- Jul 3 Pedro Romeiras, Portuguese dancer, born in Lisbon, Portugal
- Jul 3 Tim Smith, English musician (Cardiacs), born in Carshalton, Surrey, England
- Jul 3 Vince Clarke [Martin], British rock keyboardist, and songwriter (Depeche Mode; Erasure), born in South Woodford, Essex, England
- Jul 4 M. M. Keeravani, Indian composer, producer and singer (Naatu Naatu), born in Kovvur, Andhra Pradesh, India
- Jul 5 Isabelle Poulenard, French contemporary soprano, born in Paris, France
- Jul 7 Michael Kieran Harvey, Australian classical and contemporary music pianist and composer (GRETA - Concerto in No Need of an Orchestra), born in Sydney, Australia
- Jul 8 Andy Fletcher, Britich synthesizer and bass player (Depeche Mode - "Just Can't Get Enough"), born in Nottingham, England (d. 2022)
- Jul 8 Graham Jones, British rock guitarist (Haircut 100 - "Love Plus One"), born in Bridlington, England
Toby Keith (1961-2024)
Jul 8 American country singer ("Should've Been A Cowboy"; "She Never Cried In Front Of Me"), and actor (Broken Bridges), born in Clinton, Oklahoma [1]
- Jul 9 Ronnie Bowman, American bluegrass singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bassist (Lonesome River Band, 1990-2001; Band of Ruhks), born in Mount Airy, North Carolina
- Jul 10 Jacky Cheung, Hong Kong singer and actor (Bullet in the Head), born in Hong Kong
- Jul 13 Lawrence Donegan, Scottish rock bassist (Lloyd Cole and the Commotions) and author, born in Stirling, Scotland
- Jul 21 Amar Singh Chamkila [Dhanni Ram], Punjabi folk singer "The Elvis of Punjab", born in Dugri, Punjab, India (d. 1988)
- Jul 21 Jim Martin, American rock guitarist (Faith No More - "Real Thing"), born in Oakland, California
- Jul 22 Keith Sweat, American new jack swing singer, born in Harlem, New York
- Jul 23 Martin Gore, English rocker (Depeche Mode - "Just Can't Get Enough"), born in Dagenham, Essex, England
- Jul 24 Paul Geary, American heavy metal drummer (Extreme), born in Medford, Massachusetts
- Jul 26 Andy Connell, British musician and composer (Swing Out Sister), born in Manchester, England
- Jul 26 Gary Cherone, American rock vocalist (Extreme - "More Than Words"; Van Halen), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Jul 26 Keiko Matsui (née Doi), Japanese jazz pianist and composer, born in Tokyo, Japan
- Jul 28 David Huff, American drummer (Giants - "I'll See You in My Dreams"; White Heart), born in Nashville, Tennessee
About July 1961
How Old? 62 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers