This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Bennie Moten, a U.S. pianist, one of the earliest known organizers of bands in the Midwest in the emergent years of jazz.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Benny Carter, an American jazz musician, an original and influential alto saxophonist, who was also a masterly composer and arranger and an important bandleader, trumpeter, and clarinetist.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Ben Webster, an American jazz musician, considered one of the most distinctive of his generation, noted for the beauty of his tenor saxophone tone and for his melodic inventiveness.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Big Joe Turner, a black American blues singer, or "shouter," whose records were imitated by white musicians in the early days of rock and roll.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Big Mama Thornton, an American singer and songwriter who performed in the tradition of classic blues singers such as Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie. Her work inspired imitation by Elvis...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Bill Dixon, an American jazz artist born Oct. 5, 1925, Nantucket, Mass.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Billy Eckstine, an American singer and bandleader who achieved great personal success while fostering the careers of a number of younger jazz musicians.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Blind Lemon Jefferson, an American country blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter, one of the earliest black folk-blues singers to achieve popular success.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Blind Willie Johnson, an African-American gospel singer who performed on Southern streets and was noted for the energy and power of his singing and for his ingenious guitar accompaniments.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Bobby McFerrin, an American musician noted for his tremendous vocal control and improvisational ability. He often sang a cappella, mixing folk songs, 1960s rock and soul tunes, and jazz...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Bobby Short, an American cabaret singer and piano player who in his personal and performance style came to represent a sophistication and elegance typical of an earlier era.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Bob Hayes, an American sprinter who, although he was relatively slow out of the starting block and had an almost lumbering style of running, was a remarkably powerful sprinter with as much...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Brock Peters, an American actor who employed his powerful bass voice and strong presence in portrayals of a wide range of characters, notably in the role of Tom Robinson in To Kill a...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Brownie McGhee, an American blues singer, guitarist, pianist, songwriter, and longtime partner of the vocalist and harmonica player Sonny Terry.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Buck Leonard, an American baseball player who was considered one of the best first basemen in the Negro leagues. He was among the first Negro leaguers to receive election into the Baseball...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Buddy Guy, an American blues musician noted for his slashing electric guitar riffs and passionate vocals.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Bud Powell, an American jazz pianist who emerged in the mid-1940s as one of the first pianists to play lines originally conceived by bebop horn players.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Bunk Johnson, a black American jazz trumpeter, one of the first musicians to play jazz and a principal figure of the 1940s traditional jazz revival.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Carlton Moss, a filmmaker who inspired later African American filmmakers with the industrial, training, and educational films that he made in the era when segregation and discrimination...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Carmen McRae, an American jazz vocalist and pianist who from an early emulation of vocalist Billie Holiday grew to become a distinctive stylist, known for her smoky voice and her melodic...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Charles Harrison, an American industrial designer whose creations included such iconic consumer items as polypropylene trash cans (including those with wheels) and the plastic version of...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Charles Henry Turner, an American behavioral scientist and early pioneer in the field of insect behavior. He is best known for his work showing that social insects can modify their...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Charles Lee Moore, an American photographer born March 9, 1931, Hackleburg, Ala.

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Cheryl Miller, an American basketball player who is one of the greatest players in the history of women's basketball. Miller is credited with both popularizing the women's game and...