January 1908 in Music History

Birthdays in Music

Jan 2 Jānis Ķepītis, Latvian pianist, conductor, and composer, born in Beverīna, Latvia (d. 1989)
Jan 6 Menachem Avidom, Israeli composer, born in Stanislaviv, Austria-Hungary (d. 1995)
Jan 7 (Henry) "Red" Allen, American jazz trumpeter, born in Algiers, Louisiana (d. 1967)
Jan 12 Jose Limon, Mexican-American dancer & choreographer (I, Odysseus), born in Culiacán, Mexico (d. 1972)
Jan 14 (Ruggiero) "Russ" Columbo, American pop baritone singer ("You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love"), songwriter ("Prisoner of Love"), actor (Wake Up And Dream), and violinist, born in Camden, New Jersey (d. 1934)
Jan 15 Roberta Bitgood, American organist & composer, born in New London, Connecticut (d. 2007)

Ethel Merman (1908-1984)

Jan 16 American Tony and Grammy Award-winning stage and screen singer ("There's No Business Like Show Business"), and actress (It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World), born in Astoria, New York City

Jan 20 Wilfred Conwell Bain, American music educator, born in Shawville, Canada (d. 1997)
Jan 22 Hammie Nixon [Nickerson], American blues harmonica player (Sleepy John Estes), born in Brownsville, Tennessee (d. 1984)
Jan 22 Melle Weersma, Dutch jazz arranger and composer ("Penny Serenade"), born in Harlingen, Netherlands (d. 1988)
Jan 26 Stéphane Grappelli, French jazz violinist (Quintette du Hot Club de France), born in Paris, France (d. 1997)
Jan 27 Oran Page, American musician (d. 1954)
Jan 28 Paul Misraki [Misrachi], French jazz pianist, songwriter, and film score composer (Jean Renoir), born in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (d. 1998)
Jan 31 Atahualpa Yupanqui, Argentine folk musician, born in Pergamino, Argentina (d. 1992)