- Jan 2 Péter Eötvös, Hungarian composer, conductor and teacher ("Chinese Opera"), born in Székelyudvarhely, Transylvania, Hungary (now Romania)
- Jan 3 David Atherton, English conductor
- Jan 4 Volker Hornback, German saxophone player and violinist (Tangerine Dream, 1967-69)
- Jan 7 Mike McGear, English singer (Paul McCartney's brother), born in Liverpool, England
- Jan 8 Joel "Taz" DiGregorio, American country-rock keyboardist (Charlie Daniels Band), born in Southbridge, Massachusetts (d. 2011)
Jimmy Page
Jan 9 Jimmy Page, English rock guitarist (Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven), born in London, England

Jimmy Page
- Jan 10 Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer and bandleader, born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 2016)
- Jan 11 York Georg Holler, composer
- Jan 12 Viktoria Postnikova, Russian pianist, born in Moscow, Russia
- Jan 12 Jack Schroer, British saxophonist & pianist (The Caledonia Soul Orchestra), (d. 1995)
- Jan 16 Jim Stafford, American singer (Spiders & Snakes, My Girl Bill), born in Eloise, Florida
- Jan 17 Françoise Hardy, French pop singer, born in Paris, France
- Jan 18 Larry "Legs" Smith, British rocker (Bonzo Dog Band - "Urban Spaceman"), born in Oxford, United Kingdom
- Jan 18 Al Perkins, American steel guitarist (Triple Play), born in De Kalb, Texas
- Jan 19 Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Finnish composer (The Whole World Will Lament; Kwaidan-balladit), born in Saltvik, Åland Islands, Finland (d. 2008)
- Jan 19 Laurie London, English singer
- Jan 21 (Frank) Neely Bruce, American composer (Circular 14: The Apotheosis of Aristides), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Jan 23 Jerry Lawson, American musician (Persuasions-Under the Boardwalk), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Jan 24 Klaus Nomi, German singer, born in Immenstadt, Germany (d. 1983)
- Jan 27 Kevin Coyne, English musician, born in Derby (d. 2004)
- Jan 27 Nick Mason, British progressive rock drummer (Pink Floyd), born in Birmingham, England
- Jan 28 Arnold Mühren, Dutch pop bassist/singer (The Cats - "One Way Wind"), born in Volendam, Holland
- Jan 28 John Tavener, British composer (The Whale), born in London, England (d. 2013)
- Jan 28 Marty Fried, American rock drummer (The Cyrkle - "Red Rubber Ball"), born in Wayside, New Jersey
- Jan 30 Lynn Harrell, American cellist, born in New York City, New York (d. 2020)
- Jan 31 Charlie Musselwhite, American blues harmonica player (Stand Back!; Get Up!), born in Kosciusko, Mississippi
- Feb 1 Tommy Duffy, American musician (Echoes), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Feb 2 Andrew Davis, Ashbridge, England, conductor (New Phil Orch-London)
- Feb 2 Ursula Oppens, American pianist and co-founder (Speculum Musicae-NYC), born in NYC, New York
- Feb 3 Trisha Noble, Australian singer and actress
- Feb 4 Florence LaRue, American pop and R&B vocalist (5th Dimension - "Up, Up, And Away"), born in Plainfield, New Jersey,
- Feb 5 Al Kooper [Alan Peter Kuperschmidt], American rock musician, record producer and songwriter (Blood Sweat & Tears, Super Session), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Feb 5 J. R. Cobb, American guitarist & songwriter (Atlanta Rhythm Section, Classic IV), born in Birmingham, Alabama
- Feb 6 Georgeanna Tillman, American singer (the Marvelettes), born in Inkster, Michigan (d. 1980)
- Feb 10 Peter Allen, Australian pop singer-songwriter, painist and performer ("I Go to Rio"; Legs Diamond), born in Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia (d. 1992)
- Feb 10 Rufus Reid, American jazz double bassist composer, and educator, born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Feb 12 Marian "Moe" Bandy, American country vocalist (Just Good Ol' Boys), born in Meridian, Mississippi
- Feb 13 Rebop Kwaku Baah, Ghanaian percussionist, born in Konongo, Ghana (d. 1983)
- Feb 15 Michael "Mick" Avory, British rock drummer (The Kinks, 1964-84 - "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy"), born in East Molesey, Surrey
- Feb 17 Karl Jenkins, Welsh composer (Adiemus), born in Penclawdd, Wales
- Feb 20 Lew Soloff, American jazz trumpeter (Blood, Sweat & Tears), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2015)
- Feb 23 Johnny Winter [John Dawson], American blues guitarist (Silver Train), born in Leland Miss, (d. 2014)
- Feb 23 Mike Maxfield, British rocker (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas)
- Feb 24 Nicky Hopkins, British rock session pianist (Rolling Stones (1967-75); The Who - "Getting In Tune"; The Kinks - "Sunny Afternoon"; Beatles - "Revolution"; John Lennon - "Jealous Guy"; Quicksilver Messenger Service), born in Perivale, Middlesex (d. 1994)
- Feb 27 Joyce Breach, American jazz cabaret singer, born in Alameda, California
- Feb 28 Storm Thorgerson, British graphic designer for album art, and music video director (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, The Cranberries), born in Potters Bar, Middlesex (d. 2013)
- Feb 29 David Briggs, American record producer (Neil Young and Crazy Horse), born in Douglas, Wyoming (d. 1995)
- Feb 29 Geoff Nicholls, British rock keyboardist (Black Sabbath, 1980-2013), born in Birmingham, England (d. 2017)
- Mar 1 Mike D'Abo, British rock vocalist (Manfred Mann - "Mighty Quinn"; Jesus Christ Superstar - "Herod"), and songwriter ("Handbags and Gladrags"), born in Betchworth, Surrey, England
- Mar 1 Roger Daltrey, English singer and founder of the rock band "The Who", born in East Acton, London, England
- Mar 2 Leif Segerstam, Finnish violinist, conductor, and composer of 342 symphonies (...and counting!), born in Vaasa, Finland
- Mar 4 Bobby Womack, American R&B singer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer ("It's All Over Now"; "Woman's Got to Have It"; "Across 110th Street"), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2014)
- Mar 6 Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand operatic soprano (Don Giovanni), born in Gisborne, New Zealand
- Mar 6 Mary Wilson, American pop vocalist (Supremes - "Where Did Our Love Go?"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2021) [1]
- Mar 7 Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter ("Kathleen"; "Loretta"), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1997)
- Mar 8 Sergey Nikitin, Russian composer
- Mar 8 Palito Ortega, Argentine singer and actor
- Mar 9 Trevor Burton, English guitarist and rocker (The Move), born in Aston, Birmingham
- Mar 11 Ric Rothwell, drummer (Mindbenders-Games of Love)
- Mar 11 Graham Lyle, Scottish singer-songwriter (What's Love Got to Do with It), born in Bellshill, Scotland
- Mar 15 Gordon "Jazz" Summers, British music manager (Wham, Snow Patrol), born in Winchester, Hampshire (d. 2015)
- Mar 15 Ralph MacDonald, American rock percussionist and songwriter (Just the Two of Us), born in New York City (d. 2011)
- Mar 17 John Sebastian, American singer (Loving Spoonful, Welcome Back Kotter), born in NYC, New York
- Mar 17 Pat McCauley, Northern Irish rock drummer (Them)
- Mar 19 Joseph Celli, composer
- Mar 19 Myung-Wha Chung, Seoul Korea, cellist (Chung Trio)
- Mar 21 Henrik Colding-Jorgensen, composer
- Mar 21 Jamary Oliveira, composer
- Mar 21 David Lindley, American musician (The Kaleidoscope), born in San Marino, California
- Mar 22 Chris Stainton, English session musician (Joe Cocker, The Who), born in Woodseats, England
- Mar 23 Michael Nyman, composer (Mesmer, Carrington)
- Mar 23 Ric Ocasek [Richard Otcasek], American rocker (The Cars - Best Friend's Girl; Shake It Up), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2019)
- Mar 25 Kelly Garrett, American actress and singer (The Night That Made America Famous), born in Chester, Pennsylvania (d. 2013)
Diana Ross
Mar 26 Diana Ross [Earle], American singer and actress (the Supremes, Lady Sings Blues, Mahogany), born in Detroit, Michigan

Diana Ross
- Mar 29 Terrence "Terry" Jacks, Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and environmentalist (Seasons in the Sun), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Mar 31 Rod Allen [B Rodney Bainbridge] rock bassist/vocalist (Fortunes)
- Mar 31 Mick Ralphs, British rock guitarist (Mott the Hoople, Bad Company), born in Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, England
- Apr 3 Barry Pritchard, English rock guitarist (Fortunes), born in Birmingham (d. 1999)
- Apr 3 Tony Orlando, American singer (& Dawn-Tie a Yellow Ribbon), born in NYC, New York
- Apr 5 Nicholas Caldwell, Rhythm and Blues singer (Whispers), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2016)
- Apr 6 Felicity Palmer, British mezzo-soprano
- Apr 7 Carol Grimes, British singer (Delivery), born in London, England
- Apr 8 Santiago Jiménez Jr, American folk and Tejano accordionist (El Mero Mero, Viva Seguin), born in Texas
- Apr 10 Danny Woods, American musician (CEO of the Board), born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2018)
- Apr 12 John Kay [Joachim Krauledat], German-born Canadian rock singer (Steppenwolf), born in Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany
- Apr 12 Karel Kryl, Czechoslovak folk singer, born in Kroměříž, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (d. 1994)
- Apr 13 Brian Pendleton, English musician (The Pretty Things), born in Durham, England (d. 2001)
- Apr 13 Jack Casady, American rock bassist (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane), born in Washington, D.C.
- Apr 15 Dave Edmunds, Welsh singer and guitarist (Rockpile - Girls Talk), born in Cardiff, Wales
- Apr 16 Dennis Russell Davies, American conductor and composer, born in Toledo, Ohio
- Apr 17 John Lill, British classical pianist, born in London
- Apr 18 Rudy Shackelford, American composer, born in Newport News, Virginia
- Apr 19 Bernie Worrell, American keyboardist (Funkadelic-Cosmic Slop), born in Long Branch, New Jersey (d. 2016)
- Apr 22 Joshua Rifkin, American conductor and musicologist who played a key role in the ragtime revival of the 1970s, born in NYC, New York
- Apr 24 St. Clair Lee, American singer (Rock the Boat), born in California
- Apr 24 Tony Visconti, American music producer (Blackstar, Low, "Heroes"), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Apr 27 Cuba Gooding Sr., American singer (Everybody Plays the Fool), born in NYC, New York (d. 2017)
- Apr 27 Herb Pedersen, American singer (Desert Rose Band-Love Reunited), born in Berkeley, California
- May 2 Bob Henrit, English pop drummer (Argent - Hold Your Head Up; The Kinks), born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England
- May 4 Peggy Santiglia, American singer-songwriter (Angels), born in Belleville, New Jersey
- May 7 Alison Bauld, Australian composer, born in Sydney, Australia
- May 8 Bill Legend [William Fifield], British musician and rock drummer (T. Rex), born in Barking, Essex
- May 9 Richard Furay, Ohio, rock vocalist (Buffalo Springfield, Poco)
- May 10 Jackie Lomax, English singer-songwriter (Is This What You Want), born in Liverpool, England (d. 2013)
- May 12 James Purify, American R&B singer ("I'm Your Puppet"), born in Pensacola, Florida (d. 2021)
- May 13 Carolyn Franklin, American singer-songwriter (Angel), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1988)
- May 14 Gene Cornish, rock bassist/vocalist (Fotomaker, Rascals), born in Ottawa, Ontario
- May 15 Ian "Tich" Amey, British rock musician (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich), born in Salisbury Wiltshire
- May 16 Billy Cobham, Panamanian-American jazz drummer (Mahavishnu Orchestra), born in Colón, Panama
- May 17 Jesse Winchester, singer/songwriter (Learn to Love it), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2014)
- May 18 Albert Hammond, rocker (It Never Rains In Southern California), born in London
- May 20 Boudouin de Groot, Dutch singer (Good night mister president)
- May 20 Cipa Dichter, pianist/wife of Misha Dichter, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Joe Cocker
May 20 Joe Cocker, English rock vocalist (With a Little Help from My Friends), born in Sheffield England, (d. 2014)

Joe Cocker
- May 21 Marcie Blane [Blank], American pop singer (Bobby's Girl), born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 23 Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood, US drummer (Funkadelic, Knee Deep)
- May 24 Patti LaBelle, American singer (LaBelle-Lady Marmalade), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- May 26 (Terence) Verden Allen, Welsh rock keyboardist (Mott the Hoople - "All Young Dudes"), born in Crynant, Neath, Wales
- May 28 Billy Vera, musician (& Beaters-At This Moment, Into the Night)
- May 28 Gladys Knight, American singer known as the Empress of Soul (The Pips, Midnight Train to Georgia), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- May 28 Gary Stewart, American country singer (She's Actin' Single), born in Jenkins, Kentucky (d. 2003)
- May 28 Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens, Northern-Irish actress, voice artist and singer (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Jun 2 Marvin Hamlisch, American composer and conductor (The Sting, A Chorus Line), born in NYC, New York (d. 2012)
- Jun 2 Antone Tavares, American R&B musician (Tavares)
- Jun 3 Michael Clarke, American rock drummer (Byrds-Turn! Turn! Turn!), born in NYC, New York
- Jun 4 Michelle Phillips, American singer and actress (Mamas & Papas), born in Long Beach, California
- Jun 4 Roger Ball, Scottish saxophonist (Average White Band), born in Broughty Ferry, Scotland
- Jun 5 Colm Wilkinson, Irish singer
- Jun 6 Edgar Froese, German musician (Tangerine Dream), born in Tilsit, East Prussia (d. 2015)
- Jun 7 Clarence White, American guitarist (Byrds-Turn! Turn! Turn!), born in Lewiston, Maine (d. 1973)
- Jun 8 Boz Scaggs [William Royce], American rocker (Steve Miller Band), born in Dallas, Texas
- Jun 12 Maurice Jackson, American singer (The Independents - "Leaving Me"), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jun 18 Paul Lansky, American electronic composer, born in New York City
- Jun 18 Sandy Posey, American pop/country singer ("Single Girl"), born in Jasper, Alabama
- Jun 18 Rick Griffin, American artist and a leading designer of psychedelic posters in the 1960s (Grateful Dead), born in Palos Verdes, California (d. 1991)
- Jun 19 Chico Buarque, Brazilian musician
- Jun 21 Jon Hiseman, English drummer (Colosseum), born in London, United Kingdom (d. 2018)
- Jun 21 Ray Davies, British singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Kinks - "Waterloo Sunset"; "Lola"), born in Muswell Hill, North London, England
- Jun 22 Peter Asher, English singer (Peter & Gordon-World Without Love), born in London, England
- Jun 22 Steve Weber, American folk guitarist, (Rounders-Holy "Boobs" Modal), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2020)
- Jun 23 Rosetta Hightower, American pop singer (The Orlons - "Don't Hang Up"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (d. 2014)
- Jun 24 Charlie Whitney, English rock guitarist (Family), born in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England
- Jun 24 Jeff Beck, British rock guitarist (Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group), born in Wallington, Surrey
- Jun 25 Robert Charlebois, Canadian singer and composer, born in Montreal, Quebec
- Jun 30 Glenn Shorrock, Australian rock vocalist (Little River Band), born in Sydney, New South Wales
- Jul 4 Harvey Brooks [Goldstein], American bassist, born in Manhattan, New York
- Jul 7 Warren Entner, rock vocalist/guitarist (Grass Roots), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Jul 8 Jaimoe "Johnny" Johanson, American rock drummer (The Allman Brothers Band), born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi
- Jul 15 Millie Jackson, Thompson Ga, model/singer (Get it out 'cha system)
- Jul 16 Thomas Boggs, American rock drummer (Box Tops), born in Wynne, Arkansas (d. 2008)
- Jul 19 Commander Cody [George Frayne], American singer and pianist (Commander Cody & Lost Planet Airmen), born in Boise, Idaho
- Jul 22 Estelle Bennett, vocalist (Ronettes - Be My Baby), born in NYC, New York (d. 2009)
- Jul 22 Rick Davies, rock vocalist/keyboardist (Supertramp), born in London, England
- Jul 23 Dino Danelli, American rock drummer (Fotomaker, Young Rascals), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Jul 24 Barbara Thompson, British jazz saxophonist and composer, born in Oxford, England
- Jul 24 Jim Armstrong, Irish rock guitarist (Them), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Jul 27 Bobbie Gentry [Roberta Streeter], American singer and songwriter (Ode to Billy Joe), born in Chickasaw County, Mississippi
- Jul 30 Teresa Cahill, British soprano opera singer, born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
- Aug 2 Jim Capaldi, English singer and songwriter (Traffic-Something So Strong), born in Evesham, Worcestershire, England (d. 2005)
- Aug 8 Hans van Eijk, Dutch rock guitarist (Jumping Jewels)
- Aug 8 Michael Johnson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, born in Alamosa, Colorado
- Aug 8 John Renbourn, English folk musician (Pentangle), born in London
- Aug 9 Viv Prince, British drummer (Pretty Things - "Honey I Need"), born in Loughborough, England
- Aug 12 Peter Hofmann, German tenor
- Aug 13 David Mahler, American pianist and composer, born in Plainfield, New Jersey
- Aug 15 Frederick Knight, American singer and songwriter (I've Been Lonely So Long), born in Birmingham, Alabama
- Aug 15 Sylvie Vartan, French pop singer (Twiste et Chante), born in Iskretz, Bulgaria
- Aug 15 Pamela Polland, American singer-songwriter (Hawaiianized Pop Classics), born in California
- Aug 16 Russ Titelman, American record producer and songwriter, born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 18 Carl Wayne, English singer and actor (The Move), born in Birmingham, England (d. 2004)
- Aug 19 Eddy Raven [Futch], American country singer (Right Hand Man), born in Lafayette, Louisiana
- Aug 20 John Povey, English musician (The Pretty Things; Electric Banana), born in London
- Aug 25 Pat Martino, American jazz guitarist (2004 Guitar Player of the Year, Down Beat), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Aug 27 Tim Bogert, American rock bassist (Vanilla Fudge; Jeff Beck), born in NYC, New York [1]
- Aug 27 Barry Conyngham, Australian composer (Gardener Of Time; Kangaroo Island), born in Sydney
- Aug 30 Charles Colbert, American rocker (American Breed - "Bend Me, Shape Me"), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Aug 30 John Surman, English jazz musician, born in Tavistock, Devon, England
- Aug 30 William "Smitty" Smith, American rock keyboardist and session musician (Motherlode - "When I Die"), born in Belleville, Virginia (d. 1997)
- Aug 31 Roger Dean, British artist and designer (Yes; Osibia; Asia album art), born in Ashford, Kent, England
- Sep 1 Archie Bell, American singer (& the Drells - "Tighten Up"), born in Henderson, Texas
- Sep 1 Leonard Slatkin, American conductor (St. Louis Symphony, 1979-96; Detroit Symphony, 2008-19), born in Los Angeles, California
- Sep 4 Gene Parsons, American rock drummer (The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers), born in Morongo Valley, California
- Sep 8 Peter Bellamy, English folk singer, born in Bournemouth, England (d. 1991)
- Sep 9 Olga de Haas, Dutch ballerina, born in Amsterdam (d. 1978)
- Sep 10 Thomas Allen, British operatic baritone singer, born in Seaham Harbour, England
Barry White
Sep 12 Barry White [Carter], American singer ("Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe"; "You're The First, The Last, My Everything"), born in Galveston, Texas (d. 2003)

Barry White
- Sep 12 Colin Young, Barbadian-British singer (The Foundations - "Build Me Up Buttercup"), born in Barbados, West Indies
- Sep 13 Peter Cetera, American lead singer (Chicago - "25 or 6 to 4","If You Leave Me Now"), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Sep 14 Joey Heatherton, American dancer and actress (Bluebeard), born in Rockville Center, New York
- Sep 16 Betty Kelly, American rocker (Martha Reeves & Vandellas), born in Attalla, Alabama
- Sep 18 Michael Franks, American jazz singer and songwriter, born in La Jolla, California
- Sep 18 Rocío Jurado, Spanish singer and actress, born in Chipiona, Spain (d. 2006)
- Sep 21 Jesse Ed Davis, Native American guitarist, born in Norman, Oklahoma (d. 1988)
- Sep 22 Roger Nichols, American recording engineer, producer and inventor (Steely Dan, John Denver), born in Oakland, California (d. 2011)
- Sep 25 Eugenia Zukerman, American flutist and novelist (Deceptive Cadence), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Sep 29 Mike Post [Leland Michael Postil], American Grammy and Emmy award-winning television composer (Rockford Files; Hill Street Blues; Magnum P.I.), born in Berkley, California
- Sep 30 Diane Dufresne, French Canadian singer, born in Montreal, Quebec
- Oct 1 Barbara Parritt, American soul singer (The Toys - "A Lover's Concerto"), born in Wilmington, North Carolina
- Oct 1 Herbert "Tubo" Rhoad, American baritone a cappella singer (Persuasions - "Street Corner Symphony"), born in Bamberg, South Carolina (d. 1988)
- Oct 2 Ton Koopman, Dutch conductor (Royal Conservatory of the Hague), born in Zwolle, Netherlands
About 1944
How Old? 76 or 77 years old
Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Goat/Sheep (Jan 1 - Jan 24), Monkey (Jan 25 - Dec 31)