List of African-American singers

Last updated

This is a list of notable African-American singers that gives their year of birth and music genres with which they are associated.

Contents

List of singers, rappers, and musicians

Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong restored.jpg
Louis Armstrong
George Benson SDSC 0022.jpg
George Benson
Chuck Berry Chuck Berry 1957.jpg
Chuck Berry
James Brown James Brown Live Hamburg 1973 1702730029.jpg
James Brown
Ray Charles Ray Charles classic piano pose.jpg
Ray Charles
Nat King Cole Nat King Cole (Gottlieb 01511).jpg
Nat King Cole
John Coltrane John Coltrane 1963.jpg
John Coltrane
Sam Cooke Sam Cooke billboard.jpg
Sam Cooke
Miles Davis Miles Davis by Palumbo cropped.jpg
Miles Davis
Sammy Davis Jr. Sammy Davis Jr. 1972.jpg
Sammy Davis Jr.
Fats Domino Fats Domino (1962).jpg
Fats Domino
Dennis Edwards Dennis Edwards with the Temptations in 1968.jpg
Dennis Edwards
Duke Ellington Duke Ellington - publicity.JPG
Duke Ellington
Art Farmer Art Farmer.jpg
Art Farmer
Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald (Gottlieb 02871).jpg
Ella Fitzgerald
Roberta Flack Roberta Flack 1971.jpg
Roberta Flack
Aretha Franklin Aretha Franklin 1968.jpg
Aretha Franklin
Marvin Gaye Marvin Gaye (1973).png
Marvin Gaye
Dizzy Gillespie Dizzy Gillespie01.JPG
Dizzy Gillespie
Buddy Guy Buddy Guy 2008.jpg
Buddy Guy
Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes 2.jpg
Isaac Hayes
Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix 1967 uncropped.jpg
Jimi Hendrix
Gil Scott-Heron Gil Scott-Heron - 10-03-2009 San Francisco, California.jpg
Gil Scott-Heron
Billie Holiday Billie Holiday, Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. Feb. 1947 (William P. Gottlieb 04251).jpg
Billie Holiday
John Lee Hooker JohnLeeHooker1997.jpg
John Lee Hooker
Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Welcome Home Heroes 1 cropped.jpg
Whitney Houston
Michael Jackson Michael Jackson, 1988 (46845017052).jpg
Michael Jackson
Etta James Etta James.jpg
Etta James
Rick James Rick James in Lifestyles of the Rich 1984.JPG
Rick James
Al Jarreau Al Jarreau.jpg
Al Jarreau
Quincy Jones Quincy Jones May 2014.jpg
Quincy Jones
B.B. King B.B. King in 2009.jpg
B.B. King
Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt 2007.jpg
Eartha Kitt
Gladys Knight Gladys Knight 1997.jpg
Gladys Knight
Patti LaBelle Patti Labelle.jpg
Patti LaBelle
Taj Mahal Taj Mahal (musician).jpg
Taj Mahal
Johnny Mathis Johnny Mathis.JPG
Johnny Mathis
Curtis Mayfield Curtis Mayfield.png
Curtis Mayfield
Aaron Neville Aaron Neville.jpg
Aaron Neville
Jessye Norman Jessye Norman- In Conversation with Tom Hall (15977754135) (cropped).jpg
Jessye Norman
Billy Preston Billy Preston.jpg
Billy Preston
Prince Prince at Coachella (cropped).jpg
Prince
Charley Pride Charley-Pride 1981.JPEG
Charley Pride
Lou Rawls Lou rawls edit.png
Lou Rawls
Otis Redding Otis Redding (2).png
Otis Redding
Little Richard Little Richard in 2007 (cropped).jpg
Little Richard
Lionel Richie Lionel Richie in 2017.jpg
Lionel Richie
Max Roach Max Roach.jpg
Max Roach
Smokey Robinson Smokey Robinson by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Smokey Robinson
Nile Rodgers Nile Rodgers Coachella 2018 (cropped).jpg
Nile Rodgers
Sonny Rollins Sonny Rollins 2011.jpg
Sonny Rollins
Diana Ross Diana Ross (1982).jpg
Diana Ross
Otis Rush Otis Rush at Notodden bluesfestival.jpg
Otis Rush
Nina Simone Nina Simone 1965.jpg
Nina Simone
Mavis Staples Mavis Staples.jpg
Mavis Staples
Donna Summer Nobel Peace Price Concert 2009 Donna Summer3.jpg
Donna Summer
Cecil Taylor Taylor Cecil moersfestival 120508.jpg
Cecil Taylor
Ike Turner Iketurner1997.jpg
Ike Turner
Tina Turner Tina Turner 50th Anniversary Tour.jpg
Tina Turner
Dionne Warwick Dionne Warwick 2 (cropped).jpg
Dionne Warwick
Dinah Washington Dinah Washington 1962.jpg
Dinah Washington
Johnny "Guitar" Watson Johnny Guitar Watson-1996.jpg
Johnny "Guitar" Watson
Muddy Waters Muddy Waters november 1976.jpg
Muddy Waters
Lil Wayne Lil Wayne Feb. 2020.jpg
Lil Wayne
Barry White Barry White, Bestanddeelnr 927-0099.jpg
Barry White
Maurice White Maurice White 1982.jpg
Maurice White
Nancy Wilson Nancy Wilson (1968).jpg
Nancy Wilson
Bill Withers Bill Withers 1976.JPG
Bill Withers
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder 1973.JPG
Stevie Wonder
Lil Nas X 191125 Lil Nas X at the 2019 American Music Awards.png
Lil Nas X

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Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhythm and blues</span> Music genre originating in the 1940s in the United States

Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within the African-American community in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to African Americans, at a time when "rocking, jazz based music ... [with a] heavy, insistent beat" was starting to become more popular. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of a piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, one or more saxophones, and sometimes background vocalists. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American history and experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy, as well as triumphs and failures in terms of societal racism, oppression, relationships, economics, and aspirations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soul music</span> Genre of music

Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening, and U.S. record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential in its proliferation during the civil rights movement. Soul also became popular worldwide, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa. It had a resurgence in the mid-to late 1990s with the subgenre neo soul, which incorporated modern production elements and hip hop influences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of the United States</span> Music based in the United states

The United States' multi-ethnic population is reflected through a diverse array of styles of music. It is a mixture of music influenced by the music of Europe, Indigenous peoples, West Africa, Latin America, Middle East, North Africa, amongst many other places. The country's most internationally renowned genres are traditional pop, jazz, blues, country, bluegrass, rock, rock and roll, R&B, pop, hip-hop/rap, soul, funk, religious, disco, house, techno, ragtime, doo-wop, folk, americana, boogaloo, tejano, surf, and salsa, amongst many others. American music is heard around the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century, some forms of American popular music have gained a near global audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Washington (state)</span>

The U.S. state of Washington has been home to many popular musicians and several major hotbeds of musical innovation throughout its history. The largest city in the state, Seattle, is known for being the birthplace of grunge as well as a major contributor to the evolution of punk rock, indie music, folk, and hip hop. Nearby Tacoma and Olympia have also been centers of influence on popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African-American music</span> Musical traditions of African American people

African-American music is a broad term covering a diverse range of musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Its origins are in musical forms that developed as a result of the enslavement of African Americans prior to the American Civil War. It has been said that "every genre that is born from America has black roots."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music history of the United States</span>

Music history of the United States includes many styles of folk, popular and classical music. Some of the best-known genres of American music are rhythm and blues, jazz, rock and roll, rock, soul, hip hop, pop, and country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American popular music</span> Pop music in the united states

American popular music is popular music produced in the United States and is a part of American pop culture. Distinctive styles of American popular music emerged early in the 19th century, and in the 20th century the American music industry developed a series of new forms of music, using elements of blues and other genres. These popular styles included country, R&B, jazz and rock. The 1960s and 1970s saw a number of important changes in American popular music, including the development of a number of new styles, such as heavy metal, punk, soul, and hip hop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance music</span> Music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance music. While there exist attestations of the combination of dance and music in ancient history, the earliest Western dance music that we can still reproduce with a degree of certainty are old-fashioned dances. In the Baroque period, the major dance styles were noble court dances. In the classical music era, the minuet was frequently used as a third movement, although in this context it would not accompany any dancing. The waltz also arose later in the classical era. Both remained part of the romantic music period, which also saw the rise of various other nationalistic dance forms like the barcarolle, mazurka, ecossaise, ballade and polonaise.

This is a list of lists of musicians.

Urban/contemporary gospel, also known as urban gospel music, urban gospel pop, or just simply urban gospel, is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched primarily to African-Americans. Christian hip hop can be considered a subtype of this genre.

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