- 1676 Giovanni Antonio Pollarolo, Italian composer, born in Brescia, Republic of Venice (d. 1746)
- 1817 Carlo Pedrotti, Italian composer, associate of Verdi, born in Verona, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, Austrian Empire (d. 1893)
- 1817 Martin Gustav Nottebohm, German composer, born in Lüdenscheid, Province of Westphalia, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1882)
- 1827 Gustav Merkel, German organist (Dresden Cathedral, 1864-85), composer, and pedagogue (Dresden Conservatory), born in Oberoderwitz, Kingdom of Saxony (now Germany) (d. 1885)
- 1833 Alexander Borodin, Russian chemist and composer (Robert LeDiable), born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 1887)
- 1844 Octave Fouqué, French pianist and composer, born in Pau, France (d. 1883)
- 1858 Alexis Contant, Canadian pianist, organist and composer, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1918)
- 1865 Frans "Sas" van Aerschot, Flemish operetta actor (Paljas), born in Herentals, Flanders, Belgium (d. 1939)
- 1897 Karl Marx, German composer and conductor, born in Munich, Germany (d. 1985)
- 1905 Solon Michaelides, Cypriot composer, teacher, and musicologist, born in Nicosia, Cyprus (d. 1979)
- 1905 Yevgeny Brusilovsky, Soviet composer (wrote 1st Kazakh opera), born in Rostov-on-Don, Russia (d. 1981)
- 1906 (Booker T. Washington) "Bukka" White, American country and Delta blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter ("Shake'Em On Down"; "Parchman Farm Blues"), born near Aberdeen, Mississippi (d. 1977)
- 1911 (Wilbur) "Buck" Clayton, American jazz trumpet player (Count Basie; Billie Holiday; Lester Young), and bandleader, born in Parsons, Kansas (d. 1991)
- 1916 Jean Papineau-Couture, Canadian composer, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2000)
- 1917 Jo Stafford, American pop singer (The Pied Pipers - "I'll Never Smile Again"; Tommy Dorsey - "Let's Just Pretend"; solo - "You Belong to Me"), born in Coalinga, California (d. 2008) [1]
- 1921 Robert Fleming, Canadian composer, born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan (d. 1976)
- 1923 Alirio Díaz, Venezuelan guitarist, composer, and musicologist, born in Caserio La Candelaria, Venezuela (d. 2016)
- 1924 Sam Jones, American jazz double bassist (Cannonball Adderly), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 1981)
- 1931 Bob Crewe, American songwriter and producer ("Big Girls Don't Cry"; "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)"), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2014)
- 1935 (Isiah Terry) "Buzzy" Johnson, American R&B singer (Flamingos - "I Only Have Eyes For You"), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- 1938 Mort Shuman, American singer, and songwriter, with Doc Pomus ("Viva Las Vegas"; "Save The Last Dance For Me"), born in New York City (d. 1991)
- 1939 Lucia Popp [Poppová], Slovakian operatic soprano, born in Záhorská Ves, Slovak State (now Slovakia) (d. 1993)
- 1941 Jenny McLeod, New Zealand composer (Earth and Sky; Seven Tone Clock Pieces; Hohepa), and educator, born in Wellington, New Zealand
- 1943 Brian Hyland, American rocker ("She Wore an Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini"), born in Queens, New York
- 1943 Errol Brown, British-Jamaican singer-songwriter (Hot Chocolate - "You Sexy Thing"), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2015)
- 1943 Jimmy "Bro" Hayes, American doo-wop bass singer (Persuasions - "Under the Boardwalk"), born in Hopewell, Virginia (d. 2017)
- 1943 John Walker [Maus], American rock vocalist (Walker Brothers - "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)"), born in New York City (d. 2011)
- 1944 Booker T. Jones, American soul and rock organist (Booker T & MGs - "Green Onions"), born in Memphis, Tennessee
Neil Young (78 years old)
1945 Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and organ player (Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Helpless"; solo - "The Needle And The Damage Done"; "Harvest Moon"), born in Toronto, Ontario
- 1947 Buck Dharma [Donald Roeser], American rock guitarist and singer (Blue Oyster Cult - "Don't Fear The Reaper"), born in Queens, New York
- 1947 J. C. Crowley, American country-rock singer-songwriter (Player - "Baby Come Back"), born in Houston, Texas
- 1949 Arthur "Pooch" Tavares, American R&B musician (Taveres - "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel"), born in New Bedford, Massachusetts
- 1950 James Pugh, American session and touring trombonist (Thundering Herd; Chick Corea; Steely Dan), composer, and educator, born in Camden, New Jersey
- 1953 Baaba Maal, Senegalese singer and guitarist (The Traveller), born in Podor, French West Africa (now Senegal)
- 1953 Vasilis Karras [Kesoglidis], Greek folk singer (Tilefonise Mou), born in Kokkinohori, Greece
- 1954 Levine Andrade, Indian-British violinist (Arditti Quartet, 1974-90), film score composer, and conductor, born in Bombay, India (d. 2018)
- 1955 Leslie McKeown, Scottish pop vocalist (Bay City Rollers - "Saturday Night"), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 2021)
- 1960 Maurane [Claudine Luypaerts], Belgian Francophone jazz and chanson singer, born in Ixelles, Belgium (d. 2018)
- 1961 Michaela Paetsch, American violinist, born in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- 1964 Dave Ellefson, American heavy metal bassist (Megadeth, 1983–2002, 2010–21), born in Jackson, Minnesota
- 1964 Vic Chesnutt, American folk and roots-rock singer-songwriter, born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2009)
- 1967 Charlie Pennaelino, American rock singer-songwriter (Linear - "I Never Felt This Way"), born in Queens, New York
- 1968 Aaron Stainthorpe, British singer (My Dying Bride), born in England, United Kingdom
- 1968 Aya Hisakawa, Japanese voice actress and singer, born in Kaizuka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- 1968 Nick D'Virgilio, American progressive rock drummer (Spock's Beard), born in Whittier, California
- 1969 Kathleen Hanna, American singer and songwriter, born in Portland, Oregon
- 1975 Tevin Jermod Campbell, American rapper, born in Dallas, Texas
- 1976 Judith Holofernes [Holfelder-Roy], German singer (Wir sind Helden), born in Berlin, Germany
- 1978 Andrew Kinlochan, British pop singer and musician (1st openly gay boyband member - Phixx), born in Hertfordshire, England
- 1984 Omarion [Omari Grandberry], American R&B musician, born in Inglewood, California
- 1986 Evan Yo [Tsai Min-you], Taiwanese Mando-pop singer, born in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China