The database currently contains 5402 historical events.
- Robert Plant's solo album “Pictures at Eleven” was certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies. It was his first recording following the breakup of Led Zeppelin after the death of drummer John Bonham.
- The Clash released the single “Should I Stay or Should I Go” in the UK.
- George Strait scored his first No. 1 country hit with “Fool Hearted Memory” from his second album “Strait From The Heart”, which also contained his famous cover of “Amarillo By Morning”. He quickly became one of country music’s most successful hitmakers and had 17 No. 1 hits by the end of the decade.
- Country singer LeAnn Rimes, whose full name is Margaret LeAnn Rimes, was born in Jackson, Mississippi. At the age of eight, she became known as the winner of the original version of “Star Search” with Ed McMahon, followed at age 13 by the release of Bill Mack’s song “Blue”. She later recorded the single “How Do I Live”, which reached No. 3 in the US in 1997 and No. 7 in the UK in 1998.
- Actress and singer Ingrid Bergman died at the age of 67.
- The Charlie Daniels Band performed at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
- Judas Priest released the album “Screaming for Vengeance” in the United States.
- Queen performed at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado, during their North American tour.
- Fleetwood Mac played the second concert of their 33-date Mirage Tour at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia. Men at Work were the opening act, and their debut album Business as Usual was rapidly climbing the US charts. Two weeks after the tour ended in October, Men At Work embarked on their own tour as the headlining act.
- Culture Club released the single “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” in the United Kingdom. Critics were not particularly favorable; Smash Hits magazine described it as “fourth-rate reggae”.
- Steve Wozniak financed and organized the three-day US Festival in San Bernardino, California, featuring Fleetwood Mac, The Police, Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, The Cars, Talking Heads, The Kinks, Jackson Browne, Santana, B-52’s and others. According to the source, more than 400,000 people attended; the festival grossed approximately $10 million but ended with a loss of more than $12 million.
- Frank Zappa's single “Valley Girl” reached number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the only time Zappa placed a song in the US Top 40.
- Glenn Frey's solo single “The One You Love” moved from number 75 to number 53.
- Pat Benatar, The Cars, Santana, The Kinks, Eddie Money and Dave Edmunds performed during an all-day music program at the US Festival at Glen Helen Regional Park near San Bernardino, California.
- Steve Miller Band began a two-week run at number one on the US singles chart with “Abracadabra,” their third US number-one hit, which reached number two in the UK. The song was reportedly inspired by Diana Ross, whom Miller met while they were both appearing on Hullabaloo in the 1960s. Another source states that the song began a two-week run at number two in the US, so the sources disagree on this detail. It was later certified gold by the RIAA and subsequently double platinum.
- Survivor were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Eye of the Tiger,” the title song from the film Rocky III, beginning a four-week run at the top. After spending six weeks at number one in the US, the song reached the top of the UK chart. It was their only UK number-one hit. The song won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance.
- Paul McCartney released the single "Tug Of War".
- Peter Gabriel released the album "Security", also known as "Peter Gabriel 4".
- James Jamerson, the influential Motown bassist and member of The Funk Brothers, died on August 2, 1983, in Los Angeles at the age of 47 from complications related to cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure, and pneumonia. He played on numerous landmark Motown recordings and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
- American singer Dawn Richard, known in part for her work with Danity Kane, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- David Crosby was sentenced in Texas to five years in prison for possession of cocaine and an illegal firearm. After unsuccessful appeals, he began serving his sentence at Huntsville State Prison on March 6, 1986, and was released on parole five months later. In November 1987, a Texas appeals court overturned the original conviction because of an illegal search during his arrest.
- Avant-garde German singer and musician and former David Bowie backing vocalist Klaus Nomi died in New York at the age of 39 from complications related to AIDS.
- The Beach Boys reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with the compilation album “The Very Best of the Beach Boys.”
- Black Sabbath vydali album „Born Again“, jediné album skupiny s Ianem Gillanem jako hlavním zpěvákem.
- Billy Joel released his ninth studio album "An Innocent Man". The album reached No. 4 in the U.S. and contained three Billboard Top 10 singles: "Tell Her About It" at No. 1, "Uptown Girl" at No. 3 and "An Innocent Man" at No. 10. It was later certified eight-times platinum.
- Metallica released the single “Whiplash”. It was their first single.
- The Police released the single “King Of Pain”.
- Thomas Reilly, a 22-year-old friend of Spandau Ballet who sold merchandise during their True Tour, was shot dead by a British soldier in Belfast. His death later inspired Spandau Ballet’s song “Through The Barricades” and Bananarama’s song “King Of The Jungle”.
- Kajagoogoo dismissed their lead singer Limahl, who subsequently began a solo career. The band had previously reached No. 1 in the UK with the single “Too Shy”.
- “Every Breath You Take” spent its sixth week at No. 1 on the US singles chart. Eurythmics remained at No. 2 with “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”.
- They released the album Rant N' Rave with the Stray Cats.
- Paul Simon married actress Carrie Fisher after a six-year relationship. Their relationship inspired several of Simon's songs, including the title track of the album Hearts and Bones.
- David Bowie performed at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona.
- American composer and lyricist Ira Gershwin died.
- Prince released the song “Delirious”.
- British singer, songwriter and pianist Michael Penniman, known as Mika, was born in Beirut, Lebanon.
- The Police, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and R.E.M. performed at Shea Stadium in New York. It was R.E.M.'s biggest concert to date.
- Black Sabbath performed at Isstadion in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Australian singer and songwriter Missy Higgins was born. In 2004, she had the Australian number one single “Scar”, and in 2007 she reached the same position with “Steer”.
- Pirate radio station Radio Caroline, which had broadcast only sporadically since its original closure in 1968, returned to the air from the ship Ross Revenge in international waters in the North Sea. Exactly six years later, it was shut down again.