- May 2 Mari Natsuki, Japanese singer, dancer and actress, born in Tokyo
- May 3 Keiji Haino, Japanese rock guitarist, and singer-songwriter (Fushitsusha), born in Chiba, Japan
- May 5 Louis Cortelezzi, American rock and jazz saxophonist (Mink DeVille) and film composer (Pokemon), born in New Galilee, Pennsylvania
- May 10 Bob Glaub, American session and touring bass player (Jackson Browne; Nicolette Larson, Warren Zevon; Linda Ronstadt; John Fogerty), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 10 Kikki Danielsson, Swedish pop and country singer, yodeler, and accordion player, born in Osby, Sweden
- May 10 Lee Brilleaux, British musician (Dr Feelgood), born in Durban, South Africa
- May 10 Sly Dunbar, Jamaican reggae drummer (Sly & Robbie), born in Kingston, Jamaica
- May 11 Renaud [Séchan], French pop singer, composer, and actor, born in Paris, France
- May 14 David Byrne, Scottish-American rock singer-songwriter (Talking Heads - "Burning Down the House"; "Psycho Killer"), born in Dumbarton Scotland
- May 15 Phil Seymour, American rock and power pop musician, singer, and songwriter (The Dwight Twilley Band), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 1993)
- May 17 Jody Pijper, Dutch pop singer, born in Ter Aar, Netherlands
George Strait (71 years old)
May 18 American country singer ("All My Exes Live in Texas"), born in Pearsall, Texas
- May 19 Barbara Joyce Lomas, American funk and disco vocalist (B.T. Express - "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)"), born in Brooklyn, NYC
- May 20 Warren Cann, Canadian rock drummer (Ultravox), born in Victoria, British Columbia
- May 23 Anne-Marie David, French pop singer (Eurovision, 1973), born in Casablanca, French Protectorate in Morocco
- May 23 James Mankey, American rock guitarist (Sparks, 1972-73; Concrete Blonde - "Joey"), born in Washington
- May 26 David Meece, American contemporary Christian singer-songwriter, and piano player, born in Humble, Texas
- May 28 Deborah Jo Billingsley, American singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and songwriter, born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2010)
- May 30 Alexander Toradze, Soviet Georgian-American concert pianist and music professor (University of Indiana, 1991-2017), born in Tbilisi, Georgia, USSR (d. 2022)
- May 30 Zoltán Kocsis, Hungarian pianist, conductor and composer, born in Budapest (d. 2016)
- May 31 Jim Vallance, Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer (Bryan Adams - "Cuts Like a Knife"; "Heaven"; "Summer of '69"), born in Chilliwack, British Columbia
- May 31 Karl Bartos, German electronic percussionist, and composer (Kraftwerk, 1975-90; Electric Music), born in Berchtesgaden, West Germany
- May 31 Neil Dorfsman, American Grammy Award-winning sound engineer and record producer (Dire Straits, Bruce Hornsby, Sting), born in New York City
About May 1952
How Old? 71 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: Yes
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers