Classical •
Joseph Alessi, trombonist (born in Detroit) •
Robert Ashley, opera composer (born in Ann Arbor) •
Theodore Baskin, principal oboist of the
Montreal Symphony Orchestra (born in Detroit) •
William Bolcom,
Grammy and
Pulitzer Prize-winning pianist and composer (born in
Seattle; moved to Ann Arbor) •
David DiChiera, director of the
Detroit Opera House's
Michigan Opera Theatre •
Maria Ewing, operatic soprano (born in Detroit) •
John S. Hilliard, composer (born in
Hot Springs, Arkansas; lived in Interlochen) •
Angela Jia Kim, pianist (born in
East Lansing) •
Robert Longfield, composer (born in Grand Rapids) •
David Ott, composer (born in Kalamazoo) •
Elizabeth Parcells, operatic soprano (born in Detroit; retired in
Grosse Pointe Farms) •
Roger Reynolds, composer, Pulitzer Prize winner (born in Detroit) •
Leo Sowerby, organist, composer, Pulitzer Prize winner (born in
Grand Rapids) •
Thomas Schippers, conductor of the
Metropolitan Opera and the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (born in Kalamazoo) •
George Shirley, tenor,
National Medal of Arts recipient (born in
Indianapolis; raised in Detroit) •
Joseph Silverstein, violinist and concertmaster of
Boston Symphony Orchestra (born in Detroit) •
Cheryl Studer, dramatic soprano (born in
Midland) •
David Weber, clarinetist (born in
Vilna, Lithuania; raised in Detroit)
Jazz and blues •
Pepper Adams, jazz baritone saxophonist (born in
Highland Park) •
Geri Allen, jazz pianist (born in Detroit) •
Dorothy Ashby, jazz harpist (born in Detroit) •
Anita Baker, jazz and
R&B singer (born in
Toledo, Ohio; raised in Detroit) •
Marcus Belgrave, jazz trumpeter (born in Detroit) •
The Bluescasters, blues group (formed in Ann Arbor) •
Kenny Burrell, jazz guitarist (born in Detroit) •
Donald Byrd, jazz trumpeter (born in Detroit) •
Betty Carter,
Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist (born in Flint) •
Regina Carter, jazz violinist (born in Detroit) •
James Carter, jazz woodwind player (born in Detroit) •
Ron Carter, jazz bassist and member of the
Miles Davis Quintet (born in
Ferndale) •
Bob Chester, jazz saxophonist and big band leader (born in Detroit) •
Alice Coltrane, jazz keyboardist, harpist and composer (born in Detroit) •
Xavier Davis, jazz pianist (born in Grand Rapids) •
Clare Fischer, jazz, bossa nova, and Afro-Cuban jazz keyboardist, composer, and bandleader (born in
Durand) •
Tommy Flanagan, jazz pianist best known as
Ella Fitzgerald's accompanist (born in Detroit) •
Kenny Garrett, jazz saxophonist (born in Detroit) •
Barry Harris,
bebop jazz pianist and educator (born in Detroit) •
Joe Henderson, jazz saxophonist (born in
Lima, Ohio; moved to Detroit) •
Milt Jackson, jazz
vibraphonist (born in Detroit) •
Elvin Jones, jazz drummer of the
hard bop era, part of
John Coltrane's quartet (born in
Pontiac) •
Hank Jones, jazz pianist,
National Medal of Arts recipient (born in
Vicksburg, Mississippi, grew up in Pontiac) •
Isham Jones, 1920s bandleader, violinist, saxophonist and songwriter (born in
Coalton, Ohio, grew up in
Saginaw) •
Thad Jones, jazz trumpeter (born in
Pontiac) •
Earl Klugh,
Grammy Award-winning jazz guitarist (born in Detroit) •
Yusef Lateef, jazz saxophonist and flutist (born in
Chattanooga, Tennessee; raised in Detroit) •
Father Norman O'Connor (1921–2003), priest,
jazz aficionado, writer, radio and television host (born in Detroit) •
Sy Oliver, trumpeter and bandleader (born in
Battle Creek) •
Dave Pike, jazz
vibraphonist (born in Detroit) •
Dianne Reeves, jazz vocalist and only person to have won the Grammy Award for "
Best Jazz Vocal Performance" three times in a row (born in Detroit) •
Frank Rosolino, jazz trombonist (born in Detroit) •
Sonny Stitt, jazz saxophonist (born in
Boston, Massachusetts; raised in
Saginaw) •
Art Van Damme, jazz accordionist (born in
Norway) •
Sippie Wallace, blues singer (born in
Houston, later settled in Detroit) •
Rudy Weidoeft, jazz saxophonist (born in Detroit) •
Lyman Woodard, jazz organist
Motown, R&B, and soul music •
Florence Ballard, Motown-era singer, original lead singer of
The Supremes, inductee
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in
Mississippi; raised in Detroit) •
Oliver Cheatham, contemporary R&B singer (born in Detroit) •
Lamont Dozier, Motown-era composer, member of
Holland-Dozier-Holland (born in Detroit) •
Dwele, soul singer, songwriter and record producer (born in Detroit) •
The Four Tops, Motown-era group with two No. 1 hits, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (formed in Detroit) •
Aretha Franklin, singer, "The Queen of Soul", Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in
Memphis, Tennessee; raised in Detroit) •
Matt Giraud, piano player, drummer, R&B, soul & blues singer;
American Idol top 5, season 8 (born in Dearborn; raised in Ypsilanti;
Western Michigan University graduate) •
Al Green, soul & gospel singer and pastor, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (grew up in Grand Rapids) •
Brian Holland, Motown-era composer, member of Holland-Dozier-Holland (born in Detroit) •
Edward Holland Jr., Motown-era composer, member of Holland-Dozier-Holland (born in Detroit) •
Adina Howard, R&B singer (born in Grand Rapids) •
Mable John, first female singer to sign with
Berry Gordy (born in
Bastrop, Louisiana; raised in Detroit) •
The Jones Girls, R&B trio (born in Detroit) •
LaKisha Jones, contestant on
American Idol (born in Flint) •
Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, Motown-era group whose song "
Shotgun" was a No. 1 hit (formed in
Battle Creek) •
Kem, R&B and soul singer (raised in Detroit) •
Bettye LaVette, soul singer (born in
Muskegon) •
Barbara Lewis, singer known for hits "
Baby I'm Yours" and "
Hello Stranger" (born in
South Lyon) •
The Marvelettes, Motown-era group whose "
Please Mr. Postman" was a No. 1 hit (formed in
Inkster) •
Queen Naija, R&B singer •
Freda Payne, Motown-era singer known for "
Band of Gold" (born in Detroit) •
Martha Reeves, lead singer of Motown group
Martha and the Vandellas, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in
Eufaula, Alabama; raised in Detroit) •
Smokey Robinson, Motown-era singer, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in Detroit) •
Diana Ross, lead singer of The Supremes and solo artist, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in Detroit) •
The Spinners, R&B group whose hits included "
Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" (formed in
Ferndale) •
The Temptations, Motown group, three
Grammy awards with 14 No. 1 hits, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (begun in Detroit) •
Edwin Starr,
soul music singer, best known for his anti-war No. 1 hit "
War" (born in
Nashville, raised in
Cleveland, lived in Detroit) •
Mary Wells, Motown-era singer best known for her No. 1 hit song "
My Guy" (born in Detroit) •
Kim Weston, Motown and R&B singer (born in Detroit; currently lives in
Israel) •
Jackie Wilson, R&B singer, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in Detroit) •
BeBe Winans, R&B and gospel singer (born in Detroit) •
Stevie Wonder, singer, musician, songwriter and winner of 24 Grammy awards, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in
Saginaw) •
Philippe Wynne, R&B and gospel singer (born in Detroit)
Rock, rap, and pop •
42 Dugg, rapper •
Aaliyah, singer and actress (born in
Brooklyn, New York; raised in Detroit) •
Maurice Ager, producer (born in Detroit) •
Gregg Alexander, singer-songwriter (from
Grosse Pointe) •
Anybody Killa, rapper (raised in Detroit) •
Hank Ballard, early rock musician best known for "The Twist" (born in Detroit) •
Andrew Bazzi, singer, songwriter (born in Dearborn, raised in
Canton Township, attended
Plymouth-Canton Educational Park) •
Big Sean, rapper (raised in Detroit) •
The Black Dahlia Murder,
melodic death metal/
metalcore band (begun in Detroit) •
Blaze Ya Dead Homie, rapper (raised in
Romeo) •
Bliss 66, pop band (from
Taylor) •
Sonny Bono, singer-songwriter, record producer and politician (born in Detroit) •
Kellin Quinn Bostwick, lead singer of
Sleeping with Sirens (raised in
Whitehall) •
Donald Brewer, drummer for
Grand Funk Railroad (born in Flint) •
Danny Brown, rapper (born in Detroit) •
Rob Cantor, singer-songwriter and guitarist for rock band
Tally Hall (born in
Bloomfield Hills) •
Shana Cleveland, guitarist and vocalist (born in Kalamazoo) •
Alice Cooper, musician, 2011 inductee in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in Detroit) •
Marshall Crenshaw, musician (born in Detroit) •
DDG, rapper (born in Pontiac) •
J Dilla (James Dewitt Yancey), hip hop producer (born in Detroit) •
Eminem, rapper (born in
St. Joseph, Missouri; raised in
Warren) •
Esham, rapper (born in
Long Island, New York; raised in Detroit) •
Every Avenue, pop band (from
Marysville) •
Factory 81, rock band (from Detroit) •
Mark Farner, lead singer of
Grand Funk Railroad (born in Flint) •
Doug Fieger, lead singer of
The Knack and co-writer of "
My Sharona" (from Detroit) •
Fireworks,
pop-punk band (begun in Metro Detroit) •
Glenn Frey, founding member of
The Eagles, 2008 inductee in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in
Royal Oak) •
Craig Frost, keyboardist (born in Flint) •
Bob Gentry, singer-songwriter (born in Detroit) •
Greta Van Fleet, rock band (began in
Frankenmuth) •
James Gurley, rock guitarist (born in Detroit) •
Bill Haley, 1950s musician, 1987 inductee in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in
Highland Park) •
Mayer Hawthorne, singer, producer, songwriter, DJ, rapper and multi-instrumentalist (born in Ann Arbor) •
I See Stars, electronicore band (formed in Warren) •
Insane Clown Posse, hip hop group (formed in Detroit) •
Billy Jones, lead guitarist, singer-songwriter for The Outlaws (born Ann Arbor) •
Maynard James Keenan, frontman of Tool and A Perfect Circle (born in
Ravenna, Ohio, raised in
Scottville) •
Kid Rock, musician (born in
Romeo; raised in
Mount Clemens) •
Anthony Kiedis, lead singer,
Red Hot Chili Peppers (born in Grand Rapids) •
Wayne Kramer, guitarist (born in Detroit) •
DeJ Loaf, rapper (born in Detroit) •
Madonna, singer, inductee in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in
Bay City; raised in
Pontiac and
Rochester Hills) •
MC5,
protopunk band (begun in Lincoln Park) •
Yuno Miles, rapper •
Guy Mitchell, pop singer known for "
Singing the Blues", "
Heartaches by the Number" (born in Detroit) •
Natas, hip hop group (begun in Detroit) •
Jason Newsted, bassist for
Metallica (born in
Battle Creek) •
NF, hip-hop/rapper (born in
Gladwin, Michigan) •
Matt Noveskey, bassist for
Blue October •
Ted Nugent, musician, activist (born in Detroit) •
Craig Owens, vocalist of the band
Chiodos (from
Davison) •
Daniel Passino, musician, contemporary
R&B and pop singer-songwriter; contestant on NBC's
The Voice season 10 (born in
New Boston) •
Britta Phillips, singer-songwriter (from
Boyne City) •
Pop Evil, rock band (began in
Muskegon) •
Iggy Pop, rock musician, 2010 inductee in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in Muskegon) •
Mike Posner, musician, synthpop and electropop singer-songwriter (born in Detroit) •
Suzi Quatro, singer, bassist, and actress (born in Detroit) •
Question Mark & the Mysterians, rock band (begun in Bay City) •
The Romantics,
new wave rock band (begun in Detroit) •
Royce da 5'9", rapper (born in Detroit) •
Mitch Ryder, rock musician known for "
Devil with a Blue Dress On" (born in
Hamtramck) •
Bob Schneider,
Texas-based rock musician (born in
Ypsilanti) •
Bob Seger, singer, 2004 inductee in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in
Dearborn; raised in Ann Arbor) •
Del Shannon, singer, 1999 inductee in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (born in
Coopersville) •
Chad Smith, drummer,
Red Hot Chili Peppers (raised in
Bloomfield Hills) •
Sponge, post-grunge band (begun in Detroit) •
Wayne Static, singer for Static-x (born in Muskegon) •
Still Remains, metalcore band (begun in Grand Rapids) •
The Stooges, rock band, 2010 inductees in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (begun in Ann Arbor) •
Tally Hall, rock band (formed in
Ann Arbor) •
Taproot,
nu metal band (begun in Ann Arbor) •
Thought Industry,
progressive metal band (begun in Kalamazoo) •
Twiztid, hip hop group (begun in
Eastpointe) •
Uncle Kracker, rock musician (born in Mount Clemens) •
The Verve Pipe, post-grunge band (formed in
East Lansing) •
The Von Bondies,
indie rock/
alternative band (from Detroit) •
Andrew W.K., metal/hard rock composer (born in Ann Arbor) •
Narada Michael Walden, multi-platinum record producer and songwriter (born in Kalamazoo) •
Malaya Watson,
American Idol contestant (from
Southfield) •
We Came as Romans, melodic metal core band (from
Troy) •
Jack White, singer-songwriter (born in Detroit; raised in Detroit and Kalamazoo) •
Meg White, drummer and
Grammy Award winner (born in
Grosse Pointe Farms) •
The White Stripes, minimalist blues-rock duo (begun in Detroit) •
Joyce Vincent Wilson, singer with
Tony Orlando and Dawn (born in Detroit) •
D'arcy Wretzky, bass player for
The Smashing Pumpkins (born in
South Haven)
Other musicians •
The Accidentals, alternative-rock band (formed in Traverse City) •
Roy Bargy, musician, composer,
Jimmy Durante bandleader (born in
Newaygo) •
Muruga Booker, drummer (born in Detroit, lives in Ann Arbor) •
Ralston Bowles, folk musician, singer/songwriter (lives in Grand Rapids) •
William David Brohn, Tony Award-winning orchestrator and arranger (born in
Flint) •
Hughie Cannon, songwriter, "
Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" (born in Detroit) •
Erika Costell, YouTuber, model, and singer (born in
Bedford) •
Johnny Desmond, big-band singer and recording artist (born in Detroit) •
Harlan Howard, songwriter in
Country Music Hall of Fame (born in Detroit) •
Marion Hutton, singer with
Glenn Miller orchestra (raised in
Battle Creek) •
Herb Jeffries, singer (born in Detroit) •
Mary Kaye, guitarist (born in Detroit) •
Bernie Krause, pioneer in Moog synthesizers and folk singer with
The Weavers (born in Detroit) •
Joseph LoDuca, film score composer (born in Michigan) •
John Lowery, guitarist, a.k.a. John5, former member of
Marilyn Manson (born in
Grosse Pointe) •
Stephen Lynch, comic musician (born in
Abington, Pennsylvania; raised in
Saginaw) •
Geoff Moore,
Christian contemporary music Grammy-winning singer and songwriter (born in Michigan) •
Carrie Newcomer, folk musician (born in
Dowagiac) •
Karen Newman, singer and anthem voice of
Detroit Red Wings hockey (raised in
Rochester) •
Zeena Parkins, avant garde harpist (born in Detroit) •
Rodriguez, singer, songwriter, subject of film
Searching for Sugar Man (born in Detroit) •
James Royce Shannon, composer (born in
Adrian, lived in Detroit) •
Sycamore Smith, folk singer (born in
Marquette) •
Tom Smith,
filker, folk musician (lives in Ann Arbor) •
Sufjan Stevens, folk musician (born in Detroit) •
Noel Stookey, "Paul" of
Peter, Paul and Mary folk group (born in
Baltimore, raised in
Birmingham) •
Bob Vincent, big-band singer (born in Detroit) •
Margaret Whiting, singer and recording artist (born in Detroit) •
CeCe Winans, gospel singer (born in Detroit) •
Vickie Winans, gospel singer (born in Detroit) •
George Winston,
Grammy Award-winning new age pianist (born in Michigan) •
Margaret Young, singer (born in Detroit) ==Native-American leaders==