Events in Music
Music History
May 1 Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli sings for Pope John Paul II in Rome
Music Concert
May 12 Ringo Starr's sixth All-Starr Band debuts in concert; members include: Todd Rundgren, Jack Bruce, Gary Brooker, Simon Kirke, and Timmy Cappello
- May 13 45th Eurovision Song Contest: Olsen Brothers for Denmark wins singing "Fly on the Wings of Love" in Stockholm
Cannes Film Festival
May 25 53rd Cannes Film Festival: "Dancer in the Dark" directed by Lars von Trier and starring Björk (Best Actress) wins the Palme d'Or
Academy of Country Music Awards
May 30 35th Academy of Country Music Awards: Shania Twain, Faith Hill & Tim McGraw win
Birthdays in Music
- May 1 Rema [Divine Ikubor], Nigerian rapper (Calm Down), born in Benin City, Nigeria
Weddings in Music
- May 9 Puerto Rican actress and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres (25) weds singer-songwriter Marc Anthony (31) in Las Vegas, Nevada
Scott Weiland
May 20 "Stone Temple Pilots" front man Scott Weiland (32) weds model Mary Forsberg (25)
Deaths in Music
- May 3 Yoshinao Nakada, Japanese composer, dies at 76
- May 6 Leonard Salzedo, British orchestral, ballet, and film composer (The Witch Boy; Requiem Sine Voxibus, Hammer Films), dies at 78
- May 8 Karl-Rudi Griesbach, German composer, dies at 83
- May 10 Dédé Fortin, Quebec singer and songwriter (Les Colocs) (b. 1962)
- May 13 Olivier Greif, French classical composer (Lettres de Westerbork), dies at 50
- May 16 William Ferris, American composer and conductor (William Ferris Chorale, 1971-2000), dies while conducting a rehearsal of Verdi's Requiem at 63
- May 18 Gideon William Waldrop, American composer and educator (Julliard School, 1961-85), dies at 80
- May 18 Steve Wolownik, American ethno-musicologist, balalaika player, arranger, and co-founder of the Balalaika and Domra Association of America, dies at 54
- May 20 Jean-Pierre Rampal, French classical flautist (The Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano), dies of heart failure at 72
- May 23 Marcus Hutson, American R&B singer (The Whispers - "And the Beat Goes On"; "Rock Steady"), dies of prostate cancer at 57
- May 30 Tex Beneke, American bandleader and musician (b. 1914)
- May 31 Joe Puma, American session and jazz guitarist (Herbie Mann; Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five; Chuck Wayne), dies at 72
- May 31 Johnnie Taylor, American R&B and multi-genre singer ("Disco Lady"; "I Believe In You"), dies at 66
- May 31 Tito Puente, American mambo and Latin jazz bandleader ("Oye Como Va"), dies at 77
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
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