Musicians Born in 1927

Jan 28 Roy Caton, American trumpet player and session musician, born in Frackville, Pennsylvania (d. 2010)
Jan 30 Ahmed Abdul-Malik [Jonathan Tim, Jr.], American jazz double bassist and oud player (Odetta; Thelonius Monk), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1993)
Feb 2 Richard Vance Maxfield, composer
Feb 2 Stan Getz [Stanley Gayetski], American big band, bebop, cool jazz, and bossa nova tenor saxophonist (Woody Herman; Getz/Gilberto), 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 7 Laurence "Laurie" Johnson, British film and television score composer (Dr. Strangelove; The Avengers), born in Hampstead, England
Feb 8 Zdeněk Zouhar, Czech composer, and teacher, born in Kotvrdovice, Czechoslovakia[ (d. 2011)
Feb 9 Joe Maneri, American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player (Boston Microtonal Society), born in Brooklyn, NYC (d. 2009)

Leontyne Price

Feb 10 Leontyne Price, American opera soprano (Porgy & Bess, Aida; Metropolitan Opera. 1961-85), born in Laurel, Mississippi

Feb 10 Brian Priestman, British conductor and teacher, born in Birmingham, England (d. 2014)
Feb 11 Michel Sénéchal, French operatic tenor, and educator, born in Paris (d. 2018)
Feb 15 Gottfrid Gräsbeck, Finnish choral director, and composer, born in Turku, Finland (d. 2010)
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-Louis Monod, French pianist, conductor, and composer (Cantus Contra Cantum), born in Asnières, France (d. 2020)
Feb 25 Ralph Stanley, American bluegrass musician, born in Dickenson County, Virginia (d. 2016)
Feb 25 René Thomas, Belgian jazz guitarist, born in Liège, Belgium (d. 1975)
Feb 26 Donald Gramm, American concert and opera bass-baritone, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1983)
Feb 28 Don Helms, American steel guitarist (Hank Williams's Drifting Cowboys; Patsy Cline), born in New Brockton, Alabama (d. 2008)
Mar 1 Harry Belafonte, Jamaican-American calypso singer ("Banana Boat Song"; actor (Buck & the Preacher), and human rights activist, 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 (Satire), educator, and musicologist, born in Czechowice-Dziedzice, Poland (d. 2001) [1]
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 (Adanelle) "Norman" Treigle, American operatic bass-baritone, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1975)
Mar 8 Jaromir Podesva, composer
Mar 8 Josef Berg, Czech composer (d. 1971)
Mar 8 Dick Hyman, American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, and organist, born in New York City
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, American jazz pianist, arranger, and orchestra leader (Steve Allen's Westinghouse Show), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2020)
Mar 15 Carl Smith, American country singer ("Deep Water"; "Ten Thousand Drums"; "Why, Why"), born in Maynardville, Tennessee (d. 2010)
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 Sulkhan Nasidze, Georgian composer, born in Tiflis, Transcaucasia, Soviet Union (now Tblisi, Georgia) (d. 1996)
Mar 18 John Kander, American musical theater and film composer, with Fred Ebb (Cabaret; Chicago; New York, New York; Funny Lady), born in Kansas City, Missouri
Mar 18 Lester "Big Daddy" Kinsey, American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, born near Pleasant Grove, Mississippi (d. 2001)
Mar 20 John Joubert, British South African composer (The Raising of Lazarus; An English Requiem), and educator, born in Cape Town, Union of South Africa (d. 2019)
Mar 23 Osvaldo Lacerda, Brazilian composer (Piratininga), and music professor, born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2011)
Mar 24 János Decsényi, Hungarian composer (Farewell to a Vanished Century), born in Budapest, Hungary
Mar 27 Mstislav Rostropovich, Soviet-Russian cellist and conductor, born in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR (d. 2007)
Mar 29 Bianco [Eugene Capobianco], American jazz, easy-listening, and session harpist, born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2007)
Mar 31 Dave Hassinger, American recording engineer and record producer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2007)
Apr 1 Amos Milburn, American R&B singer and pianist ("One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer"), born in Houston, Texas (d. 1980)
Apr 3 Pierre D'Archambeau. American concert violinist, born in Yverdon, Switzerland (d. 2014)
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), educator, and social activist, 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 15 Annapurna Devi [Roshanara Khan], Indian classical surbahar (bass sitar) player, and music teacher, born in Maihar, British India (now part of Madhya Pradesh, India) (d. 2018)
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 (Lorenzo) "Laurel" Aitken, Cuban-Jamaican singer and one of the pioneers of Caribbean pop and ska music, born in Havana, Cuba (d. 2005)
Apr 23 Russell Smith, American composer, born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (d. 1998)
Apr 24 "Fatty" George [Pressler], Austrian swing jazz clarinettist, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1982)
Apr 24 Seymour Bernstein, American concert pianist, teacher, and composer, born in Newark, New Jersey
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 (Cecil James) "Big Jay" 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 13 Karl-Heinz Köper, German conductor, and composer (Tuba-Tabu; Pop Corn Concerto), born in Hanover, Germany (d. 2011)
May 16 Paul Angerer, Austrian violist, violinist, conductor (Concilium Musicum Wien), harpsichordist, composer and radio host, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2017)
May 20 David Frederick Barlow, composer
May 20 Walter Aschaffenburg, German-American composer, born in Essen, Germany (d. 2005)
May 24 Charles "Majeed" Greenlee, American jazz trombonist (Archie Shepp), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1993)
May 28 Bernhard Lewkovitch, Danish organist and composer, born in Copenhagen
May 31 (James) "Red" Holloway, American jazz tenor saxophonist, born in Helena, Arkansas (d. 2012)
Jun 2 Andre Vandernoot, Flemish conductor (Royal Flemish Opera)
Jun 3 (Homer) "Boots" Randolph, American session 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 13 Attila Zoller, Hungarian-American jazz guitarist, educator (Vermont Jazz Center, 1974-98), and inventor (bi-directional pickup), born in Visegrád, Hungary (d. 1998)
Jun 15 Joji "George" Kawaguchi Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader, born in Fukakusa, Kyoto, Japan (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]
Jun 27 Johnny "Big Moose" Walker, American electric and Chicago blues pianist, organist, and bass guitar player (Muddy Waters; Junior Wells; Elmore James), born in Stoneville, Mississippi (d. 1999)
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 2 Ruth Berghaus, German choreographer and opera director, born in Dresden, Germany (d. 1996)
Jul 4 Reid Miles, American photographer, and album cover art designer (Blue Note Records, 1955-67), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1993)
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, American country singer-songwriter (Louvin Brothers - "The Only Way Out (Is to Walk Over Me)"), born in Section, Alabama (d. 2011)
Jul 7 (Carl) "Doc" Severinson, American trumpeter and bandleader (The Tonight Show, 1962-92), 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 16 Mindy Carson, American popular music vocalist (Club Embassy, Ford Star Revue), born in NYC, New York
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 (Frankfurt Opera, 1967-87); Cincinnati Symphony, 1980-86); Southwest German Radio Symphony, 1986-99), and composer, born in Dresden, Germany (d. 2019)
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, British-American harpsichordist, conductor (Indianapolis Symphony, 1987-2001; BBC Northern Symphony, 1973-80), and composer (Lord Of The Flies), born in London, England
Aug 12 Porter Wagoner, American country singer, discovered Dolly Parton ("Y'All Come"; "A Satisfied Mind"), born in West Plains, Missouri (d. 2007)
Aug 13 Joe Puma, American session and jazz guitarist (Herbie Mann; Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five; Chuck Wayne), born in the Bronx, New York City (d. 2000)
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, American doo-wop, and R&B singer (Drifters, 1956-62 - "Save The Last Dance For Me"), born in Wayne County, Michigan (d. 1984)
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 8 Harmonica Fats [Harvey Blackston], American blues session and touring harmonica player ("Tore Up"), born in McDade, Louisiana (d. 2000)
Sep 8 Charles "Specs" Wright, American jazz drummer (Dizzy Gillespie; Cannonball Adderly; Red Garland) born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia (d. 1963)
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 20 Keith "Red" Mitchell, American jazz double bassist, composer, and lyricist (Hampton Hawes; André Previn), born in New York City (d. 1992)
Sep 21 Ward Swingle, American vocalist, jazz musician, composer, arranger, and conductor (The Swingle Singers - Jazz Sebastian Bach), born in Mobile, Alabama (d. 2015)
Sep 25 Sir Colin Davis, British conductor (Covent Garden, 1970-85; Bavarian Radio Symphony, 1983-93; London Symphony, 1995-2006), born in Weybridge, Surrey (d. 2013)
Sep 26 Romano Mussolini, Italian jazz pianist, and bandleader, born in Villa Carpena, Forlì, Kingdom Of Italy (d. 2006)
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 1 Márta Kurtág [née Kinsker], Hungarian classical pianist, born in Esztergom, Hungary (d. 2019)
Oct 4 Walter Bishop, Jr, American bebop jazz pianist, music theorist, and educator, born in New York City (d. 1998)
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 pop singer ("Here in My Heart"), and actor (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 (Leon) "Lee" Konitz, American jazz saxophonist (Miles Davis - 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 (The 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)

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, Spanish classical guitarist (Orquesta Nacionale 1947), born in Lorca ,Spain
Nov 17 Robert Drasnin, American clarinetist, composer, and film and television music supervisor (CBS, 1977-91), born in Charleston, West Virginia (d. 2015)
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, American tenor sax player, born in Asheville, North Carolina (d. 1994)
Nov 24 Alfredo Kraus, Spanish bel canto tenor (Massenet - "Werther"; La Scala; New York Metroplolitan Opera, 1966-94), born in Las Palmas, Canary Islands (d. 1999)
Nov 24 Emma Lou Diemer, American classical composer Songs for the Earth; Fantasy for Carillon), and educator, born in Kansas City, Missouri
Nov 25 Dick Wellstood, American jazz pianist, born in Greenwich, Connecticut (d. 1987)
Dec 1 Grant Beglarian, Armenian-American composer (Of Fables, Foibles, and Fancies), educator (University of Southern California, 1969-86), and arts administrator, born in Tiflis, Georgia (d. 2002)
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 pop singer ("Moon River"; "Days of Wine and Roses"), born in Wall Lake, Iowa (d. 2012)

Bhumibol Adulyadej

Dec 5 Bhumibol Adulyadej [Rama IX], King of Thailand (1946-2016), jazz saxophonist and composer, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2016)

Dec 6 Jacques Bondon, French composer, born in Boulbon, Bouches-du-Rhône, France (d. 2008)
Dec 6 Akira Miyazawa, Japanese jazz saxophonist, born in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (d. 2000)
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 23 (Cornelius) "Pinocchio" James, American jazz and R&B singer (Lionel Hampton Revue), born in Macon, Georgia
Dec 24 Teresa Stich-Randall, American soprano (Vienna State Opera), born in New Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2007)
Dec 28 Oleg Karavaichuk, Russian pianist and composer, born in Kiev (d. 2016)

About 1927

How Old? 94 or 95 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation

Chinese Zodiac: Tiger (Jan 1 - Feb 1), Rabbit (Feb 2 - Dec 31)

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