Different Strokes (The Nite-Liters album)
Different Strokes is the fourth album by the Louisville, Kentucky group The Nite-Liters, the instrumental ensemble offshoot of New Birth.
 Released in 1972 on RCA Records.
 Produced by mentor Harvey Fuqua.
Ivory Joe Hunter
Ivory Joe Hunter (October 10, 1914 – November 8, 1974) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer, songwriter, and pianist.
 After a series of hits on the US R&B chart starting in the mid-1940s, he became more widely known for his hit recording "Since I Met You Baby" (1956).
 He was billed as The Baron of the Boogie, and also known as The Happiest Man Alive.
 His musical output ranged from R&B to blues, boogie-woogie, and country music, and Hunter made a name in all of those genres.
 Uniquely, he was honored at both the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Grand Ole Opry.
Big Mama Thornton
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer and songwriter.
 She was the first to record Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog", in 1952, which became her biggest hit, staying seven weeks at number one on the "Billboard" R&B chart in 1953 and selling almost two million copies.
 However, her success was overshadowed three years later, when Elvis Presley recorded his more popular rendition of "Hound Dog".
 Similarly, Thornton's "Ball 'n' Chain" (written in 1961 but not released until 1968) had a bigger impact when performed and recorded by Janis Joplin from 1967.
Johnny Ace
John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer.
 He had a string of hit singles in the mid-1950s.
 He died of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 25.
Rufus Thomas
Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee.
 He recorded for several labels, including Chess Records and Sun Records in the 1950s, before becoming established in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records.
 He is best known for his novelty dance records, including "Walking the Dog" (1963), "Do the Funky Chicken" (1969) and "(Do the) Push and Pull" (1970).
 According to the Mississippi Blues Commission, "Rufus Thomas embodied the spirit of Memphis music perhaps more than any other artist, and from the early 1940s until his death . . . occupied many important roles in the local scene."
Bull Moose Jackson
Benjamin Clarence "Bull Moose" Jackson (April 22, 1919 – July 31, 1989) was an American blues and rhythm-and-blues singer and saxophonist, who was most successful in the late 1940s.
 He is sometimes considered a performer of dirty blues, because of the suggestive nature of some of his songs, such as "I Want a Bowlegged Woman" and "Big Ten Inch Record".
Amos Milburn
Joseph Amos Milburn, Jr. (April 1, 1927 – January 3, 1980) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s.
 He was born and died in Houston, Texas.
Percy Mayfield
Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920 – August 11, 1984) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer with a smooth vocal style.
 He was also a songwriter, known for the songs "Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack".
LaVern Baker
Delores LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s.
 Her most successful records were "Tweedle Dee" (1955), "Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I Cried a Tear" (1958).

Question: The album Different Strokes was produced by an American rhythm-and-blues singer who died in which year?
Answer: 2010