07/03/1952 - 08/26/2004
Laura Ann Frances Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is best known in the United States for her 1982 Platinum-cer...
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07/04/1826 - 01/13/1864
Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826 – January 13, 1864), known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century. His songs — such as "Oh! Susanna", ...
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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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03/21/1940 - 10/10/2010
Solomon Burke (March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, entrepeneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the The House of God for All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock ...
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06/03/1941 - 12/26/1999
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation ...
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Eddie Rabbit (Edward Thomas Rabbitt)
11/27/1941 - 05/07/2011
Eddie Rabbitt (November 27, 1941 - May 7, 1998) started as a songwriter in the late 1960s, springboarding to a recording career after composing hits such as "Kentucky Rain" for Elvis Presley in 1970 and "Pure Love" for Ron...
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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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01/30/1928 - 11/17/2006
Ruth Brown (January 30, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music...
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Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan)
04/07/1915 - 07/17/1959
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan, April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop si...
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10/10/1926 - 05/29/2005
Oscar Brown, Jr (October 10, 1926 – May 29, 2005) was not a man easily defined. He was known as songwriter, composer, actor, singer, director, producer and playwright. He was also an activist, a visionary, and a social commentator...
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01/10/1924 - 08/16/2007
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.
07/10/1942 - 05/16/2010
Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an Italian American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow...
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02/08/1942 - 11/19/2004
Terry (Terrence) P. Melcher (February 8, 1942 – November 19, 2004) was an American musician and record producer, who was instrumental in shaping the sound of American West Coast rock music. His greatest contribution...
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11/26/1933 - 10/30/2007
Robert Gerard Goulet (November 26, 1933 – October 30, 2007) was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor.