- May 3 Dave Dudley, American country singer (Six Days on the Road), born in Spencer, Wisconsin (d. 2003)
- May 4 Maynard Ferguson, Canadian jazz trumpeter (Roulette), born in Verdun, Quebec (d. 2006)
- May 5 Marshall Grant, American bassist (Johnny Cash's Tennessee Two), born in Bryson City, North Carolina (d. 2011)
- May 8 Larry Levine, American sound engineer (Phil Spector's wall of sound; Herb Alpert; Beach Boys), born in New York City (d. 2008)
- May 8 William Jay Sydeman, American avant-garde composer, born in New York City (d. 2021)
- May 9 Páll Pampichier Pálsson, Austrian-Icelandic composer, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1966)
Burt Bacharach (1928-2023)
May 12 American Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again"; "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"; "Promises, Promises"), born in Kansas City, Missouri [1]
- May 12 Henry Cosby, American songwriter, musician and producer for Motown ("Tears of a Clown"; "For Once In My Life"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2002)
- May 12 Ivan Král, Czech-American bass player, songwriter, record producer (Patti Smith; Iggy Pop; John Waite), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (d. 2020)
- May 14 Will "Dub" Jones, American bass singer (The Coasters - "Charlie Brown"), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2000)
- May 20 Al Aronowitz, American music journalist (New York Post; Saturday Evening Post), introduced The Beatles to Bob Dylan, born in Bordentown, New Jersey (d. 2005)
- May 22 Roscoe Robinson, American gospel and soul singer, born in Dermott, Arkansas
- May 23 Jeannie Carson [Shufflebottom], British-born comedian, actress, singer and dancer (As Long as They're Happy; An Alligator Named Daisy), born in Yorkshire, England
- May 23 Pauline Julien, Canadian singer-songwriter, social and political activist, born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec (d. 1998)
- May 23 Rosemary Clooney, American singer ("Come On-a My House"), and actress (White Christmas), born in Maysville, Kentucky (d. 2002)
- May 25 Frigyes Hidas, Hungarian composer, and musical director (Hungarian National Theater, 1951-66; Budapest Operetta, 1974-79), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2007)
- May 27 Thea Musgrave, Scottish composer (Mary Queen of Scots; Pontalba), born in Barnton, Edinburgh, Scotland
- May 28 Arno Marsh, American jazz saxophonist (Woody Herman), and bandleader, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 2019)
- May 29 Freddie Redd, American hard-bop jazz pianist, organist, and composer, born in Harlem, New York (d. 2021)
- May 29 Sandy Mosse, American jazz tenor saxophonist, and bandleader (Pieces of Eight), born in Detroit, Michigan, (d. 1983)
- May 30 Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch harpsichordist, organist and conductor, born in 's-Graveland, Netherlands (d. 2012)
- May 31 Jacob Lateiner, Cuban-American concert pianist, and professor (Juilliard School, 1966-2010), born in Havana, Cuba (d. 2010)
About May 1928
How Old? 95 years old
Generation: Silent Generation
Leap Year: Yes
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers