- May 1 James Wise, American soul singer (Archie Bell & the Drells - "I Can't Stop Dancing"; "Do the Choo-Choo"), born in Houston, Texas
- May 2 Larry Gatlin, American country singer (Gatlin Brothers - "Broken Lady"), born in Seminole, Texas
- May 5 Bill Ward, English heavy metal drummer (Black Sabbath), born in Birmingham, England
- May 5 Frank Esler-Smith, English-Australian rock keyboardist (Air Supply - "All Out Of Love"), born in London (d. 1991)
- May 6 Jacques Israelievitch, French Canadian classical violinist, concertmaster (St. Louis Symphony, 1978-88; Toronto Symphony, 1988-2008), and music director (Koffler Chamber Orchestra, 2005-14), born in Cannes, France (d. 2015)
- May 6 Mary MacGregor, American pop singer ("Torn Between Two Lovers"), born in St. Paul, Minnesota
- May 6 Shaun Murphy, American session and touring rock, blues, and R&B singer (Little Feat, 1993-2009; Bob Seger; Eric Clapton), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- May 8 Don "Red" Young, American session, touring keyboard and piano player, bandleader, and jazz Hammond B3 organist, born in Fort Worth, Texas
- May 11 Shigeru Izumiya, Japanese folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and poet, born in Aomori Prefecture, Japan
- May 12 Steve Winwood, English singer, songwriter and musician (Spencer Davis Group - "Gimme Some Lovin'"; Traffic - "Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys"; solo - 'Higher Love"; "While You See A Chance"), born in Birmingham, England
- May 13 David "Hawk" Wolinski, American funk keyboardist (Rufus; Chaka Kahn), and record producer, born in Chicago, Illinois
- May 15 Brian Eno, British rock and ambient musician (Robert Fripp; Roxy Music; Jon Hassell), and record producer (Roxy Music; David Bowie; Talking Heads; U2; Coldplay; Paul Simon), born in Woodbridge, Sussex, England
- May 16 Alto Reed [Thomas Cartmell], American saxophonist (Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2020)
- May 18 Joe Bonsall, American country singer (Oak Ridge Boys - "Elvira"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- May 19 Grace Jones, Jamaican-American disco singer ("Slave to the Rhythm"), and actress (A View To A Kill), born in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, Jamaica
- May 19 Tom Scott, American saxophonist and composer (L.A. Express; The Blues Brothers), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 21 (Gerard) "Leo" Sayer, British songwriter and singer ("You Make Me Feel Like Dancing"; "When I Need Love"), born in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, England
- May 22 Doug Gray, American musician (The Marshall Tucker Band), born in Spartanburg, South Carolina
- May 24 Ernst Jansz, Dutch keyboardist and singer (Doe Maar), born in Amsterdam
- May 25 Klaus Meine, German musician (Scorpions), born in Hanover, Germany
Stevie Nicks (75 years old)
May 26 American rock singer-songwriter (Fleetwood Mac - "Rhiannon"; "Landslide"; Bella Donna - "Edge Of Seventeen"), born in Phoenix, Arizona
- May 27 Pete Sears, British session and touring bassist (Jefferson Starship; Rod Stewart), born in Bromley, Kent, England
- May 28 Ray Laidlaw, British folk-rock drummer (Lindisfarne - "Lady Eleanor"; Jack the Lad), born in England
- May 29 Linda Esther Gray, Scottish operatic soprano (Isolde), born in Greenock
- May 29 Michael Berkeley, English composer, broadcaster and House of Lords member (Jayne Eyre opera), born in London, England
John Bonham (1948-1980)
May 31 English rock drummer (Led Zeppelin - "Whole Lotta Love"), born in Redditch, England
- May 31 Mike Edwards, aka Swami Deva Pramada, British rock cellist (ELO), born in London (d. 2010)
- May 31 Paulinho da Costa, Brazilian percussionist (Thriller; Saturday Night Fever), born in Rio de Janeiro
About May 1948
How Old? 75 or 76 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: Yes
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers