Language/Multiple-languages/Culture/Music-Performers
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| calligraphers and typographers | composers | film directors | music performers | painters | sculptors | writers |
Welcome to our exploration of the greatest music performers.
Defining greatness in music is a complex task, but these timeless tracks have left a lasting impact that's worth celebrating.
This lesson was originally about songs, but it's hard to enumerate them. So it has been changed to performers, as the greatest performers normally also perform the greatest music.
Coordinate page: Language/Multiple-languages/Culture/Songs
In progress
1910s
| performer | time | active period | language | genre | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 阿炳
Abing |
1893 or 1898 – 1950 | 1910s – 1950 | (none) | folk | |
| سيد درويش
Sayed Darwish |
1892 – 1923 | 1910s – 1950 | Egyptian Arabic |
| |
| Marlene Dietrich | 1901 – 1992 | 1919 – 1954 | German |
|
1920s
| performer | time | active period | language | genre | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
أم كلثوم
Umm Kulthum |
1898 – 1975 | 1923 – 1973 | Egyptian Arabic | classical |
|
1930s
| performer | time | active period | language | genre | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
نور جہاں
Noor Jehan |
1926 – 2000 | 1930 – 2000 | Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, et al. | filmi, ghazal, classical, Qawwali |
|
فريد الأطرش
Farid al-Atrash |
1910 – 1974 | 1930s – 1974 | Egyptian Arabic | classical |
|
محمد عبد الوهاب
Mohammed Abdel Wahab |
1902 – 1991 | 1930s – 1991 | Egyptian Arabic |
| |
| محمد فوزي
Mohamed Fawzi |
1918 – 1966 | 1930s – 1959 | Egyptian Arabic |
| |
أسمهان
Asmahan |
1912 – 1944 | 1931 – 1944 | Egyptian Arabic |
| |
| Charles Aznavour
Շառլ Ազնավուր |
1924 – 2018 | 1933 – 2018 | French | pop, chanson, adult contemporary |
|
| Édith Piaf | 1915 – 1963 | 1935 – 1963 | French | cabaret, torch songs, modern chanson, musical theatre |
|
| Manna Dey | 1919 – 2013 | 1938 – 2013 | Bengali, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Chhattisgarhi, et al. | filmi, classical, qawwali, ghazals, bhajan, gurbani, Nazrul Geeti, rock and roll |
|
وديع الصافي
Wadih El Safi |
1921 – 2013 | 1938 – 2013 | Levantine Arabic | tarab, folk |
|
1940s
| performer | time | active period | language | genre | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Rafi | 1924 – 1980 | 1944 – 1980 | Hindi, Urdu, Panjabi, Konkani, Assamese, Bhojpuri, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Magahi, Maithili, etc. | filmi, bhajan, ghazal, qawwali, shabad, na'at, classical, Nazrul Geeti, comedy |
|
| 美空 ひばり
Hibari Misora |
1937 – 1989 | 1945 – 1989 | Japanese | kayōkyoku, jazz, enka |
|
| Kishore Kumar | 1929 – 1987 | 1946 – 1987 | Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Malayalam, Odia, Urdu, et al. | filmi, disco, pop, yodelling, rock and roll, semi-classical, comedy, Rabindra Sangeet |
|
1950s
| performer | time | active period | language | genre | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
فيروز
Fairuz |
1934 or 1935 – | 1950 – | Levantine Arabic | tarab | |
| Ali Farka Touré | 1939 – 2006 | 1950s – 2006 | Bambara, et al. | folk, desert blues |
|
وردة الجزائرية
Warda Al-Jazairia |
1939 – 2012 | 1951 – 1962, 1972 – 2012 | Egyptian Arabic |
| |
عبد الحليم حافظ
Abdel Halim Hafez |
1929 – 1977 | 1952 – 1977 | Egyptian Arabic |
| |
| Jacques Brel | 1929 – 1978 | 1952 – 1978 | French | chanson, pop |
|
| Elvis Presley | 1935 – 1977 | 1953 – 1977 | English | rock and roll, pop, rockabilly, country, gospel |
|
گوگوش
Googoosh |
1950 – | 1953 – 1979, 2000 – | Iranian Persian, Azerbaijani, Turkish, English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Armenian, French | pop |
|
| Johnny Hallyday | 1943 – 2017 | 1955 – 2017 | French | rock and roll, pop, yé-yé |
|
| Serge Gainsbourg | 1928 – 1991 | 1957 – 1991 | French | pop, rock, jazz |
|
محمدرضا شجریان
Mohammad-Reza Shajarian |
1940 – 2020 | 1959 – 2016 | Iranian Persian | classical |
|
1960s
| performer | time | active period | language | genre | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Beatles | - | 1960 – 1970 | English | rock, pop, beat, psychedelia |
|
| Jagjit Singh | 1941 – 2011 | 1960 – 2011 | Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Nepali, Gujarati, Sindhi, et al. | ghazal, classical, devotional, folk, bhajan |
|
| K. J. Yesudas | 1940 – | 1961 – | Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Tulu, Hindi, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Arabic, English, Latin, Russian | classical, playback singing, filmi |
|
| David Bowie | 1947 – 2016 | 1962 – 2016 | English | art rock, glam rock, pop, electronic |
|
| Françoise Hardy | 1944 – 2024 | 1962 – 2021 | French | pop, yé-yé, chanson |
|
| Elton John | 1947 – | 1962 – | English | pop, rock | |
| Scorpions | - | 1965 – | English | hard rock, heavy metal |
|
| 鄧麗君
Teresa Teng |
1953 – 1995 | 1966 – 1995 | Mandarin Chinese, Min Nan Chinese, Yue Chinese, Wu Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, English, Italian | pop, folk, dangdut, enka, kayōkyoku, country, jazz, disco, soul |
|
| S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 1946 – 2020 | 1966 – 2020 | Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Sanskrit, et al. | playback |
|
ابی
Ebi |
1949 – | 1967 – | Iranian Persian | pop | |
| Hayedeh | 1942 – 1990 | 1968 – 1990 | Iranian Persian | classical, folk, pop |
|
1970s
| performer | time | active period | language | genre | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Eno | 1948 – | 1970 – | English | ambient, electronic, minimalism, pop, rock |
|
داریوش
Dariush |
1951 – | 1970 – | Iranian Persian | pop, rock |
|
معین
Moein |
1952 – | 1970 – | Iranian Persian | pop, classical |
|
| Queen | - | 1970 – | English | rock, pop |
|
| Udit Narayan | 1955 – | 1970 – | Hindi, Nepali, Kannada, Odia, Tamil, Telugu | filmi, pop, semi-classical, bhajan, folk |
|
| Mihemed Şêxo | 1948
– 1989 |
1970 – 1989 | Northern Kurdish | folk |
|
محمد علی شہکی
Mohammed Ali Shehki |
1957 – | 1973 – | Urdu | pop, playback |
|
| Richard Clayderman | 1953 – | 1976 – | (none) | easy listening |
|
| Sandra | 1962 – | 1976 – | English | pop, synth-pop, disco, new age |
|
| Yanni | 1954 – | 1977 – | (none) | contemporary instrumental, instrumental, crossover, new age |
|
اندی
Անդի Andy |
1958 – | 1977 – | Iranian Persian | pop, dance-pop, rock, soft rock | |
| Herbert Grönemeyer | 1956 – | 1978 – | German | rock, pop rock, soft rock |
|
1980s
| performer | time | active period | language | genre | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enya | 1961 – | 1980 – | English | ambient, fusion | |
نازیہ حسن
Nazia Hassan |
1965 – 2000 | 1980 – 1992 | Urdu, Panjabi | filmi, disco, pop |
|
| Vanessa Paradis | 1972 – | 1980 – | French | R&B, pop, rock |
|
| 劉德華
Andy Lau |
1961 – | 1981 – | Yue Chinese, Mandarin Chinese | pop | |
| Angélique Kidjo | 1960 – | 1982 – | English, French, Yoruba | pop, beat, reggae, jazz, gospel, Latin |
|
| Brenda Fassie | 1964 – 2004 | 1981 – 2004 | Xhosa, English | pop, kwaito, R&B |
|
حسن جہانگیر
Hassan Jahangir |
1962 – | 1982 – | Urdu |
| |
| Bon Jovi | - | 1983 – | English | hard rock, glam metal, arena rock, pop rock |
|
| Nena | - | 1981 – 1987 | German | new wave, synth-pop, pop, pop rock | |
| 崔健
Cui Jian |
1961 – | 1984 – | Mandarin Chinese | rock, folk, pop, jazz, hip-hop, electronic, avant-garde, experimental | |
| 張學友
Jacky Cheung |
1961 – | 1984 – | Yue Chinese, Mandarin Chinese | pop, operatic pop, adult contemporary, jazz, R&B | |
| Mylène Farmer | 1961 – | 1984 – | French | pop, rock, dance, electronic |
|
| Luna Sea | – | 1986 – 2000, 2010 – | Japanese | alternative rock, punk rock, progressive rock, hard rock |
|
| Glay | – | 1988 – | Japanese | pop rock, power pop, progressive rock | |
| 王菲
Faye Wong |
1969 – | 1989 – 2005, 2010 – | Yue Chinese, Mandarin Chinese | pop, dream pop, alternative pop, rock |
|
1990s
2000s
2010s
| performer | time | active period | language | genre | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTS | - | 2013 – | pop, hip-hop, R&B, EDM | Korean | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLkAepWjdylmXSltofFvsYQ
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkf9CTVw9uBwekLPOhEHFCB4H5ja5RCxZ |
(the following work-based decade categorisation may be replaced)
| 1800s | 1810s | 1820s | 1830s | 1840s |
| 1850s | 1860s | 1870s | 1880s | 1890s |
| 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s |
| 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s |
| 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
| calligraphers and typographers | composers | film directors | music performers | painters | sculptors | writers |