Events in 2017
- The Kidd Creole, one of the founding members of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, was arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a homeless man in New York City.
- Lana Del Rey reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with “Lust for Life.”
- Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “Despacito.”
- “Body Like a Back Road” by Sam Hunt had spent 25 weeks at No. 1 on the country chart, breaking the previous record held by “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line.
- Vědecký časopis Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society informoval o nově identifikovaném druhu pravěkého krokodýla pojmenovaném Lemmysuchus obtusidens na počest Lemmyho Kilmistera, frontmana skupiny Motörhead.
- American country-pop singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and television host Glen Campbell died at the age of 81 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. During his career, he had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, 75 additional songs on the country chart and more than 70 studio albums. He sold 45 million records worldwide, hosted his own television show and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Glen Campbell was laid to rest in a private ceremony in his hometown of Delight, Arkansas. In the two days following his death, sales of his music increased by 5,429% and streams by 1,430%, according to Nielsen Music.
- Arcade Fire reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with their fifth studio album “Everything Now.” The album also reached No. 1 in Belgium, Ireland, Portugal and the US that year.
- David Bowie appeared posthumously in the series Twin Peaks: The Return. David Lynch used archival footage of Bowie from the film Fire Walk with Me to incorporate his character, FBI agent Phillip Jeffries, into the new series.
- Collectors from around the world gathered at Graceland in Memphis to bid on items and memorabilia associated with him as part of the 40th anniversary of Elvis Week. The August 12 auction sold 315 items for more than $1.6 million. All came from private collectors rather than the Graceland archives owned by Lisa Marie Presley.
- Pantone announced a new color, a shade of purple honoring Prince and named after his famous Love Symbol #2.
- Calvin Harris' song “Feels”, featuring Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean, reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart.
- Ed Sheeran began a three-week run at No. 1 on the UK album chart with his third studio album, ÷ (Divide).
- Forty years after his death, Elvis Presley reached No. 2 on the UK Official Albums Chart with the album “50 Greatest Hits”. It was his 52nd album to reach the UK Top 10. Glenn Campbell's final studio album, “Adios”, was at No. 3.
- The 2017 Elvis Candlelight Vigil attracted an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people to Graceland.
- During Elvis Week 2017, a Candlelight Vigil was held at Elvis Presley's grave in Memphis. Lisa Marie Presley, her children and Priscilla Presley also attended to thank the fans.
- Taylor Swift deleted her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and personal YouTube accounts. Three days later, she began posting videos featuring a snake as a teaser for her confrontational song “Look What You Made Me Do,” which was released on August 25.
- The indie rock group Arcade Fire reached number one on the US Billboard 200 with their fifth studio album “Everything Now”.
- Jerry Lewis, an actor and comedian who also had a Billboard No. 10 hit in 1956 with “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody”, died at the age of 91. After making seventeen films with Dean Martin, he continued with a solo career and succeeded in films such as “The Bellboy” and “The Nutty Professor”. As host of the Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, he helped the charity raise more than $1.5 billion. His will later revealed that he had excluded all six of his sons, including musician Gary Lewis, and left his estate to his second wife SanDee Pitnick and adopted daughter Danielle.
- The solar eclipse over the US led music fans to purchase eclipse-related music. Bonnie Tyler's “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” recorded 18,000 downloads compared with the usual 200 per day, while Pink Floyd's “The Dark Side Of The Moon” sold 1,000 copies compared with the usual 200 per day, according to Nielsen Music.
- During the historic solar eclipse, Bonnie Tyler performed “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”, while Ozzy Osbourne performed “Bark At The Moon”.
- Halsey released the song “Bad at Love”.
- Sonny Burgess, a musician associated with Sun Records, died at the age of 88.
- The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville held a private memorial event for Glen Campbell. Jimmy Webb and the current lineup of The Beach Boys performed „I Get Around“.
- Dua Lipa scored her first No. 1 single on the U.K. chart with „New Rules“.
- Queens of the Stone Age's album “Villains” was released.
- Kendrick Lamar returned to the top of the Billboard 200 with his fourth studio album “Damn” after a three-week run at No. 1 in May.
- Kendrick Lamar won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards for “HUMBLE.” and Taylor Swift premiered her music video “Look What You Made Me Do” there.
- The music video for Taylor Swift's “Look What You Made Me Do” premiered at the MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The ceremony was hosted by Katy Perry and the viewership of 5.68 million was the lowest since 1994.
- Canadian drummer, guitarist and keyboard player Ronald Harry “Skip” Prokop, founding member of the rock groups The Paupers and Lighthouse, died at the age of 73. In 1969, he co-founded Lighthouse with Paul Hoffert, and the group later became internationally successful. During his career, Prokop also recorded with Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield.