- Oct 2 Francis Jackson, British organist and composer, born in Malton, Yorkshire, England
- Oct 2 William Marshall, American singer, bandleader and actor (State Fair, Pennsylvanians), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1994)
- Oct 4 Albert de Klerk, Dutch organist, composer, and conductor, born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 1998)
- Oct 8 Hans Poser, German composer, born in Tannenbergsthal (d. 1970)
- Oct 10 Thelonious Monk, American jazz pianist and composer (Straight, No Chaser; 'Round Midnight), born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (d. 1982)
- Oct 11 Franz Alphons Wolpert, German composer, born in Wiesentheid, Germany (d. 1978)
- Oct 21 John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, American jazz trumpeter, a creator of bebop & modern jazz (A Night In Tunisia), born in Cheraw, South Carolina (d. 1993)
- Oct 31 Erik Routley, English Congregational minister, composer and musicologist, born in England (d. 1982)
About October 1917
How Old? 103 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation
Leap Year: No