2015 in American music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in 2015 in music in the United States.

January

 * 12 – Lady Antebellum performed the National Anthem at the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
 * 30 – The Offspring set a record for longest time between #1 singles on the Mainstream Rock charts with Coming for You, their first since Gone Away in 1997.

February

 * 1 – Idina Menzel performed the National Anthem and Katy Perry performed at the halftime show during Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, making it the most watched, highest-rated, and most tweeted per second halftime show.
 * 8 – The 57th Grammy Awards, hosted by LL Cool J, took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. British singer Sam Smith won the most awards with four including; Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best New Artist. Beck's Morning Phase won Album of the Year.

March

 * 4 – Shania Twain announced that she will be going on her first tour in eleven years. The Rock This Country Tour began on June 5, 2015, and was billed as her farewell tour.
 * 25 – One Direction announces that Zayn Malik had left the group.
 * 29 – The 2nd iHeartRadio Music Awards took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake were among the winners.

April

 * 19 – The 50th ACM Awards were held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, hosted by Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton.

May

 * 12 – Joey Alexander released his debut jazz instrumental album, My Favorite Things, which led him to a double grammy nomination at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Becoming the year's youngest Grammy nominee.
 * 13 – Nick Fradiani was named winner of the fifteenth season of American Idol. Clark Beckham was named winner runner-up.
 * 17 – The 2015 Billboard Music Awards were held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
 * 19 – Sawyer Fredericks was named winner of the eighth season of The Voice. Meghan Linsey was named runner-up. Joshua Davis and Koryn Hawthorne finishing third and fourth place respectively.
 * - Faith No More released their first studio album in 18 years, Sol Invictus.
 * 30 - Madonna gets her record 45th number-one song on the dance charts, with the song Ghosttown, surpassing George Strait for the most number-one entries on any kind of Billboard chart.

June

 * 8 – The music video for "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry reached 1 billion views on Vevo, making it the first music video by a female artist to do so and the third music video overall to do so. It was the third most-viewed YouTube video of all time, and the most-watched video by a female artist until "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift took both records a month later.
 * 16 – Hilary Duff released her first album in seven years, Breathe In. Breathe Out.. It hit number 5 in the US.
 * 30 – Failure released their first album in 19 years, The Heart Is a Monster.

July

 * 10 – Starting on this day albums will now be released on Fridays instead of Tuesdays in America. Some reasons for the change is to help prevent illegal downloads and "In the digital world, you can't make consumers wait".
 * Veruca Salt released their first studio album in 9 years, Ghost Notes. This is also the first album to feature the band's original lineup since 1997's Eight Arms to Hold You.
 * 30 – The reunited Savatage played their first show in thirteen years at Wacken Open Air in Germany, which took place from July 30 to August 1.

August

 * 21 – Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen released her third album, Emotion. It had universal acclaim and was included on several year-end lists from publications such as NPR, NME, Complex, and The Village Voice.
 * 30 – The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. Taylor Swift was the big winner of the night with four awards, including Video of the Year for "Bad Blood".

September

 * 11 – Slayer released their first album in six years, Repentless. Their album was their first since the death of founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman in 2013 and subsequently proved to be the band's final album following their disbandment in 2019.
 * 18–19 – The 2015 iHeartRadio Music Festival took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

October

 * 2 – Janet Jackson releases Unbreakable her first album since 2008's Discipline to widespread critical acclaim. The album goes on to top the Billboard 200 chart.
 * 4 – Van Halen concluded their 2015 North American tour, performing the final date at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It would ultimately prove to be the band's final performance before they officially disbanded, due to Eddie Van Halen's death almost exactly five years later.
 * 23 – The music video for Adele's "Hello" broke the Vevo Record for the most views within a 24-hour span with 27.7 million views, beating out the previous record held by Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood". It also broke the record for shortest time to attain 100 million Vevo views, previously held by Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball". In 2017, Swift took back the record with 43.2 million views with the music video for Look What You Made Me Do.

November

 * 2 – Adele's comeback single "Hello" became the first song with over a million digital sales in a week.
 * 7 – the 49th Country Music Association Awards was held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood hosted for the eighth year in a row.
 * 9 – Chester Bennington amicably departs from Stone Temple Pilots as lead singer to focus more on Linkin Park.
 * 13 - Justin Bieber released his fourth album, Purpose (Justin Bieber album) making his sixth album to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Every song on this album has hit the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart. It was supported by four singles: "What Do You Mean?", "Sorry", "Love Yourself", and "Company". The former three singles all reached number one on the Canadian Hot 100, US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. The album was among the best-selling albums of both 2015 and 2016.
 * 22 – The 2015 American Music Awards was held at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.
 * 28 – Billboard reported Adele's 25 sold 3.38 million in pure album sales in its first week of release, according to Nielsen Music. That's the largest single sales week for an album since Nielsen began tracking point-of-sale music purchases in 1991, surpassing the previous single-week sales record, held by NSYNC's No Strings Attached (2.42 million sold in the week ending March 26, 2000).

December

 * 3 – Former Stone Temple Pilots & Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland is found dead on his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota at the age of 48 while on tour with his band, the Wildabouts.
 * 8 – Nominations for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards were announced, with Kendrick Lamar leading the list.
 * 15 – Jordan Smith was named winner of the ninth season of The Voice. Emily Ann Roberts was named runner-up. Barrett Baber and Jeffery Austin finishing third and fourth place respectively.

Bands formed

 * Almost Monday
 * Beach Weather
 * Dead & Company
 * Saint Asonia
 * DNCE
 * Zen From Mars
 * CNCO

Bands reformed

 * 13th Floor Elevators
 * The Academy Is...
 * A-ha
 * Aiden
 * Alexisonfire
 * Armor for Sleep
 * At the Drive-In
 * The Black Eyed Peas
 * Brooks & Dunn
 * The Corrs
 * Daphne and Celeste
 * Dashboard Confessional
 * Digable Planets
 * Disturbed
 * Evanescence
 * Good Charlotte
 * LCD Soundsystem
 * Lush
 * The Matches
 * Pist.On
 * The Promise Ring
 * Royal Trux
 * Savatage
 * Sherwood
 * Supertramp
 * Thrice
 * Underoath
 * Ween

Bands on hiatus

 * The Black Keys
 * Fireworks
 * Framing Hanley
 * fun.
 * The Gaslight Anthem
 * The Ghost Inside
 * Guns N' Roses
 * Pinback
 * Staind
 * Teenage Bottlerocket
 * Yeah Yeah Yeahs
 * One Direction

Bands disbanded

 * 3 Inches of Blood
 * Avi Buffalo
 * The Black Crowes
 * California Breed
 * CBS Orchestra
 * Cobra Starship
 * Device
 * Erase Errata
 * Flesh for Lulu
 * Framing Hanley
 * Funeral For a Friend
 * G.R.L.
 * I, the Breather
 * Kill Hannah
 * Klaxons
 * Maybeshewill
 * Mean Creek
 * MellowHype
 * Mötley Crüe
 * Motörhead
 * Neutral Milk Hotel
 * Noah and the Whale
 * No Doubt
 * Obits
 * Odd Future
 * The Presidents of the United States of America
 * The Replacements
 * Rise to Remain
 * The Rosso Sisters
 * Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts
 * Sleeper Agent
 * Tangerine Dream
 * Texas in July
 * The Weakerthans

Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs

 * "Bad Blood" – Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar (1 week)
 * "Blank Space" – Taylor Swift (5 weeks in 2014, 2 weeks in 2015)
 * "Can't Feel My Face" – The Weeknd (3 weeks)
 * "Cheerleader" – OMI (6 weeks)
 * "Hello" – Adele (7 weeks)
 * "The Hills" – The Weeknd (6 weeks)
 * "See You Again" – Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth (12 weeks)
 * "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars (14 weeks)
 * "What Do You Mean?" – Justin Bieber (1 week)

Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 Hits
All songs that reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the year, complete with peak chart placement.

• "679" – Fetty Wap feat. Remy Boyz (#4)

• "7/11" – Beyoncé (#13 in 2014, #18 in 2015)

• "All About That Bass" – Meghan Trainor (#1 in 2014, #5 in 2015)

• "All Day" – Kanye West feat. Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney (#15)

• "Animals" – Maroon 5 (#3 in 2014, #8 in 2015)

• "Antidote" – Travis Scott (#16)

• "Bad Blood" – Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar (#1)

• "Bang Bang" – Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj (#3 in 2014, #15 in 2015)

• "Bitch Better Have My Money" – Rihanna (#15)

• "Blank Space" – Taylor Swift (#1)

• "Can't Feel My Face" – The Weeknd (#1)

• "Centuries" – Fall Out Boy (#10)

• "Chains" – Nick Jonas (#13)

• "Chandelier" – Sia (#8 in 2014, #20 in 2015)

• "Cheerleader" – OMI (#1)

• "CoCo" – O.T. Genasis (#20)

• "Cool for the Summer" – Demi Lovato (#11)

• "Dear Future Husband" – Meghan Trainor (#14)

• "Don't" – Bryson Tiller (#20)

• "Don't" – Ed Sheeran (#9 in 2014, #19 in 2015)

• "Downtown" – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Eric Nally, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Caz (#12)

• "Drag Me Down" – One Direction (#3)

• "Earned It" – The Weeknd (#3)

• "Elastic Heart" – Sia (#17)

• "Ex's & Oh's" – Elle King (#10)

• "Fight Song" – Rachel Platten (#6)

• "Focus" – Ariana Grande (#7)

• "FourFiveSeconds" – Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney (#4)

• "G.D.F.R." – Flo Rida feat. Sage the Gemini and Lookas (#8)

• "Girl Crush" – Little Big Town (#18)

• "Good for You" – Selena Gomez feat. ASAP Rocky (#5)

• "Habits (Stay High)" – Tove Lo (#3 in 2014, #16 in 2015)

• "Hello" – Adele (#1)

• "Here" – Alessia Cara (#7)

• "Hey Mama" – David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha and Afrojack (#8)

• "Hit the Quan" – iLoveMemphis (#15)

• "Honey, I'm Good" – Andy Grammer (#9)

• "Hotline Bling" – Drake (#2)

• "I Don't Fuck with You" – Big Sean feat. E-40 (#11 in 2014, #12 in 2015)

• "I Don't Mind" – Usher feat. Juicy J (#11)

• "I Want You to Know" – Zedd feat. Selena Gomez (#17)

• "I'll Show You" – Justin Bieber (#19)

• "I'm Not the Only One" – Sam Smith (#5)

• "In the Night" – The Weeknd (#20)

• "Jealous" – Nick Jonas (#7)

• "Jumpman" – Drake and Future (#14)

• "Lay Me Down" – Sam Smith (#8)

• "Lean On" – Major Lazer and DJ Snake feat. MØ (#4)

• "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" – Meghan Trainor feat. John Legend (#8)

• "Lips Are Movin" – Meghan Trainor (#4)

• "Locked Away" – R. City feat. Adam Levine (#6)

• "Love Me Harder" – Ariana Grande and The Weeknd (#7)

• "Love Me Like You Do" – Ellie Goulding (#3)

• "Love Yourself" – Justin Bieber (#3)

• "My Way" – Fetty Wap feat. Monty (#7)

• "Nasty Freestyle" – T-Wayne (#9)

• "No Type" – Rae Sremmurd (#16 in 2014, #18 in 2015)

• "On My Mind" – Ellie Goulding (#13)

• "One Last Time" – Ariana Grande (#13)

• "Only" – Nicki Minaj feat. Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown (#12 in 2014, #15 in 2015)

• "Perfect" – One Direction (#10)

• "Piece by Piece" – Kelly Clarkson (#8)

• "Photograph" – Ed Sheeran (#10)

• "Post to Be" – Omarion feat. Chris Brown and Jhené Aiko (#13)

• "Renegades" – X Ambassadors (#17)

• "Same Old Love" – Selena Gomez (#6)

• "See You Again" – Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth (#1)

• "Shake It Off" – Taylor Swift (#1 in 2014, #5 in 2015)

• "She Knows" – Ne-Yo feat. Juicy J (#19)

• "Shut Up and Dance" – Walk the Moon (#4)

• "Somebody" – Natalie La Rose feat. Jeremih (#10)

• "Sorry" – Justin Bieber (#2)

• "Stay with Me" – Sam Smith (#2 in 2014, #11 in 2015)

• "Stitches" – Shawn Mendes (#4)

• "Style" – Taylor Swift (#6)

• "Sugar" – Maroon 5 (#2)

• "Take Me to Church" – Hozier (#2)

• "Take Your Time" – Sam Hunt (#20)

• "Talking Body" – Tove Lo (#12)

• "Tennessee Whiskey" – Chris Stapleton (#20)

• "The Hanging Tree" – James Newton Howard feat. Jennifer Lawrence (#12 in 2014, #13 in 2015)

• "The Heart Wants What It Wants" – Selena Gomez (#6 in 2014, #13 in 2015)

• "The Hills" – The Weeknd (#1)

• "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran (#2)

• "Time of Our Lives" – Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo (#9)

• "Trap Queen" – Fetty Wap (#2)

• "Truffle Butter" – Nicki Minaj feat. Drake and Lil Wayne (#14)

• "Tuesday" – ILoveMakonnen feat. Drake (#12 in 2014, #15 in 2015)

• "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars (#1)

• "Want to Want Me" – Jason Derulo (#5)

• "Wasted Love" – Matt McAndrew (#14)

• "Watch Me" – Silentó (#3)

• "Waves" – Mr. Probz (#14 in 2014, #18 in 2015)

• "What Do You Mean?" – Justin Bieber (#1)

• "Where Are U Now" – Skrillex and Diplo feat. Justin Bieber (#8)

• "Wildest Dreams" – Taylor Swift (#5)

• "Worth It" – Fifth Harmony feat. Kid Ink (#12)

• "You Know You Like It" – DJ Snake and AlunaGeorge (#13)

Deaths

 * January 1 – Jeff Golub, 59, jazz guitarist
 * January 2 – Little Jimmy Dickens, 94, country singer
 * January 4 – Lance Diamond, 72, singer
 * January 8
 * Andraé Crouch, 72, gospel singer-songwriter and producer
 * Curtis Lee, 75, singer-songwriter
 * January 10
 * Tim Drummond, 75, rock bass player and songwriter
 * George Probert, 87, jazz saxophonist and clarinet player (Firehouse Five Plus Two)
 * January 12
 * Frank Glazer, 99, pianist and composer
 * A. J. Masters, 64, singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * January 15
 * Ervin Drake, 95, songwriter
 * Kim Fowley, 75, singer-songwriter, producer, and manager
 * January 18
 * Cynthia Layne, 51, jazz singer-songwriter
 * Dallas Taylor, 66, rock drummer (Manassas, Clear Light)
 * January 19
 * John Bilezikjian, 66, oud player
 * Ward Swingle, 87, jazz singer (Les Double Six)
 * January 20 – Rose Marie McCoy, 92, songwriter
 * January 27 – Neil Levang, 83, guitarist and banjo player
 * January 29 – Rod McKuen, 81, singer-songwriter
 * January 31 – Don Covay, 76, singer-songwriter
 * February 1 – Anita Darian, 87, soprano
 * February 2
 * Joseph Alfidi, 65, pianist, composer, and conductor
 * The Jacka, 37, rapper (Mob Figaz)
 * Zane Musa, 36, saxophonist
 * February 3
 * Mary Healy, 96, variety entertainer, singer, and actress
 * William Thomas McKinley, 76, pianist and composer
 * February 7 – Joe B. Mauldin, 74, bass player (The Crickets)
 * February 8 – Keith Knudsen, 56, singer-songwriter and drummer
 * February 9 – Marvin David Levy, 82, composer
 * February 12
 * Sam Andrew, 73, singer-songwriter and guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company)
 * John-Edward Kelly, 56, saxophonist and conductor
 * Mosie Lister, 93, singer-songwriter (The Statesmen Quartet)
 * Richie Pratt, 71, jazz drummer and composer
 * February 14 – Hulon, 58, jazz saxophonist
 * February 16 – Lesley Gore, 68, singer-songwriter
 * February 18 – Dave Cloud, 58, singer-songwriter
 * February 21 – Clark Terry, 94, jazz trumpeter and composer
 * February 23 – Ron Edgar, 68, drummer (The Music Machine)
 * February 24 – Robert Belfour, 74, blues singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * February 27 – Tod Dockstader, 82, composer
 * February 28 – Ezra Laderman, 90, classical composer
 * March 1 – Orrin Keepnews, 91, record producer, co-founded Riverside Records
 * March 8 – Lew Soloff, 71, trumpet player and composer (Blood, Sweat & Tears and Mingus Big Band)
 * March 9
 * Jerry Brightman, 61, guitarist (The Buckaroos)
 * Wayne Kemp, 73, country singer and guitarist
 * March 11 – Jimmy Greenspoon, 67, singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Three Dog Night)
 * March 15 – Mike Porcaro, 59, rock bass player (Toto)
 * March 16
 * Bruce Crump, 57, rock drummer (Molly Hatchet and Gator Country)
 * Don Robertson, 92, pianist and songwriter
 * March 18 – Samuel Charters, 85, record producer
 * March 19 – Michael Brown, 65, keyboard player and songwriter (The Left Banke)
 * March 20
 * Paul Jeffrey, 81, jazz saxophonist
 * A. J. Pero, 55, rock drummer (Twisted Sister and Adrenaline Mob)
 * March 21 – Miriam Bienstock, 92, record executive
 * March 22 – Norman Scribner, 79, pianist, composer, and conductor
 * March 24 – Scott Clendenin, 48, bass player (Death and Control Denied)
 * March 27
 * B.J. Crosby, 63, jazz singer
 * Johnny Helms, 80, jazz trumpet player and bandleader
 * March 30 – Preston Ritter, 65, drummer (The Electric Prunes)
 * March 31 – Ralph Sharon, 91, pianist, composer, and conductor
 * April 1 – Billy Butler, 69, soul singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * April 2 – Doug Sax, 78, sound engineer
 * April 3 – Bob Burns, 64, rock drummer (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
 * April 5
 * Richard LaSalle, 97, pianist and composer
 * Julie Wilson, 90, singer
 * April 6
 * Ray Charles, 96, singer-songwriter and conductor
 * Milton DeLugg, 96, jazz accordion player and composer
 * April 7 – Stan Freberg, 88, recording artist
 * April 9 – Tut Taylor, 91, bluegrass guitarist (Dixie Gentlemen)
 * April 10 – Keith McCormack, 74, singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * April 14 – Percy Sledge, 74, singer
 * April 15 – Billy Ray Hearn, 85, record executive, founded Sparrow Records and Myrrh Records
 * April 16 – Johnny Kemp, 55, singer
 * April 19 – Bernard Stollman, 85, record executive, founded ESP-Disk
 * April 21 – Wally Lester, 73, singer (The Skyliners)
 * April 24 – Sid Tepper, 96, songwriter
 * April 27
 * Jack Ely, 71, singer and guitarist (The Kingsmen)
 * Marty Napoleon, 93, jazz pianist
 * April 30 – Ben E. King, 76, singer-songwriter and producer (The Drifters)
 * May 1 – Grace Lee Whitney, 85, singer
 * May 2 – Guy Carawan, 87, singer and musicologist
 * May 5 – Craig Gruber, 63, bass player (Rainbow, Elf, Bible Black, and Raven Lord)
 * May 6 – Jerome Cooper, 68, jazz drummer
 * May 9 – Johnny Gimble, 88, singer-songwriter and fiddler
 * May 10 – Victor Salvi, 95, classical harpist
 * May 11 – Stan Cornyn, 81, record executive
 * May 12 – Bobby Jameson, 70, singer-songwriter
 * May 13 – Robert Drasnin, 87, clarinet player and composer
 * May 14 – B.B. King, 89, blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
 * May 15 – Ortheia Barnes, 70, singer
 * May 17
 * Chinx, 31, rapper
 * Tranquility Bass, 47, rapper
 * May 18 – Elbert West, 47, country singer-songwriter
 * May 19 – Bruce Lundvall, 79, record executive
 * May 20 – Bob Belden, 58, saxophonist, composer, conductor, and producer
 * May 21 – Louis Johnson, 60, bass player (The Brothers Johnson)
 * May 24 – Marcus Belgrave, 78, jazz trumpet player
 * May 26
 * Rocky Frisco, 77, pianist
 * Art Thieme, 73, folk singer
 * May 28 – Steven Gerber, 66, composer
 * May 30 – Jim Bailey, 77, singer
 * May 31
 * Nico Castel, 83, tenor
 * Will Holt, 86, singer-songwriter
 * Slim Richey, 77, jazz guitarist and fiddler
 * June 1 – Jean Ritchie, 92, folk singer-songwriter
 * June 6 – Ronnie Gilbert, 88, folk singer-songwriter (The Weavers)
 * June 8 – Paul Bacon, 91, jazz musician
 * June 9 – Pumpkinhead, 39, rapper
 * June 11
 * Jim Ed Brown, 81, country singer-songwriter (The Browns)
 * Ornette Coleman 85, jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpet player, and composer
 * June 12 – Monica Lewis, 93, singer
 * June 13
 * Buddy Boudreaux, 97, jazz saxophonist and clarinet player
 * Big Time Sarah, 62, blues singer
 * June 16 – Mighty Sam McClain, 72, singer-songwriter
 * June 19 – Harold Battiste, 83, saxophonist, pianist, and composer
 * June 21 – Gunther Schuller, 89, horn player, composer, and conductor
 * June 22
 * Joseph de Pasquale, 95, viola player
 * James Horner, 61, composer and conductor
 * June 27 – Chris Squire, 67, singer-songwriter and bass player (Yes, Conspiracy, The Syn, and XYZ)
 * July 1 – Red Lane, 76, country singer-songwriter
 * July 2 – Roy C. Bennett, 96, songwriter
 * July 6
 * Julio Angel, 69, singer
 * Camille Bob, 77, singer and drummer
 * July 8 – Ernie Maresca, 76, singer-songwriter and producer (The Regents)
 * July 9 – Michael Masser, 74, songwriter and producer
 * July 10
 * Hussein Fatal, 38, rapper (Outlawz)
 * Jon Vickers, 88, opera singer
 * July 11 – Joey Robinson, Jr., 53, Sugar Hill Records executive (West Street Mob)
 * July 13 – Arthur G. Wright, 78, soul guitarist
 * July 14 – Dave Somerville, 81, singer (The Diamonds)
 * July 15
 * Alan Curtis, 80, harpsichord player and conductor
 * Howard Rumsey, 97, jazz bassist
 * July 18 – Buddy Buie, 74, songwriter and producer
 * July 19
 * Van Alexander, 100, composer and bandleader
 * Carmino Ravosa, 85, pianist and composer
 * July 20 – Wayne Carson, 72, singer-songwriter and producer
 * July 21
 * Mitch Aliotta, 71, bass player (Rotary Connection and Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah)
 * Theodore Bikel, 91, folk singer-songwriter
 * Paul Freeman, 79, conductor
 * Justin Lowe, 32, metal guitarist (After the Burial)
 * July 22
 * Don Joyce, 71, singer (Negativland)
 * Daron Norwood, 49, country singer-songwriter
 * July 26
 * Bobbi Kristina Brown, 22, singer
 * Vic Firth, 85, drummer
 * July 27 – Rickey Grundy, 56, gospel singer-songwriter
 * July 29 – Buddy Emmons, 78, guitarist
 * July 30 – Lynn Anderson, 67, country singer
 * July 31 – Pamela Brandt, 68, country-rock bassist, singer and songwriter (The Deadly Nightshade)
 * August 2 – J. Durward Morsch, 94, trombonist and composer
 * August 4 – Billy Sherrill, 78, songwriter and producer
 * August 5 – Raphy Leavitt, 66, composer and conductor
 * August 8 – Sean Price, 43, rapper (Boot Camp Clik and Heltah Skeltah)
 * August 11 – Eddie Cusic, 89, blues singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * August 13 – Harold Ousley, 86, saxophonist and flute player
 * August 14 – Bob Johnston, 83 record producer
 * August 15 – Danny Sembello, 52, songwriter and producer
 * August 27 – George Cleve, 79, conductor
 * September 1 – Boomer Castleman, 70, singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * September 2 – Brianna Lea Pruett, 32, singer-songwriter
 * September 5 – Frederick "Dennis" Greene, 66, singer (Sha Na Na)
 * September 7 – Susan Allen, 64, harp player
 * September 13 – Gary Richrath, 65, guitarist and songwriter (REO Speedwagon)
 * September 16 – Peggy Jones, 75, guitarist
 * September 18 – Daniel Kyre, 21, guitarist (Cyndago)
 * September 21 – Ben Cauley, 76, trumpet player and songwriter (The Bar-Kays)
 * September 27
 * Wilton Felder, 75, saxophonist and bass player (The Crusaders)
 * Denise Lor, 86, singer
 * September 28 – Frankie Ford, 76, singer
 * September 29
 * Benjamin Hutto, 67, conductor
 * Phil Woods, 83, saxophonist and composer
 * October 2 – Willie Akins, 76, jazz saxophonist
 * October 4 – Dave Pike, 77, vibraphone player and composer
 * October 6
 * Smokey Johnson, 78, drummer
 * Billy Joe Royal, 73, pop and country singer
 * October 9
 * Koopsta Knicca, 40, rapper (Three 6 Mafia)
 * Larry Rosen, 75, jazz producer
 * October 10
 * Steve Mackay, 66, saxophonist (The Stooges)
 * Robbin Thompson, 66, singer-songwriter (Steel Mill)
 * October 11 – Smokin' Joe Kubek, 58, guitarist and songwriter
 * October 13 – Skatemaster Tate, 56, singer and producer
 * October 16 – John Jennings, 61, guitarist and producer
 * October 18 – Frank Watkins, 47, bass player (Gorgoroth and Obituary)
 * October 20 – Cory Wells, 74, singer (Three Dog Night)
 * October 22 – Mark Murphy, 83, singer-songwriter
 * October 23 – Leon Bibb, 93, folk singer
 * October 25 – Lee Shaw, 89, pianist and composer
 * October 26 – David Rodriguez, 63, singer-songwriter
 * October 27 – Herbie Goins, 76, R&B singer (Blues Incorporated)
 * November 2
 * Tommy Overstreet, 78, country singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * David Stock, 76, composer and conductor
 * November 6 – Chuck Pyle, 70, country-folk singer-songwriter
 * November 7 – Eddie Hoh, 71, drummer
 * November 10
 * Robert Craft, 92 conductor
 * Allen Toussaint, 77, singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
 * November 15 – P. F. Sloan, 70, singer-songwriter
 * November 16 – Betty Ann Grove, 86, singer
 * November 17
 * Al Aarons, 83, trumpet player (Count Basie Orchestra)
 * David VanLanding, 51, singer (Michael Schenker Group)
 * November 18 – Daniel Ferro, 94 opera singer
 * November 21 – Joseph Silverstein, 83, violinist and conductor
 * November 23 – Cynthia Robinson, 71, trumpet player and singer (Sly and the Family Stone)
 * November 26 – Ronnie Bright, 77, singer (The Cadillacs and The Coasters)
 * November 29 – Buddy Moreno, 103, singer
 * December 1 – Shirley Gunter, 81, R&B singer-songwriter
 * December 2
 * John Eaton, 85, composer
 * Wally Roker, 78, singer (The Heartbeats)
 * December 3 – Scott Weiland, 48, rock singer-songwriter (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, and The Wondergirls)
 * December 8
 * Mattiwilda Dobbs, 90, soprano
 * Bonnie Lou, 91, country singer-songwriter
 * Gary Marker, 72, bass player (Rising Sons)
 * December 9 – Rusty Jones, 73, jazz drummer
 * December 13 – Luigi Creatore, 92, songwriter and producer
 * December 14 – Edmund Lyndeck, 90, singer
 * December 16 – Snuff Garrett, 77, record producer
 * December 19 – Kurt Masur, 88, conductor (New York Philharmonic)
 * December 21 – Sam Dockery, 86, jazz pianist
 * December 24 – William Guest, 74, R&B singer (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
 * December 28
 * Joe Houston, 89, saxophonist
 * Lemmy Kilmister, 70, cancer
 * December 31
 * Natalie Cole, 65, singer-songwriter
 * Marion James, 81, blues singer-songwriter