Dennis Edwards was born.
Dave Davies was born.
Chafing under bandleader Ward's strict discipline, McPhatter left the Dominoes in 1953 and was offered a recording contract and star billing with his own group, the Drifters, by Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records.
Too Much (Elvis Presley) was a hit.
At the age of 17, Ritchie Valens is killed in a plane crash, along with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
Bobby Vee fills in for Buddy Holly after the fatal plane crash.
After performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy Holly charters a plane to fly him to Fargo, North Dakota. Shortly after takeoff, the plane crashes eight miles northwest of the airfield, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson (a.k.a. The Big Bopper) and pilot Roger Peterson.
Hey Paula (Paul & Paula) was a hit.
Traffic hits #16 in the UK with 'Mr. Fantasy'.
Mahalia Jackson wins the Lifetime Achievement Grammy.
Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" hits #1. It is the first of a half dozen chart-topping singles for John over the next three years.
Joni Mitchell hits #25 with "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio."
New York Dolls hire Malcolm McLaren (soon the manage the Sex Pistols) as their manager.
Close on the heels of a new album, 'A Single Man,' Elton John resumes touring after a 15-month hiatus.
A commemorative concert is held at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, exactly 20 years after the final show played by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Del Shannon and the Drifters are among the performers.
Ace Frehley of Kiss hits #13 with "New York Groove".
MTV Europe launches in Czechoslovakia and Poland.
James Brown hits #4 with "Living in America".
Skid Row hits #6 with "I Remember You".
MTV news kicks off extensive coverage of the 1992 Presidential Election during the New Hampshire primaries. MTV's "Choose or Lose" election '92 coverage is a non-partisan effort to engage young people in politics.
MTV and "Radio & Records" team up for a weekly music news radio fax, which is faxed to radio DJs at more than 700 radio stations nationwide.
