This week, fans are still mourning the passing of a couple of Black music’s best – Frankie Beverly and Tito Jackson. But as the tributes pour in for those legends we lost, we wanted to take time to honor some of the legendary artists who are still with us and continue to influence generations of artists and fans around the world. These are some of Black music’s living legends
Singer/actress Diana Ross found fame as the leader of the legendary girl group The Supremes. After signing on with Motown Records in 1960, the group had 12 number one pop hits, including “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” In 1970, Ross left the group and launched successful solo career that included hits like “Love Hangover” and “Upside Down.”
Among her many well-deserved honors, Ross was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
A musical prodigy, Stevie Wonder taught himself to play the harmonica, piano and drums before he was 10 years old. He was discovered at age 11 and after signing a contract with Motown Records, it didn’t take long for him to become a hit-making machine. Wonder scored his first number one single with “Fingertips” when he was just 13. He’s had nine more number one hits, including “Superstition” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”
Singer/actress Patti LaBelle first found musical success with the group LaBelle, who rose to the top of the charts with their number one hit “Lady Marmalade,” Their success led them to become the first Black singing group to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
In the 1980s, LaBelle hit her stride and began releasing chart-topping hits like “New Attitude,” “If Only You Knew” and “On My Own,” her chart-topping duet with Michael McDonald.
LaBelle has also made a name for herself in the kitchen with successful cookbooks and a line of sweet potato pies and a line of frozen soul food meals.
Throughout his over 40-year career, Roy Ayers has given us timeless hits like “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” “Running Away” and “Searching.”
The perfect fusion of funk, soul and jazz, his catalog has been heavily sampled by R&B and hip-hop artists including Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest and Erykah Badu.
Known as the “Empress of Soul,” Gladys Knight has a career that has spanned nearly six decades. As the lead singer of Gladys Knight and the Pips, the group released several hit tracks including “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.” The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
Bob Dylan once called singer/songwriter/producer Smokey Robinson America’s “greatest living poet.” As the lead singer of the Motown group The Miracles, he wrote some of their biggest hits, including “Ooo Baby Baby,” “The Tracks of My Tears” and “Going to a Go-Go.” He also wrote hits for other Motown acts, including “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and “My Girl” for The Temptations. After leaving The Miracles, Smokey continued to have success as a solo artist with hits like “Just to See Her” and “Cruisin’.”
Robinson’s amazing hit-making success earned him spots in both the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.
The powerful voice behind the legendary group Rufus, Chaka Khan led the group to the top of the charts with songs like “Tell Me Something Good.” She went on to have an incredible solo career with chart-topping hits like “I’m Every Woman” and “I Feel For You.”
Singer/songwriter Lionel Richie first rose to fame as a member of the 1970s R&B group The Commodores. But he continued to crack out hits as a solo artists, with songs like “Hello,” “All Night Long” and “You Are.” These days, Richie uses his talents to help mentor young artists as a judge on the hit singing competition show, American Idol.
Singer, songwriter, actress and model Grace Jones made a name for herself in the music industry in the 1970s and 1980s with hits like her remake of Edith Piaf’s classic “La Vie En Rose” and “Pull Up to the Bumper.” Always known for pushing boundaries, her edgy sound is a fusion of rock, pop, reggae and New Wave that has kept fans dancing for decades.
From his creative onstage costumes to his exceptional sound, George Clinton, front man for Parliament and Funkadelic, is one of the most eclectic artists in history. Clinton is known for fusing R&B, funk and soul into its own unique sound and delivering hits like “Flashlight,” “Atomic Dog,” and “One Nation Under a Groove” that have been sampled by hip-hop and R&B artists alike.
Singer/songwriter Philip Bailey is one of the original lead singers of legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire. Known for his famous falsetto, Bailey and the late Maurice White were the voices behind classic 1970s hits like “Shining Star” and “Reasons.”
If you don’t know Nile Rodgers’ name, you definitely know his sound. As a writer and producer for the band Chic, he gave us hits in the 1970s like “Le Freak” and “Good Times.” But he didn’t keep all of the good music to himself, he also produced timeless hits for other artists, including David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” and Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.”
