Paul Bley, pianist with Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Charlie Parker (January 3)
Otis Clay, soul singer (January 8)
David Bowie (January 10)
Mic Gillette,Tower of Power trumpeter (January 17)
Glenn Frey, cofounder of the Eagles (January 18)
Paul Kantner, cofounder of the Jefferson Airplane (January 28)
Signe Anderson, original singer of The Jefferson Airplane (January 28)
Maurice White, cofounder of Earth Wind & Fire (February 3)
Dan Hicks, formerly of His Hot Licks, Christmas Jug Band, & the Charlatans (February 6)
Trevor Stuart, Haywood County old-time fiddler (March 2)
Sir George Martin, producer of the Beatles (March 8)
Keith Emerson, Emerson Lake & Palmer (March 10)
Merle Haggard (April 6)
Prince (April 21)
Lonnie Mack, blues-rock guitarist (April 21)
Papa Wemba, Congalese Afropop singer (April 24)
Candye Kane, blues singer (May 6)
Guy Clark (May 17)
James King, bluegrass singer (May 19)
Dave Swarbrick, Fairport Convention fiddler (June 3)
Wayne Jackson, trumpeter for Booker T & the MG’s, Otis Redding, Elvis Presley, and more (June 21)
Ralph Stanley (June 23)
Bernie Worrell, Parliament/Funkadelic keyboardist (June 24)
Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley’s guitarist (June 28)
Rob Wasserman, bassist (June 29)
Melvin Goins, bluegrass guitarist (July 29)
Bobby Hutcherson, jazz vibraphonist with McCoy Tyner, and others (August 15)
Toots Thielemans, jazz harmonica player (August 22)
Buckwheat Zydeco (September 24)
Jean Shepard, Grand Ole Opry singer (September 25)
Herb Lambert, bluegrass mandolinist from Valdese (September 27)
Phil Chess, cofounder of Chess Records (October 19)
Leonard Cohen (November 7)
Leon Russell (November 12)
Sharon Jones, Dap-Kings leader (November 18)
Mose Allison (November 15)
Greg Lake, bassist for Emerson Lake & Palmer, King Crimson (December 7)
Joe Ligon, founder of the Mighty Clouds of Joy (December 11)
George Michael (December 25)