Famous Songwriters and Composers a to z

American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera is best known for the single "Genie In A Bottle" and the controversial, sexually charged album Stripped.

American television personality Steve Allen is best known as the first host of The Tonight Show. He also starred on The Benny Goodman Show, and was an accomplished musician, composer, author and actor.

Gregg Allman is one of the co-founders of the popular 1970s rock group the Allman Brothers Band.

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.

André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor known for his work as part of the hip-hop duo OutKast.

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

Ashanti is best known for adding her R&B vocals to hit songs by popular rappers, including Fat Joe's "What's Luv" and Ja Rule's "Down 4 U."

English singer-songwriter Richard Ashcroft was the lead vocalist for the Verve. After the band broke up, Ashcroft started a new band, RPA & The United Nations of Sound, in 2010.

The Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach and his drummer, Patrick Carney, won multiple 2013 Grammy Awards for their album El Camino and its hit track, "Lonely Boy."

Johann Christian Bach was a galant-style German composer of Italian opera during the early Classical period, and the youngest son of famed Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

A magnificent classical composer, Johann Sebastian Bach is revered through the ages for his work's musical complexities and stylistic innovations.

John Barry was a British film composer best known for his memorable work on James Bond films.

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.

Lead Belly was a folk-blues singer, songwriter and guitarist whose ability to perform a vast repertoire of songs and notoriously violent life made him a legend.

Irving Berlin was one of the most prolific and popular songwriters of the 20th century, counting among his many hits "White Christmas" and "Cheek to Cheek."

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.

Chuck Berry was one of the most popular and influential performers of rhythm-and-blues and rock 'n' roll music during the 1950s, '60s and '70s. He's known for songs like "Johnny B. Goode" and "My Ding-a-Ling."

French composer Georges Bizet is best known for the realistic opera Carmen, a work that established itself as the model of opéra comique.

Rubén Blades is an acclaimed Panamanian singer, musician and actor known for albums like Buscando America and hits like "Pedro Navaja."

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."

Crystal Bowersox landed a spot on the ninth season of American Idol and became the first runner-up.

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

James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," was a prolific singer, songwriter and bandleader, as well as one of the most iconic figures in funk and soul music from 1956 to 2006.

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."

Jeff Buckley was an American singer-songwriter who became widely known for his stirring cover of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah."

American singer-songwriter Tim Buckley was known for combining folk, rock and other musical styles during his tragically short career.

Freddie Mercury is best known as the rock worlds most versatile and engaging performers and for his mock operatic masterpiece, Bohemian Rhapsody.

Anthony Burgess was an English novelist and composer best known for his novel A Clockwork Orange, which became a popular 1971 Stanley Kubrik film.

T Bone Burnett is a Grammy Award-winning musician and producer who has worked on several popular films, including The Big Lebowski and Crazy Heart.

David Byrne is a singer/songwriter who is best known as the front man for the art-rock musical group the Talking Heads.

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).

With hits such as "Vision of Love" and "I Don't Wanna Cry," pop diva Mariah Carey holds the record for most No. 1 debuts in Billboard Hot 100 history.

Hoagy Carmichael was an American songwriter who wrote the standards "Rockin' Chair," "Lazy River," "Stardust" and "Georgia on my Mind."

Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, was a singer, guitarist, and songwriter whose music innovatively mixed country, rock, blues, and gospel influences.

June Carter Cash was a Grammy-winning country singer who was married to and performed with country music star Johnny Cash.

Rosanne Cash is an American singer and songwriter best known for her country hits "Seven Year Ache" and "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me."

Cat Power is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music fuses folk, country and blues, as heard on albums like Moon Pix and The Greatest.

Folk singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, famous in the 1970s for hits like "Cat's in the Cradle," was also a philanthropist dedicated to fighting world hunger.

American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman received wide fame in the late 1980s and '90s with songs like "Give Me One Reason" and "Fast Car."

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.

Joshua Scott ("JC") Chasez performed in the mega-popular boy band N'Sync before becoming a solo artist, songwriter and reality-show judge.

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

Guitarist and singer-songwriter Eric Clapton's 1992 single "Tears in Heaven" became a top five hit. It was written about the death of his son.

Jamaican musician Jimmy Cliff is best known for introducing reggae to an international audience.

Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen is known for his poetic lyrics and baritone voice. He's received acclaim for such songs as "Hallelujah" and "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye."

A folk-pop singer, Judy Collins rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s with such hits as "Both Sides Now" and "Send In the Clowns."

John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer, and is an iconic figure of 20th century jazz.

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

Grammy-award winning musician Ry Cooder has released multiple American-roots style records under his own name, and has also recorded with musicians worldwide.

Sam Cooke, commonly known as the King of Soul, was an African-American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer and songwriter. He had 29 top-40 hits from 1957-1964.

Stewart Copeland is best known as the drummer for The Police. Copeland is also an accomplished producer and composer of soundtracks for movies and television.

For nearly four decades, American composer Aaron Copland achieved a distinctive musical characterization of American themes in an expressive modern style.

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

Graham Coxon is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the guitarist and backup vocalist for the alternative rock band Blur.

Grammy Award-winning musician Wayne Coyne has been the frontman of the Flaming Lips since 1983.

Bing Crosby sang such hit songs as the ever-popular holiday classic "White Christmas." The beloved crooner was also a star of radio, movies and television.

British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz is known for the albums Departure and Rokstarr, which includes songs like "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite."

Billy Ray Cyrus is a country singer/songwriter who is perhaps now more famous for his TV and film roles than for his music.

Nine-time Grammy Award winner Miles Davis was a major force in the jazz world, as both a trumpet player and a bandleader.

John Deacon is a bassist and songwriter who played with the band Queen. He penned the hits "You're My Best Friend" and "Another One Bites the Dust."

Embracing nontraditional scales and tonal structures, Claude Debussy became one of the most highly regarded composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is seen as the founder of musical impressionism.

John Denver was one of the most successful singer-songwriters of the 1970s. His hits include "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy."

Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond wrote "I'm A Believer" for The Monkees, and peformed his own pop hits, including "Heartlight" and "Sweet Caroline."

Howard Dietz was a songwriter and the creator of the famous MGM lion mascot.

Grammy Award-winning folk singer and songwriter Ani DiFranco's eclectic musical style and politically charged lyrics have made her both a feminist and rock icon.

Songwriter Kara DioGuardi has worked on popular hits for a laundry list of pop stars including Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson and Ashlee Simpson.

Tanya Donelly is a musician who was influential in the alternative music scene in the 1980s and 1990s with bands such as Throwing Muses.

Donovan emerged onto the musical scene in the 1960s as a folk singer, but he is best remembered for such hits as “Mellow Yellow” and “Sunshine Superman,” hippie odes to the counterculture revolution swelling at the time.