Famous Pianists a to z

Tori Amos is a singer/songwriter known for her influence on the 1990s alternative music scene and her piano-driven songs.

Benny Andersson is a musician who played keyboard for 1970s pop super-group ABBA.

One of the biggest classic pop performers, Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka moved from teen heartthrob to adult artist with a slew of hits.

Fiona Apple is an award-winning singer-songwriter whose self-confessional, literate albums routinely receive critical acclaim.

Considered one of history's most influential jazz musicians, Count Basie was known for his piano style and command of big bands such as the Count Basie Orchestra, and for songs like "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Taxi War Dance" and "Miss Thing."

Ludwig van Beethoven was a deaf German composer and the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras.

Leonard Bernstein was one of the first American-born conductors to receive worldwide fame. He composed the score for the Broadway musical West Side Story.

Ragtime pianist Eubie Blake was one of the most famous composers of 20th century musicals, known for hits like "I'm Just Wild About Harry."

James Booker was an African-American musician known for his unique fusion of jazz and rhythm-and-blues, and for songs like "The Sunny Side of the Street," "A Taste of Honey" and "Papa Was a Rascal."

Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist who wrote symphonies, concerti, chamber music, piano works, and choral compositions.

Blues Singer Charles Brown belonged to John Moore’s Three Blazers and gained fame when the band released “Driftin’ Blues.”

Jackson Browne is a folk singer-songwriter who released numerous hit records in the 1970s and '80s, including Late for the Sky. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Dave Brubeck was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his unconventional meters, as well as songs like "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke."

Sammy Cahn was a U.S. lyricist who composed songs for romantic films and Broadway musicals, including the hit “Three Coins in the Fountain” (1954, Oscar).

Helen Carter is best known as a performer in The Carter Family band.

Ray Charles was a pioneer of soul music, integrating R&B, gospel, pop and country to creat hits like "Unchain My Heart," "Hit the Road Jack" and "Georgia on My Mind." A blind genius, he is considered one of the greatest artists of all time.

Considered Poland's greatest composer, Frédéric Chopin focused his efforts on piano composition and was highly influential.

Van Cliburn was an acclaimed pianist who played with the New York Philharmonic and founded an international piano competition.

Patsy Cline was a celebrated country singer best known for her crossover hits, including "Crazy" and "Walking After Midnight."

Nat King Cole became the first African-American performer to host a variety TV series in 1956. He's best known for his soft baritone voice and for singles like "The Christmas Song," "Mona Lisa" and "Nature Boy."

Charitable New Orleans heartthrob Harry Connick, Jr. is popularly known as both a jazz musician and an actor.

Henry Cowell was an American pianist and experimental composer whose music influenced John Cage.

First noticed as a contestant on Groucho Marx's game show in 1955, Phyllis Diller went on to become a successful comedian, actress and author.

American singer and pianist Fats Domino was a rhythm-and-blues star who became one of the first rock-and-roll stars and who helped define the New Orleans sound.

Jimmy Durante was an American comedian whose career in every major entertainment performance medium spanned more than six decades.

An originator of big-band jazz, Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader who composed thousands of scores over his 50-year career.

Pianist Leon Fleisher is best known for his compositions and performances of classical music.

Erroll Garner was a virtuosic and popular jazz pianist known for creating one of the best-selling albums in jazz, Concert by the Sea (1958).

Richard Gere is an American actor best known for his status as an American sex symbol and his leading film roles, including in Report to the Commissioner, American Gigolo, An Officer and A Gentleman, Pretty Woman and Chicago.

Philip Glass is an American composer often associated with minimalism. He has composed numerous film and theatrical scores, including "Koyaanisqatsi" and "The Hours."

Rubén González was an acclaimed Afro-Cuban pianist and Buena Vista Social Club member who released his debut album as a lead player at the age of 78.

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was a blues/soul singer known for his over-the-top theatricality and the hit “I Put a Spell on You.”

Jazz pianist, composer and saxophonist Keith Jarrett is considered one of the most original and prolific jazz musicians to emerge during the late 20th century.

J.J. Johnson was a 20th century jazz musician and composer regarded as one of the greatest trombonists in history.

James Johnson was an influential African-American jazz pianist and a key figure in musical transition from ragtime to jazz. He's known for his hit "Carolina Shout."

Viewed as the "King of Ragtime," Scott Joplin was the foremost composer of the genre in the early 20th century, known for works like "The Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer."

Stan Kenton was an American pianist, composer and bandleader associated with the swing movement in jazz.

Alicia Keys is a multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter whose debut album, Songs in A Minor, went platinum five times over.

American singer and songwriter Carole King has written or co-written over 400 songs that have been recorded by more than 1,000 artists.

Musician and activist Fela Kuti pioneered Afrobeat music and was repeatedly arrested and beaten for writing lyrics that questioned the Nigerian government.

James Levine is a renowned pianist, violinist and conductor who has served as music director of the Metropolitan Opera since 1971.

American jazz pianist and composer John Lewis was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet, one of the longest-lived and best-received groups in jazz history.

Liberace was a flamboyant pianist who twice had his own TV show and frequently performed in Las Vegas.

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian pianist and composer of enormous influence and originality. He was renowned in Europe during the Romantic movement.

Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler became popular in the late 19th century for his emotionally charged and subtly orchestrated symphonies.

Chris Martin is lead singer, rhythm guitarist and pianist for the alternative band Coldplay, which has won two Grammy awards one being for its debut album.

The oldest of the Marx Brothers, Chico Marx had an antic personality and a savvy eye for how to keep the group going, but that was also because he had a weakness for both gambling and chasing women.

Ronnie Milsap is a multiple Grammy Award-winning country music singer and pianist. A blind performer, Milsap's songs were frequent cross-over hits during the 1970s and 1980s.

Thelonious Monk is one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time and one of first creators of modern jazz.

Contrasting her edgy, tomboyish style with that of her female popstar peers, Pink has had huge success with hits like "You Make Me Sick" and "There You Go".

Jelly Roll Morton was an American pianist and songwriter best known for influencing the formation of modern day jazz during the 1920s.

A prolific artist, Austrian composer Wolfgang Mozart created a string of operas, concertos, symphonies and sonatas that profoundly shaped classical music.

Jennifer Nettles is an American country music vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the popular group Sugarland.

Laura Nyro is best known for her musical career as a singer-songwriter, which began in the 1960s.

Ignacy Paderewski was a world famous concert pianist who also became Poland’s first prime minister in 1919.

Famed pianist and composer Eddie Palmieri won nine Grammy Awards throughout his career, for albums like The Sun of Latin Music, Solito and Masterpiece.

Gordon Parks was an African-American photographer, filmmaker and author, best known for his work published in LIFE magazine and for directing the hit movie Shaft.

Grace Potter is a singer and musician who fronts the band the Nocturnals. She also sang on the hit duet "You and Tequila" with country singer Kenny Chesney.

Florence Beatrice Price was an award-winning pianist and composer who became the first African-American woman to have her work performed by a major symphony.

Experimental jazz pianist, songwriter, composer and bandleader Sun Ra formed the band Arkestra in the 1950s and played in it until his death in 1993.

Sergey Rachmaninov was a Russian musician known for his magnificent piano playing as well as his distinguished compositions and symphonies.

Musician Charlie Rich had several No. 1 country songs in the 1970s, including "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl."

Art Rubinstein was a famous Polish pianist who is regarded by many as the greatest Chopin interpreter of the 20th century.

Ian Stewart was one of the founding members of the Rolling Stones, later serving as their road manager and pianist.

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer best known as one of the most influential composers in the twentieth century for ballets such as The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring.

Art Tatum was a highly influential 20th century jazz pianist known for his radical reinventions of pop standards.

Italian operatic soprano Renata Tebaldi was best known for her exquisite and emotional quality of her singing.

Pete Townshend is best known as the guitarist and songwriter for the band the Who as it grew to be one of the most influential bands of the 1960 and '70s.

Rufus Wainwright is a Canadian American singer and songwriter best known for his pop albums Rufus Wainwright (1998) and Poses (2001).

André Watts is an award-winning, renowned pianist known for his virtuosic playing and rhapsodic interpretations of classical music greats.

British musician and producer Alan Wilder is best known as a keyboardist and songwriter for the band Depeche Mode. Wilder wrote songs like "The Great Outdoors," "The Landscape Is Changing" and "In Your Memory."