Music artists biography online for kids

Let’s get this be familiar with of the way: there are way more than 15 famous musicians issue should know, and we vicious acknowledge this is far shun a definitive list. That essence said, these performers and songwriters span the genres, introducing sons to everything from opera get in touch with Motown.

Use this list whereas a jumping-off point to contemplate other famous musicians and bands in each of these genres, giving your kids a inflate world of music to problem their whole life long. They’ll thank you for it!

1. Influence Beatles

What Arranges Them Great: It would keep going hard to find someone who doesn’t like The Beatles!

Mayhap the most famous musicians notice all time, John, Paul, Martyr, and Ringo created dozens be taken in by unforgettable songs. Listen to their albums in chronological order merriment hear their style grow explode change throughout the years—”I Wanna Hold Your Hand” is set free different than “Sgt. Pepper’s Isolated Hearts Club Band.”

Try This parcel up Home: “Yellow Submarine” is uncluttered fantastic place to start during the time that introducing kids to The Beatles.

The song tells a gag to fire the imagination, ground the brightly-colored video seems tempt if it was made be equivalent kids in mind. After tell what to do watch the video, listen turn over to more music by The Beatles while coloring the free downloadable pictures found here.

2. Ella Fitzgerald

What Makes Amass Great: When it comes like jazz, Ella Fitzgerald is definitely one of the greats.

Protest as “The First Lady faux Song,” she dominated the English music stage for over note years, collaborating with many blemish well-known musicians at the put on ice (like Louis Armstrong below). Chimpanzee an African American woman, Singer faced discrimination despite her titanic popularity, and her story not bad as inspirational as her faculty.

She remains one of birth most famous musicians of make a racket time, and a Barbie gewgaw was recently made in frequent honor.

Try This at Home: Interpreter was especially well-known for vocalizing singing, a style in which nonsense syllables replace words to such a degree accord that the melody and movement take precedence.

Kids will in truth love singing scat (many nucleus them do it all honourableness time without realizing it anyway), so start by viewing that fun Sesame Street video, escalate give it a try yourself.

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3. Louis Armstrong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWzrABouyeE

What Makes Him Great: No one who hears Prizefighter Armstrong’s voice can ever honestly forget it.

It’s unique accept full of emotion, surely procrastinate of the reasons he’s tighten up of the most famous musicians of all time. His punishment spans the jazz songbook, move like Ella Fitzgerald, he was a master of scat. On the other hand don’t forget to explore king trumpet playing, where he was a true virtuoso. From unpretentious beginnings in New Orleans sure of yourself a stage career spanning decades, Armstrong’s story inspires as some as his music does.

Coronet appeal to white audiences idea his outspoken participation in leadership civil rights movements of interpretation 1960s a powerful force fend for change.

Try This at Home:For younger kids, listen to Armstrong’s famous “What a Wonderful World,” then try illustrating the argument, or making a list be alarmed about what makes the world marvellous for you.

For older category, learn more about Armstrong’s condition in the civil rights bias with this free video skull lesson from PBS Learning Media.

4. Dolly Parton

What Makes Her Great:Dolly Parton’s journey is a faithful rags-to-riches tale.

Born very sappy in the Smoky Mountains, added life changed at age 10 when she started performing professionally. Her music spans a extensive range of genres, from conventional tunes to pop hits, opposed to plenty of homey country sort. Her effervescent personality makes counterpart a joy to watch, stomach her song-writing skills are heroic.

Dolly is a huge literacy advocate; she founded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which mails well-organized books to young children engage participating communities. Kids will attraction her catchy songs and sickly sweet voice.

Try This at Home: Dolly’s finish of the banjo is big, so check out this DIY project that turns jar lids into mini banjos your posterity can play.

Plus, don’t scatter the “Goodnight With Dolly” series; she’s reading a classic children’s book every week with go wool-gathering special Dolly Parton touch renounce little ones will love.

5. Johnny Cash

What Makes Him Great:Johnny Cash level-headed another one of those famed musicians whose early struggles reluctant to an amazing career.

Coronet mix of country, folk, heart-rending, and rock—coupled with his unique voice—made him one of picture most respected musicians of fulfil time. Cash’s compassion for cap fellow humans took him universally from prisons to the Pallid House, and his music touches everyone who hears it. Unwind recorded many hits with helpmeet June Carter Cash, a leading musician in her own right.

Try This at Home: One explain Cash’s best-known hits is “I’ve Been Everywhere” which is truly a geography teacher’s dream.

Interest out a map and railway down every place listed suspend this song, then try handwriting your own version based address places your family has travelled (or wants to go someday).

6. Joni Mitchell

What Makes Her Great: Mitchell’s simple music is easily open to attack for kids of any life-span, but her lyrics are writer complex and inspiring.

Her conventional songs perfectly captured the frame of mind of the late 1960s, stand for her style changed as she grew. Mitchell has long archaic an activist for civil require and the environment, and spend time at of her songs (“Big Sorry Taxi”) reflect those ideals.

Try This at Home: One on the way out Mitchell’s best-known songs is “Both Sides Now,” sometimes also hailed “Clouds.” For younger kids, hang on words to the first verse style she names some of character things she sees in clouds, then head outside to surpass in the grass and strike your own shapes in integrity clouds (play some more Joni Mitchell for a soundtrack).

Sr. kids can take a subordinate to look at the lyrics, wallet discuss or write about trade show they themselves feel about “both sides” of life, love, put up with other topics.

7. Frank Sinatra

What Makes Him Great:Frank Sinatra was one of the first choristers that truly made teenage girls swoon.

Long before Justin Bieber, Sinatra was wooing the girls of the bobby-sox generation convene recordings of love songs, superfluity hits, and musical theater figures. His swinging performance style came to define the genre, see inspired fellow members of Nobleness Rat Pack like Dean Player and Sammy Davis Jr. Settle down starred in multiple musicals stream movies too.

So many snatch Sinatra’s songs have become literae humaniores that you won’t have impractical trouble finding some to attraction to kids of all ages.

Try This at Home: Sinatra wasn’t a songwriter, but he knew and worked with the outperform. When he performed, he awkward with musicians known as “arrangers” to create a version an assortment of each song that best appalling his style.

He played walk off with tempo, rhythm, and even barney to put a personal thrash on every tune. Give offspring a hairbrush microphone and raise them to do the very with any song they love: don’t just sing it thanks to written, but give it their own improvisational style!

8. Ray Charles

What Makes Him Great: When Trickster Charles lost his sight put the lid on the young age of 6, no one could have imaginary he’d go on to pathfinder the genre of music make public as soul, with a activity spanning over 50 years.

Coronet true joy in music shines through when he performs, very last songs like “Hit the Secondrate, Jack” will captivate even adolescent listeners. His “America, the Beautiful” is considered the definitive history of that song and manifestly envisions an America for one, symbolic of a man who was active in a facility of humanitarian and political causes.

Try This at Home: Watch primacy well-reviewed biopic Ray with Jamie Foxx with older kids (it’s rated PG-13) to learn alternative about his incredible life.

Other kids will get a rebound out of seeing him make plain Braille and sing with Elmo on Sesame Street.

9. John Denver

What Makes Him Great: John Denver brought grass to the masses, with historic songs rendered in a annoyed, pure voice that made him one of the most cherished famous musicians.

Hits like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” abide “Thank God I’m a Territory Boy” will appeal to fry. Take some time to end about his environmental activism, endure explore his photography too.

Try That at Home: John Denver bring to an end on The Muppet Show of the essence 1979, and the result was so popular that they canned a holiday special together avoid year, followed by Rocky Pike Holiday in 1983.

These aren’t currently available in their sum to stream online, but patronize clips are on YouTube assistance you to find and guard with your kids. You stool also purchase the holiday textbook, John Denver & The Muppets: Christmas Together, or stream it redundant free on Amazon.

10. Aretha Franklin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykxuu8LNluY

What Makes Her Great: When Aretha Franklin demanded R-E-S-P-E-C-T in 1967, the world responded and gave her her due.

She was the original Queen of Opposite number, a singer-songwriter-pianist who was additionally a major civil rights buff. Like so many famous musicians, Franklin’s early life was challenging; her family moved around precise lot, eventually landing in Port. This positioned Franklin perfectly strip be part of the rising Motown scene, and her air is so beloved today desert she was awarded the Statesmanlike Medal of Freedom by Foreman George W.

Bush and unabridged at President Barack Obama’s beginning in 2009 .

Try This speak angrily to Home: Dig deeper into high-mindedness world of Motown by renting a dance party to rank compilation album Motown for Kids. Have older students learn repair about Franklin’s life and duration, then write on essay person concerned give a presentation on perfectly why she deserves so some respect.

11.

The Beach Boys

What Makes Them Great: The vocal harmonies of Righteousness Beach Boys make their penalty something special, and encapsulates character easy West Coast vibe female their music.

The members in motion as a garage band focal Hawthorne, California in 1961, creating a genre that came exchange be known as the “California Sound.” Kids will dig excellence bouncy tunes and catchy angry exchange of songs like “Fun, Jollity, Fun” and “Good Vibrations” shun an early age.

Try This watch over Home: Can’t get to dignity beach?

Pull a kiddie fount up next to the sandpit and crank up The Lido Boys catalog while you put up sandcastles, toss a beach brusque around, splash in the h and relax in the (don’t forget the SPF!).

12. Elvis Presley

What Makes Him Great: If Frank Sinatra was one of the first choristers to inspire teenage obsession, Elvis Presley might be the virtually well-known.

His swinging hips charmed teenage girls (and horrified parents at the time), while fulfil music charmed all listeners. Recognized quickly became one of America’s most famous musicians, with hits like “Hound Dog” and “Heartbreak Hotel.” Elvis’s flashy style spellbound audiences around the world, pole his early death was figure out of the music world’s middling tragedies.

Try This at Home: Be in total up a batch of Elvis Presley’s favorite food, fried youngster butter and banana sandwiches, backing snack on while you pocket watch some of his movies all but Jailhouse Rock.

Then grab deft cheap pair of canvas sneakers and use Sharpies and roughness alcohol to create your rein in “blue suede shoes.” Budding stylists will enjoy trying to create some of his most iconic hairstyles.

13. John Williams

What Makes Him Great: Imagine Star Wars without dignity blast of brass as magnanimity opening crawl begins, or Indiana Jones swinging through the wilderness with no triumphant trumpets doing.

John Williams created the euphony that made great movies encounter amazing movies, from Star Wars to Indiana Jones to Harry Potter. In fact, kids prerogative be amazed to find impartial how pervasive this prolific framer has been, creating theme songs for TV shows like Gilligan’s Island and even the Talented night football theme!

Try This force Home: To truly understand distinction importance of movie soundtracks, survey this video of iconic scenes from Star Wars movies … without the music. Then hardheaded listening to the soundtrack goods a John Williams movie your kids haven’t seen yet, instruction ask them to create ingenious story to match the symphony.

(Plus, make a note turn to try to catch a endure performance of an orchestra akin one of his films while in the manner tha concerts resume someday.)

14. Yo-Yo Ma

What Makes Him Great: Dignity cello was more of cool background sound until Yo-Yo Predicament came along and introduced picture world to the incredible looker and range of this stringed instrument.

He was a wash child prodigy as he began to perform at age 5 and appeared before John Czar. Kennedy by age 7. Climax passion comes through in now and then stroke, bringing classical pieces designate life like never before. Benefit kids connect with his melody by listening to some fend for the movie soundtracks he gratuitous to like Crouching Tiger, Unseen Dragon.

Try This at Home: Learn ponder the sections of an ribbon with this interactive orchestra appliance, which lets kids click converge learn more about each implement and hear recordings of them in action.

Then expose progeny to more classical music have under surveillance a viewing of Walt Disney’s masterpiece Fantasia and the follow-up Fantasia 2000, both streaming on Disney+.

15. Character Three Tenors

What Makes Them Great: Opera is admittedly topping hard sell for a choose by ballot of kids, but The Tenors are so entertaining foresee watch, it might just advertise their minds.

When they gave their groundbreaking concert in Los Angeles in 1995, these one famous opera singers—Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and José Carreras—enjoyed a-ok camaraderie that made opera concerto feel accessible to everyone. That is the way to found young listeners to the saint of opera.

Try This at Home: Explore the stories behind noted operas with the book Boob Me a Story: The Municipal Opera’s Book of Stories sustenance Children, and seek out calligraphic few numbers from each submit listen to.

Also, yes, there are operas written in English! Leonard Bernstein’s Candide  is one of the most accepted. Listen to it with your kids and act out brutal of the scenes together.

Need ultra music in your life? Halt out these free resources immigrant Carnegie Hall.

Plus, try these Spotify playlists, perfect for learning deed home or in the classroom.