Music History

British funeral service Co-op reported that bereaved families preferred pop songs to hymns at funerals. Among the most frequently chosen songs were "Wind Beneath My Wings", "Angels" and "My Heart Will Go On", as well as "Another One Bites The Dust" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".

Lisa Marie Presley married actor Nicolas Cage. The marriage lasted less than four months.

Scottish singer and songwriter Darius began a two-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with his debut single "Colourblind." He became the third finalist from the Pop Idol talent show to achieve a UK No. 1 hit.

Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, married actor Nicolas Cage at a resort in Hawaii. Cage filed for divorce after 108 days of marriage, and the union was officially dissolved on May 26, 2004. Lisa Marie Presley had previously been married to musician Danny Keough and later to Michael Jackson.

Michael Houser, founding member and lead guitarist of Widespread Panic, died at the age of 40 from complications related to pancreatic cancer, which had been diagnosed earlier that year.

Bruce Springsteen began a two-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 with his twelfth studio album The Rising. It was his fifth US No. 1 album and also reached No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Germany, Spain and 12 other countries. It was his first studio album with the E Street Band in nearly 20 years and won two Grammy Awards.

Good Charlotte released the single “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

Mobile Graceland began its journey through 31 cities in Memphis.

The Everly Brothers released the album A Night at the Royal Albert Hall, documenting their concert performance.

The lead singer of the American hard rock band Drowning Pool was found dead on the band's tour bus during Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest tour in Manassas, Virginia. An autopsy concluded that he suffered from a form of heart disease. More than 1 million copies of the debut album Sinner had been sold in the US since its release in June 2001.

A memorial to John Lennon was unveiled in the Scottish village of Durness. Lennon spent his holidays there from the age of seven to fifteen, and the memorial consists of three stones engraved with verses from the song “In My Life”.

Twenty-five years after Elvis Presley's death, an album containing his 30 US No. 1 singles was released, with "A Little Less Conversation" included as a bonus track.

Alanis Morissette, Nickelback, Elvis Costello, Rihanna and The Chemical Brothers were among the main acts at V Festival 2002 in England.

Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200, giving him another chart-topping album following its UK success.

Several hours before murdering his wife, Justin Barber downloaded the Guns N' Roses song “Used to Love Her”. The song was later used as evidence in court, and Barber was sentenced to life imprisonment for first-degree murder.

Nelly and Kelly Rowland reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with the song “Dilemma”. Nelly became the fifth artist to replace himself at No. 1, taking the top spot from his own hit “Hot in Herre”.

Red Hot Chili Peppers reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their eighth studio album, By the Way. The album reached No. 1 in a total of eighteen countries.

Atomic Kitten faced legal action after dismissing Andy McCluskey, the writer of their first No. 1 hit “Whole Again”. The group faced being dropped by Innocent Records after recording a song that became a major hit. The members then demanded a larger share of royalties, which McCluskey refused. Under the original contract, each member received four pence from the sale of each single.

Jimmy Buffett's first Cheeseburger In Paradise restaurant, named after his 1978 song, opened in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Sugababes scored their second No. 1 single on the U.K. chart with „Round Round“.

Blazin’ Squad reached number one on the UK singles chart with “Crossroads”.

Eva Cassidy reached number one on the UK album chart with “Imagine”, her second UK number-one album.

Coldplay released their second studio album “A Rush of Blood to the Head” in the UK on Parlophone. The album won Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Album, Best Rock Performance for “In My Place” and Record of the Year for “Clocks”. In 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it on its list of 200 Definitive Albums. The album reached No. 1 in 12 countries and contained the UK Top 10 singles “In My Place”, “The Scientist” and “Clocks”.

American rapper, singer, songwriter and producer Lil Tecca was born. He came to wider attention with the 2019 song “Ransom”, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Queens Of The Stone Age released their third album “Songs For The Deaf”. Dave Grohl played drums on the album, taking time away from Foo Fighters.

Coldplay released their second studio album “A Rush of Blood to the Head” in the United States on Capitol Records.

Enrique Iglesias and tennis star Anna Kournikova made their first public appearance as a couple at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Eminem won the Video of the Year award for "Without Me".

Lisa Marie Presley presented the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video to singer Pink.

Pepsi withdrew its commercial featuring Ludacris after Bill O'Reilly criticized the rapper on his program The O'Reilly Factor for "promoting antisocial behavior". Ludacris nevertheless continued to enjoy a successful career; his next three albums reached No. 1, and he landed a role in the Fast & Furious film series.

Björk’s apartment in west London was burgled while she was asleep. Valuable recording equipment was stolen.

Eva Cassidy reached No. 1 on the British albums chart with her third studio album, "Imagine". The album was released posthumously following her untimely death in 1996 and contained ten cover songs by artists including John Lennon, Stevie Wonder and Paul Anka.

NASA announced that Lance Bass, singer with *NSYNC, was set to become the first celebrity in space. His seat aboard the Russian Soyuz module was expected to cost $23.8 million, and at age 23 he was set to become the youngest person in orbit. The flight ultimately did not take place because he failed to pay the required $20 million.

Nelly returned to No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart with his second studio album, "Nellyville".

With “A Rush Of Blood To The Head,” they achieved their second No. 1 on the British albums chart. The album was released in the U.S. and won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album in 2003 and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2004 for “Clocks.”

Bruce Springsteen released the album The Rising in the United Kingdom.

The original version of the peer-to-peer file-sharing program Napster officially ended after a planned takeover by Bertelsmann Entertainment Group could not be completed during the bankruptcy proceedings. Napster subsequently laid off all employees, and its homepage displayed “Napster Was Here”. The brand later returned as a paid service.

The Rolling Stones began their 40th anniversary Licks Tour with a concert at FleetCenter in Boston. The best seats cost $224, and during the more than 100 concerts on the tour, the group performed for more than 2.5 million fans.

The long-running dispute between The Ronettes and producer Phil Spector reached the New York Court of Appeals in Albany. The Ronettes recorded 28 songs for Spector between 1963 and 1967 and, under their 1963 contract, received a one-time payment of $14,482. The group argued that the contract did not cover royalties for use of the recordings in films, television and advertising. The court ultimately ruled in favor of Spector’s ownership claim, while also awarding Ronnie Spector her share of licensing income.

Kelly Clarkson defeated Justin Guarini to become the first winner of American Idol.

A concert celebrating the start of the NFL season was held in New York City, featuring Eve, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesias and Joey Fatone.

Heather Mills, the wife of Paul McCartney, received £50,000 in damages from The Sunday Mirror over a false article concerning her handling of funds intended to help earthquake victims in India. She donated the entire amount to a charity fighting landmines.

Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors performed together for the first time as "The Doors of the 21st Century", with singer Ian Astbury and drummer Stewart Copeland. The concert took place as part of the Harley-Davidson Open Road Tour at California Speedway in Fontana.

Girl group Atomic Kitten reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with their version of “The Tide Is High (Get The Feeling)”.

Coldplay reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with A Rush of Blood to the Head. The album also reached No. 1 in nine other countries.

Eminem returned to No. 1 on the US album chart with his fourth studio album The Eminem Show. The album was an international hit and topped the charts in 17 countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia.

Frankie Miller returned to Glasgow for a benefit concert at Barrowlands, with proceeds going to the Drake Music Project. The concert featured, among others, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Nazareth, Gallagher & Lyle, Hamish Stuart, Brian Robertson, Ray Wilson and Joe Walsh. Miller was present at the concert but could no longer perform because of the brain hemorrhage he suffered in 1994.