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Arts & Letters
Novelists, poets, musicians, actors, directors and designers who made the country's culture.
Role:
Any
Actor 58
Novelist 46
Singer 39
Songwriter 31
Musician 30
Filmmaker 26
Painter 26
Composer 18
Poet 14
Author 11
Photographer 11
Comedian 10
Activist 9
Founder 8
Playwright 8
Sculptor 8
Educator 7
Broadcaster 6
Journalist 6
Rapper 6
Designer 5
Illustrator 5
Producer 5
Choreographer 4
Executive 4
30 people
Bob Dylan b. 1941MusicSongwriter whose poetic lyrics transformed folk, rock, and the role of popular music in public life.
Louis Armstrong 1901–1971MusicTrumpeter and singer whose innovations and worldwide fame made jazz a central American art form.
Prince 1958–2016MusicSinger, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose innovation and fight for artistic control influenced generations.
Bruce Springsteen b. 1949MusicSongwriter whose music made working-class life, aspiration, and disappointment central themes of American rock.
Jimi Hendrix 1942–1970MusicGuitarist whose sound, technique, and performance style revolutionized rock music.
Ray Charles 1930–2004MusicSinger and pianist who fused gospel, blues, jazz, and country into a foundational sound of soul and modern American popular music.
Chuck Berry 1926–2017MusicGuitarist and songwriter whose music established core sounds, themes, and performance styles of rock and roll.
Miles Davis 1926–1991MusicTrumpeter and bandleader who repeatedly redirected jazz through bebop, cool jazz, modal music, and fusion.
Stevie Wonder b. 1950MusicSinger-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose innovative recordings expanded soul and popular music.
James Brown 1933–2006MusicSinger and bandleader whose rhythmic innovations created funk and profoundly shaped hip-hop, dance, and popular performance.
Leonard Bernstein 1918–1990MusicConductor, composer, and educator who brought classical music to mass audiences and reshaped American musical theater.
Quincy Jones 1933–2024MusicArranged for Sinatra and Basie, scored the films, and produced Thriller.
Willie Nelson b. 1933MusicSongwriter and performer central to outlaw country and to Farm Aid.
Duke Ellington 1899–1974MusicComposer and bandleader who expanded the artistic ambition and vocabulary of jazz.
B.B. King 1925–2015MusicSinger and guitarist whose expressive style brought electric blues to a worldwide audience and influenced generations of musicians.
Charlie Parker 1920–1955MusicSaxophonist whose virtuosity and harmonic innovations made him a principal creator of bebop and modern jazz.
John Coltrane 1926–1967MusicSaxophonist and composer whose technical and spiritual explorations transformed modern jazz.
Brian Wilson 1942–2025MusicBeach Boys songwriter and producer who made Pet Sounds and "Good Vibrations" out of the recording studio itself
Nat King Cole 1919–1965MusicJazz pianist and singer of "Mona Lisa", "Unforgettable" and "The Christmas Song"
Little Richard 1932–2020MusicSinger and pianist whose explosive performances and recordings helped establish the sound and visual style of rock and roll.
Woody Guthrie 1912–1967MusicDust Bowl balladeer whose songs shaped American folk and protest music for later generations.
Dizzy Gillespie 1917–1993MusicJazz trumpeter who co-founded bebop and invented Afro-Cuban jazz
Benny Goodman 1909–1986MusicClarinetist and bandleader who touched off the Swing Era
Scott Joplin 1868–1917MusicRagtime composer whose piano rags were among the first widely sold American popular sheet music.
Muddy Waters 1913–1983MusicChicago bluesman who electrified Delta blues and supplied a foundation for rock music.
Nina Simone 1933–2003MusicSinger and pianist who joined classical training to jazz and civil rights protest songs.
Count Basie 1904–1984MusicKansas City bandleader whose rhythm section reset what a big band could swing like.
Thelonious Monk 1917–1982MusicPianist and composer whose distinctive harmonies, rhythms, and repertory became central to modern jazz.Robert Johnson 1911–1938MusicDelta blues guitarist whose small recorded output influenced generations of blues and rock players.
Charlie Christian 1916–1942MusicBenny Goodman Sextet guitarist who made the electric guitar a solo voice