Bessie Smith

• Aaliyah, singer and actress
• Julian "Cannonball" Adderly, jazz saxophonist
• Marian Anderson, opera singer
• Louis Armstrong, jazz musician
• Josephine Baker, singer and dancer
• Count Basie, jazz musician and composer
• Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000), rap artist
• Chuck Berry, rock and roll musician and songwriter
• Eubie Blake, pianist and composer
• Brandy, singer and actress
• James Brown, soul singer
• Harry T. Burleigh, American baritone and composer
• Cab Calloway, jazz singer and band leader
• Benny Carter, jazz saxophonist and composer
• Betty Carter, jazz singer
• Ray Charles, singer, pianist, and composer
• George Clinton, musician
• Natalie Cole, singer
• Nat "King" Cole, musician and composer
• John Coltrane, jazz saxophonist
• Sean "Puffy" Combs, rap singer and producer
• Coolio, rap singer

• Miles Davis, trumpet player and composer
• Sammy Davis Jr., entertainer
• William L. Dawson, composer and conductor
• Destiny's Child, R&B group
• Robert Nathaniel Dett, composer and pianist
• Bo Diddley, rock-and-roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter
• Snoop Dogg, rap musician
• Antoine "Fats" Domino, singer
• Thomas A. Dorsey, gospel music composer
• Dr. Dre, rap singer and producer
• Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, singer and producer
• Duke Ellington, jazz musician and composer
• Ella Fitzgerald, jazz singer
• Aretha Franklin, soul singer
• Marvin Gaye, Motown singer and songwriter
• Dizzy Gillespie, jazz musician and composer
• Berry Gordy, Jr., record company executive

• Lionel Hampton, musician, band leader
• Herbie Hancock, jazz musician
• William Christopher Handy, songwriter and band leader
• Ben Harper, musician
• Isaac Hayes, composer
• Roland Hayes, American opera singer
• Jimi Hendrix, rock musician, guitarist
• Lauryn Hill, rap artist, producer
• Billie Holiday, jazz singer
• John Lee Hooker, blues guitarist, singer, songwriter
• Lena Horne, singer
• Whitney Houston, singer, actress
• Ice Cube, rap artist, actor
• Ice T, rap artist, actor
• Janet Jackson, singer, dancer, actress
• Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer
• Michael Jackson, musician
• Robert Johnson, blues singer, guitarist
• Quincy Jones, pop-soul composer, producer
• Scott Joplin, ragtime pianist and composer

• Lil' Kim, rap musician
• B. B. King, guitarist
• Queen Latifah, rap musician, actress
• Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, singer
• Wynton Marsalis, jazz trumpeter, composer
• Johnnie Mathis, singer
• Charles Mingus, jazz musician
• Thelonious Monk, jazz pianist, composer, and arranger
• Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, jazz composer
• Mya, singer, songwriter
• Nelly, rap artist
• Aaron Neville, singer
• Jessye Norman, opera singer
• The Notorious B.I.G., rap artist
• Charlie "Bird" Parker, jazz saxophonist
• Antwan Patton (Big Boi), rap artist
• Leontyne Price, opera singer
• Charley Pride, singer
• Prince, singer and producer

• Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, blues singer
• Otis Redding, singer
• Della Reese, singer, actress
• Paul Robeson, actor and singer
• Smokey Robinson, singer and songwriter
• Darius Rucker, pop singer
• Tupac Shakur, rap artist and actor
• Bessie Smith, blues singer
• Will Smith, rap artist and actor
• William Grant Still, composer
• Howard Swanson, composer

• Tina Turner, R&B singer
• Luther Vandross, R&B singer
• Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer
• T-Bone Walker, blues singer
• Thomas "Fats" Waller, jazz pianist and songwriter
• Dionne Warwick, singer
• Dinah Washington, blues and jazz singer
• Muddy Waters, blues singer
• Andre Watts, American concert pianist
• Junior Wells, blues singer and harmonica player
• John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, blues singer and harmonica player
• Cassandra Wilson, jazz singer
• Stevie Wonder, singer, composer, producer
• Lester Young, jazz musician

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Visual and Performing Artists

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