Booker T. Jones (pictured with son Ted Jones) 1944 (Memphis, Tennessee) Pioneer of Southern and Memphis Soul music and key part of the classic Stax Records sound. Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, band leader for ‘Booker T. & the M.G.s’ Associated Styles Memphis soul, Southern soul, blues, jazz, funk, r&b, rock Influences & Project Connections Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Wilson Picket, Sam & Dave, Bill Withers, James Gadson, The Roots, Dilated Peoples, DJ Premier, Ghostface Killah, Lauryn Hill, Raphael Saadiq, Cypress Hill, Gary Clark Jr.
Thundercat 1984 Los Angeles, California
Meshell Ndeochello 1968 (Berlin, raised Washington, DC)
Bassist, multiinstrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer, producer
Bassist, singer, songwriter, multiinstrumentalist, composer, producer
Associated Styles Jazz, funk, soul, r&b, electronic, rock
Associated Styles Funk, jazz, soul, hip hop, rock, reggae, neo soul
Influences & Project Connections Miles Davis, George Duke, Leon Ware, George Clinton, Roy Ayers, Steve Arrington, Sun Ra Arkestra, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Eryka Badu, The Roots, Georgia Anne Muldrow, The Internet, Robert Glasper, Anderson .Paak
Fantastic Negrito 1968 (Massachusetts, raised Oakland, California) Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer Associated Styles Roots, blues, rock, r&b Influences & Project Connections Howlin Wolf, Skip James, JL Burnside, Prince, George Clinton, Larry Graham, Booker T. Jones, Eric Bibb, Shuggie Otis, Gary Clark Jn, The Roots
Influences & Project Connections Nina Simone, Chaka Khan, Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Tony Allen, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Talib Kweli, Raul Midon, Robert Glasper
Gary Clark Jr. 1984 (Austin, Texas) Guitarist, singer, songwriter, multiinstrumentalist, composer, producer Associated Styles Blues, rock, soul, r&b Influences & Project Connections B.B. King, Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Booker T Jones, Shuggie Otis, Fantastic Negrito, Eric Bibb, Talib Kweli, The Roots
Shuggie Otis 1953 Los Angeles California Guitar vituoso Shuggie Otis mixed funk, jazz and soul together for his 1974 masterwork Inspiration Information, influencing artists such as Prince, D’Angelo and BeyoncÊ Guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer Associated Styles Psychedelic soul, r&b, Jazz, blues, rock, funk Influences & Project Connections Johnny Otis, BB King, Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, Larry Graham, Prince, J Dilla, The Roots, Mos Def, Gary Clark Jr. Georgia Anne Muldrow, Money-B, Nick Hakim
Kelis 1979 (Harlem, New York ) Kelis’s afro-futurist debut album Kaleidoscope (1999) opened doors for female r&b artists helping shape music, culture and style for following generations Singer, songwriter, musician, composer Associated Styles R&b, soul, hip hop, jazz, gospel, funk, electronic Influences & Project Connections Betty Carter, Nancy Wilson, Dizzie Gillespie, Slick Rick, Prince, Common, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Angie Stone, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, EPMD, The Internet, Nao
Bilal 1979 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Robert Glasper 1978 (Houston, Texas)
Singer, songwriter, composer, musician, producer
Pianist, composer, arranger, songwriter, musician, producer
Associated Styles Soul, jazz, blues, r&b, hip hop, neo soul Influences & Project Connections Miles Davis, Curtis Mayfield, George Clinton, Prince, Sun Ra Arkestra, Larry Graham, Leon Ware, Q-Tip, J Dilla, Common, Phife Dawg, T3, Illa J, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, The Roots, Raphael Saadiq, Thundercat, Robert Glasper, Kindred the Family Soul
Associated Styles Free jazz, jazz fusion, jazz, hip hop, soul, experimental Influences & Project Connections Mulgrew Miller, Miles Davis, Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Sun Ra Arkestra, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Lalah Hathaway, Bilal, The Roots, Talib Kweli, The Internet, Thundercat, Hiatus Kaiyote, Tank & the Bangas, Anderson .Paak
The Roots Mark Kelley, Ray Angry, Questlove, Black Thought, David Guy, Captain Kirk Douglas, Ian HendricksonSmith, Tuba Gooding Jr. Grammy winning hip hop band formed in 1987 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Tariq Black Thought Trotter and Ahmir Questlove Thompson (see also Soulquarians) Associated Styles Hip hop, jazz, soul, neo soul, r&b Influences & Project Connections Bill Withers, Steve Ferrone, Roy Ayers, Fred Wesley, Public Enemy, Larry Graham, George Clinton, KRS-One, ATCQ, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Lalah Hathaway, Bilal, Slum Village, Robert Glasper, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, Jungle Brothers, EPMD, The Internet, Redman, Thundercat, Anderson .Paak