06/18/1905 - 07/23/1985
James Kern (“Kay”) Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985) was a popular bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s
02/13/1921 - 05/25/1955
Wardell Gray (1921–1955) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods. Today often overlooked, Gray's playing displays a unique style, an unmatched tone and a strong presence.
02/01/1948 - 08/06/2004
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popula...
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06/03/1906 - 04/12/1975
Josephine Baker (June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer, and actress. Nicknamed the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and even the "Créole Goddess" in anglophone nation...
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09/28/1928 - 06/03/2009
Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor (September 28, 1928 – June 3, 2009) was an American blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues...
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Eddie Rabbit (Edward Thomas Rabbitt)
11/27/1941 - 05/07/2011
Eddie Rabbitt (November 27, 1941 - May 7, 1998) started as a songwriter in the late 1960s, springboarding to a recording career after composing hits such as "Kentucky Rain" for Elvis Presley in 1970 and "Pure Love" for Ron...
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10/26/1915 - 01/23/2010
Royland Earl Wild (November 26, 1915 – January 23, 2010) was an American pianist widely recognized as a leading virtuoso of his generation. Harold C. Schonberg called him a "super-virtuoso in theHorow...
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02/03/1935 - 05/17/1996
Johnny "Guitar" Watson (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996) was an American blues and funk guitarist and singer. John Watson, Jr. was born in Houston, Texas. His father John Sr. was a pianist, and taught his son the instrument. But yo...
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10/20/1874 - 05/19/1954
Charles Edward Ives (October 20, 1874 – May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer. He is widely regarded as one of the first American composers of international renown. Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of...
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09/23/1926 - 07/17/1967
John William Coltrane (sometimes abbreviated "Trane"; September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was prolific, organizing at least fifty recording sessions as a leader during his reco...
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01/22/1924 - 02/04/2001
J. J. Johnson (born James Louis Johnson, January 22, 1924, Indianapolis, Indiana; died February 4, 2001) was a United States jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. He was sometimes credited as...
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04/04/1909 - 02/09/1951
Eddy Duchin (April 1, 1909 or April 10, 1910 – February 9, 1951) was an American popular pianist and bandleader of the 1930s and 1940s, famous for his engaging onstage personality, his elegant piano style, and his fight a...
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08/10/1928 - 09/22/2010
Edwin John Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010), better known as Eddie Fisher, was an American singer and entertainer, who was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and h...
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04/16/1939 - 03/02/1999
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999) known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s. With her distinctive sensual sound, she was...
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04/28/1924 - 02/07/2009
Blossom Dearie (April 28, 1924 – February 7, 2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist, often performing in the bebop genre and remembered for her girlish voice