”, it sold more than 5 million copies. The album reached No. 1 in Australia, Canada and New Zealand and the Top 3 in the U.S. and Britain.
- Nirvana thrilled the audience at the Reading Festival in England. Their performance culminated with Kurt Cobain diving headfirst into Dave Grohl's drum kit. A year later, Nirvana became the festival's headliners.
- Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth, Pop Will Eat Itself, Dinosaur Jr, Chapterhouse, Nirvana, Silverfish, Babes in Toyland, James, The Fall, De La Soul, Blur, Teenage Fanclub, Flowered Up, The Fat Lady Sings, Kingmaker, Mercury Rev, Sisters of Mercy and Ned's Atomic Dustbin performed at the three-day Reading Festival in England.
- Elvis Presley reached No. 57 on the U.K. album chart with the three-disc box set „Collectors Gold“.
- Lenny Kravitz was at No. 2 on the U.S. singles chart with „It Ain't Over till It's Over“, behind Bryan Adams' „(Everything I Do) I Do It for You“, which was at No. 1. It was his first U.S. Top 10 hit and the highest-charting song of his career on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Metallica reached No. 1 on the U.K. chart with their fifth studio album „Metallica“, also known as „The Black Album“.
- Blur released their debut studio album “Leisure”.
- Pearl Jam released the single “Alive”.
- Spin Doctors released their debut album “Pocket Full of Kryptonite”.
- Pearl Jam released their debut album “Ten” through Epic Records. The album became a cornerstone of grunge and contained the hits “Alive”, “Even Flow” and “Jeremy”. In the USA, it received a 13-times platinum RIAA certification, corresponding to 13 million copies sold, while more than 15 million copies were sold worldwide. Initially, the album was not a major success, but with the rise of grunge it reached No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 the following year.
- Metallica’s album, commonly known as The Black Album, was released in the United Kingdom.
- Dottie West suffered serious injuries in a car accident while travelling to a performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. She died five days later.
- Jan Berry of Jan & Dean married Gertie Filip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The wedding took place on stage during a Jan & Dean performance.
- Garth Brooks released the album Ropin' the Wind.