There are plenty of best-of lists focused on the greatest artists or acts of all time. There are also specialized lists that look at best singers, songwriters, composers, producers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, keyboardists, pianists, etc. In fact, the DMDB has put together many such specialized lists. The intent of this list, however, is to compile a definitive list of music makers, i.e., anyone involved in making music. This list of 1000 individual music makers (no groups or duos included) covers the gamut of eras, genres, and various contributions to music. Note: individuals with groups named after them are included (examples: Tom Petty of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Charles Adams Prince of Prince’s Orchestra).
This is NOT a ranked list; rather, this is just an alphabetical presentation of the top 1000 music makers. Click here to see a list of the top 100 acts of all time. Click on any of the artists’ names below to see a more detailed entry offering an idea of why this individual made the cut.
- Aaliyah
- Paula Abdul
- Roy Acuff
- Bryan Adams
- Lee Adams
- Cannonball Adderley
- Adele
- Lou Adler
- Richard Adler
- Christina Aguilera
- Akon
- Luther Allison
- Duane Allman
- Herb Alpert
- Tori Amos
- Bill Anderson
- John Anderson
- Leroy Anderson
- Lynn Anderson
- Marian Anderson
- Julie Andrews
- Paul Anka
- Martha Argerich
- Harold Arlen
- Louis Armstrong
- Eddy Arnold
- Claudio Arrau
- Nickolas Ashford
- Fred Astaire
- Rick Astley
- Chet Atkins
- Gene Austin
- Gene Autry
- Frankie Avalon
- Charles Aznavour
B 
- Babyface
- Johann Sebastian Bach
- Burt Bacharach
- Joan Baez
- Anita Baker
- Chet Baker
- Ginger Baker
- LaVern Baker
- Hank Ballard
- Moe Bandy
- Samuel Barber
- Bobby Bare
- Syd Barrett
- Jeff Barry
- Dave Bartholomew
- Béla Bartók
- Count Basie
- Nora Bayes
- Sidney Bechet
- Beck
- Jeff Beck
- Ludwig Van Beethoven
- Bix Beiderbecke
- Harry Belafonte
- Pat Benatar
- Tex Beneke
- Tony Bennett
- George Benson
- Brook Benton
- Irving Berlin
- Hector Berlioz
- Ben Bernie
- Leonard Bernstein
- Chuck Berry
- Beyoncé
- Georges Bizet
- Björk
- Bill Black
- Clint Black
- Ritchie Blackmore
- Chris Blackwell
- Otis Blackwell
- Art Blakey
- Bobby “Blue” Bland
- Mary J. Blige
- Blind Blake
- Eubie Blake
- Mike Bloomfield
- Andrea Bocelli
- Jerry Bock
- Marc Bolan
- Michael Bolton
- John “Bonzo” Bonham
- Jon Bon Jovi
- Bono
- Pat Boone
- Connee Boswell
- David Bowie
- Lester Bowie
- Owen Bradley
- Johannes Brahms
- Brandy
- Toni Braxton
- Teresa Brewer
- Garth Brooks
- Big Bill Broonzy
- Bobby Brown
- Charles Brown
- Chris Brown
- Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
- Clifford Brown
- Ian Brown
- James Brown
- Jim Ed Brown
- Les Brown
- Roy Brown
- Ruth Brown
- Jackson Browne
- Dave Brubeck
- Anton Bruckner
- Boudleaux Bryant
- Felice Bryant
- Peabo Bryson
- Jeff Buckley
- Jimmy Buffett
- Solomon Burke
- T-Bone Burnett
- Henry Burr
- James Burton
- Kate Bush
- Busta Rhymes
- Jerry Butler
C 
- Irving Caesar
- Sammy Cahn
- John Cale
- Maria Callas
- Cab Calloway
- Albert Campbell
- Glen Campbell
- Gus Cannon
- Captain Beefheart
- Irene Cara
- Mariah Carey
- Frankie Carle
- Hoagy Carmichael
- Leroy Carr
- Benny Carter
- Betty Carter
- Enrico Caruso
- Johnny Cash
- Nick Cave
- Gene Chandler
- Tracy Chapman
- Ray Charles
- Chubby Checker
- Cher
- Kenny Chesney
- Leonard Chess
- Frederic Chopin
- Charlie Christian
- Eric Clapton
- Dick Clark
- Petula Clark
- Roy Clark
- Kelly Clarkson
- Van Cliburn
- Patsy Cline
- George Clinton
- Larry Clinton
- Rosemary Clooney
- Kurt Cobain
- Eddie Cochran
- Joe Cocker
- George M. Cohan
- Leonard Cohen
- Nat “King” Cole
- Natalie Cole
- Cy Coleman
- Ornette Coleman
- Albert Collins
- Arthur Collins
- Phil Collins
- John Coltrane
- Sean (“Puff Daddy” aka “P.Diddy” and “Diddy”) Combs
- Betty Comden
- Perry Como
- Earl Thomas Conley
- Sam Cooke
- Alice Cooper
- Aaron Copland
- Chick Corea
- Don Cornell
- Alfred Cortot
- Elvis Costello
- Noel Coward
- Floyd Cramer
- Robert Cray
- Jim Croce
- Steve Cropper
- Bing Crosby
- Bob Crosby
- David Crosby
- Sheryl Crow
- Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup
- Frank Crumit
- Celia Cruz
D 
- Chuck D
- Dick Dale
- Roger Daltrey
- Vic Damone
- Charlie Daniels
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
- Bobby Darin
- Hal David
- Ray Davies
- Clive Davis
- Reverend Gary Davis
- Mac Davis
- Miles Davis
- Sammy Davis, Jr.
- Tyrone Davis
- Doris Day
- Jimmy Dean
- Claude Debussey
- John Denver
- Buddy DeSylva
- Neil Diamond
- Bo Diddley
- Dion
- Celine Dion
- Willie Dixon
- Eric Dolphy
- Placido Domingo
- Fats Domino
- Donovan
- Jimmy Dorsey
- Thomas A. Dorsey
- Tommy Dorsey
- Tom Dowd
- Lamont Dozier
- Drake
- Nick Drake
- Dr. Dre
- Eddy Duchin
- Antonin Dvorák
- Bob Dylan
E 
- Sheena Easton
- Fred Ebb
- Billy Eckstine
- Duane Eddy
- The Edge
- Bernard Edwards
- Cliff (“Ukelele Ike”) Edwards
- David “Honeyboy” Edwards
- Roy Eldridge
- Edward Elgar
- Duke Ellington
- Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott
- Eminem
- Brian Eno
- Enya
- Brian Epstein
- Ahmet Ertegun
- Nesuhi Ertegun
- Gloria Estefan
- Melissa Etheridge
- Ruth Etting
- Bill Evans
- Gil Evans
- Bob Ezrin
F 
- Percy Faith
- José Feliciano
- Freddy Fender
- Bryan Ferry
- Arthur Fiedler
- Dorothy Fields
- Shep Fields
- 50 Cent
- Eddie Fisher
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Roberta Flack
- Tommy Flanagan
- Lester Flatt
- Flea
- Dan Fogelberg
- John Fogerty
- Red Foley
- Mary Ford
- Tennessee Ernie Ford
- David Foster
- Stephen Foster
- Peter Frampton
- Connie Francis
- Aretha Franklin
- Alan Freed
- Glenn Frey
- Lefty Frizzell
- Blind Boy Fuller
- Future
G 
- Kenny G
- Milt Gabler
- Peter Gabriel
- Liam Gallagher
- Noel Gallagher
- Rory Gallagher
- Kenneth Gamble
- Jan Garber
- Judy Garland
- Erroll Garner
- George J. Gaskin
- Larry Gatlin
- Marvin Gaye
- Crystal Gayle
- George Gershwin
- Ira Gershwin
- Stan Getz
- Barry Gibb
- Maurice Gibb
- Robin Gibb
- Georgia Gibbs
- Don Gibson
- Vince Gill
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Mickey Gilley
- David Gilmour
- Ferde Grofe
- Gerry Goffin
- Bobby Goldsboro
- Benny Goodman
- Dexter Gordon
- Berry Gordy Jr.
- Eydie Gormé
- Vern Gosdin
- Glenn Gould
- Morton Gould
- Robert Goulet
- Bill Graham
- Grandmaster Flash
- Amy Grant
- Stéphane Grappelli
- Glen Gray
- Adolph Green
- Al Green
- Peter Green
- Ellie Greenwich
- Dave Grohl
- Woody Guthrie
- Buddy Guy
H 
- Merle Haggard
- Bill Haley
- Tom T. Hall
- Marvin Hamlisch
- Oscar Hammerstein II
- John H. Hammond
- Lionel Hampton
- Herbie Hancock
- George Frederic Handel
- W.C. Handy
- E.Y. “Yip” Harburg
- Byron Harlan
- Sheldon Harnick
- Slim Harpo
- Emmylou Harris
- Marion Harris
- Wynonie Harris
- Charles Harrison
- George Harrison
- Freddie Hart
- Lorenz Hart
- PJ Harvey
- Coleman Hawkins
- Joseph Haydn
- Isaac Hayes
- Dick Haymes
- Horace Heidt
- Fletcher Henderson
- Joe Henderson
- Jimi Hendrix
- Don Henley
- Jerry Herman
- Woody Herman
- Al Hibbler
- Faith Hill
- Lauryn Hill
- Earl Hines
- Josef Hoffman
- Billie Holiday
- Brian Holland
- Eddie Holland
- Buddy Holly
- Jac Holzman
- John Lee Hooker
- Lightnin’ Hopkins
- Trevor Horn
- Lena Horne
- Bruce Hornsby
- Vladimir Horowitz
- Son House
- David Houston
- Whitney Houston
- Eddy Howard
- Howlin’ Wolf
- Freddie Hubbard
- Leon Huff
- Engelbert Humperdinck
- Mississippi John Hurt
- Ferlin Husky
I - Ice Cube
- Billy Idol
- Enrique Iglesias
- Julio Iglesias
- Jimmy Iovine
- Charles Ives
J 
- Ja Rule
- Alan Jackson
- Freddie Jackson
- Janet Jackson
- Mahalia Jackson
- Michael Jackson
- Wanda Jackson
- Little Walter Jacobs
- Mick Jagger
- Ahmad Jamal
- James Jamerson
- Elmore James
- Etta James
- Harry James
- Joni James
- Lewis James
- Rick James
- Skip James
- Sonny James
- Tommy James
- Keith Jarrett
- Jay-Z
- Blind Lemon Jefferson
- Gordon Jenkins
- Waylon Jennings
- Joan Jett
- Jewel
- Jimmy Jam
- Antonio Carlos Jobim
- Billy Joel
- Dr. John
- Elton John
- Glynn Johns
- Little Willie John
- Blind Willie Johnson
- James P. Johnson
- Johnnie Johnson
- Lonnie Johnson
- Robert Johnson
- Tommy Johnson
- Al Jolson
- Ada Jones
- George Jones
- Hank Jones
- Isham Jones
- Jack Jones
- John Paul Jones
- Norah Jones
- Quincy Jones
- Tom Jones (singer)
- Janis Joplin
- Scott Joplin
- Louis Jordan
K 
- Kitty Kallen
- John Kander
- Sammy Kaye
- KC
- Toby Keith
- Gene Kelly
- R. Kelly
- Wynton Kelly
- Hal Kemp
- Stan Kenton
- Jerome Kern
- Alicia Keys
- Chaka Khan
- Albert King
- B.B. King
- Ben E. King
- Carole King
- Freddie King
- Pee Wee King
- Wayne King
- Gladys Knight
- Al Kooper
- André Kostelanetz
- Eddie Kramer
- Lenny Kravitz
- Kris Kristofferson
- Gene Krupa
- Fela Kuti
- Kay Kyser
L 
- Patti LaBelle
- Lady Gaga
- Frankie Laine
- Kendrick Lamar
- Burton Lane
- “Mutt” Lange
- Daniel Lanois
- Cyndi Lauper
- Avril Lavigne
- Steve Lawrence
- Tracy Lawrence
- Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter
- Brenda Lee
- Geddy Lee
- Peggy Lee
- Jerry Leiber
- J.B. Lenoir
- John Lennon
- Annie Lennox
- Alan Jay Lerner
- Huey Lewis
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Ted Lewis
- Terry Lewis
- Liberace
- Lil’ Kim
- Lil Wayne
- Franz Liszt
- Little Anthony
- Little Milton
- Little Richard
- LL Cool J
- Robert Lockwood Jr.
- Frank Loesser
- Frederick Loewe
- Kenny Loggins
- Guy Lombardo
- Jennifer Lopez
- Vincent Lopez
- Darlene Love
- Patty Loveless
- Ludacris
- Jimmie Lunceford
- John Lydon (aka “Johnny Rotten”)
- Frankie Lymon
- Loretta Lynn
- Jeff Lynne
M 
- Harry MacDonough
- Uncle Dave Macon
- Madonna
- Magic Sam
- Taj Mahal
- Gustav Mahler
- Henry Mancini
- Barbara Mandrell
- Barry Manilow
- Barry Mann
- Marilyn Manson
- Mantovani
- Bob Marley
- Wynton Marsalis
- Dean Martin
- Freddy Martin
- George Martin
- Ricky Martin
- Tony Martin
- Al Martino
- Richard Marx
- Nick Mason
- Cosimo Matassa
- Johnny Mathis
- Dave Matthews
- Brian May
- John Mayall
- John Mayer
- Curtis Mayfield
- Martina McBride
- Paul McCartney
- John McCormack
- “Mississippi” Fred McDowell
- Reba McEntire
- Brownie McGhee
- Tim McGraw
- M.C. Hammer
- Sarah McLachlan
- John McLaughlin
- Don McLean
- Clyde McPhatter
- Jay McShann
- Blind Willie McTell
- Meat Loaf
- Joe Meek
- John Mellencamp (aka “John Cougar”)
- Memphis Minnie
- Felix Mendelssohn
- Alan Menken
- Johnny Mercer
- Freddie Mercury
- Ethel Merman
- Bob Merrill
- Pat Metheny
- George Michael
- Bette Midler
- Luis Miguel
- Amos Milburn
- Glenn Miller
- Mitch Miller
- Roger Miller
- Steve Miller
- Ronnie Milsap
- Nicki Minaj
- Charles Mingus
- Kylie Minogue
- Guy Mitchell
- Joni Mitchell
- Monica
- Thelonious Monk
- Bill Monroe
- Vaughn Monroe
- Patsy Montana
- John Michael Montgomery
- Wes Montgomery
- Claudio Monteverdi
- Keith Moon
- Scotty Moore
- George Morgan
- Russ Morgan
- Alanis Morissette
- Jim Morrison
- Van Morrison
- Morrissey
- Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton
- Nana Mouskouri
- Jerry Moss
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Gerry Mulligan
- Anne Murray
- Billy Murray
- Charlie Musselwhite
- Modest Mussorgsky
- J.W. Myers
N 
- Nas
- Nelly
- Ozzie Nelson
- Ricky Nelson
- Willie Nelson
- Randy Newman
- Olivia Newton-John
- Stevie Nicks
- Robert Nighthawk
- Ray Noble
- Jessye Norman
- The Notorious B.I.G.
- Ted Nugent
O - Brendan O’Brien
- Billy Ocean
- Sinead O'Connor
- Mike Oldfield
- Andrew Loog Oldham
- George Olsen
- Roy Orbison
- Tony Orlando
- Eugene Ormandy
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Donny Osmond
- Vess Ossman
- Johnny Otis
- Buck Owens
P 
- Ignacy Jan Paderewski
- Jimmy Page
- Patti Page
- Brad Paisley
- Earl Palmer
- Robert Palmer
- Charlie Parker
- Junior Parker
- Alan Parsons
- Gram Parsons
- Dolly Parton
- Jaco Pastorius
- Charley Patton
- Les Paul
- Luciano Pavarotti
- Johnny Paycheck
- Minnie Pearl
- Neil Peart
- Teddy Pendergrass
- Carl Perkins
- Itzhak Perlman
- Katy Perry
- Lee "Scratch" Perry
- Oscar Peterson
- Tom Petty
- Sam Phillips
- Wilson Pickett
- Webb Pierce
- Pink
- Gene Pitney
- Robert Plant
- Doc Pomus
- Iggy Pop
- Cole Porter
- David Porter
- Bud Powell
- Elvis Presley
- Billy Preston
- Andre Previn
- Leontyne Price
- Lloyd Price
- Ray Price
- Charley Pride
- Prince
- Charles Adams Prince
- Professor Longhair
- Sergei Prokofiev
- Giacomo Puccini
- Tito Puente
- Alla Pugacheva
- Henry Purcell
Q - Dan Quinn
R 
- Sun Ra
- Eddie Rabbitt
- Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Ma Rainey
- Bonnie Raitt
- Rakim
- Eros Ramazzotti
- Phil Ramone
- Maurice Ravel
- Lou Rawls
- Johnnie Ray
- Otis Redding
- Helen Reddy
- Jerry Reed
- Jimmy Reed
- Lou Reed
- Jim Reeves
- Martha Reeves
- Django Reinhardt
- Leo Reisman
- Tim Rice
- Buddy Rich
- Charlie Rich
- Cliff Richard
- Keith Richards
- Lionel Richie
- Sviatoslav Richter
- Rihanna
- LeAnn Rimes
- Tex Ritter
- Johnny Rivers
- Max Roach
- Marty Robbins
- Paul Robeson
- Smokey Robinson
- Jimmie Rodgers
- Nile Rodgers
- Richard Rodgers
- Johnny Rodriguez
- Tommy Roe
- Kenny Rogers
- Roy Rogers
- Sonny Rollins
- Harold Rome
- Linda Ronstadt
- Axl Rose
- Diana Ross
- Jerry Ross
- Tino Rossi
- Arthur Rubenstein
- Rick Rubin
- Todd Rundgren
- Art Rupe
- Otis Rush
- Jimmy Rushing
- Leon Russell
S 
- Sade
- Carole Bayer Sager
- Carlos Santana
- Arnold Schoenberg
- Franz Schubert
- William Schuman
- Robert Schumann
- Stephen Schwartz
- Earl Scruggs
- Seal
- Son Seals
- Neil Sedaka
- Pete Seeger
- Bob Seger
- Ben Selvin
- Rudolf Serkin
- Shakira
- Tupac Shakur
- Del Shannon
- Artie Shaw
- Robert Shaw
- George Shearing
- Jean Shepard
- T.G. Sheppard
- Richard Sherman
- Robert Sherman
- Billy Sherrill
- Nat Shilkret
- Johnny Shines
- Dinah Shore
- Wayne Shorter
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Mort Shuman
- Jean Sibelius
- Beverly Sills
- Horace Silver
- Carly Simon
- Joe Simon
- Paul Simon
- Nina Simone
- Valerie Simpson
- Frank Sinatra
- Nancy Sinatra
- Ricky Skaggs
- Slash
- Percy Sledge
- Bessie Smith
- Carl Smith
- Connie Smith
- Jimmy Smith
- Kate Smith
- Patti Smith
- Will Smith (aka "Fresh Prince")
- Snoop Doggy Dogg
- Hank Snow
- George Solti
- Stephen Sondheim
- John Phillip Sousa
- Otis Spann
- Britney Spears
- Phil Spector
- Len Spencer
- Dusty Springfield
- Bruce Springsteen
- Jo Stafford
- Joe Stampley
- Frank Stanley
- Kay Starr
- Ringo Starr
- Isaac Stern
- Cat Stevens
- Ray Stevens
- Shakin’ Stevens
- Cal Stewart
- Rod Stewart
- Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart
- Sting
- Michael Stipe
- Leopold Stokowski
- Mike Stoller
- George Strait
- Richard Strauss
- Igor Stravinsky
- Billy Strayhorn
- Barbra Streisand
- Charles Strouse
- Joe Strummer
- Jule Styne
- Donna Summer
- Keith Sweat
- Taylor Swift
- Roosevelt Sykes
T 
- Shel Talmy
- Tampa Red
- Art Tatum
- Bernie Taupin
- Billy Taylor
- Eddie Taylor
- Hound Dog Taylor
- James Taylor
- Johnnie Taylor
- Koko Taylor
- Roger Taylor
- Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
- Clark Terry
- Sonny Terry
- Joe Tex
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe
- B.J. Thomas
- Chris Thomas
- Irma Thomas
- Hank Thompson
- Richard Thompson
- Big Mama Thornton
- T.I.
- Mel Tillis
- Johnny Tillotson
- Timbaland
- Justin Timberlake
- Mel Tormé
- Allen Toussaint
- Pete Townshend
- Merle Travis
- Randy Travis
- Lennie Tristano
- Travis Tritt
- Ernest Tubb
- Tanya Tucker
- Big Joe Turner
- Ike Turner
- Tina Turner
- Shania Twain
- Conway Twitty
- McCoy Tyner
U - Lars Ulrich
- Carrie Underwood
- Keith Urban
- Usher
V - Ritchie Valens
- Rudy Vallee
- Walter Van Brunt
- Eddie Van Halen
- Luther Vandross
- Sarah Vaughan
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Billy Vaughn
- Bobby Vee
- Giuseppe Verdi
- Butch Vig
- Gene Vincent
- Bobby Vinton
- Tony Visconti
- Antonio Vivaldi
W 
- Richard Wagner
- Porter Wagoner
- Tom Waits
- Jimmy Wakely
- Billy Walker
- T-Bone Walker
- Sippie Wallace
- Fats Waller
- Steve Wariner
- Fred Waring
- Diane Warren
- Dionne Warwick
- Dinah Washington
- Ethel Waters
- Muddy Waters
- Roger Waters
- Gene Watson
- Johnny “Guitar” Watson
- Chick Webb
- Jimmy Webb
- Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Ben Webster
- Ted Weems
- Wei Wei
- Cynthia Weil
- Kurt Weill
- Lawrence Welk
- Paul Weller
- Junior Wells
- Kitty Wells
- Dottie West
- Kanye West
- Jerry Wexler
- Peetie Wheatstraw
- Barry White
- Bukka White
- Jack White
- Paul Whiteman
- Norman Whitfield
- Margaret Whiting
- Slim Whitman
- Will.i.am
- Andy Williams
- Bert Williams
- Big Joe Williams
- Don Williams
- Hank Williams
- Hank Williams, Jr.
- John Williams
- Mary Lou Williams
- Pharrell Williams
- Robbie Williams
- Roger Williams
- Tony Williams
- Vanessa Williams
- Sonny Boy Williamson #1 (John Lee Williamson)
- Sonny Boy Williamson #2 (Rice Miller)
- Bob Wills
- Brian Wilson
- Jackie Wilson
- Nancy Wilson
- Teddy Wilson
- Amy Winehouse
- Johnny Winter
- Steve Winwood
- Bill Withers
- Jimmy Witherspoon
- Bobby Womack
- Stevie Wonder
- Link Wray
- Richard Wright
- Tammy Wynette
X-Y 
- Trisha Yearwood
- Dwight Yoakam
- Thom Yorke
- Angus Young
- Faron Young
- Lester Young
- Neil Young
Z 
- Frank Zappa
- Joe Zawinul
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