Home › Arts & Letters › Music
Music
48 people
Louis Armstrong 1901–1971Arts & LettersTrumpeter and singer whose innovations and worldwide fame made jazz a central American art form.Irving Berlin 1888–1989Arts & LettersSongwriter whose vast catalog, from 'God Bless America' to Broadway standards, helped define the American popular songbook.Leonard Bernstein 1918–1990Arts & LettersConductor, composer, and educator who brought classical music to mass audiences and reshaped American musical theater.Chuck Berry 1926–2017Arts & LettersGuitarist and songwriter whose music established core sounds, themes, and performance styles of rock and roll.Beyoncé b. 1981Arts & LettersSinger, songwriter, and performer whose cultural influence extends far beyond music into fashion and activism.James Brown 1933–2006Arts & LettersSinger and bandleader whose rhythmic innovations created funk and profoundly shaped hip-hop, dance, and popular performance.Johnny Cash 1932–2003Arts & LettersSinger-songwriter whose work connected country, gospel, folk, prison reform, and American myth.Ray Charles 1930–2004Arts & LettersSinger and pianist who fused gospel, blues, jazz, and country into a foundational sound of soul and modern American popular music.John Coltrane 1926–1967Arts & LettersSaxophonist and composer whose technical and spiritual explorations transformed modern jazz.Sam Cooke 1931–1964Arts & LettersSinger-songwriter who helped transform gospel into soul music and used artistic independence to advance Black performers.Aaron Copland 1900–1990Arts & LettersComposer whose accessible modernist works created an enduring musical language associated with American landscapes and identity.Miles Davis 1926–1991Arts & LettersTrumpeter and bandleader who repeatedly redirected jazz through bebop, cool jazz, modal music, and fusion.Bob Dylan b. 1941Arts & LettersSongwriter whose poetic lyrics transformed folk, rock, and the role of popular music in public life.Duke Ellington 1899–1974Arts & LettersComposer and bandleader who expanded the artistic ambition and vocabulary of jazz.Ella Fitzgerald 1917–1996Arts & LettersSinger whose technical command and interpretations helped define jazz and the Great American Songbook.Aretha Franklin 1942–2018Arts & LettersSinger whose gospel-rooted artistry made her a defining voice of soul music and Black cultural pride.Judy Garland 1922–1969Arts & LettersActress and singer best known for The Wizard of Oz, whose life and talent became emblematic of Hollywood.Marvin Gaye 1939–1984Arts & LettersSinger-songwriter whose Motown recordings expanded soul music through intimacy, political commentary, and studio experimentation.George Gershwin 1898–1937Arts & LettersComposer who fused jazz, popular song, Broadway, and concert music into a distinctly American style.Woody Guthrie 1912–1967Arts & LettersDust Bowl balladeer whose songs shaped American folk and protest music for later generations.Jimi Hendrix 1942–1970Arts & LettersGuitarist whose sound, technique, and performance style revolutionized rock music.Billie Holiday 1915–1959Arts & LettersJazz singer whose intensely personal phrasing and performances, including 'Strange Fruit,' transformed American vocal music.Whitney Houston 1963–2012Arts & LettersSinger whose vocal technique and crossover success set a standard for modern pop and R&B performance.Michael Jackson 1958–2009Arts & LettersPerformer whose recordings, choreography, and music videos redefined global pop stardom.Jay-Z b. 1969Arts & LettersRapper and entrepreneur whose career helped move hip-hop from a subculture to the center of American business and culture.Robert Johnson 1911–1938Arts & LettersDelta blues guitarist whose small recorded output influenced generations of blues and rock players.Scott Joplin 1868–1917Arts & LettersRagtime composer whose piano rags were among the first widely sold American popular sheet music.B.B. King 1925–2015Arts & LettersSinger and guitarist whose expressive style brought electric blues to a worldwide audience and influenced generations of musicians.Kendrick Lamar b. 1987Arts & LettersRapper whose albums won a Pulitzer Prize and multiple Grammy Awards.Madonna b. 1958Arts & LettersThe Queen of Pop who reshaped the music industry and became a symbol of female empowerment and reinvention.Thelonious Monk 1917–1982Arts & LettersPianist and composer whose distinctive harmonies, rhythms, and repertory became central to modern jazz.Muddy Waters 1913–1983Arts & LettersChicago bluesman who electrified Delta blues and supplied a foundation for rock music.Willie Nelson b. 1933Arts & LettersSongwriter and performer central to outlaw country and to Farm Aid.Charlie Parker 1920–1955Arts & LettersSaxophonist whose virtuosity and harmonic innovations made him a principal creator of bebop and modern jazz.Dolly Parton b. 1946Arts & LettersCountry music legend whose Imagination Library has donated over 200 million books to children.Cole Porter 1891–1964Arts & LettersComposer and lyricist of Broadway standards including Anything Goes and Kiss Me Kate.Elvis Presley 1935–1977Arts & LettersThe King of Rock and Roll whose music and style revolutionized American popular culture.Prince 1958–2016Arts & LettersSinger, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose innovation and fight for artistic control influenced generations.Little Richard 1932–2020Arts & LettersSinger and pianist whose explosive performances and recordings helped establish the sound and visual style of rock and roll.Tupac Shakur 1971–1996Arts & LettersRapper and actor whose work and persona became enduring symbols of hip-hop’s social and personal tensions.Nina Simone 1933–2003Arts & LettersSinger and pianist who joined classical training to jazz and civil rights protest songs.Frank Sinatra 1915–1998Arts & LettersCrooner and actor whose voice and charisma made him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.Bessie Smith 1892–1937Arts & LettersLeading blues recording artist of the 1920s known as the Empress of the Blues.Stephen Sondheim 1930–2021Arts & LettersComposer and lyricist whose formal and psychological innovations transformed the American musical theater.Bruce Springsteen b. 1949Arts & LettersSongwriter whose music made working-class life, aspiration, and disappointment central themes of American rock.Taylor Swift b. 1989Arts & LettersSinger-songwriter whose commercial reach, fan culture, and control of her catalog reshaped the modern music business.Hank Williams 1923–1953Arts & LettersCountry songwriter whose brief career set the template for the genre's later stars.Stevie Wonder b. 1950Arts & LettersSinger-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose innovative recordings expanded soul and popular music.