0
Ruth Brown
American singer-songwriter (1928-2006)
1
Etta James
American recording artist; singer
2
Big Maybelle
American R&B singer and pianist
3
Roy Milton
American R&B and jump blues singer, drummer and bandleader
4
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
American gospel musician
5
Mavis Staples
American singer
6
Roseanna Vitro
Jazz singer
7
Lionel Hampton
American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor (1908-2002)
8
Louis Jordan
American jazz, blues and rhythm and blues musician, songwriter and bandleader (1908-1975)
9
Bobby Bland
American soul & blues musician
10
Betty Carter
American jazz singer, recording artist, songwriter
11
Pops Staples
American musician
12
Esther Phillips
American R&B singer
13
Little Willie John
American recording artist; R&B singer
14
Sam Cooke
American recording artist; singer-songwriter and entrepreneur
15
Ike & Tina Turner
American musical duo
16
T-Bone Walker
American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
17
Aretha Franklin
American singer, songwriter, and pianist
18
Al Green
American singer
19
The Staple Singers
American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group
20
Rose Marie McCoy
American songwriter
21
Ernestine Anderson
American jazz and blues singer
22
Ray Charles
American recording artist; musician, singer, songwriter
23
Big Mama Thornton
American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter
24
Ella Mae Morse
American popular music singer (1924-1999)
25
Little Richard
American pianist, singer and songwriter
26
Chaka Khan
American singer-songwriter
27
Jerry Wexler
American music journalist and producer
28
Wynona Carr
American musician
29
The Impressions
American soul vocal group
30
Nancy Wilson
American singer (1937-2018)
31
Roy Brown
American R&B singer, songwriter and musician
32
Wilson Pickett
American singer and songwriter
33
Mahalia Jackson
American gospel singer
34
Thomas A. Dorsey
American musician, composer, and Christian evangelist influential in the development of early blues and 20th-century gospel music
35
Brenda Lee
American singer and recording artist
36
Big Joe Turner
American blues shouter
37
Mary Wells
American pop/soul singer
38
Bessie Smith
American blues singer
39
Nina Simone
American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist
40
Joe Williams
American jazz singer
41
Martha and the Vandellas
American vocal group
42
Billie Holiday
American jazz singer
43
Fats Domino
American R&B musician
44
Gladys Knight & the Pips
American R&B/soul band
45
Bettye LaVette
American soul singer-songwriter
46
John Lee Hooker
American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist
47
Maurice White
American musician, founder of Earth, Wind & Fire
48
Ike Turner
African American musician, songwriter, and producer (1931-2007)
49
Buddy Guy
American blues guitarist and singer
50
Ahmet Ertegün
Turkish-American songwriter, record producer, music executive
51
Dave Bartholomew
American musician, bandleader, composer, arranger, and record producer
52
Wynonie Harris
American blues shouter and rhythm and blues singer
53
Gerald Wilson
American trumpetist (1918-2014)
54
Sarah Vaughan
American jazz singer
55
Count Basie
American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer (1904-1984)
56
Jimmy Witherspoon
American jump blues singer
57
The Isley Brothers
American musical group
58
Bo Diddley
American R&B musician
59
The Famous Flames
American R&B band
60
Philip Bailey
American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor
61
José Feliciano
guitarist, singer and composer from Puerto Rico
62
Martha Reeves
American singer and politician
63
Four Tops
American Motown vocal group
64
Jackie Wilson
American singer
65
Sippie Wallace
American blues and jazz singer
66
Ruthie Foster
American singer
67
Leiber-Stoller
American songwriting and record producing duo
68
Mamie Smith
American vaudeville singer and actress (1883-1946)
69
Christine Kittrell
Singer-songwriter, musician
70
Eddie Chamblee
American saxophonist
71
Clyde McPhatter
American singer
72
Catherine Russell
singer
73
The Dells
American R&B vocal group
