John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Arts Edge: Duke Ellington
This resource features a brief biography about big band leader Duke Ellington. It includes some audio and video clips of his music.
Scott Alexander
History of Jazz Before 1930: Bessie Smith, 1895 1937
This page offers information about Bessie Smith's life and work, including several audio recordings.
Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery: Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy
A brief biography of the life and musical career of Louis Armstrong from the National Portrait Gallery.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Arts Edge: Chick Webb
With a brief biography and a couple of audio clips, this resource features the talents of drummer and big bandleader Chick Webb.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Arts Edge: Fats Waller
This resource presents a brief biography about jazz pianist and composer Fats Waller. Also featured in this resource are a couple of audio clips of his music.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Arts Edge: Eubie Blake
Jazz composer and pianist Eubie Blake is written about in this resource. It features a brief biography about his career and music.
PBS
Pbs: This Far by Faith: Thomas Dorsey
A biography of Thomas Dorsey, the man known as "the father of gospel music," from the producers of "This Far by Faith," a series on African-American spiritual journeys. (The series premiered on PBS stations in June 2003.) The site...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Albert King
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Albert King, an American blues musician who created a unique string-bending guitar style that influenced three generations of musicians.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Etta Baker
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Etta Baker, an American folk musician who influenced the folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s with her mastery of East Coast Piedmont blues, a unique fingerpicking style of...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Floyd Dixon
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Floyd Dixon, an American rhythm and blues (R&B) musician who was one of the principal exponents of the up-tempo blues style known as West Coast jump blues.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Allen Toussaint
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Allen Toussaint, a songwriter, pianist, and producer, Toussaint was responsible for national hits by Ernie K-Doe, Chris Kenner, Jessie Hill, Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, and the Showmen,...
Other
Gotta Dance: American Rumba
This site from Gotta Dance offers an easy-to-read history of rumba.
PBS
Pbs: Blues Road Trip
Come and trace the migration of the blues through the United States. This site features an in-depth look at the origins of the Blues throughout its development across the Deep South of the US and beyond.
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Gladys Knight (B. 1944)
Explore the life and career of Motown's leading lady of soul, Gladys Knight. Along with the family music group "the Pips", she had numerous hits that reached the top of R&B and pop music charts.
PBS
Pbs: The Blues as Poetry
Discover what the relationship is between poetry and the blues. This site features lesson plans and online resources.
Other
Nat King Cole Society: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee
This site provides information about Nat King Cole, as well as a timeline of his life. Nat King Cole was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
Learn general biographical information on the brief life of Frankie Lyman, who was only thirteen when he recorded his hit song "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" A 1993 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this site includes a...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Gladys Knight and the Pips
Includes comprehensive biographical details on soul group Gladys Knight and the Pips, 1996 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Includes a timeline of key events and essential songs list.
Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame: Antoine Fats Domino
This resource provides information about Antoine Fats Domino.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington (1899-1974 CE), a jazz legend, was a very interesting person. Here you will get brief biographical information along with a few additional articles on Ellington.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Uriel Jones
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Uriel Jones, an American musician born June 13, 1934, Detroit, Mich. This site, rich in detail and breadth of coverage, includes a wealth of information on other...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Dorothy West
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Dorothy West, an American writer who explored the aspirations and conflicts of middle-class African Americans in many of her works and was one of the last surviving members of the...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Milt Hinton
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Milt Hinton, an African American jazz musician, a highly versatile bassist who came of age in the swing era and became one of the favorite bassists of post-World War II jazz.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Milt Jackson
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Milt Jackson, an African-American jazz musician, the first and most influential vibraphone improviser of the postwar, modern jazz era.