Black Artists' Innovations Shape All Major American Music Genres

American music is inseparable from Black roots — from African-derived banjo traditions shaping country to rock ’n’ roll electrified by a Black woman in 1938 — and that lineage underpins every major U.S. genre. Black musicians have repeatedly pioneered sounds that transformed popular music, from Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat inspiring contemporary global stars to Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s early electric guitar work influencing Elvis, Johnny Cash and later genre-fluid artists, and Motown figures like Mary Wells shaping generations of soul singers. Those legacies continue to echo today in the global rise of Afrobeats, Black artists reclaiming country and alternative spaces, and musicians who fuse art with activism. Stacker’s review of historical records, Billboard charts and cross-generational influence highlights a roster of icons — including Lightnin’ Hopkins, Wilson Pickett, Roberta Flack, Tina Turner and Gloria Gaynor — whose breakthroughs permanently altered musical history. Beyond creative innovation, Black artists have also advanced civil rights and challenged inequality, exemplified by Marian Anderson’s 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance. The gallery centers on these figures whose artistic and cultural contributions continue to shape music and social change.