- 1591 Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, Italian physician, mathematician, and music theorist (d. 1655)
- 1633 Nathaniel Schnittelbach, German composer and violinist, born in Gdansk, Poland (d. 1667)
- 1637 Giovanni Paulo Colonna, Italian composer and organ builder, born in Bologna, Papal States (now Italy) (d. 1695)
- 1752 Meingosus Gaelle, German theologian and church composer, born in Buch (d. 1816)
- 1792 Francis Johnson, American keyed Kent bugle virtuoso, violinist, bandleader, and composer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1844) [1]
- 1843 David Popper, Bohemian composer and cellist, born in Prague (d. 1913)
- 1843 Jan Malat, Czech composer (d. 1915)
- 1853 Emil Sjogren, Swedish composer and organist, born in Stockholm (d. 1918)
- 1863 Paul Antonin Vidal, French composer, born in Toulouse, France (d. 1931)
- 1873 Antonina Nezhdanova, Russian soprano (Rigoletto), born in Kryva Balka, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) (d. 1950)
- 1874 Mikhail Vladimirovich Ivanov-Boretsky, Russian composer, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1936)
- 1894 Norman Kerry, American actor (Phantom of the Opera), born in Rochester, New York (d. 1956)
- 1899 Helen Traubel, American soprano, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1972)
- 1901 Conrad Beck, Swiss composer, born in Lohn, Schaffhausen (d. 1989)
- 1903 Huldreich Georg Fruh, Swiss composer (d. 1945)
- 1909 Willi Boskovsky, Austrian violinist and conductor (Vienna New Year's Concert, 1955-79), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1991)
- 1910 Ilona Massey [Hajmássy], Hungarian-American film, stage, and radio actress and singer (Ilona Massey Show), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1974)
- 1916 Francis Lopez, Basque-French chanson and operetta composer (La Belle de Cadiz; Andalousie; The Three Musketeers), born in Montbeliard, France (d. 1995)
- 1923 Åke Hermanson, Swedish composer, born in Mollösund, Sweden (d. 1996)
- 1923 Henryk Czyz, Polish composer and musician, born in Grudziądz (d. 2003)
- 1924 (Eli) "Lucky" Thompson, American jazz musician (Cuban Fire!), born in Columbia, South Carolina (d. 2005)
- 1928 Sergiu Comissiona, Romanian-Israeli-American conductor (Haifa Symphony, 1959-64; Gothenburg Symphony, 1966-77; Philharmonic; Baltimore Symphony, 1969-84), born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2005)
- 1929 James K. Randall, American composer, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2014)
- 1931 Ivo Petric, Slovenian composer, born in Ljubljana, Slovenia (d. 2018)
- 1934 Little Caesar [Carl Burnett], American vocalist (Little Caesar & the Romans)
- 1934 Lucia Dlugoszewski, Polish-American composer (Fire Fragile Flight), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2000)
- 1938 Mickie Finn [Barbara Soetje], American banjo player, and TV hostess (Mickie Finn's), born in Hugo, Oklahoma
- 1938 Robert Gutter, American conductor and teacher (founded International Institute for Conductors, 1996), born in New York City (d. 2017)
- 1939 Billy "Crash" Craddock, American country singer ("Boom Boom Baby"; "Rub It In"), born in Greensboro, North Carolina
- 1941 Dino Ciani, Italian pianist, born in Fiume, Italy (d. 1974)
- 1941 Lamont Dozier, American songwriter and producer (Holland–Dozier–Holland - "Heat Wave"; "Where Did Our Love Go"; "You Keep Me Hanging On"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2022) [1]
- 1942 David Parry, British-Canadian folk musician (Friends of Fiddler's Green), storyteller (Canadian Museum of Civilization), actor, stage director, and teacher (University of Toronto), born in London, England (d. 1995)
- 1942 Eddie Levert, American vocalist (O'Jays - "For The Love Of Money"), born in Canton, Ohio
- 1942 John Rostill, English rocker (The Shadows), born in Birmingham (d. 1973)
- 1945 John Dawson [a.k.a. Marmaduke], American musician, singer, and songwriter, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2009)
- 1946 Tom Harrell. American jazz musician (Time's Mirror), born in Urbana, Illinois
- 1947 Tom "Bones" Malone, American jazz musician, arranger, and producer (SNL; Blues Brothers), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- 1949 Peppy Castro [Emil Thielhelm], American rock vocalist (Balance), born in NYC, New York
- 1950 Garry Roberts, Irish rock guitarist (Boomtown Rats - "I Don't Like Mondays"), and audio engineer, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 2022)
- 1950 James Smith, American singer (Stylistics), born in NYC, New York
- 1952 Gino Vannelli, Canadian singer ("Living Inside Myself"), born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1952 Rob Kloet, Dutch pop drummer and singer (Nits - In the Dutch Mountains)
- 1953 Ian Mosley, British drummer (Marillion - "Clutching At Straws"), born in Paddington, London, England
- 1954 Doane Perry, American musician, composer, and author (Jethro Tull), born in Mt. Kisco, Westchester County, New York
- 1958 Jóhannes Helgason, Icelandic guitarist (Þeyr)
- 1962 Femi Kuti, Nigerian Afrobeat singer, saxophonist, and songwriter, born in London, England
- 1969 MC Ren [Lorenzo Jerald Patterson], American rapper, born in Compton, California
Tupac Shakur (1971-1996)
American rapper and actor (Juice, Bullet), born in East Harlem, New York
- 1978 Jasmine "Fish" Leong, Chinese Malaysian singer (Courage), born in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
- 1980 Joey Yung, Hong Kong singer
- 1981 Ben Kweller, American singer-songwriter, born in San Francisco, California
- 1982 Matt Costa, American singer-songwriter, born in Huntington Beach California
- 1987 Ali Stroker, American actress and singer, first actress to appear in a wheelchair on Broadway and win a Tony award, born in Ridgewood, New Jersey
Diana DeGarmo (36 years old)
1987 American singer (American Idol) and actress (The Young and the Restless), born in Birmingham, Alabama
- 1988 Banks {Jillian Banks], American singer-songwriter (Beggin for Thread), born in Orange County, California
- 1988 Keshia Chante, Canadian singer and TV host (Entertainment Tonight Canada), born in Ottawa, Ontario
- 1988 Leeland Dayton Mooring, American musician (Leeland)
- 1998 Jonah Marais, American pop singer (Why Don't We)
- 1999 Snail Mail [Linsey Jordan], American indie-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter, born in Ellicott City, Maryland
Composers
Drummers
Guitarists
Pianists
Singers
Songwriters