Titled the Female Entertainer of the Century, she has gone on to have a successful solo career, selling more than 100 million albums from 25 releases. One of her greatest hits was Wheel of Fortune.. Brown developed the style that would become his own throughout the 1950s and penned numerous Billboard hits during this time. A month after her firing, Holiday was hired by Artie Shaw, making her one of the first black singers to lead an all-white orchestra. Fitzgerald, a.k.a. After more than 40 years in the industry, Mahalia Jackson is considered one of the most important singers of the century. Gaye began his career as part of the vocal quartet the Marquees, but he rose to solo fame in the early 1960s after the group disbanded. 5. Some of her biggest hits included, Ill Walk Alone and Blues in the Night.. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'bZjqOH-RRUdfUm_Mm7-TwA',sig:'_LeCztd_Hb7YM6uYPvHoZrB81S7razeiUQanvGqTqII=',w:'431px',h:'594px',items:'2669130',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Bessie Smith was the most popular and highest-paid singer of her day. Berry continued to perform regularly up until his death in 2017, including his old hits like Johnnie B. Goode and Rock and Roll Music.. Guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer Chuck Berry earned the name the Father of Rock and Roll through his musical innovations. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'kiWu3pRUTTRXXdV_4RF8Dg',sig:'rCVxmrEZ47jvZrXVFlYX1uLwMYmw39WgyzJ5696t4MI=',w:'475px',h:'594px',items:'74275785',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Billie Holiday is one the most well-known jazz vocalists in history. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Starting out in the clubs of Harlem during The Great Depression, Lady Day went on to win awards and the hearts of the public following her premature death at age 44. His nickname, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business is enough to invoke images and sounds of the iconic soul singer. Married at 18, Ma and her husband toured and performed with others until they formed a group in 1904. It was nominated for 10 Grammys and won five. Billie Holiday. One of the best-selling artists of all time, James Brown was a driving force behind the development of the soul movement of the 1960s and 1970s, thus earning him many nicknames, including the Godfather of Soul, Soul Brother No. Listen to more of Connie Francis on Amazon here! 8 Black Female Singers Of The 60s. She also recorded the mega-hit, Walkin After Midnight, a song that fellow country artist, Kay Starr, turned down. Being one of the top performers of the last half of the 20th century is no small feat, but its exactly what Dionne Warwick has done. Next: Most famous gospel singers of all time. She put it together with hip-hop and pop, making a sound that helped her amass fans. Contemporaries often referred to him by his nickname The Genius. However, Charles himself preferred to go by the more modest moniker Brother Ray.. Globally, the second World War had ended, and in the United States, many people associate this decade with both the start of the Cold War and the unifying of the Civil Rights movement. Stevland Hardaway Morris, whose more familiar stage name is Stevie Wonder, is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. WebLiving up to her moniker Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight was another prolific Black singer from the 60s leader in the soul music scene, headlining her group The Pips to release hit singles including Midnight Train to Georgia, and Thats What Friends Are For, two instantly recognizable songs even to today. 3. She sold 22 million albums, which had a major influence on the future of R&B and soul in the coming years. Ross found success at just 15 with the vocal group The Primettes, who sang with Smokey Robinson and auditioned for many Motown executives. While she found modest success singing with bands throughout the 1940s, she came into superstardom starting in 1953. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Jaye P. Morgan: The singer/actress landed her first and biggest hit, Thats All I Want From You, in 1954. Richard had a long career, with a resurgence in popularity throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Little Richard. While she is most famous for her starring role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland was a very popular female singer of the 50s. Her first single, Never Grow Old, was also released that year. After the group disbanded in 1977, Ross went on to have a successful solo career. Singer and pianist Dinah Washington was noted as the most famous black female recording artist of the 1950s. While most of these black female singers of the 50s are no longer with, their music lives on, and you can still enjoy their hits today. Listen to more of Kathy Linden on Amazon here! There has been much speculation about what occurred that night. In his career, he won 18 Grammy Awards, including the four mentioned above, and produced countless hits that are popular to this day. Richard Wayne Penniman, who adopted the stage name Little Richard, was an early pioneer of the style that would become rock and roll. The women featured here are standouts in a number of genres. Next: Our list of the best 90s female singers. She continued to sing during her decades-long career. Exploding to fame as the lead singer of The Supremes during the 60s and 70s, Diana Ross helped them become one of the best-selling female groups in history. 1, and Mr. Dynamite. She was admitted to New Yorks Metropolitan Hospital, but as a longtime target of the Federal Bearue of Narcotics with a noted drug addiction, Holiday was arrested for drug possession and handcuffed to her bed as she lay dying in the hospital. There are many famous black families in the entertainment industry. 6 Black Female Singers Of The 50s. These are the greatest Black female singers of all time, from Aretha and Whitney Houston to Mariah Carey and Sade, as ranked by music enthusiasts like you. When younger artists began taking over the rock and pop scenes, Cole leaned harder toward his jazz roots rather than falling out of the spotlight. Dinah Washington. Top gay singers in history (our list of top LGBTQ singers). Between 1948 and 1955, her star soared, and she had 27 top ten hits, cementing her place as one of the most popular black female singers of the 50s. She has been a recording artist for most of her life. Guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer Chuck Berry earned the name the Father of Rock and Roll through his musical innovations. Overall, she sold as many as 32 million albums, making her the 27th most successful R&B female singer in history. Top 10 Female Singers Of The '50s, '60s, And '70s By Lyra Radford | January 30, 2018 Circa 1955: American singer and actor Rosemary Clooney (1928 - 2002) sings and dances in a ballroom or on a stage, accompanied by a pianist and a band. He is, however, very much still remembered as fans continue to listen to his works to this day. She studied music at Hartt College of Music, where her initial work as a demo singer for Burt Bacharach led to her recording contract. She recorded a total of 32 albums in both the pop and jazz genres. The singer was 33 years old when he was shot at a Los Angeles hotel. Her mother, unfortunitly, passed away suddenly in a car accident when she was only 15. She was actually born in England but became very popular in both the UK and the US. Throughout her career Rainey recorded with the likes of Louis Armstrong, became close friends with Bessie Smith, and toured with the Georgia Jazz Band until her retirement in 1935. This led to a music Betty Everett. While she became popular later on for her movies and television show, The Debbie Reynolds Show, Debbie Reynolds did enjoy a successful music career in the 1950s. After later fleeing from an abusive stepfather, she worked for the Mafia and performed other odd jobs until eventually finding herself on stage at the Apollo Theater, where she competed in their Amateur Night and won first place. Rock Bot's knowledgebase only goes as far as 2021. Next: Greatest and most iconic singers in history (best singers ever). 26 on the Billboard charts in 1950. She performed primarily as a jazz artist, incorporating blues, R&B, and pop styles into her music. For the last decade of her life Holidaytoured Europe, returned to Carnegie Hall, and recorded music. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. And by 15, she was signed by the major label Columbia Records. Dubbed The First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald is considered one of historys greatest singers, winning accolades that included 14 Sarah Vaughan. Grace Jones is a Jamaican-born singer who started her career as a model in New York during the 60s. 101 Female Rock 'n Roll Girls of the '50s - Compilation Listen to more of Jaye P Morgan on Amazon here! Only five all-girl groups are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with the Go-Gos as the latest inductees in 2021. In 1961, the group changed its name to The Supremes. Some of her songs, such as Crazy and I Fall to Pieces became massive hits of the century. Born Eunice Kathleen Wymone, Nina Simone was a genre-crossing vocalist and passionate civil rights activist. 5. The Braxtons was a sister group that was signed by a major label in the late 80s. Selling 100 million albums has solidified her place at the top. Brown began performing during the early 1950s, but it wasnt until a live performance at the Apollo Theater in 1961 that he made a successful breakthrough. Race & Ethnicity RevealedContinue, The early 1960s saw the popularity of all-female groups skyrocket with an era-defining sound and many timeless hits we still listen to today. 14 on the charts respectively. The first became so popular that many didnt know she had done it first. In this post, were going to take a look at 15 of the greatest and most famous black singers of the 50s. When you buy via the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. She also performed Crazy, a song made more popular by the late Patsy Cline. Debra Lois). Listen to more of Dinah Shore on Amazon here! WebLiving up to her moniker Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight was another prolific Black singer from the 60s leader in the soul music scene, headlining her group The Pips to release hit singles including Midnight Train to Georgia, and Thats What Friends Are For, two instantly recognizable songs even to today. Ray Charles. You know youre a standout when your first foray into the music industry is with a namesake group. The Jazz Age gave birth to many well-known voices of the time, one of whom was Bessie Smith. Before she was a hitmaker, Dinah was singing in clubs at 15. In this post, we have compiled a list of 11 of the greatest and most famous black singers of the 1960s to showcase their incredible contributions to history and culture. By 1938, she had worked her way up from singing for an orchestra to co-writing the hit that put her on the map. WebTOP 100 FEMALE SOLO SINGERS OF THE '50S AND '60S Patti Page - All My Love, The Tennessee Waltz, Mockin' Bird Hill, I Went to Your Wedding, The Doggie in the Window, Cross Over the Bridge, Allegheny Moon, Old Cape Cod; Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte At the age of 16, Aretha was touring with Dr. Martin Luthor King and had befriended two important mentors, Ray Charles and Sam Cooke. She performed primarily as a jazz artist, incorporating blues, R&B, and pop styles into her music. Long before Aretha, Tina, Whitney, Janet, Brandy, Monica, and Beyonce, agroup of pioneering jazz and blues vocalists fashioned the blueprintfor the record-breaking feats enjoyed by some of musics biggestnames. Im Dan and I run this website. Have a listen to each of them, and enjoy! During her tenure with Columbia, Vaughan released hits like That Lucky Old Sun, Make Believe (You Are Glad When Youre Sorry), Im Crazy to Love You, and I Cried for You. In 1954, Treadwell negotiated a contract with Vaughn and Mercury Records where she scored her first hit with the label, a song called Make Yourself Uncomfortable. That fall, Vaughn performed at Carnegie Hall with the Count Basie Orchestra. Some of her most well-known hits include God Bless the Child, Lover Man, Strange Fruit, and No More. Besides numerous awards during his lifetime, Gaye has also multiple posthumous accolades, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Vaughan divorced Atkins in 1961 and began dating Marshall Fisher, her partner until 1971. WebListen on Spotify: Follow our #WomenWhoRock playlist featuring classics from Etta James, The Supremes, The Shirelles, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, The Shangri-Las & many more. She started out as a tap and ballet dancer at the age of 5 but went on to attend the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music after high school. In 1959, Holiday was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver brought on by alcohol addiction. Listen to more of Doris Day on Amazon here! In 1987, Waters was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The two sang together in New York nightclubs in the 1940s. In her latter years, drug and alcohol addiction crippled her ability to work. Fats Domino. Known for a deep, powerful voice that could fill a room, Etta James is a legendary singer who mixed elements from blues, soul, gospel, and rock and roll. Nonetheless, the performance would be the first in many milestones in Fitzgeralds then budding singer career. Her hits included Im Crazy to Love You, That Lucky Old Son, and My Tormented Heart. From an Italian neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, Connie Francis was born Concetta Franconero in December of 1938. Born in 1891, she was born in exactly the right era to showcase her talent. His bands featured the best instrumental jazz players, and Calloway impressed his bandmates with scat singing and solos that rivaled the instrumentalists in his groups. She had two major charting hits. His initial success came with the 1963 release of the single Pride And Joy.. Some of the most well-known and best-loved artists of the 60s were African-American singers. Little Richard. Evil Gal Blues landed on Billboards Harlem Hit Parade chart (an early incarnation of the R&B singles chart), along with its follow-up Salty Papa Blues. In 1959, Washington landed a top 10 pop hit with her version of What a Difference a Day Made. She performed around the country, sharing the stage with fellow jazz greats, Count Basie, and Tony Bennet, and was the first black performer to be booked at Las Vegas Sahara Hotel main room. The Godfather of Soul, another nickname of Browns, remained popular until his death in the early 2000s and is still looked back upon as one of the most famous musicians ever to live. Her life was accidentally cut short but music continues to inspire. But she was also an accomplished singer, with songs such as Day after Day and Till the End of Time.. Etta James. Listen to more of Judy Garland on Amazon here! Vaughan remained active on the performing and recording circuit until the 1989 when she began to experience health problems and was subsequently diagnosed with lung cancer. Nat King Cole had a storied career performing more than 100 hits in the pop world. She began her music career as a teenager performing in minstrel shows and signed a contract with Paramount Records in 1932, where she would record more than 100 songs over a five-year span. Listen to more of Patsy Cline on Amazon here! 15 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Black Singers Of The 1950s. Theres only one other woman to chart more than her, and she was Aretha Franklin. With her distinctive and powerful voice, she remains one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 75 million records sold. 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