Musicians Born in 1931

Sam Cooke (1931-1964)

Jan 22 American singer and entrepreneur described as "the inventor of soul music" ("You Send Me"; "A Change Is Gonna Come"), born in Clarksdale, Mississippi

Jan 24 Ib Nørholm, Danish organist, composer (Aspects of Sand and Simplicity), choral conductor, and educator, born in Søborg, Gladsaxe (d. 2019) [1]
Jan 25 Harold Lloyd Jr., American actor (Frankenstein's Daughter), cabaret singer, and son of famous silent film actor Harold Lloyd, Sr, born in Beverly Hills, California (d. 1971)
Jan 25 Stig "Stikkan" Anderson, Swedish music entrepreneur and co-founder of Polar Music (ABBA), born in Hova, Sweden (d. 1997)
Jan 27 Rudi Maugeri, Canadian doo-wop vocalist (Crew Cuts - "Sh-Boom"), and broadcaster, born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2004)
Jan 29 Leslie Bricusse, British stage and film composer and lyricist (Doctor Dolittle; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; "Goldfinger"; Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory - "The Candy Man"; "Pure Imagination"), born in Pinner, Middlesex, England (d. 2021)
Feb 4 Barry Feinstein, American portrait photographer and album cover designer (Bob Dylan; Peter, Paul & Mary; Janis Joplin; George Harrison), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2011)
Feb 6 Mamie Van Doren, American actress, model, singer, and sex symbol (Teacher's Pet, The Navy vs. the Night Monsters), born in Rowena, South Dakota
Feb 8 Shadia [Fatmah Ahmed Kamal Shaker], Egyptian actress (Midaq Alley; The Thief and the Dogs), and singer, born in Sharqia Governorate, Egypt, birth date disputed (d. 2017)
Feb 9 Harry Halbreich, German-Belgian musicologist (Arthur Honegger, Bohuslav Martinů), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2016)
Feb 9 Xavier Benguerel, Catalan composer (Llibre Vermell; Jo, Dalí), born in Barcelona, Spain (d. 2017)
Feb 10 Gerhard Rosenfeld, German opera and film score composer, born in Königsberg (d. 2003)
Feb 10 Makoto Shinohara, Japanese composer (Yumeji (Ways of Dreams); To Rain and Wind), born in Osaka, Japan
Feb 11 Bobby Lamb, Irish jazz trombonist, composer, and conductor, born in Cork, Irish Free State
Feb 14 Phyllis McGuire, American pop vocalist (McGuire Sisters - "Sincerely"; "Sugartime"), born in Middletown, Ohio (d. 2020)
Feb 16 Ken Takakura [Goichi Oda], Japanese actor and singer (Black Rain, Story of Antarctic), born in Nakama, Fukuoka (d. 2014)
Feb 18 Dieter Schönbach, German composer, and music director (Bochum Theater, 1959–73), born in Stolp, Pomerania, Germany (d. 2012)
Feb 24 Dominic Chianese, American actor, singer, and musician (The Sopranos, The Godfather Part II), born in The Bronx, New York
Feb 26 Francisco Kroepfl, Swabian-Argentinian contemporary classical and electro-acoustic composer, born in Timișoara, Romania (d. 2021)
Mar 5 Anthony Hedges, British light music and orchestral composer (Humberside Cantata), born in Bicester, Oxfordshire, England (d. 2019)
Mar 5 Barry Tuckwell, Australian horn player (London Symphony, 1955-68), born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (d. 2020)
Mar 6 Carmen de Lavallade, American actress, dancer and choreographer (Aida), born in Los Angeles, California
Mar 7 C W Stubblefield, American restaurateur and music promoter, born in Navasota, Texas (d. 1995)
Mar 10 Georges Dor [Dore], French Canadian author, playwright, radio broadcaster, singer and songwriter, born in Drummondville, Quebec (d. 2001)
Mar 13 Rosalind Elias, American mezzo-soprano (Wagner's Die Walküre - "Grimgerde"; Barber's Vanessa - "Erika"), and opera director, born in Lowell, Massachusetts (d. 2020)
Mar 14 Phil Phillips [Baptiste], American singer-songwriter (Sea of Love), born in Crowley, Louisiana (d. 2020)
Mar 15 (Dominic Joseph) "D. J." Fontana, American drummer (Elvis Presley), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2018)
Mar 16 Betty Johnson, American pop and cabaret singer (Jack Paar Show; "I Dreamed"), born in Guilford County, North Carolina (d. 2022)
Mar 17 Lorraine Ellison, American soul singer ("Stay with Me"; "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)"), and songwriter, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1983)
Mar 20 Antonio Tauriello, Argentine composer, pianist, and conductor, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mar 20 Hal Linden [Harold Lipshitz], American actor (Barney Miller; Blacke's Magic), director, and musician, born in The Bronx, New York
Mar 25 Paul Motian, American jazz drummer (Bill Evans Trio; Keith Jarrett), composer, and bandleader (Electric Bebop Band), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2011)
Mar 25 Tom Wilson, American record producer (Sun Ra; Bob Dylan; Simon & Garfunkel; Mothers of Invention; Velvet Underground), born in Waco, Texas (d. 1978)
Mar 26 Charles Stepney, American pianist, arranger, and record producer (Chess Records; Minnie Riperton; Ramsey Lewis; Earth, Wind & Fire), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1976)
Mar 27 Burt Collins, American jazz trumpeter, born in New York City (d. 2007)
Mar 27 Yoriaki Matsudaira, Japanese composer and academic, born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 2023)
Mar 30 Harold Burrage, American blues and jazz singer, and pianist (Hi Yo Silver), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1966)
Mar 30 Sándor Szokolay, Hungarian composer and pedagogue, born in Kunágota, Hungary (d. 2013)
Apr 2 Imre Olsvik, Hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist, born in Budapest (d. 2014)
Apr 6 Joan Carlyle, Welsh operatic soprano (Covent Garden, 1955-76), born in Upton on the Wirral, Cheshire, England (d. 2021)
Apr 11 Frank Vicari, American jazz, session, and touring saxophonist (Maynard Ferguson; Woody Herman; Tom Waits; Saturday Night Live), born in New Jersey (d. 2006)
Apr 11 Koichi Sugiyama, Japanese television and video game composer (Dragon Quest), and Nanjing Massacre denialist, born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 2021)
Apr 12 Leonid Derbenyov, Russian poet-songwriter, born in Moscow (d. 1995)
Apr 12 Martin Boykan, American composer (Elegy; Usurpations; Soliloquies of an Insomniac), born in New York City (d. 2021)
Apr 16 John Littlejohn [Funchess], American electric blues slide guitarist ("So-Called Friends"), born in Lake, Mississippi (d. 1994)
Apr 17 Roberta Stephen, Canadian classical composer (The Eye Of The Seasons), and educator, born in Calgary, Alberta (d. 2021)
Apr 27 Igor Oistrakh, Soviet-Russian concert violinist (Wieniawski Competition, 1952), and educator (Moscow Conservatory, Brussels Royal Conservatory), born in Odessa, Ukraine, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) (d. 2021)
Apr 27 Krzysztof Komeda, Polish jazz pianist and film composer (Rosemary's Baby), born in Poznań, Poland (d. 1969)
Apr 27 Maxine Brown, American country music singer (Browns), born in Campti, Louisiana (d. 2019)
Apr 29 (Anthony) "Lonnie" Donegan, British-Scottish singer-songwriter ("Rock Island Line"; "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)"), known as "the King of Skiffle", born in Bridgeton, Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2002)
May 2 Richard "Groove" Holmes, American jazz organist ("Misty"), born in Camden, New Jersey (d. 1991)
May 4 Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Russian conductor (Bolshoi Theatre, 1951-61; USSR State Radio, 1961-74; USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony, 1983-91), born in Moscow, Russia, USSR (d. 2018)
May 6 Hasaan Ibn Ali [William Henry Langford, Jr], American jazz pianist and composer (Max Roach Trio), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1980)
May 7 Teresa Brewer, American pop and jazz singer ("Put Another Nickel In"), born in Toledo, Ohio (d. 2007)
May 8 Charles M. Wilson, Canadian organist and composer (The Angels Of The Earth), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2019)
May 10 Yūzō Toyama, Japanese composer and conductor, born in Tokyo, Japan
May 14 Alvin Lucier, American composer of experimental music (I Am Sitting In A Room; Music On A Long Thin Wire), born in Nashua, New Hampshire
May 15 James Mitchell, American session baritone saxophone (The Memphis Horns; Stax Records), born in Memphis, Tennesee (d. 2000)
May 16 Donald James Martino, American classical composer (Notturno - Pulitzer Prize, 1974), born in Plainfield, New Jersey (d. 2005)
May 17 [Walter] Dewey Redman, American jazz saxophonist, born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 2006)
May 18 Robert Morse, American Tony and Emmy Award-winning stage and screen singer and actor (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; Mad Men), born in Newton, Massachusetts (d. 2022)
May 19 Éric Tappy, Swiss operatic tenor, born in Lausanne, Switzerland
May 19 Ruben Radica, Croatian classical and electronic music composer (Towards A), and educator, born in Split, Yugoslavia (d. 2021)
May 19 Trevor Peacock, British stage and screen actor (The Vicar of Dibley - "Jim Trott"), screenwriter, and songwriter ("Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter"), born in Edmonton, Middlesex, England (d. 2021)
May 25 John Gabriel [Jack Monkarsh], American stage and screen actor (Ryan's Hope), singer, lyricist, and producer, born in Niagara Falls, New York (d. 2021)
May 27 Kenny Price, American country singer ("Walking on New Grass"; "Happy Tracks"), born in Florence, Kentucky (d. 1987)
May 27 Věroslav Neumann, Czech composer and music educator, born in Citoliby, Czechoslovakia (d. 2006)
May 28 Peter Talbot Westergaard, American composer and educator, born in Champaign, Illinois (d. 2019)
May 31 Huby Heard, American singer-songwriter (The God Squad), born in Hamilton, Ohio (d. 2004)
May 31 Shirley Verrett, American mezzo-soprano (Berlioz'z Les Troyens - "Cassabdra"; Verdi's MacBeth - "Lady MacBeth"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2010) [1]
Jun 3 Françoise Arnoul, French actress and composer (French Cancan; Jacko & Lise), born in Constantine, France (d. 2021)
Jun 4 César Bolaños, Peruvian electro-acoustic and experimental musician and composer, born in Lima, Peru (d. 2012)
Jun 6 Lloyd Lindroth, American harpist known as 'The Liberace of the Harp', born in Seattle, Washington (d. 1994)
Jun 7 (Nii Moi) "Speedy" Acquaye, Ghanaian drummer, percussionist and fire-eater (Tubby Hayes; Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames; Ginger Baker's Airforce), born in Accra, Gold Coast (now Ghana) (d. 1993)
Jun 10 João Gilberto, Brazilian singer, guitarist and 'father of bossa nova' (Getz/Gilberto - Grammy Award for Album of the Year, 1965), born in Juazeiro, Bahia (d. 2019)
Jun 10 M S Gopalakrishnan, Indian Carnatic violinist, born in Mylapore, Chennai, British India (d. 2013)
Jun 10 Romualds Jermaks, Latvian composer and teacher, born in Šķaune Parish, Latvia
Jun 11 Audrey Schuh, American operatic soprano, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
Jun 11 Margarita Pracatan [Figueroa], Cuban-American novelty singer (BBC's Saturday Night Clive), born in Santiago, Cuba (d. 2020)
Jun 13 Georges Arvanitas, French jazz pianist and organist, born in Marseilles, France (d. 2005)
Jun 14 Junior Walker [Autry Mixon, Jr], American tenor saxophonist ("Shotgun"; "(I'm a) Road Runner"), born in Blytheville, Arkansas (d. 1995)
Jun 16 Ivo Petric, Slovenian composer, born in Ljubljana, Slovenia (d. 2018)
Jun 20 Arne Nordheim, Norwegian conductor and composer (Aftonland; Canzona per orchestra; Poly-poly), born in Larvik, Norway (d. 2010)
Jun 26 Lucien Goethals, Belgian composer, born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 2006)
Jun 27 Alojz Srebotnjak, Slovenian composer, born in Postojna, Slovenia (d. 2010)
Jun 27 Ryszard Kwiatkowski, Polish composer (Polyphonic Music), born in Jaranów, Włocławek, Poland (d. 1993)
Jun 30 James Loughran, Scottish conductor (BBC Scottish Symphony, 1965-71; The Hallé, 1971–83), born in Glasgow, Scotland
Jul 1 Chris Strachwitz, German-born American folk, roots, and world music record producer and label founder (Arhoolie Records), born in Gross Reichenau, Lower Silesia, Germany (now Bogaczów, Poland) (d. 2023) [1]
Jul 3 Robert O. Ragland, American film score composer (The Thing With Two Heads), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2012)
Jul 4 Duncan Lamont, Scottish jazz and session trumpet and saxophone player, arranger, andsongwriter ("I Told You So"), born in Greenock, Scotland (d. 2019)
Jul 6 Danny White, American singer and bandleader, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1996)
Jul 8 Jerry Vale [Gennaro Vitaliano], American pop singer ("Arriverderci Roma"; "Have You Looked Into Your Heart"), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2014)
Jul 8 Louis Ballard [Honganózhe], Native American composer and educator (The Four Moons), born near Quapaw, Oklahoma (d. 2007) [1]
Jul 11 Tab Hunter [Arthur Andrew Kelm], American actor (The Girl He Left Behind; Lust In The Dust) and singer ("Young Love"), born in New York City (d. 2018)
Jul 11 Thurston Harris, American R&B and pop vocalist (The Sharps - "Little Bitty Pretty One"), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1990)
Jul 12 André Laporte, Flemish composer, born in Oplinter, Tienen, Belgium
Jul 18 "Papa" Dee Allen, American percussionist (War - "Cisco Kid"; "The World Is A Ghetto"), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1988)
Jul 21 (Conrad) "Sonny" Clark, American hard pop jazz and session pianist, composer, and group leader (Sonny's Crib), born in Herminie, Pennsylvania (d. 1963)
Jul 21 León Schidlowsky, Chilean-Israeli composer (Absalom; The Darkest Night; Before Breakfast), graphic artist, and painter, born in Santiago, Chile
Jul 21 Plas Johnson, American be-bop jazz and session saxophonist (sax solo on "The Pink Panther Theme"), born in Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Jul 25 Paul Danblon, Belgian composer, opera director, opera administrator and scientific journalist, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 2018)
Jul 26 Patti Bown, American jazz pianist and composer (Gene Ammons, Quincy Jones), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2008)
Jul 30 Frederick Swann, American church and concert pipe organist (Riverside Church, NYC, 1952-82; Robert Shuller's Crystal Cathedral Hour of Power), born in Lewisburg, West Virginia (d. 2022)
Jul 31 Kenny Burrell, American jazz guitarist (Organ Grinder Swing), born in Detroit, Michigan
Aug 1 "Ramblin' Jack" Elliott [Elliot Adnopoz], American Grammy Award-winning folk singer-songwriter, and guitarist, born in Brooklyn, New York
Aug 1 Seán Ó Riada [John Reidy], Irish composer (Mise Éire), traditional music revivalist, and bandleader (Ceoltóirí Chualann), born in Cork City, Ireland (d. 1971)
Aug 2 Henryk Schiller, Polish composer, born in Poznań, Poland (d. 2006)
Aug 2 Philippa Schuyler, African-American child classical piano prodigy, composer, and journalist, born in Harlem, New York (d. 1967)
Aug 6 Jean-Louis Chautemps, French jazz and session saxophonist (Claude Bolling; Chet Baker; Elton John), born in Paris, France (d. 2022)
Aug 8 Jonathan Elkus, American composer (band music), born in San Francisco, California
Aug 11 Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, Bengali singer and composer (Ei Ganga ei Padda), born in Kolkata (d. 1992)
Aug 15 Mario Kuri-Aldana, Mexican composer, born in Tampico, Mexico (d. 2013)
Aug 21 Gregg Smith, American choral conductor and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2016)
Aug 26 Dane Škerl, Slovene conductor, composer (Rhapsodic Symphony), and teacher, born in Ljubljana, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now of Slovenia) (d. 2002)
Aug 28 John Perkins, Canadian pop singer (Crew Cuts), born in Toronto, Ontario
Aug 28 John Shirley-Quirk, British operatic bass-baritone (Death in Venice), born in Liverpool, England (d. 2014)
Aug 29 Stelios Kazantzidis, Greek singer, born in Nea Ionia, Athens, Greece (d. 2001)
Sep 1 Boxcar Willie [Travis Martin], American soldier (USAF) and singer ("King of the Road"), born in Ellis County, Texas (d. 1999)
Sep 3 Rudolf Kelterborn, Swiss composer, conductor (Swiss German RSO, 1974-80), and educator (Basel Music Academy, 1983-94), born in Basel, Switzerland (d. 2021)
Sep 4 Mitzi Gaynor [Francesca von Gerber], American actress, singer and dancer (Anything Goes, South Pacific), born in Chicago, Illinois
Sep 7 Charles Camilleri, Maltese composer (Missa Mundi), born in Ħamrun, Malta (d. 2009)
Sep 8 Marion Brown, American jazz alto saxophonist, (Marion Brown Quartet; John Coltrane -"Ascension"; Artie Schepp), avant garde composer, writer, and ethnomusicologist, born in Atlanta, Georgia (d. 2010)
Sep 12 George Jones, American country singer-songwriter ("Golden Rings"; "Oh Lonesome Me"), born in Saratoga, Texas (d. 2013)
Sep 16 Jan Johansson, Swedish jazz pianist, born in Söderhamn, Hälsingland, Sweden (d. 1968)
Sep 18 Anthony Bowles, British music director (Jesus Christ Superstar; Evita), born in England (d. 1993)
Sep 19 Brook Benton [Benjamin Franklin Peay], American soul vocalist ("It's Just a Matter of Time"; "Rainy Night in Georgia"), born in Lugoff, South Carolina (d. 1988)
Sep 22 Nello Santi, Italian opera conductor (Opernhaus Zürich; NY Metropolitan Opera), born in Adria, Veneto, Italy (d. 2020)
Sep 24 Anthony Newley, British actor and singer-songwriter (Doctor Dolittle; Goldfinger theme; Willy Wonka score), born in London, England (d. 1999)
Sep 26 George Chambers, American rock bassist and vocalist (Chambers Brothers - "Time Has Come Today"), born in Carthage, Mississippi (d. 2019)
Sep 27 Freddy Quinn [Franz Nidl], Austrian pop singer and actor, born in Niederfladnitz, Austria
Sep 28 John Gilmore, American tenor saxophonist (worked with Sun Ra), born in Summit, Mississippi (d. 1995)
Oct 1 Sylvano Bussotti, Italian composer, filmmaker and novelist, born in Florence, Italy (d. 2021)
Oct 12 Raoul Pleskow, Austrian-American composer, born in Vienna, Austria
Oct 14 Duško Gojković, Serbian trumpeter (Balkan Blue), born in Jajce, Bosnia
Oct 14 Nikhil Banerjee, Indian classical musician, born in Calcutta, India (d. 1986)
Oct 14 Rafael Puyana, Colombian baroque harpsichordist (NY debut 1957), born in Bogotá, Colombia (d. 2013)
Oct 15 (Lionel) Frederick "Freddy" Cole, American jazz singer and pianist, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2020) [1]
Oct 19 László Kalmár, Hungarian composer (Triangles), born in Budapest (d. 1995)
Oct 20 Jules Eskin, American cellist (Boston Symphony, 1964-2016), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2016)
Oct 22 Hikaru Hayashi, Japanese pianist, conductor and American (Onibaba), born in Tokyo (d. 2012)
Oct 23 Diana Dors [Fluck], British actress and singer (Berserk!, Steaming), born in Swindon, Wiltshire (d. 1984)
Oct 24 Sofia Gubaidulina, Tatar-Russian composer (Stimmen Verstummen), born in Chistopol, Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Oct 31 David Lumsdaine, Australian composer (Annotations of Auschwitz), born in Sydney, Australia
Nov 2 Phil Woods, American jazz and session saxophonist (Steely Dan's "Doctor Wu"; Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are"), and composer, born in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 2015)
Nov 5 Harold McNair, British-Jamaican calypso and jazz saxophonist and flautist, born in Kingston, Colony of Jamaica (d. 1971)
Nov 5 Ike Turner, American musician ("Rocket 88"; Ike and Tina Turner - "River Deep, Mountain High"; "Proud Mary"), born in Clarksdale, Mississippi (d. 2007)
Nov 6 Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Bulgarian composer, born in Sofia, Bulgaria (d. 1982)
Nov 7 Gerald Humel, American composer (Universe), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2001)
Nov 10 Toma Prošev, Macedonian composer, and pedagogue, born in Skopje, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now North Macedonia) (d. 1996)
Nov 12 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)
Nov 16 Bob Gibson, American folk musician, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1996)
Nov 16 Hubert Sumlin, American blues guitarist (Howlin' Wolf), born in Greenwood, Mississippi (d. 2011)
Nov 17 Wayne Andre, American jazz and session trombonist, born in Manchester, Connecticut (d. 2003)
Nov 21 Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer, born in Sydney, Australia (d. 2003)
Nov 23 Oscar C. Yatco, Filipino violinist and conductor, born in Tanuan, Batangas, Philippines (d. 2014)
Nov 25 Nat Adderley, American jazz musician (Work Song), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 2000)
Nov 27 Juan Guinjoan, Catalan composer and pianist, born in Riudoms, Spain (d. 2019)
Nov 29 Shintaro Katsu, Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director (Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman), born in Fukagawa, Tokyo, Japan (d. 1997)
Nov 30 (Beryl) "Jack" Sheldon, American jazz trumpeter (Merv Griffin), singer (Schoolhouse Rock), and actor (Run Buddy Run), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2019)
Nov 30 Günther Herbig, German conductor (Detroit Symphony, 1984-90; Toronto Symphony, 1988-1994; Berlin Symphony, 1977-83; Dresden Philharmonic, 1972-77), born in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia
Dec 1 Jim Nesbitt, American country music singer, born in Bishopville, South Carolina (d. 2007)
Dec 1 Jimmy Lyons, American jazz saxophonist and composer (Cecil Taylor), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 1986)
Dec 2 Wynton Kelly, American jazz pianist (Dizzy Gillespie; Miles Davis), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1971)
Dec 3 [Mary] Jaye P. Morgan, American pop singer ("All I Want From You"), game show panelist (Gong Show), born in Mancos, Colorado
Dec 6 Zeki Müren, Turkish actor, singer, and composer (Game of Silence), born in Bursa, Turkey (d. 1996)
Dec 7 Bobby Osborne, American bluegrass mandolin player (The Osborne Brothers - "Rocky Top"), born in Thousandsticks, Kentucky (d. 2023)
Dec 8 Rudolf Komorous, Czech-born Canadian composer, born in Prague, Czechoslovakia

Rita Moreno (92 years old)

Dec 11 Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress (West Side Story), born in Humacao, Puerto Rico

Dec 16 Karl Denver [Angus McKenzie], Scottish pop singer ("Never Say Goodbye"; "Wimoweh"), born in Springburn, Glasgow, Scotland (d. 1998)
Dec 16 Kenneth Gilbert, Canadian harpsichordist, organist, musicologist, and educator, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2020)
Dec 18 Allen Klein, American rock and roll business manager - ABKCO (Sam Cooke; Rolling Stones, Beatles), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2009)
Dec 21 Caroline Kaart (neé Raitt), Scottish-Dutch alto singer, TV and radio presenter, born in Blackness, Scotland (d. 2020)
Dec 21 David Baker, American jazz trombonist and cellist, jazz and classical composer (Reflections), and educator (Indiana University), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 2016)
Dec 24 (Erapheael) “Ray” Bryant, American jazz pianist, composer and arranger ("Madison Time"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2011)
Dec 24 Mauricio Kagel, Argentine-German composer, born in Buenos Aires, Germany (d. 2008)
Dec 26 Thomas Eden Binkley, American lutenist and early music scholar, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1995)
Dec 27 (Winfield) Scotty Moore, American guitarist (Elvis Presley; Roy Orbison), born in Gadsden, Tennessee (d. 2016)
Dec 28 John de Mol, Dutch pop vocalist, songwriter, and producer, born in The Hauge, Netherlands (d. 2013)
Dec 29 Jan Konopásek, Czech-American jazz baritone saxophonist, composer, arranger, and educator, born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (d. 2020)
Dec 30 Skeeter Davis [Mary Penick], American country-pop singer-songwriter ("(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too"; "Set Him Free"; "The End Of The World"), born in Dry Ridge, Kentucky (d. 2004)
Dec 31 Gil Mellé, American jazz saxophonist and composer, born in New York City (d. 2004)