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In 1926, a researcher at Harvard by the name of Dr. Carter G. Woodson organized the first week of the annual Negro History. The event occurred on the second week of February, which also coincides with the birthdays of two great civil rights leaders – Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Today, the month of February is known as Black History Month. In honor of this celebration, here are several profiles of famous African American musicians.

1. Louis Armstrong was a musician and composer of jazz, known as one of the founding fathers of jazz.
2. Chuck Berry was a blues and rock and roll guitarist and singer.
3. James Brown was the singer and keyboardist of the Soul, R & B, Funk, Pop and Dance music genres.
4. Ray Charles was known as “The Genius”; he was a gospel singer and pianist.
5. Nat King Cole started as a pianist and later became known as a singer. He has recorded jazz mainly in the 1930s to 40’s and then most of the pop music of the 1950s to 60’s.
6. John Coltrane was an  influential jazz tenor saxophonist.
7. Edmond Dede was a prodigy in violin and conductor at the Théâtre de l’Alcazar for 27 years.
8. Duke Ellington was a composer, conductor and jazz pianist; he was affectionately called “The Duke”.
9. Ella Fitzgerald was known as “The First Lady of Song” and her incredible scat-singing.
10. Dizzy Gillespie was one of the founding fathers of jazz and one of the inventors of bebop.
11. Billie Holiday was nicknamed “Lady Day”  and was one of the first blues singers in history, known for his soul voice.
12. Francis Johnson was the inventor of cotillas and was the first great master of the band in the United States.
13. Scott Joplin was known as the “King of Ragtime” because of his rags to classical piano.
14. B. B. King was known as “The King of the Blues.”
15. Charlie “Bird” Parker influenced the development of “bop” in the 1940s and was one of the greatest soloists in jazz improvisation.
16. Florence Beatrice Price was the first female African-American composer whose work has been done by a leading U.S. orchestra.
17. Ma Rainey was known as the first great blues singer;  she made over 100 recordings under the Paramount label.
18. Bessie Smith was known as “Empress of the Blues”, one of the greatest blues singers of the 1920s.
19. Sarah Vaughan was one of the greatest jazz singers in history whose career spanned nearly 50 years.
20. Fats Waller was a jazz organist, pianist, singer, composer, conductor and conductor of small groups during the 1930s.