09/09/1941 - 12/10/1967
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American soul singer. Often called the "King of Soul", he is renowned for an ability to convey strong emotion through his voice.
Redding's...
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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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07/10/1959 - 10/21/2006
Sandy West (July 10, 1959 – October 21, 2006) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and drummer. She was hailed by fans and critics alike to be a groundbreaking musician, as a drummer. She was one of the founding members of...
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09/20/1927 - 02/06/2010
Sir John Phillip William Dankworth (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), known in his early career as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist and clarinetist. He was the husband of jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, who surviv...
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01/20/1888 - 12/06/1949
Huddie William Ledbetter (January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949) was an American folk-blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose ability to perform a vast repertoire of songs, in conjunction with his notoriously violent life, made him a leg...
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11/14/1900 - 12/02/1990
Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American classical composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly A...
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06/03/1941 - 12/26/1999
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation ...
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Mike Starr (Michael Christopher Starr)
04/04/1966 - 03/08/2011
Michael Christopher "Mike" Starr (April 4, 1966 – March 8, 2011) was an American musician, best known as the original bassist in Alice in Chains, who he played with from the band's formation in 1987 until 1993.
Benny Goodman (Benjamin David Goodman)
05/30/1909 - 06/13/1986
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing
11/12/1917 - 06/16/2008
Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917 – July 16, 2008) was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s. Stafford was greatl...
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02/20/1967 - 04/05/1994
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana.
Nirvana was labeled "the flagship band" of G...
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04/23/1936 - 12/06/1988
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter and musician, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. His greatest success came with Monument...
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04/04/1913 - 04/04/1983
McKinley Morganfield, known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the Father of modern Chicago blues. A major inspiration for the British blues explosion in the 1960s, Muddy was ranked #17...
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06/28/1902 - 12/30/1979
Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partner...
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02/28/1943 - 11/27/1998
Barbara Acklin was a soul singer of the 1960s and 1970s. Her biggest hit was "Love Makes a Woman" in 1968 which reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.