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30 Greatest Black Singers of All Times

According to the demographics and statistics of the world, black singers average 10.2%. However, their music has gone far beyond regions and ethnicity to capture the attention of everyone worldwide. Some of the greatest black singers used music to address some of the issues in society such as speaking against injustices and discrimination.

1. Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin. Photo by Cecilio Ricardo.

Aretha Franklin is one of the greatest black singers of all time born on the 25^th of March 1942. She was a renowned American singer who gained fame the in the 1960s. She defined the golden age of soul music as she came to be known as the Queen of Soul. She began music at an early age when she performed in front of her church. She began as a gospel artist but she has over the years switched to secular and back to the gospel. Her mother was also a gospel singer and pianist who probably introduced her to music. However, she was very talented and throughout her career, she was able to sell more than seventy million records all over the world. She is among the best-selling music artists. She is also an award-winning artist who has been placed twice at number nine among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

2. Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson. Photo by Daniele Dalledonne.

Michael Jackson was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, and philanthropist who lived between 29^th August 1958 and 25^th June 2009. He was referred to as the king of Pop and one of the most influential cultural figures in the 20^th century. He began his music career right with a family group called the Jackson 5, before proceeding on a solo career and producing some of the best-selling albums ever. One of his solo albums ‘Thriller’ was released in 1982 and it became one of the best-selling albums of all time all over the world and was able to sell more than seventy million copies.

3. Rihanna

Rihanna. Photo by Rihanna.

Rihanna is a Barbadian singer and actress who was born on the 20^th of February 1988. In her childhood, she loved music and grew up listening to reggae music. Her passion for music led her to pursue a music career. Her vocals are on another level and this led her to release her first debut album in 2006called 鈥楳usic of the Sun鈥�. she has been ranked the second-best-selling female artist of all time and named among the top 100 most influential people in the world both in 2012 and 2018. She has been graced with over two hundred and fifty million sales worldwide.

4. Beyonce

Beyonce. Photo by Rocbeyonce.

Beyonce is one of the most dominant and popular artists in pop music. She was born on the 4^th of September 1981 and has gradually gamed fame over the years out of her exceptional work in music. She is a singer, songwriter, and actress. She began singing at a young age in a group called Destiny’s Child which she formed alongside her friends. She gained fame as a lead singer in this group in the late 1990s before proceeding on a solo career. ‘Crazy in Love was one of her first solo albums that topped around the world and it featured rapper Jay 鈥� Z. Following her release of the album, she won five Grammy Awards in 2004 among them Best Female R&B vocal performance.

5. Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye. Photo by Jim Britt.

Mervin Gaye’s full name was Mervin Pentz Gay Jr. He was an American songwriter and singer who lived between 2^nd April 1939 and 1^st April 1984. He was more into R&B and Motown which made him popular with the hits 鈥淪tubborn Kind of Fellow鈥� and 鈥淎in’t No Mountain High Enough”. In the 1960s, he played a great role in aligning the sound of Motown which earned him the nickname ‘Prince of Motown’ and ‘Prince of Soul’. He also influenced several contemporary R&B subgenres in his later records such as neo-soul.

6. Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston. Photo by PH2 Mark Kettenhofen.

She was an American singer and actress born on the 9^th of August 1963 and died on the 11^th of February 2012. She began her music career by singing in church at a young age and later became a background vocalist in her high school. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time having sales of over two hundred million records worldwide. She gained fame from her outstanding soulful vocals and her influence on many singers in popular music. She was into gospel music which greatly influenced her fame in her music career before meeting Clive Davis who signed her to Artista records. She has managed to win several awards and record-breaking accomplishments.

7. Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix. Photo by Ary Groeneveld.

Jimi Hendrix was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter who lived between November 1942 and September 1970. Over the years he has widely been regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists. He began playing guitar at a young age and formed a music group called The Velvetones. During the 20^th century, he was one of the most influential and celebrated musicians in the rock genre. He released his popular hits between the 1960s and 1970s including 鈥淧urple Haze鈥� and 鈥淔oxy Lady鈥� among others.

8. Ray Charles

Ray Charles. Photo by Alan Light.

Disability is not inability. Ray Charles was born in 1930 and died in 2004. He was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter who was nicknamed The Genius. He was blinded at the age of six as a result of glaucoma. However, this did not stop him from playing piano and music that has gained popularity over the years. He was regarded as one of the most influential singers in history and contributed greatly to the integration of pop music, country music, and blues during the 1960s. One of his best hits was ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You.

9. Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder. Photo by Pete Souza.

Stevie Wonder was born on May 13, 1950. He is a renowned American songwriter and singer who began singing at a very young age. Blindness shortly after his birth could not stop him from pursuing his talent and becoming one of the most influential musicians of all time. He began by performing in the church choir and mastering musical instruments at a young age. Since then he has grown immeasurably to become prominent in many genres including R&B, soul, jazz, and funk. He has won major awards and influenced several musicians.

10. Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey. Photo by Filipe Vicente.

Mariah Carey also referred to as 鈥淨ueen of Christmas鈥� is an American songwriter, singer, record producer, and actress born on the 27^th of March 1969.  She is popular for her outstanding talent in the five-octave vocal range and the meristematic style of singing. Her sensational work has caused her to be among one the best-selling female artist. She managed to have her first five singles reach position one on the Billboard Hot 100.

11. Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald. Photo by Hugo van Gelderen.

She was an American jazz singer who lived between 1917 and 1996. She was also referred to as the “Queen of Jazz” or “First Lady of Song”. Her voice was sensational and she earned her fame from her singing skills tone, intonation, timing, phrasing, and also exemplary diction. She began her career in a Tiny Bradshaw band where she toured different places and stood out in her music. She made appearances in television shows and gained a lot of popularity in jazz clubs. Her talents were however unmatched and this saw her win several rewards for her sensational voice.

12. Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong. Photo by

Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential figures in the history of Jazz music. He lived between 1901 and 1971 and like other popular musicians he earned his nickname “Satchmo”, “Dippermouth” and “Pops”.  He began his music career in a local New Orleans jazz band where he was mentored into one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. He later formed a small jazz band named the All-Star and he toured with the band for the rest of his career.He is remembered as one of the greatest black musicians in American history and this found him a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

13. Bob Marley

Bob Marley. Photo by Eddie Mallin .

Bob Marley was a Jamaican musician and songwriter who gained fame all over the world for his unmatched talent and influence in reggae music. His full name was Robert Nesta Marley and was born on the 6^th of February 1945 and rested on the 11^th of May 1981. He was a global figure in popular culture which also increased the visibility of Jamaican music to the world at large. One of his most popular hits was “One Love” and “Jamming” which to date has stolen the heart of many who are moved by the magical and lyrical message of his reggae music.

14. Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys. Photo by Daniele Dalledonne. Wikimedia Commons

Alicia Keys is an American pianist, singer, and songwriter born on the 25^th of January 1981. Her full name is Alicia Augello Cook. She made a name for herself from her singular mix of classic and contemporary R&B music. Her debut album “Song in the Mirror” released in 2001 earned her several Grammy awards. She also released “Fallin” in 2001 which became a number-one pop hit and earned her several awards. She continues to flourish in her music with a blend of soul and pop.

15. The Weeknd

The Weeknd. Photo by Fred von Lohmann.

The Weeknd is a Canadian songwriter, record producer, and singer born on the 16^th of February 1990. His full name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye but is also referred to as The Noise or Kin Kane. He is very popular in most music genres which range from Pop, hip-hop, R&B, and dance. He released his debut album in 2012 on YouTube with the Universal Republic record label. Over the years he has produced multiple hits that have gone global and earned him Grammy awards for Best Urban Contemporary Albam.

16. Tina Turner

Tina Turner. Photo by Philip Spittle.

Tina Turner is commonly referred to as the Queen of Rock. She is a Swiss singer and actress born on the 26^th of November 1939. She began her career in 1957 with Ike Turner鈥檚 Kings of Rhythm and was able to rise to prominence as a lead singer. In 1960 she made her debut with the hit single known as 鈥淎 Fool in Love鈥�. Her outstanding performance leads her to stand out as one of the most sensational live actresses in history. She managed to receive the Lifetime Achievement award for her input in soul music.

17. Diana Ross

Diana Ross. Photo by Raph_PH.

Diana Ross is an American actress, performer, and singer born on the 26^th of March 1944. She was very talented in her vocals which rose her to fame as a lead singer of a vocal group called The Supremes. The group was so vibrant in the 1960s and it was one the best-selling girl’s groups at the time. After some time in the group, she left to go solo and was very successful in her career. One of her hits “Love Hangover” lead her to fame as an R&B soul singer.

18. Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie. Photo by DianeSunshineCoast.

He is a television personality, songwriter, record producer, and singer born on the 20^th of June 1949. He was interested in music at a very young age and became active in music in 1968. He is involved in different music genres from pop, R&B, and soul. However, he rose to prominence in the 1970s as a co-lead of a band called Fulk. He was also exceptional as a songwriter. In the 1980s he won several Grammy awards and sold over one hundred million records worldwide which made him the world’s best-selling artist during the time.

19. B. King

B. King. Photo by Eric Draper.

B.B. King was an American blues songwriter, guitarist, and singer who lived between 1925 and 2015. However, his sensational music of Electric blues, soul, gospel, and blues rock is still vibrant and rolling. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was among the most influential blues musicians of the time. This outstanding performance earned him the name “The King of Blues”. He was also a sensational guitarist and was considered one of the three Kings of blues guitar in the 1980s. He won several Grammy awards for his sensational singles and hundreds of performances.

20. James Brown

James Brown. Photo by MikaV.

James Brown was a sensational American singer, bandleader, dancer, producer, and musician who lived between 1933 and 2006. He was so much involved in R&B, soul, and Funk. However, he began his career as a gospel singer and came to fame in the 1950s as a lead singer of the famous Flames which was a vocal group. He also played instruments such as drums, guitar, vocals, and harmonica. He was an award-winning artist for his sensational hits and was also inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Wall of Fame.

21. Nat King Cole

Nat King Cole. Photo by NBC Radio.

He gained popularity from his magnificent talent for playing Jazz music. He is also recognized for his talent for playing multiple musical instruments. He was moved by music at a very young age and began playing religious music while he was young. However, as he advanced in the music industry, he moved to classical tones which have seen him get rewarded for his outstanding input in Jazz. He was so decollated in his music as he was the first African American to host television series and leading to the popularization of jazz music.

22. Usher Raymond IV

Usher Raymond IV. Photo by MarcoFromHouston.com.

Usher is an American R&B singer born on the 14^th of October 1978. He was involved in music at a young age when his mother put him in a local singing competition. His first debut album was in 1994 which he self-titled. However, he rose to fame with his second album, My Way which he released in 1997. He sold over eighty million records worldwide in the 2000s and was recognized as the best-selling artist of all time in the period. He was named the second most successful artist of the 2000s decade by Billboard in 2009.

23. Darius Rucker

Darius Rucker. Photo by Zach Catanzareti.

He is an American songwriter, singer, and guitarist born on the 13^th of May 1966. He was captivated by music at an early age which saw him gain fame at a rock band 1n 1986 as a lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist at the university. He majored in pop, country, R&B, rock, and blues genre. He was the first black American to win the New Artist Award. His vocals were sensational and his talent was unmatched which saw popular worldwide.

24. Khalid

Khalid Donnel Robinson. Photo by DIM K.

Khalid’s full name is Khalid Donnel Robinson born on 11^th February 1998. He is an American singer known for his outstanding talent in R&B and pop music genres. He rose to fame from his debut album 鈥淎merican Teen鈥�.  He has however released several singles that have made him more popular and earned him a Grammy award for song of the year nomination. He has also won several awards including the Billboard Music Awards, and American Music Awards among others.

25. John Legend

John Legend. Photo by Sachyn Mital.

John Legend is an American Pianist, record producer, singer, and songwriter. He was born on the 28^th of December 1978. His full name is John Roger Stephens. He is one of the renowned musicians in R&B, soul, and pop music. He began his career in music in the background as a pianist and later advanced to become a Musician. His music earned him several awards and nominations for Best New Artist and Best R&B Album.

26. Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson. Photo by Andy Liang.

Janet Damita Jo Jackson professionally referred to as Janet Jackson is an American songwriter, dancer, actress, and singer born on the 16^th of May 1966. She is commonly known for her elaborate stage show and sexually proactive records. She is an award-winning artist in the many genres she is involved in including pop, rock, funk, hip-hop, and R&B.

27. Otis Redding

Otis Redding. Photo by Stax Records.

Otis Redding is one of the greatest singers in the history of America. He lived between 1941 and 1967. He was known as the “King of Soul” for his outstanding records of soul music, popular music, blues, and rhythm. His singing style was so sensational and it influenced many soul artists in the 1960s.

28. Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson. Photo by penner. Wikimedia Commons

Prince Rogers Nelson is a popular American singer and songwriter who was professionally referred to as Prince. He lived between 1958 and 2016. He was also an instrumentalist who played vocals and guitar. He was majorly a musician in funk, rock, R&B, soul, and pop genres.He won several awards and ranking among the best-selling artist of all time. He was inducted twice into the black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame among others.

29. Nina Simone

Nina Simone. Photo by Roland Godefroy.

She was an American pianist, songwriter, and singer who lived between 1933 and 2003. Her full name was Eunice Kathleen Waymon and played different genres including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, souls, and Classical. She was so outstanding in her music she saw a statue erected in her honor in Carolina. She won so many awards and was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

30. Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke. Photo by Macfadden Publications.

Sam Cooke was a singer and songwriter known as King of Souls. He is considered one of the most influential soul artists of all time.  He made a significant contribution to popular music which earned him a name. He produced several genres from soul to R&B and Gospel. He was several awards and honors for his sensational work before he was shot and killed in 1964 at the age of 33.