People And Biographies

Ray Charles (1930-2004), American pianist and singer, one of the most influential figures in the history of popular music. In the 1950s Charles—often called simply The Genius—fused gospel music with rhythm and blues (R&B) to pioneer a distinctive style that came to be known as soul music. He also recorded in and helped shape a [...]

Marvin Gaye (1939-1984), American singer and songwriter, a recording artist for Motown Records, and one of the most popular and influential singers of rhythm-and-blues music (R&B) in the 1960s and 1970s. His songs were notable for their brooding, introspective qualities.
Gaye was born in Washington, D.C., where he sang in church as a child. The [...]

Diana Ross, born in 1944, American popular singer, one of the most influential recording artists of the Motown era (1960s) and the disco period of rhythm-and-blues (R&B) music (late 1970s to early 1980s). Known for her seductive vocal style and glamorous appearance, Ross helped her vocal group the Supremes become one of the most successful [...]

Bob Marley (1945-1981), Jamaican singer, guitarist, and songwriter, a pioneer of reggae music. Considered one of the greatest artists of the genre, he was the first reggae performer to achieve significant international stardom.
Robert Nesta Marley was born in Rhoden Hall, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. Marley was learning the welding trade in Kingston when he [...]