Africa

Popular UK singer/whistler Roger Whittaker is born in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa.

Cesaria Evora is born in Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde, Macaronesia. She will win international fame as a singer and recording artist. Nicknamed the "Barefoot Diva" for performing without shoes, she will also become known as the "Queen of Morna".

Red Nichols And His 5 Pennies play at Club Morocco, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Sonny Okosuns is born in Enugu, Nigeria, Africa. He will find success as a singer, guitarist and composer in styles including reggae, highlife, Afro-funk and gospel.

Freddie Mercury of Queen spends the last of three days at Limehouse Studios, London, England, UK, Europe, making a video for his solo single I Was Born To Love You

Henri Azra (aka Henry Azra) is born in Casablanca, Morocco, Africa. After moving to Canada as a teenager, and later to Los Angeles, he will become a respected and p[opular classical Moroccan musician.

The Coasters record Little Egypt, Girls Girls Girls and Weddin' Days in New York City, USA, for Atlantic Records. The session is produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

John Coltrane, Miriam Makeba, Oscar Brown Jr., and Machito's Band play the second night of a week at The Apollo Theater, Harlem, New York City, USA.

Brenda Lee plays the sixth night of a pre-Christmas season in The Congo Room of The Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Big Pete Deuchar's Country Blues play at The Marquee, Soho, London, England, UK, Europe, supported by The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers, who will eventually become Manfred Mann.

Manfred Mann play at The Marquee Club, Soho, London, England, UK, Europe, supported by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

Manfred Mann play at The Marquee Club, Soho, London, England, UK, Europe, supported by The Zoot Money R'n'B Group.

UK hitmakers Brian Poole And The Tremeloes fly to South Africa to begin a tour.

Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island, South Africa, for the crime of sabotage. The charge sheet at his trial listed 193 acts of sabotage in total. Inspired by Nelson Mandela's life and his plight, The Special AKA will release a single, Free Nelson Mandela, in 1984 on 2 Tone Records in the UK. The song will peak at No9 in the UK singles chart, and is widely credited with having helped achieve Mandela's release from prison.

The second day of the The 4th National Jazz and Blues festival - a three day event - in Richmond Athletic Grounds, Richmond. Surrey, UK, features Memphis Slim, Jimmy Witherspoon, The Chris Barber Band, Ottilie Patterson, The Alex Welsh Band, Colin Kingwell, Long John Baldry And The Hoochie Coochie Men, Manfred Mann, The Ronnie Scott Quartet, The Johnny Scott Quintet, The Dick Morrisey Quartet and The Tubby Hayes Big Band.

Manfred Mann record the traditional railroad murder ballad John Hardy at EMI's Abbey Road Studios, London, UK.

The Geordie Beat Show, a package tour featuring Manfred Mann, The Merseybeats, Joe Cocker and The McKinleys, plays at the Town Hall, Lewisham, UK.

Do Wah Diddy Diddy by Manfred Mann reaches No1 in the Canadian pop singles chart.

The Top Ten Records played on WABC Radio, New York City, USA, for the week ended on this date, are as follows :
1. Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison (Monument)
2. Last Kiss - J. Frank Wilson And the Cavaliers (Josie)
3. Do Wah Diddy Diddy - Manfred Mann (Ascot)
4. Baby Love - The Supremes [Motown]
5. Dancing In the Street - Martha And The Vandellas (Gordy)
6. A Summer Song - Chad Stuart And Jeremy Clyde (World Artists)
7. Leader of the Pack - The Shangri-Las (Red Bird)
8. We'll Sing in the Sunshine - Gale Garnett (RCA)
9. Let It Be Me - Betty Everett And Jerry Butler (VeeJay)
10. Have I The Right? - The Honeycombs (Interphon)

Manfred Mann are banned from singing their current UK hit, a version of Bob Dylan's If You Gotta Go, Go Now, when they appear on the BBC tv show Gadzooks. The show's producer describes the song as "unsuitable".

The Marquee Show, featuring Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez and Charlie Foxx, Paul and Barry Ryan, Gary Farr and the T-Bones, the Mark Leeman Five and The Scaffold, plays at The ABC, Cambridge, England, UK, Europe.

The Marquee Show, featuring Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez And Charlie Foxx, Paul And Barry Ryan, Gary Farr And The T-Bones, the Mark Leeman Five and The Scaffold, plays at The Coventry Theatre, Coventry, England, UK, Europe.

The Marquee Show, featuring Manfred Mann, The Yardbirds, Inez And Charlie Foxx, Paul And Barry Ryan, Gary Farr And The T-Bones, The Mark Leeman Five and The Scaffold, plays at The Granada, Bedford, England, UK, Europe

The Peddlers play on the BBC tv show Whistle Stop in the UK. The show is hosted by Roger Whittaker.

Manfred Mann return to the UK after playing at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, Europe.

Queen play at The Summit, Houston, Texas, USA.

Zeke Manyika And Dr. Love play at Riverside, Southampton, England, UK, Europe.

Sade plays the second of two nights at Wembley Arena, London, England, UK, Europe.

Nelson Mandela, the subject of many rock songs, including Free Nelson Mandela by The Special AKA is released from prison in South Africa.

Elton John plays the second of four nights at The Superbowl, Sun City, South Africa, accompanied by percussionist Ray Cooper.

An aeroplane carrying Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down as it prepares to land in Kigali, Rwanda, Africa. This action will set in motion 100 days of mass murder which have come to be known as the Rwandan Genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 Tutsi people will die at the hands of Hutu tribesmen. According to co-writer Isaac Slade, The Rwandan Genocide inspired the storyline of the song Heartbeat by his band The Fray.

The Dave Matthews Band attend a news conference in New York City, USA, to launch a search for an environmentally aware roadie to work with the band. The event is part of the Lick Global Warming campaign run by ice cream manufacturers Ben And Jerry’s.

The Dave Matthews Band plays at Sleeptrain Amphitheater, Marysville, California, USA.

The Concert for Relief benefit featuring the Dave Matthews Band, The Neville Brothers and The John Butler Trio raises $1.5 million for the Bama Works Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund to provide short-term disaster relief and long-term rebuilding efforts.

The Dave Matthews Band plays at the Beacon Theatre, New York City.

Gorillaz release their third studio album, Plastic Beach, in the USA, Canada and South Africa.

In a feature in The Guardian newspaper, Bob Geldof accuses the BBC World Service of a "total collapse of standards and systems". The international broadcasting network had recently claimed that 95% of the $100m raised by the Geldof-inspired 1985 Live Aid concert to fight famine in Ethipoia was diverted by rebels and spent on weapons.

The Dave Matthews Band plays the second of three nights at The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, California, USA.

Eska plays at Phoenix, Exter, UK.

It is announced that income from foreign media using Canadian-owned copyrights helped push the revenues of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) to a new high - $310m - in 2015.

Rock drummer Jimmy Copley dies of leukemia, aged 63, in Bristol, England, UK, Europe. Copley was best-known for his work with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Jeff Beck, Graham Parker, Upp, Paul Young, Magnum, Roger Glover, Ian Gillan, Go West, Killing Joke, Tears for Fears, Seal, Tony Iommi and Paul Rodgers.

During his 214-date 24k Magic World Tour, Bruno Mars plays at Mawazine Festival, OLM Souissi, Rabat, Morocco, Africa, supported by DJ Rashida.