There are riots in Southall between demonstrators and police after protesting against a National Front campaign meeting.
The first Nike Air trainers become available in stores. Other must have accessories included Kangol hats, nameplate belts buckles, Adidas shell top trainers and hooded sweatshirts.
The Caribbean islands of St Lucia and St Vincent reclaimed their independence from Great Britain.
In the USA, Carter asked congress to make a Martin Luther King's Birthday a national holiday.
The Sugar Hill Gang released Rapper's Delight which borrowed the break from Chic's Good Times. It became a worldwide hit, eventually selling over eight million copies, marking the first ever commercial rap record.
Michael Jackson released his phenomenal album Off The Wall. This was Jackson's breakthrough LP that established him as a solo artist in his own right.
Kurtis Blow becomes the first rapper to sign to major label Mercury.
Janet Kay releases the hit Silly Games which reached No 2 in the UK charts. She becomes the first British female to have a reggae song in the charts.
In March, James Brown performed at the Grand Ole Opry.
Donna Summer's Bad Girls hits No 1 on the US charts, and stays there for five weeks.
Frustrated by sluggish reggae sales, Lee Scratch Perry goes AWOL and is spotted wandering aimlessly around Kingston wielding a hammer. Two days later, his Black Ark studio is burnt to the ground. Perry was suspected of arson, but was released without charge, due to lack of evidence.
On July 12 1979, Chicago radio DJ Steve Dahl and baseball promoter Mike Veeck organized an event dubbed Disco Demolition Night. People were invited to bring disco records to a baseball game and have them blown up. This caused a near-riot forcing the cancellation of the game.
