This is a partial list of African American Musicians and composers. Also included are musical groups. To locate biographical information on the following persons, use one of the library’s biography databases or Grove Music Online, located on the library database page. To Access Information Off Campus, Please Enter Your Banner ID and Password.
Marian Anderson
Louis Armstrong
Etta Baker
Chuck Berry
George Benson
Beyonce
James Brown
Charlie Byrd
Ray Charles
Nat “King” Cole
John Coltrane
Sam Cooke
Miles Davis
Bo Diddley
Fats Domino
Duke Ellington
Ella Fitzgerald
Aretha Franklin
Marvin Gaye
Dizzy Glilespie
Al Green
Buddy Guy
W.C. Handy
Jimi Hendrix
Billie Holiday
Lena Horne
Whitney Houston
Janet Jackson
Michael Jackson
Etta James
Rick James
Blind Willie Johnson
Robert Johnson
Scott Joplin
B.B King
Gladys Knight and the Pips
Earl Klugh
Lenny Kravitz
Mahalia Jackson
Little Richard
Wynton Marsalis
Curtis Mayfield
Brian McKnight
Thelonious Monk
Wes Montgomery
Muddy Waters
Odetta
Charlie Parker
Prince
Otis Redding
Smokey Robinson
Niles Rodgers
Tupac Shakur
Nina Simone
Bessie Smith
Donna Summer
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Tina Turner
Dionne Warwick
Dinah Washington
Kanye West
Barry White
Jackie Wilson
Bill Withers
Bobby Womack
Stevie Wonder
Jay-Z
Musical Groups
Ashford and Simpson
Booker T. and the M.G.s
Boyz II Men
Brothers Johnson
The Chiffons
The Chi-Lites
Chic
The Commodores
The Crystals
The Drifters
Earth, Wind and Fire
The Flamingos
The Fifth Dimension
Gladys Knight and the Pips
The Isley Brothers
The Jackson 5
The Four Tops
The Gap Band
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
The Marvelettes
The Pointer Sisters
Public Enemy
The Spinners
The Stylistics
The Staple Singers
Salt n Pepa
The Shirells
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
The Supremes
The Temptations
Sly and the Family Stone
Staple Singers
Ike and Tina Turner
