As hard as some try to argue otherwise, researchers and scientists have proven without a shadow of a doubt that all human life began on the continent of Africa. This means Black women are literally and figuratively the mothers of all humanity.
Yet, Black women are still the most disrespected and under-appreciated demographic in this country. And that can be seen in every facet of life, including the music industry.
To rectify this madness in some small way, the Defender asked its readers to share their thoughts on the most unsung Black women in music—sisters whose talent and contributions have reverberated through the decades and whose greatness has stood the test of time, yet, they still haven’t received their just due.
Here is what Defender staff and our Defender faithful, said:
Rosetta Tharpe
This name was submitted by the Defender staff (me). Here’s how NPR described Tharpe: “Rock ‘n’ roll was bred between the church and the nightclubs in the soul of a queer Black woman in the 1940s named Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She was there before Elvis, Little Richard and Johnny Cash swiveled their hips and strummed their guitars.” Countless music legends point to Tharpe as the greatest innovator in music history.
Rachell Ferrell
Apparently, Defender readers love them some Rachelle Ferrell. No artist received more mentions and votes than Ferrell. In fact, it wasn’t even close. Two of those who listed Ferrell are professionals in the music industry: singer/songwriter Tori Alamaze and musician Osakwe Rikondja. To explain why Ferrell should be on this list, one reader said, “Just listen. Enough said.”
Suzanne de Passe
Though Berry Gordy deservingly gets praised for founding the game-changing Motown, it can be argued that Motown would not have become the iconic force that it did without the work of de Passe. She discovered The Jackson 5 and developed their wardrobe and the act they took on the road. De Passe discovered Lionel Richie and so many more legends. And she has made more TV and movie magic than the law allows, including co-writing the screenplay for the 1972 classic Billie Holiday biopic “Lady Sings the Blues” and was the visionary behind arguably the most iconic TV specials of all time, “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” that gave us a Jackson 5 reunion and allowed Michael Jackson to moonwalk into superstar status.
Jewel Brown
The Houston-born Brown was an American jazz and blues singer of incredible renown. She performed alongside artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong and performed at places like Harlem’s “The Apollo Theater” and Houston’s Eldorado Ballroom, and all places in between. Brown, who died in June of this year, was inducted into the Blues Smithsonian Hall of Fame in 2007.
Roberta Flack (aka Rubina Flake)
A classically trained singer, songwriter, music educator and producer, Flack has been a force in all these areas, with a repertoire of over 600 songs. (Maisha Hyman)
Patrice Rushen
Listed on Wikipedia as a jazz pianist, Rushen is a composer, singer, and songwriter across genres and plays numerous instruments (piano, keyboards, electric bass, percussion, synthesizers, clavinet, guitar, and vocals) and masters them all. She played all or nearly all of the instruments on many of her albums. She’s also a famed musical director for some of our favorite award shows. She has also scored for film and television. Currently, she is an artist in residence and curriculum consultant at Berklee College of Music and the University of Southern California, where she mentors and advises music students. And she was the musical hero of one of the greatest artists ever—Prince. So, that alone should tell you something about the awesomeness of Rushen. (William Chambers, Maisha Hyman)
Hazel Scott
Arguably one of the greatest pianists to ever live, Scott was a Trinidadian jazz and classical pianist and singer. She was an outspoken critic of racial discrimination and segregation, which is probably why she’s so unheralded. To that point, Scott was not only the first African-American woman to host her own television show, but she also bravely stood up to the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Hollywood studio machine that was “blacklisting” people left and right, ruining people’s careers. Scott used her influence to improve the representation of Blacks in film. (Zuberi Robert Woods)
Barbara Ann “Bobbi” Humphrey
Born in Marlin, Texas and raised in Dallas, Humphrey is a jazz flautist and singer. She has recorded 12 albums over the course of her career, mostly playing Jazz Fusion, Funk, and Soul-Jazz. In 1971, she was the first Female Instrumentalist signed by Blue Note, and in 1994, she founded the Jazz label Paradise Sounds.
Martha Wash
Wash MADE the 90’s house music scene what it was. She also pioneered larger women getting credit for vocals that were lip-synced by “models” and put women front and center (in videos and album covers) without regard to their size. (Michelle Meade)
Ruth Alston Brown
Brown was a singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the “Queen of R&B”. She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as “So Long”, “Teardrops from My Eyes” and “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean”. For these contributions, Atlantic became known as “the house that Ruth built”(alluding to the popular nickname for the old Yankee Stadium). Brown was a 1993 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Mechelle Ndegeocello
This sister bassist, songwriter, and composer is more than likely your favorite musical artist’s favorite musical artist. She’s that talented and beloved in the industry. And if you’ve seen the classic “Love and Basketball,” it was one of Ndegeocello’s jams that played during that movie’s most classic scene—you know, that one-on-one game at the end between Sanaa and Omar. (William Chambers)
Nona Hendryx
Hendryx was truly the secret sauce & rock star quality of Labelle & the Bluebells. Her song “Transformation” is proof of this and still goes hard current-day (Kimberly Easley)
