J.J. Barnes - American R&B singer and songwriter. He recorded several singles, starting in 1960. Des'ree - English pop recording artist who rose to popularity during the 1990s. She is best known for her hits "Feel So High", "You Gotta Be", "Life", and "Kissing You". June Pointer - American singer, best known as the youngest […]

Ronnie Laws - American jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz saxophonist. He is the younger brother of jazz flutist Hubert Laws, jazz vocalist Eloise Laws and the older brother of Debra Laws.

Cassandra Wilson - American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work.

Little Richard - American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Frank Wilson - American songwriter, singer and record producer for Motown Records.

Steve Alaimo -  American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s. Willie Hutch - American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s. Frankie Beverley - American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the […]

Andre Lewis - American musician known for his synthesizer recordings at Motown. As Andre Lewis he also contributed to Labelle's Moon Shadow and Whitney Houston's Just Whitney. Barbara Weathers - American R&B/soul singer, and former lead singer of R&B vocal group, Atlantic Starr. Brenda Jones - American R&B singer from vocal group The Jones Girls.

Dan Hartman - American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Jerry Butler - American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and retired politician. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, as well as a 1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Jimmy Smith - American jazz […]

Donald Byrd - American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was known as one of the rare bebop jazz musicians who successfully explored funk and soul while remaining a jazz artist.

Dionne Warwick - American singer, actress, television host, and former Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization. Sheila E - American percussionist, singer, author, and actress. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. Joe Williams - American jazz singer. Anna Ruby Gordy Gaye - […]

Clark Terry - American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator.

Cindy Birdsong - American singer who became famous as a member of The Supremes in 1967, when she replaced co-founding member Florence Ballard. Birdsong had previously been a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles. Harry Ray - Singer from American R&B vocal group, The Moments.

Michael McCary - American singer, known for being a former bass singer of the R&B group Boyz II Men.

Eddie Kendricks - American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971.   Wanda Hutchinson - Vocalist who came to prominence in the American sister Grammy-award winning R&B/soul group, The Emotions. The Emotions are […]

Anita O'Day - American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appearances that shattered the traditional image of the "girl singer".

Chuckii Booker - American producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader. Cornell Dupree - American jazz and R&B guitarist. Maurice White - American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey. Lenny […]

Kim Weston - American soul singer, and Motown alumna. Keith Wilder - Singer of the influential Seventies funk outfit Heatwave.

Betty Wright - American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist. Beginning her professional career in the late 1960s as a teenager, Wright rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night". Carla Thomas - American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen […]

Robin and Maurice Gibb - American vocalist from R&B music group the Bee Gees.

Eugene Record - American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was best known as the lead vocalist of the Chicago-based vocal group The Chi-Lites from their formation in 1959 until 1973 and again from 1980 to 1988. Esther Phillips - American singer, best known for her R&B vocals. She also performed pop, country, jazz, […]

Lee Dorsey - American pop and R&B singer during the 1960s.   Woody Shaw - American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator.

Bob James - American jazz keyboardist, arranger, and record producer. He founded the band Fourplay and wrote "Angela", the theme song for the TV show Taxi. Chris Kenner - American, New Orleans-based R&B singer and songwriter, best known for two hit singles in the early 1960s, "I Like It Like That" and "Land of 1000 […]

Johnny Otis - American singer, musician, composer, arranger, bandleader, talent scout, disc jockey, record producer, television show host, artist, author, journalist, minister, and impresario. He was a seminal influence on American R&B and rock and roll. Lonnie Liston Smith - American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with such jazz artists as Pharoah Sanders […]

Patti Drew - American pop singer who achieved brief success in the late 1960s. Yvonne Elliman - American singer, songwriter, and actress who performed for four years in the first cast of the stage musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

Chris Jasper - American singer, composer, and producer. Paul Jackson Jr. - American fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. Bo Diddley - American singer, guitarist, songwriter and music producer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, the […]

Donna Summer - American singer, songwriter and actress. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following.