Events in 2019
- Skillet released their tenth studio album, “Victorious,” featuring, among other tracks, “Legendary” and “Save Me.”
- During his concert in Hannover on August 2, 2019, Ed Sheeran broke U2’s record for the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. His Divide Tour surpassed the $735.3 million gross generated by U2’s 360° Tour.
- Henri Belolo, French music producer, co-founder of The Ritchie Family and The Village People, and co-writer of many of their hits, died at the age of 82.
- In a long-running copyright dispute over the opening riff of “Stairway to Heaven,” a new legal filing was submitted in support of Led Zeppelin. Signatories included members of Korn, Tool, Judas Priest and Linkin Park, and a total of 123 musicians joined the amicus curiae filing.
- American rapper Nathan Feuerstein, known as NF, reached No. 1 in the US with his fourth studio album “The Search”.
- Arlo Guthrie opened the weekend commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Woodstock at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Original Woodstock veterans Carlos Santana and John Fogerty also performed after plans for a much larger anniversary festival collapsed.
- The bandstand at Croydon Road Recreation Ground, where David Bowie performed on August 16, 1969, shortly after the release of "Space Oddity", was granted Grade II listed status. Bowie performed there at a one-day festival he helped organize, which later inspired the song "Memory of a Free Festival".
- Duane Allman’s guitar used on the classic Derek and the Dominos song “Layla” was sold at auction for $1 million. It was a 1957 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, which had been Allman’s main guitar during the first two years of the Allman Brothers Band and appeared on their 1969 debut album as well as the subsequent 1970 album Idlewild South. “Layla” was one of the last recordings on which Allman used this guitar, as he soon traded it for a 1959 Gibson Les Paul.
- American bassist Lawrence “Larry” Taylor, a founding member of Los Angeles boogie/rock group Canned Heat, died at the age of 77 after a twelve-year battle with cancer. He was best known as a member of Canned Heat, in which he performed from 1967 to 1970. With the group, he appeared at its major performances at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969, and played on “Going Up the Country” and “On the Road Again”. Before joining Canned Heat, he worked as a studio bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Lewis. He was the younger brother of Mel Taylor, longtime drummer of The Ventures.
- At the age of 74, Rod Stewart attended his daughter Kimberly's 40th birthday celebration in Los Angeles. He was also accompanied by three of his former wives: Alana Stewart, Kimberly's mother, Kelly Emberg and Rachel Hunter. Rod Stewart has eight children with five different women.
- Heavy metal band Slipknot reached No. 1 on the British chart with their sixth studio album “We Are Not Your Kind”. The album also reached No. 1 in the U.S., Canada, and nine other countries.
- Taylor Swift released her seventh studio album “Lover” through Republic Records, her first album after ending her partnership with her former label Big Machine Records. The optimistic-sounding record contrasted with her previous album “Reputation”. All 18 tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100, setting a record for the number of songs by a female artist simultaneously on the chart. The album reached number one in 20 countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Sweden and the UK, and became her sixth US number-one album on the Billboard chart.
- NASA's Mars InSight mission named a small rock on Mars after The Rolling Stones. The golf-ball-sized rock rolled approximately three feet during the probe's landing in November 2018 as a result of the force of its thrusters. Mick Jagger was delighted and joked that he would like to bring it back and display it on the band's mantelpiece.
- Billie Eilish reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with „Bad Guy“, ending the record nineteen-week reign of „Old Town Road“ by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. It was her first No. 1 single in the U.S.; the song reached No. 2 in the U.K. and No. 1 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and Russia. In 2020 it won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
- Slipknot reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart with their sixth studio album „We Are Not Your Kind“. The album topped 15 charts worldwide.
- Ed Sheeran concluded his ÷ (Divide) tour with a concert at Chantry Park in Ipswich, England, near his hometown of Framlingham. The tour began on March 16, 2017 and grossed $775.6 million over 255 concerts, setting a record for the highest-grossing concert tour. After two and a half years on the road, he announced that he wanted to take a break.
- Tool released the album “Fear Inoculum”, their first new studio project in 13 years. The album reached No. 1 in the USA.
- Ed Sheeran's first compilation album "No.6 Collaborations Project" reached No. 1 on the UK album chart. The album featured, among others, Eminem, 50 Cent, Camila Cabello, Bruno Mars, and Justin Bieber. In 2019, the album reached No. 1 on the charts in 20 countries.
- Noel Gallagher said he wanted to start a petition to break up Foo Fighters. He was responding to comments made by the band's frontman, Dave Grohl.
- Lana Del Rey released the album “Norman Fucking Rockwell!”.
- Tool released their fifth studio album “Fear Inoculum”, their first album in 13 years. Their previous album was “10,000 Days” from 2006. The album debuted at No. 1 in six countries and two of its songs were nominated for Grammy Awards. “7empest” won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
- Ellie Goulding married art dealer Caspar Jopling at York Minster Cathedral in England. Guests included Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Tracey Emin, Sienna Miller, James Blunt, Princess Eugenie and Sarah, Duchess of York.
- Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with "Senorita". The song became an international hit and topped more than 50 charts around the world.
- Rapper Young Thug reached No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart with his debut studio album, "So Much Fun".
- In the United Kingdom, Elton John was honored with a new set of Royal Mail postage stamps dedicated to his career. He became only the second individual musical artist to receive the honor, after David Bowie in 2017.
- American songwriter, arranger and vocal producer LeShawn Daniels died in a car accident at the age of 41. He became known for working with Michael Jackson, Destiny’s Child, Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston and Jennifer Lopez, among others.
- According to material published by Billboard, Taylor Swift equaled Elvis Presley’s number of Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. “Lover” moved from No. 19 to No. 10 and became her 25th Top 10 hit.
- Ed Sheeran and rapper Stormzy began a five-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “Take Me Back to London.”
- Taylor Swift reached number one on the UK albums chart with her seventh studio album, Lover.
- Country supergroup The Highwomen, consisting of Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby, released their debut album, "The Highwomen". The group's name refers to The Highwaymen, who formed in 1985 with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.
- Melissa Viviane Jefferson, known as Lizzo, reached No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Truth Hurts”, beginning a six-week run at the top. After appearing in the film “Someone Great”, where Gina Rodriguez sings the song after several drinks to cope with a breakup, the song reached No. 1 in the US almost two years after its initial release. Lizzo won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance for the song.
- Taylor Swift reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 with her seventh studio album Lover. The album also reached No. 1 in 19 other countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia.
- American blues guitarist Beverly Watkins died at the age of 80. During her career, she worked with artists including James Brown, B. B. King, Ray Charles, and Dr. Feelgood.
- Published accounts showed that Ed Sheeran Ltd made a gross profit of £23,770,262 in 2018, equivalent to approximately £65,124 per day. He paid £4,506,139 in taxes.
- Barrie Masters, singer of Eddie & The Hot Rods, died at the age of 63. The band was formed in Canvey Island, Essex, in 1975 and was part of the pub rock scene. Their greatest success came in 1977 with the hit “Do Anything You Wanna Do,” which reached the Top 10.
- Kim Shattuck, singer, guitarist, and songwriter of The Muffs and former bassist of Pixies, died at the age of 56 after a two-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Her bandmates remembered her as a brilliant songwriter, great guitarist, and exceptional singer and “screamer.”
- Liam Gallagher reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with his second solo studio album Why Me? Why Not. The album's first single, “Shockwave,” became one of his biggest solo hits and the best-selling vinyl single of 2019 in the UK.
- The Warner Bros. Pictures film Joker used Gary Glitter's song “Rock and Roll Part 2.” The use of the song caused controversy because of Glitter's conviction for sexual offenses and concerns that he might receive significant royalties from the film. The rights holders later confirmed that Gary Glitter would receive no royalties or other payments from the use of the song because he had previously sold his rights; in the US, the publishing rights are held by Universal Music Publishing Group.
- The album Abbey Road returned to number one on the UK albums chart 49 years and 252 days after its previous reign, following an expanded 50th-anniversary reissue. This set a UK record for the longest gap between two periods in which an album topped the albums chart. It had originally spent 17 weeks at number one in 1969 and 1970.
- Lawrence “Larry” Junstrom, bassist and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died at the age of 70.
- Legendary English drummer and Cream co-founder Peter Edward “Ginger” Baker died at the age of 80. He was also a member of Blind Faith and founded the supergroup Ginger Baker's Air Force; during his career he worked with, among others, Fela Kuti and Public Image Ltd. Cream released four albums and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Baker died after a short serious illness; it was later reported that complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were the cause.
- Larry Junstrom, a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd and longtime bassist of .38 Special, died at the age of 70. He was with Lynyrd Skynyrd from the band's founding in 1964 until 1971 and joined .38 Special in 1976.
- Malcolm “Molly” Duncan, a founding member and tenor saxophonist of The Average White Band, died at the age of 74. The group had a hit with “Pick Up the Pieces” in 1974.
- Pitbull had his famous catchphrase “grito” registered as a trademark, making it one of the few sounds protected by a trademark and probably the first such sound registered by a recording artist.
- Australian singer Tones and I began an eleven-week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “Dance Monkey.” The song became a worldwide success and topped the charts in more than 30 countries.
- George Chambers, a founding member and the eldest brother of psychedelic soul group The Chambers Brothers, dies aged 88.