Events in Music
- May 1 "On the Waterfront" opens at Atkinson Theater NYC for 8 performances
- May 2 "Hamlet" opens at Belasco Theater NYC for 121 performances
- May 3 "My Thing of Love" opens at Beck Theater NYC for 16 performances
- May 7 "On the Waterfront" closes at Atkinson Theater NYC after 8 performances
- May 10 30th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alan Jackson and Reba McEntire win
- May 13 40th Eurovision Song Contest: Secret Garden for Norway wins singing "Nocturne" in Dublin
- May 14 "My Thing of Love" closes at Beck Theater NYC after 16 performances
- May 28 "An Inspector Calls" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 454 performances
Birthdays in Music
Weddings in Music
- May 20 "Eagles" singer Don Henley (47) weds model Sharon Summerall (33) in Malibu
Deaths in Music
- May 4 Louis Krasner, violinist, dies at 91
- May 5 Thomas Eden Binkley, musician, dies at 63
- May 6 Leanoard "Red" Truss, R&B singer, dies at 47
- May 7 Ray McKinley, American orchestra leader and jazz drummer (Glenn Miller Time), dies at 84
- May 8 Carroll Best, bluegrass banjo, dies at 63
- May 8 Teresa Teng, singer, dies at 41
- May 9 Marshall Royal, jazz Sax/Clarinet, dies at 82
- May 10 Jimmy Raney, jazz guitarist, dies at 67
- May 11 Tibor Sarai, Hungarian composer, dies at 76
- May 15 Johnny Van Derrick, jazz violinist, dies at 68
- May 15 Perry Lederman, folk singer, dies at 52
- May 16 Lola Flores, Spanish singer, dancer and actress (Kuma Ching, Faraona), dies at 70
- May 17 Nathan "Dambuza" Mdledle, singer, dies at 72
- May 18 Alexander Gudonov, Russian dancer/actor (Witness), dies at 45
- May 18 Gordon Reynolds, musician, dies at 74
- May 24 Mike Pyne, jazz Pianist, dies at 54
- May 25 Dick Curless, singer/songwriter, dies at 63
- May 26 Ron Weatherburn, jazz pianist, dies at 61
- May 27 C W Stubblefield, music promoter, dies at 64
- May 27 Ulysses Simpson Kay, US composer, dies at 78
- May 28 Henning Kronstam, dancer, dies at 60
- May 31 Pavel Sivic, Slovenian composer, dies at 87