Events in Music
- Jan 9 The Beatles' 65 album goes #1 & stays #1 for 9 weeks
- Jan 15 Rock group Who releases first album "I Can't Explain"
- Jan 16 "Oh What a Lovely War" closes at Broadhurst NYC after 125 performances
- Jan 16 The Searchers' "Love Potion Number 9" peaks at #3
- Jan 23 "King Family Show" (musical variety) premieres on ABC TV
- Jan 28 The Who make their 1st appearance on British television programme "Ready Steady Go!"
- Jan 30 "The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis hits #3
- Feb 6 Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" hits #1
Event of Interest
Feb 7 George Harrison's tonsils removed
George Harrison
Event of Interest
Feb 8 The Supremes release "Stop In the Name of Love"
Diana Ross
Event of Interest
Feb 15 John Lennon passes his driving test
John Lennon
- Feb 16 "Baker Street" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 313 performances
- Feb 18 "Fade Out-Fade In" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 72 performances
- Feb 20 Beatles record "That Means A Lot"; unhappy with the results, it was given to P.J. Proby to record, the Beatles version was not released until 1996 on Anthology 2
- Feb 24 Beatles begin filming "Help" in Bahamas
- Feb 27 "High Spirits" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 375 performances
Film Release
Mar 2 One of the most popular musical films of all time, "The Sound of Music", starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1966)
Christopher Plummer
Julie Andrews
- Mar 3 The Temptations' "My Girl" reaches #1
- Mar 5 1st performance of Walter Piston's 8th Symphony (his last), by the Boston Symphony, conducted by Erich Leinsdorf
- Mar 6 "How to Succeed in Business" closes at 46th St NYC after 1415 performances
- Mar 10 "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" album by Buck Owens is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1965)
- Mar 12 "Wooly Bully" single released by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
- Mar 13 Beatles' "Eight Days a Week" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 2 weeks
Event of Interest
Mar 13 Jeff Beck replaces Eric Clapton of the Yardbirds
Eric Clapton
- Mar 17 Beatles announce their film is named "8 Arms to Hold on to You" (Help)
- Mar 18 "Do I Hear a Waltz?" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 220 performances
- Mar 18 Rolling Stones fined £5 each for public urination
- Mar 20 10th Eurovision Song Contest: France Gall of Luxembourg wins singing "Poupee de cire, poupee de son" written by Serge Gainsbourg in Naples
Academy Awards
Apr 5 37th Academy Awards: "My Fair Lady", Rex Harrison & Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) win awards
Julie Andrews
Rex Harrison
- Apr 9 Beatles "Ticket to Ride" is released in UK
- Apr 13 The Beatles record their single "Help"
- Apr 13 7th Grammy Awards: The Girl From Ipanema, The Beatles wins
- Apr 23 "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" single released by the Four Tops (Billboard Song of the Year 1965)
- Apr 24 "Comedy in Music-Opus 2" closes at John Golden NYC after 192 performances
- Apr 26 Charles Ives' 4th Symphony premieres at Carnegie Hall, New York, 11 years after the composer's death
- Apr 27 "I'm Solomon" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 7 performances
Event of Interest
Apr 28 Barbra Streisand stars on "My Name is Barbra" special on CBS
Barbra Streisand
Music Concert
Apr 28 Luciano Pavarotti makes his debut at La Scala, Milan in Franco Zeffirelli's production of "La bohème" with Mirella Freni
Luciano Pavarotti
- May 2 "New Faces of 1965" opens at Booth Theater NYC for 52 performances
- May 9 The Beatles attend a Bob Dylan concert
- May 11 "Flora, the Red Menace" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 87 performances
- May 13 Rolling Stones record "Satisfaction"
- May 16 "Roar of the Greasepaint" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 232 performances
- May 22 "Super-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-docious" hits #66
- May 22 Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" single goes #1
- May 25 Dave Davies of The Kinks stumbles and is knocked unconscious on stage
- Jun 5 "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham & Pharaohs hits #2
- Jun 6 Rolling Stones release single "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
- Jun 12 "Bajour" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 232 performances
- Jun 12 "I Had a BaIl" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 199 performances
- Jun 12 "What Makes Sammy Run?" closes at 84th St Theater NYC after 540 performances
- Jun 12 The Beatles are awarded a MBE
- Jun 14 Beatles release album "Beatles VI"
- Jun 14 John Lennon's second book "A Spaniard in the Works" is published
Music Recording
Jul 7 Otis Redding records "Respect"
Otis Redding
- Jul 10 Beatles' "VI" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 6 weeks
- Jul 10 Rolling Stones score their 1st US #1 single "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
- Jul 23 The Beatles' "Help" is released in UK
- Jul 24 "Flora, the Red Menace" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 87 performances
- Jul 24 Bob Dylan release "Like a Rolling Stone"
- Jul 24 Rock group "The Animals" 1st time in British charts
- Jul 25 Bob Dylan is booed by sections of the crowd at the Newport Folk Festival for performing with an electric guitar, beginning of folk-rock
- Jul 29 Beatles movie "Help" premieres, Queen Elizabeth attends
- Jul 30 Charles Ives' "From the Steeples & the Mountains" premieres
Event of Interest
Jul 30 Duke Ellington's "Golden Brown & the Green Apple" premieres
Duke Ellington
- Aug 14 Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" hits #1
- Aug 15 Beatles play to 55,000 at Shea Stadium
- Aug 20 Rolling Stones release their single "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (their 1st #1 US hit) in the UK
- Aug 27 The Beatles spend an evening with Elvis Presley
- Aug 28 Bob Dylan booed for playing electric guitar at a concert in New York's Forest Hills
- Sep 4 Beatles' single "Help!" goes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks
- Sep 4 Rock group Who's van is vandalized with $10,000 in equipment stolen
- Sep 11 Beatles' "Help!," album goes #1 & stays #1 for 9 weeks
- Sep 13 Beatles release "Yesterday"
- Sep 13 Beatles win 1st Grammy, for Best Group of 1964
- Sep 25 "Do I Hear a Waltz?" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 220 performances
- Sep 25 Beatle cartoon show begins in US
- Sep 26 Queen Elizabeth decorates the Beatles with Order of the British Empire
TV Show Appearance
Sep 30 Donovan's 1st US TV appearance (Shindig)
Donovan Philips Leitch
- Oct 4 "Pickwick" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 56 performances
- Oct 6 The Supremes release "I Hear a Symphony"
- Oct 9 Beatles' "Yesterday" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 4 weeks
- Oct 10 "Drat! - The Cat!" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 8 performances
- Oct 10 The Supremes appear on the Ed Sullivan Show
- Oct 16 "Drat! - The Cat!" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 8 performances
- Oct 17 "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever" opens in NYC for 280 performances
- Oct 20 Beatles receive a gold record for "Yesterday"
Event of Interest
Oct 24 Benjamin Britten's "Voices for Today" premieres
Benjamin Britten
- Oct 25 Rolling Stones release "Get Off of My Cloud"
- Oct 26 Beatles receive MBEs at Buckingham Palace
- Nov 1 1st concert at Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
- Nov 13 "Skyscraper" opens at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC for 248 performances
- Nov 14 "Baker Street" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 313 performances
Birthdays in Music
- Jan 4 Craig Revel Horwood, Australian-English dancer and judge (Strictly Come Dancing), born in Ballarat, Australia
- Jan 4 David Glasper, Welsh rock singer (Breathe - "Hands To Heaven"), born in Cardigan, Wales
- Jan 4 Beth Gibbons, English singer (Portishead), born in Exeter, United Kingdom
- Jan 4 Cait O'Riordan, British musician (The Pogues), born in Lagos, Nigeria
- Jan 8 Rossen Milanov, Bulgarian orchestral conductor (Philadelphia, 2000-11; Princeton, 2009-present; Columbus, 2015-present), born in Sofia, Bulgaria
- Jan 9 Eric Erlandson, American rock guitarist (Hole), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 10 Nathan Moore, English pop singer (Brother Beyond - "Can You Keep A Secret?"), and actor, born in Stamford Hill, London
- Jan 12 Mark Moore, British dance music record producer & DJ (S'Express-Winter Course), born in London, United Kingdom
- Jan 12 Rob Zombie [Cummings], American musician & filmmaker, born in Haverhill, Massachusetts
- Jan 15 Derek B, British rapper (Bullet from a Gun), born in London, United Kingdom (d. 2009)
- Jan 20 Greg K. [Kreisel], American rock bassist (The Offspring, 1984-2018), born in Glendale, California
- Jan 20 John Michael Montgomery, American country music singer, born in Danville, Kentucky
- Jan 21 Cordell Crockett, American rock bassist (Ugly Kid Joe - America's Least Wanted), born in Alameda, California
- Jan 22 "DJ Jazzy" Jeff [Townes], American rapper (Parents Just Don't Understand), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jan 22 Ray Mayhew, English new wave rock drummer (Sigue Sigue Sputnik, 1985-89 - "Love Missile F-111"), born in Southampton, United Kingdom
- Jan 22 Steven Adler [Michael Coletti], American rock drummer and songwriter (Guns & Roses, 1985-90), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Feb 23 Sylvie Guillem, French ballerina (Royal Ballet), born in Paris, France
- Feb 25 Brian Baker, American guitarist
- Feb 27 Frank Peter Zimmermann, German violinist, born in Duisburg, West Germany
- Feb 28 Markus Stenz, German conductor (Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, 2012-19), born in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, West Germany
- Mar 2 Wolfgang Muthspiel, Austrian jazz guitarist, born in Judenburg, Austria
- Mar 4 WestBam [Maximillian Lenz], German rave techno DJ
- Mar 12 Liza Umarova, Chechen singer and actress, born in Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Mar 18 Jeff Labar, rocker (Cinderella-Heartbreak Station)
- Mar 23 Marti Pellow, Scottish musician (Wet, Wet, Wet - "Love is All Around"), born in Glasgow
- Mar 27 Johnny April, American bass guitarist and vocalist (Staind), born in Enfield, Connecticut
- Apr 1 Peter O'Toole, Irish pop bassist (Hothouse Flowers-People), born in Dublin, Ireland
- Apr 1 Robert Steadman, English composer, born in Chiswick, London
- Apr 3 Nazia Hassan, Pakistani pop singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist known as "Queen of Pop" in South Asia, born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan (d. 2000)
- Apr 6 Black Francis [Charles Thompson IV], American singer and songwriter (Pixies, Frank Black), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Apr 15 Linda Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer (4 Non Blondes, What's Up), born in Springfield, Massachusetts
- Apr 16 Gerardo [Mejía], Ecuadorian-American rapper, born in Guayaquil
- Apr 18 Diana Villegas, American-Mexican rocker (The Triplets), born in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
- Apr 18 Sylvia Villegas, American-Mexican rocker (The Triplets), born in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
- Apr 18 Vicky Villegas, American-Mexican rocker (The Triplets), born in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
- Apr 19 Natalie Dessay, French soprano and actress, born in Lyon, France
- Apr 19 Suge Knight, American record producer (co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records), born in Compton, California
- Apr 25 Eric Avery, American musician (Jane's Addiction, Deconstruction, Polar Bear), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 6 Nathalie Stutzmann (née Dupuy) French concert contralto and conductor (Orfeo 55, 2009-19), born in Suresnes, France
- May 9 Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot, English musician and actor (Curiosity Killed Cat-Keep Distance), born in London, England
- May 11 Greg Dulli, American rock musician (The Afghan Whigs), born in Hamilton, Ohio
- May 13 Tasmin Little, English classical violinist, born in London, England
- May 13 Lari White, American country music singer and actress (You Can Be a Star winner- 1988), born in Dunedin, Florida (d. 2018)
- May 16 Krist Novoselic, American bassist (Nirvana)
Trent Reznor
May 17 Trent Reznor, American musician (9 Inch Nails) and film score composer, born in Mercer, Pennsylvania
Trent Reznor
- May 18 Ingo Schwichtenberg, German drummer (d. 1995)
- May 25 Mark Knight, American rock guitarist (Bang Tango-Dancin' on Coals), born in California
- May 25 Remco Prins, Dutch rock guitarist and vocalist (Burma Shave-Stash)
- May 28 Chris Ballew, American musician
- Jun 3 Mike Gordon, American musician
- Jun 3 Jeff Blumenkrantz, American composer and actor
- Jun 6 David Whyte, rocker (Brother Beyond-Can You Keep a Secret)
- Jun 8 Rob Pilatus, German model and dancer (Milli Vanilli, Girl You Know It's True), born in NYC, New York (d. 1998)
- Jun 11 Gioia Bruno, Italian-American rocker (Exposé), born in Bari, Puglia, Italy
- Jun 12 Cindy Lee Berryhill, American singer and songwriter (Baby), born in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
- Jun 12 Filip Topol, Czech singer-songwriter (Psí vojáci - Dog Soldiers), born in Prague (d. 2013)
- Jun 13 Lukas Ligeti, Austrian composer and drummer, born in Vienna, Austria
- Jun 14 Trina Shoemaker, American mixer, record producer, and sound engineer (Queens of the Stone Age, Sheryl Crow), born in Joliet, Illinois
- Jun 17 David Longdon, English progressive rock musician (Big Big Train), born in Nottingham, England
- Jun 23 Paul Arthurs, British guitarist (Oasis)
- Jun 29 Tripp Eisen [Tod Salvador], American musician (Static-X), born in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania
- Jul 5 Eyran Katsenelenbogen, Israeli jazz pianist, born in Israel
- Jul 9 Frank Bello, American heavy metal musician (Anthrax)
- Jul 10 Ken Mellons, American singer
- Jul 11 Scott Shriner, American musician (Weezer)
- Jul 12 Robin Wilson, American rocker (Gin Blossoms), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Jul 19 Evelyn Glennie, Scottish percussionist
- Jul 20 Stone Gossard, American guitarist (Pearl Jam), born in Seattle, Washington
- Jul 23 Slash [Saul Hudson], English-American rock guitarist & songwriter (Guns N' Roses-Sweet Child o' Mine), born in London, England
- Jul 25 Marty Brown, American country singer (Wildest Dreams), born in Maceo, Kentucky
- Jul 26 Jim Lindberg, American musician (Pennywise), born in Hermosa Beach, California
- Jul 28 Priscilla Chan, Hong Kong singer, born in Hong Kong
- Jul 28 Delfeayo Marsalis, American jazz musician, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jul 30 Tex [Anthony] Axile, English rocker (Transvision Vamp-Velveteen), born in Crawley, Sussex, England
- Aug 5 Jeff Coffin, American musician (Bela Fleck & the Flecktones), born in Massachusetts
- Aug 5 Motoi Sakuraba, Japanese composer, born in Akita Prefecture, Japan
- Aug 6 Yuki Kajiura, Japanese composer
- Aug 8 Aaron Abeyta, American musician
- Aug 9 Kyle Kyle [Keiderling], American rock bassist (Bang Tango), born in Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Aug 13 Hayato Matsuo, Japanese video game and anime composer, born in Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
- Aug 17 Glen Goldsmith, English singer-songwriter (What You See is What You Get), High Wycombe, England
- Aug 17 Steve Gorman, American rock drummer (Black Crowes), born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
- Aug 18 Koji Kikkawa, Japanese singer, born in Hiroshima, Japan
- Aug 20 KRS-One [Lawrence Parker], American rapper, born in Brooklyn, New York
- Aug 25 Mia Zapata, American singer (The Gits), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 1993)
Shania Twain
Aug 28 Shania Twain, Canadian singer (You're Still the One), born in Windsor Ontario
Shania Twain
- Sep 3 Vaden Todd Lewis, American musician (Toadies), born in Fort Worth, Texas
- Sep 11 Moby [Richard Hall], American musician (Play, 18), born in Harlem, New York
- Sep 12 John Norwood Fisher, American ska-funk bassist (Fishbone), born in California
- Sep 13 Zak Starkey, English rock drummer (Oasis; The Who), son of Beatle Ringo, born in London, England
- Sep 17 Guy Picciotto, American punk rock singer, songwriter and guitarist (Rites of Spring; Fugazi), born in Washington, D.C.
- Sep 19 Sabine Paturel, French singer (Les Bêtises) and actress, born in Toulon, France
- Sep 22 Andy Cairns, Irish musician
- Sep 24 Sean McNabb, American bassist (Quiet Riot, Great White, Rough Cutt, House of Lords), born in South Bend, Indiana
- Sep 28 Ginger Fish, American drummer (Marilyn Manson)
- Sep 29 Iain Baker, English pop musician (Jesus Jones), born in Charshalton, England
- Sep 29 Fora van Leijenhorst, Curacaos/Neth dancer (Josephine)
- Oct 4 [Fred] "Skip" Heller, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Oct 8 C. J. Ramone [Christopher Ward], American musician (The Ramones), born in Queens, New York
Weddings in Music
Wedding of Interest
Feb 11 Beatle Ringo Starr marries Maureen Cox
Ringo Starr
Wedding of Interest
Jun 18 Actress and singer Rita Moreno (33) weds cardiologist Leonard Gordon
Rita Moreno
Wedding of Interest
Jun 28 Country singer Merle Haggard (28) weds singer Bonnie Owens (35)
Merle Haggard
- Oct 16 Singer Leslie Uggams marries Grahame Pratt in NYC
Deaths in Music
- Jan 1 Juan Bautista Plaza, Venezuelan composer, dies at 66
- Jan 8 Aloÿs-Henri-Gérard Fornerod, Swiss composer, dies at 74
- Jan 14 Jeanette MacDonald, American soprano (When I'm Calling You), dies at 63
- Jan 20 Alan Freed, American disc jockey who accepted payola and introduced term "rock-n-roll", dies at 42
- Jan 25 Staf Nees, Flemish composer (Maria-oratorio), dies at 63
- Jan 27 Theo Uden Marsman, Dutch orchestra leader, dies at 63
- Jan 28 Jef van Durme, Belgian composer, dies at 57
- Jan 29 Michał Spisak, Polish composer (Hymne Olympique), dies at 50
- Jan 29 Jack Hylton, English orchestra leader and impresario (Crazy Passage Show), dies at 72
- Feb 2 Richard Würz, German composer, and music critic, dies at 79
- Feb 13 Jerry Burke, pianist (Lawrence Welk Show), dies
- Feb 14 Desire-Emile Inghelbrecht, French composer/conductor, dies at 84
Nat King Cole
Feb 15 Nat King Cole, American singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa), dies of cancer at 49
Nat King Cole
- Mar 1 Boleslav Vomáček, Czech composer, dies at 77
- Mar 3 Carlo Gatti, Italian musicologist (Verdi), dies at 88
- Mar 6 Ruvim Pergament, composer, dies at 58
- Mar 9 Anthon van der Horst, Dutch organist and composer, dies at 65
- Mar 25 Giorgio Federico Ghedini, Italian composer, dies at 72
- Apr 2 Renzo Bossi, Italian composer, dies at 81
- Apr 26 Aaron Avshalomov, Russian-born Jewish composer, dies at 70
- May 1 Leo Spies, Russian-born German composer, dies at 65
- May 1 Spike Jones [Lindley Armstrong Jones], American bandleader (Der Fueher's Face, Cocktails For Two), dies from emphysema at 53
- May 25 Sonny Boy Williamson II [Aleck Miller], American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, dies at 65
- Jun 8 Erik Chisholm, Scottish conductor, composer (Hindustani Piano Concerto), and educator (South African College of Music, 1949-65),, dies of a heart attack at 61
- Jun 14 Guido Guerrini, Italian composer, dies at 74
- Jun 18 George Melachrino, English composer, dies at 56
- Jun 20 Ira Louvin, country singer (Louvin Brothers), dies at 41
- Jun 28 Red Nichols, American jazz cornettist, composer and jazz bandleader, dies at 60
- Jul 1 Claude Thornhill, composer, dies at 55
- Jul 17 Luiz Cosme, Brazilian composer, dies at 57
- Jul 18 Shalva Mikhailovich Taktakishvili, Russian composer, dies at 64
- Jul 28 Maurice Yvain, French composer, dies at 74
- Aug 1 Kiyoshi Nobutoki, Japanese cellist and composer, dies at 77
- Aug 2 Milton B Babbitt, American composer (Widow's Lament), dies at 49
- Aug 6 Peter Ronnefeld, German composer and conductor (Die Nachtausgabe), dies at 30
- Aug 16 Vasily Petrovich Shirinsky, composer, dies at 64
- Aug 27 Otto Reinhold, German composer, dies at 66
- Sep 6 Konstantin G. Mostras, Russian composer, dies at 79
- Sep 9 Julian Antonio Carillo-Trujillo, composer, dies at 90
- Sep 15 Steve Brown, American musician (b. 1890)
- Sep 16 Ahn Eak-tai, Korean musician, composer, and conductor (b. 1906)
- Sep 25 Nikolai Sokoloff, Russian-American conductor (Seattle Symphony), dies at 79
- Sep 27 Harry Reser, American banjo player and bandleader (Sammy Kaye Show), dies at 69
- Oct 5 Gustaf Adolf Tiburtius Bengtsson, Swedish composer, dies at 79
- Oct 15 Carl Hoff, orchestra leader (Music Hall), dies at 60
- Oct 18 Frank Hutchens, composer, dies at 73
- Oct 21 Bill Black, American band leader and bassist who worked with Elvis, dies of a brain tumour at 39
- Oct 21 Marie McDonald, American singer and actress known as "The Body Beautiful" (Promises Promises), dies of an accidental drug overdose at 42
- Oct 26 Hans Knappertsbusch, German conductor (Bavarian State Opera, 1922-36), dies at 77
- Oct 28 Earl Bostic, American jazz alto saxophonist (Flamingo, Temptation), dies at 52
- Nov 4 Krsto Odak, Croatian composer, dies at 77
- Nov 6 Clarence Williams, American composer, dies at 67
- Nov 6 Edgard Varèse, French-American composer (Ionisation; Poème électronique), dies at 81
- Nov 7 Friedrich Wildgans, Austrian composer, dies at 52
- Nov 25 Dame Myra Hess, British pianist (b. 1890)
- Nov 27 Carl Parrish, American composer, dies at 61
- Dec 10 Henry (Dixon) Cowell, US pianist/composer (Aeolian Harp), dies at 68
- Dec 14 Hermann Sandby, Danish cellist & composer, dies at 84
- Dec 16 Tito Schipa [Raffaele Attilio Amedeo Schipa], Italian tenor/composer (La Rondine), dies at 77
- Dec 21 Claude Champagne, Canadian composer, dies at 74
- Dec 29 Kusaku Yamada, Japanese composer and conductor, dies at 79
- Dec 29 Kōsaku Yamada, Japanese composer (Nagauta Symphony), and conductor, dies of a heart attack at 79