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Frank Ticheli
Frank Ticheli
American composer
1
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton
American actor, filmmaker, singer, songwriter, and musician
2
Vince Mendoza
Vince Mendoza
American composer
3
Hawk Wolinski
Hawk Wolinski
American musician
4
Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
American bluegrass musician, songwriter
5
The Boxmasters
The Boxmasters
American country rock/rockabilly band
6
Bill Coleman
Bill Coleman
American musician
7
George Smith
George Smith
American electric blues harmonica player
8
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
American jazz pianist and composer
9
Johnnie Johnson
Johnnie Johnson
American musician
10
La Bouche
La Bouche
band
11
Clifford Thornton
Clifford Thornton
American musician
12
Bachman–Turner Overdrive
Bachman–Turner Overdrive
Canadian band
13
Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
American jazz drummer
14
Lou Reed
Lou Reed
American musician, recording artist, singer-songwriter (1942-2013)
15
Sam Rivers
Sam Rivers
American jazz musician and composer
16
George Gershwin
George Gershwin
American composer and pianist (1898-1937)
17
Walter Page
Walter Page
American jazz musician
18
Pepper Adams
Pepper Adams
American saxophonist
19
John Coltrane
John Coltrane
American jazz saxophonist
20
Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
American recording artist; singer-songwriter (1947-2003)
21
Sammy Lawhorn
Sammy Lawhorn
American Chicago blues guitarist
22
Karl Berger
Karl Berger
German jazz vibraphonist, pianist and composer
23
John Fogerty
John Fogerty
American musician, songwriter
24
James William Guercio
James William Guercio
American music producer, musician, songwriter and director
25
Miles Davis
Miles Davis
American jazz musician (1926-1991)
26
Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly
American jazz pianist
27
Color Me Badd
Color Me Badd
American musical group; R&B boy band
28
Edmond Hall
Edmond Hall
American jazz clarinetist
29
Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill
American jazz pianist and composer
30
J. J. Johnson
J. J. Johnson
American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger (1924-2001)
31
Blair Thornton
Blair Thornton
Canadian musician
32
Woody Herman
Woody Herman
American recording artist, clarinetist, band leader
33
James Cotton
James Cotton
American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter
34
Paul Bacon
Paul Bacon
Designer of book and album covers
35
Chick Corea
Chick Corea
American jazz and fusion pianist, keyboardist, and composer
36
Otis Spann
Otis Spann
American Chicago blues pianist
37
Harold Mabern
Harold Mabern
American pianist
38
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
American hard rock band
39
Walter Bishop Jr.
Walter Bishop Jr.
American jazz pianist, recording artist
40
Dewey Redman
Dewey Redman
American saxophonist
41
Bill Evans
Bill Evans
American jazz pianist
42
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine
American musician
43
Count Basie
Count Basie
American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer (1904-1984)
44
Rashied Ali
Rashied Ali
American jazz musician
45
Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke
American jazz drummer
46
Carlos Ward
Carlos Ward
American musician
47
Curtis Fuller
Curtis Fuller
American jazz musician
48
Jerry Gonzalez
Jerry Gonzalez
American musician
49
Skitch Henderson
Skitch Henderson
American pianist, conductor, and composer (1918-2005)
50
Rube Bloom
Rube Bloom
American songwriter, pianist, arranger, band leader, recording artist, vocalist, and author
51
Johnny Winter
Johnny Winter
American blues guitarist and singer
52
Jian Ghomeshi
Jian Ghomeshi
Canadian musician, broadcaster, and writer
53
Jack Wilson
Jack Wilson
American pianist (1936-2007)
54
Horace Silver
Horace Silver
American jazz pianist and composer (1928–2014)
55
Billy Cox
Billy Cox
American musician
56
Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell
US musician
57
Hank Mobley
Hank Mobley
American saxophonist
58
Les DeMerle
Les DeMerle
American musician
59
Maceo Pinkard
Maceo Pinkard
American composer, lyricist, and music publisher
60
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
American jazz saxophonist and composer
61
Steve Burns
Steve Burns
American entertainer
62
Billy Squier
Billy Squier
American rock musician
63
Edgar Sampson
Edgar Sampson
American jazz composer, arranger, saxophonist, and violinist
64
New York Dolls
New York Dolls
American rock band
65
Keg Johnson
Keg Johnson
American jazz trombonists
66
Sirone
Sirone
American musician
67
Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
American musician
68
Cannonball Adderley
Cannonball Adderley
American jazz alto saxophonist
69
Willie Bobo
Willie Bobo
American musician
70
Bunny Berigan
Bunny Berigan
American musician
71
George Russell
George Russell
American pianist and composer
72
Steve Miller
Steve Miller
American guitarist and singer-songwriter
73
Charlie Holmes
Charlie Holmes
American saxophonist
74
Lonnie Plaxico
Lonnie Plaxico
American jazz bassist
75
Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
American guitarist
76
Frank Wess
Frank Wess
American saxophonist and flautist, composer and arranger
77
Hamiet Bluiett
Hamiet Bluiett
American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer
78
Booker Ervin
Booker Ervin
American saxophonist
79
Jim Carroll
Jim Carroll
American author, poet, and punk musician
80
Lee Morgan
Lee Morgan
American trumpeter
81
Leiber-Stoller
Leiber-Stoller
American songwriting and record producing duo
William Thornton Blue
American musician

William Thornton Blue

Intro
American musician
Genres
Music

William Thornton Blue (1902 – 1968), sometimes credited as Bill Blue, was an American jazz reed player.

Blue grew up playing in local bands in St. Louis, Missouri, where his father was a part-time music instructor. He played with Wilson Robinson's Bostonians, a territory band, and worked with Charlie Creath and Dewey Jackson in the middle of the 1920s. Later that decade he worked with Andrew Preer's Cotton Club Orchestra in New York City and on tour in Europe as a member of Noble Sissle's ensemble. He remained in Paris briefly, playing with John Ricks.

When he returned to New York, he joined The Missourians, led by Cab Calloway, then worked with Luis Russell. Due to failing health, Blue played little in the late 1930s and afterwards; he spent the last several years of his life in a sanatorium.