Dave became the first British rap artist to debut three albums at No.1 on the UK's official chart. His latest, The Boy Who Played The Harp, knocked Taylor Swift's Life of a Showgirl off the top spot, and managed to fend off competition from Lily Allen's much talked-about West End Girl. According to the Official UK Charts Company, it also became the fastest-selling rap album on vinyl this century. His previous two albums also re-entered the top 40, making him the first British rap act to have three entries in the chart simultaneously.

The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK chart with their twenty-fourth studio album Hackney Diamonds. The album went to No.1 in 20 countries and was promoted with an extensive, worldwide advertising campaign. On 17 August 2023, an advertisement appeared in the Hackney Gazette teasing the album, referencing several Rolling Stones song titles and displaying their tongue logo.

Marvin Gaye's family were taking legal action against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copyright infringement over their hit song Blurred Lines. Three of Gaye's children filed legal papers accusing them of copying elements of the song 'Got To Give It Up'. The Gaye family cited excerpts of magazine interviews given by Thicke to support their claim he had admitted to drawing on 'Got to Give it Up' when producing Blurred Lines.

22-year-old X Factor winner singer Leona Lewis helped boost UK online music downloads to a record 1.7 million in one week making it the biggest week ever for download sales. Lewis sold more than 106,000 downloads of her track ‘Bleeding Love.’

The white suit worn by John Lennon on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album sold for $118,000 (£66,385) at an auction in Las Vegas. And an Austin Princess hearse driven by the late star in the documentary Imagine sold for $150,000 (£84,388). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the items went to Amnesty International.

Winners at this years Q Awards included, David Gray, best single for 'Babylon', Oasis won best live act, Coldplay won best album for Parachutes, best act in the world went to Travis, Badly Drawn Boy won best new act and former Clash member Joe Strummer won the Q Inspiration award.

Chart history was made when the UK Top 5 singles chart was made up entirely of new entries. Alanis Morissette went in at No.5, Culture Club at No.4, U2 at No.3, George Michael at No.2 and Cher with 'Believe' at No.1. It made Cher (who was 52) the first female artist to have a No.1 single over the age of 50. The song was a No.1 in 23 countries.

Boyz II Men were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'End Of The Road', taken from the film Boomerang' The quartet from Philadelphia were Motown's biggest selling act of the 1990s, with 5 US No.1's.

UK DJ Roger Scott died of cancer aged 46. Scott was one of the most respected broadcasters in the UK, working on Capital Radio for 15 years and then BBC Radio 1. Working as a presenter at the Montreal station 1470 CFOX, Scott sang on ‘Give Peace a Chance’, recorded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono during their "Bed-in" for peace at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada.

Led Zeppelin held the UK launch for their new record label Swan Song at Chislehurst Caves, Kent, England on Halloween night. Drinks were served by nuns in suspenders, a naked woman lay in a coffin covered in jelly and naked male wrestlers cavorted in recesses of the caves. Label mates Bad Company, The Pretty Things and Maggie Bell also attended. The launch also tied in with the releases of The Pretty Things new album Silk Torpedo. The label was named after an unreleased Zeppelin instrumental track.

Led Zeppelin started a four week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Led Zeppelin III the bands second US chart topper.

'Motown Chartbusters Vol 4' went to No.1 on the UK album chart. The album featured tracks from The Jackson Five, Marvin Gaye, & Tammi Terrell, The Four Tops, The Supremes, The Temptations and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.

David Bowie appeared at a Halloween night at the General Gordon, Gravesend, England. The gig lasted about 15 minutes, after Bowie sang 'Space Oddity' to everyone’s delight and then dragged a stool on stage, along with a huge book. He then sat and read poems and was booed off stage.

The Supremes started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Baby Love', the group's second of five consecutive US No.1's. The group were formerly known as the five piece group The Primettes.

Gerry And The Pacemakers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'You'll Never Walk Alone.' The group's third and final No.1.

Vera Lynn was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'My Son, My Son.' The singers only No.1 hit. Lynn who had three songs in the first ever Top 12 in 1952 was known as the "Forces Sweetheart" during World War II.

Monica and Gabriela Irimia from the Romanian singing duo Cheeky Girls who had the 2002 UK No.2 single 'Cheeky Song', (Touch My Bum)' which has sold more than 1.2 million units internationally. The Cheeky Girls released their debut studio album, PartyTime, in 2003 which reached No. 14 in the UK Albums Chart.

Frank Iero, rhythm guitarist with American rock band My Chemical Romance who had the 2006 UK No.1 single ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’, and the 2006 US No.2 album The Black Parade. He was also the guitarist in the supergroup L.S. Dunes and was the lead vocalist of the post-hardcore band Leathermouth.

Rogers Stevens guitarist, best known for being a founding member of the alternative rock band Blind Melon, is most famous for their hit song ‘No Rain’. He has also been a member of the bands Extra Virgin and The Tender Trio.

American blues guitarist Johnny Moeller from the American blues rock band The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Their 1986 album Tuff Enuff sold over a million copies. Moeller joined the group in 2007.

Malin Berggren, from Swedish pop group Ace Of Base who had the 1993 UK No.1 single 'All That She Wants' and the 1994 US No.1 single 'The Sign'. The group sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, making it the third-most successful Swedish band of all time, after ABBA and Roxette.

Al Mackenzie, from Northern Irish pop and dance group D:Ream, who had the 1994 UK No.1 single ‘Things Can Only Get Better’. Eight further top 40 hits followed, including 'U R the Best Thing', 'Take Me Away' and 'Shoot Me with Your Love'. Their two 1990s studio albums both reached the UK top five. The live band included keyboard player Brian Cox, who later became an academic and science broadcaster on British television.

Ally McErlaine, guitarist, from Scottish pop rock band Texas of which he was a member from 1988 to 2022. They had the 1997 UK No.3 single 'Say What You Want', and the 1997 UK No.1 album White On Blonde, which has been certified six-times platinum in the UK. McErlaine married Shelly Poole from Alisha's Attic in 2001.

American singer-songwriter, record producer and guitarist Adam Schlesinger, best known for his work with Fountains Of Wayne and for its 2003 Grammy-nominated single 'Stacy's Mom'. Schlesinger died on 1 April 2020 from complications brought on by COVID-19.

American rapper, guitarist, and actor Ad-Rock, (Adam Horovitz), from The Beastie Boys, the American hip-hop group that formed in New York City in 1981. They scored the 1987 US No.7 & UK No.11 single 'You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party', and the 1987 US No.1 and UK No.7 album Licence To Ill, (the first rap album to top the Billboard 200 chart). The Beastie Boys have sold 20 million records in the United States and had seven platinum-selling albums from 1986 to 2004. They are the biggest-selling rap group since Billboard began recording sales in 1991.

English-Burmese singer, songwriter Annabella Lwin, best known as the singer with Bow Wow Wow, who scored the 1982 UK No.7 single 'Go Wild In The Country'. Bow Wow Wow signed a recording contract with EMI Records in July 1980, and released their first single, 'C·30 C·60 C·90 Go!', shortly afterwards. Originally only released on cassette, it was the world's first-ever cassette single.

Irish musician and songwriter Colm O'Ciosoig, from the Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine. They scored the 1991 UK No.29 single 'To Here Knows When'. Signed to Creation Records in 1988, they are widely cited as a pioneering act in the shoegaze genre. He has also worked with Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions and toured with Sandoval's band Mazzy Star.

British-born Irish musician, singer and songwriter Johnny Marr. He was the guitarist and songwriter with English rock band The Smiths who had the 1984 UK No.10 single 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now', plus 15 other UK Top 40 singles. With Electronic, he had the 1991 UK No.8 single 'Get The Message' and with Modest Mouse, the 2007 US No.1 album ‘We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank’. Marr has also worked with The The, The Pretenders, The Cribbs, and Johnny Marr and the Healers. As a prolific session musician, Marr has worked with names such as Kirsty MacColl, Pet Shop Boys, Talking Heads, Bryan Ferry, and Hans Zimmer. On 19 July 2012, Marr received an honorary doctorate from the University of Salford for "outstanding achievements" and "changing the face of British guitar music".

Larry Mullen Jr. Irish musician best known as the drummer of U2. Their 1987 UK and worldwide No.1 album Joshua Tree spent 156 weeks on the UK chart. U2 scored five consecutive US No.1 albums from 1987. U2 are one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold an estimated 150–170 million records worldwide. Their accolades include 22 Grammy Awards, eight Brit Awards, four Ivor Novello Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. According to Pollstar, they were the second-highest-grossing live music artist from 1980 to 2022, earning US$2.13 billion.

Tony Bowers, from Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias and then Simply Red, who had the 1986 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Holding Back The Years'.

American bassist and record producer Bernard Edwards. As a member of Chic, Edwards created era-defining hits such as 'Dance, Dance, Dance', 'Everybody Dance', 'Le Freak', 'I Want Your Love' and 'Good Times'. Edwards also worked with Nile Rodgers to produce and write for other artists, using Chic to perform everything musically and vocally except lead vocals, working with Sister Sledge, Sheila and B. Devotion, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Debbie Harry. He produced records for ABC, Power Station and Rod Stewart. Just before a concert at the Budokan Arena in Tokyo on April 18, 1996, Edwards fell ill, but refused to cancel the gig. After the show, Edwards retired to his hotel room, where he was later found dead by Nile Rodgers.

American singer, songwriter and guitarist Moon Martin. Originally a rockabilly artist, he wrote the songs ‘Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)’, made famous by the English singer Robert Palmer, and ‘Cadillac Walk’, a hit for American singer Willy DeVille. Hi died on 11 May 2020 age 74.

Singer, songwriter and musician Russ Ballard from English rock band Argent who had the 1972 UK No.5 single 'Hold Your Head Up' and the hit and 'God Gave Rock and Roll to You'. Ballard has written songs for many artists including, Roger Daltrey, America, Three Dog Night, Santana and Brian May.