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Lillian Glinn is born in Hillsboro, Texas, USA. She will find success as a pioneering female blues and country blues singer and songwriter.
Hugh Mendl is born in London, England, UK, Europe. He will become a celebrated record producer with Decca Records, responsible for Lonnie Donegan's first recordings, which launched the skiffle craze and led to the birth of British rock'n'roll. In the 1960s, he will be instrumental in bringing David Bowie and Genesis to Decca and will produce The Moody Blues' album Days of Future Passed.
The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League creates The Red, Black And Green flag as a response to the song Every Race Has A Flag But The Coon by Heelan and Helf. That song, along with Coon Coon Coon and All Coons Look Alike To Me were later identified by H.L. Mencken as being the songs which firmly established the derogatory term "coon" in the American vocabulary.
Singer Jo Stafford gives birth to a baby boy weighing six pounds and nine ounces in Santa Monica, California, USA.
Jazz trumpeter, singer and bandleader Hot Lips Page dies aged 46 in New York City, USA. He had suffered a heart attack seven days earlier, but his death was caused by complications from pneumonia.
Jeffrey Lee Pierce is born in Montebello, California, USA. He will find success as leader of The Gun Club.An inquest into the recent death of rock'n'roll idol Eddie Cochran continues at Bristol Assizes, Bristol, England, UK.
Elvis Presley is in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, re-shooting the ending of Wild In The Country, because pre-release screening audiences did not like the original ending in which Hope Lange committed suicide.
World Welterweight Boxing Champion Benny 'Kid' Paret is so seriously injured in a championship fight in Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA, against challenger Emile Griffith III that he is taken to hospital. He will die ten days later at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan from massive brain hemorrhaging. The grim circumstances of his death will inspire folk singer Gil Turner to compose the song Benny 'Kid' Paret, which he will record later in the year.
The Case Of The Lover's Leap, an episode of the tv detective series Perry Mason, airs for the first time in the USA. The show centres on a murderer who fakes his own suicide in order to escape justice and, years later, it will inspire Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy to write the song Suicide.
In Jackson, Mississippi, USA, anti-segregation campaigner Medgar Evers is shot in the back and killed by a white racist gunman. Evers' death will be the spark for the Bob Dylan song Only A Pawn In Their Game. Nina Simone's 1964 song Mississippi Goddam will also deal with the death of Medgar Evers.
The assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, USA, inspired almost as many songs as it did conspiracy theories. Among the most memorable are He Was A Friend Of Mine by The Byrds [and others], Abraham, Martin And John by Marvin Gaye [and others], Dallas 1pm by Saxon and November 22nd 1963 by Destroy All Monsters. And let's not forget JAMES DOTSON - A Tragedy In Dallas, THE JUSTICE BROTHERS - The Tragedy Of John F. Kennedy, THE SOUTHERN GOSPEL BAND - The Death Of John F. Kennedy, HASIL ADKINS - Memories Of Kennedy, JIM KLINK - The Death Of John F. Kennedy, BUDDY PASTUCK - John F. Kennedy, BILL KUSHNER - J.F.K.bAnd That Terrible Day, HONORABLE BOB PETERS - A Sunny Day In Dallas, HAYDEN PRIVETT - The Death Of John F. Kennedy, JOHNNY DEE - A Tribute To President Kennedy, RALPH RYAN - The Death Of John F. Kennedy, LOWELL YODER - Don't Blame The State Of Texas, HASILADKINS - Memories Of Kennedy, JOHNNY TUCKER - Mr. Kennedy, BOBBY JENZEN - Two Brothers, HOMER HENDERSON - Lee Harvey Was A Friend Of Mine. In March 2020, Bob Dylan will release a seventeen minute song, Murder Most Foul, which focuses largely on the assassination of Kennedy.
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Claudette Orbison, the wife of Roy Orbison, dies in a motorcyle crash in Gallatin, Tennessee, USA. Orbison will write It's Too Soon To Know about his feelings following her death. He had previously written Claudette about her.
Rezso Seress, composer of Gloomy Sunday, a song with a reputation for causing listeners to commit suicide, kills himself in Budapest, Hungary, Europe.
Mary Ann Ganser of The Shangri-Las dies of a drug overdose, aged 22, in Queens, New York City, USA. The cause of her death is variously said to have been drugs, a seizure or encephalitis.
A coffin containing the body of country-rock star Gram Parsons is stolen from LAX Airport, Los Angeles, California, USA, by his road manager, Phil Kaufman, who drives it out to the Joshua Tree National Monument in the Navajo Desert and sets fire to the corpse, in accordance with a request made by Parsons before his death. The incident is immortalised in the song Fast Cars And Rented Beds by Julian Dawson on his 2004 album Bedroom Suite. The 2003 movie Grand Theft Parsons is about the same incident. Another song inspired by the life [and death] of Gram Parsons is My Man by The Eagles.
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Phyllis Major, the wife of Jackson Browne, commits suicide with an overdose of barbiturates in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA. At least two of Browne's subsequent songs, Sleep's Dark And Silent Gate and The Shape Of A Heart, will be inspired by Major. Also, an earlier song, Ready Or Not, was written about how Browne and Major first got together after meeting in The Troubadour club in Los Angeles.
Elvis Presley collapses while sitting on his toilet in Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, after ingesting a cocktail of drugs including Morphine, Demerol, Chloropheniramine, Placidyl, Valium, Codeine, Ethinamate, Quaaludes and an unidentified barbiturate. He dies later in the day at the Baptist Memorial Hospital.
His death will inspire numerous songs including Elvis Ain't Dead by Scouting For Girls, Elvis Is Dead by Peter And The Test Tube Babies, Elvis Is Dead by Living Colour, Dead Elvis by The Doug Anthony All Stars, Dead Elvis by Michael Daugherty and The Day Elvis Died by Boxcar Willie.
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His death will inspire numerous songs including Elvis Ain't Dead by Scouting For Girls, Elvis Is Dead by Peter And The Test Tube Babies, Elvis Is Dead by Living Colour, Dead Elvis by The Doug Anthony All Stars, Dead Elvis by Michael Daugherty and The Day Elvis Died by Boxcar Willie.
Actor William Holden dies alone at home in Santa Monica, California, USA. While intoxicated, he slips on a rug, severely lacerating his forehead on a bedside table, and bleeds to death. His death will inspire the 2018 song The Day William Holden Died by Dan Stuart, and is also referred to in Suzanne Vega's 1987 song Tom's Diner.
Three fans are trampled to death at a concert by Puerto Rican teen sensations Menudo, in Zaragoza Baseball Stadium, Puebla, Mexico, North America.
European singing star Dalida, plagued by depression and a chaotic love life, commits suicide in Paris, France, Europe, with an overdose of barbiturates, leaving a note which reads, "Forgive me, life has become unbearable for me...". She had first found success in 1954 with her international hit single Bambina, and eventually sold over 85m records worldwide.65,000 fans make the annual pilgrimage to the three-day-long Glastonbury Festival, Pilton, Somerset, England, UK, where a £28 ticket gives them the opportunity to savour the delights of The Wonderstuff, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Pixies and Suzanne Vega (who appears despite a death threat). Those wanting a programme pay a further £2.
Slaughter Shack, Hull abaloo, Candy Striper, Death Orgy, Temporary Insanity and Imetapsyche play at The Channel, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Suicide Blonde by INXS enters the ARIA Singles Chat in Australia at No6. It will peak at No2. The blues harp intro to the song is a sample from a Charlie Musselwhite track.
Rob Pilatus of shamed pop duo Milli Vanilli attempts suicide in the Mondrian Hotel, Sunset Strip, Los Angeles, California, USA, by taking an overdose of pills and slashing his wrists.
English-born soul / neo-soul and R'n'B singer and songwriter
Ephraim Lewis dies dies after having apparently jumped from a fourth floor balcony in Los Angeles, California, USA. His death will be ruled as suicide, but some reports say that LAPD officers stunned him with a Taser after a hyperactive exchange, perhaps connected to his use of methamphetamine.
Six year old Katherine Korzilius unexpectedly fails to return to her home in Elder Circle, Austin, Texas, USA. She is later found face down on the asphalt about six houses away from the family home. Late that night, Katherine dies from head injuries, but the precise cause of those injuries is never established and no-one is ever charged with having harmed Katherine. She was the daughter of Paul Korzilius, long-time tour manager of Bon Jovi, and in 1997 the band will release the song August 7, 4:15, inspired by the tragic events surrounding her mysterious death.
Lance Dickerson, who found success as the drummer with Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, dies, having committed suicide, in Fairfax, California, USA.
Damien Patrick Holland, the son of R'n'B vocalist Chaka Khan surrenders to police in Los Angeles, California, USA, after he learns that prosecutors have charged him with murder in the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy.
The Ordinary Boys release a new single, Life Will Be The Death Of Me, on b-unique Records in the UK.
Celebrated record producer Hugh Mendl dies aged 88 in Torbay, Devon, UK, Europe. Mendl was responsible for Lonnie Donegan's first recordings, which launched the skiffle craze and led to the birth of British rock'n'roll. In the 1960s he was instrumental in bringing David Bowie and Genesis to Decca and produced The Moody Blues' album Days of Future Passed.
Sony Music are heavily criticised for having increased the price of Whitney Houston's album The Ultimate Collection by 60% on Apple's iTunes Store just hours after the singer's death.
An individual going by the name of @Gunn2urhead begins sending death threats via Twitter to Shirley Manson, the singer with Garbage. On this day alone, over 200 threats are sent.
Opening statements in the lawsuit by Katherine Jackson against concert promoter AEG Live, are made in court in Los Angeles, California, USA. Katherine Jackson is suing AEG claiming that the company's negligent behaviour led to the death of her son Michael Jackson in 2009 from an overdose of Propofol.
Just days after the death of David Bowie, his 1972 single Starman re-enters the Official UK Singles Chart at No1. Also, his latest album, Blackstar, debuts at No1 with combined sales approaching 150,000, giving him his tenth chart-topping record and the fastest-selling album of the year so far.
Daniel Dion, the 59-year-old brother of Celine Dion, dies of brain, tongue and throat cancer in hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Daniel's death follows just two days after Celine Dion's husband Rene Angelil also died from cancer.
Bruce Springsteen cancels a concert in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, because of a state law which has invalidated anti-discrimination measures that protected gay and transgender people. The law also requires people to use public toilets that correspond to the sex listed on their birth certificates. 
Grammy Award-winning country music singer-songwriter Guy Clark, dies aged 74 at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. His death follows a long illness, including a ten-year struggle with lymphoma.
73-year-old Rolling Stones' singer Mick Jagger becomes a father for the eighth time when 29-year-old Melani e Hamrick, give birth to a baby boy. Jagger is at the hospital for the birth in New York City, USA.
Walter Morrison, aka Junie, dies aged 62 in London, England, UK, Europe. No cause of death is reported. Junie first found success as keyboard player, vocalist, producer and songwriter for the Ohio Players during the early '70s, but later went on to work with Parliament-Funkadelic.
During the changeover period between the performances of Alt-J and Green Day at The Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, Spain, Europe, acrobat Pedro Aunion Monroy falls to his death from 30m above the stage.
Mike Shinoda releases his second solo project, the three-track EP, Post Traumatic, whose songs focus on Shinoda's feelings after the death by suicide of his Linkin Park colleague and longtime friend Chester Bennington, on July 20, 2017.
Incognito, a rapper in the drill music scene in London, England, UK, Europe, is stabbed to death. It is later learned that he had been cleared at the Old Bailey in January of murdering Abdirahman Mohamed. Incognito is the second member of drill music group Moscow17 to have been killed on Warham Street, Camberwell, in three months.Roky Erickson, best-known as leader of the 60s psychedelic band The 13th Floor Elevators, dies aged 71 in Austin, Texas, USA. No cause of death is released at this time.
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Music industry manager Elliot Roberts, dies aged 76 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Details of the cause of his death are not immediately reported. His best-known clients were Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.
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Rapper Coolio dies aged 59 in Los Angeles, Californa, USA. He is found dead on the bathroom floor in a friend's house. No cause of death is announced at the time.
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At 23.45, a 23-year-old man is stabbed to death on the dance floor of The Crane nightclub in Adderley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, England, UK, Europe. The incident happens during a Boxing Day event featuring well-known techno DJ Marco Carola.
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