- Jan 3 Pola Negri [Apolonia Chalupec], Polish-American stage and silent and sound screen actress (Forbidden Paradise; Madame Bovary), and singer, born in Lipno, Kingdom of Poland, Russian Empire (d. 1987)
- Jan 5 Theo Mackeben, German pianist and composer (Lady Fanny, Bel Ami), born in Starogard Gdański, Poland (d. 1953)
- Jan 9 Luis Gianneo, Argentine pianist, organist, conductor, composer, and teacher, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1968)
- Jan 10 Albert Moeschinger, Swiss composer, born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 1985)
- Jan 10 Sam Chatmon, American Delta blues guitarist, banjo player, and singer (The Mississippi Sheiks), born in Bolton, Mississippi (d. 1983)
- Jan 22 "Blind" Willie Johnson, American gospel blues singer and guitarist ("Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground"), born in Pendleton, Texas (d. 1945)
- Jan 22 Josef Stanislav, Czech pianist and composer, born in Hamburg, German Empire (d. 1971)
- Jan 22 Rosa Ponselle [Ponzillo], American soprano opera diva ("Casta Diva"; La Forza del Destino - "Leonora"; Metropolitan Opera, 1918-37), born in Meriden, Connecticut (d. 1986)
- Feb 7 Quincy Porter, American composer, teacher, and Pulitzer Prize winner (1954), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1966)
- Feb 11 Yves de La Casiniere, French composer, born in Angers, France (d. 1971)
- Feb 14 Jørgen Bentzon, Danish composer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1951)
- Feb 22 Bob Ysaguirre, American jazz double bass and tuba player (Don Redman Orchestra), born in Belize, British Honduras (now Belize City, Belize) (d. 1982)
Marian Anderson (1897-1993)
Feb 27 American contralto and celebrated singer (My Lord, What a Morning), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Mar 3 Jose Moreno Gans, Spanish composer, born in Algemesí, Spain (d. 1976)
- Mar 6 Knudåge Riisager, Danish composer, and music director (Royal Danish Academy of Music, 1956-67), born in Kunda, Estonia (d. 1974)
- Mar 11 Henry Cowell, American pianist, composer (The Tides of Manaunaun; Aeolian Harp), and modern music promoter (New Musical Resources), born in Menlo Park, California (d. 1965)
- Mar 24 Lucia Chase, American ballerina and co-founder of American Ballet Theater, born in Waterbury, Connecticut (d. 1986)
- Mar 25 "Sweet" Emma Barrett, American Dixieland jazz pianist and singer, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1983)
- Apr 1 Lucille Bogan, American blues singer and songwriter ("Sweet Petunia"; "Black Angel Blues"), born in Amory, Mississippi (d. 1948)
- Apr 7 Harald Sæverud, Norwegian composer (Rondo Amoroso; Sinfonia Dolorosa), born in Bergen, Norway (d. 1992)
- Apr 8 Herbert Eimert, German composer and musicologist (Glockenspiel), born in Bad Kreuznach, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1972)
- Apr 11 Caspar Neher, Austrian-German set designer and librettist, born in Augsburg, Germany (d. 1962)
- Apr 16 Arthur Charles Ernest Hoérée, Belgian-French composer, born in St. Gilles, Brussels, Belgium (d. 1986)
- Apr 16 Jaap Vranken, Dutch organist and composer (Stabat Mater), born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 1956)
- Apr 16 Milton Cross, American radio announcer (Metropolitan Opera's Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, 1931-75), born in New York City (d. 1975)
- Apr 17 Harald Saeverud, Norwegian composer (Saline), born in Bergen, Norway (d. 1992)
- Apr 19 Vivienne Segal, American Broadway actress and singer (Pal Joey), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1992)
- Apr 24 György Kósa, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest (d. 1984)
- Apr 25 Haro Levoni Step'anian, Armenian composer, born in Ganja, Azerbaijan (d. 1966)
- May 2 J. Fred Coots, American songwriter ("Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"; "Love Letters In The Sand"), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1985)
- May 14 Sidney Bechet, American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer ("Petite Fleur"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1959)
- May 16 Walther Geiser, Swiss violist, composer and conductor, born in Zofingen, Switzerland (d. 1993)
- May 22 Marcelle Meyer, French concert pianist specializing in both contemporary classical (Les Six) and Baroque revivalist (Bach; Rameau) repertoires, born in Lille, France (d. 1958)
- May 23 Fred Guy, American jazz banjo player and guitarist (Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra; Duke Ellington's Washingtonians), born in Burkeville, Virginia (d. 1971)
- May 29 Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Austrian-American composer (Violanta; The Adventures of Robin Hood), born in Brünn, Austria-Hungary (d. 1957)
- May 29 Ignace Lilien, Dutch-Austrian composer, born in Lemberg (now in Lviv, Ukraine) (d. 1964)
- Jun 3 Memphis Minnie [Lizzie Douglas], American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter ("Bumble Bee"; "Me and My Chauffeur Blues"), born in Algiers, Louisiana (d. 1973)
- Jun 7 George Szell, Hungarian-born American conductor (Cleveland Orchestra, 1946-70), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1970)
- Jun 12 Alexandre Tansman, Polish composer (Dyptique), born in Łódź, Poland (d. 1986)
- Jun 20 Elisabeth Hauptmann, German writer (co-author of The Threepenny Opera), born in Peckelsheim, Westphalia, German Empire (d. 1973)
- Jun 25 Hans Barth, German-born American composer, born in Leipzig, Germany (d. 1956)
- Jun 29 Ottmar Gerster, German composer (rector of the Liszt Music Academy in Weimar), born in Braunfels, Germany (d. 1969)
- Jul 5 Paul Ben-Haim [Frankenburger], Israeli composer, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1984)
- Jul 11 Johnny Marvin, American jazz, pop, and country ukulele player, singer, and vaudevillian, born in Butler Oklahoma Territory (d. 1944)
- Jul 25 Hermann Ambrosius, German composer, born in Hamburg, Germany Empire (d. 1983)
- Aug 12 Manuel Blancafort, Spanish-Catalan pianist and composer, born in La Garriga, Spain (d. 1987)
- Aug 12 Ramón González Barrón, Spanish composer, born in Villanueva del Campo, Spain (d. 1987)
- Aug 15 Marion Eugene Bauer, American composer, born in Walla Walla, Washington (d. 1955)
- Aug 16 Vicente Ascone, Italian composer, born in Siderno, Italy (d. 1979)
- Aug 22 Nick Lucas [Dominic Lucanese], American jazz guitarist and singer ("Tiptoe Through the Tulips"; "Painting the Clouds With Sunshine"), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1982)
- Aug 24 Fred Rose, American songwriter and music publishing executive (Nashville's Acuff-Rose Music), born in Evansville, Indiana (d. 1954)
- Aug 25 Jaroslav Řídký, Czech composer, born in Reichenberg, Czech Republic (d. 1956)
- Sep 3 Francisco Mignone, Brazilian composer, born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 1986)
Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933)
Sep 8 American country singer and singing brakeman, born in Meridian, Mississippi
- Sep 10 David L. Snell, American pianist and composer for films (MGM Studio), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1967)
- Sep 13 Gaspar Cassadó, Spanish cellist and composer, born in Barcelona (d. 1966)
- Sep 18 Pablo Sorozábal, Spanish composer, born in San Sebastián, Spain (d. 1988)
- Sep 20 Efim Golishev, Ukrainian painter and composer, born in Kherson, Ukraine (d. 1970)
- Oct 10 Lamar Stringfield, American composer, born in Raleigh, North Carolina (d. 1959)
- Oct 11 Arvo Hannikainen, Finnish violinist and composer, born in Jyväskylä, Finland (d. 1942)
- Oct 16 Harrison Kerr, American composer, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1978)
- Oct 24 Lazar Weiner, Russian-born American composer, born in Cherkasy, Russian Empire (d. 1982)
- Oct 25 (Edmond) "Doc" Souchon, American jazz guitarist, music journal writer and editor, and New Orleans jazz historical preservationist, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1968)
- Oct 30 Agustín Lara, Mexican composer and singer-songwriter of popular ballads and boleros (Granada; Solamente Una Vez), born in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz (d. 1970)
- Nov 3 Karel Salmon, Israeli composer, born in Heidelberg, Germany (d. 1974)
- Nov 4 Oscar Lorenzo Fernández, Brazilian conductor and composer (Imbapara), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (d. 1948)
- Nov 12 Karl Marx, German composer and conductor, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1985)
- Nov 18 Jules Buffano, American composer and pianist (Jimmy Durante Show), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 1960)
- Nov 20 Margaret Sutherland, Australian composer (Haunted Hills; The Young Kabbarli), born in Adelaide, Australia (d. 1984)
- Nov 30 Andreas Nezertis, Greek composer, born in Patras, Greece (d. 1980)
- Nov 30 Quinto Maganini, American composer (The Argonauts), born in Fairfield, California (d. 1974)
- Dec 6 John Fernström, Swedish violinist, conductor (Nordic Youth Orchestra), and composer (Concertino for Flute, Women's Choir and Chamber Orchestra), born in Yichang, China (d. 1961)
- Dec 8 Leslie Heward, English composer, born in Liversedge, Yorkshire (d. 1943)
Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952)
Dec 18 American pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger (Benny Goodman Orchestra), born in Cuthbert, Georgia [1]
- Dec 29 Hermann Heiss, German composer, born in Darmstadt, Germany (d. 1966)
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers