Birthdays
- 1917 - Lena Horne (d. 2010)
- 1920 - Eddie Stoneman (Stoneman Family) (d. 2001)
- 1936 - Doyle Holly (Buckaroos) (d. 2007)
- 1937 - Larry Henley (songwriter) (d. 2014)
- 1939 - Tony Hatch (songwriter)
- 1940 - Larry Hall (d. 1997)
- 1943 - Florence Ballard (Supremes) (d. 1976)
- 1944 - Glen Shorrock (Little River Band)
- 1946 - Billy Brown (Ray, Goodman & Brown) (
- 1949 - Andy Scott (Sweet)
- 1951 - Stanley Clarke
- 1953 - Hal Lindes (Dire Straits)
- 1954 - Bryn Burrows (Fabulous Poodles)
- 1956 - Adrian Wright (Human League)
- 1956 - Ronald Winans (Winans)
- 1957 - Doug Sampson (Iron Maiden)
- 1962 - Julianne Regan (All About Eve)
- 1963 - Yngwie J. Malmsteen
- 1963 - Dwayne O'Brien (Little Texas)
- 1968 - Phil Anselmo (Pantera)
- 1969 - Tom Drummond (Better Than Ezra)
- 1979 - Andrew Burrows (Razorlight)
- 1980 - Lee Brice
- 1981 - Andy Knowles (Franz Ferdinand)
- 1983 - Cheryl Cole (Girls Aloud)
- 1983 - Patrick Wolf
- 1983 - Anton Gordon (One True Voice)
- 1983 - Cole Swindell
- 1984 - Fantasia Barrino
- 1985 - T-Pain (born Faheem Najm)
Deaths
- 1954 - R. W. Blackwood & Bill Lyles (Blackwood Brothers) - Plane Crash
- 1995 - Phyllis Hyman - Suicide (45)
- 1997 - Chuck Seals (songwriter, Crazy Arms)
- 2001 - Chet Atkins - Colon cancer (77)
- 2001 - Joe Henderson - Heart failure and emphysema (64)
- 2003 - Sam Phillips (80)
- 2011 - Ruth Roberts (songwriter) (84)
- 2018 - Dean Webb (Dillards) (81)
On This Day
- 1922 - A.C. "Eck" Robertson became the first fiddler and country musician to record. He set down eight tracks for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
- 1939 - Frank Sinatra made his first appearance with Harry James.
- 1948 - The use of transistors to replace tubes is announced by Bell Labs, making the Transistor Radio possible.
- 1965 - Roy Orbison moved from Monument to MGM Records for $1 million.
- 1967 - Mick Jagger and Keith Richard were freed from a London jail where they were held for drug charges.
- 1975 - The Jackson Five announced they were leaving Motown Records for Epic. Motown didn't allow them to take their name so they changed to the Jacksons.
- 1976 - Neil Diamond's home was raided by police looking for drugs; however, less than an ounce of marijuana was found.
- 1976 - An ad placed by Stuart Goddard in Britain's Melody Maker looking for a musical partner was answered by Andy Warren. Goddard changed his name to Adam Ant and the Ants were born.
- 1977 - Marvel comics published a KISS comic book.
- 1977 - Steve Wariner was signed to his first recording contract by Chet Atkins for RCA.
- 1981 - The Jim Reeves museum opened in Nashville.
- 1981 - Jerry Lee Lewis had emergency surgery for a perforation in his stomach.
- 1982 - Lena Horne's one-woman Broadway show closes after 333 performances.
- 1983 - The Everly Brothers announced their reunion.
- 1989 - Six people were injured in the crush of a Bobby Brown appearance at a record store in London.
- 1989 - The Beatles sued Dave Clark to stop him from selling a recording of the show Ready Steady Go that featured the group.
- 1989 - The Jerry Lee Lewis biopic, Great Balls of Fire, opened.
- 1993 - Kenny Chesney signed with Capricorn Records, his first recording contract.
- 1994 - Pearl Jam members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament testified in front of congress over rising concert ticket prices and the involvement of Ticketmaster.
- 1995 - Garth Brooks received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 1996 - Neil Young premiered his album Broken Arrow over the internet two days before its release.
- 1998 - The year's Warped Tour opened in Phoenix, including the Specials and Bad Religion.
- 1998 - Ol' Dirty Bastard is shot in the back during an attempted robbery although the wound is not deemed serious.
- 1999 - Eric Clapton played a benefit at Madison Square Garden for his Crossroads Center with guests Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige and Bob Dylan.
- 2000 - Nine people were killed during Pearl Jam's set at the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark.
- 2000 - Daryl Worley made his Grand Ole Opry debut.
- 2001 - Al Jardine sued the rest of the Beach Boys for $4 million, saying that he had been frozen out of the group. He lost the case two years later.
- 2001 - The Rockabilly Hall of Fame opened in Jackson, TN.
- 2004 - Dave Davies of the Kinks was left paralyzed on his right side after suffering a stroke.
- 2004 - Pete Doherty was fired from the Libertines because of his addictions.
- 2004 - Gloria Estefan announced she was retiring from the road after her Live and Re-Wrapped Tour.
- 2004 - David Bowie cancelled all further dates on his Reality tour because of a pinched nerve in his shoulder.
- 2005 - Nick Carter of the Back Street Boys was fined $1,200 for a DUI and put on probation for three-years.
- 2005 - Olivia Newton-John's boyfriend, Patrick McDermott, went on a fishing trip and was never heard from again.
- 2006 - The Cirque du Soleil show "Love" with the music of the Beatles opened in Las Vegas.
- 2007 - R.E.M. started a five-night run in Dublin that was billed as a "working rehearsal" for their album Accelerate.
- 2013 - Kenny Rogers played the veterans' spot at the Glastonbury Festival.
- 2014 - Jim Guercio sold his Caribou Ranch property, home of the recording studio of the same name.
Marriages
- 1975 - Cher and Gregg Allman
- 2008 - Olivia Newton-John and John Easterling
Divorces
- 1966 - Johnny Cash and Vivian (filed by Vivian)
- 1980 - Dottie West and Byron Metcalf (filed by West)
- 1998 - Vince Gill and Janice Gill (Sweethearts of the Rodeo)
- 1998 - Tracy Lawrence and Stacie Drew
- 2006 - Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey (98 Degrees)
Recorded
- 1953 - Crying in the Chapel - Orioles
- 1966 - You Keep Me Hanging On - Supremes
Released
- 1971 - Stephen Stills 2 - Stephen Stills
- 1973 - Fresh - Sly & the Family Stone
- 1977 - Love Gun - Kiss
- 1978 - Love You More - Buzzcocks (single, second shortest single ever at 1:29)
- 1980 - The Game - Queen
- 1980 - Real People - Chic
- 1980 - Lookin' For Love - Johnny Lee (single)
- 1981 - Breakin' Away - Al Jarreau
- 1986 - The Seer - Big Country
- 1986 - True Blue - Madonna
- 1986 - Back in the High Life - Steve Winwood
- 1987 - La Bamba - Los Lobos / Soundtrack
- 1987 - Life - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
- 1987 - Highway 101 - Highway 101 (debut album)
- 1992 - Dry - P.J. Harvey
- 1992 - Come On Come On - Mary Chapin Carpenter
- 1992 - The Art of Rebellion - Suicidal Tendencies
- 1998 - Behind the Front - Black Eyed Peas (debut)
- 1998 - System of a Down - System of a Down (debut)
- 1998 - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams
- 2009 - Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top - Joey Kramer (book)
Broadcasts
- 1957 - Ed Sullivan Show (CBS) - Everly Brothers (national TV debut), Bonnie Guitar
- 1965 - Shindig - Jerry Lee Lewis, Chad & Jeremy, Jackie Wilson, Righteous Brothers, Blossoms, Glen Campbell, Donna Loren, Bobby Sherman, Shindogs
- 1965 - Where the Action Is - Jackie DeShannon, Eddie Hodges, Velvelettes
- 1966 - Where the Action Is - Neil Diamond, Cryin' Shames, Tina Mason
- 1968 - The Summer Brothers Smothers Show - Glen Campbell
- 1978 - Midnight Special - Martin Mull (host), Flo & Eddie, Mink De Ville, Robert Palmer, Jethro Tull
- 2008 - The Young and the Restless (CBS) - Little Richard
Number Ones - U.S. Singles
- 1973 - Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) - George Harrison (1 week)
- 1979 - Ring My Bell - Anita Ward (2 weeks)
- 1990 - Step by Step - New Kids on the Block (3 weeks)
- 2018 - Sad! - XXXTentacion (1 week)
Number Ones - U.S. Albums
- 1945 - Glenn Miller - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (5 weeks (2 previous weeks))
- 1984 - Sports - Huey Lewis & the News (1 week)
- 1990 - Step by Step - New Kids on the Block (1 week)
- 2001 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket - Blink-182 (1 week)
- 2007 - Big Dog Daddy - Toby Keith (1 week)
- 2012 - Looking For Myself - Usher (1 week)
- 2018 - Youngblood - 5 Seconds of Summer (1 week)
Number Ones - U.S. R&B Singles
- 1951 - Sixty Minute Man - Dominoes (14 weeks)
- 1984 - When Doves Cry - Prince (8 weeks)
- 1990 - All I Do Is Think of You - Troop (1 week)
- 2018 - Sad! - XXXTentacion (1 week)
Number Ones - U.S. Country Singles
- 1945 - At Mail Call Today - Gene Autrey (1 week (3 previous weeks at number 1))
- 1962 - Wolverton Mountain - Claude King (9 weeks)
- 1973 - Don't Fight the Feelings of Love - Charley Pride (1 week)
- 1979 - Amanda - Waylon Jennings (3 weeks)
- 1984 - I Can Tell By the Way You Dance (You're Gonna Love Me Tonight) - Vern Gosdin (1 week)
- 2007 - Ticks - Brad Paisley (1 week)
Number Ones - U.S. Adult Contemporary Singles
- 1984 - Almost Paradise - Mike Reno and Ann Wilson (1 week)
- 2001 - Thank You - Dido (1 week (1 previous week))
Number Ones - U.K. Singles
- 1973 - Skweeze Me Pleeze Me - Slade (3 weeks)
- 1979 - Are 'Friends' Electric? - Tubeway Army (4 weeks)
- 2001 - Lady Marmalade - Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya & Pink (1 week)
- 2012 - Payphone - Lady Gaga (1 week)
Number Ones - U.K. Albums
- 1973 - That'll Be the Day - Original Soundtrack (7 weeks)
- 1990 - Step by Step - New Kids on the Block (1 week)
- 2007 - Icky Thump - White Stripes (1 week)
- 2012 - Believe - Justin Bieber (1 week)
- 2016 - A Moon Shaped Pool - Radiohead (1 week)