Eartha Kitt was an American actress, singer, cabaret star, dancer, stand-up comedian, activist and voice artist. She had a distinctive singing style and is best known for her Christmas song “Santa Baby” and for playing Catwoman in the television series Batman. Kitt was born in 1927 near the town of North in South Carolina. Her …
Etta James was a Grammy Award-winning singer who bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938 in Los Angeles, California to 14-year-old Dorothy Hawkins, her father is unknown. As a baby, James was put in the care of a series of foster parents including “Mama” …
Missy “misdemeanor” Elliott is a Grammy Award-winning singer, rapper, songwriter and producer who has achieved great success while breaking boundaries in the male-dominated world of hip-hop. Missy Elliott was born Melissa Arnette Elliott in 1971 in Portsmouth, Virginia. She was the only child of Patricia, a power-company dispatcher, and father Ronnie, a U.S. Marine. She …
Kim Gordon is an American musician, songwriter, and visual artist. She is best known for being one of the founding members of Sonic Youth. Gordon was born in 1953, in Rochester, New York but grew up in Los Angeles, California. She attended a progressive elementary school that was attached to UCLA which focused on learning …
Adele is a British Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in 1988 in North London, England. Adele became interested in music at a young age and started singing at 4 years old. She spent most of her time singing and was influenced by the Spice Girls who she impersonated at …
Laura Jane Grace is an American musician best known as the founder, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the punk rock band Against Me!. Grace was born in Fort Benning, Georgia in 1980. Her family moved frequently between military bases and lived briefly in Fort Hood, Texas; Pennsylvania; Ohio; Germany; and at a NATO post …
Poly Styrene was a British musician, singer-songwriter, and front-woman of the punk rock band X-Ray Spex. Styrene was born Marianne Joan Elliott-Said in 1957 in Bromley, Kent, England. She was raised in Brixton, London by her mother. Styrene left home at 15 with only £3. She hitchhiked between musical festivals and stayed at hippie crash …
Marian Anderson was an American singer and one of the finest contraltos of her time. She became the first African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1955 and an important figure in the struggle for black artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States. Anderson was born in South Philadelphia …
Beyoncé is an American multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning recording artist and actress. She is a philanthropist and co-founder of Chime for Change, a global campaign to raise funds and awareness for girls and women around the world. Beyoncé started singing at an early age, her talent was discovered by her dance instructor who was impressed when …
Lady Bo was an American musician and a pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll. She was one of the first female rock guitarists in a highly visible rock band and the “Queen Mother of Guitar”. Lady Bo was born Peggy Jones in Harlem, New York City. She attended Manhattan’s High School for the Performing Arts where …