Events in 2023
- Taylor Swift gave her truck drivers on the Eras Tour an extraordinary $100,000 bonus each in recognition of their work. Total bonuses reportedly exceeded $55 million for performers and crew members.
- For the first time since 1958, country songs occupied the top three positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100: “Try That in a Small Town” by Jason Aldean, “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen and “Fast Car” by Luke Combs.
- English artist Jamie Reid, best known for his work on the album Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and the singles “Anarchy in the U.K.” and “God Save the Queen”, died at the age of 76.
- Singer and songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, whose story was featured in the documentary Searching for Sugar Man, died at the age of 81.
- Robbie Robertson, guitarist and songwriter with The Band, died after a long illness at the age of 80. He was also renowned as Bob Dylan’s lead guitarist. The Band began as Ronnie Hawkins’ backing group The Hawks, later backed Bob Dylan and eventually became an independent act with the 1968 album “Music From Big Pink”. Over the following ten years, they released eleven more albums and finally disbanded in 1978.
- The Hip Hop 50 Live concert took place at Yankee Stadium, celebrating 50 years since the birth of hip hop, associated with DJ Kool Herc and his Bronx party. Performers included Snoop Dogg, The Sugarhill Gang, Lauryn Hill and Run-D.M.C., for whom it was their final performance.
- The Jonas Brothers launched their Five Albums, One Night tour at Yankee Stadium with a 66-song setlist.
- American music producer and manager Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M Records with Herb Alpert, died at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, at the age of 88.
- Travis Scott was at No. 1 on the US chart with his fourth studio album, Utopia. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at No. 1 and became his first album to top the UK chart.
- Liam Gallagher was at No. 1 on the UK chart with Knebworth 22. The album was recorded during the first of his concerts at the Knebworth festival on June 3 and 4, 2022, which attracted 170,000 people over the two nights. It became his fifth solo album to reach No. 1 in the UK.
- Ray Hildebrand, “Paul” of the pop duo Paul and Paula, died at the age of 82. With his partner Jill Jackson, he reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1963 with “Hey Paula.” After two more Top 40 hits, the duo split in 1965, and Hildebrand subsequently turned to Christian music.
- American songwriter and producer Bob Feldman died at the age of 83. Together with Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, he wrote several hits including “My Boyfriend's Back” by The Angels in 1963. In 1964, the three founded The Strangeloves, who had the hit “I Want Candy”. The trio also wrote the song “Sorrow”, later successful in versions by The Merseys and David Bowie, and produced The McCoys' hit “Hang On Sloopy”.
- The Republican presidential debate opened with a sample of Oliver Anthony's song “Rich Men North Of Richmond”, which criticizes corrupt and incompetent politicians in Washington. The candidates were asked why the song had generated such a strong response across the country.
- Bernie Marsden, the original guitarist of Whitesnake, died at the age of 72. Together with David Coverdale, he wrote the band's 1987 hit „Here I Go Again“, which reached No. 1 on the chart.
- Oliver Anthony reached No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Rich Men North of Richmond”, becoming the first artist with no previous chart history on any chart to debut directly at the top. The song was recorded outdoors in one take in the presence of his dogs.
- Sean “Diddy” Combs donated $1 million to the Earn Your Leisure fund to support financial literacy and subsequently donated another $1 million to the football team of Jackson State University in support of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Diddy is an alumnus of the HBCU Howard University.
- American guitarist Jack Sonni, known as the “second guitarist” of Dire Straits during the “Brothers in Arms” era, died at the age of 68. He met Dire Straits founding members and guitarists David and Mark Knopfler in 1978 while working at Rudy's Music Stop guitar store in Manhattan.