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Black History

Musicians & Singers

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Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson

Opera singer. One of the finest contraltos of her time, Anderson broke the color barrier by becoming the first African-American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera

Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong

The leading trumpeter and one of the most influential artists in jazz history.

Count Basie
Count Basie

American jazz musician noted for his spare, economical piano style and for his leadership of influential and widely heralded big bands.

Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry

Musician. Born Charles Edward Anderson Berry on October 18, 1926 in St Louis, Missouri.

Bobby "Blue" Bland
Bobby "Blue" Bland

Blues singer. Bland is widely noted for his rich baritone voice, sophisticated style, and sensual delivery. He is sometimes referred to as the "Lion of the Blues."

Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige

Singer-songwriter. Often referred to as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Blige has released eight multi-platinum albums and won several Grammys for her work. In 2008, her 2008 tour made her one of hip-hop's top-grossing live acts.

James Brown
James Brown

Singer, entertainer. Also known as "The Godfather of Soul", James Brown was one of the most important and influential entertainers in 20th-century popular music. His remarkable achievements also earned him the title of "Hardest-Working Man in Show Business."

Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke

Preacher, soul singer. Burke merged the gospel style of the African-American church with rhythm and blues, helping to usher in the soul music era.

Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway

Singer, bandleader, dancer. Born Cabell Calloway III on December 25, 1907, in Rochester, New York.

Benny Carter
Benny Carter

Jazz musician. An influential saxophonist, trumpeter, clarinetist, composer and arranger, Carter formed his first big band in 1929. A number of his swing arrangements became swing standards. He is said to be the only musician to have recorded in eight different decades.

Ray Charles
Ray Charles

American pianist, singer, composer, and bandleader, a leading black entertainer billed as "the Genius."

Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker

Singer. Born October 3, 1941, in Spring Gulley, South Carolina, the son of a tobacco farmer.

George Clinton
George Clinton

Bandleader, musician. One of the most important innovators of funk music, Clinton was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole

American musician hailed as one of the best and most influential pianists and small-group leaders of the swing era.

John Coltrane
John Coltrane

American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer, an iconic figure of 20th-century jazz.

Sean "Puffy" Combs
Sean "Puffy" Combs

Singer, songwriter, producer. Born in 1971, in Harlem, New York.

Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke

Singer and songwriter. Cooke is a major figure in the history of popular music and one of the most influential black vocalists of the post-World War II period.

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Miles Davis
Miles Davis

American jazz musician, a great trumpeter who as a bandleader and composer was one of the major influences on the art from the late 1940s.

De La Soul
De La Soul

American rap group. Their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), was one of the most influential albums in hip-hop history.

Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley

American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Diddley was one of the most influential performers of rock music's earliest period. Sometimes called "The Originator," Diddley has inspired countless acts that have followed in his musical footsteps.

Fats Domino
Fats Domino

Musician. Born February 26, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington

American pianist who was the greatest jazz composer and bandleader.

Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott

Rapper and music producer. Elliott made her mark on the male-dominated hip-hop world with her talents for writing, rapping, singing, and music production.

Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald

Singer. Born Ella Jane Fitzgerald on April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia.

Four Tops
Four Tops

Vocal group. The Four Tops became one of Motown's most popular acts in the 1960s with hits such as "Baby I Need Your Loving" and "I Can't Help Myself."

Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin

Soul singer. Born Aretha Louise Franklin on March 25, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee.

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Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye

Singer, composer. Born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. on April 2, 1939 in Washington, D.C. Composer of 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' (1968) and other soul classics, he sang gospel music in his father's church before joining a 'doo-wop' group, the Rainbows, when he was 15.

Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie

Jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. Notable for his talents as a trumpeter, Gillespie was one of the seminal figures of the bebop and modern jazz movements.

Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5

Music group. Grandmaster Flash was credited with being an inventor and innovator of many of the techniques associated with hip-hop deejaying. He and his group were instrumental in the development of hip-hop music.

Al Green
Al Green

Singer-songwriter. Green was the most popular performer of soul music in the 1970s, transforming the relationship of soul music from the sacred to the secular.

W.C. Handy
W.C. Handy

Musician. Sometimes called the "Father of the Blues," Handy is credited with helping popularize blues music.

Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Singer, songwriter, musician. One of rock 'n' roll's original madmen, Screamin' Jay Hawkins was as famous for his music as he was for his stage antics.

Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes

Singer, songwriter. Hayes was one of the driving forces behind the soul music label Stax Records. He later found a second career in with Comedy Central's animated cable series South Park.

Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Born Johnny Allen Hendrix (later changed to James Marshall) on November 27, 1942, in Seattle, Washington.

Toots Hibbert
Toots Hibbert

Reggae musician, singer, songwriter. Hibbert's music was characterized by a grooving ska backbeat, soulful harmonies and a sun-drenched passion for having a good time.

Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill

Singer, songwriter, activist. Hill was the first woman, and first hip-hop artist, to win five Grammy Awards.

Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday

Jazz vocalist. Holiday emerged as one of the greatest jazz singers of the 1930s and 40s. Holiday had a unique sound and style of singing that delivered intense emotion and conviction with every note.

John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker

American blues singer-guitarist. One of the most distinctive artists in the electric blues idiom, Hooker was a great influence on countless bands such as The Rolling Stones.

Lena Horne
Lena Horne

Horne left school at age 16 to help support her ailing mother and became a dancer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City.

Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston

Singer, actress, model. A gospel-based crossover singer, Houston is now one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 190 million albums and singles worldwide.

Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson

Singer, actress. Hudson skyrocketed to success following her performances on the talent show American Idol. Her debut Broadway performance earned the young singer several accolades including a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and an Academy Award.

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The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5

Motown quintet. Comprised of family members including superstar Michael Jackson, the group dazzled audiences with hits like "ABC" and "I Want You Back." They became known for their flawless choreography and catchy "bubblegum soul."

Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson

Singer, songwriter, actress. The youngest of the Jackson children, pop music sensation Janet is ranked as one of the best-selling artists in history.

Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson

Gospel singer. Dubbed the first "Queen of Gospel Music," Jackson is known for her rich, powerful voice and remains one of the most influential gospel singers in the world.

Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson

Singer, songwriter. Born August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, as the seventh of nine children. Jackson and his brothers Jackie, Tito, Marlon, and Jermaine were assembled into a singing group when Michael was only five years old.

Etta James
Etta James

Singer. Born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles.

Rick James
Rick James

Singer, entertainer. Amongst his biggest hits was the Grammy-nominated "Super Freak." In addition to his popularity in music, James gained notoriety for his wild lifestyle.

Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau

Singer, songwriter. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 12, 1940.

Jay-Z
Jay-Z

American rapper and entrepreneur. Musician Jay-Z is among the most influential figures in hip-hop in the 1990s and 2000s. As president of Def Jam Recordings, he became one of the most highly placed African-American executives in the recording industry.

Robert Johnson
Al Jarreau

Singer, musician. Robert Johnson is considered to be one of the greatest blues performers of all time.

Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones

Composer, record producer. Born Quincy Delight Jr. on March 14, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois. A multifaceted jazz and pop figure, he began with his Seattle teenage friend Ray Charles, who interested him in arranging.

Louis Jordan
Louis Jordan

Musician. A saxophonist and singer in the 1940s and 50s, Jordan was a seminal figure in the development of both rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll. Jordan's style resonated with listeners, making him one of the few African-American artists of the 1940s to enjoy crossover popularity with a white audience.

Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys

Musician and singer. Blending pop, gospel, R&B and soul, Keys burst onto the music scene in 2001 with her debut album Songs in A Minor, which went platinum five times. Selling more than 30 million albums, Keys established herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time.

Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan

Singer, songwriter, and activist. Coming to prominence in the 1970s, Khan became known for her powerful voice, her charismatic stage presence, and her involvment with the Black Panther movement. She is perhaps best known for popular singles such as "I'm Every Woman."

B.B. King
B.B. King

Blues musician. B.B. King is an international blues and rock guitar influence, known for hits such as "The Thrill is Gone" and "Every Day I Have the Blues."

Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight

Singer, performer. Gladys Knight was among the most popular rhythm-and-blues and soul singers of the 1960s and 70s. Along with her back-up singers, The Pips, Knight scored several hits, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Neither One of Us."

Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles

Born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas, she began singing with the original members of the popular R&B group Destiny's Child -- LaToya Luckett, Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Roberson -- as a pre-teen.

Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle

American R&B and soul singer-songwriter. LaBelle is renowned for her passionate stage performances including her distinctive high-octave vocal range.

John Legend
John Legend

Singer-songwriter. A child musical prodigy, Legend was primarily known as an in-demand studio session man. He made a name in his own right as a solo artist, selling over 4 million records worldwide.

Little Richard
Little Richard

Singer, musician, performer. A rock stride pianist, Little Richard's hit songs of the mid-1950s were defining moments in the development of rock 'n' roll.

Ludacris
Ludacris

Born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas, she began singing with the original members of the popular R&B group Destiny's Child -- LaToya Luckett, Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Roberson -- as a pre-teen.

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Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis

Jazz musician. A talented trumpeter, Marsalis is noted as an international jazz and classical performance virtuoso who brought jazz music back into prominence in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas

Soul-pop vocal group. Among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the 1960s, Martha and the Vandellas popularized such hits as "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave" and "Nowhere to Run." Their music is widely considered as part of the 60s American culture.

Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield

R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. Mayfield helped bring a unique racial consciousness to popular music and introduced an innovative sound that greatly influenced following generations of musicians.

Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk

American pianist and composer who was among the first creators of modern jazz.

Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton

American jazz composer and pianist who pioneered the use of prearranged, semiorchestrated effects in jazz-band performances.

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Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker

Jazz musician. Considered the greatest jazz saxophonist in history, Parker was the principal stimulus of the modern jazz idiom known as "bebop."

Parliament Funkadelic
Parliament Funkadelic

Music group. This ever-changing roster of musicians, led by frontman George Clinton, helped develop the funk movement of the 1970s. P-Funk defined the dance music of its time, and experimented in a range of styles, from hard rock to house music.

Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett

Singer-songwriter. Pickett's explosive style helped define the soul music of the 1960s.

Prince
Prince

Singer, composer. Born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Ma Rainey
Ma Rainey

Pioneer blues vocalist. Born Gertrude Pridgett on April 26, 1886, in Columbus, Georgia, to minstrel troupers Thomas Pridgett, Sr. and Ella Allen-Pridgett.

Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls

Soul, jazz, and blues singer. A gifted performer known for his smooth vocal style, Rawls sold more than 40 million records during his long career as a Grammy Award-winning singer.

Otis Redding
Otis Redding

Singer, songwriter. Redding was one of the great soul stylists of the 1960s. His most haunting composition, "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay," shot to the top of the charts, and was his only No. 1 hit.

Rihanna
Rihanna

Singer. Born in Barbados, Rihanna is a popular recording artist and model who shot to stardom since the release of her debut album in 2005. She has sold more than 12 million records worldwide.

Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson

Singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born on February 19, 1940, in Detroit, Michigan.

Diana Ross
Diana Ross

Singer and actress. Born on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan.

Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker

Singer, songwriter. Rucker gained fame leading the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. As a solo artist in 2009, he won the Country Music Association's New Artist of the Year Award, making him the first African American to do so.

Run DMC
Run DMC

Music group. Run-DMC brought hip-hop into the musical and cultural mainstream, introducing what became known as "new-school" rap.

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Sam and Dave
Sam and Dave

Music group. Sam and Dave were among the most popular performers of soul music in the late 1960s. Their gritty, gospel-drenched style typified the "Memphis Sound."

Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur

Rapper, actor. Born on June 16, 1971, in New York, New York. Shakur has become a legend in hip-hop and rap circles for his talent, his violent behavior, and his brutal death.

Nina Simone
Nina Simone

Jazz singer, pianist, composer. Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina.

Sly and the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone

Music group. The American rock and funk band became widely popular in the late 1960s with a string of anthem-like pop singles, stirring socially relevant albums, and memorable live performances.

Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith

Singer. Widely known as the "Empress of the Blues," Smith was a popular singer during the 1920s and her music continues to win over new fans and influence modern day vocalists.

Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg

Rapper, actor. Born Calvin Broadus on October 20, 1972, in Long Beach, California. Broadus got the nickname "Snoop" from his mother because she thought he looked like the character in the Peanuts cartoon.

Staple Singers
Staple Singers

Music group. One of the most successful gospel-to-pop crossover acts ever, the Staple Singers collected several top 20 hits in the early 1970s.

The Supremes
The Supremes

Music group. The Supremes' tremendous popularity with a broad audience made its members among the most successful performers of the 1960s, and the flagship act of Motown Records.

The Temptations
The Temptations

Music group. The Temptations were noted for their smooth harmonies and intricate choreography. Recording primarily for Motown Records, they were among the most popular performers of soul music in the 1960s and 70s.

Timbaland
Timbaland

Producer, singer. Timbaland became an influential producer and hip-hop performer who contributed to the chart-scaling success of a host of recording artists in the early 21st century.

Tina Turner
Tina Turner

Singer. Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee.

Usher
Usher

Musician. Usher's smooth vocals and sensual ballads helped establish him as an R&B superstar beginning in the late 1990s.

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Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross

Singer, songwriter. Born April 20, 1951, in New York City.

"Fats" Waller
"Fats" Waller

Musician, composer. As a pianist, Waller was one of the few outstanding jazz musicians to win wide commercial fame. This was achieved at a cost, however, of obscuring his purely musical ability under a cloak of broad comedy.

Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick

American singer, actress, and activist. Warwick gained international fame in 1960s and 1970s and is well-known for singing the songs of the composer-lyricist team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington

Singer. As a blues performer, Washington is widely noted for her excellent voice control and unique gospel-influenced delivery.

Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters

Musician, singer. Waters played a major role in creating the post-World War II ensemble blues style with his talent as a blues guitarist and singer. He remains a major influence on a variety of rock musicians—most notably the Rolling Stones.

Kanye West
Kanye West

Rapper, record producer, singer. West's studio work with Jay-Z led to a recording contract which, coupled with his flamboyant persona, catapulted West to success. He now runs his own label, GOOD Records.

"Sonny Boy" Williamson
"Sonny Boy" Williamson

Singer, musician. Williamson came to fame as a blues singer, and the first influential harmonica virtuoso; a self-taught player who developed several technical innovations on his instrument.

Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson

Singer. Jackie Wilson was a music pioneer, who experimented with a fusion of 1950s doo-wop, rock, and blues styles to create his own unique soul music in the 1960s.

Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf

Singer, composer. A multi-talented singer, guitarist and harmonica player, Howlin' Wolf was one of the principal exponents of the urban blues style of Chicago.

Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder

American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, a child prodigy who developed into one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century.

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