African American Musicians (Major Black Contributions from Emancipat)

African Americans—famous and anonymous alike—have helped shape popular musical genres ranging from jazz and blues to rock 'n' roll and rap. This book provides a vivid account of that process, beginning with the work songs and spirituals of slaves and continuing up to the present. African-American Musicians tells the stories of figures such as bluesman Robert Johnson, whose guitar playing was so extraordinary that people said he must have made a deal with the devil; jazz great Duke Ellington, considered one of America's greatest composers and bandleaders; classical singer Marian Anderson, who struck a blow for civil rights with her music; Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop"; and many, many more.