- May 2 Lou Gramm [Grammatico], American rock singer-songwriter (Foreigner - "Hot Blooded"; "Cold As Ice"), born in Rochester, New York
- May 3 Mary Hopkin, Welsh folk singer ("Those Were the Days"; "Goodbye"), born in Pontardawe, Wales
- May 4 Darryl Hunt, British celtic-rock bassist (The Pogues - "Fairytale of New York"), born in Christchurch, Hampshire, England (d. 2022)
- May 5 Galen Fous, American acoustic jazz-fusion guitarist (Sacred Ground), born in Portland, Oregon
- May 5 Googoosh [Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین)], Persian singer and actress, born in Sarcheshmeh Street, Tehran, Iran
- May 5 Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer (Mouth & MacNeal - "I See A Star"), born in Tilburg, Netherlands
- May 6 Robbie McIntosh, Scottish drummer (Average White Band - "Pick Up The Pieces"), born in Dundee (d. 1974)
- May 7 (Charles) "Prairie" Prince, American rocker (The Tubes; Chris Isaak; Jefferson Starship, 1992-2008), born in Charlotte, North Carolina
- May 9 Tom Petersson, American rock bassist (Cheap Trick - "I Want You to Want Me"), born in Rockford, Illinois
- May 12 (John) "Jocko" Marcellino, American rock singer (Sha Na Na, 1969-present), born in Quincy, Massachusetts
- May 12 Billy Squier, American rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist ("The Stroke"; "My Kind Of Lover"), born in Wellesley, Massachusetts
- May 12 Ronnie Foster, American soul, funk, and acid jazz Hammond B-3 organist, keyboard player, and record producer, born in Buffalo, New York
- May 13 Danny Kirwan, British musician, singer and songwriter (Fleetwood Mac - "Albatross"), born in London, England (d. 2018)
Stevie Wonder (73 years old)
May 13 American singer-songwriter ("You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"; "Sir Duke"), born in Saginaw, Michigan
- May 16 Jock Bartley, American singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Firefall - "Just Remember I Love You"), born in Hutchinson, Kansas
- May 16 Ray Condo [Tremblay], Canadian rockabilly guitarist and sax player, born in Hull, Quebec (d. 2004)
- May 17 Algirdas Martinaitis, Lithuanian classical composer (Cantus ad futurum), born in Paserbentys, Lithuania
- May 17 Howard Ashman, American playwright and lyricist (Little Shop of Horrors: The Little Mermaid), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1991)
- May 18 Mark Mothersbaugh, American new wave rock singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (Devo - "Whip It"), born in Akron, Ohio
- May 20 Andy Johns, British sound engineer (Rolling Stones; Led Zeppelin), and record producer (Free; Humble Pie; L.A. Guns), born in Epsom, Surrey, England (d. 2013)
- May 22 Bernie Taupin, British lyricist (Elton John), and singer, born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire
- May 25 (Elizabeth) Ann Crumb, American stage and screen actress and singer, born in Charleston, West Virginia (d. 2019)
- May 25 Robby Steinhardt, American rock violinist and singer (Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"), born in Lawrence, Kansas
- May 27 Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Garrett), American Grammy Award-winning jazz singer-songwriter, Tony Award-winning stage actress (The Wiz), and radio host (NPR's "JazzSet"), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- May 29 (Maureen) "Rebbie" Jackson, American singer (R U Tuff Enuff), born in Gary, Indiana
About May 1950
How Old? 73 or 74 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers