1964 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1964.

Specific locations

 * 1964 in British music
 * 1964 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

 * 1964 in country music
 * 1964 in jazz

Events

 * January 1 – The first episode of the long-running weekly pop music show Top of the Pops airs on BBC TV in the U.K. The first programme is produced in Manchester and the first two acts featured are Dusty Springfield with "I Only Want to Be with You" and The Rolling Stones with "I Wanna Be Your Man".
 * January 3 – Footage of the Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England, is shown on The Jack Paar Show in the U.S.
 * January 10 – Introducing... The Beatles, the first album by The Beatles to be released in the United States, comes out on Chicago's Vee-Jay Records, preceding Capitol Records' release of Meet the Beatles!, scheduled for January 20.
 * January 13 – Bob Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin' is released on Columbia Records.
 * January 15 – Vee Jay Records files a lawsuit against Capitol Records and Swan Records over manufacturing and distribution rights to Beatles albums on the U.S. On April 9, Capitol Records is granted an injunction restraining Vee Jay Records from further manufacturing, distributing or advertising recordings by the Beatles.
 * January 18 – The Beatles appear on the Billboard magazine charts in the U.S. for the first time.
 * January 25 – The late John F. Kennedy becomes the first President credited with a Top 10 album after Dickie Goodman releases John F. Kennedy: The Presidential Years 1960–1963. The following week a second album credited to the late President would also hit the Top 10, giving Kennedy two posthumous albums simultaneously in the Top 10.
 * February 1 – Indiana Governor Matthew E. Welsh declares the 1963 recording of "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen pornographic. He requests that the Indiana Broadcasters Association ban the record. Governor Welsh claims that hearing the song made his "ears tingle." Publisher Max Firetag offers $1,000 to anyone that can find anything "suggestive" in the song's lyrics and there are no prosecutions. The FBI's investigation is hampered by it finding the lyrics nearly unintelligible.
 * February 7 – The Beatles arrive in the United States and are greeted by thousands of screaming fans at New York's Kennedy Airport.
 * February 9 – The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, which breaks television ratings records.
 * February 12 – Anna Moffo collapses onstage at Covent Garden in the first act of Rigoletto, and her part is taken over, after a delay of 45 minutes, by Welsh soprano Elizabeth Vaughan.
 * February 16 – The Beatles again appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
 * February 22 – Plácido Domingo makes his international breakthrough at the première of Ginastera's Don Rodrigo in New York City.
 * February 23
 * The Beatles again appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
 * João Carlos Martins suddenly breaks off a performance in the middle of the second movement of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at Birmingham Town Hall due to an attack of appendicitis.
 * March 1
 * Capitol Records is bombarded with requests for heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay's album, I Am the Greatest, following Clay's defeat of Sonny Liston on February 25 and his announcement two days later that he has converted to Islam. (On March 6 will come the announcement that he would adopt the name Muhammad Ali.)
 * American premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen's Momente, by Martina Arroyo (soprano), the Crane Collegiate Singers of SUNY Potsdam (Brock McElheran, chorus master), and members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (Lukas Foss, music director), conducted by the composer, in Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, New York.
 * March 6 – Elvis Presley's 14th motion picture, Kissin' Cousins is released to theaters.
 * March 14 – Billboard magazine reports that sales of Beatles records make up 60% of the entire singles market.
 * March 16 – Disc jockey Alan Freed is charged with tax evasion in the U.S.
 * March 21 – Italy wins the 9th Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, with the song "Non ho l'età", sung by 16-year-old Gigliola Cinquetti.
 * March 24 – John Lennon's first book, In His Own Write is published.
 * March 27 – The Beatles occupy the top six spots on the Australian pop chart.
 * March 28 – Wax likenesses of The Beatles are put on display in London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The Beatles are the first pop stars to be displayed at the museum.
 * April – Drummer Keith Moon joins The Who.
 * April 4 – The Beatles occupy all five top positions on Billboard's Hot 100 with their singles "Can't Buy Me Love", "Twist and Shout", "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and "Please Please Me".
 * April 11 – The Beatles hold 14 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Previously, the highest number of concurrent singles by one artist on the Hot 100 was nine by Elvis Presley, December 19, 1956.
 * April 16 – The Rolling Stones release their eponymous début album.
 * May 2 – In the United States, The Beatles' Second Album climbs to the #1 spot on the LP charts in only its second week of release.
 * May 12 – The 6th Annual Grammy Awards are held in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Henry Mancini wins the most awards with four, including both Record of the Year and Song of the Year for the song "Days of Wine and Roses". Barbra Streisand's The Barbra Streisand Album wins Album of the Year, while Ward Swingle of The Swingle Singers wins Best New Artist.
 * May 20 – Judy Garland makes headlines after a disastrous concert in Melbourne, Australia
 * June
 * During a performance at the Railway, Pete Townshend of The Who accidentally breaks the head of his guitar on the low ceiling above the stage. This incident marks the start of auto-destructive art by destroying guitars and drums on stage.
 * Marianne Faithfull's singing career begins with the release of her single "As Tears Go By" written by members of The Rolling Stones.
 * June 5 – The Rolling Stones start their first U.S. tour.
 * July 3 – With their new manager Peter Meaden, The Who release their first single "Zoot Suit"/"I'm the Face" under the name The High Numbers in an attempt to appeal to a mod audience. It fails to reach the top 50 and the band reverts to calling themselves The Who.
 * July 6 – The Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night, is released.
 * July 10
 * The album of A Hard Day's Night is released in the U.K. All tracks are written by Lennon and McCartney.
 * More than 300 people are injured in Liverpool when a crowd of some 150,000 people welcome The Beatles back to their home city.
 * August 2 – The wreckage of the plane piloted by Jim Reeves is found near Brentwood, Tennessee, 42 hours after it crashed. There are no survivors.
 * August 4 – The Kinks release their iconic single "You Really Got Me".
 * August 8 – Bob Dylan releases his fourth album, Another Side of Bob Dylan.
 * August 17 – Indiana University Opera Theater presents Turandot at the New York World's Fair featuring newly retired Metropolitan Opera soprano Margaret Harshaw, a member of the voice faculty, in the title role.
 * August 19 – The Beatles start their second visit to, and first nationwide tour of, the United States with a concert at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, before more than 17,000 fans.
 * August 22 – The Supremes reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the first of five successive number one hits, "Where Did Our Love Go".
 * September 8 – The American premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen's Originale at Judson Hall in New York City is picketed by a group calling themselves Action Against Cultural Imperialism.
 * September 16 – Shindig! premieres on ABC.
 * September 21 – The China Conservatory of Music is established in Beijing.
 * September 22 – Fiddler on the Roof opens on Broadway.
 * October – Dr. Robert Moog demonstrates his prototype synthesizers.
 * October 19 – Simon & Garfunkel release their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., their first for Columbia Records, which is a total flop at this time. After release of their second album, Sounds of Silence, in 1966, it hits #30 on the Billboard charts.
 * October 24 – The Rolling Stones start their second US tour.
 * October 25 – The Rolling Stones perform on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.
 * October 29 – The T.A.M.I. Show is filmed.
 * October 31 – The Supremes reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the second of five successive number one hits, "Baby Love".
 * November – A deal with U.K. impresario W. H. Miller lands the Anita Kerr Quartette on Capitol Records for North America.
 * December 11 – Sam Cooke is killed under mysterious circumstances in Los Angeles, California. Shortly thereafter, "A Change Is Gonna Come", a song considered by many to be his best, is released.
 * December 19 – The Supremes reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the third of five successive number one hits, "Come See About Me".
 * December 24 – The Beatles gain the Christmas number one in the United Kingdom for the second year running with I Feel Fine, which has topped the singles charts for the third week running. The Beatles have now had six number ones in the U.K. alone.
 * date unknown
 * Dalida is the first star to receive a Platinum Disc in Europe.
 * 11-year-old Keith Green becomes the youngest person ever to sign a contract with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) after publishing, recording and releasing the song "The Way I Used to Be".
 * Joseph Shabalala re-forms his male vocal isicathamiya ensemble as Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
 * The National Institute of Kathak Dance is established in New Delhi.
 * Sonny and Cher begin performing together as "Caesar and Cleo".

Bands formed

 * See Category:Musical groups established in 1964

Release date unknown

 * 442 Glenwood Avenue – The Pixies Three
 * The Academy Award-Winning "Call Me Irresponsible" and Other Hit Songs from the Movies – Andy Williams
 * Allan in Wonderland – Allan Sherman
 * Alexandria the Great – Lorez Alexandria
 * Amore Scusami – Dalida
 * Ballads, Blues and Boasters – Harry Belafonte
 * Basie Land – Count Basie
 * Beauty and the Beard – Al Hirt
 * Bebop Revisited! – Charles McPherson
 * Black Fire – Andrew Hill
 * Blue Gene – Gene Pitney
 * Blue Spoon – Jimmy Witherspoon
 * Blue Around the Clock – Jimmy Witherspoon
 * Bo Diddley's 16 All-Time Greatest Hits – Bo Diddley
 * Bread & Butter – The Newbeats
 * Brown Sugar – Freddie Roach
 * Christmas Cookin' – Jimmy Smith
 * Coltrane's Sound – John Coltrane
 * Cotton Candy – Al Hirt
 * Crescent – John Coltrane
 * Cuddlebug – The Simon Sisters
 * The Dealers – John Coltrane & Mal Waldron
 * Donna The Prima Donna – Dion DiMucci
 * The Door Is Still Open to My Heart – Dean Martin
 * The Dubliners – The Dubliners (debut)
 * Early Dawg - David Grisman
 * Ella at Juan-Les-Pins – Ella Fitzgerald
 * Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book – Ella Fitzgerald
 * Etta James Rocks the House – Etta James
 * The Exciting Voice of Sergio Franchi – Sergio Franchi
 * Expressions East – John Berberian
 * For Swingin' Livers Only! – Allan Sherman
 * The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits – Andy Williams
 * The Great Years – Johnny Mathis
 * Here I Go Again – The Hollies (US)
 * Hey, Brother, Pour the Wine – Dean Martin
 * Hide and Seekers – The Seekers
 * How My Heart Sings! – Bill Evans
 * I'll Search My Heart and Other Great Hits – Johnny Mathis
 * Indifferentemente – Mario Trevi
 * In Europe – Miles Davis
 * In Love Again! – Peggy Lee
 * In Person at the Americana – Julie London
 * It Hurts to Be in Love – Gene Pitney
 * It's Monk's Time – Thelonious Monk
 * Johnny Horton's Greatest Hits – Johnny Horton
 * Joyful Season – Jo Stafford
 * Live at Birdland – John Coltrane
 * Love After Midnight – Patti Page
 * The Manfred Mann Album – Manfred Mann
 * Meet The Simon Sisters – The Simon Sisters
 * The Never Ending Impressions – The Impressions
 * Out to Lunch! – Eric Dolphy
 * Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini – Quincy Jones
 * Right or Wrong – Ronnie Dove
 * Rock Around the Clock King – Bill Haley & His Comets
 * Runnin' Out of Fools – Aretha Franklin
 * Said I To Shostakovitch – Tupper Saussy
 * Sammy Davis Jr. Salutes the Stars of the London Palladium – Sammy Davis, Jr.
 * The Seekers – The Seekers
 * The Shelter of Your Arms – Sammy Davis, Jr.
 * Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners – Frank Sinatra
 * Só Danço Samba – Clare Fischer
 * Sugar Lips – Al Hirt
 * Surf Surf Surf – Bill Haley & His Comets
 * The Swinger's Guide to Mary Poppins – The Tupper Saussy Quartet with Charlie McCoy
 * Tears for Dolphy – Ted Curson
 * Tender Is the Night – Johnny Mathis January 23, 1964
 * This Is Love – Johnny Mathis September 18, 1964
 * Today, Tomorrow, Forever – Nancy Wilson May 1964
 * The Ventures in Space – The Ventures January 25, 1964
 * We Get Requests – The Oscar Peterson trio December 1964
 * Women in My Life – Sergio Franchi
 * The Wonderful World of Andy Williams – Andy Williams
 * The Wonderful World of Make Believe – Johnny Mathis

Billboard Top popular records of 1964
from Billboard December 26, 1964 - Record Talent Edition pg TA-30

"Top Records OF 1964 (Based on Billboard's Charts) The information compiled for the Top Records of 1964 is based on the weekly chart positioning and length of time records were on the respective charts from the Billboard issue dates of January 3 through November 28, 1964. These recaps, as well as the weekly charts, do not reflect actual sales figures. The ratings take into account the number of weeks the disk was on the chart, plus the weekly positions it held during its chart life. Each disk was given points accordingly for its respective chart, and in addition, the No. 1 disk each week was assigned bonus points equal to the total number of positions on its respective chart.

Unfortunately, Billboard's late December print deadline prevented approximately 60 records from completing their full chart runs, and their formula also included approximately 50 records from 1963, some of which had enough points to rank in the 1964 chart. Joel Whitburn's Records Research books, archived issues of Billboard for November–December 1963 and December 1964-March 1965, and Hot 100 Year-End formulas were used to complete the December 26 year-end chart reprinted here.

The completed chart is composed of records that entered the Billboard Hot 100 during November–December 1963 (only when the majority of chart weeks were in 1964), January to November–December 1964 (majority of chart weeks in 1964). Records with majority of chart weeks in 1963 or 1965 are included in the year-end charts for those years, respectively, and multiple appearances are not permitted. Each week fifteen points were awarded to the number one record, then nine points for number two, eight points for number three, and so on. The total points a record earned determined its year-end rank. The complete chart life of each record is represented, with number of points accrued. There are no ties, even when multiple records have the same number of points. The next ranking category is peak chart position, then weeks at peak chart position, weeks in top ten, weeks in top forty, and finally weeks on Hot 100 chart.

The chart can be sorted by Artist, Song title, Recording and Release dates, Cashbox year-end ranking (CB) or units sold (sales) by clicking on the column header. Additional details for each record can be accessed by clicking on the song title, and referring to the Infobox in the right column of the song page. Billboard also has chart summaries on its website. Cashbox rankings were derived by same process as the Billboard rankings. Sales information was derived from the RIAA's Gold and Platinum database, the BRIT Certified database and The Book of Golden Discs, but numbers listed should be regarded as estimates. Grammy Hall of Fame and National Recording Registry information with sources can be found on Wikipedia.

Billboard Top Soul Singles 1964

Billboard Top Country Singles 1964

Top Easy Listening Singles 1964

Top Rock Tracks 1964 (unofficial)

Other significant singles
• "All Cried Out" – Dusty Springfield

• "All Day and All of the Night" – The Kinks

• "Almost There" – Andy Williams

• "Alone with You" – Brenda Lee

• "Anyone Who Had a Heart" – Cilla Black

• "As Tears Go By" – Marianne Faithfull

• "Baby I Need Your Loving" – The Four Tops

• "Baby Let Me Take You Home" – The Animals

• "Baby, Please Don't Go" – Them

• "Because" – The Dave Clark Five

• "Blue Winter" - Connie Francis

• "Bread and Butter" – The Newbeats

• "C'mon and Swim" – Bobby Freeman

• "Cotton Candy" – Al Hirt

• "Constantly" – Cliff Richard

• "Dear Heart" – Andy Williams

• "Do You Want to Know a Secret" – The Beatles

• "Dream Baby" – Cher

• "Everything's Alright" – The Newbeats

• "Ferry Cross the Mersey" – Gerry & the Pacemakers

• "Fever" – Helen Shapiro

• "A Fool Never Learns" – Andy Williams

• "Gator Tails And Monkey Ribs" – The Spats

• "Genie With the Light Brown Lamp" – The Shadows

• "Girl Don't Come" – Sandie Shaw

• "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" – The Shangri-Las

• "Gloria" – Them

• "Goldfinger" – Shirley Bassey

• "Happiness" – Ken Dodd

• "Hey Now" – Lesley Gore

• "I Could Easily Fall (In Love with You)" – Cliff Richard and The Shadows

• "I Don't Wanna Be a Loser" – Lesley Gore

• "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" – Dusty Springfield

• "I Love You More and More Every Day" – Al Martino

• "I Never Dreamed"- The Cookies

• "I Understand" – Freddie & the Dreamers

• "I'm Crying" – The Animals

• "I'm into Something Good" – Herman's Hermits

• "I'm the Lonely One" – Cliff Richard and The Shadows

• "It's All Over Now" – The Rolling Stones

• "It's for You" – Cilla Black

• "Java" – Al Hirt

• "Just One Look" – The Hollies

• "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand / Sie Liebt Dich" – The Beatles

• "Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)" – Jay and the Americans

• "Little Children" – Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas

• "A Little Loving" – The Fourmost

• "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)" – Jan and Dean

• "Little Red Rooster" – The Rolling Stones

• "Losing You" – Dusty Springfield

• "Maybe I Know" – Lesley Gore

• "A Message To Martha" – Adam Faith

• "My Boy Lollipop" – Millie

• "Needle In A Haystack"- The Velvelettes

• "Non Ho L'Età (Per Amarti)" – Gigliola Cinquetti

• "One Way Love" – Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers

• "On the Beach" – Cliff Richard and The Shadows

• "On the Street Where You Live" – Andy Williams

• "Rhythm and Greens" – The Shadows

• "Right or Wrong" — Ronnie Dove

• "The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt" – The Shadows

• "Say You" - Ronnie Dove

• "Seven Letters" - Ben E. King

• "Sha-La-La" – The Shirelles

• "Share Your Love with Me" – Bobby Bland

• "Shout" – Lulu & The Luvvers

• "Show Me Girl" – Herman's Hermits

• "Stay Awhile" - Dusty Springfield

• "Sugar Lips" – Al Hirt

• "T'ain't Nothin' to Me" – The Coasters

• "Terry" – Twinkle

• "That's When It Hurts" - Ben E. King

• "Theme for Young Lovers" – The Shadows

• "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" – Sandie Shaw

• "(They Call Her) La Bamba" – The Crickets

• "There's a Place" – The Beatles

• "Think" – Brenda Lee

• "Thou Shalt Not Steal" – Dick and Dee Dee

• "Tobacco Road" – The Nashville Teens

• "The Twelfth of Never" – Cliff Richard

• "Up Above My Head (I Hear Music in the Air)" – Al Hirt

• "Walk Away" – Matt Monro

• "Walking in the Rain" – The Ronettes

• "The Way You Do the Things You Do" – The Temptations

• "We Love You Beatles" – The Carefrees

• "The Wedding" – Julie Rogers

• "When Joanna Loved Me" – Tony Bennett

• "When You Loved Me" – Brenda Lee

• "Whose Heart Are You Breaking Tonight?" - Connie Francis

• "The World of Lonely People" – Anita Bryant

• "Wrong for Each Other" – Andy Williams

• "You're My World" – Cilla Black

• "You're No Good" – The Swinging Blue Jeans

• "Zoot Suit" – The Who

Published popular music

 * "The Addams Family theme song" w.m. Vic Mizzy
 * "Baby, I Need Your Loving w.m. Edward Holland, Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier
 * "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island" w.m. Frank DeVol and Sherwood Schwartz
 * "Before the Parade Passes By" w.m. Jerry Herman, from the musical Hello, Dolly!
 * "Bewitched theme song" w.m. Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller
 * "Chapel Of Love" w.m. Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry
 * "Chim Chim Cher-ee" w.m. Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
 * "Cryin' Time" w.m. Buck Owens
 * "Dear Heart" w. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans m. Henry Mancini
 * "Feed the Birds" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman introduced by Julie Andrews in the film Mary Poppins
 * "Gimme Some" w. Lee Adams m. Charles Strouse
 * "Glad All Over" w.m. Dave Clark & Mike Smith
 * "Goin' Out of My Head" w.m. Teddy Randazzo & Bobby Weinstein
 * "Golden Boy" w. Lee Adams m. Charles Strouse
 * "Hang on Sloopy" w.m. Bert Russell & Wes Farrell
 * "Have I the Right?" w.m. Ken Howard & Alan Blaikley
 * "A House Is Not a Home" w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach from the film A House Is Not a Home. Recorded by Dionne Warwick.
 * "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte", m. Frank DeVol from the film of the same name
 * "I Will Wait For You" m. Michel Legrand. From the film musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
 * "If I Were a Rich Man" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock. Introduced in the musical Fiddler on the Roof by Zero Mostel. Performed by Chaim Topol in the 1971 film version.
 * "Invisible Tears" w.m. Ned Miller and Sue Miller
 * "It's Over" w.m. Roy Orbison & Bill Dees
 * "The Joker" w.m. Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse from the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd
 * "Let's Go Fly a Kite" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman from the film Mary Poppins
 * "Oh, Pretty Woman" w.m. Roy Orbison & Bill Dees
 * "Pass Me By" w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman. Introduced by Digby Wolfe in the film Father Goose
 * "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" w.m. Jerry Herman, from the musical Hello, Dolly!
 * "Sister Suffragette" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman. Introduced by Glynis Johns in the film Mary Poppins.
 * "So Long, Dearie" w.m. Jerry Herman, from the musical Hello, Dolly!
 * "A Spoonful of Sugar" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman from the film Mary Poppins
 * "Style" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen from the film Robin And The Seven Hoods
 * "Sunrise, Sunset" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
 * "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman from the film Mary Poppins
 * "That's Life" w.m. Dean Kay & Kelly Gordon
 * "Tradition" w. Sheldon Harnick m. Jerry Bock
 * "Where Did Our Love Go?" w.m. Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland and Edward Holland
 * "A World Without Love" w.m. John Lennon and Paul McCartney
 * "Zorbas" (Zorba's Dance) m. Mikis Theodorakis

Other notable songs

 * "Dahil Sa Iyo" w.m. Tom Spinosa and Mike Velarde, Jr.
 * "I miei pensieri" w. Sanzio Chiesa m. Giovanni Pelli
 * "Laisse tomber les filles" w.m. Serge Gainsbourg
 * "L'Orange" w.m. Gilbert Bécaud and Pierre Delanoë
 * "Mon Pays" w.m. Gilles Vigneault
 * "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" w.m. Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman (for Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress)
 * "It's A Small World (After All)" w.m. Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman
 * "Que C'est Triste Venise" w.m. Françoise Dorin

Compositions

 * Gilbert Amy
 * Alpha-beth, for flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and horn
 * Cahiers d'épigrammes, for piano
 * Eyvin Andersen – Concerto for violin and orchestra
 * Jurriaan Andriessen – After the Fall, incidental music
 * Louis Andriessen
 * A Flower Song II, for oboe
 * A Flower Song III, for cello
 * Ittrospezione III, for two pianos and three instrumental groups,
 * Sweet, for alto recorder
 * Malcolm Arnold
 * Pieces (5), for violin and piano, Op. 84
 * Sinfonietta No. 3, for orchestra, Op. 81
 * A Sunshine Overture, for orchestra, Op. 83
 * Water Music, for winds and percussion, Op. 82
 * Milton Babbitt
 * Ensembles for Synthesizer, for four-track tape
 * Philomel, for soprano and four-track tape
 * Samuel Barber
 * Chorale for Ascension Day, for chorus, brass, timpani, and organ (ad lib.)
 * Night Flight, for orchestra, Op.19a,
 * Luciano Berio
 * Chemins I on Sequenza II, for harp and orchestra
 * Folk Songs, for soprano and seven instruments
 * Rounds, for voice and harpsichord (subsequently withdrawn)
 * Traces, for soprano, mezzo-soprano, two actors, chorus, and orchestra (subsequently withdrawn)
 * Harrison Birtwistle
 * Entr'actes and Sappho Fragments, for soprano, flute, oboe, violin, viola, harp, and percussion
 * Three Movements with Fanfares, for chamber orchestra
 * Rob du Bois
 * Deuxième série de rondeaux, for piano four-hands and optional percussion
 * Just Like a Little Sonata, for piano
 * Pastorale VI, for piano
 * Pastorale VII, for alto recorder
 * Quartet, for oboe, violin, violin, and cello (revised version)
 * Benjamin Britten
 * Cadenza for Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major
 * Suite No. 1 for cello solo, Op. 72
 * Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, op. 68 (revised version)
 * Earle Brown – Corroboree, for three or two pianos
 * Carlos Chávez
 * Concerto for four horns and orchestra (revision)
 * Fuga HAGC, for violin, viola, cello, and contrabass
 * Resonancias, for orchestra
 * Tambuco, for six percussionists
 * Aaron Copland
 * Down a Country Lane, for school orchestra
 * Emblems, for symphonic band
 * Music for a Great City
 * George Crumb – Four Nocturnes (Night Music II) for violin and piano
 * Luigi Dallapiccola
 * Parole di San Paolo, for mezzo-soprano or boy's voice and 11 instruments
 * Quattro liriche di Antonio Machado, version for soprano and chamber orchestra
 * Mario Davidovsky
 * Electronic Study No. 3
 * Synchronisms No. 2 for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and tape
 * Synchronisms No. 3 for cello and electronic sound
 * Peter Maxwell Davies
 * Little Pieces (5), for piano
 * Second Fantasia on John Taverner's In Nomine, for orchestra
 * Shakespeare Music, for 11 instruments
 * Michel Decoust – Horizon remarquable (lyrics by René Char)
 * David Diamond
 * The Martyr for male choir (revised version)
 * "My Papa's Waltz", for voice and piano
 * "Prayer", for voice and piano
 * String Quartet No. 8
 * Symphony No. 5
 * We Two, song cycle, voice and piano
 * Andrzej Dobrowolski – Music for Strings and Four Groups of Wind Instruments
 * Henri Dutilleux – Métaboles
 * Morton Feldman
 * The King of Denmark, for percussion solo
 * Numbers, for flute, horn, trombone, tuba, percussion, celesta, piano, violin, and contrabass
 * Piano Piece
 * Vertical Thoughts IV, for piano
 * Wolfgang Fortner
 * Epigramme, for piano
 * Minne, cantata for tenor and guitar
 * Zyklus, for cello and piano
 * Gara Garayev
 * Symphony No. 3
 * Roberto Gerhard
 * The Anger of Achilles, incidental music
 * Macbeth, incidental music
 * Alberto Ginastera
 * Bomarzo cantata, for tenor or baritone, narrator, and chamber orchestra, Op. 32
 * Don Rodrigo Symphony, for soprano and orchestra, Op. 31a
 * Alexander Goehr
 * Five Poems and an Epigram of William Blake, for chorus and trumpet, Op. 17
 * Pieces (3), for piano, Op. 18
 * Karel Goeyvaerts – Stuk voor piano en tape
 * Fernando Lopes Graça
 * Canciones (4), for voice and chamber orchestra (revised version)
 * Prelúdio, capricho e galope, for violin and piano (second revision)
 * Romances, for voice and piano
 * Sonnets (4), for voice and piano
 * String Quartet No. 1
 * Ferde Grofé – World's Fair Suite
 * Alois Hába
 * String Quartet No. no.15, Op. 95, in $1/5$-tones
 * Suite, for bass clarinet solo, Op. 96
 * Roy Harris
 * Epilogue to Profiles in Courage–JFK, for orchestra
 * Etudes for Pedals, for organ
 * Fantasy, for organ, brass, and timpani
 * Horn of Plenty, for orchestra
 * Jubilate for Worship (Alleluia), for SATB choir, brass, piano, and percussion
 * Salute to Youth, for orchestra
 * Sonata, for cello and piano
 * Hans Werner Henze
 * Chor gefangener Trojer, for chorus and orchestra (revised version)
 * Divertimenti, for two pianos
 * Der Frieden, incidental music
 * Ein Landarzt, opera in one-act (revised from the 1951 radio opera version)
 * Lieder von einer Insel, for chamber chorus, trombone, two cellos, contrabass, chamber organ, percussion, and timpani
 * Sinfonische Etüden (3), for orchestra (revised version)
 * Tancredi, ballet, for orchestra
 * Zwischenspiele (from Der junge Lord), for orchestra
 * Alan Hovhaness
 * Bagatelles (4), for string quartet, Op. 30
 * Floating World "Ukiyo", for orchestra, Op. 209
 * Haiku (3), for piano, op. 113
 * Meditation on Zeami, for orchestra, Op. 207
 * Sonata, for flute solo, Op. 118
 * Sonata, for 2 oboes and organ, Op. 130 (revised version)
 * String Quartet no.3, Op. 208, No. 1
 * String Quartet no. 4, Op. 208, No. 2
 * Variations and Fugue, for orchestra, Op. 18
 * Kan Ishii – Otokonoko ga umarete (男の子が生まれて), for male chorus
 * Maki Ishii – Gallow Songs (絞首台の歌; Galgenlieder) for baritone, male chorus and ensemble
 * Wojciech Kilar – Diphthongos for mixed choir and orchestra
 * Włodzimierz Kotoński
 * Monochromia, for oboe solo
 * Pezzo, for flute and piano
 * Wind Quintet
 * György Ligeti – Fragment, for ten instruments (revised version)
 * David Lumsdaine – Annotations of Auschwitz (cantata with words by Peter Porter)
 * Witold Lutosławski – String Quartet
 * Bruno Maderna
 * Aria da Hyperion, for soprano, flute, and orchestra
 * Dimensioni IV, for flute, picccolo, alto flute, bass flute, and chamber orchestra
 * Yoritsune Matsudaira
 * Chamber Concerto, for harpsichord and harp
 * Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra
 * Toshirō Mayuzumi
 * Campanology Olympica, electronic music
 * Ongaku no tanjō, for orchestra
 * Raihai jokyoku, for orchestra
 * Olivier Messiaen
 * Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, for 34 wind instruments and 3 percussionists
 * Prélude, for piano
 * Darius Milhaud
 * Adam, for soprano, 2 tenors, and 2 baritones, Op. 411
 * Adieu (cantata), for voice, flute, viola, and harp, Op. 410
 * L'amour chanté, for voice and piano, Op. 409
 * Concerto for harpsichord and orchestra, Op. 407
 * Septet, for 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, and contrabass, Op. 408
 * İlhan Mimaroğlu
 * Agony, for magnetic tape
 * Le Tombeau d'Edgar A. Poe, for magnetic tape
 * Intermezzo, for magnetic tape
 * Bowery Bum, for magnetic tape
 * Makoto Moroi
 * Pieces (5), for shakuhachi
 * Toccata, Sarabande, and Tarantella, for piano and two string orchestras
 * Bo Nilsson – La bran, for chorus and orchestra
 * Luigi Nono
 * Da un diario italiano, for two choruses
 * La fabbrica illuminata, for mezzo-soprano and tape
 * Juan Orrego-Salas
 * Concerto, for winds, Op. 53
 * Sonata, for violin and piano, op. 9 (revised version)
 * Sonata a 4 (Edgewood Sonata), for flute, oboe, harpsichord, and contrabass, Op. 55
 * Luis de Pablo – Escena, for SATB choir, strings, and percussion
 * Arvo Pärt
 * Collage über B-A-C-H, oboe, harpsichord, piano, and strings
 * Diagramme, for piano, Op.11
 * Musica sillabica, for 12 instruments, Op. 12
 * Quintettino, for wind quintet
 * Juan Carlos Paz
 * Concreción 1964, for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba
 * Galaxia 64, for organ
 * Música para piano y orquesta
 * Krzysztof Penderecki
 * Cantata in honorem Almae Matris Universitatis Iagellonicae sescentos abhinc annos fundatae, for 2 choruses, contrabassoon, brass, percussion, piano, and organ
 * Pieśń żałobna ku czci B. Rutkowskiego, for chorus
 * Sonata, for cello and orchestra
 * Vincent Persichetti
 * Cummings Choruses (4), for two voices and piano, Op. 98
 * Introit, for string orchestra, Op. 96
 * Winter Cantata (11 Haiku), for four-part women's choir, flute, and marimba, Op. 97
 * Goffredo Petrassi
 * Concerto for Orchestra No. 7
 * Sesto non-senso, for a cappella choir
 * Tre per sette, for piccolo (+ flute + alto flute), oboe (+ English horn), E♭ clarinet (+ clarinet)
 * Walter Piston
 * Quartet for violin, viola, cello, and piano
 * Sextet for strings
 * Terry Riley – In C
 * Hilding Rosenberg – Sönerna (Cain and Abel), ballet, for orchestra
 * Ahmed Adnan Saygun –  Ten Etudes on "Aksak" Rhythms, for piano
 * R. Murray Schafer – Statement in Blue, for youth orchestra
 * Dieter Schnebel
 * Compositio, for orchestra (revised version)
 * Concert sans orchestre (réactions 2), for piano and audience
 * William Schuman – Amaryllis Variations, for string trio
 * Dmitri Shostakovich
 * String Quartet No. 9 in E-flat major, Op. 117
 * String Quartet No. 10 in A-flat major, Op. 118
 * Karlheinz Stockhausen
 * Mikrophonie I
 * Mixtur for five orchestra groups, sine-wave generators, and ring modulators
 * Igor Stravinsky
 * Elegy for J.F.K., for baritone or mezzo-soprano and 3 clarinets
 * Fanfare for a New Theatre, for two trumpets
 * Tōru Takemitsu
 * Blue Aurora for Toshi Ichiyanagi, theatre piece
 * Ichinotani monogatari, incidental music
 * Natsukashino San Francisco, for tape
 * James Tenney – Music for Player Piano
 * Mikis Theodorakis – Axion Esti
 * Virgil Thomson
 * Autumn, concertino for harp, strings, and percussion
 * Auvergnat Folk Songs (5), for SATB choir and orchestra
 * The Feast of Love, for baritone and orchestra
 * Pilgrims and Pioneers, for band
 * When I Survey the Bright Celestial Sphere, for unison voices and organ or piano
 * Iannis Xenakis
 * Eonta, for two trumpets, three trombones, and piano
 * Hiketides: les suppliates d'Eschyle, for 50 female voices and 10 instruments or orchestra
 * La Monte Young
 * Bowed Mortar Relays, action work, realization of Composition 1960 no. 9
 * Eat (music for the film by Andy Warhol), for tape
 * Haircut (music for the film by Andy Warhol), for tape
 * Kiss (music for the film by Andy Warhol), for tape
 * Prelude to The Tortoise, for voices, various instruments, and electronic drones
 * Sleep (music for the film by Andy Warhol), for tape
 * The Tortoise Droning Selected Pitches from The Holy Numbers for The Two Black Tigers, The Green Tiger and The Hermit, for voices, various instruments, and electronic drones
 * The Tortoise Recalling The Drone of The Holy Numbers as They Were Revealed in the Dreams of The Whirlwind and The Obsidian Gong and Illuminated by The Sawmill, The Green Sawtooth Ocelot and The High-Tension Line Stepdown Transformer, for voices, various instruments, and electronic drones
 * The Well-Tuned Piano
 * Joji Yuasa – Projection Esemplastic with White Noise, electronic music
 * Bernd Alois Zimmermann
 * Monologue, for two pianos
 * Un petit rien, for small orchestra

Opera

 * Jurriaan Andriessen – Het zwarte blondje
 * Samuel Barber – Vanessa (revised version)
 * Benjamin Britten – Curlew River (church parable)
 * Alberto Ginastera – Don Rodrigo, op. 31
 * Bruno Maderna – Hyperion
 * Gian Carlo Menotti – Martin's Lie
 * Joaquín Rodrigo – El hijo fingido (zarzuela)
 * Robert Ward – The Lady from Colorado

Film

 * John Barry - Goldfinger
 * Jerry Goldsmith - Seven Days in May
 * Ron Goodwin - 633 Squadron
 * Bernard Herrmann - Marnie
 * Quincy Jones - The Pawnbroker
 * Michel Legrand - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
 * Ennio Morricone - A Fistful of Dollars
 * Dimitri Shostakovich - Hamlet
 * Mikis Theodorakis - Zorba the Greek
 * Tóru Takemitsu - Woman in the Dunes
 * Dimitri Tiomkin - The Fall of the Roman Empire

Musical theater

 * Hello, Dolly! (Jerry Herman) – Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on January 16 and ran for 2844 performances
 * What Makes Sammy Run? – Broadway production opened at the 54th Street Theater on February 27 and ran for 540 performances
 * Funny Girl (Jule Styne and Bob Merrill) – Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on March 26 and ran for 1348 performances
 * Anyone Can Whistle – Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on April 4 and ran for 9 performances
 * Fiddler on the Roof (Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick) – Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on September 22 and ran for 3242 performances
 * Foxy Book: Ian McLellan Hunter & Ring Lardner, Jr. Lyrics: Johnny Mercer Music: Robert Emmett Dolan. Broadway production opened on February 16 and ran for 72 performances. Starring Bert Lahr, Larry Blyden, Cathryn Damon and Julienne Marie.
 * Golden Boy – Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on October 20 and ran for 569 performances
 * She Loves Me – London production opened at the Lyric Theatre on April 29 and ran for 189 performances
 * Maggie May London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on September 22 and ran for 501 performances
 * Robert and Elizabeth – London production opened at the Lyric Theatre on October 20 and ran for 948 performances
 * Little Me, the musical – London production opened at the Cambridge Theatre on November 18 and ran for 334 performances
 * Salad Days (Julian Slade) – London revival

Musical films

 * Ayee Milan Ki Bela, with music by Shankar Jaikishan
 * Dosti, starring Sanjay Khan, with music by Laxmikant–Pyarelal
 * A Hard Day's Night starring The Beatles
 * Mary Poppins starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Glynis Johns and David Tomlinson
 * My Fair Lady starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn
 * Robin and the 7 Hoods starring Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr.
 * The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg)
 * The Unsinkable Molly Brown starring Debbie Reynolds and Harve Presnell
 * Viva Las Vegas starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret

Births

 * January 5 – Grant Young, alternative rock drummer (Soul Asylum)
 * January 10 – Brad Roberts, folk-rock singer and guitarist (Crash Test Dummies)
 * January 11 – Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen, composer
 * January 15 – Osmo Tapio Räihälä, composer
 * January 17 – Andy Rourke, indie rock bassist (The Smiths) (d. 2023)
 * January 18 – Patrick Esposito Di Napoli, Canadian musician (d. 1994)
 * January 19 – Ricardo Arjona, Guatemalan singer-songwriter
 * January 29 – Roddy Frame, Scottish new wave singer-songwriter (Aztec Camera)
 * January 30 – Marcel Jacob, Swedish rock bassist Talisman (d. 2009)
 * January 31 – Jeff Hanneman, American rock guitarist (Slayer) (d. 2013)
 * February 1 – Jani Lane, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Warrant and Saints of the Underground) (d. 2011)
 * February 4 – Noodles of The Offspring
 * February 5 – Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses Velvet Revolver)
 * February 6 - Gord Downie, Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist (d. 2017)
 * February 23
 * John Norum, Europe guitarist
 * Eizo Sakamoto, Japanese musician, singer and songwriter (Anthem and Animetal)
 * March 1 – Clinton Gregory, American country and bluegrass singer
 * March 6 – Madonna Wayne Gacy, American keyboardist (Marilyn Manson)
 * March 11 – Vinnie Paul, drummer (Pantera, Damageplan)
 * March 18
 * Courtney Pine, British-born jazz saxophonist
 * Rozalla, Zambian-born electronic music performer
 * March 19 – Yoko Kanno, composer
 * March 20 – Natacha Atlas, Belgian singer
 * March 30 – Tracy Chapman, American singer-songwriter
 * April 5 – Princess Erika, French singer
 * April 6 – David Woodard, American conductor and writer
 * April 7 – Russell Crowe, New Zealand-born Australian actor and singer
 * April 8 – Biz Markie, American rapper (d. 2021)
 * April 11 – Steve Azar, American country music singer-songwriter
 * April 12 – Amy Ray American musician (Indigo Girls)
 * April 16
 * Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum)
 * Esbjörn Svensson Swedish jazz pianist (d. 2008)
 * April 17 – Maynard James Keenan (Tool)
 * April 18 – Bez, British dancer
 * April 24 – Augusta Read Thomas, American composer
 * April 25
 * Andy Bell, singer (Erasure)
 * Kenji Yamamoto, Japanese video game composer
 * April 30 – Kent James, American singer-songwriter
 * May 10
 * Mark Andre, French-born German composer
 * Orna Datz, Israeli singer, actress and television presenter
 * May 14 – Gordon Duncan, bagpiper, low-whistle player and composer (d. 2005)
 * May 26 – Lenny Kravitz, American singer-songwriter, producer and guitarist
 * May 30
 * Wynonna Judd, American country singer
 * Tom Morello, American rock guitarist (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman)
 * May 31
 * Darryl McDaniels (Run-D.M.C.)
 * Frost
 * June 3 – Kerry King, American rock guitarist (Slayer)
 * June 6 – Jay Bentley (Bad Religion)
 * June 10 – Jimmy Chamberlin, American rock musician (The Smashing Pumpkins)
 * June 13 – Robbie Merrill (Godsmack)
 * June 22
 * Dicky Barrett (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones)
 * Mike Edwards (Jesus Jones)
 * June 29 – Stedman Pearson, British R&B singer (Five Star)
 * June 19 – Brian Vander Ark, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor (The Verve Pipe)
 * July 9 – Courtney Love, American singer, songwriter, actress and visual artist (Hole, Pagan Babies (band))
 * July 13
 * Brent Fischer, American composer, arranger, bandleader, bass guitarist and percussionist
 * Paul Thorn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * July 17 – Craig Morgan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * July 19 – Masahiko Kondō, Japanese singer
 * July 20 – Chris Cornell (Soundgarden & Audioslave) (d. 2017)
 * July 22 – Will Calhoun (Living Colour)
 * July 23 – Nick Menza, German drummer and songwriter (Megadeth and Memorain)
 * July 27 – Rex Brown, American musician and author (Pantera)
 * July 30 - Alek Keshishian, American film and commercial director, writer, producer and music video director (Selena Gomez, Madonna)
 * July 31
 * C.C. Catch, Dutch-born German singer
 * Jim Corr, Irish singer and musician (The Corrs)
 * August 1 – Adam Duritz (Counting Crows)
 * August 3 – Lucky Dube, South African reggae musician (d. 2007)
 * August 5 – Adam Yauch (Beastie Boys) (d. 2012)
 * August 6 – Gary Valenciano, Filipino musician
 * August 8 – Jan Josef Liefers, German actor, producer, director and musician
 * August 17 – Colin James, Canadian singer-songwriter
 * August 21 – Jorge Rossy, Spanish jazz drummer, pianist and vibraphonist
 * September 2 - Keanu Reeves, Canadian-American actor and musician
 * September 3 – Junaid Jamshed, Pakistani singer-songwriter and guitarist (Vital Signs) (d. 2016)
 * September 7 – Eazy-E (NWA) (d. 1995)
 * September 11 – Victor Wooten, American bassist
 * September 23 – Koshi Inaba, Japanese rock singer (B'z)
 * September 26 – Nicki French, British singer
 * September 27 – Stephan Jenkins, American rock singer (Third Eye Blind)
 * September 30
 * Trey Anastasio, American musician
 * Robby Takac, Goo Goo Dolls
 * October 4 – Francis Magalona, Filipino rapper (d. 2009)
 * October 5 – Dave Dededer, Presidents of the United States of America
 * October 6 – Matthew Sweet, rock musician
 * October 7 – Sam Brown, singer, daughter of Joe Brown
 * October 10 – Neneh Cherry, singer
 * October 20
 * Frederic Chiu, pianist
 * Luciano, reggae singer
 * Jim Sonefeld (Hootie & The Blowfish)
 * October 22 – Toby McKeehan, American musician
 * October 23 – Robert Trujillo (Metallica)
 * October 30 – Silvano Monasterios, pianist and composer
 * November 6
 * Corey Glover (Living Colour)
 * Greg Graffin (Bad Religion)
 * November 12
 * Vic Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (brute. and The Undertow Orchestra) (d. 2009)
 * David Ellefson, American bass player and songwriter (Megadeth, Avian and F5)
 * November 14
 * Joseph Simmons (Run-D.M.C.)
 * Nic Dalton (The Lemonheads)
 * November 16 – Diana Krall, Canadian jazz pianist and singer
 * November 24 – Tony Rambola (Godsmack)
 * November 25 – Mark Lanegan, American rock singer (Screaming Trees) (d. 2022)
 * November 30 Miljenko Matijevic
 * December 8 – Teri Hatcher, American actress, voice-actress, writer, singer, YouTuber, dancer and cheerleader
 * December 9 – Paul Landers, German rock musician (Rammstein)
 * December 11
 * Justin Currie, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Del Amitri and The Uncle Devil Show)
 * Dave Schools, American singer-songwriter, bass player and producer (Widespread Panic, Stockholm Syndrome and J Mascis + The Fog)
 * Cosy Sheridan, American singer-songwriter
 * December 13 – Hideto Matsumoto (Hide), Japanese rock musician (d. 1998)
 * December 23 – Eddie Vedder, American rock singer (Pearl Jam)
 * December 28 – Malcolm Gets, American actor and dancer
 * date unknown
 * Kyaw Kyaw Naing, Burmese traditional musician
 * Michael Haussman, American artist, writer, producer and director of motion pictures, television advertisements and music videos
 * Nitin Sawhney, British Indian musician, producer and composer

Deaths

 * January 7 – Colin McPhee, Canadian composer and musicologist, 63
 * January 9 – Big Boy Goudie, jazz saxophonist,
 * January 15 – Jack Teagarden, jazz trombonist and vocalist, 58 (pneumonia/heart attack)
 * January 22 – Marc Blitzstein, composer, 58
 * January 27 – Leib Glantz, musicologist, 65
 * February 25 – Johnny Burke, lyricist, 55
 * March 8 – Renata Borgatti, Italian pianist, 69 or 70
 * March 27 – Emil Reesen, Danish composer, conductor and pianist, 76
 * April 4 – Georgia Caine, Broadway star, 87
 * May 10 – Carol Haney, dancer and choreographer, 39 (pneumonia)
 * May 24 – Gali Penchala Narasimha Rao, film composer
 * June 10 – Louis Gruenberg, pianist and composer, 79
 * June 29 – Eric Dolphy, American jazz saxophonist, flautist and bass clarinettist, 36 (diabetic coma)
 * July 1 – Pierre Monteux, French conductor, 89
 * July 4 – Hank Sylvern, U.S. organist, composer and radio personality, 56
 * July 10 – Joe Haymes, bandleader and arranger, 57 (heart failure)
 * July 31 – Jim Reeves, American country singer, 40 (plane crash)
 * August 9 – Chucho Monge, Mexican songwriter, 53
 * August 14 – Johnny Burnette, rockabilly singer, 30 (drowned)
 * September 14 – Mary Howe, composer and pianist, 82
 * September 20 – Lazare Lévy, French pianist and teacher, 82
 * September 28
 * Nacio Herb Brown, songwriter and film/TV composer, 68
 * George Dyson, English composer, 81
 * Harpo Marx, American comedian and musician, 75
 * October 10
 * Eddie Cantor, comedian, singer and songwriter, 72
 * Heinrich Neuhaus, Soviet (of German extraction) pianist and teacher, 76
 * October 15 – Cole Porter, songwriter and composer, 73
 * October 29 – Vasily Agapkin, Soviet composer
 * November 5 – Buddy Cole, jazz pianist and orchestra leader, 45 (heart attack)
 * November 30 – Don Redman, US arranger, bandleader and saxophonist
 * December 2 – Sam H. Stept, Russian-born US songwriter, pianist and conductor, 67
 * December 9 – Edith Sitwell, poet and collaborator of William Walton
 * December 11
 * Alma Mahler, songwriter and widow of Gustav Mahler
 * Sam Cooke, singer, 33 (shot)
 * December 14 – Francisco Canaro, Uruguayan violinist and tango orchestra leader, 76
 * December 21 – Theodor Blumer, composer and conductor, 83

Grammy Awards

 * Grammy Awards of 1964

Eurovision Song Contest

 * Eurovision Song Contest 1964