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The Beatles experimented widely with musical genres, mind-altering drugs, transcandentalism/spiritualism - all of which influenced their evolving sound from album to album. This famous folk singer actually introduced them to pot for the first time because he misheard the lyrics to I Want to Hold Your Hand. He thought they were singing "I Get High" but really they were singing "I Get By."
Bob Dylan
This late 80's emcee duo sang the 1992 hip hop hit "Don't Sweat the Technique"
Eric B. & Rakim
Ella Fitzgerald frequently collaborated with this famous jazz trumpeter from 1956-1959 spanning three recorded albums and a series of Hollywood Bowl concerts.
Louis Armstrong
"Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin made a career of using her voice to radiate power. The late Congressman John Lewis once said "If it hadn't been for Aretha –– and others, but particularly Aretha–– the Civil Rights Movement would have been a bird without wings." Her hit "_______" released in 1967 gave a soundtrack to the movement taking place.
Respect
This South African collective ________ was featured in Paul Simon's album Graceland, most popularly in Diamonds on the Sole of Her Shoes.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
This popular Afrobeats artist who had a top hit this year with his Toni Braxton sampled song "Last Last" is the first & only African artist to sell out Madison Square Garden for his African Giant tour.
Burna Boy
The early 90's New York alternative rap scene was shaped by this group, a collaboration of lyrically talented rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli.
Black Star
Led Zeppelin were straight nerds, which is pretty rock and roll of them. Many of their lyrics were inspired by post-World War high fantasy literature made popular in their childhood. For instance, in the Battle of Evermore they sing "I hear the horses' thunder down in the valley below
I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon
Waiting for the eastern glow which was popularized by this famous series.
Lord of the Rings
In his autobiography, this "Jump in the Line" singer narrates his involvement in the June 1964 Mississippi Summer Project, a volunteer campaign that was designed to register black voters in Mississippi. As the campaign picked up steam, he received a call from the head of the committee requesting more money for the campaign’s student volunteers. Within two days, he and his wife had raised $70,000 for the campaign.
Harry Belafonte
This singer had her first big hit in 1957 with ‘Walkin after Midnight’?
Patsy Cline
Kurt Cobain quotes this Crosby, Still, Nash & Young artist in his suicide note who said "It's better to burn out than to fade away"
Neil Young
Today, hip hop is essentially borderless. In 1995 contemporary rap in the States was split between the New York and LA (east voast west coast) rap scenes. Atlanta based group Outkast were the first Southern group to break the coastal stranglehold on hip-hop. Featuring 19 year olds Andre 3000 and ________, fused hip-hop with funk, gospel, rock, rave, ragtime, breaking down the door for Southern rap artists for more than a decade to come.
Big Boi
Courtney Love, singer from Hole and former wife of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, grew up in a musical empire. Her father was the manager for this famous jam band featuring Jerry Garcia.
Grateful Dead
The Stars for Freedom rally was a free concert performed out of a flatbed truck and is hailed as the first big public concert in the middle of a major civil rights conflict. It was hosted to motivate activists as they completed their third historic march from this city to Montgomery, Alabama.
Selma
The Barbadian singer Robyn Fenty is better known by her middle name, ______.
Rihanna
Famous drummer Richard Starkey, aka ___________, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice; most recently in 2015 for his solo career making him the last member of his original band to be inducted for his individual work.
Ringo Starr
Did you know, this duo is actually a trio?! No less talented than the female emcees in the group's name, DJ Spinderella helped to bring us songs like Shoop, Whatta Man, and Push It.
Salt N Peppa
In a crossover between Art & Music -- Andy Warhol curated visual art and pop art of the 1960s underground. He put this early band on the map via frequent productions and contributed this famous album cover?
the Velvet Underground
Queen of Gospel Mahalia Jackson - who mentored talent like Aretha Franklin and Della Reese - was a close friend and confidant of Dr. King. He would even call her to sing to him for inspiration. Many credit her with inspiring him to ad lib his famous I Have a Dream speech (he was originally stuck between two metaphors and the original draft of the speeech from Detroit focused on a bad check motif). She first met Dr. King after first performing at this city's Bus Boycott in 1965.
Jamaican activist and reggae icon sang with the band __________.
The Wailers
Before the Mason Family murders, Charles Manson famously tried and failed to break into the 60's music industry as a singer. He was supported in this by this famous Beach Boy brother who frequented the Spahn ranch.
Dennis Wilson
Before we all learned to keep his wife's name out of our **** mouths, Fresh Prince (Will Smith) and _______ burst out of the Philadelphia hip hop scene in the late 80's/early 90's.
DJ Jazzy Jeff
TV & Music -- This famous Rat Pack member marched with Dr King in Washington in 1963, publically feuded with JFK for not being allowed at his inauguration due to his interracial marriage, and spoke openly about being forced to stay in segregated hotels despite his success. In 1979 he recieved the longest laugh in live TV/sitcom history at that time by planting a surprised smooth on Archie Bunker.
Sammy Davis Jr
Best known for gospel and soul, the Staple Singers sang many freedom songs, including 1968's rousing tribute to the march to this city. In it she sings, "It's a long walk to ______ but I got my walkin' shoes on," Mavis sings.
DC/ Washington DC -- "Long Walk to DC"
Michael Jackson first performed his signature dance the moonwalk in this music video.
Billie Jean