This list of celebrated music makers is arranged chronologically by the year of their birth. Each musician's entry includes either a book about the artist from the Library's collection or a compact disc with music by that artist
Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (December 15, 1891 – November 7, 1960), professionally known as A.
P.
Carter, was an American musician and founding member of The Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country…
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" Dietrich (27 December 1901 – 6 May 1992) was a German-American actress and singer.
Throughout her long career, which spanned from the 1910s to the 1980s, she continually reinvented herself.In 1920s Berlin, Dietrich…
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer, dancer, and bandleader.
He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City, where he was a regular performer. Calloway was a master…
Constance Foore "Connee" Boswell (December 3, 1907 – October 11, 1976) was an American female vocalist born in Kansas City but raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.
With sisters Martha and Helvetia "Vet", she performed in the 1930s as The Boswell…
Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter.
While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career:…
Alex or Aleck Miller (né Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter.
He was an early and influential blues harp stylist…
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer, actor and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century.
He is one of the best-selling music artists of all…
Samuel George Davis Jr.
(December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, musician, dancer, actor, vaudevillian, comedian and activist known for his impressions of actors, musicians and other celebrities.
At age three, Davis Jr.
…
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates, December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known as Bo Diddley, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter and music producer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll.
He…
Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5, 1932), known as Little Richard, is an American musician and singer-songwriter. An influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades, Penniman's most celebrated work dates from the mid-1950s,…
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, and bandleader.
His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity,…
hawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z (stylized as JAY-Z), is an American rapper, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, and record executive.
He is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time.Born and raised…
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidad and Tobago-born rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, and model.
Born in Saint James, Port of Spain, and raised in Queens, New York City, she…
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter.
She is known for narrative songs about her personal life, which have received widespread media coverage.
At age 14, she became the youngest artist signed by…
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell (born December 18, 2001) is an American singer and songwriter.
Born and raised in Highland Park, Los Angeles, Eilish began singing at a young age.
She gained a following in 2016, when she released her…
