It’s Black History Month. Listen to these Black artists who changed music in WA

Black History Month is observed during the month of February in the United States.

It’s dedicated to acknowledging the lesser-told stories, celebrating the successes and mourning the losses of Black Americans, as well as furthering education for all.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a facet of American life that wasn’t deeply influenced, or created entirely, by Black people.

That includes is music. Every genre has been touched by Black people and culture at some point in history, and many Black musicians have connections to Washington state.

Here are just a few of the notable Black musicians with ties to the Evergreen State.

What Black jazz musicians have ties to Washington state?

• Oscar Holden - 1920s

Commonly referred to as the father of Seattle jazz, Oscar Holden arrived in Seattle as an adult in 1925, after having already established multiple bands in different regions of the country and in British Columbia, according to his profile in Black Past. Holden and his wife, Leala, would hold monthly jam sessions with musicians from all over.

One of their children, Rolan “Ron” Holden, went on to become a semi-successful R&B artist in the 1960s.

• Edythe Turnham - 1920s

Edythe Turnham and her husband, Floyd, were influential jazz musicians in Seattle and Spokane during Washington’s prime jazz age, according to Black Past.

Edythe Turnham created a family band — known as the Edythe Turnham Orchestra or Edythe Turnham and her Knights of Syncopation — that became a popular jazz act in Seattle. The success eventually took the family to Los Angeles, where the group changed its name to the Dixie Aces.

Floyd and Edythe Turnham’s son, Floyd Jr., continued in the music industry after his father’s death.

• Ernestine Anderson - 1940s

Jazz and blues singer Ernestine Anderson moved to Seattle as a teenager, launching her music career as part of the city’s jazz scene. Anderson was recruited into the Blackwell Junior Band after being discovered by the bandleader, according to History Link. The group helped many influential musicians start their careers, including Ray Charles and Quincy Jones.

Anderson began touring with bands while still in her teens, and went on to release her own music with critical acclaim. She garnered many awards, accolades and impressive achievements over the years, including four Grammy Award nominations.

She died in 2016 in Seattle.

“Ernestine was mother Seattle’s soul music,” Jim McDermott, then a U.S. congressman, said after Anderson died. “Mississippi had BB King and Seattle had Ernestine Anderson. Ernestine’s legacy remains unmatched in Seattle’s music scene.”

• Patti Bown - 1950s

From a musical family, Patti Bown was raised in the Seattle area and grew up playing piano, Flophouse Magazine reported.

While her sister, Edith Mary Valentine, became a successful concert pianist, Bown opted for jazz. She played in bands in the late 1940s before releasing a solo album in 1958. Bown eventually relocated to New York City, where she had a successful career collaborating with many established musicians.

• Luther Rabb - 1970s

Musician, singer and songwriter Luther Rabb began playing saxophone at age 10, according to his biography in Dancing Monica. He played sax in one of Jimi Hendrix’s first groups, the Velvetones. Over the years, Rabb was also part of the bands BallinJack, Santana and War, contributing in various roles.

See Black R&B, soul and blues musicians with Washington ties

• Dave Lewis - 1950s

Pianist Dave Lewis started multiple vocal groups and bands while growing up in Bremerton and Seattle, primarily performing R&B with some touches of rock n’ roll. The prevalence of Lewis’ projects at Seattle venues offered many younger enthusiasts their first exposure to R&B, according History Link.

His inclusion of organ in the Dave Lewis Combo helped shape the regional sound of the time, known as the Northwest Sound. Then the Dave Lewis Trio, formed in the 1960s, focused on nightclub music and had multiple regional hits.

• Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne - 1960s

Kenny Wayne was born in Spokane but raised primarily in California. Exposed to an array of music from a young age, Wayne’s variety as a pianist and singer allowed him to perform in multiple genres, including pop and rock, according his official biography.

As Wayne became more well-known, his talent in blues earned him nicknames including the “Blues Boss” and “Gentleman of the Boogie Woogie.” Since then, he has continued releasing music, dabbling in additional subgenres.

• Isaac Scott - 1980s

Born in Arkansas, Isaac Scott moved to the Pacific Northwest with his family in the ‘40s. Growing up, he was exposed to gospel and blues music in Portland, Oregon, and later, Washington state, according to the Los Angeles Times. When Scott established a life in Seattle as an adult, he began to focus on blues, and subsequently is credited with forming the Seattle blues sound, according to the Cascade Blues Association.

• Oleta Adams - 1980s

Born in Seattle in the 1950s and raised in Yakima, Oleta Adams sang and wrote gospel and soul music. She began singing in church while growing up.

Adams started her career in the 1980s with self-financed albums after moving to Kansas City, where there were more gigs for her sound, according to the Jazz Music Archives. She achieved relative success in the ‘90s, charting at No. 1 in the United Kingdom and in the top five in the United States. Adams has had four Grammy nominations and has performed with numerous big-name acts, including a stint touring in the Phil Collins’ Big Band Jazz Tour, according to her official biography.

What Black musicians influenced rock in Washington state?

• Jimi Hendrix - 1960s

Rock icon Jimi Hendrix’s innovations in guitar playing has inspired generations of musicians, despite only being active in the scene for about four years. Hendrix taught himself how to play the guitar while unable to read or write music, according to his official biography, and quickly earned back-line guitar roles for big acts. The Seattle-born musician worked in different areas of the country until he was signed in 1966. His career then brought him to London to create The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The legendary guitarist’s career was cut short in 1970 when he died of a drug overdose at 27 years old.

• Tina Bell - 1980s

Bam Bam lead singer Tina Bell is widely considered a queen or godmother of grunge. The band started with Bell and her husband, Tommy Martin, among other members. Bam Bam referred to an acronym of their names, Bell and Martin. Their music was a precursor to the surge of grunge in ‘90s Seattle, yet their influence was often under-recognized until nearly a decade after Bell’s death, as reported in Cascade PBS’s Black Arts Legacies.

Who are influential Black rappers from Washington state?

In recent decades, plenty of notable musicians have had connections to Washington state.

The 1980s and ’90s brought two waves of hip-hop to Seattle — the first involving rappers such as Sir Mix-A-Lot and Kid Sensation, the second including Source of Labor and other hip-hop groups. Both waves include a myriad of artists worth listening to, and many of the main players from this time are still active in music today.

In 2005, a rapper from Seattle, NoClue, secured the Guinness World Record for the fastest rap MC when he performed 723 syllables in 51.27 seconds, or, 14.1 syllables per second. Eminem holds the record for the fastest verse, with 11 syllables per second. The fastest rap emcee record was beaten by El Chojin in 2008, the last year the category was measured by Guinness.

Many artists with Washington state ties have pivoted to philanthropy after their music careers slowed down, giving back to their communities and offering meaningful opportunities for local youth.

Bernadette Bascom, an R&B singer based in Seattle during the ‘80s, now runs The Music Project of Northshore, a nonprofit organization in the Northshore School District focusing on musical opportunities for students with disabilities.

Ray Charles, Quincy Jones spent time in Washington state

It would be impossible to list every single well-known Black artist with Washington state ties.

Ray Charles is often credited with inspiring, guiding and collaborating with many of the best-known musicians from Washington state during the late 1940s, despite only operating out of Seattle for a couple of years and achieving mainstream success after his time in the Evergreen State.

This listing also leaves out producers, bandleaders and composers, occupations which have all been greatly influenced by Black leader.

Quincy Jones, a producer and arranger with more than two dozen Grammy Award wins got his start in Bremerton. He’s honored as a “Black trailblazer” by the Kitsap History Museum.

Where can I buy music by Black musicians in Washington state?

Find a record store near you to look for new local gems, support local live music and make a habit of listening to something new as often as you can.

Local recommendations around the state include Rainy Day Records in Olympia, Atomic Genius Records in Puyallup, Ritual Records in Bellingham and Hot Poop in Walla Walla.

This is an updated version of an article that originally published Feb. 6, 2025.