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Singer

Discover Black women's legacies month by month. Explore history's milestones and celebrate the remarkable achievements of influential figures.

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Jan 4
January
Singer
Educator
Grace Bumbry
Bumbry (1937-2023) was a mezzo-soprano and later, a soprano opera singer, and one of the most celebrated voices of 20th century opera. She exploded onto the international stage after she appeared as Venus in Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in Germany in 1961. She was the first black woman to perform at this festival and her appearance was met with outrage, scorn, and controversy. Post performance she was hailed the “magnificent ‘Black Venus’” and received 42 curtain calls and a 30-minute standing ovation.
Missouri
Jan 5
January
Singer
AME
Matilda Sissieretta Jones
Jones (1869-1933) was an internatioanally acclaimed soprano opera singer who notes were said to be as clear as a mockingbird’s with perfect annunciation. Her remarkable abilities led her to perform at the White House for four U.S. Presidents: Harrison, McKinley, Cleveland, and Roosevelt. Jones toured extensively across Europe, the West Indies, South America, Australia, India, and southern Africa, performing for notable figures including Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII of England, and Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany.
Virginia
Jan 10
January
Actress
Model
Singer
Teresa Graves
Graves (1948-2002) made television history as the first Black woman to star in her own dramatic TV series when she played undercover police officer Christie Love in Get Christie Love! (1974-1975).1 After achieving success in both comedy (as a regular performer on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) and drama, she left Hollywood in the mid-1970s to devote herself to her religious faith as a Jehovah's Witness.
Texas
Jan 17
January
Actress
Singer
Activist
Eartha Kitt
Kitt (1927-2008) rose from poverty in South Carolina, where she lived with relatives, to attend the High School of Performing Arts in New York before launching her career with Katherine Dunham's dance company. She became an international star renowned for her distinctive purring voice, feline grace, and multilingual performances, establishing herself as a symbol of seduction and sophistication with hits like "Santa Baby" (1953) and "C'est Si Bon." Her diverse career spanned Broadway, film, and television, including her memorable role as Catwoman in the 1960s Batman series. Kitt's career faced a significant setback in 1968 when her anti-Vietnam War statements at a White House luncheon led to CIA surveillance and an effective blacklisting in the U.S., though she later triumphantly returned to Broadway and television.
South Carolina
Jan 25
January
Singer
Theatre
Florence Mills
Washington D.C.
Feb 10
February
Singer
Leontyne Price
“My voice is what I think life is, my voice is beauty, my voice is America, my voice is my blackness, my voice is love, my voice is God.” Extraordinary spinto soprano and Prima Donna, Price (1927) is ...
Mississippi
Feb 10
February
Singer
Musician
Roberta Cleopatra Flack
North Carolina
Feb 14
February
Entrepreneur
Educator
Singer
Mary Cardwell Dawson
Cardwell (1894-1962) was a Musician, Educator, and founder of the extraordinary National Negro Opera Company (Pittsburg, 1941), and the Cardwell School of Music.
North Carolina
Feb 20
February
Singer
Jazz
Nancy Wilson
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Feb 21
February
Singer
Composer
Civil Rights
Nina Simone
North Carolina
Feb 23
February
Singer
Muriel Smith
New York
Feb 27
February
Singer
Marian Anderson
Pennsylvania
Mar 4
March
Singer
Roberta Alexandra
Virginia
Mar 4
March
Actress
Singer
Barbara McNair
Singer, Actress, and Host, McNair (1934-2007) was one of the first Black women to host a television show (1969-1971).
Illinois
Mar 6
March
Singer
Entrepreneur
Entertainment
Sylvia Robinson
Robinson (1936-2011) was a Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, the Mother of Hip Hop, and a founder and the CEO of Sugar Hill Records.
New York
Mar 10
March
Actress
Singer
Dancer
Baptist
Jasmine Guy
A quadruple threat as an actress, singer, dancer, and director, Guy's dynamic career spans from her early days as a dancer for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to her continued work in television and film. Her versatility is evident in her two albums (Jasmine Guy and Try Me), Broadway performances in Grease!, Leader of the Pack, The Wiz, Dancin' in the Street, Bubbling Brown Sugar, and Chicago, and roles in Spike Lee's School Daze, Harlem Nights, Stompin' at the Savoy, and The Vampire Diaries.
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Mar 20
March
Singer
Songwriter
Musician
COGIC
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - the progenitor of rock-n-roll. Tharpe is known for her signature musical style which fused the worlds of gospel and secular music with a sprinkling of her electric guitar.
Arkansas
Mar 22
March
Singer
Alyne Dumas Lee
Tennessee
Mar 25
March
Singer
Activist
Aretha Franklin
Franklin (1942-2018) was a singer, songwriter, and pianist whose distinctive vocals and fusion of gospel, soul, and R&B earned her recognition as the "Queen of Soul." She amassed extraordinary commercial and critical successes, selling more than 85 million records worldwide and earning 18 Grammy Awards and 44 nominations. Her achievements continued throughout her career, and in 1987, she made history as the first woman performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Rolling Stone magazine twice named her the greatest singer of all time.
Tennessee
Mar 26
March
Singer
Actress
Baptist
Diana Ross
Michigan
Mar 27
March
Jazz
Singer
Pianist
Baptist
Sarah Vaughan
New Jersey
Mar 29
March
Singer
Entertainment
Actress
Pearl Bailey
Virginia
Apr 7
April
Singer
Jazz
Billie Holiday
Pennsylvania
Apr 15
April
Singer
Jazz
Harlem Renaissance
Baptist
Bessie Smith
Smith (1894 - 1937) was known as the Empress of the Blues and was preeminent during the Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance.
Tennessee
Apr 25
April
Jazz
Singer
AME
Ella Fitzgerald
"The First Lady of Song", Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was the 20th century's preeminent jazz vocalist renowned for her pure tone, impeccable diction, scat singing mastery, and critically acclaimed interpretations of the Great American Songbook. She was also the first black woman to win a grammy. Over her six-decade career, she set vocal excellence standards, influenced multiple genres, and amassed top accolades including 13 Grammys, 1 Grammy Lifetime Achievement award, and the National Medal of Arts.
Virginia
May 31
May
Singer
Educator
Catholic
Shirley Verrett
Verrett (1931-2010) was an operatic mezzo-soprano who established herself as a soprano sfogato, mastering both vocal ranges with extraordinary power and flexibility throughout her celebrated career. She rose to international prominence from the late 1960s through the 1990s, earning particular acclaim for her commanding interpretations of Verdi and Donizetti heroines, along with definitive portrayals of roles like Carmen, Tosca, and Lady Macbeth.
Louisiana
Jun 3
June
Jazz
Singer
Cotton Club
Harlem Renaissance
Author
Josephine Baker
Missouri
Jun 4
June
Singer
Linda Martell
South Carolina
Jun 19
June
Actress
Singer
Phylicia Rashad
Texas
Jun 30
June
Civil Rights
Cotton Club
Dancer
Singer
Actress
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne
New York
Jul 6
July
Singer
Jazz
Phyllis Hyman
A talented singer-songwriter and actress, who was a beloved figure in the music industry who is remembered for her for her significant contributions to R&B and jazz. She left a permanent mark with her powerful vocal range, captivating voice, stunning beauty, and undeniable stage presence.
Pennsylvania
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