03/11/1938 - 05/22/2011
Joseph Brooks was an American screenwriter, director, producer, and composer. He composed the song "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same name that he also wrote, directed, and produ...
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Elvis Presley (Elvis Aaron Presley)
01/08/1935 - 08/16/1977
Elvis Aaron Presley began his career as first performer of rockabilly, an up-tempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including go...
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02/28/1943 - 11/27/1998
Barbara Acklin was a soul singer of the 1960s and 1970s. Her biggest hit was "Love Makes a Woman" in 1968 which reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
Jimmy Castor (James Walter Castor)
06/23/1940 - 01/16/2012
James Walter "Jimmy" Castor (June 23, 1940 – January 16, 2012) was an American pop and funk musician. He is best known as a fun disco/funk saxophonist, with his biggest hit single being 1972's million seller, "Troglodyte (...
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02/21/1933 - 04/21/2003
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), also known by her stage name Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music.
Simone aspired to...
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06/09/1891 - 10/15/1964
Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me, Kate, Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was a Lady and Anything Goes, as well as songs like ...
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10/09/1940 - 12/08/1980
John Winston Ono Lennon was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular mu...
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01/06/1946 - 07/07/2006
Syd Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006), born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and painter. He is most remembered as a founding member of psychedelic/progressive rock band Pink Floyd, providing major musica...
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07/20/1918 - 03/23/2006
Cindy Walker (July 20, 1918 – March 23, 2006) was a prolific American songwriter, as well as a country music singer and dancer. As a songwriter Walker was responsible for a large number of popular and enduring songs recorded by many differen...
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05/11/1888 - 09/22/1989
Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was an American composer and lyricist, widely considered one of the greatest American songwriters in history.
05/08/1911 - 08/16/1938
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American blues singer and musician. His landmark recordings from 1936–1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generat...
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01/22/1924 - 02/04/2001
J. J. Johnson (born James Louis Johnson, January 22, 1924, Indianapolis, Indiana; died February 4, 2001) was a United States jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. He was sometimes credited as...
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09/14/1983 - 07/23/2011
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer-songwriter, known for her powerful contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of various musical genres including. Amy Winehouse was a five-time Grammy Award-winner. She...
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Kate Smith (Kathryn Elizabeth Smith)
05/01/1907 - 06/17/1986
Kathryn Elizabeth "Kate" Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American singer, best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America". Smith had a radio, television, and recording career spanning fi...
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Freddie Hubbard (Frederick Dewayne Hubbard)
04/07/1938 - 12/29/2008
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008)was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from...
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