Events in 1975
- Elvis Presley leased a private aircraft for one year. He paid a $26,000 deposit and a monthly rental fee of $13,000.
- Robert Plant, his wife, and their children suffered serious injuries in a car accident on the Greek island of Rhodes. Plant sustained several fractures, including injuries to his ankles and elbow. The accident led to the postponement of Led Zeppelin’s planned North American tour.
- Black Sabbath performed at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
- Stevie Wonder signed a seven-year, seven-album deal with Tamla/Motown worth a total of $37 million. The contract included a guaranteed $13 million advance, high royalty rates, performance bonuses and extensive artistic control over his music.
- Producer Kim Fowley began assembling The Runaways in Los Angeles. The core of the group consisted of Joan Jett and drummer Sandy West, with additional members including Micki Steele and Lita Ford joining later. The band released four studio albums during their career.
- The Rolling Stones performed at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia.
- Album „Made In The Shade“ od The Rolling Stones získalo zlatou certifikaci.
- ZZ Top vystoupili v Calderone Concert Hall v Hempsteadu v New Yorku.
- Hank Williams Jr. survived a 500-foot fall from Ajax Mountain in Montana and suffered facial scarring. After two years of surgeries, he returned to music; he later often concealed the scars with a hat, beard and sunglasses.
- The Rolling Stones, Bobby Womack and The Outlaws performed at the then-Summerfest at Rich Stadium in Buffalo, New York.
- Typically Tropical reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with their debut single “Barbados”. The song also reached No. 1 in Ireland and South Africa and was their only hit.
- Bee Gees began a two-week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Jive Talkin'.” It was their second US No. 1 hit and the first of several American disco hits to top the chart. The single reached No. 5 in the UK. Barry Gibb was inspired to write the song while driving across a Florida bridge on his way to the recording studio.
- Composer and pianist Dmitry Shostakovich died in Moscow at the age of 68 from lung cancer. He is regarded as one of the most important composers of the 20th century.
- Don Kirshner staged the first Rock Music Award Show in Santa Monica, California. Among the honorees were Eagles, Stevie Wonder and Bad Company.
- Janis Ian was at No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart with “At Seventeen”.
- The vocal group The Manhattan Transfer began a summer replacement variety show, “Manhattan Transfer”, on CBS. The show ran for four episodes.
- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band began a legendary five-night residency of ten sold-out shows at The Bottom Line in New York. The heavily publicized performances generated massive media buzz just days before the release of his breakthrough album "Born to Run," helping Springsteen launch into national stardom.
- The Grateful Dead performed at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. A recording of the concert was subsequently broadcast by the Metromedia Network on September 1.
- He canceled the rental of a Fairchild aircraft and instead purchased a Jet Commander for $508,000. He later flew from Memphis to Las Vegas, but due to breathing difficulties, the aircraft had to make an unplanned landing in Dallas. After resting for several hours at a motel, he continued his journey.
- He officially announced his departure from Genesis. Phil Collins later became the new lead singer after an audition attended by more than 400 musicians.
- Peter Gabriel publicly confirmed his departure from Genesis after the tour for the album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. His departure was also announced in the August 16, 1975 issue of Melody Maker.
- The Stylistics reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart with “Can't Give You Anything (But My Love),” beginning a three-week run at the top. It became their only UK No. 1 single.
- Blue Öyster Cult performed at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.
- Peter Gabriel left Genesis to pursue a solo career.
- RCA Records released the fourth studio album by the duo Daryl Hall & John Oates. The album reached No. 4 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, and the single “Sara Smile” became the duo's breakthrough hit in June 1976, also reaching No. 4 on the Hot 100.
- Elvis Presley performed in the showroom of the Las Vegas Hilton on the opening night of a new engagement. During the performance, after “Polk Salad Annie,” he sat down at Ronnie Tutt's drums, and a female fan who had climbed onto the stage gave him “mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”
- Four Seasons released the single “Who Loves You,” which became their first Top 10 hit in eight years.
- Elvis Presley continued in Las Vegas with the routine he had begun in North Carolina, with Charlie Hodge selecting audience requests from a bucket and Elvis attempting to fulfill them. During the evening show, Elvis at one point lay down on the stage while singing. The program included “See See Rider”, “I Got a Woman/Amen”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “If You Love Me”, “It’s Now or Never”, “My Boy”, “Love Me”, “Loving You”, “Suspicious Minds”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “Hail Hail Rock’n’Roll”, “T-R-O-U-B-L-E”, “Why Me Lord”, “How Great Thou Art”, “Let Me Be There”, “Crying in the Chapel” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. The midnight show included “Young and Beautiful”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”, “Softly, as I Leave You”, “Polk Salad Annie”, “Love Me Tender”, “All Shook Up”, “Hound Dog” and “My Boy”.
- America performed at Canadian National Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.
- Black Sabbath performed at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas, during the tour supporting the album “Sabotage”.
- The song “Fallin' in Love” by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for one week. It was their first and only US number-one single. The song was credited to the group even though drummer Tommy Reynolds had left three years earlier and was replaced by Alan Dennison. It reached number 33 in the UK.
- Joy Division singer Ian Curtis married Deborah Woodruff, whom he had met at school when he was 19 and she was 18. They remained married until Curtis's premature death.
- Queen began recording the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales.
- Alan Stivell, Babe Ruth, Heavy Metal Kids, Kursaal Flyers, Snafu, Supertramp, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Thin Lizzy, Yes and Zzebra performed at the Reading Festival.
- The Eagles' album “One of These Nights” entered its final week at number one on the US album chart. It was subsequently replaced at the top by Elton John's album “Captain Fantastic”.
- Queen began recording „Bohemian Rhapsody“ at Rockfield Studio 1 in Monmouth, Wales. Freddie Mercury had prepared the song in advance and led the band during the three-week recording process; Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor sang their parts for 10–12 hours a day, producing 180 separate vocal overdubs. Four additional studios were also used to complete the song. After its release, the song reached No. 1 in the U.K., No. 9 in the U.S. and the Top 10 in 13 other countries.
- Bruce Springsteen released his third studio album “Born to Run” on Columbia Records, marking a major breakthrough in his career. The album reached number three on the US Billboard chart and eventually sold seven million copies in the US. The title track reached number 23 on the US chart and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” reached number 83.
- Bruce Springsteen released the single “Born to Run”.
- Elton John performed the first of three nights at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. The concerts were intended to raise $150,000 for the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA.
- Glen Campbell was at No. 1 on the US country chart with “Rhinestone Cowboy”. The song was one of six songs released in 1975 that reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Country Singles.
- Australian singer, songwriter and actress Natalie Imbruglia was born.
- The Four Seasons released the single “Who Loves You”, which became their first Top 10 song in eight years.
- Eric Clapton performed at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- American rapper Mason Durell Betha, known as Mase, was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He became known for the songs “Feel So Good” and “Lookin' at Me” from his solo debut “Harlem World” in 1997. In 1998, he had the UK hit “Top Of The World” with Brandy and also worked with Puff Daddy, Blackstreet and The Notorious B.I.G.
- Aerosmith performed at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.
- “Walk This Way” was released as the second single from Aerosmith’s album “Toys in the Attic”. The song originated during a soundcheck in Honolulu, where Steven Tyler, Joey Kramer, and Joe Perry worked on a groove influenced by funk and James Brown. It initially failed to make an impact on the charts, but after being reissued the following year it reached No. 10 and became one of Aerosmith’s most important songs.
- Guitarist and singer Kyle Cook, known as a member of the rock band Matchbox Twenty, was born in Frankfort, Indiana. The band achieved international success with its 1996 debut album "Yourself or Someone Like You", which received twelve-times-platinum certification in the US and multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
- Casey Johnson, bassist with American Hi-Fi, was born.
- Elton John’s ninth studio album “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” returned to No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 after a six-week break. That same year, it also topped the charts in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
- Eric Clapton performed at the Scope arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
- KC and the Sunshine Band reached No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Get Down Tonight”. It was the first of five of their singles to reach No. 1, and the song reached No. 21 in the UK. It later received a platinum certification for sales of one million copies in the US and reached No. 1 in Canada.
- Paul Kossoff, guitarist with Free and Back Street Crawler, was taken to hospital after a sudden deterioration in his health, where he was considered dead for 35 minutes. Kossoff died on March 19, 1976, from heart failure following long-term problems with drug use.
- Rod Stewart reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart with “Atlantic Crossing”, which began a five-week run at the top.
- Rod Stewart and the Faces, Loggins & Messina, Fleetwood Mac and Lynyrd Skynyrd performed at Balboa Stadium in San Diego, California.
- Australian singer, actress and television personality Natalie Bassingthwaighte of Rogue Traders was born.
- The J. Geils Band performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario.
- American heavy metal singer Jill Janus was born in New York. She became best known as the frontwoman of Huntress, The Starbreakers and Chelsea Girls.
- Actor and singer Nate Richert was born.
- Singer Tony Thompson of Hi-Five was born in Waco, Texas. He grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 1991, the group had the US number-one hit “I Like The Way, The Kissing Game”, which reached number 43 in the UK.
- DJ Redfoo, whose real name is Stefan Kendal Gordy and a member of the duo LMFAO, was born. He is the son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy.
- The star-studded improvised group Trading Faces was formed at actor Peter Sellers’ 50th birthday celebration in Los Angeles. The lineup consisted of Bill Wyman, Ronnie Wood, Jesse Ed Davis, Danny Kortchmar, Keith Moon, Joe Cocker, Nigel Olsson, David Bowie and Bobby Keys.
- Hawkwind performed at the Olympen venue in Lund, Sweden.
- British-American DJ, music producer and songwriter Mark Ronson was born in London, England. In 2007, his album Version reached number two in the UK, and he produced recordings for Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Miley Cyrus. In 2014, his single “Uptown Funk,” featuring Bruno Mars, spent 14 weeks at number one in the US and seven non-consecutive weeks at number one on the UK singles chart.
- Black Sabbath performed at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California.
- Jethro Tull released the album Minstrel in the Gallery, featuring arrangements by David Palmer's string quartet.
- The Carpenters reached number one on the Easy Listening chart with their version of Neil Sedaka's “Solitaire.”
- Glen Campbell began a two-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Rhinestone Cowboy". It was his first chart-topper after 13 Top 40 hits. The recording became a million-selling hit, received three Grammy nominations and was named Song of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1976. It reached No. 4 in the UK.
- Glen Campbell released the single "Rhinestone Cowboy", which reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart.
- Rod Stewart took his version of "Sailing" by the Sutherland Brothers to No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The song was originally released by the Scottish folk-rock duo Sutherland Brothers in June 1972. Stewart's version also reached No. 1 in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway that year and was featured in a BBC television series about HMS Ark Royal.
- Steve Anderson set a record for guitar playing. At the age of 22, he played for 114 hours and 7 minutes, beating the previous record by more than four hours.
- The Guess Who played their final concert at the Montreal Forum. In 1987, they temporarily reunited for The Guess Who Juno Special. Later, a dispute arose among the original members because Jim Kale and Garry Peterson continued using the band's name with new musicians. In 2023, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman regained the right to use the name The Guess Who, and in 2026 they began touring again.
- Frank Zappa released the album Bongo Fury, recorded with Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.
- Helen Reddy scored her 15th hit on the Easy Listening chart. Fourteen of her first fifteen hits reached the Top 10, including eleven consecutive entries; eight reached No. 1 and three reached No. 2.
- ZZ Top performed at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- American singer, songwriter and musician India.Arie, born India Arie Simpson, was born in Denver, Colorado. In 2006, her album Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship reached No. 1 on the US chart. She sold more than five million records in the US and ten million worldwide. She received four Grammy Awards from a total of 23 nominations, including a Grammy for Best R&B Album.
- The Who released their album The Who by Numbers in the UK. The album was released on October 3, 1975, by Polydor Records and was issued later in the USA. It reached No. 7 on the UK album chart and No. 8 in the USA. The record featured an interactive-style cover and represented another significant chapter in the band's career.
- The Who began their first British concert tour in two years with a performance at New Bingley Hall in Stafford, supported by The Steve Gibbons Band. Keith's drums were placed on a raised platform for the first time at a concert, which caused him problems hearing the playback. The set consisted of greatest hits as well as a selection of songs from Tommy, which returned to the concert program due to the popularity of the film. "Join Together" and the new song "Squeeze Box" were also performed live for the first time. Quadrophenia was represented by four songs played in a different order from that on the album.
- David Essex reached number one on the UK singles chart with Hold Me Close, where it remained for three weeks.
- Wings released the single “Letting Go” in the United States.
- Harry Chapin released the song “Cat's in the Cradle.”
- Original members Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer performed together for the final time at the Wonder Dream Concert in Kingston, Jamaica. The benefit concert was organized by Stevie Wonder.
- Elvis Presley paid more than $30,000 for furnishings for the house he bought for Linda Thompson. As caring for Elvis became increasingly demanding, Linda began spending more time in California to pursue her acting career.
- American rock drummer Patrick Keeler was born. He is known for his work with The Greenhornes, The Raconteurs and The Afghan Whigs.
- Roxy Music performed at Trentham Garden in Stoke, England.
- Gary Wright performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned John Lennon's deportation order. The court ruled that his 1968 British conviction for marijuana possession did not provide sufficient legal grounds for his deportation. The decision also rejected selective deportation based on secret political motives.
- Elvis Presley took a short flight tour in his newly purchased Lockheed JetStar. He flew with five other people and his personal pilot, Milo High.
- Neil Sedaka's “Bad Blood” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Pop chart.
- The Doobie Brothers performed at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.
- A Black Sabbath concert in Milwaukee was marred by a riot.
- American country singer-songwriter Brandy Clark was born in Morton, Washington. Her songs have been recorded by artists including Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker and Kacey Musgraves. She debuted as an artist in 2013 with 12 Stories and has received sixteen Grammy Award nominations.
- Elvis Presley's personal pilot Milo High flew Elvis and eight others to Dallas and back.
- Sean Taro Ono Lennon was born on John Lennon's 35th birthday, the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The birth prompted Lennon to step away from the music business for five years to devote himself to raising his son. Sean later became a singer, songwriter, musician and actor.
- Rod Stewart started a five-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with the double A-side "Reason to Believe"/"Maggie May."
- Wings began a 13-month world tour during which they would play in front of more than two million people.
- Deep Purple released the band's only studio album featuring Tommy Bolin on guitar, “Come Taste the Band.” David Coverdale also sings on the album, before the formation of Whitesnake.
- The Allman Brothers Band performed at Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
- Two musical guests appeared on the premiere of NBC's Saturday Night, later renamed Saturday Night Live. Janis Ian performed "At Seventeen" and "In the Winter," while Billy Preston played "Nothing from Nothing" and "Fancy Lady." The show was hosted by George Carlin.
- Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood," featuring backing vocals by Elton John, reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks. It was Sedaka's second US No. 1 hit that year. Within eight months, he had also written the hits "Laughter in the Rain" for himself and "Love Will Keep Us Together" for Captain and Tennille.
- Rod Stewart's sixth studio album, Atlantic Crossing, reached No. 1 on the UK album chart and stayed there for two weeks.
- Rod Stewart and The Faces give their final joint live performance at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, New York. Stewart’s desire to develop his solo career contributes to the band’s breakup.
- The Allman Brothers Band perform at Balboa Stadium in San Diego, with The Marshall Tucker Band as the opening act.
- Neil Young underwent surgery on his vocal cords at a Los Angeles hospital, where doctors removed a foreign object.
- Roxy Music performed at City Hall in Newcastle, England.
- Simon & Garfunkel reunited for the release of the single “My Little Town.”