Rap

John Etheridge is born in London, UK. He will find success as a guitarist, working with Soft Machine, Darryl Way's Wolf and others.

Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley enters the Billboard R'n'B Singles chart in the USA, where it will peak at No1. The song has particular significance in the history of rock'n'roll because it is widely regarded as the first to have introduced African rhythms into rock through its adaptation of the insistent djouba rhythm, also known as The Hambone. This rhythm has inspired and formed the basis of numerous other rock recordings by artists including Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away, The Who's Magic Bus, Bruce Springsteen's She's the One, George Michael's Faith and Jealous Love by Anders Osborne, to name just a handful.

US deejay/promoter Alan Freed's week-long revue spends its fourth day at the Apollo Theater, Harlem, New York City, USA, featuring Bo Diddley, Big Maybelle, Jo Ann Campbell, Bobby Day, The Cadillacs, and The Wheels.

Sales of the latest Elvis Presley single, Stuck On You, pass the one and a half million mark in the USA.

I'm Sorry by Brenda Lee reaches No1 in Cash Box magazine'schart of the best-selling pop singles in the USA.

Fabian and Duane Eddy play the last night of a week at The Steel Pier,Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.

Ray Charles plays the last night in a week of shows at The Apollo Theater, Harlem, New York City, supported by Maxine Brown plus Don And Juan.

Despite facing severe losses, The Twist Spectacular Tour plays the second of five nights at St Nicholas Arena, New York City, headlined by Chubby Checker with Joey Dee And The Starliters, Dee Dee Sharp, The Dovells and The Carroll Brothers.

Gene Vincent, Jess Conrad, Emile Ford and The Allisons play at The Granada, Sutton, UK.

Barbra Streisand performs Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered on syndicated tv show PM Starring Mike Wallace, in New York City, USA.

Mel Torme and Carmen McRae perform live on the tv show Jazz Casual, in KQED Televison Studios, San Francisco, California, USA.

Claiming that he is $250 in arrears on child support payments, Janice Rogers, the first wife of Kenny Rogers, files charges against her ex-husband for his failure to pay $80 each month.

The Motor Town Special, a two-month long all-Motown package tour featuring The Miracles, The Supremes, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, The Contours, The Marvelettes, Martha And The Vandellas and Little Stevie Wonder, plays a date in The Magnolia Ballroom, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

The Motor Town Special, a two-month long all-Motown package tour featuring The Miracles, The Supremes, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, The Contours, The Marvelettes, Martha And The Vandellas and Little Stevie Wonder, plays a date in the Civic Auditorium, Greensville, South Carolina, USA.

Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys is born in Brooklyn, New York City, USA.

The Steve Miller Band play in a benefit concert for poster and album cover artist Alton Kelley at The Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, California, USA.

The Graham Bond Initiation play at The Marquee Club, London, England, UK, Europe, supported by Tarzan.

When ZZ Top play at the City Park Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, they break the previous highest attendance record which had been set by Led Zeppelin.

Caravan play at Exeter University, Exeter, UK.

On their World Vacation tour, Van Halen play at The Checkerdome, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, supported by Robert Fleischman.

Nicole Richie, the adopted daughter of musician Lionel Richie, is born in Berkeley, California, USA. She will find fame as an actress, author, socialite, singer [with the group Darling] and TV personality.

On their Hide Your Sheep Tour [aka the K.A.T.N. (Kicking Ass and Taking Names tour) Tour], Van Halen play the first of two nights at The Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, USA, supported by After The Fire.

Ozzy Osbourne plays at The Metro Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, supported by Motley Crue.

Loc'ed After Dark by Tone Loc is certified as a double platinum album by the R.I.A.A. in the USA.

On his Trash Tour, Alice Cooper plays at The Performing Arts Center, Tampa, Florida, USA.

R. Kelly marries 15 year old R'n'B vocalist Aaliyah at the Sheraton Gateway Suites in Rosemont. Believing the ceremony to be joke, Aailiyah plays along until, just a few hours later, she realizes she has been duped into a real, but illegal, marriage, complete with a faked certificate listing her age as 18. With the help of her family, the couple are soon separated and the marriage is annulled a few weeks later in Detroit, Illinois, USA.

Rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard of the Wu Tang Clan is taken to hospital after being shot in the arm and back while trying to prevent a robbery at his cousin's home in Brooklyn, New York City, USA.

Shaggy plays at Wembley Arena, London, England, UK.

The BRIT Awards Ceremony is held in London, England, UK, with winners as follows:

• Best British Male Artist - Robbie Williams
• Best British Female Artist - Dido;
• Best British Group - Travis;
• Best British Album - Dido;
• Best British Newcomer - Blue;
• Best British Single - S Club 7;
• Best British Video - So Solid Crew;
• Best British Dance Act - Basement Jaxx;
• Best International Male - Shaggy;
• Best International Female - Kylie Minogue;
• Best International Group - Destiny's Child;
• Best International Album - Kylie Minogue;
• Best International Newcomer - The Strokes;
• Pop Act - Westlife;
• Outstanding Contribution - Sting.

In New York City, U.S. District Judge Gerard Lynch sentences female rapper L'il Kim to a year and a day in prison and fines her $50,000 for lying to a federal grand jury to protect friends involved in a 2001 shootout outside a Manhattan radio station.

Missy Elliott releases a new album, The Cookbook, in the UK on Atlantic Records.

Method Man and Redman play at The Shores Complex, Adelaide, Australia, Oceania.

Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour plays at The Tweeter Center, Tinley Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA, supported by My Chemical Romance.

New York City rapper MF Bash, formerly known as Invizabul Man, dies from heart problems.

Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys attends The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Awards gala at Cipriani, New York City, USA.

When Alicia Keys' Freedom tour plays at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA, she is joined onstage by Beyonce and Jay-Z.

Eminem releases a new CD single Not Afraid on Polydor Records in the UK.

Rapper DMX is sentenced to ninety days in jail on a reckless driving charge in Los Angeles, California, USA.

The Dave Matthews Band Caravan plays the first of three nights at Lakeside, Chicago, Illinois, USA. The lineup over the course of the three nights also includes Kid Cudi, The Flaming Lips performing Dark Side Of The Moon, Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros, Amos Lee, Emmylou Harris, Ben Folds, G. Love And Special Sauce, Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings, Gomez, Drive-By Truckers, Michael Franti And Spearhead, Daniel Lanois' Black Dub, The Jayhawks, Soja, Soulive, The Wailers, Blind Pilot, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, TR3, Vieux Farka Toure, Alberta Cross, Mariachi El Bronx, Bobby Long, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Jeff Coffin's Mu'tet and Gary Clark Jr.

Outkast, Mogwai, Foals, Phosphorescent, Cage The Elephant, Kid Cudi, Damien Jurado, De La Soul, Rudimental, Foster The People and others play at The Sasquatch! Music Festival 2014, The Gorge Amphitheatre, George, Washington, USA.

Ed Sheeran, Nicki Minaj, Aloe Blacc, The Roots and Jennifer Hudson play in the Philly 4th Of July Jam in Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Amp Live releases a new album, Headphone Concerto, on Plug Research Records in the UK.

LL Cool J is awarded the 2,571st Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood, California, USA. Sean "Diddy" Combs and Queen Latifah attend the event.

Rapper T.I. is arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, following an incident in which a security guard refused him entry to his gated Eagle's Landing community because he had lost his keys. In an intoxicated state, T.I. confronted the guard using "vulgar, profane and unbecoming language" which led to the rapped being held on three counts of disorderly conduct.