Tyrone Davis was an American R&B performer, popular especially as part of the soul music scene of the 1970s. Davis was born on May 4, 1938 in Greenville, Mississippi. His parents, Willie Branch and Ora Lee Jones, were both sharecroppers, but eventually chose to leave … Read MoreTyrone Davis (1938-2005)
Sade is an internationally renowned, multi-Grammy award winning singer who is known for her smooth, melodic vocals and the seamless incorporation of different styles of music. Helen Folasade Adu, professionally known as Sade, was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria on January 16, 1959. Her … Read MoreSade (1959- )
Nancy Sue Wilson was a legendary singer, actress, and musician whose career spanned over five decades. Born in Chillicothe, Ohio on February 20, 1937, to Olden Wilson and Lillian Ryan, she began singing in church, and by the age of four, she knew she wanted … Read MoreNancy Sue Wilson (1937-2018)
Erykah Badu is an award-winning singer and songwriter who has been hailed as one of the most gifted rhythm and blues singers of the current era and has earned her title as the Queen of neo-soul; a mix of modern soul and R&B with influences from hip-hop, jazz, pop, African music, … Read MoreErykah Badu (1971- )
Al Green, born on April 13, 1948 in Forrest City, Arkansas, is known as one of the great rhythm and blues singers of the 1970s. He was born Albert Greene to Cora and Robert Greene who were sharecroppers and parents of ten other children. Greene and some of his … Read MoreAl Green (1948- )
Kenneth Brian Edmonds, known professionally as “Babyface,” would become one of the most successful music producers in the nation in a career that spanned nearly three decades. Edmonds was born on April 10, 1959 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Marvin and Barbara Edmonds. He began his musical career at the age of … Read MoreKenneth Brian “Babyface” Edmonds (1959- )
Leona Mitchell is an operatic soprano singer who was the lead soprano singer for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, New York for eighteen years. She is also a Grammy Award winner for the Best Opera Recording in 1977. Mitchell was born on October 13, 1949 in Enid, Oklahoma, which was … Read MoreLeona Mitchell (1949- )
Singer Joyce Bryant was born Ione Emily Bryant in Oakland, California on October 14, 1928. She was the third of eight children. Her parents were Whitfield Bryant, a railroad chef and devout Seventh-Day Adventist, and Dorothy Green Withers. She was raised in San Francisco, California but at 14 … Read MoreJoyce Bryant (1928- )
Jaya, born Maria Luisa Ramsey, is one of the most renowned singers in the Philippines. Born to popular Afro-Filipino comedienne Elizabeth Ramsey and Filipino singer and musician Reynaldo Kagahastian on March 21, 1970 in Manila, Jaya’s parents separated when she was three years old. Her father emigrated to Canada. … Read MoreJaya/Maria Luisa Ramsey Kagahastian-Gotidoc (1970- )
One of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the twentieth century, Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey is a Welsh singer best known for recording the theme song to three James Bond movies: Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker. Born the … Read MoreShirley Bassey (1937– )
