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Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny is the stage name of John Lyon, an American singer-songwriter and the leader of the American musical group Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. The group has been recording albums since 1976 and is known for its rhythm and blues style. Some of their songs include “Fever”, “Talk to Me”, and “I Don’t…
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T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux “T-Bone” Walker was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter, and bandleader who pioneered the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. Walker was born on May 28, 1910 in Linden, Texas and died on March 16, 1975. He was the first to make a guitar wail, cry out, and buckle under…
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Doors
The Doors are an American rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The band members are Jim Morrison (vocals), Ray Manzarek (keyboards), Robby Krieger (guitar), and John Densmore (drums). The Doors are known for their charismatic stage persona and controversial lyrics, and were one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s.…
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Billy Joel
Billy Joel is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist who has released more than 60 albums. He’s known as the “Piano Man” after his 1973 song of the same name, and his other hits include “Captain Jack”, “Uptown Girl”, and “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. Joel’s music has been described as expressive of alienation, and…
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Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan (1924 – 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist who won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for nine. She was known for her emotional delivery, three-octave vocal range, and scat technique. Some of her best-known songs include “It’s Magic,” “Make Yourself Comfortable,” “Broken-Hearted Melody,” “Misty,”…
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Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, also known as “Queen Bey”, is an American singer, songwriter, and businesswoman. She was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas to Tina Knowles, a hairdresser and salon owner, and Mathew Knowles, a Xerox sales manager. Beyoncé first became famous in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B…
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Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson (1934-1984) was an American singer and songwriter who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was a member of the R&B vocal group Billy Ward and His Dominoes before becoming a solo act in 1957. His first major hit, “Lonely Teardrops,” was released in 1958, and…
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Ike & Tina Turner
ke & Tina Turner is an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. The duo was active from 1960 to 1976 and released more than 60 albums. Their genres included R&B, soul, blues, rock and roll, and funk rock. Some of their songs include “Proud Mary”, “River Deep -…
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Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard (1937 – 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. He was one of the most popular country music performers of the late 20th century, with almost 40 number one country hits between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s. Haggard’s music stylistically mined honky-tonk, blues, jazz, pop, and folk. Some…
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Jimmy Dorsey
James Francis Dorsey (1904 – 1957), also known as “JD”, was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and big band leader. He played on the jazz standards “Singin’ the Blues” (1927) and “Georgia on My Mind” (1930), both of which are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. He also recorded and composed the standards “I’m…
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Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer who is considered a founder of modern jazz. His unique improvisational style and sense of rhythm, space, and harmony made him an influential innovator. His music is known for its humorous, playful quality and many of his compositions, such as “‘Round Midnight”, “Blue Monk”,…
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Carter Family
The Carter Family is a traditional American folk music group that recorded from 1927 to 1956. They are known as “The First Family of Country Music” and are credited with inventing harmony singing and making many country standards. Their music has influenced bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop, and rock, as well as the 1960s folk…
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Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (1890-1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole descent. He was the first important composer and arranger of New Orleans jazz, and a major influence on the genre. His work blended genres and pioneered the use of prearranged, semiorchestrated effects in jazz-band…
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Perry Como
Pierino Ronald “Perry” Como (1912-2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. He recorded exclusively for RCA Victor from 1943 to 1987, releasing 22 albums and 147 singles. Some of his hits include “It’s Impossible,” “And I Love You So,” and “For the Good Times”. His first pop hit was “Long Ago and Far…
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Fats Waller
Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller (1904-1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer who pioneered the Harlem stride piano style. His innovations in the style laid the foundation for modern jazz piano. Waller was one of the first jazz pianists to master the organ, and he picked up modern jazz by ear when he…