African Americans have played a tremendous role in American music. Almost all popular music contains elements of African American rhythms and culture. Black spirituals are one of the best known and earliest forms of American music. These religious songs eventually gave birth to the blues. Jazz, which began in the late 1800's, grew out of black folk blues and ballads. And musicians in the mid-1900's combined spirituals, blues, and jazz styles to develop rock and roll. In the late 1900's, a new American musical form called rap emerged.
World Book editors have assembled a look at some of the most famous African American musicians and the impact they have made on different forms of music. The articles in this feature were taken from World Book. There are also numerous links to Web sites that provide more information on influential African American musicians and compositions.