- May 1 Carlos Ward, Panamanian-American jazz and funk saxophonist (B.T. Express; Abdullah Ibrahim; Jazz Composer's Orchestra), born in Ancón, Panama
- May 2 Philippe Herreweghe, Belgian conductor, choirmaster (La Chapelle Royale; Collegium Vocale Gent), and period instrument advocate, born in Ghent, Belgium
- May 8 Felicity Lott, British lyric and operatic soprano (We Come To The River), born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
- May 10 Jay Ferguson, American rocker (Spirit - "Thunder Island";"I Got A Line on You") and composer (theme for The Office), born in Burbank, California
- May 11 Butch Trucks, American drummer (The Allman Brothers - "Whipping Post"), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2017)
- May 13 Pete Overend Watts, English rock bassist (Mott The Hoople - "All Young Dudes"), born in Yardley, Birmingham, England (d. 2017)
- May 13 Robert "Rab" Noakes, Scottish folk-country singer-songwriter ("Turn A Deaf Ear"), born in St Andrews, Fife
- May 14 Al Ciner, American rock guitarist (American Breed - "Bend Me, Shape Me"; Three Dog Night - "Joy To The World"), born in Chicago, Illinois
- May 14 Jon Landau, American music writer, artist manager, and record producer (Bruce Springsteen; Train; Shania Twain), born in New York City
- May 15 Graeham Goble, Australian rock guitarist (Little River Band - Reminiscing), born in Adelaide, Australia
- May 16 Barbara Lee, American singer (Chiffons - "He's So Fine"), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1992)
- May 16 Darrell Sweet, British hard rock drummer (Nazareth - "Love Hurts"), born in Bournemouth, England (d. 1999)
- May 16 Ewald Krolis, Suriname Dutch percussionist and kaseko singer (Caribbean Combo - Mi Kanto Ma Mi De Ete (Fallen But Not Defeated), born in Paramaribo, Suriname (d. 2006)
- May 19 Jerry Hyman, American rock trombonist (Blood Sweat & Tears, 1968-70), and chiropractor, born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 19 Steve Currie, British rock bassist (T. Rex; Marc Bolan), born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England (d. 1981)
- May 21 Bill Champlin, American Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer (Chicago, 1981-2009; Sons of Champlin), born in Oakland, California
- May 24 (Robert) "Waddy" Wachtel, American session guitarist, composer and record producer (Warren Zevon; Stevie Nicks; James Taylor; Linda Ronstadt; Jackson Browne), born in New York City
- May 24 Albert Bouchard, American musician, singer and songwriter (Blue Öyster Cult - "Don't Fear The Reaper"), born in Watertown, New York
- May 24 Mike Reid, American country singer ("Walk On Faith"), born in Altoona, Pennsylvania
- May 27 Liana Alexandra, Romanian pianist and composer, born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2011)
- May 27 Marty Kristian [Vernang] British pop singer, guitarist, and banjo player (The New Seekers - "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing"; Peter, Paul & Marty), born in Leipzig, Germany
- May 27 Peter Knight, British folk musician, fiddler, and mandolin player (Steeleye Span; The Wombles), born in London, England
- May 28 Leland Sklar, American bass guitarist and session musician (James Taylor; Crosby, Stills & Nash), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- May 30 Krishna Das [Jeffrey Kagel], American new age and kirtan vocalist, and record producer (All One), born in Long Island, New York
- May 31 (William) "Junior" Campbell, Scottish singer and guitarist (Marmalade - "I See The Rain"), born in Glasgow, Scotland
About May 1947
How Old? 76 or 77 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers