List of composers of African descent facts for kids

Have you ever wondered who writes the amazing music you hear? Composers are the talented people who create musical pieces. This list celebrates many incredible composers of African ancestry. They have created all kinds of music, from classical to jazz and blues, and have made a huge impact on the world of sound.

Composers Starting with A

H. Leslie Adams

• Michael Abels, US (born 1962)
• Mohamed Abdelwahab Abdelfattah, Egypt (born 1962)
• Muhal Richard Abrams, US (1930–2017)
• H. Leslie Adams, US (born 1932)
• Eleanor Alberga, Jamaica (born 1949)
• Alcione, Brazil (born 1947)
• Amanda Christina Elizabeth Aldridge (Montague Ring), England (1866–1956)
• Kenneth Amis, US (born 1970)
• Thomas Jefferson Anderson (TJ), US (born 1928)
• Lil Hardin Armstrong, US (1898–1971)

Composers Starting with B

• David Baker, US (1931–2016)
• Count Basie, US, a famous pianist and bandleader
• Leon Bates, US, a talented pianist
• Catalina Berroa, Cuba (1849–1911)
• Eubie Blake (James Hubert Blake), US (1887–1983)
• James A. Bland, US (1854–1911)
• Margaret Allison Bonds, US (1913–1972)
• John William Boone, US (1864–1927)
• Anthony Braxton, US (born 1945)
• George Bridgetower, Poland (1779–1860), a violinist and composer
• Courtney Bryan, US (born 1982/1983), a pianist and composer
• James Tim Brymn, US (1881–1946)
• Harry Burleigh, US (1866–1949)

Composers Starting with C

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor c. 1893

• Billy Childs, US (born 1957)
• Robert Allen "Bob" Cole, US (1868–1911)
• Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, England (1875–1912)
• Ornette Coleman, US (1930–2015)
• Alice Coltrane, US (1937–2007)
• John Coltrane, US (1926–1967)
• Geraldine Connor, UK (1952–2011)
• Will Marion Cook, US (1869–1944)
• Roque Cordero, Panama (1917–2008)
• Arthur Cunningham, US (1928–1997)

Composers Starting with D

• William L. Dawson, US (1899–1990)
• Anthony Davis, US (born 1951)
• Gussie Lord Davis, US (1863–1899)
• Edmond Dédé, US (1827–1903)
• Leonard De Paur, US (1914–1998)
• Robert Nathaniel Dett, Canada (1882–1943)
• John Thomas Douglass, US (1847–1886)
• Rudolph Dunbar, Guyana (1907–1988)
• Leslie Dunner, US (born 1956)

Composers Starting with E

Duke Ellington at the Hurricane Club, Broadway, NYC

• Julius Eastman, US (1940–1990)
• Justin Elie, Haiti (1883–1931)
• Duke Ellington (Edward Kennedy Ellington), US (1899–1974), a famous jazz big band leader
• Mercer Ellington, US (1919–1996)
• Joseph Antonio Emidy, Guinea (1775–1835)
• Akin Euba, Nigeria (1935–2020)
• James Reese Europe, US (1881–1919)

Composers Starting with F

• Donal Fox, US (born 1952)

Composers Starting with G

• José Maurício Nunes Garcia, Brazil (1767–1830)
• Philip Gbeho, Ghana (1904–1976)
• Kerry J. Gilliard, US (born 1972)
• Harry P. Guy, US (1870–1950)

Composers Starting with H

• Adolphus Hailstork, US (born 1941)
• W. C. Handy (William Christopher Handy), US (1873–1958), known for blues music
• Edward W. Hardy, US (born 1992), a composer and violinist
• Robert A. Harris, US (born 1938)
• Henry Hart, US (1839–1915)
• Scott Hayden, US (1882–1915), a ragtime composer
• Talib Rasul Hakim, US (1940–1988)
• Fletcher Henderson, US (1897–1952), a jazz big band leader
• Ernest Hogan, US (1865–1909)
• Moses Hogan, US (1957–2003)
• David Hurd, US (born 1950)

Composers Starting with I

• Abdullah Ibrahim, South Africa (born 1934)

Composers Starting with J

Scott Joplin

• Michael Jackson, US (1958–2009), a famous singer-songwriter and musician
• Tony Jackson, US (1876–1921), a pianist
• Leroy Jenkins, US (1932–2007)
• Jose Julian Jiménez, Cuba (1823–1880)
• Lico Jiménez (José Manuel Jiménez Berroa), Cuba (1851–1917)
• Francis Johnson, US (1792–1844)
• Hall Johnson, US (1888–1970)
• James Price Johnson, US (1894–1955)
• J. Rosamond Johnson, US (1873–1954)
• Victor C. Johnson, US (born 1978)
• Irving Jones, US (1873-1932), a ragtime composer
• Trevor Jones, South Africa and United Kingdom (born 1949), known for film music
• Scott Joplin, US (1868–1917)
• Quincy Jones, US (born 1933)
• Joe Jordan, US (1882–1971)

Composers Starting with K

• Ulysses Simpson Kay, US (1917–1995)

Composers Starting with L

• Vicente Lusitano, Portugal, born in the early 1500s
• Charles Lucien Lambert, US (c. 1828–1896)
• Lucien-Léon Guillaume Lambert, France (1858–1945)
• Sidney Lambert, US (1838–1905)
• Ludovic Lamothe, Haiti (1882–1953)
• Tania León, Cuba (born 1943)
• John Lewis, US (1920–2001)
• Melba Liston, US (1926–1999)
• Sam Lucas, US (1850–1916)

Composers Starting with M

Thelonious Monk at Minton's Playhouse, 1947

• Bobby McFerrin (Robert McFerrin Jr.), US (born 1950), a jazz composer, vocalist, and conductor
• Wynton Marsalis, US (born 1961)
• Arthur Marshall, US (1881–1968), a ragtime composer
• Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, US (born 1970)
• Charles Mingus, US (1922–1979)
• Roscoe Mitchell, US (born 1940)
• Thelonious Monk, US (1917–1982)
• Carman Moore, US (born 1936)
• Undine Smith Moore, US (1904–1989)
• Jeffrey Mumford, US (born 1955)
• Diedre Murray, US (born 1951)
• Billy Myles (William Myles Nobles), US (1924–2005)

Composers Starting with N

Saint-Georges in 1768, aged 22

• Brian Raphael Nabors, US (born 1991)
• Gary Powell Nash, US (born 1964)
• Oliver Nelson, US (1932–1975)
• J. H. Kwabena Nketia, Ghana (1921–2019)

Composers Starting with P

Price, date unknown

• Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, US (1932–2004)
• Julia Perry, US (1924–1979)
• Zenobia Powell Perry, US (1908–2004)
• Marvin Peterson, US (born 1948), a jazz composer
• Armand John Piron, US (1888–1943)
• Florence Beatrice Price, US (1887–1953)
• Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson), US (1958–2016)

Composers Starting with R

• Amadeo Roldán, Cuba (1900–1939)
• Sonny Rollins, US (born 1930)

Composers Starting with S

William Grant Still

• Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Guadeloupe (c. 1739–1799)
• Ignatius Sancho, England (c. 1729–1780)
• James Scott, US (1886–1938)
• Jacob J. Sawyer, US (1856–1885)
• Wayne Shorter, US (born 1933)
• Alvin Singleton, US (born 1940)
• Chris Smith, US (1879–1949)
• Hale Smith, US (1925–2009)
• Fela Sowande, Nigeria (1905–1987)
• William Grant Still, US (1895–1978)
• Howard Swanson, US (1907–1978)
• Billy Strayhorn (William Thomas Strayhorn), US (1917–1967), a highly regarded jazz and big band composer and arranger

Composers Starting with T

• Shirley Thompson, English-born composer of Jamaican descent
• Henry Threadgill, US (born 1944), a jazz composer
• Dean Clay Taylor, US (born 1943), a classical composer

Composers Starting with W

George Walker at right

Fats Waller

• George Walker, US (1922–2018)
• Fats Waller, US (1904–1943), a singer and jazz musician
• Pete Wentz, bassist of the band Fall Out Boy
• Randy Weston, US (1926–2018)
• Clarence Cameron White, US (1880–1960)
• Joseph White (José Silvestre White Lafitte), Cuba (1835–1918)
• Thomas Wiggins (Bethune) or "Blind Tom", US (1849–1908)
• Clarence Williams, US (1898–1965)
• Julius Penson Williams, US (born 1954)
• Mary Lou Williams, US (1910–1981)
• Olly Wilson, US (1937–2018)
• John Wesley Work III, US (1901–1967)
• Stevie Wonder (born 1950)

Composers Starting with Z

• Pamela Z, US (born 1956)

Some composers from the 19th century have music described in "Historical Notes on African-American and Jamaican Melodies". Their birth and death dates are unknown. These include Harry Bloodgood, Samuel Butler, Dudley C. Clark, Harry Davis, Pete Devonear, Fred C. Lyons, Henry Newman, James S. Putnam, and Francis V. Seymour.

See also

• Lists of African Americans
• Negermusik