- May 5 Frank Carlson, American jazz and session drummer (Woody Herman, 1937-42 - "The Golden Wedding"), born in New York City (d. 1996)
- May 9 Carlo Maria Giulini, Italian conductor, born in Barletta, Italy (d. 2005)
- May 9 Frank Chacksfield, English easy listening pianist, arranger and orchestra leader ("Ebb Tide"), born in Battle, England (d. 1995)
- May 9 [Clarence] Hank Snow, Canadian country singer (I'm Moving On; I Went to Your Wedding), born in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia (d. 1999)
- May 13 (Louis Charles) "L. C. Robinson, American blues singer, guitarist, fiddler, and electric steel guitar player, born in Brenham, Texas (d. 1976)
- May 15 Norman "Norrie" Paramor, British composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader, and record producer (Cliff Richard: The Shadows; Helen Shapiro), born in London, England (d. 1979)
- May 15 Pierre Froidebise, Belgian organist, composer, and musicologist, born in Chey, Belgium (d. 1962)
- May 17 Guido Masanetz, German composer (In Frisco ist der Teufel Los), born in Friedeck, Austria-Hungary (d. 2015)
- May 18 Boris Christoff, Bulgaria Italian bass opera singer (Boris Godunov), born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (d. 1993)
- May 22 Sun Ra [Herbert Blount], American jazz pianist (The Arkestra), born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 1993)
- May 23 Travis Kemp, British ballet dancer and teacher, born in Nottingham, England (d. 1995)
- May 25 Dorothy Sarnoff, American operatic soprano, Broadway actress (Rosalinda), author and pioneer of the self-help movement (Speech Can Change Your Life, Speech Dynamics), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2008)
- May 26 Ziggy Elman [Harry Finkelman], American big band jazz trumpeter (Benny Goodman; Tommy Dorsey), bandleader, and klezmer musician, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1968)
- May 27 Hugh Le Caine, Canadian physicist and composer, born in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay), Ontario (d. 1977)
- May 30 Bobby Sherwood, American jazz and session guitarist (Bing Crosby, 1933-40), big band bandleader, and disc jockey, born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1981)
- May 31 Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer, best known for his film scores in the Godzilla films, born in Kushiro Hokkaido, Japan (d. 2006)
About May 1914
How Old? 109 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation
Leap Year: No
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers