See how black musicans have influenced each other,their country and the world.
During the first half of the 1800s, one of the things that helped slaves survive such terrible conditions was music.
Using land, culture and their daily life as inspiration, slaves would sing, dance and play the banjo, fiddle and drum while they worked -- all of which was forbidden by their owners.
One of the most popular types of songs to emerge from slavery was the Negro Spiritual. While work songs were inspired by daily plantation life, spirituals were inspired by religious beliefs. They were also a way of sharing the hard conditions of being a slave.
After the slaves were emancipated, or freed, in 1863, slave music eventually led to the birth of what we know as American music. Some of the most popular types of American music -- blues, jazz and rock 'n roll -- were started by African Americans.
Two key elements of jazz are rhythm and improvisation. To improvise means to create music as you play it (adding your own original ideas in the process) rather than playing music that has already been written. Many people consider jazz to be the most creative form of expression in American music.
Jazz became increasingly popular in the 1920s during a period called the Harlem Renaissance, when many black musicians, performers, artists, writers and poets expressed themselves creatively through their art.
One of the most popular clubs, The Cotton Club, was a hot spot for black jazz musicians.
However, the club did not allow black music lovers to enjoy the jazz performed there; they only allowed whites in the audience.
Two of the most famous and influential black jazz musicians during that time were Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, legendary singers who sometimes performed together.
Other famous jazz musicians include Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Billie Holiday.
Popular blues song themes include injustice, longing for a better life and lost loves, jobs, and money. But blues is also a kind of dance music whose performance is supposed to help one overcome sadness.
Famous blues performers include Bessie Smith and B.B. King. Bessie Smith is considered the greatest classic blues singer of the 1920s, selling hundreds of thousands of records and influencing just about every female blues singer that followed her.
For the last half of the 1900s, a man named Riley B. King, better known as B.B. King, was called the King of the Blues.
Since B.B. King started recording in the late 1940s, he has released over fifty albums, many of them classics.
B.B. continues to make music in his late 70s (he recently released his first holiday album) and is an inspiration to blues fans all over the world.
Vocal soloists who sing with enthusiasm and spiritual inspiration are the best-known kinds of gospel singers. Vocal and choral groups also sing gospel.
Many people consider Mahalia Jackson the world's greatest gospel singer. Jackson was most popular during the 1950s, though the rise of gospel began in the 1930s.
Gospel music influenced countless African-American singers and musicians in the years to come. In the late 1950s, "soul" music combined gospel and worldly themes.
This passionate music was made especially famous by James Brown, called "The Godfather of Soul," and Aretha Franklin, known as the "Queen of Soul."
Both have been making music since the 1960s. Franklin has recorded both soul and gospel, and her legendary song "Respect" remains one of the most famous and inspirational songs in all of music.
One of the pioneers, or earliest creators, of rock was singer, songwriter and guitarist Chuck Berry.
Famous for his lyrics, or words to his songs, and his blues-influenced guitar, Berry performed hits such as "Maybellene" in 1955, "Roll Over, Beethoven" in 1956 and "Johnny B. Goode" in 1958.
Many rock guitarists after Berry were heavily influenced not only by his guitar playing, but also by his catchy vocals.
The granddaddy of rock 'n roll was also famous for doing a duck walk on stage!
Seeking to escape racial oppression, hundreds of thousands of African Americans migrated from the South to cities like Chicago, New York, Detroit and Los Angeles-- a move that is often called "The Great Migration."
That's when the southern sounds of blues and gospel were transformed to create a more city-like sound called R&B.
Through the years, R&B came to be known for its vocals and harmonies. Famous R&B singers range from Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner to today's top groups and singers like Destiny's Child and Usher.
Pop music (short for "popular" music) is considered a lighter version of rock 'n roll because it has a softer beat and emphasizes melodies.
Perhaps the most famous pop singer of all time, black or white, is Michael Jackson, also known as the "King of Pop."
Jackson's "Thriller" remains the best-selling album ever, with more than 47 million copies sold all over the world since its release in 1982.
Rap is a type of music that is spoken, not sung, in rhyme to the rhythm of a music beat.
The word rap comes from a 1960s slang word for conversation. Often, rap music uses bits of other songs, a habit known as "sampling," to provide a beat.
Most rap songs center around daily life, often focusing on the hardships and violence that are often a big part of life in big cities.
For this reason, many consider rap "street poetry."As rap emerged, so did hip-hop.
Hip-hop is not just a type of music, but a way to describe the fashion and lifestyle of people who enjoy, and identify with, rap music, especially when rap is combined with R&B.
Rap music was started by young African Americans living in cities during the early to mid 1970s.
Early rap groups included Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. During the 1980s, rap became popular with mainstream music audiences thanks to acts such as Run-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and MC Hammer.
Other influential rap performers include Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot, Queen Latifah, Will Smith and even young rappers like Lil' Bow Wow and Lil' Romeo.
Rap has influenced many forms of popular culture, especially movies and pop music.
Will Smith is one rapper who has been successful in both rap music and movies.
Smith began his career as a rapper who formed the two-man "DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince," and recorded many hits including "Parents Just Don't Understand" in 1988.
His success landed him a television show, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and a series of movie roles in blockbusters such as "Men in Black."
He returned to his music roots in 1997 with the release of solo rap album, "Big Willie Style."
The album spent 72 weeks on the Billboard Top 40 album charts.