- Jan 1 Juliusz Luciuk, composer
- Jan 10 Gisele MacKenzie [LaFlèche], Canadian singer and actress (Your Hit Parade), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba (d. 2003)
- Jan 10 Johnnie Ray, American pop singer (Cry), born in Dallas, Oregon (d. 1990)
- Jan 11 Wilton "Bogey" Gaynair, saxophonist
- Jan 12 Salvatore Martirano, American composer, born in Yonkers, New York (d. 1995)
- Jan 14 Zuzana Ruzickova, Czech harpsichordist & WWII survivor, born in Bohemia, Czech Republic (d. 2017)
- Jan 15 Francis Routh, British composer, born in Worcestershire, England
- Jan 17 Donald Erb, American composer known for large orchestral works, born in Youngstown, Ohio (d. 2008)
- Jan 17 Eartha Kitt, American singer (Santa Baby), dancer, comedian, actress and activist (Catwoman-Batman), born in North, South Carolina (d. 2008)
- Jan 25 Antônio Carlos Jobim [Tom Jobim], Brazilian singer-songwriter & composer (Getz/Gilberto), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (d. 1994)
- Jan 28 Ronnie Scott, jazz musician/club-owner
- Feb 2 Richard Vance Maxfield, composer
- Feb 2 Stan Getz [Stanley Gayetski], American jazz tenor saxophonist (Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1991)
- Feb 3 Val Doonican [Michael Valentine], Irish singer and entertainer, born in Waterford (d. 2015)
- Feb 7 John Buller, British composer, born in London (d. 2004)
- Feb 7 Juliette Gréco, French singer (Sous le ciel de Paris) and actress, born in Montpellier, France (d. 2020) [1]
- Feb 8 Zdenek Zouhar, composer
Leontyne Price
Feb 10 Leontyne Price, American opera soprano (Porgy & Bess), born in Laurel, Mississippi
Leontyne Price
- Feb 15 Gottfrid Grasbeck, composer
- Feb 21 Pierre Mercure, Canadian composer (Kaléidoscope), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1966)
- Feb 22 David Ahlstrom, American composer, born in Lancaster, New York (d. 1992)
- Feb 22 Guy Mitchell [Albert George Cernik], American singer and actor (Red Garters, 3 Redheads from Seattle), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1999)
- Feb 23 Ivan Hrušovský, Slovak composer and educator (Rytmus), born in Bratislava, Slovakia (d. 2001)
- Feb 25 Jacques Monod, composer
- Feb 25 Ralph Stanley, American bluegrass musician, born in Dickenson County, Virginia (d. 2016)
- Feb 26 Donald Gramm, bass-baritone, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Mar 1 Harry Belafonte, Jamaican-American calypso singer, actor and activist (Banana Boat Song; Buck & the Preacher), born in Harlem, New York
- Mar 1 Lusine Amara, opera/concert singer
- Mar 2 Siegfried Kohler, German composer (Tausend Sterne sind ein Dom), born in Meissen, Germany (d. 1984)
- Mar 2 Witold Szalonek, Polish composer, born in Czechowice-Dziedzice, Poland (d. 2001)
- Mar 4 Robert DiDomenica, American flautist, composer and educator, born in NYC, New York (d. 2013)
- Mar 5 John "Jack" Cassidy, American singer and actor (Oscar-He & She, The Eiger Sanction), born in Richmond Hill, Virginia (d. 1976)
- Mar 6 Norman Treigle, bass-baritone, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Mar 8 Jaromir Podesva, composer
- Mar 8 Josef Berg, Czech composer (d. 1971)
- Mar 9 Hans Ludwig Schilling, German composer, born in Mayen, Germany (d. 2012)
- Mar 9 John Beckwith, Canadian composer, born in Victoria, British Columbia
- Mar 10 Donn Trenner, orchestra leader (ABC's Nightlife), born in New Haven, Connecticut
- Mar 15 Carl Smith, American country singer (Grand Ole Opry), born in Maynardville, Tennessee
- Mar 16 Olga San Juan, American actress, dancer and comedian (Variety Girl, 1 Touch of Venus), born in NYC, New York (d. 2009)
- Mar 17 Kenneth S Goldstein, folklorist/enthomusicologist
- Mar 17 Sulkhan Ivanovich Nasidze, composer
- Mar 18 John Kander, composer (Cabaret, Funny Lady, Kramer vs Kramer), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- Mar 20 John Joubert, British South African composer (Chamber Music for brass quintet), born in Cape Town, South Africa (d. 2019)
- Mar 23 Osvaldo Lacerda, composer
- Mar 24 János Decsényi, Hungarian composer (Farewell to a Vanished Century), born in Budapest, Hungary
- Mar 27 Mstislav Leopold Rostropovich, Soviet-Russian cellist and conductor, born in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR (d. 2007)
- Mar 31 Dave Hassinger, American recording engineer and record producer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2007)
- Apr 1 Amos Milburn, R&B singer and pianist, born in Houston, Texas (d. 1980)
- Apr 6 Gerry Mulligan, American saxophonist and orchestra leader (Jazz on a Summer Day), born in Queens, New York (d. 1996)
- Apr 7 Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian percussionist (Drums of Passion), born in Ajido, Lagos (d. 2003)
- Apr 8 Oliver "Ollie" Mitchell, American musician and bandleader (The Wrecking Crew), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2013)
- Apr 11 Domenico Guaccero, Italian composer, born in Palo de Colle, Italy (d. 1984)
- Apr 16 Edie Adams [Edith Enke], American businesswoman, singer, actress and comedian (Murial Cigar), born in Kingston, Pennsylvania (d. 2008)
- Apr 17 Christopher Whelen, British composer and conductor, born in London, England (d. 1993)
- Apr 19 Don Barbour, American singer (The Four Freshmen), born in Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana (d. 1961)
- Apr 22 Pascal Bentoiu, Romanian composer, born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2016)
- Apr 22 Laurel Aitken, Jamaican singer and one of the pioneers of Jamaican ska music, born in Cuba (d. 2005)
- Apr 23 Russell Smith, American composer, born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (d. 1998)
- Apr 25 Ernst Widmer, Swiss-Brazilian composer, born in Aarau, Switzerland (d. 1990)
- Apr 27 Connie Kay, American jazz drummer (Modern Jazz Quartet), born in Tuckahoe, New York (d. 1994)
- Apr 29 Big Jay [Cecil James] McNeely, American R&B saxophonist, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2018)
- May 1 Billy Byers, American jazz trombonist and arranger, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1996)
- May 5 Charles Rosen, American pianist and musicologist (Sonata Forms), born in NYC, New York (d. 2012)
- May 20 David Frederick Barlow, composer
- May 20 Walter Aschaffenburg, German-American composer, born in Essen, Germany (d. 2005)
- May 28 Bernhard Lewkovitch, Danish organist and composer, born in Copenhagen
- May 31 Red Holloway [James], Helena, Arkansas, jazz tenor saxophonist, (d. 2012)
- Jun 2 Andre Vandernoot, Flemish conductor (Royal Flemish Opera)
- Jun 3 [Homer] Boots Randolph, American saxophonist (Yakety Sax), born in Paducah, Kentucky (d. 2007)
- Jun 9 Franco Donatoni, Italian composer, born in Verona, Italy (d. 2000)
- Jun 11 Beryl Grey, English prima ballerina, born in Highgate, London
- Jun 11 Josef Anton Reidl, German composer, born in Munich, Germany (d. 2016)
- Jun 13 Knut Wiggen, Norwegian computer music pioneer and composer, born in Buvika (d. 2016)
- Jun 13 Slim Dusty [David Kirkpatrick], Australian country music singer-songwriter, born in Kempsey, New South Wales (d. 2003)
- Jun 17 Martin Böttcher, German composer and conductor, born in Berlin (d. 2019)
- Jun 18 Simeon Pironkov, Bulgarian composer, born in Lom, Bulgaria (d. 2000)
- Jun 19 Karel Kupka, Czech composer, born in Rychvald
- Jun 20 John M Dengler, American jazz multi-instrumentalist - bass sax/trumpet/trombone (The Intensely Vigorous Jazz Band), born in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania [1]
- Jul 1 Hans Eklund, Swedish composer, born in Sandviken (d. 1999)
- Jul 2 Brock Peters [George Fisher], American actor and singer (Carmen Jones, To Kill a Mockingbird), born in NYC, New York (d. 2005)
- Jul 5 Beverly Tyler, American singer and actress (Fireball, The Youngest Profession, Big Town), born in Scranton, Pennsylvania (d. 2005)
- Jul 6 Charles Whittenberg, American composer, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1984)
- Jul 6 Nilo Soruco, Bolivian singer and songwriter, born in Tarija, Bolivia (d. 2004)
- Jul 7 Charlie Louvin, Rainsville Ala, country singer (Louvin Brothers)
- Jul 7 Doc Severinson [Carl], bandleader/trumpeter on the Tonight Show, born in Arlington, Oregon
- Jul 9 Ed Ames [Edmund Dantes Urick], American popular singer and actor (Ames Brothers, My Cup Runneth Over), born in Malden, Massachusetts
- Jul 11 Herbert Blomstedt, American conductor (Dresdner Staatskapelle, 1975-85; San Francisco Symphony 1985-95), born in Springfield, Massachusetts
- Jul 12 Pavle Merku, Italian-Slovene composer and ethnomusicologist, born in Trieste (d. 2014)
- Jul 18 Carlo Franci, Italian composer and conductor, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 2019)
- Jul 18 Kurt Masur, German conductor (New York Philharmonic), born in Breig (d. 2015)
- Jul 20 Michael Gielen, Austrian conductor/composer
- Jul 24 Wilfred Josephs, English composer, born in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne (d. 1997)
- Jul 27 Guy Carawan, American folk singer and folklorist (popularized "We Shall Overcome"), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2015)
- Jul 31 Ștefan Niculescu, Romanian composer, born in Moreni, Dâmbovita (d. 2008)
- Aug 4 Jess Thomas, American tenor known for his singing in Richard Wagner operas, born in Hot Springs, South Dakota (d. 1993)
- Aug 5 Gunnar Bucht, Swedish composer, born in Stocksund, Sweden
- Aug 11 Raymond Leppard, conductor (St Louis Symphony Orchestra), born in London, England
- Aug 12 Porter Wagoner, country singer, discovered Dolly Parton (Y'All Come), (d. 2007)
- Aug 16 Dennis Moss, British jazz tenor saxophonist, born in Surrey, England (d. 2008)
- Aug 21 Wilhelm Killmayer, German composer, born in Munich, Germany (d. 2017)
- Aug 22 Aleksandar Obradovic, Serbian composer, born in Bled, Slovenia (d. 2001)
- Aug 23 Martial Solal, French jazz pianist and composer, born in Algiers, French Algeria
- Aug 24 Roger Danneels, Flemish accordionist, born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 1982)
- Aug 29 Marion Williams, American gospel singer (Stars of Faith), born in Miami, Florida (d. 1994)
- Aug 30 Piet Kee, Dutch organist and composer, born in Zaandam, Netherlands (d. 2018)
- Sep 1 Tommy Evans, R&B singer (Drifters)
- Sep 2 Tzvi Avni, Israeli classical composer (Meditations On A Drama), born in Saarbrücken, Germany
- Sep 6 Keith Humble, Australian composer, born in Geelong, Australia (d. 1995)
- Sep 7 Graham Dudley Whettam, British composer, born in Swinden, Wiltshire (d. 2007)
- Sep 8 Harlan Howard, American country music songwriter ("I Fall To Pieces"; "Busted"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2002)
- Sep 9 Elvin Jones, American jazz drummer (Coltrane's "A Love Supreme"), born in Pontiac, Michigan (d. 2004)
- Sep 20 John Dankworth, English jazz musician and composer, born in Woodford, Essex, England (d. 2010)
- Sep 24 Richard Swift, American singer and songwriter (The Black Keys), born in California (d. 2018)
- Sep 25 Colin Davis, English conductor (NY Met 1967-71), born in Weybridge, Surrey (d. 2013)
- Sep 27 Boris Porena, Italian composer, poet, and writer, born in Rome
- Sep 27 Red Rodney [Robert Chudnick], American jazz trumpeter (Charlie Parker Quintet), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1994)
- Sep 27 "Earring" George Mayweather, American blues Harmonica Player, born in Montgomery, Alabama (d. 1995)
- Sep 30 Hossein Dehlavi, Persian composer, conductor and teacher (Sarbaz; Plectrum Orchestra), born in Tehran, Persia (d. 2019)
- Oct 5 John W. Downey, American classical composer (A Dolphin), born in Chicago (d. 2004)
- Oct 6 Paul Badura-Skoda, Austrian pianist (Mozart Interpretation), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2019)
- Oct 7 Al Martino [Jasper Cini], American singer and actor (Here in My Heart, The Godfather), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2009)
- Oct 8 Al Duncan, American blues drummer, born in McKinney, Texas (d. 1995)
- Oct 8 Gigi Durston, American singer (Sonny Kendis Show), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Oct 10 Thomas Wilson, Scottish composer, born in Trinidad, Colorado (d. 2001)
- Oct 13 Lee Konitz, American jazz saxophonist (Birth of the Cool), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2020)
- Oct 21 Nadine Judd [Nadia Moore/Nerina], South African/British ballerina
- Oct 23 William "Sonny" Criss, American bebop jazz saxophonist (Jazz U.S.A.), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1977)
- Oct 24 Renato de Grandis, Italian composer, born in Venice, Italy (d. 2008)
- Oct 24 Gilbert Bécaud [François Gilbert Léopold Silly], French singer, pianist, composer and actor (Nathalie) known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances, born in Toulon, France (d. 2001)
- Oct 25 Barbara Cook, American stage singer and actress (Music Man), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2017)
- Oct 27 Dominick Argento, American composer (Colonel Jonathan the Saint), born in York, Pennsylvania (d. 2019)
- Oct 27 Bernard Parmegiani, French composer (L'Oeil écoute - The Eye Listens), born in Paris (d. 2013)
- Oct 28 Dame Cleo Laine, British actress and jazz-pop singer (Flesh to a Tiger), born in Middlesex, England
- Oct 31 Anita Kerr, American singer composer and producer (The Anita Kerr Singers), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Nov 4 Vittorio Fellegara, Italian composer, born in Milan (d. 2011)
- Nov 7 Ivor Emmanuel, Welsh singer and actor (Zulu, Show Boat, Kiss Me, Kate), born in Margam, Wales (d. 2007)
Patti Page
Nov 8 Patti Page [Clara Ann Fowler], American singer (Tennessee Waltz), born in Claremore, Oklahoma (d. 2013)
Patti Page
- Nov 8 Ken Dodd, British singer and comedian described as "the last great music hall entertainer", born in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, England (d. 2018)
- Nov 8 Ivo Vinco, Italian operatic bass singer, born in Verona, Italy (d. 2014)
- Nov 11 Mose Allison, American jazz and blues piano player, singer, and composer ("Everybody's Cryin' Mercy"; "Your Mind Is on Vacation"), born in Tippo, Mississippi (d. 2016)
- Nov 14 Narciso Yepes, Lorca Spain, guitarist (Orquesta Nacionale 1947)
- Nov 18 Lawrence Moss, American composer, born in Los Angeles, California
- Nov 18 Hank Ballard [John Henry Kendricks], American rocker (The Midnighters - "The Twist" - pre-Chubber Checker), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2003)
- Nov 19 Joe Hunter, American pianist and bandleader of Motown's house band - The Funk Brothers (1959-64), born in Jackson, Tennessee (d. 2007)
- Nov 22 Grady "Fats" Jackson, tenor sax player
- Nov 24 Alfred Kraus, Las Palmas Canary Islands, tenor (La Scala)
- Nov 24 Emma Lou Diemer, composer
- Nov 25 Dick Wellstood, American jazz pianist, born in Greenwich, Connecticut (d. 1987)
- Dec 1 Grant Beglarian, composer
- Dec 3 Isabelle Harriet Lucas, Canadian-born British actress and singer (Outland, Comics), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 1997)
Andy Williams
Dec 3 Andy Williams, American singer (Moon River, Andy Williams Show), born in Wall Lake, Iowa (d. 2012)
Andy Williams
- Dec 6 Jacques Bondon, French composer, born in Boulbon, Bouches-du-Rhône, France (d. 2008)
- Dec 7 Vlastimir Peričić, Serbian composer, born in Vršac, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (d. 2000)
- Dec 7 Helen Watts, British contralto, born in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales (d. 2009)
- Dec 9 Pierre Henry, French composer (considered pioneer of musique concrète), born in Paris (d. 2017)
- Dec 14 Richard Cassilly, American tenor, born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1998)
- Dec 23 Joseph Castaldo, American composer, born in NYC, New York (d. 2000)
- Dec 24 Teresa Stich-Randall, American soprano (Vienna State Opera), born in New Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2007)
About 1927
How Old? 92 or 93 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation