Shabaka Hutchings 1984 (London, UK) Saxophonist, composer, band leader for Sons of Kemet, Shabaka And The Ancestors and member of The Comet is Coming Associated Styles Jazz, avant-garde jazz, free jazz, afrobeat, apocalyptic space funk Influences & Project Connections Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Sun Ra Arkestra, Fela Kuti, Pharoah Sanders, Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy, Mulatu Astatke, Tony Allen, Soweto Kinch, Courtney Pine, Nubya Garcia
Soweto Kinch 1978 (London, UK)
Aloe Blacc 1979 (Laguna Hills, California)
Alto-saxophonist, composer, poet, MC and producer
Singer, songwriter, musician, composer, producer
Associated Styles Jazz, hip-hop Influences & Project Connections John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane, Wynton Marsalis, Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy, Frank Holder, KRS-One, Shabaka Hutchings, Pee Wee Ellis
Associated styles R&b, soul, hip-hop, funk, folk
Laura Mvula 1986 (Birmingham, UK) Singer, songwriter, composer, producer Associated styles Soul, r&b, jazz, gospel, classical Influences & Project Connections Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight, Liz Wright, Fela Kuti, Miles Davis, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Robert Glasper, Snarky Puppy
Influences & Project Connections Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, LL Cool J, Joni Mitchell, James Brown, Donny Hathaway, Roy Ayers, Bill Withers, Dilated Peoples, T3, J Dilla, The Roots, Mobb Deep, KRS-One, Public Enemy, DJ Premier
Bill Withers (pictured with Kori and Marcia Withers) 1938 – 2020 (Slab Fork, West Virginia) Multi Grammy winner and r&b Legend Bill Withers, developed his own style of Soul creating a template for songwriters to come.
Candi Staton 1940 (Hanceville, Alabama) Multi Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, also known as the First Lady of Southern Soul
Singer, songwriter, musician, composer, producer Associated styles Soul, funk, r&b, blues Influences & Project Connections Lou Rawls, Booker T. Jones, the M.G.’s, James Gadson, Grover Washington Jr, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Raul Midon, Michael Kiwanuka Sampled & Covered over 800 times by Aretha Franklin, George Duke, Gil Scott-Heron, Roy Ayers, Fred Wesley, The Roots, Soul II Soul, Meshell Ndegeocello, DJ Premier, Dilated Peoples, Ghostface Killah, Swizz Beatz, Jungle Brothers, Redman, IAM, James Blake, Eminem
Associated styles Southern soul, soul, gospel, r&b, disco, country, house Influences & Project Connections: Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke, BB King, Lou Rawls, James Brown, Angie Stone, Martha Reeves, Lauryn Hill, Deniece Williams, Little Simz, Sister Sledge, Erykah Badu
Angie Stone 1961 (Columbia, South Carolina) Angie Stone’s pioneering hip-hop trio The Sequence had the first rap single by an allfemale group in 1979. She was also at the forefront of the 1990’s neo soul movement. forefront of the neo-soul movement beginning in the late ‘90s Singer, songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, producer Associated styles Soul, hip-hop, r&b, neo soul Influences & Project Connections Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Gladys Knight, Roberta Flack, George Clinton, Evelyn Champagne King, Rapsody, Mos Def, EPMD, Swizz Beatz, Erykah Badu, Raphael Saadiq, Booker T. Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lalah Hathaway
Deniece Williams 1951 (Gary, Indiana)
Gwen Dickey 1953 (Biloxi, Mississippi)
Multi Grammy-winning Singer, songwriter, producer
Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, frontwoman for Rose Royce 1976-1980
Associated Styles Funk, r&b, soul, gospel, disco, rock and roll Influences & Project Connections Carmen Mcrae, Nancy Wilson, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Minnie Riperton, James Gadson, The Impressions, Pharoahe Monch, Lords of The Underground, DJ Premier, Angie Stone, Candi Staton, Martha Reeves, Lauryn Hill, Rapsody
Associated Styles: Funk, r&b, soul, disco Influences & Project Connections: Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Chaka Khan, The Undisputed Truth, Norman Whitfield, James Gadson, DJ Premier, Redman, EPMD, Pete Rock, Soul II Soul, Mahalia
Martha Reeves 1941 (Eufaula, Alabama) Singer, songwriter, producer, frontwoman for 1960’s allfemale vocal group, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas Associated Styles Motown, r&b, doo wop, jazz, blues, gospel, rock n roll Influences & Project Connections Lena Horne, Della Reese, Aretha Franklin, Billy Holiday, Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gaye, James Gadson, George Clinton, Angie Stone, Candi Staton, Lauryn Hill
Debbie Sledge 1954 Joni Sledge 1956-2017 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Singers, songwriters, producer, members of Grammy nominated family-group Sister Sledge Associated Styles Philadelphia Soul, soul, r&b, funk, disco, gospel Influences & Project Connections Gladys Knight, The Supremes, Jackson 5, Thom Bell, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Bill Withers, Fred Wesley, Angie Stone, Candi Staton, Lauryn Hill, Bluey Maunick, Kool G Rap
Carleen Anderson 1957 (Houston, Texas)
Amp Fiddler 1959 Detroit, Michigan
Singer, songwriter, musician, composer, producer. Vocalist and songwriter for The Young Disciples
Singer, songwriter, keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer. Keyboardist for Parliament Funkadelic 1983-1996
Associated Styles Jazz, funk, soul, acid jazz, gospel, classical Influences & Project Connections Vicki Anderson, Minnie Riperton, Lynn Collins, Billy Holiday, James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley, Leon Ware, Femi Fem, The Brand New Heavies, Barrie K Sharpe, Omar, Soul II Soul, Bluey Maunick, Michael Franti, Nubya Garcia
Associated Styles Funk, r&b, soul, hip hop, afro beat, electronica Influences & Project Connections George Clinton, Parliament Funkadelic, Roy Ayers, Sly & the Family Stone, Larry Graham, Prince, T3, Phife Dawg, Raphael Saadiq, Fred Wesley, Tony Allen, Fela Kuti, Leon Ware, Brand New Heavies
Raphael Saadiq 1966 (Oakland, California) Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer. Member of ‘Tony! Toni! Tone! and Lucy Pearl Associated Styles R&b, soul, neo soul, funk, hip hop Influences & Project Connections The Delfonics, The Stylistics, Larry Graham, Prince, Chuck Berry, Howlin Wolf, Booker T. Jones, Bill Withers, Amp Fiddler, Angie Stone, Bilal, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Phife Dawg, Kelis, Ghostface Killah
George Clinton 1941 (Kannapolis, North Carolina) Funk pioneer George Clinton revolutionized R&B changing the landscape of popular music forever Developing his own brand of funk, the bandleader and creative force behind Parliament Funkadelic has influenced artists across multiple styles of music, including the West Coast hip hop scene and the sound of G-Funk Singer, songwriter, bandleader, composer, arranger, producer Associated Styles Funk, r&b, soul, jazz, blues, funk rock, gospel, psychedelic rock, hip hop Influences & Project Connections Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, The Cadillacs, The Spaniels, The Shirelles, The Coasters, The Funk Brothers, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone, Martha Reeves, Sun Ra Arkestra, Amp Fiddler, Larry Graham, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Melle Mel, Thundercat, Anderson .Paak Sampled & Covered over 2300 times by Lalah Hathaway, Erykah Badu, Bilal, EPMD, Kool G Rap, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Public Enemy, Redman, Method Man, Money-B, DJ Spinna, Ghostface Killah, Phife Dawg, T3, Jungle Brothers, KRS-One, Rapsody, Angie Stone, Slum Village, Missy Elliot, 2Pac, Nas, De La Soul, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg