Black Artists Music Wouldn't Be the Same Without (Stacker)

"There is no American music that doesn't have Black roots. From country-western, which draws upon banjo music from Africa, to rock 'n' roll, begun by a Black woman playing electric guitar in 1938, American music can't be separated out from its rich history of diversity and experimentation. To take a closer look at how Black musicians shaped American music, Stacker pored through historical documents, recordings, Billboard charts, and studied similarities in various musical acts over time to determine 41 artists music wouldn't be the same without. Paring the list down to just 41 was a challenge (the gallery could easily include hundreds)—so there are certainly icons missing. We focused on artists whom scholars can definitively conclude altered the musical landscape in some dramatic fashion. Artists highlighted in this gallery changed the course of music by doing something entirely new with it rather than simply building upon the legends who came before." - stacker.com