List of jazz musicians. Learn about their life, discography and more
Birth name: Ray Charles Robinson Born: September 23, 1930 (Albany, Georgia, U.S.) Died: June 10, 2004 (aged 73) (Beverly Hills, California, U.S.) The Man: Ray Charles was a legendary musician often called the “Genius,” who pioneered the genre of soul…
Birth name: James Oscar Smith Born: December 8, 1925 (Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.) Died: February 8, 2005 (aged 79) (Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.) Jimmy Smith, byname of James Oscar Smith, American musician who integrated the electric organ into jazz, thereby inventing the…
Birth name: James Harrell McGriff Born: April 3, 1936 (Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.) Died: May 24, 2008 (aged 72) (Voorhees Township, New Jersey) One of the all-time giants of the Hammond B-3, Jimmy McGriff sometimes gets lost amid all the…
Birth name: Eugene McDuffy Born: September 17, 1926 (Champaign, Illinois, United States) Died: January 23, 2001 (aged 74) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Brother Jack McDuff, was one of the handful of leading exponents of the soul jazz style created on Hammond organ…
Birth name: Eunice Kathleen Waymon Born: February 21, 1933 (Tryon, North Carolina, U.S.) Died: April 21, 2003 (aged 70) (Carry-le-Rouet, France) Nina Simone was one of the most iconic American musical icons of the 20th century. She was a successful…
Birth name: Benjamin David Goodman Born: May 30, 1909 (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) Died: June 13, 1986 (aged 77) (New York City, U.S.) Benny Goodman was a clarinetist and bandleader responsible for multiple hit singles as a band leader before World…
Born: April 29, 1899 (Washington, D.C., U.S.) Died: May 24, 1974 (aged 75) (New York City, U.S.) Website: http://dukeellington.com/ Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until…
Born: December 12, 1915 (Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.) Died: May 14, 1998 (aged 82) (Los Angeles, California, U.S.) Site: http://www.sinatra.com/ Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer, actor and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical…
Born: August 4, 1901 (New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.) Died: July 6, 1971 (Corona, Queens, New York City, U.S.) Early Life And Career Although Armstrong claimed to be born in 1900, various documents, notably a baptismal record, indicate that 1901 was…
Born: April 25, 1917 (Newport News, Virginia, United States) Died: June 15, 1996 (Beverly Hills, California, United States) Site: http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/ Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer often referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz…