BLACK COMPOSERS on COMPACT DISC
 1990 to the current year
The following composers are also included in the:.  
 Comprehensive Reference Guide to Black Composer Recordings 
If there are omissions or errors, send an email to: rgreene@temple.edu
 (updated September 2007)
For composer biographical information, please refer to the following sources:
          ID = International Dictionary of Black Composers by S. Floyd
          MLC = Musical Landscapes in Color by W. Banfield
          NGD = New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians by S. Sadie, ed.

 

 

COMPOSER NAME   YEAR CD RELEASE (in progress) BIOGRAPHY
  A      
ABDEL-RAHIM, Gamal 1924-1988 03• NGD
ABELS, Michael 1962 03•04• MLC, NGD
ADAMS, Alton Augustus 1889-1987 92•03• ID, NGD
ADAMS, H. Leslie 1932 00•01•04•06• ID, MLC
AKPABOT, Samuel 1932-2000 02•
ALBERGA, Eleanor 1949 98•99• NGD
ALSTON, Lettie Beckon 1953 95•97•01 MLC
AMIS, Kenneth 1970 00•  
ANDERSON, Thomas Jefferson 'TJ' 1928 92•99•01•03• ID, MLC, NGD
  B      
BAIOCCHI, Regina A. Harris 1956 95• ID, MLC
BAKER, David 1931 92•93•94•95•99•00•01•02•03•04•05•06• ID, MLC
BANFIELD, William C 1961 97•99•03•04• ID, MLC
BEBEY, Francis 1929-2001 02•06•
BETHUNE, Thomas Wiggins 'Blind Tom' 1849-1908 00• ID, NGD
BLAND, Ed 1926 93•99 ID
BONDS, Margaret 1913-1972 93•95•97•00•02•03•04•06• ID, NGD
BOONE, John W "Blind Boone" 1864-1927 98•  
BOOZER, Mark   05•  
BOWERS, Violet George 20th century 01•
BRAXTON, Anthony 1945 93•94 ID, NGD
BROWN, Charles 1898-1988 99•00
BROWN, Velvet 20th century 03•
BURLEIGH, Henry Thacker 'Harry' 1866-1949 90•91•92•93•94•95•96•97•99•00•02•04•05•,06•07 ID, NGD
BURRS, Leslie 1935  
  C      
CAPERS, Valerie 1935 95•00•06• ID
CARTER, John 1937 95•95•96•08•
CHEATHAM, Wallace McClain 1945 01•05•08
CHILDS, Billy 1957 95•96•99•04•05• MLC
COHEN, Cecil 1894-1967 00•04
COLEMAN, Ornette 1930 90•04 ID, NGD
COLEMAN, Valerie 1970 02•05•06•07
COLERIDGE-TAYLOR, Samuel 1875-1912 91•93•95•97•98•99•00•02•03•04•05•06•07•08 ID, NGD
COOK, Will Marion 1869-1944 93•96•03•06• ID, NGD
CORDERO, Roque 1917 94•95•02• ID, NGD
CUNNINGHAM, Arthur 1928 04• ID
  D      
DAVIS, Anthony 1951 94•99•03•06• MLC, NGD
DAWSON, William Levi 1899-1990 90•94•98•07 ID, NGD
DΙDΙ, Edmond 1827-1901 00•05• ID
DETT, R Nathaniel 1882-1943 92•93•96•98•99•03•04•05• ID, NGD
DICKERSON, Roger Donald 1934 97•03• ID, NGD
DREW, James 1929 00•
DUMPSON, J. Donald 20th century 98•05•
     
  E      
EASTMAN, Julius 1940-1990 05•  
EL-DABH, Halim 1921 06••08  
ELIE, Justin 1883-1931   ID, NGD
ELLINGTON, Edward Kennedy 'Duke' 1899-1974 02•06•07 ID, NGD
EUBA, Akin 1935 04•05• ID, NGD
EUBANKS, Rachel 1922 95• ID
EUROPE, James Reese 1881-1919 92•93•99•00•03• ID, NGD
  F      
FERNANDEZ, Oscar Lorenzo 1897-1948 94•98•99•00•03•  
FOX, Donal 1952 92•97 ID, MLC
  G      
GARCIA, José Mauricio Nuρes 1767-1830 01•02•04• ID, NGD
GARDNER, Samuel 1891-1984 98•99•00•05•
GEORGE, Kevin A.G. 1959 01•
GINES, Teodora ca1580-1630  96•
  H      
HAILSTORK, Adolphus 1941 95•97•00•02•03•04•05•06•07 ID, MLC, NGD
HAKIM, Talib Rasul 1940-1988   ID, NGD
HANDY, William Christopher 'W.C.' 1873-1958 89•90•92•93•95•96•98•99•02•07 ID, NGD
HANNIBAL (see Lokumbe)   --  
HEMPHILL, Julius 1938 99•03• ID
HILLIARD, Quincy 1954  
HOLDRIDGE, Lee 1944 94•97•98•05•06•
HOLLAND, Jonathan Bailey 1974   MLC
HOLT, Nora Douglas 1885-1974 95•
  J      
JEANTY, Occide 1860-1936 99• NGD
JEGEDE, Tunde 1972 03•
JENKINS, Edmund Thornton 1894-1926 04•
JENKINS, Leroy 1917-1993 94•99•
JENNINGS, Joseph 1954 04•05•
JOHNSON, Frank 'Francis' 1792-1894 93•94•06• ID, NGD
JOHNSON, Hall      
JOHNSON, J. Rosamund 1873-1954 92•97•99•01•07  
JOHNSON, James P. 1894-1955 90•95•04•05•06• ID, NGD
JONES, Quincy 1933 97• NGD
JOPLIN, Scott 1868-1917 02•05•06• ID, NGD
  K      
KAY, Ulysses S. 1917-1995 93•96•02•03•07 ID, NGD
KERR, Thomas 1915-1988 03•
KHUMALO, Mzilikazi 1932 02• NGD
KING, Betty Jackson 1928-1994 95•02•
KINNEY, L. Viola   06•  
KONYE, Paul   05•  
KWAMI, Robert 1954-2004 05•08  
  L      
LABI, Gyimah 1950 03• NGD
LAKE, Oliver 1944 03•
LAMBERT, Charles Lucien Sr. 1828-1896 00•
LAMBERT, Lucien Leon Guillaume Jr. 1858-1945 00• ID
LAMOTHE, Ludovic 1882-1953 99•00•01•08 ID, NGD
LEΣN, Tania 1944 95•97•98•99•01•02•03•06• ID, NGD
LEWIS, George 1952 00•04• NGD
LOGAN, Frederick 1871-1929 93•00•
LOGAN, Wendell 1940 98•99•03• ID, MLC, NGD
LOKUMBE, Hannibal 1948 96•
  M      
MARSALIS, Ellis 1934 00•
MARSALIS, Wynton 1961 00• ID, NGD
McDANIEL, William Foster 1940 05• ID
McLIN, Lena Johnson 1928 05• ID
MEUDE-MONPAS, J.J.O. Chevalier de 18th century 05•
MITCHELL, Roscoe 1940 93•95•
MONK. Thelonius 1917-1992 92•93•94•02•06•  
MOORE, Dorothy Rudd 1940 95•06• ID, MLC, NGD
MOORE, Undine Smith 1904-1989 95•00•06• ID, NGD
MUMFORD, Jeffrey 1955 94•97•04•06• MLC, NGD
  N      
NASH, Gary Powell 1964 95•03•05• ID, MLC
NDONDANA, Bongani 1975 08•  
NELSON, Oliver 1961 91•03•
NEWBY, Stephen 1961 01• MLC
NEWTON, James 20th century 00•
NKETIA, J. H. Kwabena 1921 05•08  
NUÑES-GARCIA, José Mauricio (see Garcia)   --    
  O      
OKOYE, Nkeiru                    1972 05•
ONOVWEROSUOKE, Okorefe Kwaku 'Fred' 1960 07•08  
OWENS, Robert 1924 00•04•06•
  P      
PERKINSON, Coleridge-Taylor 1932-2004 93•99•00•02•03•04•05•08 ID, MLC
PERRY, Julia 1924-1979 95• ID, NGD
PERRY, Zenobia Powell 1908-2004 06• ID, NGD
PETERSON, Oscar 1925-2007 93• NGD
PRADEL, Alain Pierre 1949 08
PRICE, Florence B. 1888-1953 93•95•98•00•02•04•06•07•08 ID, NGD
  R      
ROLDAN, Amadeo 1900-1939 08  
ROLLINS, Sonny   06•  
ROUMAIN, Daniel Bernard   06•  
ROXBURY, Ronald 1946-1986 93•
RUSSELL, Oswald 1933 03• ID, NGD
  S      
SAINT-GEORGES, Joseph Boulogne 1739-1799 99•00•01•02•03•04•05•06•07 ID, NGD
SANFORD, David 1963 06•
SCOTT, Jeff 1967 05•06•
SINGLETON, Alvin 1940 00•02•03•04•05•07 ID, NGD
SMITH, Hale 1925 97•00•02•03•06• ID, MLC, NGD
SMITH, Irene Britton 1907-1999 95• ID
SMITH, Wadada Leo 1941 99•00•04• ID
ŞOWΑNDΙ, Olufęlα  'Fela' 1905-1987 00•01•03•05•06• ID, NGD
STRAYHORN, Billy   93•95•99•00•06• ID, NGD
STILL, William Grant 1895-1978 92•93•94•95•96•98•99•00•01•02•03•04•05•06• ID, NGD
SWANSON, Howard 1907-1978 93•00• ID, NGD
  T      
TAMUSUZA, Justinian 1951 08•
TAYLOR, Cecil 1929 04• NGD
TAYLOR, William 'Billy' 1921 97• ID, MLC
THOMPSON, Richard   06• ID, MLC, NGD
TILLIS, Frederick 1930 96•06• ID, MLC, NGD
  U      
UZOIGWE, Joshua 1946 03•05•08 NGD
  V      
VERRET, Solon 20th century 99•
  W      
WALKER, George 1922 93•95•97•98•00•01•02•03•05•06•07 ID, MLC, NGD
WALKER, Gregory 20th century 06• ID, MLC, NGD
WALLEN, Errollyn 1958 02•04•05• ID, NGD
WEATHERSBY, Lucius 1968-2006 01•06•
WHEATLEY, Andres   05•  
WHITE, Clarence Cameron 1880-1960 00•03•06• ID, NGD
WHITE, Dolores 20th century 95•97•99•
WHITE y LAFITTE, Josι Silvestre 1836-1918 99•02 NGD
WILLIAMS, James 'Kimo' 1950 98• ID, MLC
WILLIAMS, Julius P 1954 95•06• MLC
WILSON, Olly 1937 92•95•00•03• ID, MLC, NGD
WORK, Henry Clay 1832-1884 97•98•00• NGD
WORK Jr., John Wesley 1871-1925 93•98•00•05• NGD
WORK III, John Wesley 1901-1967   ID, NGD

 

 

For composer biographical information, please refer to the following sources:
          ID = International Dictionary of Black Composers by S. Floyd
          MLC = Musical Landscapes in Color by W. Banfield
          NGD = New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians by S. Sadie, ed.
 

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