09/26/1898 - 07/11/1937
George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known. Among his best known works are...
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Art Blakey (Arthur Blakey)
10/11/1919 - 10/16/1990
Arthur "Art" Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990), known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader.
1949 - 09/09/2009
Michael John Galasso (1949, Hammond, Louisiana - September 9, 2009, Paris) was an American composer, violinist, and music director.
Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley)
09/07/1936 - 02/03/1959
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his death in a...
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Count Basie (William Basie)
09/21/1904 - 04/26/1984
William "Count" Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
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03/31/1913 - 09/23/2006
Etta Baker (March 31, 1913 – September 23, 2006) was a Piedmont blues guitarist and singer. Etta’s music ranges over a century of music styles and influences from 19th century parlor music to post-WW II electric blues.
01/11/1942 - 06/18/2011
Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the sax...
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07/10/1959 - 10/21/2006
Sandy West (July 10, 1959 – October 21, 2006) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and drummer. She was hailed by fans and critics alike to be a groundbreaking musician, as a drummer. She was one of the founding members of...
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02/13/1919 - 10/17/1991
Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991), better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western,pop, and gospel...
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05/23/1910 - 12/30/2004
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky (May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004), better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writ...
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10/10/1917 - 02/17/1982
Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to th...
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Teddy Pendergrass (Theodore DeReese Pendergrass)
08/17/1950 - 01/13/2010
Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass (August 17, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue No...
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04/23/1936 - 12/06/1988
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter and musician, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. His greatest success came with Monument...
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11/14/1900 - 12/02/1990
Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American classical composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly A...
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