# 2009 in American music

The following is a list of notable music events and releases that occurred in 2009 in the United States.

## Events
### January

* January 8 – Lady Gaga's debut single "Just Dance" hits number one on the Billboard Hot 100 after 22 weeks – the second longest climb to number one, since the Creed single, "With Arms Wide Open", in November 2000 (27 weeks).
* January 18 – President Barack Obama's inaugural concert, entitled "We Are One", is held at the Lincoln Memorial. Performers include Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks, Renée Fleming, Caleb Green, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, Beyoncé, Bettye LaVette, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder. Several of the songs performed had been used by Obama's presidential campaign.
* January 20 – Artists including Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5, Stevie Wonder and Will.i.am perform at the Inaugural Ball for President Barack Obama
* January 28 – Kelly Clarkson breaks the record for a song's biggest jump to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 when her single "My Life Would Suck Without You" soars from number 97 to number one fueled by 280,000 digital downloads in the first week of release. Clarkson first broke the record in 2002 with "A Moment Like This".
** Billy Powell of Lynyrd Skynyrd passed away at the age of 56 at his home in Orange Park, Florida.
* January 29 – Madonna announces that she will extend her record-breaking Sticky & Sweet Tour during summer 2009, to visit cities that were excluded during the first run. The tour kicked off at The O$_2$ in London on July 4. The extension took the Sticky & Sweet Tour to a total of over 80 shows, putting it among the top five tours of all time.

### February

* February 1 – At Super Bowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson perform at the pregame show (with Hudson singing the National Anthem) and Bruce Springsteen at the halftime show.
* February 3 – The Fray released their first studio album in four years, The Fray.
** The Von Bondies released their first studio album in five years, Love, Hate and Then There's You.
* February 8 – The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Alison Krauss and Robert Plant took home the most awards with five each, including Album of the Year with their collaborative album, Raising Sand.
** At the Grammys, Blink-182 announced their reunion and reunion tour after a five-year hiatus.
** R&B singer Chris Brown is arrested after he physically assaulted his then girlfriend, Rihanna. He is charged with assault and making criminal threats, and received five years of probation.
* February 10 – Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys released his first solo studio album, Keep It Hid.
* February 12 — "Crack a Bottle", performed by Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, sets a new record for opening week download sales in the United States, at 418,000 copies. The previous record (335,000) was set by "Live Your Life".
** Billboard announces that Madonna is the highest-earning entertainer of 2008, with US$242,176,466, mostly from her sold-out Sticky & Sweet Tour.
* February 13 – Drake releases his third official mixtape So Far Gone, which goes on to become recognized as one of the best modern mixtapes and Drake's launch into mainstream success.
* February 18 – Flo Rida breaks his own record when his single "Right Round" is downloaded 636,000 units in the opening week. His 2008 chart-topper "Low" set the previous record for most downloaded song with 467,000 units sold in the first week of release.
* February 17 – J-Kwon released his first studio album in five years, Hood Hop 2.
** Living Things released their first studio album in four years, Habeas Corpus.
* February 24 – Chris Isaak released his first studio album in five years, Mr. Lucky.
** Lamb of God album Wrath debuts at number 2 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest charting extreme metal album in the last fifteen years.

### March

* March 3 – Britney Spears launches her world tour at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 97-show tour was her first world tour in five years, and her first tour since her public breakdown.
* March 5 – Michael Jackson announces his last concert series, This Is It to be held at The O$_2$ in London. The concerts are never held due to Jackson's death three months later.
* March 6–8 – Phish's reunion shows at Hampton Coliseum in Virginia.
* March 10 – Infernus win the Gorgoroth name dispute.
* March 11 – Tickets go on sale for Michael Jackson's This Is It series, 10 shows extended to 50 shows and impressively all 50 dated sold out in under four hours making them the fastest selling concerts ever in history.
* March 12 – Electroclash singer Miss Kittin reunites with The Hacker to release the duet album Two.
* March 17 – Capone-N-Noreaga released their first studio album in nine years, Channel 10.

### April

* April 1 – Lady Gaga becomes the first artist since Christina Aguilera in 1999/2000 to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their first two chart entries ("Just Dance" and "Poker Face").
* April 4 – The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place, welcoming new inductees Little Anthony & The Imperials, Bobby Womack, Run-D.M.C., and Metallica. Metallica, citing the drama surrounding Blondie, Black Sabbath, and Van Halen's inductions, includes Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted both former bassists for the band in the induction. Newsted also performs with band in its first rendition as a 5-piece band featuring two bass guitarists.
* April 5 – The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Carrie Underwood wins the ACM Entertainer of the Year award, becoming only the seventh female to do so in the history of the ceremony's 44 years.
* April 7 – Jadakiss released his first studio in five years, The Last Kiss.
* April 12 – Carrie Underwood's "I Told You So", from her album Carnival Ride, becomes her tenth straight number one in the country songs chart, making her the only country artist in history to have their first 10 singles reach number one.
* April 14 – Fastball released their first studio album in five years, Little White Lies.
** Jill Sobule released her first studio album in five years, California Years.
* April 17–19 – Coachella 2009
** Hardline released their first album in seven years, Leaving the End Open.
* April 27 – Creed announced their reunion, new album and tour after a five-year break. They break up for a second time in 2013, only to reunite again in July 2023.

### May

* May 3 – A concert at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 90th birthday of Pete Seeger features Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Dave Matthews and Eddie Vedder among others.
* May 12 – Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alex Lacamoire perform a rap about Alexander Hamilton at a White House Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word in Washington, D.C.; this is the origin of the musical Hamilton.
* May 15 – Eminem released his first studio album in five years, Relapse.
** Green Day released their first studio album in five years, 21st Century Breakdown.
* May 18 – Rapper Dolla is shot and killed in Beverly Hills, California at the Beverly Center.
* May 19 — Method Man & Redman released their first studio album in ten years, Blackout! 2.
* May 20 – Kris Allen defeats Adam Lambert to win the eighth season of American Idol. This would turn out to be original judge Paula Abdul's last season on the show as she stepped down on August 4, 2009.

### June

* June 1 – The Puerto Rican pop singer Ricky Martin announces he is working on a new studio album and first book.
** Pearl Jam are first musical guests on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, performing new songs.
* June 2 – Dave Matthews Band released their first studio album in four years, Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King. It is their first release since the death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who died a year earlier.
** Rancid released their first studio album in six years, Let the Dominoes Fall. It is also their first album with Branden Steineckert, formerly of The Used, who replaced Brett Reed on drums following Reed's departure in 2006.
** 311 released their first studio album in four years, Uplifter.
* June 3 – The Black Eyed Peas released their first studio album in four years, The E.N.D..
* June 25 - Summerfest begins; the event lasts until July 5.
** Roughly two weeks before his This Is It series of concerts is scheduled to begin, Michael Jackson dies in his Los Angeles home of an accidental overdose of propofol, later discovered to be the result of medical malpractice by his personal physician, Conrad Murray. The American music icon's passing triggers a surge in posthumous sales making him the best selling artist of the year, with 35 million albums sold worldwide in the months following his death.

### July

* July 7 – A public memorial event for Michael Jackson is held at the Staples Center. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Usher, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer, Lionel Richie, and Michael's brother, Jermaine Jackson, perform.
** Maxwell released his first studio album in eight years, BLACKsummers'night.
* July 10 – August 15 – Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, headlined by Marilyn Manson and Slayer
* July 13 – Lady Gaga becomes the first artist to have three songs from a debut album to reach number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since Fergie's The Dutchess.
* July 17-21 – Paul McCartney performs three sold-out concerts at Citi Field to open the stadium with opening act, The Script. This is because on August 15, 1965, The Beatles performed the first concert at Shea Stadium and McCartney joined Billy Joel on stage a year ago for the last concert there. Joel joined McCartney again on the first night.
* July 24 – Blink-182 start their reunion tour, Blink-182 in Concert, with Fall Out Boy and Weezer.

### August

* August 8 – Meghan Lindsay and Josh Jones of Steel Magnolia won the second season of CMT's Can You Duet. Brandon Green and Jonathan Cox of JB Rocket were named runner-up.
* August 18 – Third Eye Blind released their first studio album in six years, Ursa Major.
* August 21 – Vocalist Jim Lindberg announces his departure from Pennywise.

### September

* September 3 – Michael Jackson is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, in a private family ceremony.
* September 8 – Phish released their first studio album in five years, Joy.
* September 13 – The MTV Video Music Awards took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. During Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video, Kanye West interrupts on her stage her saying, that Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. He was referring to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". West was removed from the show.
* September 15 – Living Colour released their first studio album in six years, The Chair in the Doorway.
* 17 – VH1 Divas returned after a five-year hiatus. It took place the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn.
* 29 - Alice in Chains released their first studio album in 14 years, Black Gives Way to Blue. It is also the band's first album to feature co-lead vocalist William DuVall, who joined the band in 2006 as the replacement for the band's original lead vocalist, Layne Staley, following Staley's death in 2002.
* September 30 – Australian star Kylie Minogue kicks off her first-ever U.S. tour in Oakland, California.

### October

* October 2 – Beyoncé is named Woman of 2009 by Billboard.
* October 2–4 – Austin City Limits 2009
* October 6 — KISS released their first studio album in 11 years, Sonic Boom.
* October 15 – Britney Spears's "3" enters the Billboard Hot 100 at number one, her third number one on Billboard Hot 100 and the first non-American Idol related single to enter the chart at number one since 1999.
* October 27 – Creed released their first studio album in eight years, Full Circle.
* October 28 – Michael Jackson's This Is It, featuring behind the scenes footage in the days before his death, is released. It enters the chart at No. 1, and becomes the best selling documentary of all time, raising over $250 million.

### November

* November 11 – The Country Music Association Awards took place at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood's second year hosting.
* November 12 – Steven Tyler denies he is quitting Aerosmith, despite rumors that the band would be in need of a new lead singer.
* November 22 – The American Music Awards took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

### December

* December 8 – Thirty Seconds to Mars released their first studio album in four years, This Is War.
* December 11 – Garth Brooks comes out of retirement for a solo acoustic show at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas.
* December 16 – John Frusciante announces his second departure from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

## Bands formed

* Alabama Shakes
* Awolnation
* Beach Fossils
* Big Something
* Chris & Jenna
* Churchill
* The Civil Wars
* Cloud Nothings
* Creep
* The Dead Weather
* Echosmith
* FIDLAR
* Foster the People
* Grouplove
* The Head and the Heart
* Highly Suspect
* Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
* Nick Jonas & the Administration
* Of Mice & Men
* OMG
* The Orwells
* Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
* The Pretty Reckless
* Reptar
* Sleeper Agent
* Steel Magnolia
* Sublime with Rome
* Surfer Blood
* The Texas Tenors
* Them Crooked Vultures
* Twenty One Pilots
* The Young Veins

## Bands reformed

* Blink-182
* Cave In
* Cold
* Creed
* Faith No More
* Limp Bizkit
* Matchbook Romance

## Bands on hiatus

* Fall Out Boy
* The Pussycat Dolls
* Stellastarr

## Bands disbanded

* Armor for Sleep
* The Dead
* Jonezetta
* Louis XIV
* The Lovemakers

## Albums released
### January

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 6 | Merriweather Post Pavilion | Animal Collective | Psychedelic popelectronic popsynth-popindieavant-pop |
| 12 | Audacity | Ugly Duckling | Hip-hop |
| 13 | New World Orphans | Hed PE | Nu metalrap metal |
| 13 | 003 | Oh No Not Stereo | Power pop |
| 19 | The Crying Light | Antony and the Johnsons | Baroque pop |
| 20 | Blood Bank (EP) | Bon Iver | Indie folk |
| 20 | Noble Beast | Andrew Bird | Baroque pop |
| 20 | The Harvest Floor | Cattle Decapitation | Technical death metaldeathgrind |
| 20 | Davy | Coconut Records | Indie popindie rock |
| 20 | Why There Are Mountains | Cymbals Eat Guitars | Indie rock |
| 20 | Fiction Family | Fiction Family | Acousticfolk-poproots rock |
| 20 | The Empyrean | John Frusciante | Experimental rockpsychedelic rockpost-rock |
| 20 | Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II | Anya Marina | Indie rockpop rockindie pop |
| 20 | Grand | Matt and Kim | Dance-punkindie rockindie poplo-fi |
| 20 | The Crawling Distance | Robert Pollard | Rockindie rock |
| 20 | Mirror Eye | Psychic Ills | Rock |
| 20 | Fame, Fortune and Fornication | Reel Big Fish | Ska punk |
| 20 | Mantis | Umphrey's McGee | Progressive rock |
| 27 | Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future | The Bird and the Bee | Indie popelectronic |
| 27 | Crooked X | Crooked X | Hard rockheavy metal |
| 27 | Simon (EP) | Dirty Little Rabbits | Indie rock |
| 27 | For(N)ever | Hoobastank | Alternative rockpost-grunge |
| 27 | Eye Legacy | Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes | Pop-raphip hopR&B |
| 27 | The Time of the Assassins | Nickel Eye | Indie rock |
| 27 | Whisper House | Duncan Sheik | Pop |
| 27 | Working on a Dream | Bruce Springsteen | Rock |

### February

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 2 | Changing Horses | Ben Kweller | Country rockalt-countryfolk rock |
| 3 | Feel That Fire | Dierks Bentley | Country |
| 3 | Evisceration Plague | Cannibal Corpse | Death metal |
| 3 | Homesick | A Day to Remember | Metalcorealternative rockpost-hardcore |
| 3 | The Fray | The Fray | Alternative rockpop rock |
| 3 | Sing: Chapter 1 | Wynonna Judd | Country |
| 3 | Distractions (EP) | The Loved Ones | Punk rockAmericanapop-punk |
| 3 | The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | Indie popdream popnoise pop |
| 3 | Lonely Road | The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus | Alternative rockemopop-punk |
| 3 | Two Tongues | Two Tongues | Pop punkindie rockemo |
| 3 | Love, Hate and Then There's You | The Von Bondies | Alternative rockgarage rockindie rockpost-punk revivalpunk blues |
| 3 | Wavvves | Wavves | Noise popindie poplo-fi |
| 10 | Keep It Hid | Dan Auerbach | Blues rockgarage rockindie folkneo-psychedelia |
| 10 | The Rebirth | Bobby V | Contemporary R&B |
| 10 | Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics | India.Arie | R&B |
| 10 | Ryan Leslie | Ryan Leslie | R&Bhip hop |
| 10 | Incredibad | The Lonely Island | Comedy hip-hop |
| 10 | Innocence & Instinct | Red | Alternative metalpost-grunge |
| 15 | Scrambles | Bomb the Music Industry! | Punk rockindie rock |
| 17 | The Century of Self | ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead | Art rock |
| 17 | Sagarmatha | The Appleseed Cast | Indie rockpost-rock |
| 17 | Hush | Asobi Seksu | Dream pop |
| 17 | March of the Zapotec/Holland EP | Beirut | Indie popBalkan folkelectronica |
| 17 | Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit | Jason Isbell | Americanafolk |
| 17 | Hood Hop 2 | J-Kwon | Hip hop |
| 17 | Habeas Corpus | Living Things | Indie rock |
| 17 | Hold Time | M. Ward | Alternative rockfolk |
| 17 | Pins & Panzers | Plushgun | New waveindie rocksynth-pop |
| 17 | Carving Desert Canyons | Scale the Summit | Progressive metaldjentinstrumental rock |
| 17 | Common Existence | Thursday | Post-hardcore |
| 17 | Self-Taught Learner | Lissy Trullie | Indie |
| 17 | Animals in the Dark | William Elliott Whitmore | BluesCountry |
| 23 | Wrath | Lamb of God | Groove metalthrash metalmetalcore |
| 24 | Smoke n Mirrors | B-Real | West Coast hip hopLatin hip hop |
| 24 | 200 Million Thousand | Black Lips | Garage punkpsychedelic rock |
| 24 | Padded Room | Joe Budden | Hip hop |
| 24 | Hungry Bird | Clem Snide | Alternative country |
| 24 | Ordinary Riches | Company of Thieves | Indie rockalternative rockpop rock |
| 24 | Earthsblood | God Forbid | Metalcorethrash metal |
| 24 | Mr. Lucky | Chris Isaak | Rock and roll |
| 24 | This Gigantic Robot Kills | MC Lars | Nerdcoreska punkWest coast hip hop |
| 24 | Easy Does It | Jake Owen | Country |
| 24 | Real Recognize Real | Project Pat | Southern hip hopgangsta rap |

### March

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 1 | Mama, I'm Swollen | Cursive | Emoindie rock |
| 3 | Middle Cyclone | Neko Case | Alternative countryindie folk |
| 3 | Little Hells | Marissa Nadler | Folk |
| 3 | The Now and Not Yet | Jeremy Riddle | Christian |
| 10 | All I Ever Wanted | Kelly Clarkson | Poppop rock |
| 10 | Scream | Chris Cornell | Pop rockdance pop |
| 10 | No Regrets | Dope | Industrial metalnu metalalternative metal |
| 10 | Love vs. Money | The-Dream | R&B |
| 10 | The Distance | Taylor Hicks | Blue-eyed soulpop |
| 10 | Round 2 | J. Holiday | R&Bhip hop |
| 10 | Death to Analog | Julien-K | Electronic rockdance rockalternative rock |
| 10 | Not Without a Fight | New Found Glory | Pop-punk |
| 10 | Worse Than Alone | The Number Twelve Looks Like You | Mathcore |
| 10 | More Grey Hairs | Reks | Hip hop |
| 10 | Underneath the Owl | The Riverboat Gamblers | Alternative rockindie rock |
| 10 | Take Everything | Seventh Day Slumber | Christian rock |
| 10 | It's Blitz! | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Synth-punkalternative popsynth-poppop rock |
| 17 | When I Hit the Ground | Ace Enders and a Million Different People | Alternative rockindie rockacoustic |
| 17 | Beware | Bonnie "Prince" Billy | Americanaalternative countryindie folk |
| 17 | Channel 10 | Capone-N-Noreaga | East Coast hip hophardcore hip hopgangsta rap |
| 17 | Don't Feed da Animals | Gorilla Zoe | Hip hop |
| 17 | Naked Willie | Willie Nelson | Country |
| 17 | Cult of Static | Static-X | Industrial metalnu metal |
| 17 | Industry Giants | Superdrag | Punk rockpower popshoegazeindie rock |
| 20 | NINJA 2009 Tour Sampler (EP) | Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club | Alternative rock |
| 24 | Approaching Normal | Blue October | Alternative rock |
| 24 | Carolina | Eric Church | Country |
| 24 | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Miley Cyrus | Popcountry |
| 24 | Bromst | Dan Deacon | Indietronicanoise pop |
| 24 | The Hazards of Love | The Decemberists | Folk rockprogressive rockart rockfolk metal |
| 24 | Fangs | Falling Up | Art rockexperimental rock |
| 24 | In a Perfect World | Keri Hilson | R&B |
| 24 | Let's Do It Again | Leela James | R&Bsoul |
| 24 | Pray IV Reign | Jim Jones | Hip hop |
| 24 | Freedom | Mandisa | GospelCCMR&B |
| 24 | Shine | Martina McBride | Country |
| 24 | Crack the Sky | Mastodon | Heavy metalprogressive metalalternative metal |
| 24 | Born Like This | MF Doom | Hip hop |
| 24 | On the Cover II | MxPx | Punk rock |
| 24 | Metamorphosis | Papa Roach | Glam metalhard rock |
| 24 | Son of a Preacher Man | John Rich | Country |
| 24 | Boss of All Bosses | Slim Thug | Hip hop |
| 24 | Running With the Wasters | The Takeover UK | Alternative rock |
| 24 | A New Hope | Vanna | R&B |

### April

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 7 | Wide Open | Jason Aldean | Country |
| 7 | When Sweet Sleep Returned | Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound | Ambient noiseelectronic |
| 7 | Back to Tennessee | Billy Ray Cyrus | Country |
| 7 | Repo | Black Dice | Psychedelic rock |
| 7 | The Last Kiss | Jadakiss | East coast hip hophardcore hip hop |
| 7 | Guilt | Mims | East coast hip hophip hoprap rock |
| 7 | Life and Times | Bob Mould | Alternative rockrock |
| 7 | Unstoppable | Rascal Flatts | Country |
| 7 | Now We Can See | The Thermals | Indie rockpunk rock |
| 14 | Mind the Drift | Big Business | Heavy metal |
| 14 | Forever in a Day | Day26 | R&B |
| 14 | Little White Lies | Fastball | Rock |
| 14 | Whatever Gets You Off | The Last Vegas | Hard rockglam metalheavy metalglam rock |
| 14 | House of a Thousand Guitars | Willie Nile | Rock |
| 14 | Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian | Prefuse 73 | Electronic |
| 14 | Swoon | Silversun Pickups | Alternative rockindie rockpost-punk revival |
| 14 | California Years | Jill Sobule | Folk-pop |
| 17 | Leaving the End Open | Hardline | Hard rock |
| 18 | The Intervention (EP) | The Color Fred | Acousticindie rock |
| 20 | The Infection | Chimaira | Groove metalmetalcore |
| 20 | To the Death | Earth Crisis | Metalcore |
| 20 | Asleep in the Bread Aisle | Asher Roth | Hip hop |
| 21 | Hell or High Water | As Cities Burn | Indie rock |
| 21 | Doors and Window | Bearfoot | BluegrassAmericana |
| 21 | Love the Future | Chester French | Indie popfuturepopsynth-popelectronic |
| 21 | Wavering Radiant | Isis | Post-metalsludge metalprogressive metal |
| 21 | The Long Fall Back to Earth | Jars of Clay | Christian rockelectronic poppop rocksynth-pop |
| 21 | The Future Will Come | The Juan MacLean | Housenu-disco |
| 21 | Mean Everything to Nothing | Manchester Orchestra | Indie rockalternative rock |
| 21 | Here, Here, and Here | Meg & Dia | Alternative rockindie rockindie pop |
| 21 | Deeper Than Rap | Rick Ross | Hip hop |
| 21 | Tinted Windows | Tinted Windows | Alternative rockpower poppost-punk revival |
| 27 | Blood | OSI | Progressive metal |
| 28 | Self-Titled Album | The Audition | Pop-punk |
| 28 | Growing Up Is Getting Old | Jason Michael Carroll | Country |
| 28 | Brother's Blood | Kevin Devine | Indie rockalternative rock |
| 28 | Together Through Life | Bob Dylan | Folk rockblues rock |
| 28 | Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella! | Ben Folds | A capella |
| 28 | Halestorm | Halestorm | Hard rockpost-grunge |
| 28 | The Devil You Know | Heaven & Hell | Heavy metal |
| 28 | The Voice | Mike Jones | Hip hop |
| 28 | Coaster | NOFX | Punk rockpop punkskate punkjazz punk |
| 28 | Help | Osees | Alternative rockgarage rocknoise rockpsychedelic rock |
| 28 | Sickology 101 | Tech N9ne | Hip hop |
| 28 | Wooden Arms | Patrick Watson | Dream poppsychedelic folk |

### May

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 1 | Attics to Eden | Madina Lake | Alternative rockpost-hardcore |
| 4 | Entertainment | Fischerspooner | Electropopindie pop |
| 5 | Reach for the Sun | The Dangerous Summer | Alternative rockemo |
| 5 | Cause I Sez So | New York Dolls | Rockgarage rock |
| 5 | Fight for Love | Elliott Yamin | PopR&B |
| 12 | Sewn Together | Meat Puppets | Psychedelic rockalternative rock |
| 15 | Relapse | Eminem | Horrorcorehip hop |
| 15 | 21st Century Breakdown | Green Day | Punk rockpop-punkarena rockpower popalternative rock |
| 15 | Manners | Passion Pit | Electropopsynth-popalternative rock |
| 19 | Back on My B.S. | Busta Rhymes | Hip hop |
| 19 | So Glad I'm Me | LaKisha Jones | R&Bsoulinspirational |
| 19 | City of Black & White | Mat Kearney | RockPopacoustic |
| 19 | Blackout! 2 | Method Man & Redman | Hip hop |
| 19 | Love Is | Ruben Studdard | R&B |
| 19 | It's Frightening | White Rabbits | Indie rockalternative rockpost-punk |
| 20 | The High End of Low | Marilyn Manson | Glam rockhard rockindustrial rock |
| 20 | About Time (EP) | Straylight Run | Indie rock |
| 26 | Crash Kings | Crash Kings | Alternative rockrockhard rock |
| 26 | Veckatimest | Grizzly Bear | Indie popindie rock |
| 26 | Amanda Leigh | Mandy Moore | Countryfolkpop |

### June

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 2 | Uplifter | 311 | Alternative rockreggae rock |
| 2 | Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King | Dave Matthews Band | Alternative rock |
| 2 | Hombre Lobo | Eels | Rockindie rock |
| 2 | Let the Dominoes Fall | Rancid | Punk rockska punk |
| 2 | New Again | Taking Back Sunday | Alternative rockemopop-punkpost-hardcore |
| 3 | The E.N.D. | Black Eyed Peas | EDMpophip hop |
| 9 | The People or the Gun | Anti-Flag | Punk rockhard rock |
| 9 | Restless Days | The Clarks | Rockalternative rock |
| 9 | The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion | Dredg | Alternative rockprogressive rock |
| 9 | A Little Faster | There for Tomorrow | Alternative rockemopop-punk |
| 15 | Spinnerette | Spinnerette | Alternative rockrockindie rock |
| 16 | Monuments and Melodies | Incubus | Alternative rock |
| 16 | Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do | Major Lazer | EDMreggaedancehallfunk |
| 16 | 127 Rose Avenue | Hank Williams Jr. | Southern rock |
| 22 | Fits | White Denim | Psychedelic rockgarage rockindie rock |
| 23 | Varshons | The Lemonheads | Alternative rock |
| 23 | Octaheadron | The Mars Volta | Progressive rockexperimental rock |
| 23 | Far | Regina Spektor | Indie popindie rock |
| 30 | American Saturday Night | Brad Paisley | Country |
| 30 | Cradlesong | Rob Thomas | Pop rockrock |

### July

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 7 | Nothing Personal | All Time Low | Pop-punkpop rockalternative rock |
| 7 | Up from Below | Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros | Indie folkindie popneo-psychedeliaindie rock |
| 7 | Leaving Wonderland... in a Fit of Rage | Marcy Playground | Alternative rock |
| 7 | BLACKsummers'night | Maxwell | SoulR&Bneo soulfunk |
| 7 | Civilized | Stellastarr | Indie rockpost-punk |
| 14 | Strange Cousins from the West | Clutch | Rockhard rock |
| 14 | The Dandy Warhols Are Sound | The Dandy Warhols | Indie popnew wave |
| 14 | Leave This Town | Daughtry | Post-grunge |
| 14 | Horehound | The Dead Weather | Blues rockgarage rockalternative rock |
| 14 | Ocean Eyes | Owl City | Synth-popelectropopindie poppop rock |
| 21 | Explains It All | Four Year Strong | Pop-punkmelodic hardcore |
| 21 | Sleepwalking | Memphis May Fire | MetalcoreSouthern rock |
| 21 | The Satanic Satanist | Portugal. The Man | Psychedelic rock |
| 21 | Battlefield | Jordin Sparks | PopR&B |

### August

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 4 | I Love You | Amanda Blank | Hip-hopdirty rapelectropop |
| 4 | Gloriana | Gloriana | Country |
| 4 | Watch Me Fall | Jay Reatard | Garage rockpunk rock |
| 4 | No One's First, and You're Next (EP) | Modest Mouse | Indie rockindie folk |
| 4 | Infomaniac | Nightmare of You | Indie rock |
| 4 | Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper | Julian Plenti | Art rockalternative rockindie rock |
| 4 | ...To the Beat of a Dead Horse | Touché Amoré | Melodic hardcorepost-hardcore |
| 5 | Armistice | Mutemath | Alternative rockpost-rock |
| 9 | Beggars | Thrice | Alternative rockpost-hardcore |
| 11 | Hot Mess | Cobra Starship | Dance-poppop rock |
| 11 | Justin Moore | Justin Moore | Country |
| 11 | Twang | George Strait | Country |
| 18 | You Can't Take It with You | As Tall as Lions | Indie rockalternative rock |
| 18 | Hello Fascination | Breathe Carolina | Electropopalternative rockpost-hardcore |
| 18 | Keep on Loving You | Reba McEntire | Country |
| 18 | Ursa Major | Third Eye Blind | Rockalternative rock |
| 19 | Breakthrough | Colbie Caillat | Poppop rock |
| 25 | Collective Soul (Rabbit) | Collective Soul | Alternative rockrock |
| 25 | World Wide Open | Love and Theft | Country |
| 25 | Light | Matisyahu | Reggae rockalternative rock |
| 25 | The Outsiders | Needtobreathe | Alternative rockChristian rockSouthern rock |
| 25 | Awake | Skillet | Alternative metalChristian rockhard rock |
| 25 | Into the Light | Phil Stacey | CCMgospel |
| 28 | Bomb in a Birdcage | A Fine Frenzy | Indie pop |
| 31 | Before the Frost...Until the Freeze | The Black Crowes | Southern rockrock |
| 31 | Sci-Fi Crimes | Chevelle | Alternative metalrockhard rock |
| 31 | Artwork | The Used | Alternative rockemopost-hardcore |

### September

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 1 | The Man I Want to Be | Chris Young | Country |
| 8 | Love Drunk | Boys Like Girls | Pop rockpop-punk |
| 8 | The Blueprint 3 | Jay-Z | Hip hop |
| 8 | The Visitor | Jim O'Rourke | Folkorchestral popprogressive rock |
| 8 | In Search of Solid Ground | Saosin | Post-hardcoreemoalternative rock |
| 9 | High Times (EP) | Washed Out | Chillwave |
| 15 | The Chair in the Doorway | Living Colour | Funk metalexperimental rockalternative metalpop metal |
| 15 | Let's Be Friends | The Lovemakers | Electropopalternative rock |
| 16 | Life of Leisure (EP) | Washed Out | Chillwavesynth-popindie pop |
| 20 | Backspacer | Pearl Jam | Alternative rockrockhard rock |
| 22 | Daisy | Brand New | Alternative rockpost-hardcoreemo |
| 22 | Album | Girls | Indie rockindie popsurf rock |
| 22 | Break Through the Silence | Monty Are I | Alternative rock |
| 22 | White Water, White Bloom | Sea Wolf | Indie rockindie folkalternative rock |
| 22 | Up and Down (EP) | She Wants Revenge | Dark wave |
| 28 | Year in the Kingdom | J. Tillman | Folkfolk rock |
| 29 | Crash Love | AFI | Alternative rockpunk rockrock |
| 29 | Black Gives Way to Blue | Alice in Chains | Heavy metalsludge metalgrunge |
| 29 | Dear Agony | Breaking Benjamin | Rockhard rockalternative metal |
| 29 | Skaboy JFK | Cherry Poppin' Daddies | Skaska punk |
| 29 | Revolution | Miranda Lambert | Country |
| 29 | Brand New Eyes | Paramore | Alternative rockpop-punkemo popemo |
| 29 | The G Files | Warren G | West Coast hip hop |

### October

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 6 | Witness | Blessthefall | Metalcorepost-hardcorealternative rock |
| 6 | Doin' My Thing | Luke Bryan | Country |
| 6 | In the Unlikely Event | The Fall of Troy | Post-hardcoreprogressive rock |
| 6 | American Ride | Toby Keith | Country |
| 6 | Sonic Boom | Kiss | Hard rockheavy metal |
| 6 | Heartbreak on Vinyl | Blake Lewis | Electropopdance-pop |
| 6 | Anywhere but Here | Mayday Parade | Alternative rockemopop-punk |
| 6 | Forget and Not Slow Down | Relient K | Alternative rockpop-punk |
| 13 | Christmas from the Heart | David Archuleta | Christmaspop |
| 13 | Beast Rest Forth Mouth | Bear in Heaven | Indie rockindie popexperimental rock |
| 13 | Sorry for Partyin' | Bowling for Soup | Pop-punkpunk rock |
| 13 | Out of Ashes | Dead by Sunrise | Alternative rockalternative metal |
| 13 | Christmas in the Heart | Bob Dylan | Christmas |
| 13 | Embryonic | The Flaming Lips | Experimental rock |
| 13 | Psychic Chasms | Neon Indian | Electropopchillwaveindie pop |
| 13 | On Your Side | A Rocket to the Moon | Pop rockpop-punk |
| 13 | Gold and Green | Sugarland | Christmascountry |
| 13 | Love Like This | The Summer Set | Pop-punkemopop rock |
| 20 | Cycles | Cartel | Alternative rockpop rockpop-punk |
| 20 | Southern Voice | Tim McGraw | Country |
| 23 | Lovesick Electric | Hot Chelle Rae | Pop rockdance-rockpop-punk |
| 26 | You Gotta Believe (EP) | The Rocket Summer | Alternative rock |
| 27 | Congregation of the Damned | Atreyu | Metalcorehard rockpost-hardcore |
| 27 | Full Circle | Creed | Post-grungealternative metalhard rock |
| 27 | Diamonds & Studs | Morningwood | Alternative rockdance-rockpop rock |
| 30 | Raditude | Weezer | Alternative rockpop rockpower pop |

### November

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 2 | Phrazes for the Young | Julian Casablancas | Alternative rocknew wavealternative dance |
| 3 | Monster Monster | The Almost | Pop-punkalternative rockemo |
| 3 | Picture Perfect | Every Avenue | Pop-punkpop rockalternative rock |
| 3 | Oh Blue Christmas (EP) | A Fine Frenzy | Christmaspop rock |
| 3 | Greatest Hits | Foo Fighters | Alternative rockrock |
| 3 | Say Anything | Say Anything | Alternative rockpop-punkemo |
| 3 | Play On | Carrie Underwood | Country pop |
| 10 | Alter the Ending | Dashboard Confessional | Alternative rockemo |
| 10 | Memento Mori | Flyleaf | Alternative metalalternative rockhard rock |
| 10 | Hello Hurricane | Switchfoot | Alternative rockrock |
| 10 | Christmas Like This | Ayiesha Woods | Christmascontemporary Christian |
| 13 | Them Crooked Vultures | Them Crooked Vultures | Rockhard rockalternative rock |
| 17 | Believers Never Die – Greatest Hits | Fall Out Boy | Alternative rockpop-punkemo |
| 17 | Kris Allen | Kris Allen | Pop rockalternative rock |
| 23 | For Your Entertainment | Adam Lambert | Poppop rockdance-pop |
| 23 | Unexpected | Angie Stone | R&Bdance-pop |

### December

| Date | Album | Artist | Genre(s) |
| 1 | Stir the Blood | The Bravery | Alternative rockpost-punk |
| 1 | Just like You | Allison Iraheta | Pop rockteen pop |
| 7 | The Circles (EP) | As Tall as Lions | Indie rock |
| 8 | Graffiti | Chris Brown | R&B |
| 8 | Pin Points and Gin Joints | The Mighty Mighty Bosstones | Ska punk |
| 8 | Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate | Puddle of Mudd | Post-grungealternative rockrock |
| 8 | This Is War | Thirty Seconds to Mars | Alternative rockprogressive rockexperimental rockindie rock |
| 8 | Smile Kid | We the Kings | Pop-punkpop rock |
| 11 | The Element of Freedom | Alicia Keys | R&Bpopsoul |
| 22 | Christmas EP | The Fray | Christmasacoustic folk |
| 29 | Twenty One Pilots | Twenty One Pilots | Emoalternative hip hopsoft rockindie popchamber pop |

## Best-selling albums in the U.S.

The best-selling records in 2009 in the US according to Nielsen Soundscan:
| Position | Album Title | Artist |
| 1 | Fearless | Taylor Swift |
| 2 | I Dreamed a Dream | Susan Boyle |
| 3 | Number Ones | Michael Jackson |
| 4 | The Fame | Lady Gaga |
| 5 | My Christmas | Andrea Bocelli |
| 6 | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Hannah Montana |
| 7 | The E.N.D. | The Black Eyed Peas |
| 8 | Relapse | Eminem |
| 9 | The Blueprint 3 | Jay-Z |
| 10 | Only by the Night | Kings of Leon |

## Top songs on record
### Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs

* "3" – Britney Spears (1 week)
* "Boom Boom Pow" – The Black Eyed Peas (12 weeks)
* "Crack a Bottle" – Eminem featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent (1 week)
* "Down" – Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne (2 weeks)
* "Empire State of Mind" – Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys (5 weeks)
* "Fireflies" – Owl City (2 weeks)
* "I Gotta Feeling" – The Black Eyed Peas (14 weeks)
* "Just Dance" – Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis (3 weeks)
* "My Life Would Suck Without You" – Kelly Clarkson (2 weeks)
* "Poker Face" – Lady Gaga (1 week)
* "Right Round" – Flo Rida featuring Ke$ha (6 weeks)
* "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Beyoncé (2 weeks in 2008, 2 weeks in 2009)
* "Whatcha Say" – Jason Derülo (1 week)

### Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 Hits

* "Already Gone" – Kelly Clarkson (#13)
* "Bad Romance" – Lady Gaga (#2)
* "Battlefield" – Jordin Sparks (#10)
* "Be on You" – Flo Rida featuring Ne-Yo (#19)
* "Beautiful" – Akon featuring Kardinal Offishall and Colby O'Donis (#19)
* "Beautiful" – Eminem (#17)
* "BedRock" – Young Money featuring Lloyd (#2)
* "Best I Ever Had" – Drake (#2)
* "Big Green Tractor" – Jason Aldean (#18)
* "Birthday Sex" – Jeremih (#4)
* "Blame It" – Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain (#2)
* "Break Up" – Mario featuring Gucci Mane and Sean Garrett (#14)
* "Chicken Fried" – Zac Brown Band (#20)
* "Circus" – Britney Spears (#9 in 2009, #3 in 2008)
* "The Climb" – Miley Cyrus (#4)
* "Cowboy Casanova" – Carrie Underwood (#11)
* "Crazier" – Taylor Swift (#17)
* "Day 'n' Nite" – Kid Cudi (#3)
* "Dead and Gone" – T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake (#2)
* "Disturbia" – Rihanna (#19 in 2009, #1 in 2008)
* "Diva" – Beyoncé (#19)
* "Do You Remember" – Jay Sean featuring Sean Paul and Lil Jon (#10)
* "Don't Stop Believin'" – Glee Cast (#4)
* "Don't Trust Me" – 3OH!3 (#7)
* "Every Girl" – Young Money (#10)
* "Fallin' for You" – Colbie Caillat (#12)
* "Fire Burning" – Sean Kingston (#5)
* "Forever" – Drake featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem (#8)
* "Gives You Hell" – The All-American Rejects (#4)
* "Good Girls Go Bad" – Cobra Starship featuring Leighton Meester (#7)
* "Goodbye" – Kristinia DeBarge (#15)
* "Gotta Be Somebody" – Nickelback (#16 in 2009, #10 in 2008)
* "Halo" – Beyoncé (#5)
* "Hard" – Rihanna featuring Jeezy (#8)
* "He Could Be the One" – Hannah Montana (#10)
* "Heartless" – Kanye West (#2)
* "Heartless" – Kris Allen (#16)
* "Here Comes Goodbye" – Rascal Flatts (#11)
* "Here We Go Again" – Demi Lovato (#15)
* "Hoedown Throwdown" – Miley Cyrus (#18)
* "Hot n Cold" – Katy Perry (#6 in 2009, #3 in 2008)
* "Hotel Room Service" – Pitbull (#8)
* "How Low" – Ludacris (#13)
* "I Can Transform Ya" – Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz (#20)
* "I Do Not Hook Up" – Kelly Clarkson (#20)
* "I Hate This Part" – The Pussycat Dolls (#11)
* "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" – Pitbull (#2)
* "I Love College" – Asher Roth (#12)
* "I Told You So" – Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis (#9)
* "If I Were a Boy" – Beyoncé (#10 in 2009, #3 in 2008)
* "If Today Was Your Last Day" – Nickelback (#19)
* "If U Seek Amy" – Britney Spears (#19)
* "I'm Yours" – Jason Mraz (#6)
* "Jump Then Fall" – Taylor Swift (#10)
* "Kiss a Girl" – Keith Urban (#16)
* "Kiss Me thru the Phone" – Soulja Boy Tell 'Em featuring Sammie (#3)
* "Knock You Down" – Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo (#3)
* "Let It Rock" – Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil Wayne (#5)
* "Live Like We're Dying" – Kris Allen (#18)
* "Live Your Life" – T.I. featuring Rihanna (#2 in 2009, #1 in 2008)
* "Love Lockdown" – Kanye West (#8 in 2009, #3 in 2008)
* "Love Sex Magic" – Ciara featuring Justin Timberlake (#10)
* "Love Story" – Taylor Swift (#4)
* "LoveGame" – Lady Gaga (#5)
* "Mad" – Ne-Yo (#11)
* "Mad World" – Adam Lambert (#19)
* "Meet Me Halfway" – The Black Eyed Peas (#7)
* "Miss Independent" – Ne-Yo (#14 in 2009, #7 in 2008)
* "Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum (#5 in 2009, #2 in 2010)
* "New Divide" – Linkin Park (#6)
* "No Boundaries" – Kris Allen (#11)
* "No Surprise" – Daughtry (#15)
* "Obsessed" – Mariah Carey (#7)
* "One Less Lonely Girl" – Justin Bieber (#16)
* "One Time" – Justin Bieber (#17)
* "Out Last Night" – Kenny Chesney (#16)
* "Paparazzi" – Lady Gaga (#6)
* "Party in the U.S.A." – Miley Cyrus (#2)
* "Please Don't Leave Me" – Pink (#17)
* "Prom Queen" – Lil Wayne (#15)
* "Rehab" – Rihanna (#18)
* "Replay" – Iyaz (#2)
* "Resistance" – Muse (#24)
* "Right Now (Na Na Na)" – Akon (#8)
* "Run This Town" – Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and Kanye West (#2)
* "Russian Roulette" – Rihanna (#9)
* "Say Hey (I Love You)" – Michael Franti & Spearhead featuring Cherine Anderson (#18)
* "Second Chance" – Shinedown (#7)
* "Send It On" – Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez (#20)
* "Sexy Chick" – David Guetta feat. Akon (#12)
* "She Wolf" – Shakira (#11)
* "So What" – Pink (#14 in 2009, #1 in 2008)
* "Sober" – Pink (#15)
* "Sugar" – Flo Rida featuring Wynter (#5)
* "Sweet Dreams" – Beyoncé (#10)
* "Throw It in the Bag" – Fabolous featuring The-Dream (#14)
* "Tik Tok – Ke$ha (#1)
* "Turn My Swag On" – Soulja Boy Tell 'Em (#19)
* "Turnin Me On" – Keri Hilson featuring Lil Wayne (#15)
* "Untouchable" – Taylor Swift (#19)
* "Untouched" – The Veronicas (#17)
* "Use Somebody"- Kings of Leon (#4)
* "Waking Up in Vegas" – Katy Perry (#9)
* "We Made You" – Eminem (#9)
* "Whataya Want from Me" – Adam Lambert (#10)
* "Whatever You Like" – T.I. (#9 in 2009, #1 in 2008)
* "Who Says" – John Mayer (#17)
* "Womanizer" – Britney Spears (#5 in 2009, #1 in 2008)
* "You Belong with Me" – Taylor Swift (#2)
* "You Found Me" – The Fray (#7)
Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2009

## Deaths

* January 6 – Ron Asheton, 60, guitarist (heart attack)
* January 28 – Billy Powell, 56, keyboardist (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
* February 1 – Lukas Foss, 86, pianist, conductor and composer
* February 2 – Sunny Skylar, 95, songwriter
* February 3 – Tom Brumley, 73, steel guitarist (The Buckaroos)
* February 4 – Lux Interior, 62, singer (The Cramps)
* February 7 – Blossom Dearie, 82, jazz singer and pianist
* February 11 – Estelle Bennett, 67, singer (The Ronettes)
* February 12
** Coleman Mellett, 34, guitarist
** Gerry Niewood, 65, jazz saxophonist
* February 14
** Louie Bellson, 84, jazz drummer
** John McGlinn, 55, conductor and historian of musicals
* February 18 – Snooks Eaglin, 72, guitarist and singer
* February 24 – Pearl Lang, 87, dancer and choreographer
* February 25 – Randall Bewley, 53, guitarist (Pylon)
* March 2 – Ernie Ashworth, 80, country singer
* March 3 – Sydney Earle Chaplin, 82, actor and singer
* March 4 – John Cephas, 78, Piedmont blues guitarist
* March 7 – Jimmy Boyd, 70, singer
* March 18 – Kent Henry, 60, blues/rock guitarist
* March 24 – Uriel Jones, 74, Motown Funk Brothers session drummer
* March 25 – "England" Dan Seals, 61, singer-songwriter (mantle cell lymphoma)
* April 9 – Randy Cain, 63, singer, (The Delfonics)
* April 13 – Ron Stallings, saxophonist (Huey Lewis and the News)
* May 6 – Ean Evans, 48, bass guitarist
* May 15 – Wayman Tisdale, 44, NBA basketball player and smooth jazz bass guitarist
* May 18
** Wayne Allwine, 62, voice artist (Mickey Mouse)
** Roderick "Dolla" Burton II, 21, rapper
* May 24 – Jay Bennett, 45, multi-instrumentalist (Wilco)
* June 3 – Koko Taylor, 80, blues singer
* June 7 – Kenny Rankin, 69, pop and jazz musician
* June 14 – Bob Bogle, 75, guitarist (The Ventures)
* June 25
** Michael Jackson, 50, entertainer
** Farrah Fawcett, 62, actress
** Sky Saxon, 63, rock singer and bass guitarist (The Seeds)
* June 27 – Fayette Pinkney, 61, singer (The Three Degrees)
* June 30 – Harve Presnell, 75, singer and actor
* July 4
** Jim Chapin, drummer, 89
** Allen Klein, 77, record label executive
** Drake Levin, 62, guitarist (Paul Revere & the Raiders)
* July 8 – Midnight, 47, singer-songwriter (Crimson Glory)
* July 27 – George Russell, 86, composer
* July 31 – Titus "Baatin" Glover, 61, singer (Slum Village)
* August 6 – Willy DeVille, 58, musician
* August 12 – Rashied Ali, 74, drummer
* August 13 – Les Paul, 94, jazz guitarist and inventor of solid-body electric guitar and multi-track recording
* August 14 – Gates Nichols, 65, steel guitarist (Confederate Railroad)
* August 28 – DJ AM, 36, turntabalist and celebrity disc jockey (Crazy Town)
* September 1 – Erich Kunzel, 74, conductor
* September 11 – Jim Carroll, 60, writer and punk singer (Jim Carroll Band)
* September 16 – Mary Travers, 72, folk singer (Peter, Paul and Mary)
* September 17 – Leon Kirchner, 90, composer
* September 19 – Roc Raida, 37, turntablist (The X-Ecutioners)
* October 7 – Steve Ferguson, 60, rock guitarist (NRBQ)
* October 13 – Al Martino, 82, singer
* October 17 – Vic Mizzy, 93, composer
* November 8 – Jerry Fuchs, 34, drummer (!!!, Maserati)
* December 20 – James Gurley, 69, musician (Big Brother and the Holding Company)
* December 25 – Vic Chesnutt, 45, musician
* December 28 – James "The Rev" Sullivan, 28, drummer (Avenged Sevenfold)