January 4 – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million.
January 12 – Hullabaloo premieres on NBC. The first show included performances by The New Christy Minstrels, comedian Woody Allen, actress Joey Heatherton and a segment from London in which Brian Epstein introduces The Zombies and Gerry & the Pacemakers.
January 17 – The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts' book Ode to a High Flying Bird, a tribute to jazz great Charlie Parker, is published.
January 21
The Animals' show at New York's Apollo Theater is canceled after the U.S. Immigration Department forces the group to leave the theater.
The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison travel to Sydney to begin their Australian tour.
January 23 – "Downtown" hits #1 in the US singles chart, making Petula Clark the first British female vocalist to reach the coveted position since the arrival of The Beatles.
January 24 – The Animals appear a second time on The Ed Sullivan Show.
January 27 – Paul Simon broadcasts on BBC radio for the first time, on their Five to Ten show, discussing and playing 13 songs, 12 of which would appear on his May-recorded and August-released UK-only solo album, The Paul Simon Song Book.
February 6 – Donovan performs the first of three performances on the British television program Ready, Steady, Go! This presents him to a widespread audience for the first time.
February 12 – NME reports the Beatles will star in a film adaptation of Richard Condon's novel A Talent for Loving. The story is about a 2,253-kilometer (1,400 mi) horse race that takes place in the old west. The film is never made.
February 24 – The Beatles begin filming their second film, Help!
March 6 – The Temptations' "My Girl", written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, from Motown Records, reaches number 1.
March 18 – The Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, and Bill Wyman are fined five pounds for urinating on the wall of a London petrol station. The band had asked to use the restroom, but it was out of order.
March 20 – The 10th Eurovision Song Contest in Naples, Italy, is won by 17-year-old France Gall, representing Luxembourg, with the Serge Gainsbourg-composed "Poupée de cire, poupée de son".
March 21 – The Supremes have their fourth number-one single, "Stop! In The Name Of Love", written by H-D-H.
April 11 – The New Musical Express poll winners' concert takes place featuring performances by The Beatles, The Animals, The Rolling Stones, Freddie and the Dreamers, the Kinks, the Searchers, Herman's Hermits, The Anita Kerr Singers, The Moody Blues, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Donovan, Them, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones.
April 21 – The Beach Boys appear on Shindig! performing their most recent hit, "Do You Wanna Dance?"
April 26 – Leopold Stokowski conducts the first complete performance of Charles Ives' Symphony No. 4, more than ten years after the composer's death.
May 5 – Alan Price leaves The Animals, to be replaced temporarily by Mick Gallagher and permanently by Dave Rowberry.
May 6 – Keith Richards and Mick Jagger begin work on "Satisfaction" in their Clearwater, Florida, hotel room. Richards came up with the classic guitar riff while playing around with his brand new Gibson "Fuzz box".
May 8 – The British Commonwealth comes closer than it ever had, or would, to a clean sweep of the US Hot 100's top 10, lacking only a hit at number 2 instead of "Count Me In" by the American group Gary Lewis & The Playboys. Alais... five American recordings enter the top 10 the very next week.
May 9 – Bob Dylan performs the first of two concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall, concluding his tour of Europe. Audience members include The Beatles, and Donovan.
May 30 – The Animals appear a third time on The Ed Sullivan Show.
June
Producer Tom Wilson, (Simon & Garfunkel) records a heavy backing band onto the song "The Sound of Silence", without the knowledge of Paul Simon, for release on a 45 rpm single, and the B-side, "We've Got A Groovey Thing Goin'". The single will eventually reach number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on New Year's Day 1966.
The US music press popularize the term "folk rock", which has been in print at least since the November 2, 1963, issue of Billboard magazine, in which "Devil's Waitin'" by the Glencoves was said to have a "wide open folk-rock sound." The term was also used of "Twins" by Kingtones (March 7, 1964), the Men (July 25, 1964), and even of Hoyt Axton. People outside the trade began to take notice of the term in June, 1965.
June 6 – The Supremes have their fifth consecutive number-one single, "Back in My Arms Again, written by H-D-H, from Motown Records.
July 5 - Maria Callas gives her last operatic performance, as Tosca at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
July 9 - The release of the Tamil musical film Aayirathil Oruvan marks the end of the composing partnership between T. K. Ramamoorthy and M. S. Viswanathan.
July 25 – Bob Dylan plays the Newport Folk Festival, is booed for playing electric set with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Joan Baez and Donovan also play sets.
August 6
The Small Faces release "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", their first single.
The Beatles release the soundtrack to their second movie Help!
August 14 - The husband-and-wife American pop duo Sonny & Cher earned their first number one hit I Got You Babe. It peaked at that position in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.
August 15 – The Beatles play at Shea Stadium, the first rock concert to be held in a venue of that size. The concert also set new world records for attendance (55,600+) and for revenue.
August 27 – The Beatles visit Elvis Presley at his home in Bel-Air. It is the only time the band and the singer meet.
September 30 – Donovan appears on Shindig! in the U.S. and plays Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier".
October 15 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix signs a three-year recording contract with Ed Chaplin, receiving $1 and 1% royalty on records with Curtis Knight. The agreement will later cause continuous litigation problems with Hendrix and other record labels.
October 17 – The Animals appear a fourth time on The Ed Sullivan Show.
October 26 – The Beatles are appointed Members of the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen. Since it was unusual for popular musicians to be appointed as MBEs, a number of previous recipients complained and protested.
November 5 – The Who release their iconic single "My Generation" in the UK. This song contains the famous line: "I hope I die before I get old"
November 14 – The Supremes have their sixth number-one record, "I Hear A Symphony", for Motown Records.
November 26 – Arlo Guthrie is arrested in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, for the crime of littering, perpetrated the day before (Thanksgiving) in the nearby town of Stockbridge. The resultant events and adventure would be immortalized in the song "Alice's Restaurant".
3 December
The Beatles release their album Rubber Soul, along with the double A-sided single "Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out". George Harrison's performance on the sitar on the track "Norwegian Wood" leads to his becoming a pupil of Ravi Shankar.
The Who release their debut album My Generation.
Toho College of Music is established in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan.
Michael Tippett is invited as guest composer to the music festival in Aspen, Colorado. The visit leads to major changes in his style.
New bands
See Category:Musical groups established in 1965
Bands disbanded
Paul & Paula
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1965.
"Absent Friend" (Annorstädes vals) – Ingvar Wixell (w. Alf Henrikson m. Dag Wirén)
"...and Roses and Roses" – Andy Williams
"1-2-3" – Len Barry
"A Change Is Gonna Come" – Sam Cooke
"A Must to Avoid" – Herman's Hermits
"A Taste of Honey" – Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
"A World of Our Own" – The Seekers
"Act Naturally" – The Beatles
"Ain't That Peculiar" – Marvin Gaye
"Aline" - Christophe
"All Day and All of the Night" – The Kinks
"All I Really Want to Do", recorded by
The Byrds
Cher
"Al's Place" - Al Hirt
"Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" – The Who
"Arrastão" – Elis Regina
"Arriba en la Cordillera" – Patricio Manns
"As Tears Go By", recorded by
Marianne Faithfull
The Rolling Stones
"Ask the Lonely" – Four Tops
"At The Club" – The Drifters
"Baby Don't Go" – Sonny & Cher
"Baby Please Don't Go" – Them
"Baby the Rain Must Fall" – Glenn Yarbrough
"Back in My Arms Again" – The Supremes
"Barbara Ann" – The Beach Boys
"The Birds and the Bees" – Jewel Akens
"The Boy from New York City" – The Ad Libs
"Bring It On Home to Me" – The Animals
"Buon Natale/Stella d'oriente" - Mario Trevi
"Bye Bye Baby" – The Four Seasons
"California Dreamin'" – The Mamas & the Papas
"California Girls" – The Beach Boys
"Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" - Herman's Hermits
"Capri c'est fini" - Hervé Vilard
"Cara Mia" – Jay and the Americans
"The Carnival Is Over" – The Seekers
"Cast Your Fate to the Wind" – Sounds Orchestral
"Catch the Wind" – Donovan
"Catch Us If You Can" – The Dave Clark Five
"Cheremshyna" - Dmytro Hnatyuk (w. Mykola Yuriychuk m. Vasyl Mykhailyuk)
"The Clapping Song" – Shirley Ellis
"Come See About Me" – The Supremes
"Concrete and Clay" – Unit 4 + 2
"Count Me In" - Gary Lewis & the Playboys
"Crazy Downtown" - Allan Sherman
"Crying in the Chapel" – Elvis Presley
"Dance, Dance, Dance" – The Beach Boys
"Day Tripper" – The Beatles
"Do the Clam" – Elvis Presley
"Do-Wacka-Do" – Roger Miller
"Do You Believe in Magic" – The Lovin' Spoonful
"Do You Wanna Dance?" – The Beach Boys
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" – The Animals
"Don't Mess With Bill" – The Marvelettes
"Down in the Boondocks" – Billy Joe Royal
"Downtown" – Petula Clark
"È frennesia!/'Na catena 'e lacreme" - Mario Trevi
"Ebb Tide" – The Righteous Brothers
"Een meisje van 16" - Boudewijn de Groot
"Eight Days a Week" – The Beatles
"England Swings" – Roger Miller
"Era de maggio/Qui fu Napoli" - Mario Trevi
"Eve of Destruction" – Barry McGuire
"Everybody Loves a Clown" – Gary Lewis and the Playboys
"Everyone's Gone to the Moon" – Jonathan King
"Evil Hearted You" – The Yardbirds
"Fancy Pants" - Al Hirt
"Ferry Cross The Mersey" – Gerry & the Pacemakers
"Fever" – The McCoys
"Flamenco" – Los Brincos
"Five O'Clock World" -The Vogues
"For Your Love" – The Yardbirds
"Game of Love" – Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders
"Get Off of My Cloud" – The Rolling Stones
"Girl Come Running" – The Four Seasons
"Go Now" – The Moody Blues
"Goin' Out of My Head" – Little Anthony & The Imperials (released in 1964, but charted in 1965)
"Going to a Go-Go" – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
"Goldfinger" – Shirley Bassey
"Got to Get You Off My Mind" – Solomon Burke
"Hang on Sloopy" – The McCoys
"Hasta Siempre, Comandante" w.m. Carlos Puebla
"Heart Full of Soul" – The Yardbirds
"Heart of Stone" – The Rolling Stones
"Help Me Rhonda" – The Beach Boys
"Here Comes the Night" – Them
"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" – Mel Carter
"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" – Marvin Gaye
"Hurt So Bad" – Little Anthony & The Imperials
"I Can't Explain" – The Who
"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" – Four Tops
"I Do Love You" - Billy Stewart
"I Feel Fine" – The Beatles
"I Got You (I Feel Good)" – James Brown
"I Got You Babe" – Sonny & Cher
"I Hear a Symphony" – The Supremes
"I Knew You When" - Billy Joe Royal
"I Know a Place" – Petula Clark
"I Like It Like That" – The Dave Clark Five
"I Want Candy" – The Strangeloves
"I'll Be Doggone" – Marvin Gaye
"I'll Never Find Another You" – The Seekers
"I'm a Man" – The Yardbirds
"I'm Afraid They're All Talking About Me"- Dawn
"I'm Gonna Destroy That Boy"- The What Four
"I'm Henry VIII, I Am" – Herman's Hermits
"I'm Telling You Now" – Freddie and the Dreamers
"Iko Iko" – The Dixie Cups
"Il Silenzio" – Nini Rosso (instrumental with spoken lyrics) m. Nini Rosso and Guglielmo Brezza
"The 'In' Crowd" – Dobie Gray
"In the Midnight Hour" – Wilson Pickett
"It Ain't Me Babe" – The Turtles
"It's Gonna Be Fine" - Glenn Yarbrough
"It's Growing" – The Temptations
"It's My Life" – The Animals
"It's Not Unusual" – Tom Jones
"It's the Same Old Song" – Four Tops
"I've Got to Be Somebody" - Billy Joe Royal
"Jacky" w.m. Jacques Brel
"Jaan Pehechan Ho" - Mohammed Rafi (w. Anand Bakshi m. Shankar Jaikishan)
"The Jerk" – The Larks
"Just a Little" – The Beau Brummels
"Just a Little Bit Better" - Herman's Hermits
"Just Once In My Life" – The Righteous Brothers
"King of the Road" – Roger Miller
"La Bohème" w.m. Charles Aznavour
"Land of a Thousand Dances" – Cannibal and the Headhunters
"The Last Time" – The Rolling Stones
"Laugh, Laugh" – The Beau Brummels
"Laurie (Strange Things Happen)" – Dickie Lee
"Lemon Tree" – Trini Lopez
"Les Choses de la Maison" – Claude François
"Letkiss" (Several versions)
"Let's Hang On" – The Four Seasons
"Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)" – Jay and the Americans
"Liar, Liar" – The Castaways
"Like a Rolling Stone" – Bob Dylan
"The Little Girl I Once Knew" – The Beach Boys
"Looking Through the Eyes of Love" - Gene Pitney
"Love Potion #9" – The Searchers
"A Lover's Concerto" – The Toys
"Make the World Go Away" – Eddy Arnold
"Mbraccia a me!/Core furastiero" - Mario Trevi
"Mr. Lonely" – Bobby Vinton
"Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" – Herman's Hermits
"My Baby" – The Temptations
"My Generation" – The Who
"My Girl" – The Temptations
"My Love" – Petula Clark
"My World Is Empty Without You" – The Supremes
"The Name Game" – Shirley Ellis
"Niente cchiù/'A voce 'e ll'ammore" - Mario Trevi
"Non, à jamais sans toi" - Yovanna (w. Jean Charles m. Bob Calfati)
"Nothing but Heartaches" – The Supremes
"Nowhere to Run" – Martha and the Vandellas
"Ooo Baby Baby" – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
"Over and Over" – The Dave Clark Five
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" – James Brown
"Positively 4th Street" – Bob Dylan
"Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)" - Andy Williams
"The Race Is On" – Jack Jones
"Red Roses for a Blue Lady", recorded by
Bert Kaempfert
Vic Dana
"Remember When (We Made These Memories)" - Wayne Newton
"Rescue Me" – Fontella Bass
"Respect" – Otis Redding
"Run, Baby Run (Back Into My Arms)" - The Newbeats
"Rusty Bells" - Brenda Lee
"Save Your Heart for Me" – Gary Lewis and the Playboys
"Schenk Mir ein Bild von Dir" – Peter Alexander
"See My Friends" – The Kinks
"See Saw" - Don Covay
"Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" – Dean Martin
"Set Me Free" – The Kinks
"Sulo e senza 'e te/Catenella" - Mario Trevi
"Seventh Son" – Johnny Rivers
"Shakin' All Over" - The Guess Who
"She's a Woman" – The Beatles
"She's Just My Style" – Gary Lewis and the Playboys
"Shotgun" – Jr. Walker & The All Stars
"The Silence (Il Silenzio)" - Al Hirt
"Silhouettes" – Herman's Hermits
"Since I Lost My Baby" – The Temptations
"Sitting in the Park" – Billy Stewart
"Some Enchanted Evening" – Jay and the Americans
"Te voglio bene assaje/Dicitencello vuje" - Mario Trevi
"The Sound of Silence" – Simon & Garfunkel
"Spanish Flea" – Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
"Stop! In the Name of Love" – The Supremes
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" – Bob Dylan
"Sunday and Me" - Jay and the Americans
"Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows" – Lesley Gore
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" – Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and The Pearls
"Sweet Talkin' Guy"- The Chiffons
"Take Me Back" – Little Anthony & The Imperials
"Tears" – Ken Dodd (This became the biggest selling UK single of 1965, a #1 for 5 weeks selling over two million copies—all in 10-inch 78-rpm shellac format)
"Tell Her No" – The Zombies
"This Diamond Ring" – Gary Lewis and the Playboys
"Thunderball" – Tom Jones
"Ticket to Ride" – The Beatles
"Till the End of the Day" – The Kinks
"Tired of Waiting for You" – The Kinks
"The Tracks of My Tears" – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
"Treat Her Right" – Roy Head and the Traits
"Truly, Truly True" - Brenda Lee
"Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)" – The Byrds
"Unchained Melody" – The Righteous Brothers
"Universal Soldier" – Donovan
"Va t'en, va t'en" – Dick Rivers
"We Can Work It Out" – The Beatles
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" – The Animals
"A Well Respected Man" – The Kinks
"What Have They Done to the Rain" – The Searchers
"What the World Needs Now Is Love" – Jackie DeShannon
"What's New, Pussycat?" – Tom Jones
"Wooly Bully" – Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs
"Wonderful World" – Herman's Hermits
"Yes, I'm Ready" – Barbara Mason
"Yes It Is" – The Beatles
"You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" – The Lovin' Spoonful
"You Turn Me On" – Ian Whitcomb
"You Were Made for Me" – Freddie and the Dreamers
"You Were On My Mind" – We Five
"You're the One" – The Vogues
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" – The Silkie
"You've Got Your Troubles" – The Fortunes
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" – The Righteous Brothers
"Zorba the Greek" – Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1965
"Call Me" w.m. Tony Hatch
"The Carnival Is Over" w. Tom Springfield
"Do I Hear a Waltz?" w. Stephen Sondheim m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Elizabeth Allen in the musical Do I Hear a Waltz?.
"Goldfinger" w. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley m. John Barry. Introduced by Shirley Bassey on the soundtrack of the film Goldfinger
"Honey Come Back" w.m. Jimmy Webb
"I Have Confidence" w.m. Richard Rodgers, from the film The Sound of Music
"I Know a Place" w.m. Tony Hatch
"The Impossible Dream" w. Joe Darion m. Mitch Leigh Introduced by Richard Kiley in the musical Man of La Mancha
"Jeannie" w.m. Hugo Montenegro and Buddy Kaye, theme from the TV series I Dream of Jeannie
"Michelle" w.m. John Lennon & Paul McCartney
"Moment To Moment" w. Johnny Mercer m. Henry Mancini from the film Moment to Moment
"On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)" w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Burton Lane introduced by John Cullum in the musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Performed in the 1970 film version by Yves Montand.
"The Shadow of Your Smile" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Johnny Mandel
"She Touched Me" w. Ira Levin m. Milton Schafer. Introduced by Elliott Gould in the musical Drat! The Cat!
"Somewhere My Love" Paul Francis Webster m. Maurice Jarre from the film Doctor Zhivago'
"Spanish Flea" m. Julius Wechter
"What The World Needs Now Is Love". Hal David m. Burt Bacharach
"What's New Pussycat?" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach from the film What's New Pussycat?
"Who Can I Turn To?" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley from the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd
"A World of Our Own" w.m. Tom Springfield
"(On A) Wonderful Day Like Today" w.m. Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley from the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd
Gilbert Biberian – Greek Suite for guitar
George Crumb
Madrigals, Books I for soprano, vibraphone, and double bass
Madrigals, Books II for soprano, flute/alto flute/piccolo, and percussion
Mario Davidovsky – Inflexions for chamber ensemble
Henri Dutilleux – Résonances for piano
Roberto Gerhard – Concerto for Orchestra
Vittorio Giannini – Symphony no. 5
György Ligeti – Requiem for Soprano and Mezzo Soprano solo, mixed Chorus and Orchestra (1963–65)
Henri Pousseur –
Miroir de Votre Faust (Caractères II) for piano with soprano ad libitum
Jeu de Miroirs de Votre Faust for piano, soprano ad libitum, and two-channel tape
Karlheinz Stockhausen – Mikrophonie II
Eduard Tubin – Sonata for viola and piano
Jack Beeson – Lizzie Borden, March 25, New York City Opera
Ned Rorem - Miss Julie, November 4, New York City Opera
Baker Street Broadway production opened at The Broadway Theatre and ran for 311 performances
Carousel (Rodgers & Hammerstein) – Broadway revival
Charlie Girl London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on December 15.
Do I Hear A Waltz? (Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim) – Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 220 performances
Drat! The Cat! – Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theatre and ran for 8 performances
Flora the Red Menace (Music: John Kander Lyrics: Fred Ebb) Broadway production opened on May 11 and ran for 87 performances. Starring Liza Minnelli.
Half a Sixpence – Broadway production opened at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran for 511 performances
Hello, Dolly! (Jerry Herman) – London production
Man of La Mancha (Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh) – Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theatre and ran for 2,328 performances. The show won five Tony Awards
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever – Broadway production
Pickwick – Broadway production opened at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 56 performances
The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd – Broadway production opened at the Schubert Theatre and ran for 231 performances
Twang! (Music, Lyrics and Book: Lionel Bart) London production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on December 20.
Bangaru Panjaram Telugu musical drama
Help! directed by Richard Lester, starring The Beatles
Inside the Forbidden City Hong Kong musical opera film
Janwar Hindi film
The Sound of Music directed by Robert Wise, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer
Waqt Hindi film
When the Boys Meet the Girls starring Connie Francis
January 4 – Beth Gibbons, British vocalist Portishead and Rustin Man
January 12 – Rob Zombie, heavy metal musician (White Zombie)
January 14 – Slick Rick, English rapper
January 15 – Adam Jones, American guitarist and songwriter (Tool and Electric Sheep)
January 20
Greg K. (The Offspring)
Heather Small, British soul singer (M People)
January 22
Steven Adler (Guns N' Roses)
DJ Jazzy Jeff, American rapper and actor
January 25 – Toni Halliday, lead singer and bass guitarist of Curve and Photofitz
January 26 – Siavash Shams, Iranian singer
February 9 – Stephin Merritt from The Magnetic Fields
February 18 – Dr. Dre, record producer and actor
February 20 – Inna Zhelannaya, Russian singer-songwriter
February 25 – Brian Baker of Minor Threat, the Meatmen and Bad Religion
February 27 – Frank Peter Zimmermann, German violinist
March 4
Andrew Collins, British radio DJ and journalist
WestBam (Maximillian Lenz), German DJ
March 12 – Liza Umarova, Chechen singer and actress
March 23 – Marti Pellow, Scottish vocalist (Wet Wet Wet)
March 24 – Patrick Scales, British-German electric bass guitar player
April 1 – Robert Steadman, English composer
April 3 – Nazia Hassan, Pakistani pop singer (d. 2000)
April 12 – Pinchers, reggae/dancehall artist
April 18 – Vinnie Moore, guitarist
April 19
Suge Knight, American record producer
Natalie Dessay, French soprano
April 23 – Tommy DeCarlo, vocalist (Boston)
April 25 – Eric Avery (Jane's Addiction)
May 13 – Tasmin Little, English violinist
May 16 – Krist Novoselic, Croatian-American bassist Nirvana
May 17 – Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails)
May 22 - Catie Curtis, American singer-songwriter
May 28 – Chris Ballew, American rock musician (The Presidents of the United States of America)
May 31 – Lisa I'Anson, British DJ
June 5 – Anthony LaGruth, American Conductor
June 7
Jean-Pierre François, French footballer and singer
Christine Roque, French singer
June 10 – Jimmy Chamberlin (The Smashing Pumpkins)
June 19 – Sean Marshall, American child actor and singer
June 28 – Sonny Strait, American voice actor and singer
July 4 – Jo Whiley, British radio DJ
July 5 – Eyran Katsenelenbogen, Israeli jazz pianist
July 9
Courtney Love (Hole)
Frank Bello (Anthrax)
July 13
Akina Nakamori, Japanese pop singer
Eileen Ivers, American fiddler (Cherish the Ladies)
July 19 – Evelyn Glennie, Scottish percussionist
July 23
Rob Dickinson, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Catherine Wheel)
Slash, guitarist (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver)
July 28 - Daniela Mercury, Brazilian singer
August 6
Ravi Coltrane, American saxophonist
Yuki Kajiura, Japanese composer
August 18 – Koji Kikkawa, Japanese singer
August 19 - Johan Botha, South African operatic tenor
August 28 – Shania Twain, Canadian country singer
September 1 – Craig McLachlan, Australian actor and singer
September 3 – Todd Lewis, (Toadies)
September 7 – Angela Gheorghiu, Romanian soprano
September 11 – Moby, American musician
September 12 – Norwood Fisher, Fishbone
September 13 – Zak Starkey, drummer, son of Ringo Starr
September 23 – Marco Blaauw, trumpeter (musikFabrik)
September 26 – Cindy Herron, American singer (En Vogue)
October 8 – C.J. Ramone, bassist (Ramones)
October 14 – Constantine Koukias, Australian composer
October 18 – Curtis Stigers, American jazz musician and singer
October 20 – Jil Caplan, French singer and songwriter
October 22 – John Wesley Harding, singer
October 26
Aaron Kwok, Hong Kong singer and actor
Sakari Oramo, Finnish conductor
October 30 – Gavin Rossdale, English musician
November 4
Pata, Japanese rock guitarist (X Japan)
Jeff Scott Soto, American musician
Wayne Static, American rock singer (Static-X)
November 9 – Bryn Terfel, Welsh bass-baritone
November 20 – Yoshiki Hayashi, Japanese rock composer, piano and drummer (X Japan)
November 21
Björk, Icelandic singer-songwriter
Gabrielle Glaser (Luscious Jackson)
November 18 – Tim DeLaughter, American singer-songwriter (Tripping Daisy and The Polyphonic Spree)
November 22 – Sen Dog (Cypress Hill)
November 25 – Tim Armstrong, American singer and musician (Rancid)
December 5 – John Rzeznik, American rock singer (The Goo Goo Dolls)
December 23 – Bobby Schayer (Bad Religion)
December 29 – Dexter Holland, American rock singer (The Offspring)
Date unknown - Joakim Sundström, Swedish sound editor, sound designer and musician
January 13 - Leo Funtek, violinist, conductor and arranger, 79
January 14 – Jeanette MacDonald, singer and actress, 61
January 20 – Alan Freed, DJ who first used the phrase Rock and Roll, 43 (alcohol-related)
January 21 – Reino Helismaa, singer-songwriter
February 2 - Charles W. Harrison, ballad singer, 86
February 7 - Viggo Brodersen, pianist and composer, 85
February 14 – Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht, conductor and composer, 84
February 15 – Nat King Cole, singer and pianist, 45 (lung cancer)
February 25 – Leo Sirota, pianist
March 2 – Ján Valašťan Dolinský, composer
March 4 – Asadata Dafora, drummer
March 8 – Tadd Dameron, jazz pianist and composer, 48 (cancer)
March 22 – Harry Tierney, musical theatre composer
March 29 – Zlatko Baloković, violinist, 70
April 7 – David Hellström, awardwinning songwriter, 81
April 12 – La Belle Otero, dancer and courtesan
April 26 – Michael Bohnen, operatic bass-baritone and actor, 77
May 1 – Spike Jones, comedy musician, 53 (emphysema)
May 14 – Joe Sanders, jazz pianist, singer and bandleader, 68
June 18 – George Melachrino, English conductor, singer and composer
July 8 – Willie Dennis, jazz trombonist, 39 (car crash)
July 14 – Spencer Williams, pianist, singer and composer
July 17 - Frank Ryan, tenor, 65
September 4 – Albert Schweitzer, missionary, musician, and author on Bach
September 8 – Dorothy Dandridge, actress and singer, 42 (drug overdose)
September 9 - Julián Carrillo, Mexican composer, conductor, violinist and music theorist, 90
September 10 – Bobby Jordan, actor and musician, 42 (cirrhosis of liver)
September 15 – Steve Brown, jazz musician
September 25 - Nikolai Sokoloff, violinist and conductor, 79
October 17 – Cléo de Mérode, dancer
October 21 – Bill Black, US musician, 39 (brain tumour)
October 25 – Hans Knappertsbusch, German conductor, 77
October 27 – Peter La Farge, folk singer-songwriter, 34 (cause uncertain)
November 6
Edgard Varèse, French composer, 81
Clarence Williams, jazz musician and composer, 67
November 18 – Lou Black, banjo player, 64
November 21
Cecil Brower, jazz violinist, 50 (perforated ulcer)
Naoum Blinder, violinist and teacher born in the Ukraine, 76 (if born July 19, 1889 per some sources)
November 25 – Dame Myra Hess, pianist, 75
December 3 – Hank D'Amico, jazz and swing musician
December 10 – Henry Cowell, composer
December 11 – Rafael Hernández Marín, composer, 73
December 16 – Tito Schipa, tenor, 76
December 20 – Charlie Burse, blues musician, 64
date unknown - Craig Campbell, operatic tenor, 77
Grammy Awards of 1965
Eurovision Song Contest 1965
