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Gray Charles

Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt, (born November 8, 1949) is an American blues and R&B singer, songwriter, and guitarist who was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Broadway musical star John Raitt. Raitt began playing guitar at an early age, something not a lot of her high school girlfriends did. "I had played a little at school and at camp," she later recalled in a July 2002 interview. "My parents would drag me out to perform for my family, like all parents do, but it was a hobby—nothing more...I think people must wonder how a white girl like me became a blues guitarist.

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Keb' Mo'

Keb' Mo' (born October 3, 1951 in South Los Angeles, California as Kevin Moore) is an American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first started recording in the early 1970s with Jefferson Airplane violinist Papa John Creach. Creach hired him when Moore was just twenty-one years old; Moore appeared on four of Creach's albums. He was further immersed in the blues with his long stint in the Whodunit Band, headed by Bobby "Blue" Bland producer Monk Higgins. Moore jammed with Albert Collins and Big Joe Turner.

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Natalie Cole

Born February 6, 1950, Natalie Cole is the daughter of celebrated crooner Nat King Cole, she was exposed to the greats of , and at an early age and began performing at the age of 11. Her debut album in 1975, Inseparable, won her immediate praise, with the smash single This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) (#1 R&B, #6 Pop) winning her a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female, a category that had been monopolized by Aretha Franklin. She also was named the Grammys' Best New Artist of 1975. She attended the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, MA.

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Melissa McClelland

Melissa McClelland (born c. 1979) is an American-born Canadian singer-songwriter who lived in Burlington, Ontario, in her youth and now bases her career from Toronto. McClelland's music is influenced by blues and americana. A writer on CMJ's staff blog wrote that McClelland has "a persona reminiscent of a female Tom Waits." Biography Melissa McClelland was born in Chicago, Illinois. She spent her youth in Burlington, Ontario before developing her career in Toronto.

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Robert Randolph & The Family Band

Robert Randolph & The Family Band is a multicultural American blues and funk band composed of Robert Randolph, Marcus Randolph (drums), Danyel Morgan (bass), and Jason Crosby (organ). Frontman Robert Randolph was trained as a pedal steel guitarist in the House of God Church, Keith Dominion, in Nashville, TN and makes prominent use of the instrument in the band's music. The group's sound is inspired by successful 1970s funk bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire and Sly & the Family Stone, another multicultural band comprised of former members of the Church of God in Christ.

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Maxi Priest

Maxi Priest (born Max Alfred Elliott on June 10, 1961) is a reggae singer from England. Career Of West Indian descent, and the second youngest of nine children, he was born in Lewisham, London. He is known as the 'King of Lovers Rock'. His music is sometimes closer to R&B, and pop, than to reggae music itself. His first major album was the self-titled Maxi Priest (1988) along with his cover of Cat Stevens' Wild World established him as one of the British reggae top singers this internationally acclaimed vocalist, is the only UK reggae act to score an American Billboard Number One.

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B.C. Camplight

BC Camplight is Brian Christinzio, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Christinzio openly admits to being a fan of the song-writing of George Gershwin, Burt Bacharach and Todd Rundgren, whose influences all shine clearly through his debut long player ‘Hide, Run Away’ released in 2005 on One Little Indian. There’s also a big nod to Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds as Brain composed and arranged every note of the record as well as playing nearly every instrument himself. "If I could play drums well enough, I would have done that too” he said.

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Branford Marsalis

Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960, Beaux Bridge, Louisiana) is an American . Branford studied with Alvin Batiste at Baton Rouge's Southern University in 1978, completing his studies at Berklee School of Music, between '79 & '81. He began his professional career in the early 1980s playing with Art Blakey's big band (playing baritone), Clark Terry's band, and Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

Read more about Branford Marsalis on Last.fm.

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