Son House
Edward James “Son” House Jr. (March 21, 1902 – October 19, 1988) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist. He was known for his emotional singing and slide guitar style.
Ma Rainey
Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (born Gertrude Pridgett; April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was an American blues singer and an important early blues recording artist. She was called the “Mother of the Blues” because she connected earlier vaudeville performances with the true sounds of southern blues. Her work influenced many blues singers.
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer who became well-known during the Jazz Age. She was called the “Empress of the Blues” and was once known as Queen of the Blues. She was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s.
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was born to a sharecropper and became well-known for performing a unique style of electric guitar-based Delta blues he created in Detroit. Hooker often included other musical styles, such as talking blues and early North Mississippi hill country blues.
Howlin’ Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), known as Howlin’ Wolf on stage, was an American blues singer, guitarist, and harmonica player. He helped change traditional Delta blues into electric Chicago blues and recorded music across four decades, including blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and psychedelic rock. He is considered one of the most important blues musicians in history.
B. B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B. B.
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983), known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and musician who played a key role in the blues scene after World War II. He is often called the “father of modern Chicago blues.” His music style was described as having strong, rhythmic beats from the Delta region of Mississippi. Muddy Waters was born on a farm near Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson was born on May 8, 1911, and died on August 16, 1938. He was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing, and songwriting on his important 1936 and 1937 recordings influenced many musicians who came after him.
Régine Crespin
Régine Crespin (23 February 1927 – 5 July 2007) was a French soprano who performed in opera and concerts internationally from 1950 to 1989. She began her career singing roles that required a strong and powerful voice, especially those written by composers Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Over time, she expanded her range to include operas from Italy, France, Germany, and Russia, spanning many musical styles.
Christa Ludwig
Christa Ludwig (16 March 1928 – 24 April 2021) was a German singer known for her work as a mezzo-soprano and sometimes as a dramatic soprano. She performed in opera, lieder, oratorio, and religious music, including masses, passions, and solo pieces in symphonic works. Her career lasted about 50 years, beginning in the late 1940s and ending in the early 1990s.