Louis Armstrong - Musician and composer of jazz music, known as one of the founding father of jazz.
Chuck Berry - Blues and rock and roll guitarist and vocalist.
James Brown - Vocalist and keyboardist of Soul, R&B, Funk, Pop and Dance music genres.
Ray Charles - Known as "The Genius," he was a gospel singer/songwriter and pianist.
Nat King Cole - He started out as a pianist and later became known as a vocalist. He recorded primarily jazz music during the 1930s to the 40s and then more pop tunes from the 1950s to the 60s.
John Coltrane - Influential tenor jazz saxophonist.
Edmond Dede - Violin prodigy and Orchestra Conductor at the Alcazar Theatre for 27 years.
Duke Ellington - Composer, bandleader and jazz pianist, fondly called "The Duke."
Ella Fitzgerald - Known as "The First Lady of Song" and for her incredible scat-singing.
Dizzy Gillespie - One of the founding fathers of jazz and one of the inventors of bebop.
Billie Holiday - Dubbed "Lady Day," she was one of the foremost blues singers in history known for her soulful voice.
Francis Johnson - The inventor of cotillions and was the first major band master in the US.
Scott Joplin - Known as the "King of Ragtime" due to his classic rags for the piano.
B.B. King - Known as "The King of the Blues."
Charlie "Bird" Parker - Influenced the development of "bop" in the 1940s and was one of the greatest improvising soloists in jazz.
Florence Beatrice Price - The first African-American woman composer whose work was performed by a leading US orchestra.
Ma Rainey - Known as the first great blues singer, she made over 100 recordings under the Paramount label.
Bessie Smith - Known as “Empress of the Blues," one of the greatest blues singers of the 1920s.
Sarah Vaughan - One of the greatest jazz vocalists in history whose career spanned almost 50 years.
Fats Waller - Jazz organist, pianist, singer, composer, conductor and bandleader of small bands during the 1930s.
