Johnny Cash (1932–2003), legendary musician known as “The Man in Black"

His signature songs included "I Walk the Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues."

Rich Cronin: LFO Singer Remembered

You may not remember "Summer Girls," but if today’s search statistics are anything to go by, lots of people haven’t forgotten about LFO and Rich Cronin.

Who is Lina Morgana?

The story of a young unknown singer who died years ago doesn't seem like headline news — until you factor in Lady Gaga.

David Ruffin, Temptations Showman

David Ruffin was lead singer for The Temptations on some of their best-loved hits.

Sam Cooke, King of Soul

On his birthday, we look back at the life of the man called the King of Soul.

Marvin Gaye: What's Going On

Marvin Gaye personified the changing landscape of R&B in a career that spanned not just the tumultuous 1960s, but 26 years that saw the art form go from innocent street corner doo-wop to the sexually charged soul music of the 1980s. No mere dabbler or genre-hopper, with each reinvention Gaye broke new ground and created classic records still in heavy rotation around the world. He scored 41 Billboard Top 40 hits in all—including reworked material released nearly two decades after his death. According to Forbes , in 2008 he ranked 13th in posthumous performer earnings, pulling in $3.5 million in royalties, a tribute to how much his music remains with us.

P.S., We'll Miss You

Singers Phoebe Snow and Poly Styrene have both just died. We remember the careers of the women with the same initials and wildly different musical styles...

Remembering Amy Winehouse

We remember Amy Winehouse with a selection of some of her best music, from live performances to official videos to quiet acoustic sets.

Nick Ashford's 'Solid' Songwriting

I can't be the only person who's got Ashford & Simpson's "Solid" playing on constant repeat in my brain today.

Sylvia Robinson, the Mother of Hip-Hop

 is remembered today by hip-hop fans as a pioneer of the genre. How did the R&B singer-songwriter once known for her duo Mickey & Sylvia become the "mother of hip-hop?" As the story goes, Sylvia Robinson was out at a club in Harlem one night in 1979. The record label she and her husband owned, Sugar Hill Records, was struggling — they were hoping they could avoid bankruptcy. And they were always open to new sounds that might revitalize the music scene — and their business. Robinson heard the DJ talking rhythmically over the music, and the crowd loved it. She had never heard it before, though it was a common enough sound in the inner city. For a couple of years, MCs like Grandmaster Flash and Kurtis Blow had been putting on live shows that intertwined DJing and rapping in a stream-of-consciousness groove that could last for hours. These raps were becoming a fixture of the club scene, but they hadn't yet been committed to vinyl. Robinson decided it was time to bring this music out of the clubs and onto the radio. Within days, she had assembled a group of amateur rappers — none of whom had met each other before — into the Sugarhill Gang. She brought them into her studio, recorded their raps over a disco beat in a single 15-minute take, and history's first rap record was born.

James Brown's Funky Christmas

The Godfather of Soul James Brown arecorded three Christmas albums during his career, injecting his soulful style into holiday classics and new songs. The 1995 album "James Brown's Funky Christmas" takes the best of"James Brown Sings Christmas Songs" (1966),"A Soulful Christmas" (1968), and "Hey America It's Christmas" (1970), and puts them together in one, funky holiday playlist.

Jackie Wilson, Mr. Excitement

Question: How do you choose just one song with which to remember Jackie Wilson, who ?

We Will Always Love Whitney

2012's Grammy awards came at a sad and shocking time for the music world: just one day before the award ceremony, Whitney Houston died at age 48.

Dusty in Memphis

When Dusty Springfield's career was lagging in 1968, she traveled across the ocean to record one of the most critically-acclaimed albums of all time...

LaVern Baker Swings

To honor the 15th anniversary of LaVern Baker's death, we're listening to a few of her greatest tracks...

Jump for June Pointer

June Pointer (1953–2006) was the youngest of the Pointer Sisters—and she was the first of the famous singing sisters to pass away.

Peggy Lee Gives Us Fever

When Peggy Lee was discovered by Benny Goodman in 1941, it was the beginning of a beautiful – and six-decade-long – career.

Ain’t No Man Like Levi Stubbs

Levi Stubbs was a singer and a gentleman.

Junior Walker, Sax Machine

Junior Walker was one of Motown's greatest sax players...

Remembering Luther Vandross, 15 Years Later

sang songs that made us fall in love – with his music, and with each other.

Calling Laura Branigan

Laura Branigan's biggest hits occupied a slightly awkward musical moment between the end of disco and the rise of New Wave in America

The Truth about Cass Elliot

One of the most pervasive untruths of the celebrity world is the myth of how Cass Elliot died.

The Legend of Ray Charles

In the more than 60 years since his first success, (1930–2004) has become legendary… and I mean that in the truest sense of the word. Like the tales of Paul Bunyan or King Arthur, the story of Ray Charles seems to have picked up a few magical qualities along the way.

Hank Ballard, Creator of The Twist

Most people today associate "The Twist" with Chubby Checker, but the song was actually first recorded by Hank Ballard, born on this day in 1927...

A Lou Rawls Christmas

had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game," once said. That velvety voice sounds good all year long, but never quite as wonderful as during the holidays.

Otis Redding: The Other Day the Music Died

We remember the plane crash that took the lives of Otis Redding and his bandmates.

Karen Carpenter Had Only Just Begun

The death of Karen Carpenter is one of the great tragedies of the music world. Blessed with a warm, friendly singing voice and a natural flair for drums – but perhaps feeling a lack of control over her life, professionally and personally – she turned to diets to shape the one thing she felt she could control: her body. Anorexia nervosa and its vicious circle of dieting and pills eventually led to her death 30 years ago at the young age of 32.

Nat King Cole: Unforgettable

Nat King Cole died Feb. 15, 1965. On the anniversary of his death, here are 25 facts about the life and legacy of the legendary singer.

The Exciting Wilson Pickett

Wilson Pickett, born on this day in 1941, helped shape the sound of R&B with his energetic hits.

Edwin Starr Against the War

Any list of Vietnam War protest songs must include the classic "War"...

Linda McCartney and Wings

Linda McCartney died April 17, 1998, of breast cancer at 56. We remember the activist and songwriter...

Mary Wells, First Lady of Motown

Born 70 years ago this week, Mary Wells helped shape the Motown sound. We remember some of the ways she blazed trails for the other talented women who came after her...

Florence Ballard, Unsung Supreme

As a founding member of The Supremes, Florence Ballard should have had it all. On the day Ballard would have turned 70, we look back on a life and career tragically cut short.

King of the Jukebox: Louis Jordan

In the 1940s, no self-respecting jukebox would have been complete without at least a few records by Louis Jordan. The pioneering bandleader-singer-saxophonist was one of the top hitmakers of the day, making Black and White audiences alike move their feet to his uniquely infectious tunes. Along the way, he created some of the earliest precursors to rock ‘n’ roll and rap, and his wild success on the charts—as well as in diners, dance clubs and drive-ins—led fans to dub him "The King of the Jukebox."

Whitney Houston: The Greatest of All

What would the music world be today if there had been no Whitney Houston?

The Michael Jackson 5

The King of Pop was wildly successful both as a solo artist and with his brothers, churning out some of the best-selling and most critically-acclaimed albums of all time. But he also lent his incredible talent to others’ music, guest singing with many musicians over the years. Whether they were his sisters and brothers, his friends, or big groups coming together for worthy causes, the recording stars of the 1980s and '90s knew their songs would turn out even better with a little help from MJ.

Rick James: 5 Fun Facts

Singer Rick James died 10 years ago Aug. 6, but the song that he's known best for may never fade. "Super Freak," released in 1981, was the biggest hit of James' career.

Delightful Big Bank Hank

Hank Jackson, aka , died Nov. 11, 2014, after a long battle with cancer.

Phil Everly Remembered

Brothers Phil and Don Everly helped shape the sound of rock 'n' roll and won the hearts of millions in the process.

Remembering Gangsta Rap Pioneer Eazy-E

When N.W.A.’s debut album, Straight Outta Compton , came out in 1988, it struck a nerve within the rap community and with young people of all stripes.

Billie Holiday: The Tragic Life of Lady Day

On a sweltering day in July 1959, thousands of mourners gathered to pay tribute to one of the most influential musical artists of the 20th century. Among the pallbearers were some of the biggest names in the business, and outside policeman had to redirect traffic as the overflow of mourners spilled into the nearby streets. It was a moving show of public mourning for an artist whose career was often overshadowed by personal problems and whose best work had occurred at least a decade in the past.

Natalie Cole (1950–2015), award-winning singer and daughter of Nat “King” Cole

Editor's note: Natalie Cole's date of death was later clarified to have been December 31, 2015.

Kitty Kallen (1922 - 2016), Little Things Mean a Lot singer

Kitty Kallen, a pop singer during the swing era whose best-known solo recording was 1954's "Little Things Mean a Lot," died Jan. 7 at the age of 93.

David Bowie (1947–2016), legendary rock star

The legendary British singer and boundary-breaking musician also known as Ziggy Stardust.

5 Times When We Fell in Love with Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson, the musical superstar known better simply as Prince, . Though he'd been ill for weeks prior, the 57-year-old's death came as a shock to fans worldwide. Below, we revisit five times when The Purple One won our hearts.

Prince (1958–2016), legendary musician

Prince Rogers Nelson, the musical superstar known better simply as Prince, died April 21. He was 57.

Rod Temperton (1950 - 2016)

Rod Temperton, the legendary songwriter behind Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” has died, according to multiple news reports. He was 66.

Bobby Vee (1943 - 2016), 1960s teen idol pop singer

Bobby Vee, the 1960s pop singer whose hits inlcuded "Take Good Care of My Baby" and "Run to Him," has died at 73 from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Kay Starr (1922–2016), 1950s jazz and pop singer

Pop and jazz singer popular in the 1950s.