Nikki Giovanni - American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Billy Butler - American soul singer and songwriter active in the 1960s and 1970s. Prince - American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor, and director. Regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation, he worked across multiple genres and often played most or all […]

Boz Scaggs - American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He became prominent for his series of albums in the late 1970s, and songs "Lido Shuffle" and "Lowdown" from Silk Degrees, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Scaggs continues to write, record music, and tour. Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins - Former singer with 1950s and […]

Jackie Wilson -  American soul singer and performer. A tenor with a four-octave range, Wilson was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Kenny Barron - American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz […]

Shirley Alston - American soul singer who was the main lead singer of the hit girl group the Shirelles. In addition to Owens, the Shirelles consisted of classmates of hers from Passaic High School, New Jersey: Doris Kenner Jackson, Addie "Micki" Harris McPhadden and Beverly Lee.

Pretty Purdie - American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul, funk, and jazz musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie Shuffle." He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013. Glenn Leonard - American R&B and soul […]