Famous Black Musicians

• Anderson, Marian

  The Black contralto who sang at the Lincoln Memorial

• Armstrong, Louis

  The charismatic jazz trumpeter who recorded "Hello Dolly"

• Ashby, Dorothy

  The jazz harpist who recorded 'Afro-Harping' in 1968

• Baker, Josephine

  The Black American singer/dancer famous in 1920s Paris

• Basie, Count

  Swing bandleader and performer of "One O'Clock Jump"

• Berry, Chuck

  Early rock legend who did "Johnny B. Goode"

• Cardi B

  The rapper of the hit song "Bodak Yellow"

• Common

  The rapper who co-wrote the theme from Selma

• Dandridge, Dorothy

  Star of the movie Carmen Jones

• Davis, Miles

  Composer/performer of Kind of Blue

• Dilla, J

  The Detroit hip-hop rapper/producer who did the album 'Donuts'

• Ellington, Duke

  Performer of "Take the 'A' Train"

• Gillespie, Dizzy

  The bebop trumpeter with the upturned horn

• Handy, W.C.

  The composer called "The Father of the Blues"

• Holiday, Billie

  The popular jazz singer known as "Lady Day"

• Horne, Lena

  Singer of the jazz standard "Stormy Weather"

• James, Rick

  Funky singer of "Super Freak"

• Johnson, Robert

  The legendary blues guitarist of "Crossroads" fame

• Jones, Quincy

  The jazz/pop maestro who produced Michael Jackson's album Thriller

• Little Richard

  The flamboyant singer of "Tutti Frutti"

• Lizzo

  The body-positive rapper who did "Truth Hurts" and "Batches & Cookies"

• Morton, Jelly Roll

  The composer of Jelly Roll Blues

• Pretty Ricky

  The four-brother band who sang "Grind With Me"

• Scott, Hazel

  The jazz star who had her own TV show in 1950, The Hazel Scott Show

• Smith, Will

  Popular rapper and star of the film Men in Black

• Thornton, Willie Mae

  Blues legend and original singer of "Hound Dog"

• Withers, Bill

  The singer of "Leon On Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine"

• Young, Lester

  The jazz saxophonist called "The Prez"

See: Famous African-Americans (for Black History Month)