Music Almanac: October 21
- 1915 - Owen Bradley (d. 1998)
- 1917 - Dizzy Gillespi (d. 1993)
- 1925 - Celia Cruz (d. 2003)
- 1935 - Mel Street (d. 1978)
- 1937 - Norman Wright (Del-Vikings) (d. 2010)
- 1940 - Manfred Mann (born Manfred Lubowitz) (72)
- 1941 - Steve Cropper (71)
- 1941 - Jimmy Beaumont (Skyliners) (71)
- 1942 - Elvin Bishop (70)
- 1943 - Ron Elliott (Beau Brummels) (69)
- 1945 - Kathy Young (Kathy Young & the Innocents) (67)
- 1946 - Lee Loughnane (Chicago) (66)
- 1946 - Tetsu Yamauchi (Free) (66)
- 1946 - Lux Interior (Cramps) (d. 2009)
- 1952 - Brent Mydland (Grateful Dead) (60)
- 1953 - Charlotte Caffey (Go-Go's) (59)
- 1953 - Eric Faulkner (Bay City Rollers) (59)
- 1957 - Steve Lukather (Toto) (55)
- 1957 - Julian Cope (Teardrop Explodes) (55)
- 1959 - Rose McDowell (Strawberry Switchblade) (53)
- 1964 - Jon Carin (Pink Floyd) (48)
- 1969 - Garfield Bright (Shai) (43)
- 1970 - Tony Mortimer (East 17) (42)
- 1972 - Matthew Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces) (40)
- 1973 - Charlie Lowell (Jars of Clay) (39)
- 1976 - Josh Ritter (36)
- 1980 - Brian Pittman (Reliant K) (32)
Deaths
- 1965 - Bill Black - Brain tumor (39)
- 1978 - Mel Street - Suicide (43)
- 1995 - Maxene Andrews (Andrews Sisters) - Heart attack (79)
- 1995 - Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon) - Cocaine overdose (28)
- 2003 - Elliott Smith - Stabbed (not known if suicide or homicide) (34)
- 2003 - Syl Rice (Flatlanders)
- 2006 - Sandy West (Runaways) - Lung cancer (47)
- 2007 - Paul Fox (Ruts) - Lung cancer (56)
- 1957 - Elvis Presley's film Jailhouse Rock premiered.
- 1975 - Elton John received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 1976 - Keith Moon played his last show with the Who at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
- 1978 - The Clash fired manager Bernie Rhodes and replaced him with Caroline Coon from Melody Maker.
- 1985 - Carl Perkins was the subject of a tribute concert at London's Limehouse Studio with guests Rosanne Cash, Dave Edmunds, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton.
- 1992 - George Michael sued Sony over his contract. He would lose the case two years later.
- 1992 - Elton John sued the program Hard Copy for saying he moved to Atlanta to be near an AIDS treatment center.
- 1992 - Madonna released her book Sex.
- 1995 - Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day was arrested and fined $141 for mooning the audience in Milwaukee, WI.
- 1997 - The Guinness Book of World Records named Candle in the Wind 97 the biggest selling record of all time with 31.8 million in sales.
- 1998 - Paul Stanley and Bruce Kulick of Kiss were sued by Alice Cooper over their song Dreamin' which it is said sounds too much like his Eighteen.
- 2001 - Concerts were held in Madison Square Garden and RFK Stadium in Washington for the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Performers included Michael Jackson, Elton John, The Who, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, *NSYNC, P Diddy, James Brown, Paul McCartney and David Bowie.
- 2003 - Destiny's Child was sued by a Miami producer who claimed they stole their song Survivor from him.
- 2003 - David Gest sued ex-wife Liza Minnelli for $10 million saying that she beat him up while drunk.
- 2003 - Elton John signed with Caesar's Palace to play 75 shows in their Colosseum.
- 2004 - Bo Diddley postponed a concert in California while he recovered from having a toe amputated. The operation was made necessary by his diabetes.
- 2007 - Kid Rock and members of his entourage were arrested in an Atlanta, GA Waffle House after a fight.
Marriages
- 2007 - Joe Dee Messina and Chris Deffenbaugh
Recorded
- 1936 - Wabash Cannonball - Roy Acuff
- 1957 - Buzz, Buzz, Buzz - Bobby Day & the Hollywood Flames
- 1958 - True Love Ways, Raining in My Heart, Moondreams, It Doesn't Matter Anymore - Buddy Holly (final recording session)
- 1965 - Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man - Beatles
- 1965 - Keep on Running - Spencer Davis Group
Released- 1960 - Blue Angel - Roy Orbison (single)
- 1970 - New Morning - Bob Dylan
Broadcasts
- 1962 - Ed Sullivan - Cliff Richard
- 1965 - Shindig! - Dave Clark Five, Kingsmen
- 1966 - Ready Steady Go (U.K.) - Who
