Birthdays in Music
- May 3 John Rhea "Yank" Lawson, American jazz trumpeter (Dogtown Blues, Stormy Weather), born in Trenton, Missouri (d. 1995)
Robert Johnson
May 8 Robert Johnson, American blues singer (King of Delta Blues Singers), born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi (d. 1938)
Robert Johnson
- May 13 Maxine Sullivan [Marietta Williams], American jazz vocalist and performer (Going Places), born in Homestead, Pennsylvania (d. 1987)
- May 14 Hans Vogt, German composer, born in Danzig (d. 1992)
- May 18 Joe Turner, KC, blues singer (Corrine Corrina, Shake Rattle & Roll)
- May 23 Boris Kremenliev, composer
Deaths in Music
- May 18 Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer and conductor (Children's Death Songs), dies of heart disease at 50