25 musicians who broke barriers

Blinded by being given too much oxygen just after birth, Stevie Wonder—born Steveland Hardaway Judkins—learned to play the harmonica, drums, and piano before he was 10. Wonder signed with Motown Records in 1961 and promoted social justice and racial tolerance throughout his career, including singing the duet “Ebony and Ivory” in the ‘80s with Paul McCartney. During his career, he won 25 Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, started the rock band Queen in the early ‘70s. Mercury, who said he was bisexual, challenged the heteronormative stereotypes around what a man should be like on stage. Although he was known for his skin-tight costumes and charismatic stage presence, many have said Mercury was actually shy when he wasn't performing.

Jazz musician Nina Simone, who was classically trained but also loved folk, started playing the piano when she was 3. Simone used her music to speak out about racism and social justice during the Civil Rights Movement of the early ‘60s. Her music inspired modern Black artists like Lauryn Hill, Kanye West, and John Legend.

Joan Jett started performing with the all-girl rock band the Runaways in 1975. Along with fellow members Cherie Currie, Micki Steele, and Sandy West, Jett changed what it meant to be a woman in rock.

Prince signed a contract with Warner Bros. when he was 17, launching a successful career that spanned 40 years. His first album came out in 1978, and "Little Red Corvette" was one of the first videos by a Black artist to appear on MTV. After his death in 2016, one of Prince's bandmates said he was a once-in-a-lifetime artist. "Prince broke so many barriers. He broke walls down. There were other people who did it, going back to Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, but not like Prince," said Mark "Brownmark" Brown.

Born in Germany in 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven started playing the piano as a young boy, giving his first performance when he was 8. He began to lose his hearing when he was in his 20s. Throughout the decline of his health and hearing, he continued composing and playing the piano.

In 2009, American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert opened up about being “bi-curious” and gay. Lambert helped usher in a new era of gay acceptance simply because he was on a mainstream television show. At the time, only 37% of Americans supported same-sex marriage.

Piano prodigy Hazel Scott joined her mother's touring jazz band when she was only 15. In the late ‘30s and ‘40s, she performed at cafes and on Broadway in New York. In 1950, she became the first Black woman to host her own television show.

Years before Nicki Minaj exploded on the rap scene, there was MC Lyte. Lana Michelle Moorer was the first female rapper to release a solo album and the first to be nominated for a Grammy. In 1993, her single “Ruffneck” was nominated for Best Rap Single. In 2006, she founded the Hip Hop Sisters Network, a non-profit organization that provides mentorship for young people and “promotes positive images of women of ethnic diversity.”

.

Though he was born with a stutter, Bill Withers went on to win three Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. Withers, who shot to fame with "Ain't No Sunshine" in 1971, challenged racial stereotypes. "Not a lot of people got me," said Withers. "Here I was, this Black guy playing an acoustic guitar, and I wasn't playing the gut-bucket blues. People had a certain slot that they expected you to fit in to."

Patti Smith, another woman musician who defied the gender stereotypes of her era, moved to New York in the late ‘60s. She started her artistic career as a poet and later joined the New York punk scene in the ‘70s. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Born during the Great Depression, Odetta Holmes faced poverty and racism before launching her folk career, a genre dominated by white singers at the time. She earned a music degree from Los Angeles City College, but started singing in New York nightclubs in the ‘50s. In 1960s, her music became political and she marched with Martin Luther King Jr.

Canada-based rock and R&B singer Lucas Silveira started his career in the 2000s and is considered the first openly transgender man to have signed with a major record label. When Silveira began his transition,  he slowly eased himself onto testosterone because he was afraid to permanently lose his voice by “shocking” his vocal cords.

In 2012, the lead singer of the punk rock band Against Me! became Laura Jane Grace and transitioned to female. The group later released “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” and “Shape Shift With Me,” albums exploring issues of gender identity.

In 2012, rapper and R&B singer Frank Ocean told the world he was gay through a letter he posted on Tumblr. The hip-hop industry hasn't historically been known for being inclusive of women or the LGBTQ+ community, but Ocean has helped to change that by writing and singing about queer issues.

Ella Fitzgerald won a talent contest at the Apollo Theater when she was just a teenager. In 1957, Fitzgerald became the first Black person to perform at the Los Angeles nightclub Mocambo.

In 1951, Little Richard won a talent contest in Atlanta, eventually signing a record contract with RCA. Richard helped jump-start rock 'n' roll, and artists like Elvis Presley and The Beatles covered his songs. Little Richard was known for his flashy style when it came to clothes and piano playing, but he struggled to combine his religious beliefs with his sexual identity as a gay man.

Before same-sex marriage became legal in all 50 states, Beth Ditto, formerly of the band Gossip, was singing about LGBTQ+ rights. In 2015, she married her partner Kristin Ogata in Oregon. Ditto is also a plus-sized model and designer. When asked about the scene she represents, Ditto said, "The homos and the weirdos know that our band is always going to be their friend. And at home, most of my friends play music and most of them are gay, and that's the truth.”

Singer and dancer Rita Moreno was the first Latina actress to take home an Oscar, winning Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "West Side Story." She later won two Emmys, a Grammy, and a Tony.

Considered the "godmother of rock 'n' roll," Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a queer Black woman, rose to fame in the 1940s. She learned to play the guitar when she was 4, and her love of music led her to New York during the late '30s. Even though she was famous, segregation during the '40s kept her from eating in some restaurants or sleeping in whites-only hotels—she spent many nights sleeping on buses.

Soul singer and civil rights champion Aretha Franklin won 18 Grammys during her career and in 1987 became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “I think women have to be strong,” said Franklin, otherwise, “some people will run right over you.”

At age 6, glaucoma robbed Ray Charles of his eyesight. Despite going blind, Charles learned to play the piano and saxophone, later becoming one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, particularly during a time of severe racial discrimination and intolerance. When asked to describe his soulful music, Charles said: “It's a force that can light a room. The force radiates from a sense of selfhood, a sense of knowing where you've been and what it means. Soul is a way of life—but it's always the hard way."

In 1999, Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin brought Latin pop music to the mainstream. "Livin' La Vida Loca" was Martin's inaugural solo album and his first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. While rumors about his sexuality spread early in his career, the now-married pop star publicly came out as gay in 2010. The decision was “incredibly painful” and many told him it would end his career. Martin is now an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2003, Big Freedia released her first album “Queen Diva,” but her career didn't really take off until 2010. Since then, the New Orleans “queen of bounce” has increased awareness for the LGBTQ community. In 2013, she launched a reality show, “Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce,” and won a GLAAD Media Award.

In 1984, a car crash left 21-year-old Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen without his left arm. He thought he would never play again, but he returned to the stage in 1986. Allen learned to play with his right arm while triggering an electric drum kit with his feet.