1947 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1947.

Specific locations

 * 1947 in British music
 * 1947 in Norwegian music

Specific genres

 * 1947 in country music
 * 1947 in jazz

Events

 * June 11 – 15 – First Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is held in Wales.
 * August 7 – Carlo Bergonzi makes his professional debut as Schaunard in La bohème at the Arena Argentina in Catania.
 * October – Enrico De Angelis leaves Quartetto Cetra to join the army. Lucia Mannucci replaces him.
 * Jack Brymer becomes principal clarinettist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
 * Patti Page signs with Mercury.
 * Frankie Laine earns the first of his 21 gold records.
 * Kay Starr signs with Capitol.
 * George Jones begins performing.
 * Ernesto Bonino embarks on his Latin American tour.
 * The Amadeus Quartet is founded, as the Brainin Quartet.
 * Bernard Greenhouse and John Serry Sr. appear in Studio One on the CBS network.

Albums released

 * Glenn Miller Masterpieces, Vol. 2 – Glenn Miller
 * Music Out of the Moon – Les Baxter
 * The Jolson Album Vol. 1 – Al Jolson
 * St. Patrick's Day – Bing Crosby
 * Accordion Capers – The Biviano Rhythm Sexteete with John Serry Sr. & Tony Mottola

Top popular records of 1947
For each Year in Music (beginning 1940) and Year in Country Music (beginning 1939), a comprehensive Year End Top Records section can be found at mid-page (popular), and on the Country page.

The charts are compiled from data published by Billboard magazine, using their formulas, with slight modifications. Most important, there are no songs missing or truncated by Billboard's holiday deadline. Each year, records included enter the charts between the prior November and early December. Each week, fifteen points are awarded to the number one record, then nine points for number two, eight points for number three, and so on. This system rewards songs that reach the highest positions, as well as those that had the longest chart runs. This is our adjustment to Mr. Whitburn's formula, which places no. 1 records on top, then no 2 and so on, ordered by weeks at that position. This allows a record with 4 weeks at no. 1 that only lasted 6 weeks to be rated very high. Here, the total points of a song's complete chart run determines its position. Our chart has more songs, more weeks and may look nothing like Billboard's, but it comes from the exact same surveys.

Before the Hot100 was implemented in 1958, Billboard magazine measured a record's performance with three charts, 'Best-Selling Popular Retail Records', 'Records Most-Played On the Air' or 'Records Most Played By Disk Jockeys' and 'Most-Played Juke Box Records'. As Billboard did starting in the 1940s, the three totals for each song are combined, with that number determining the final year-end rank. For example, 1944's "A Hot Time in the Town of Berlin" by Bing and the Andrews Sisters finished at no. 19, despite six weeks at no. 1 on the 'Most-Played Juke Box Records'(JB) chart. It scored 126 points, to go with its Best-Selling chart (BS) total of 0. Martha Tilton's version of "I'll Walk Alone" peaked at no. 4 on the Juke Box chart, which only totalled 65 points, but her BS total was also 65, for a final total of 130, ranking no. 18. Examples like this can be found in "The Billboard" magazine up to 1958. By the way, the 'Records Most-Played On the Air' chart didn't begin until January 1945, which is why we only had two sub-totals.

Our rankings are based on Billboard data, but we also present info on recording and release dates, global sales totals, RIAA and BPI certifications and other awards. Rankings from other genres like 'Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs' or 'Most Played Juke Box Race Records', Country charts including 'Most Played Juke Box Folk (Hillbilly) Records', 'Cashbox magazine', and other sources are presented if they exist. We supplement our info with reliable data from the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 and other sources as specified.

Billboard Most-Played Juke Box Race Records
The following songs appeared in The Billboard's Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart, starting November 1946 through November 1947. Each week ten points were awarded to the number one record, then four points for number two, three points for number three, and so on. This system rewards songs that reach the highest positions, as well as those that had the longest chart runs. Also see Billboard Most-Played Race Records of 1947.

Published popular music

 * "Across the Alley From the Alamo", words and music: Joe Green
 * "Afraid to Fall in Love" w. Ralph Blane m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Mickey Rooney and Gloria DeHaven in the 1948 film Summer Holiday
 * "Ah, But It Happens" w. William Dunham m. Walter Kent
 * "Almost Like Being in Love" w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe. Introduced by David Brooks and Marion Bell in the musical Brigadoon. Performed in the 1954 film version by Gene Kelly.
 * "And Mimi" w.m. Jimmy Kennedy & Nat Simon
 * "Apalachicola F.L.A." w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in the film Road to Rio
 * "An Apple Blossom Wedding" w.m. Jimmy Kennedy & Nat Simon
 * "April in Portugal" w. Jose Galhardo (Port) Jimmy Kennedy (Eng) m. Raul Ferrão
 * "Autumn Leaves" ("Les Feuilles Mortes") w.(Eng) Johnny Mercer (Fr) Jacques Prévert m. Joseph Kosma
 * "Ballerina" w.m. Bob Russell & Carl Sigman
 * "Beg Your Pardon" w.m. Francis Craig & Beasley Smith
 * "Big Brass Band from Brazil" w.m. Bob Hilliard & Carl Sigman
 * "Bloop Bleep" w.m. Frank Loesser
 * "Blue Shadows on the Trail" w. Johnny Lange m. Elliot Daniel
 * "Bouquet of Roses" w.m. Steve Nelson & Bob Hilliard
 * "Busy Doing Nothing" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
 * "But Beautiful" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
 * "Buttons and Bows" w.m. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
 * "C'est si bon" w.(Eng) Jerry Seelen (Fr) André Hornez m. Henri Betti
 * "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba" w.m. Mack David, Jerry Livingston & Al Hoffman
 * "Cigarettes, Whisky, And Wild, Wild Women" w.m. Tim Spencer
 * "Civilization" w.m. Bob Hilliard & Carl Sigman. Introduced by Elaine Stritch in the revue Angel in the Wings
 * "Clancy Lowered the Boom" w.m. Hy Heath & Johnny Lange
 * "Come to Me, Bend to Me" w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
 * "Come to the Mardi Gras" w. (Eng) Ervin Drake & Jimmy Shirl (Port) Max Bulhoes & Milton De Oliviera m. Max Bulhoes & Milton De Oliviera
 * "Confess" w.m. Bennie Benjamin & George David Weiss
 * "Cuanto Le Gusta" w. Ray Gilbert m. Gabriel Ruiz
 * "Don't Smoke in Bed" w.m. Willard Robison
 * "Don't Telephone, Don't Telegraph, Tell a Woman" w.m. Al Stewart & Tex Williams
 * "Down by the Station" adapted from a children's song by Lee Ricks & Slim Gaillard
 * "Down the Old Spanish Trail" Kenneth Leslie-Smith & Jimmy Kennedy
 * "The Dream of Olwen" w. Winifred May m. Charles Williams
 * "The Egg and I", w. Bert Kalmar, Al Jolson, and Harry Akst m. Harry Ruby
 * "Everybody Loves Somebody" w. Irving Taylor m. Ken Lane
 * "Everybody's Gonna Have A Wonderful Time Up There" Lee Roy Abernathy
 * "Ev'ry Day I Love You" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
 * "A Fella with an Umbrella" w.m. Irving Berlin
 * "For Every Man There's a Woman" w. Leo Robin m. Harold Arlen. Introduced by Tony Martin in the 1948 film Casbah
 * "Four Brothers" by Jimmy Giuffre
 * "Fun And Fancy Free" w.m. Bennie Benjamin & George David Weiss
 * "Galway Bay" w.m. Dr Arthur Colahan
 * "The Gentleman Is A Dope" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
 * "Good Rockin' Tonight" w.m. Roy Brown
 * "Haunted Heart" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
 * "The Heather On The Hill" w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
 * "Here Comes Santa Claus" w.m. Gene Autry & Oakley Haldeman
 * "Here I'll Stay" w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Kurt Weill
 * "Hooray For Love" w. Leo Robin m. Harold Arlen. Introduced by Tony Martin and Yvonne DeCarlo in the 1948 film Casbah
 * "A Hundred And Sixty Acres" w.m. David Kapp
 * "Hurry On Down" w.m. Nellie Lutcher
 * "I Like'em Fat Like That" w.m. Claude Demetrius, Louis Jordan, J. Mayo Williams
 * "I Still Get Jealous" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
 * "I Tipped My Hat And Slowly Rode Away" w.m. Larry Marks & Dick Charles
 * "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" w.m. Frank Loesser
 * "Ichabod" Don Raye & Gene De Paul
 * "If You Stub Your Toe On The Moon" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
 * "I'll Dance At Your Wedding" w. Herb Magidson m. Ben Oakland
 * "I'll Go Home With Bonnie Jean" w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
 * "I'm My Own Grandpa" w.m. Dwight Latham & Moe Jaffe
 * "It Only Happens When I Dance With You" w.m. Irving Berlin
 * "It Takes a Long, Long Train With a Red Caboose" w.m. Larry Marks & Dick Charles
 * "It Was Written in the Stars" w. Leo Robin m. Harold Arlen
 * "It's a Most Unusual Day" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh
 * "It's Magic" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
 * "Ivy" w.m. Hoagy Carmichael
 * "Kokomo, Indiana" w. Mack Gordon m. Josef Myrow
 * "Laroo Laroo Lilli Bolero" w. Sylvia Dee & Elizabeth Moore m. Sidney Lippman
 * "Lazy Countryside" w.m. Bobby Worth
 * "Life Gets Tee-jus, Don't It" w.m. Carson Robison
 * "A Little Bird Told Me" w.m. Harvey O. Brooks
 * "Look To The Rainbow" w. E.Y. Harburg m. Burton Lane
 * "Love Is Where You Find It" w. Earl K. Brent m. Nacio Herb Brown
 * "Love Somebody" w.m. Joan Whitney & Alex Kramer
 * "The Maharajah Of Magador" w.m. Lewis Harris & John Jacob Loeb
 * "Mam'selle" w. Mack Gordon m. Edmund Goulding
 * "Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)" w.m. Peggy Lee & Dave Barbour
 * "Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner" w.m. Hubert Gregg
 * "Maybe You'll Be There" w. Sammy Gallop m. Rube Bloom
 * "Nature Boy" w.m. eden ahbez
 * "Near You" w. Kermit Goell m. Francis Craig
 * "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" w. Buddy Bernier m. Jerome (Jerry) Brainin
 * "Now Is The Hour" w.m. Maewa Kaihan, Clement Scott & Dorothy Stewart
 * "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China" w.m. Frank Loesser
 * "Once And For Always" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
 * "Papa Won't You Dance With Me?" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
 * "Pass That Peace Pipe" w. Ralph Blane m. Hugh Martin
 * "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" w.(Eng) Joe Davis (Span.) Osvaldo Farrés m. Osvaldo Farrés Quizás, Quizás, Quizás
 * "Please Stop Playing Those Blues, Boys" Claude Demetrius & Fleecie Moore
 * "Put 'Em In A Box, Tie 'Em With A Ribbon, And Throw 'Em In The Deep Blue Sea" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
 * "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" w. Howard Dietz m. Arthur Schwartz
 * "Save The Bones For Henry Jones" w.m. Danny Barker & Michael H. Goldsen
 * "Serenade Of The Bells" w.m. Kay Twomey, Al Goodhart & Al Urbano
 * "Sixteen Tons" w.m. Merle Travis
 * "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!" w.m. Merle Travis & Tex Williams
 * "Steppin' Out With My Baby" w.m. Irving Berlin
 * "Tallahassee" w.m. Frank Loesser
 * "There But For You Go I" w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
 * "Too Fat Polka" w.m. Ross MacLean & Arthur Richardson
 * "Toolie Oolie Doolie" w.(Eng) Vaughn Horton (Ger) Arthur Beul m. Arthur Beul
 * "The Turntable Song" w. Leo Robin m. John Green
 * "Waitin' For My Dearie" w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
 * "The Wedding Samba" w.m. Abraham Ellstein, Allan Small & Joseph Liebowitz
 * "We're Gonna Rock, We're Gonna Roll" Teddy Reig, William Moore
 * "What Good Would the Moon Be?" w. Langston Hughes m. Kurt Weill. Introduced by Anne Jeffreys in the musical Street Scene
 * "What's Good About Goodbye?" w. Leo Robin m. Harold Arlen. Introduced by Tony Martin in the 1948 film Casbah
 * "When I'm Not Near The Girl I Love" w. E. Y. Harburg m. Burton Lane Introduced by David Wayne in the Broadway production of Finian's Rainbow
 * "Woody Woodpecker" w.m. George Tibbles & Ramez Idriss
 * "You Do" w. Mack Gordon m. Josef Myrow
 * "You Don't Have To Know The Language" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
 * "You Were Only Fooling" w. William E. Faber & Fred Meadows m. Larry Fotine
 * "You, You, You Are The One" w. Milton Leeds & Fred Wise m. Tetos Demey

Compositions

 * Milton Babbitt – Three Compositions for Piano
 * Samuel Barber – Knoxville: Summer of 1915
 * Lennox Berkeley – Piano Concerto in B-flat
 * Doreen Carwithen (Mary Alwyn) – ODTAA (One Damn Thing After Another)
 * Paul Creston – Fantasy for Trombone
 * George Crumb
 * Gethsemane for small orchestra
 * Three Early Songs for Voice and Piano
 * David Diamond – String Quartet No. 3
 * Maurice Duruflé – Requiem
 * Henri Dutilleux – Oboe Sonata
 * Einar Englund – Symphony No. 1 War Symphony
 * Vittorio Giannini – Variations on a Cantus Firmus
 * Morton Gould – American Salute
 * Vagn Holmboe – Symphony No. 6
 * Charles Ives – Piano Sonata No. 2, Concord, Mass., 1840–60 (Concord Sonata, revised version)
 * André Jolivet – Concerto for ondes Martenot and orchestra
 * Miloslav Kabeláč – Overture No. 2 for large orchestra
 * Aram Khachaturian – Symphony No. 3 (Symphony-Poem)
 * Wojciech Kilar – Two Miniatures for Children for piano
 * Witold Lutosławski – Symphony No. 1
 * Gian Francesco Malipiero
 * Symphony No. 5 (Concertante in Eco)
 * Symphony No. 6 (degli Archi)
 * Nikolai Myaskovsky
 * Pathetic Overture in C Minor, Op.76
 * String Quartet No. 12 in G, Op.77
 * Sergei Prokofiev
 * Symphony No. 6 in E-flat Minor
 * Symphony No. 4 in C Major (extensively revised version)
 * Edmund Rubbra – Symphony No. 5
 * Mátyás Seiber – Ulysses (cantata)
 * Harold Shapero – Symphony for Classical Orchestra
 * Othmar Schoeck – Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra, Op. 61
 * Arnold Schoenberg
 * A Survivor from Warsaw
 * Igor Stravinsky
 * Orpheus (ballet)
 * Petrushka (ballet) (2nd version)
 * Edgard Varèse – Tuning Up
 * Heitor Villa-Lobos – String Quartet No. 11
 * William Walton – String Quartet in A minor (1945–47)

Opera

 * Benjamin Britten – Albert Herring
 * Gottfried von Einem – Dantons Tod
 * Gian Carlo Menotti – The Telephone
 * Vano Muradeli – The Great Friendship
 * Ildebrando Pizzetti – L'Oro
 * Francis Poulenc – Les mamelles de Tirésias
 * Virgil Thomson – The Mother of Us All

Film

 * Brian Easdale - Black Narcissus
 * Bernard Herrmann – The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
 * Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Escape Me Never
 * Constant Lambert – Anna Karenina
 * Alfred Newman – Captain from Castile
 * David Raksin - Forever Amber
 * Dmitri Shostakovich – Pirogov
 * Max Steiner – Pursued
 * Franz Waxman – Dark Passage

Musical theater

 *  Allegro Broadway production
 *  Angel in the Wings Broadway production
 *  Annie Get Your Gun (Irving Berlin) – London production opened at the Coliseum on June 7 and ran for 1304 performances
 *  Barefoot Boy with Cheek Broadway production
 *  Bless the Bride (Vivian Ellis and A. P. Herbert) – London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on April 26 and ran for 886 performances. Starring Georges Guétary, Lizbeth Webb, Anona Winn and Brian Reece. Features "I Was Never Kissed Before", "Ma Belle Marguerite" and "This Is My Lovely Day"
 *  Bonanza Bound Philadelphia production
 *  Brigadoon (Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe) – Broadway production
 *  Finian's Rainbow (Burton Lane and E. Y. Harburg)
 * Broadway production opened on January 10 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 725 performances
 * London production opened on October 21 at the Palace Theatre and ran for 55 performances
 *  High Button Shoes (Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn) – Broadway production
 *  Oklahoma! (Rodgers & Hammerstein) – London production opened at the Theatre Royal on April 29 and ran for 1543 performances
 * The Red Mill London revival
 *  The Shape of Things! East Hampton production
 *  Street Scene Broadway production
 * Together Again London revue starring The Crazy Gang opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre on April 7 and ran for 1566 performances
 *  Tuppence Coloured London revue
 * Under the Counter Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre on October 3. Cicely Courtneidge reprised her starring role from the London production but the show closed after only 27 performances

Musical films

 * Carnival in Costa Rica
 * Con la música por dentro, starring Germán Valdés, Marcelo Chávez and Marga López
 * Copacabana
 * Don't Give Up (Tappa inte sugen), starring Nils Poppe and Annalisa Ericson
 * Down to Earth
 * Etoile Sans Lumiere (Star Without Light)
 * The Fabulous Dorseys
 * Fiesta
 * Fun and Fancy Free animated film includes Bongo and Mickey And The Beanstalk
 * Golden Earrings
 * Good News
 * I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
 * I'll Be Yours starring Deanna Durbin, Tom Drake, William Bendix and Adolphe Menjou. Directed by William A. Seiter.
 * It Happened in Brooklyn starring Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Kathryn Grayson and Jimmy Durante. Directed by Richard Whorf.
 * Ladies' Man
 * Linda Be Good starring Elyse Knox, Marie Wilson and John Hubbard. Directed by Frank McDonald. Directed by Frank McDonald.
 * Little Miss Broadway starring Jean Porter, John Shelton and Ruth Donnelly. Directed by Arthur Dreifuss.
 * Living in a Big Way starring Gene Kelly
 * Mother Wore Tights starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey
 * My Favorite Brunette
 * My Wild Irish Rose
 * New Orleans
 * Night Song
 * Nora Prentiss
 * Northwest Outpost
 * The Perils of Pauline
 * The Road to Rio
 * The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
 * Shadiyat al-Wadi, starring Layla Murad
 * The Shocking Miss Pilgrim released January 4 starring Betty Grable and Dick Haymes
 * Something in the Wind
 * Song of Scheherazade
 * Star Without Light
 * This Time for Keeps
 * The Trouble with Women
 * The Unfinished Dance
 * Variety Girl
 * Welcome, Stranger

Births

 * January 6 – Sandy Denny, folk singer (Fairport Convention) (died 1978)
 * January 7 (or 1) – Mohammad-Reza Lotfi, Iranian setar player and composer (died 2014)
 * January 8
 * David Bowie, singer-songwriter (died 2016)
 * Terry Sylvester, pop guitarist and singer (The Hollies)
 * January 18 – John O'Conor, Irish pianist
 * January 19 – Rod Evans (Deep Purple, Captain Beyond)
 * January 20 – George Grantham (Poco)
 * January 21 – Pye Hastings (Caravan)
 * January 24 – Warren Zevon, singer-songwriter (died 2003)
 * January 29 – David Byron, lead vocalist (Uriah Heep, Spice) (died 1985)
 * January 30 – Steve Marriott (Small Faces, Humble Pie) (died 1991)
 * February 3
 * Dave Davies, singer-guitarist (The Kinks)
 * Melanie (Safka), folk singer-songwriter (died 2024)
 * February 7 – John Weathers (Gentle Giant, Man)
 * February 9 – Joe Ely, singer, guitarist and songwriter
 * February 11 – Derek Shulman (Gentle Giant)
 * February 14 – Tim Buckley, singer-songwriter and musician (died 1975)
 * February 15 – John Coolidge Adams, composer
 * February 18 – Dennis DeYoung (Styx)
 * February 24 – Rupert Holmes, singer-songwriter
 * February 26 – Sandie Shaw, singer
 * March 3 – Jennifer Warnes, singer
 * March 5 – Clodagh Rodgers, singer
 * March 6 – Kiki Dee, singer
 * March 8 – Michael Allsup (Three Dog Night)
 * March 10 – Tom Scholz (Boston)
 * March 11 – Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge)
 * March 14
 * Jona Lewie, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
 * Peter Skellern, English singer-songwriter and pianist (died 2017)
 * March 15 – Ry Cooder, guitarist, singer and composer
 * March 18 – B. J. Wilson, drummer (Procol Harum) (died 1990)
 * March 24 – Mike Kellie, drummer (Spooky Tooth) (died 2017)
 * March 25
 * Elton John, pianist and singer-songwriter
 * John Rowles, New Zealand singer
 * March 29 – Bobby Kimball, singer (Toto)
 * April 2 – Emmylou Harris, country singer-songwriter
 * April 7
 * Patricia Bennett, rock singer (The Chiffons)
 * Florian Schneider, electronic musician (Kraftwerk) (died 2020)
 * April 8
 * Steve Howe, guitarist (Yes)
 * Larry Norman, singer-songwriter and producer (died 2008)
 * April 10 – Bunny Wailer, reggae singer-songwriter and percussionist (died 2021)
 * April 16
 * Ján Lehotský, Slovak composer
 * Gerry Rafferty, singer-songwriter (died 2011)
 * April 21
 * Iggy Pop, rock singer-songwriter
 * John Weider (John Mayall's Bluesbreakers)
 * April 23 – Glenn Cornick, bass guitarist (Jethro Tull) (died 2014)
 * April 27 – Pete Ham, singer-songwriter (Badfinger) (died 1975)
 * April 29 – Tommy James, singer-songwriter and producer (Tommy James and the Shondells)
 * May 8 – Phil Sawyer, guitarist (The Spencer Davis Group, Jefferson Starship)
 * May 10 – Jay Ferguson (Spirit)
 * May 11 – Butch Trucks, drummer (The Allman Brothers Band) (died 2017)
 * May 13 – Pete Overend Watts, British rock bassist and vocalist (Mott the Hoople, Mott, British Lions) (died 2017)
 * May 14 – Al Ciner, guitarist (Three Dog Night)
 * May 15 – Graeham Goble, rock musician (Little River Band)
 * May 16
 * Barbara Lee, rock singer (The Chiffons)
 * Darrell Sweet, hard rock drummer (Nazareth) (died 1999)
 * May 19
 * Paul Brady, singer-songwriter
 * David Helfgott, classical pianist
 * May 20 – Steve Currie (T. Rex) (died 1981)
 * May 21 – Bill Champlin (Chicago)
 * May 31 – Junior Campbell, singer-songwriter
 * June 1 – Ronnie Wood, guitarist (The Faces; The Rolling Stones)
 * June 3
 * – Mickey Finn, glam rock drummer (T. Rex) (died 2003)
 * – Shuki Levy, composer
 * June 5
 * Laurie Anderson, singer-songwriter
 * Tom Evans, rock singer-songwriter (Badfinger) (died 1983)
 * Freddie Stone, guitarist (Sly and the Family Stone)
 * June 8
 * Mick Box, hard rock guitarist (Uriah Heep)
 * Julie Driscoll, singer (Brian Auger and the Trinity)
 * June 14 – Barry Melton, rock guitarist (Country Joe and the Fish)
 * June 15 – Paul Patterson, composer
 * June 17
 * Gregg Rolie, singer and keyboard player (Santana, Journey)
 * Paul Young, lead vocalist (Sad Café), singer & percussionist (Mike + The Mechanics) (died 2000)
 * June 20 – Dolores "LaLa" Brooks, singer (The Crystals)
 * June 22 – Howard Kaylan, rock singer (The Turtles, The Mothers of Invention, Flo & Eddie)
 * June 24 – Mick Fleetwood, rock drummer (Fleetwood Mac)
 * July 7
 * David Hodo, American singer and actor (Village People)
 * Rob Townsend, drummer (Family)
 * July 8 – Jonathan Kelly, singer-songwriter
 * July 9
 * Mitch Mitchell, drummer (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) (died 2008)
 * Haruomi Hosono, Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and record producer
 * July 10 – Arlo Guthrie, folk singer
 * July 11 – John Holt, singer (The Paragons) (died 2014)
 * July 12 – Wilko Johnson, pub rock guitarist, singer-songwriter (Dr. Feelgood) and actor (died 2022)
 * July 15
 * Peter Banks, guitarist (Yes, The Syn) (died 2013)
 * Roky Erickson (The 13th Floor Elevators) (died 2019)
 * July 19
 * Bernie Leadon (The Flying Burrito Brothers, Eagles)
 * Brian May, guitarist (Queen)
 * July 20 – Carlos Santana, guitarist
 * July 22 – Don Henley (Eagles)
 * July 23 – David Essex, singer and actor
 * July 24
 * Peter Serkin, classical pianist (died 2020)
 * Chris Townson, drummer (John's Children, The Who) (died 2008)
 * August 5
 * Rick Derringer (The McCoys)
 * Gregory Leskiw (The Guess Who)
 * August 6 – Dennis Alcapone, reggae deejay and producer
 * August 9 – Barbara Mason, singer
 * August 10
 * Dimitri Alexeev, pianist
 * Ian Anderson, singer and flautist (Jethro Tull)
 * August 14 – Maddy Prior, folk singer
 * August 17 – Gary Talley, guitarist (The Box Tops)
 * August 20 – James Pankow, brass player (Chicago)
 * September 3 – Eric Bell, guitarist (Thin Lizzy)
 * September 5 – Buddy Miles (died 2008)
 * September 12 – Darryl DeLoach, vocalist (Iron Butterfly) (died 2002)
 * September 17
 * Lol Creme, singer (10cc)
 * Gordon Edwards (The Kinks)
 * September 21 – Don Felder (Eagles)
 * September 23 – Jerry Corbetta (Sugarloaf) (died 2016)
 * September 26 – Lynn Anderson, country-music singer (died 2015)
 * September 27 – Meat Loaf, singer (died 2022)
 * September 30 – Marc Bolan, singer-songwriter (died 1977)
 * October 4 – Jim Fielder, bass guitarist (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Buffalo Springfield)
 * October 5 – Brian Johnson, singer (AC/DC)
 * October 9 – France Gall, yé-yé singer (died 2018)
 * October 10 – Norman Carl Odam, the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, novelty artist
 * October 12 – George Lam, Hong Kong singer and actor
 * October 13 – Sammy Hagar (Montrose, Van Halen)
 * October 16 – Bob Weir (Grateful Dead)
 * October 17 – Michael McKean (This Is Spinal Tap)
 * October 18 – Laura Nyro, singer, pianist and composer (died 1997)
 * October 21 – Tetsu Yamauchi, bass guitarist (Free, The Faces)
 * October 23 – Greg Ridley, bass guitarist (Spooky Tooth, Humble Pie) (died 2003)
 * October 30 – Timothy B. Schmit (Poco, Eagles)
 * November 2 – Dave Pegg, multi-instrumentalist (Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull), bassist (Ian Campbell Folk Group)
 * November 5
 * Rubén Juárez, Argentinian singer-songwriter and bandoneon player (died 2010)
 * Peter Noone, singer, "Herman" of Herman's Hermits
 * November 8 – Minnie Riperton, singer (died 1979)
 * November 10
 * Greg Lake progressive rock singer-songwriter (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) (died 2016)
 * Dave Loggins, singer-songwriter
 * November 12 – Buck Dharma, hard rock guitarist and singer (Blue Öyster Cult)
 * November 20 – Joe Walsh, hard rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (James Gang, Eagles)
 * November 29 – Ronnie Montrose, rock guitarist (Montrose, Gamma) (died 2012)
 * December 4 – Terry Woods, folk rock musician (The Pogues)
 * December 5
 * Egberto Gismonti, Brazilian composer, guitarist and pianist
 * Jim Messina (Buffalo Springfield, Loggins and Messina)
 * Rick Wills, bass guitarist (Foreigner)
 * December 8 – Gregg Allman, singer, guitarist and songwriter (died 2017)
 * December 12 – Vin Scelsa, radio DJ
 * December 21 – Paco de Lucía, flamenco guitarist (died 2014)
 * December 27 – Tracy Nelson, singer (Mother Earth)
 * December 28 – Dick Diamonde, bassist (The Easybeats)
 * December 29 – Cozy Powell, drummer (died 1998)
 * December 30 – Jeff Lynne, singer-songwriter and producer (The Move, Electric Light Orchestra)
 * December 31 – Burton Cummings, rock singer-songwriter (The Guess Who)

Deaths

 * January 3 – Gus Wickie, singer and voice actor, 61
 * January 11 – Eva Tanguay, singer, vaudeville star, 67
 * January 16
 * Sonny Berman, jazz trumpeter, 21 (suspected drug overdose)
 * Fate Marable, jazz pianist and bandleader, 56 (pneumonia)
 * January 26 – Grace Moore, operatic soprano, 48 (plane crash)
 * January 28 – Reynaldo Hahn, French composer and conductor, 71
 * February 5 – Salvatore Cardillo, songwriter, 72
 * February 6 – Luigi Russolo, composer, 61
 * February 22 – Fannie Charles Dillon, composer, 65
 * March 5 – Alfredo Casella, composer, 63
 * March 28 – Rudolph Simonsen, composer, 57
 * April 22 – Charles Friant, tenor, 57
 * May 2 – Louie Henri, singer and actress, 83
 * May 6 – Louise Homer, operatic contralto, 76
 * May 27 – Claire Croiza, mezzo-soprano and singing teacher, 64
 * May 30 – Georg Ludwig von Trapp, head of the singing von Trapp family, 67
 * July 1 – Clarence Lucas, composer and conductor, 80
 * July 12 – Jimmie Lunceford, jazz saxophonist and bandleader, 45 (cardiac arrest)
 * July 13 – Marcel Varnel, Broadway director, 52 (car crash)
 * July 15 – Walter Donaldson, songwriter, 54
 * July 24 – Ernest Austin, English composer, 72
 * September 18 – Bert Kalmar, lyricist, 63
 * September 28 – Francisco Santiago, "Father of Kundiman Art Song", 58
 * September 29 – Jan Hambourg, violinist, 65
 * October 6
 * Janet Fairbank, opera singer, 44 (leukaemia)
 * Leevi Madetoja, composer
 * October 30 – Syech Albar
 * November 14 – Joseph Allard, French-Canadian fiddler, 74
 * November 16 – Carl Adolph Preyer, compose, pianist, 83
 * November 26 – John McKenna, traditional Irish flute player, 67
 * November 28 – Georg Schnéevoigt, conductor and composer, 75
 * December 14 – Will Fyffe, Scottish comedian and singer, 62
 * December 16 – Cesare Sodero, conductor, 61
 * date unknown –
 * Ilia Trilling, Yiddish theatre producer and composer