- Jan 1 Alpha Blondy [Seydou Koné], Ivorian reggae singer-songwriter ("Jerusalem"; "Journalistes en danger"), born in Dimbokro, N'Zi Region, Ivory Coast
- Jan 5 Steve Archer, American singer (The Archers), born in Mojave, California
- Jan 6 Malcolm Young, Scottish guitarist (AC/DC - "Highway to Hell"), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2017)
- Jan 7 Earl Lindo, Jamaican reggae keyboardist (Bob Marley & the Wailers), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2017)
- Jan 10 Pat Benatar [Andrezejewski], American rock singer ("Hit Me with Your Best Shot"; "Love Is A Battlefield"; "We Belong"), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jan 15 Bob Clearmountain, American Grammy Award-winning sound engineer (Bruce Springsteen; Crowded House), and record producer (Bryan Adams; Bon Jovi), born in Connecticut
- Jan 15 Chris D. [Desjardins], American punk rock singer, and poet (The Flesh Eaters), born in Riverside, California
- Jan 16 Mike Henderson, American country, blues, and bluegrass singer-songwriter, and slide guitarist (The Bluebloods; The SteelDrivers), born in Independence, Missouri (d. 2023)
- Jan 19 Desi Arnaz Jr., American actor (Here's Lucy - "Craig"; Fakeout; Joyride), and musician, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 19 Michael Boddicker, American session synthesizer player (Michael Jackson; Lionel Richie; Chicago), and film composer (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension), born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Jan 19 Stanley Grill, American composer (Afterwards, there were no more wars; Dreaming of a Better World), born in New York City
- Jan 22 Myung-Whun Chung, South Korean pianist and conductor (Chung Trio), born in Seoul, South Korea
- Jan 23 John Luther Adams, American composer ("Become Ocean" Pulitzer Prize for Music 2014), born in Meridian, Mississippi [1]
- Jan 23 Robin Zander, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Cheap Trick - "Dream Police"; "I Want You To Want Me"), born in Beloit, Wisconsin
- Jan 24 James Hutchinson, American session and touring bassist Bonnie Raitt, Ivan Neville, Boz Scaggs), born in Lynn, Massachusetts
- Jan 24 Nigel Glockler, British heavy metal drummer (Saxon), born in Hove, East Sussex, England
- Jan 25 Malcolm Green, English-born drummer (Split Enz, 1976-81 - "I Got You"), born in United Kingdom
- Jan 26 Bert Heerink, Dutch rock vocalist, born in Utrecht, Netherlands
- Jan 26 Lucinda Williams, American roots singer-songwriter ("Passionate Kisses"; "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"), born in Lake Charles, Louisiana
- Jan 27 Bob Mintzer, American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band bandleader (Yellowjackets), born in New Rochelle, New York
- Jan 29 Louie F. Pérez, Jr., American lyricist, percussionist, guitarist, and jarana player (Los Lobos - "Will The Wolf Survive?"), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 29 Teresa Teng [Li-chun], Taiwanese pop singer("Aijin"; The Power Of Love"; "Airport"), and actress, born in Baozhong Township, Yunlin, Taiwan
- Jan 31 "Big Time" Sarah [Streeter], American blues singer, born in Coldwater, Mississippi (d. 2015)
About January 1953
How Old? 71 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
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