# List of composers of African descent

This is a list of composers of African ancestry.

## A

* Michael Abels, US (born 1962)
* Mohamed Abdelwahab Abdelfattah, Egypt (born 1962)
* Muhal Richard Abrams, US (1930–2017)
* H. Leslie Adams, US (born 1932)
* Eleanor Alberga, Jamaica (born 1949)
* Alcione, Brazil (born 1947)
* Amanda Christina Elizabeth Aldridge (Montague Ring), England (1866–1956)
* Kenneth Amis, US (born 1970)
* Thomas Jefferson Anderson (TJ), US (born 1928)
* Lil Hardin Armstrong, US (1898–1971)

## B

* David Baker, US (1931–2016)
* Count Basie, US, pianist, bandleader
* Leon Bates, US, pianist
* Catalina Berroa, Cuba (1849–1911)
* Eubie Blake (James Hubert Blake), US (1887–1983)
* James A. Bland, US (1854–1911)
* Margaret Allison Bonds, US (1913–1972)
* John William Boone, US (1864–1927)
* Brittney Boykin, US, pianist
* Anthony Braxton, US (born 1945)
* George Bridgetower, Poland (1779–1860), violinist and composer
* Courtney Bryan, US (born 1982/1983), pianist and composer
* James Tim Brymn, US (1881–1946)
* Harry Burleigh, US (1866–1949)

## C

* Billy Childs, US (born 1957)
* Robert Allen "Bob" Cole, US (1868–1911)
* Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, England (1875–1912)
* Ornette Coleman, US (1930–2015)
* Alice Coltrane, US (1937–2007)
* John Coltrane, US (1926–1967)
* Geraldine Connor, UK (1952–2011)
* Will Marion Cook, US (1869–1944)
* Roque Cordero, Panama (1917–2008)
* Arthur Cunningham, US (1928–1997)

## D

* William L. Dawson, US (1899–1990)
* Anthony Davis, US (born 1951)
* Gussie Lord Davis, US (1863–1899)
* Edmond Dédé, US (1827–1903)
* Leonard De Paur, US (1914–1998)
* Robert Nathaniel Dett, Canada (1882–1943)
* John Thomas Douglass, US (1847–1886)
* Rudolph Dunbar, Guyana (1907–1988)
* Leslie Dunner, US (born 1956)

## E

* Julius Eastman, US (1940–1990)
* Justin Elie, Haiti (1883–1931)
* Duke Ellington (Edward Kennedy Ellington), US (1899–1974), jazz big band leader
* Mercer Ellington, US (1919–1996)
* Joseph Antonio Emidy, Guinea (1775–1835)
* Akin Euba, Nigeria (1935–2020)
* James Reese Europe, US (1881–1919)

## F

* Donal Fox, US (born 1952)

## G

* José Maurício Nunes Garcia, Brazil (1767–1830)
* Philip Gbeho, Ghana (1904–1976)
* Kerry J. Gilliard, US (born 1972)
* Harry P. Guy, US (1870–1950)

## H

* Adolphus Hailstork, US (born 1941)
* W. C. Handy (William Christopher Handy), US (1873–1958), blues
* Edward W. Hardy, US (born 1992), composer, violinist
* Robert A. Harris, US (born 1938)
* Henry Hart, US (1839–1915)
* Scott Hayden, US (1882–1915), ragtime
* Talib Rasul Hakim, US (1940–1988)
* Fletcher Henderson, US (1897–1952), jazz big band leader
* Ernest Hogan, US (1865–1909)
* Moses Hogan, US (1957–2003)
* David Hurd, US (born 1950)

## I

* Abdullah Ibrahim, South Africa (born 1934)

## J

* Michael Jackson, US (1958–2009), singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, choreographer, musician, businessman
* Tony Jackson, US (1876–1921), pianist
* Leroy Jenkins, US (1932–2007)
* Jose Julian Jiménez, Cuba (1823–1880)
* Lico Jiménez (José Manuel Jiménez Berroa), Cuba (1851–1917)
* Francis Johnson, US (1792–1844)
* Hall Johnson, US (1888–1970)
* James Price Johnson, US (1894–1955)
* J. Rosamond Johnson, US (1873–1954)
* Victor C. Johnson, US (born 1978)
* Irving Jones, US (1873-1932) ragtime composer
* Trevor Jones, South Africa and United Kingdom (born 1949), film composer
* Scott Joplin, US (1868–1917)
* Quincy Jones, US (1933–2024)
* Joe Jordan, US (1882–1971)

## K

* Ulysses Simpson Kay, US (1917–1995)

## L

* Vicente Lusitano, Portugal, born in the early 1500s
* Charles Lucien Lambert, US (c. 1828–1896)
* Lucien-Léon Guillaume Lambert, France (1858–1945)
* Sidney Lambert, US (1838–1905)
* Ludovic Lamothe, Haiti (1882–1953)
* Tania León, Cuba (born 1943)
* John Lewis, US (1920–2001)
* Melba Liston, US (1926–1999)
* Sam Lucas, US (1850–1916)

## M

* Bobby McFerrin (Robert McFerrin Jr.), US (born 1950), jazz composer-vocalist-conductor
* Wynton Marsalis, US (born 1961)
* Arthur Marshall, US (1881–1968), ragtime
* Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, US (born 1970)
* Charles Mingus, US (1922–1979)
* Roscoe Mitchell, US (born 1940)
* Thelonious Monk, US (1917–1982)
* Carman Moore, US (born 1936)
* Undine Smith Moore, US (1904–1989)
* Jeffrey Mumford, US (born 1955)
* Diedre Murray, US (born 1951)
* Billy Myles (William Myles Nobles), US (1924–2005)

## N

* Brian Raphael Nabors, US (born 1991)
* Gary Powell Nash, US (born 1964)
* Oliver Nelson, US (1932–1975)
* J. H. Kwabena Nketia, Ghana (1921–2019)

## P

* Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, US (1932–2004)
* Julia Perry, US (1924–1979)
* Zenobia Powell Perry, US (1908–2004)
* Marvin Peterson, US (born 1948), jazz composer
* Armand John Piron, US (1888–1943)
* Florence Beatrice Price, US (1887–1953)
* Prince, US (1958–2016)

## R

* Amadeo Roldán, Cuba (1900–1939)
* Sonny Rollins, US (born 1930)

## S

* Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Guadeloupe (c. 1739–1799)
* Ignatius Sancho, England (c. 1729–1780)
* James Scott, US (1886–1938)
* Jacob J. Sawyer, US (1856–1885)
* Wayne Shorter, US (1933–2023)
* Alvin Singleton, US (born 1940)
* Chris Smith, US (1879–1949)
* Hale Smith, US (1925–2009)
* Fela Sowande, Nigeria (1905–1987)
* William Grant Still, US (1895–1978)
* Howard Swanson, US (1907–1978)
* Billy Strayhorn (William Thomas Strayhorn), US (1917–1967), one of the most highly regarded jazz and big band composers and arrangers; Ellington's friend and arranger

## T

* Shirley Thompson, English-born composer of Jamaican descent
* Henry Threadgill, US (born 1944), jazz composer
* Dean Clay Taylor, US (born 1943), classical composer

## W

* George Walker, US (1922–2018)
* Fats Waller, US (1904–1943), singer, jazz musician
* Pete Wentz, bassist of the band Fall Out Boy
* Randy Weston, US (1926–2018)
* Clarence Cameron White, US (1880–1960)
* Joseph White (José Silvestre White Lafitte) Cuba (1835–1918)
* Thomas Wiggins (Bethune) or "Blind Tom", US (1849–1908)
* Clarence Williams, US (1898–1965)
* Julius Penson Williams, US (born 1954)
* Mary Lou Williams, US (1910–1981)
* Olly Wilson, US (1937–2018)
* John Wesley Work III, US (1901–1967)
* Stevie Wonder (born 1950)

## Z

* Pamela Z, US (born 1956)
Dates of birth and death are unknown for several composers whose music, published during the 19th century, is described in "Historical Notes on African-American and Jamaican Melodies". These composers include Harry Bloodgood, Samuel Butler, Dudley C. Clark, Harry Davis, Pete Devonear, Fred C. Lyons, Henry Newman, James S. Putnam, and Francis V. Seymour.