- Jan 2 David Bailey, British fashion and portraiture photographer(Vogue; Alice Cooper "Billion Dollar Babies" album cover art), and director, born in Leytonstone, Essex, England
- Jan 6 Adriano Celentano, Italian singer and actor, born in Greco
- Jan 7 Paul Revere [Dick], American rock organ player and pianist (Paul Revere & Raiders - "Kicks": "Indian Reservation"), born in Harvard, Nebraska (d. 2014)
- Jan 7 Rory Storm [Alan Caldwell], British rock singer (Rory Storm & the Hurricanes), born in Stoneycroft, Liverpool, England (d. 1972)
- Jan 8 Jørn Elniff, Danish bebop jazz drummer (Music for Mice and Men; Bud Powell), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1991)
- Jan 13 Daevid Allen [Christopher David], Australian musician and performance artist (Soft Machine, Gong), born in Melbourne, Victoria (d. 2015)
- Jan 13 Paavo Heininen, Finnish pianist, contemporary classical composer (Tritopos; Veitsi - The Knife), and pedagogue, born in Helsinki, Finland (d. 2022)
- Jan 13 Richard Anthony [Btesh], Syrian-French pop singer, and songwriter ("Aranjuez mon amour"; "Amoureux de ma femme"), born in Cairo, Egypt (d. 2015)
- Jan 13 Shiv Kumar Sharma, Indian santoor (100-string dulcimer-like instrument) master, and composer, born in Jammu, British India (d. 2022)
Allen Toussaint (1938-2015)
Jan 14 American pianist, songwriter and producer ("Mother-In-Law"; "Working In A Coal Mine"; "Southern Nights"), born in Gert Town, Louisiana
- Jan 14 Jack Jones, American singer (Love Boat Theme), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 16 Jô Soares, Brazilian comedian, late night television talk show host, author (O Xangô de Baker Street - A Samba for Sherlock), and jazz musician, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (d. 2022)
- Jan 18 Hargus “Pig” Robbins, American Nashville session piano player (Patsy Cline; Charlie Rich; Roger Miller; Bob Dylan; Ween), born in Spring City, Tennessee (d. 2022) [1]
- Jan 19 Eskil Hemberg, Swedish composer, conductor (Stockholm University Chorus, 1959-84), and artistic director (Royal Swedish Opera, 1987-96), born in Stockholm (d. 2004)
- Jan 24 Julius Hemphill, American jazz saxophonist, and composer, born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1995)
Etta James (1938-2012)
Jan 25 American singer ("Roll With Me"; "At Last"), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 26 Bill Wurtzel, American jazz and classical guitarist (Count Basie), born in Forestburgh, New York
About January 1938
How Old? 86 years old
Generation: Silent Generation
Leap Year: No
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers