The database currently contains 5947 historical events.
Tuesday, 4 August
- Louis Armstrong, jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Herb Ellis, acclaimed jazz guitarist and member of the Oscar Peterson Trio, was born in Farmersville, Texas.
- Jimmie Rodgers made his first recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company: “Sleep, Baby, Sleep” and “The Soldier’s Sweetheart.”
- Elsbeary Hobbs, bassist and vocalist with The Drifters, was born in New York City.
- Frankie Ford, the American rock 'n' roll and R&B singer best known for the hit “Sea Cruise,” was born in Gretna, Louisiana.
- Larry Knechtel, American keyboardist, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist best known as a member of The Wrecking Crew and later Bread, was born in Bell, California.
- The film “Holiday Inn” had its world premiere at the Paramount Theatre in New York. The film introduced the famous song “White Christmas.”
- David Carr, keyboardist with the British group The Fortunes, was born in Leyton, London.
- American bassist Walter Powers III, who later played with The Velvet Underground, was born.
- German electronic musician Klaus Schulze, formerly the drummer of Tangerine Dream, was born in Berlin.
- Paul Layton, singer and bassist with The New Seekers, was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.
- Larry Morris, vocalist with the New Zealand garage rock group Larry's Rebels, was born in New Zealand.
- Roy Flowers, drummer with Sweet Sensation, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
- Moya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin, singer, songwriter, and harpist with Clannad, was born in Dublin, Ireland.
- Vini Reilly, English multi-instrumentalist and founder of The Durutti Column, was born in Manchester.
- Elvis Presley performed at the Municipal Hall Auditorium in Camden, Arkansas, at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. as part of the All-Star Jamboree. Other performers included Webb Pierce, Red Sovine, Bud Deckelman, Charlie Feathers, and Wanda Jackson.
- The Platters scored their second U.S. No. 1 pop hit with "My Prayer," staying at the top for 5 weeks. The song was originally based on the 1926 French composition "Avant de Mourir."
- Elvis Presley performed at the Olympia Theater in Miami at 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. Other performers included The Jordanaires and The Headliners.
- The Everly Brothers made their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing “Bye Bye Love” and “Hey Doll Baby.”
- Billboard combined the existing sales, jukebox, and radio charts into the unified Hot 100. The first song to top the new chart was “Poor Little Fool” by Ricky Nelson.
- “Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin reached No. 3 on the U.S. chart.
- Ian Broudie, English singer, songwriter, musician, and producer best known for The Lightning Seeds, was born in Liverpool.
- Ricky Nelson became the first artist to top the newly created U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Poor Little Fool.”
- Robbin Crosby, guitarist with Ratt, was born in La Jolla, California.
- Johnny Kidd & The Pirates reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with "Shakin' All Over" on August 4, 1960, the official archival chart date for this number-one debut.
- Graham Massey, keyboardist with 808 State, was born.
- Elvis Presley was fitted with brown contact lenses for his role as Pacer Burton in the film “Flaming Star,” intended to change his naturally blue eyes to brown. He ultimately did not use them in the film.
- “Shakin' All Over” by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart.
- Paul Reynolds, lead guitarist with A Flock of Seagulls, was born in Liverpool, England.
- The Rolling Stones played the first of 22 consecutive weekly shows at the Ealing Jazz Club in London. During this period, they performed under the name The Rollin' Stones.
- The Beatles performed at the Queen's Theatre in Blackpool. Because of the crowds of fans, they had to enter the theater through a construction site, climb scaffolding onto the roof, and were then lowered through an opening in the roof.
- The Kinks released their third single, “You Really Got Me,” in the UK on Pye Records. The song became their breakthrough hit, later reaching No. 1 on the UK chart and No. 7 in the U.S.
- Elvis Presley worked at Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood on music for the film “Paradise, Hawaiian Style,” including vocal overdubs.
- Andy Henderson, drummer with Echobelly, was born.
- The controversy over John Lennon’s remark that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus Christ” spread throughout the United States. Several radio stations began boycotting the group’s music, followed by protests and record burnings.
- The Troggs reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “With a Girl Like You.” It was their only UK No. 1 hit.
- The Temptations released the Gordy single “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep.” The song later reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the R&B chart, and No. 18 in the UK.
- Pink Floyd released their debut album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn". Most of the songs were written by Syd Barrett, and the album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and is regarded as a landmark psychedelic rock album; it reached No. 6 on the UK albums chart.
- The Who performed at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.
- A fan of The Monkees hid aboard the band’s plane between concerts in Minneapolis and St. Louis. Her father subsequently threatened legal action over the transportation of a minor across state lines.
- Rob Cieka, drummer with the British alternative rock band The Boo Radleys, was born.
- Jimi Hendrix performed at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.
- The second and final day of the two-day Newport Pop Festival took place in Costa Mesa, California. Performers included Blue Cheer, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Grateful Dead, Illinois Speed Press, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and The Byrds. More than 100,000 people attended the festival.
- Max Cavalera, Brazilian guitarist and vocalist, co-founder and original frontman of Sepultura, was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
- Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys married his second wife, Barbara Charren, in Los Angeles. They divorced in 1974.
- Yo-Yo, born Yolanda Whitaker, the American rapper and actress, was born in Compton, California.
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer performed at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.
