Events in Music
Pacifica 231
May 8 Arthur Honegger's orchestral tribute to steam locomotives "Pacifica 231" premieres
Birthdays in Music
- May 1 Big Maybelle [Mabel Smith], American R&B singer (A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On; Candy), born in Jackson, Mississippi (d. 1972)
- May 1 Earl George, American composer and pedagogue, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1994)
- May 1 Enriko Josif, Serbian composer and pedagogue (Lyric Symphony), born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (d. 2003)
- May 2 Aafje Heynis, Dutch singer (contralto), born in Krommenie, Netherlands (d. 2015)
- May 2 Lynn Evans [Carolyn Hargate], American pop vocalist (The Chordettes - "Mr. Sandman"; "Lollipop"), born in Youngstown, Ohio (d. 2020)
- May 2 Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American stage and screen singer and actor (The Sound of Music; Fiddler On The Roof; The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming; 200 Motels), folk singer (co-founder Newport Folk Festival), and political activist, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2015)
- May 3 Jane Morgan [Florence Currier], American singer ("The Day The Rains Came"; "Fascination"), stage and television actress, born in Newton, Massachusetts
- May 3 Tom O'Horgan, American musical theater director (Hair; Jesus Christ Superstar), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2009)
- May 4 Tatiana Nikolayeva, Russian pianist and composer, born in Bezhitsa, Russia (d. 1993)
- May 5 Theo Olof, German-Dutch violinist and concert master, born in Bonn, Germany (d. 2012)
- May 6 Denny Wright, British jazz guitarist, born in Bromley, Kent, England (d. 1992)
- May 6 Mimi Benzell, American operatic soprano (Gilda-Rigoletto), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut (d. 1970)
- May 9 Connie Russell, American singer (Club Embassy; Garroway at Large), born in NYC, New York (d. 1990)
- May 14 Joly Braga Santos, Portuguese composer and conductor, born in Lisbon (d. 1988)
- May 17 Frantisek Kovaricek, Czech composer (Ukradeny mesic (The Stolen Moon)), born in Liteniny, Czechoslovakia (d. 2003)
- May 19 (Alexander) "Sandy" Wilson, British theatrical composer and lyricist (The Boy Friend; Divorce Me, Darling!), born in Sale, Cheshire, England (d. 2014)
- May 21 Robert Parris, American composer (Book of Imaginary Beings), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1999)
- May 22 Charles Aznavour [Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian], French-Armenian singer (Monsieur Carnavel; She; Tin Drum), born in Paris, France (d. 2018)
- May 22 Claude André François Ballif, French composer, born in Paris (d. 2004)
- May 22 Rita Vidaurri, American Ranchera singer, born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 2019)
- May 23 Desmond Carrington, British radio host (The Music Goes Round), born in Bromley (d. 2017)
- May 30 Armando Peraza, Cuban jazz, Latin jazz, and rock percussionist (George Shearing; Cal Tjader; Santana, 1972-90), born in Lawton Batista, Havana, Cuba (d. 2014) [birth year disputed]
Deaths in Music
- May 12 Henri Maréchal, French composer and music critic, dies at 82
- May 25 Theodore F. Morse, American composer, dies at 51
- May 26 Johann Heinrich Beck, American composer, dies at 67
- May 26 Victor Herbert, American cellist, composer, and conductor (Babes in Toyland; Eileen), dies of a heart attack at 65
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers