See also: 1937 in music, other events of 1938, 1939 in music and the list of 'years in music'.
Top Hits
- "Don't Be That Way" by Benny Goodman
- "My Reverie" by Larry Clinton
- "Begin the Beguine" by Artie Shaw
- "Cry, Baby, Cry" by Larry Clinton
- "Ti-Pi-Tin" by Hoarce Heidt
- "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" by Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb
- "Thanks for the Memory" by Shep Fields
- "Music, Maestro, Please" by Tommy Dorsey
- "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" by The Andrews Sisters
- "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" by Bing Crosby
Events
- January 16 - Benny Goodman plays Carnegie Hall
- Roy Acuff's musical career begins
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe's musical career begins
- Pete Seeger's musical career begins
- Robert Lockwood Jr.'s musical career begins
- Jelly Roll Morton speaks, sings, and plays piano for an eight-hour Library of Congress recorded sound documentary produced by Alan Lomax
Births
- January 14 - Alain Toussaint
- January 14 - Jack Jones
- January 19 - Phil Everly
- January 21 - Wolfman Jack
- February 22 - Bobby Hendricks, The Drifters
- March 18 - Charlie Pride
- March 25 - Hoyt Axton
- April 7 - Freddie Hubbard
- April 7 - Spencer Dryden, Jefferson Airplane
- April 26 - Duane Eddy
- May 10 - Henry Fambrough, The Spinners
- May 13 - John Smith, The Monotones
- May 15 - Lenny Welch
- July 4 - Bill Withers
- July 14 - Bob Scholl, The Mello-Kings
- July 17 - Stanley Bronstein, Elephant's Memory Band
- July 28 - George Cummings, Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
- August 8 - Don Jacobucci, Regents
- August 24 - David Freiberg, Quicksilver Messenger Service
- August 24 - Mason Williams
- September 11 - Charles Patrick, The Monotones
- September 28 - Ben E. King
- October 3 - Eddie Cochran
- October 5 - Carlos Mastangelo, The Belmonts
- October 15 - Marv Johnson
- October 16 - Nico, Velvet Underground
- October 18 - Ronnie Bright, The Coasters
- November 2 - Jay Black, Jay & The Americans
- November 4 - Harry Elston, Friends Of Distinction
- November 6 - Jim Pike, The Lettermen
- November 6 - P.J. Proby
- November 7 - Dee Clark
- November 14 - Cornelius Gunter, The Flairs, The Coasters
- November 17 - Gordon Lightfoot
- November 19 - Hank Medress, The Tokens
- December 1 - Sandy Nelson
- December 5 - J.J. Cale
- December 12 - Connie Francis
- December 28 - Charles Neville, Joey Dee & The Starlighters, The Neville Brothers