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 performed a free concert in New York City's Central Park, similar to his 1981 concert there with Art Garfunkel. The performance was later released as the 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.
- The 5th Dimension received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- The album “The Essential Pavarotti II” reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for the third time.
- 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.
- Ike Turner was released from prison after serving 18 months of a four-year sentence for drug offenses. He later told Variety that he had spent more than $11 million on cocaine during his lifetime.
- Rush released their fourteenth studio album, Roll the Bones, through Anthem Records. The album sold more than one million copies and reached No. 3 in the US and No. 10 in the UK.
- Country singer and songwriter Dottie West died at the age of 58 from injuries sustained in a car accident several days earlier while traveling to a performance at the Grand Ole Opry. She was the first woman to win a Grammy in the country category.
- Guitarist C.C. DeVille was fired from the band after disrupting their planned performance at the MTV Video Music Awards by playing “Talk Dirty to Me” instead of “Unskinny Bop.” He rejoined the band five years later.
- Bryan Adams spent his sixth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” from the film Robin Hood.
- Nirvana released the single “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, one of the defining songs of the grunge era.
- Michael Jackson’s crystal-encrusted white glove was stolen from the Motown Museum in Detroit. According to one source variant, the glove was found two days later; M.C. Hammer offered a $50,000 reward for its return.
- M.C. Hammer offered a $50,000 reward for the return of Michael Jackson's white glove, which had been stolen from the Motown Museum. The glove was later found and returned. It was part of the rivalry and competition between Hammer and Michael Jackson at the time.
- Texas Governor Ann Richards proclaimed October 3 “Stevie Ray Vaughan Day” in honor of the Dallas-born musician. An annual motorcycle ride and concert in Central Texas support the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund.
- J. Frank Wilson, singer and lead performer of J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, best known for the 1964 recording “Last Kiss,” died in Texas on October 4, 1991, at the age of 49, shortly before his fiftieth birthday. Sources reported long-term problems with alcohol; some also mentioned complications related to diabetes. Wilson reportedly received only a small portion of the money from “Last Kiss,” while a substantial share went to the publisher. He continued recording with the Cavaliers after leaving the music industry and recorded as late as 1978.
- English singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock, a member of Little Mix, was born. The group was formed on and won the eighth series of The X Factor UK, won three Brit Awards, and had 19 UK Top 10 singles, including five number-one hits.
- Bryan Adams reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with his sixth studio album Waking Up the Neighbours. The album included the hit “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” which spent a record 16 weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.
- Guns N' Roses debuted at the top two positions of the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. Use Your Illusion II was No. 1 and Use Your Illusion I was No. 2. Use Your Illusion II began a two-week run at No. 1; it was released on September 17, 1991, together with Use Your Illusion I and had sold 5,587,000 copies in the United States by 2010.
- Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the song Good Vibrations.
- Michael Jackson walked Elizabeth Taylor down the aisle at her seventh wedding ceremony at Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The groom was construction worker Larry Fortensky, whom Taylor divorced in 1997.
- Elizabeth Taylor married construction worker Larry Fortensky, whom she had met at the Betty Ford Center, in a lavish ceremony at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch near Los Angeles. It was her eighth marriage and Fortensky's third. Michael Jackson walked her down the aisle together with her son Michael Wilding Jr. Taylor and Fortensky divorced in 1996 but remained friends.
- Michael Jackson walked Elizabeth Taylor down the aisle at her wedding to construction worker Larry Fortensky at his Neverland Ranch. It was Elizabeth Taylor's eighth marriage, while Fortensky became her seventh husband; Taylor later divorced Fortensky, with the divorce finalized in 1996.
- Ray Charles was honored in a special Fox television program, “Ray Charles: 50 Years Of Music.” Highlights included Charles performing “Living For The City” with Stevie Wonder and “Busted” with Willie Nelson.
- Soundgarden released their second album for A&M Records, “Badmotorfinger.” Its release coincided with the rise of grunge; Nirvana's “Nevermind” had been released two weeks earlier, and Pearl Jam released “Ten” on August 27. “Badmotorfinger” became the band's commercial breakthrough and sold more than three million copies.
- Apple Computer settled its name-and-logo dispute with The Beatles' Apple Corps for a reported $26.5 million. Apple Corps retained exclusive use of the Apple name and logo for creative works centered on music, while Apple Computer could use the branding for computers, software, data transmission and reproduction devices, provided it did not package or distribute physical music.
- Australian pop singer and songwriter Gabriella Cilmi was born on October 10, 1991. Her 2008 debut album reached number two in Australia and number eight in the UK. The single “Sweet About Me” reached number one on the Australian chart in 2010 and was also successful across Europe.
- Apple Computer and Apple Corps, the company associated with The Beatles, reached a settlement in their long-running dispute over trademarks and business activities. Sources cite different figures: $26.5 million for an agreement concerning music software rights and approximately $29 million for the settlement over Apple's name and logo. The agreement followed a 1981 arrangement that restricted Apple Computer from entering the music business. It was later revised as music became an increasingly important part of Apple's business.
- Comedian, singer and actor Redd Foxx suffered a heart attack during rehearsals for the television series The Royal Family. He died in hospital later that evening at the age of 68. His death was ironic because his character on Sanford and Son frequently pretended to have heart attacks.
- “Emotions” reaches No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and begins a three-week run at the top. This gives Mariah Carey five consecutive No. 1 singles from the start of her career, surpassing the Jackson 5’s record.
- The Day on the Green festival takes place at Oakland Coliseum in California. Metallica headlines, with Queensrÿche, Faith No More, and Soundgarden also on the bill.
- Nirvana’s album Nevermind receives gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
- Nirvana’s album Nevermind reaches No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart.
- Simply Red’s fourth album, Stars, reaches No. 1 on the UK albums chart. During its chart run, it reaches the top a total of five times and spends 134 weeks on the chart.