Events in 1947
- German electronic musician Klaus Schulze, formerly the drummer of Tangerine Dream, was born in Berlin.
- Paul Layton, singer and bassist with The New Seekers, was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.
- Larry Morris, vocalist with the New Zealand garage rock group Larry's Rebels, was born in New Zealand.
- Guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of The McCoys Rick Derringer, born Richard Zehringer, was born in Fort Recovery, Ohio.
- American bassist and session musician Willie Weeks was born in Salemburg, North Carolina.
- Music historian and occasional songwriter Julie Nathanson was born in Manhattan, New York.
- American soul and R&B singer Barbara Mason was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She became known, among other things, for the hit “Yes, I'm Ready.”
- American singer, songwriter and actress Amanda McBroom was born in Woodland Hills, California.
- British musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ian Anderson, best known as the frontman of Jethro Tull, was born in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.
- American guitarist, singer and songwriter Gary Talley was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He became known as a founding member and lead guitarist of The Box Tops and also performed with Big Star.
- David Lasley, an American session singer, songwriter and musician, was known for his work as a backing vocalist and songwriter for artists including Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Luther Vandross, Chic, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and Boz Scaggs. He died on December 9, 2021, aged 74.
- Trombonist, songwriter and co-founder of the rock band Chicago James Pankow was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Chicago was formed in Chicago in 1967 as The Chicago Transit Authority and shortened its name in 1970. In 1976, the band had the UK and U.S. No. 1 hit “If You Leave Me Now”.
- Carl Giammarese, lead singer and guitarist of The Buckinghams, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
- American singer and songwriter Donna Jean Godchaux, née Donna Jean Thatcher, was born in Florence, Alabama. She became best known as a member of Grateful Dead from 1972–1979, where she was the only woman in the lineup. Before that, she worked as a session singer in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and later sang with the group Southern Comfort. Her backing vocals appeared on at least two songs that reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart: Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” in 1966 and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” in 1969. She also sang on recordings by Boz Scaggs, Duane Allman, Cher, Joe Tex, Neil Diamond, and others. In 1970, she married keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who later also joined Grateful Dead. She died on November 2, 2025, at a hospice in Nashville from cancer at the age of 78.
- Folk-rock singer Linda Thompson was born in London. She became best known for her work with her then-husband, British folk-rock guitarist Richard Thompson, and later worked as a solo artist.
- Margaret Truman, daughter of US President Harry S. Truman, made her first public appearance as a singer. The performance took place at the Hollywood Bowl before an audience of 15,000.
- Percussionist David Leon “Billy” Knight, brother of Gladys Knight, was born. He played, among other recordings, on “Midnight Train To Georgia” and on more than twenty other UK Top 40 hits. He died on December 6, 2002.
- British racing driver James Hunt was born. He also took part in musical collaborations.
- English drummer and percussionist Richard Coughlan was born. In 1968, he was one of the founding members of Caravan and remained a member until his death.
- Eric Bell, founding member and original guitarist of Thin Lizzy, was born in East Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- American drummer Buddy Miles, known for his work with Electric Flag and Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys, was born.
- British saxophonist, flutist and multi-instrumentalist Mel Collins was born on the Isle of Man. He became known as a member of progressive rock group King Crimson and also worked with The Rolling Stones and David Bowie.
- Bing Crosby broadcast his “Philco Radio Time” program on ABC as the first radio program to be prerecorded on magnetic tape. A Magnetophon tape recorder was used for the recording, a technology originally developed in Germany; Crosby later became an investor in the technology, which contributed to the further development of multitrack recording.
- Dutch singer Mariska Veres was born in The Hague. She became famous as the singer of the rock band Shocking Blue.
- Martin Turner, singer, bassist, and founding member of the British rock band Wishbone Ash, was born in Torquay, England.
- American trumpeter, singer and songwriter Ben Cauley was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the Stax group The Bar-Kays and later became known as the sole survivor of the 1967 plane crash that killed soul singer Otis Redding and four members of The Bar-Kays. Cauley died on September 21, 2015.
- Bassist Jim Fielder, a founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears, was born in Denton, Texas. Before the formation of Blood, Sweat & Tears, he also worked with Tim Buckley, Buffalo Springfield, and Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention.
- English singer and songwriter Brian Johnson was born in Dunston. He became famous as the singer of Geordie and later AC/DC.
- Gene Autry released “Here Comes Santa Claus,” which he wrote after riding in a Christmas parade and hearing children calling for Santa.
- American singer and songwriter Sheila Ferguson of The Three Degrees was born. She was a member of the group from 1966 to 1986 and sang lead vocals on many of their biggest hits.
- Saxophonist and clarinetist Alan Wakeman was born. He was known for his work with the band Soft Machine.
- American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter Sammy Hagar was born in Salinas, California. He became famous with the band Montrose and through his solo career, with songs such as “There’s Only One Way to Rock” and “I Can’t Drive 55.” In 1985, he replaced David Lee Roth as the lead singer of Van Halen.