Music Almanac: May 15*
- 1918 - Eddy Arnold (d. 2008)
- 1937 - Trini Lopez (75)
- 1938 - Lenny Welch (74)
- 1941 - K.T. Oslin (71)
- 1944 - Ian Amey (Tich of Dave Dee, Dozey, Beaky, Mick and Tich) (68)
- 1947 - Graham Goble (Little River Band) (65)
- 1948 - Brian Eno (64)
- 1951 - Dennis Fredericksen (Toto) (61)
- 1953 - Mike Oldfield (59)
Deaths:
- 1992 - Barbara Lee (Chiffons) - Heart attack (44)
- 1999 - Rob Gretton (manager of Joy Division and New Order) - Heart attack (46)
- 2000 - Geoff Goddard (Tornados) (62)
- 2001 - Brian Pendleton (Pretty Things) - Cancer (57)
- 2003 - June Carter Cash - Complications from heart valve replacement (73)
On This Day:
- 1963 - At the Grammy Awards, Tony Bennett wins Record of the Year for I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Vaughn Meader received Album of the Year for The First Family, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse got Song of the Year for What Kind of Fool Am I? and the New Artist of the Year was Robert Goulet.
- 1967 - Paul McCartney met Linda Eastman for the first time at a Georgie Fame concert in London.
- 1968 - The film Wonderwall premiered at the Cannes Film Festival with George Harrison and Ringo Starr in attendance. Meanwhile, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were holding a press conference to announce they were no longer associated with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
- 1971 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono show their films Apotheosis and Fly at the Cannes Film Festival.
- 1974 - Frank Zappa and his wife welcomed Ahmet Rodan.
- 1975 - Fleetwood Mac, in the new configuration with Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine and John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, plays live for the first time in El Paso, TX.
- 1977 - Procol Harum played their last concert (up to that time) in New York.
- 1980 - The Sex Pistols film, The Great Rock and Roll Swindle, is released.
- 1981 - Public Image Ltd, led by John Lydon, were booed off the stage in New York when they "performed" by standing behind a video screen while pre-recorded music played.
- 1982 - Ricky Skaggs joined the Grand Ole Opry.
- 1984 - Nils Lofgren joined Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band.
- 1994 - Sting and Nancy Wilson receive Honorary Doctorates of Music from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
- 1995 - R.E.M. resumes their Monster tour after Bill Berry's recovery from an aneurysm.
- 1998 - Sonny & Cher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 2000 - Bob Dylan and Isaac Stern received Sweden's Polar Music Prize.
- 2004 - The Beastie Boys played a secret show in London to promote their new album, To the 5 Boroughs.
Released:
- 1965 - Mr. Tambourine Man - Byrds
- 1969 - Life With Lions - John Lennon
- 1970 - Close to You (album) - Carpenters
- 1971 - Ram - Paul McCartney
- 1974 - Monkey Grip - Bill Wyman (first solo album by any member of the Rolling Stones)
- 1985 - Raspberry Beret - Prince
- 2001 - The World Needs a Hero - Megadeth
Number Ones - U.S. Singles:
- 1948 - Nature Boy - Nat King Cole (7 weeks)
- 1976 - Boogie Fever - Sylvers (1 week)
- 1982 - Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (7 weeks)
- 1993 - That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson (8 weeks)
- 2010 - OMG - Usher Featuring will.i.am
Number Ones - U.S. Albums:
- 1948 - Busy Fingers - Three Suns (1 week)
- 1971 - Four Way Street - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1 week)
- 1976 - Black & Blue - Rolling Stones (2 weeks)
- 1982 - Asia - Asia (2 weeks)
- 1993 - The Bodyguard - Whitney Houston/Soundtrack (3 weeks (17 previous weeks at number 1))
- 1999 - Ruff Ryders Ryde or Die Volume 1 - Various Artists (1 week)
- 2004 - D12 World - D12 (1 week)
- 2010 - The Adventures of Bobby Ray - B.o.B. (1 week)
Number Ones - U.K. Singles:
- 1959 - A Fool Such As I/I Need Your Love Tonight - Elvis Presley (5 weeks)
- 1971 - Knock Three Times - Tony Orlando & Dawn (5 weeks)
- 1982 - A Little Peace - Nicole (2 weeks)
- 1994 - Come On You Reds - Manchester United Football Squad (2 weeks)
Number Ones - U.K. Albums:
- 1993 - Republic - New Order (1 week)
- 2005 - Heart and Soul - Steve Brookstein (1 week)
