List of composers of African descent

This is a list of composers of African ancestry.

A

 * Michael Abels, US (born 1962)
 * Mohamed Abdelwahab Abdelfattah, Egypt (born 1962)
 * Muhal Richard Abrams, US (1930–2017)
 * H. Leslie Adams, US (born 1932)
 * Eleanor Alberga, Jamaica (born 1949)
 * Alcione, Brazil (born 1947)
 * Amanda Christina Elizabeth Aldridge (Montague Ring), England (1866–1956)
 * Kenneth Amis, US (born 1970)
 * Thomas Jefferson Anderson (TJ), US (born 1928)
 * Lil Hardin Armstrong, US (1898–1971)

B

 * David Baker, US (1931–2016)
 * Count Basie, US, pianist, bandleader
 * Leon Bates, US, pianist
 * Catalina Berroa, Cuba (1849–1911)
 * Eubie Blake (James Hubert Blake), US (1887–1983)
 * James A. Bland, US (1854–1911)
 * Margaret Allison Bonds, US (1913–1972)
 * John William Boone, US (1864–1927)
 * Anthony Braxton, US (born 1945)
 * George Bridgetower, Poland (1779–1860), violinist and composer
 * Courtney Bryan, US (born 1982/1983), pianist and composer
 * James Tim Brymn, US (1881–1946)
 * Harry Burleigh, US (1866–1949)

C

 * Billy Childs, US (born 1957)
 * Robert Allen "Bob" Cole, US (1868–1911)
 * Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, England (1875–1912)
 * Ornette Coleman, US (1930–2015)
 * Alice Coltrane, US (1937–2007)
 * John Coltrane, US (1926–1967)
 * Geraldine Connor, UK (1952–2011)
 * Will Marion Cook, US (1869–1944)
 * Roque Cordero, Panama (1917–2008)
 * Arthur Cunningham, US (1928–1997)

D

 * William L. Dawson, US (1899–1990)
 * Anthony Davis, US (born 1951)
 * Gussie Lord Davis, US (1863–1899)
 * Edmond Dédé, US (1827–1903)
 * Leonard De Paur, US (1914–1998)
 * Robert Nathaniel Dett, Canada (1882–1943)
 * John Thomas Douglass, US (1847–1886)
 * Rudolph Dunbar, Guyana (1907–1988)
 * Leslie Dunner, US (born 1956)

E

 * Julius Eastman, US (1940–1990)
 * Justin Elie, Haiti (1883–1931)
 * Duke Ellington (Edward Kennedy Ellington), US (1899–1974), jazz big band leader
 * Mercer Ellington, US (1919–1996)
 * Joseph Antonio Emidy, Guinea (1775–1835)
 * Akin Euba, Nigeria (1935–2020)
 * James Reese Europe, US (1881–1919)

F

 * Donal Fox, US (born 1952)

G

 * José Maurício Nunes Garcia, Brazil (1767–1830)
 * Philip Gbeho, Ghana (1904–1976)
 * Kerry J. Gilliard, US (born 1972)
 * Harry P. Guy, US (1870–1950)

H

 * Adolphus Hailstork, US (born 1941)
 * W. C. Handy (William Christopher Handy), US (1873–1958), blues
 * Edward W. Hardy, US (born 1992), composer, violinist
 * Robert A. Harris, US (born 1938)
 * Henry Hart, US (1839–1915)
 * Scott Hayden, US (1882–1915), ragtime
 * Talib Rasul Hakim, US (1940–1988)
 * Fletcher Henderson, US (1897–1952), jazz big band leader
 * Ernest Hogan, US (1865–1909)
 * Moses Hogan, US (1957–2003)
 * David Hurd, US (born 1950)

I

 * Abdullah Ibrahim, South Africa (born 1934)

J

 * Michael Jackson, US (1958–2009), singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, choreographer, musician, businessman
 * Tony Jackson, US (1876–1921), pianist
 * Leroy Jenkins, US (1932–2007)
 * Jose Julian Jiménez, Cuba (1823–1880)
 * Lico Jiménez (José Manuel Jiménez Berroa), Cuba (1851–1917)
 * Francis Johnson, US (1792–1844)
 * Hall Johnson, US (1888–1970)
 * James Price Johnson, US (1894–1955)
 * J. Rosamond Johnson, US (1873–1954)
 * Victor C. Johnson, US (born 1978)
 * Irving Jones, US (1873-1932) ragtime composer
 * Trevor Jones, South Africa and United Kingdom (born 1949), film composer
 * Scott Joplin, US (1868–1917)
 * Quincy Jones, US (born 1933)
 * Joe Jordan, US (1882–1971)

K

 * Ulysses Simpson Kay, US (1917–1995)

L

 * Vicente Lusitano, Portugal, born in the early 1500s
 * Charles Lucien Lambert, US (c. 1828–1896)
 * Lucien-Léon Guillaume Lambert, France (1858–1945)
 * Sidney Lambert, US (1838–1905)
 * Ludovic Lamothe, Haiti (1882–1953)
 * Tania León, Cuba (born 1943)
 * John Lewis, US (1920–2001)
 * Melba Liston, US (1926–1999)
 * Sam Lucas, US (1850–1916)

M

 * Bobby McFerrin (Robert McFerrin Jr.), US (born 1950), jazz composer-vocalist-conductor
 * Wynton Marsalis, US (born 1961)
 * Arthur Marshall, US (1881–1968), ragtime
 * Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky, US (born 1970)
 * Charles Mingus, US (1922–1979)
 * Roscoe Mitchell, US (born 1940)
 * Thelonious Monk, US (1917–1982)
 * Carman Moore, US (born 1936)
 * Undine Smith Moore, US (1904–1989)
 * Jeffrey Mumford, US (born 1955)
 * Diedre Murray, US (born 1951)
 * Billy Myles (William Myles Nobles), US (1924–2005)

N

 * Brian Raphael Nabors, US (born 1991)
 * Gary Powell Nash, US (born 1964)
 * Oliver Nelson, US (1932–1975)
 * J. H. Kwabena Nketia, Ghana (1921–2019)

P

 * Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, US (1932–2004)
 * Julia Perry, US (1924–1979)
 * Zenobia Powell Perry, US (1908–2004)
 * Marvin Peterson, US (born 1948), jazz composer
 * Armand John Piron, US (1888–1943)
 * Florence Beatrice Price, US (1887–1953)
 * Prince, US (1958–2016)

R

 * Amadeo Roldán, Cuba (1900–1939)
 * Sonny Rollins, US (born 1930)

S

 * Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Guadeloupe (c. 1739–1799)
 * Ignatius Sancho, England (c. 1729–1780)
 * James Scott, US (1886–1938)
 * Jacob J. Sawyer, US (1856–1885)
 * Wayne Shorter, US (born 1933)
 * Alvin Singleton, US (born 1940)
 * Chris Smith, US (1879–1949)
 * Hale Smith, US (1925–2009)
 * Fela Sowande, Nigeria (1905–1987)
 * William Grant Still, US (1895–1978)
 * Howard Swanson, US (1907–1978)
 * Billy Strayhorn (William Thomas Strayhorn), US (1917–1967), one of the most highly regarded jazz and big band composers and arrangers; Ellington's friend and arranger

T

 * Shirley Thompson, English-born composer of Jamaican descent
 * Henry Threadgill, US (born 1944), jazz composer
 * Dean Clay Taylor, US (born 1943), classical composer

W



 * George Walker, US (1922–2018)
 * Fats Waller, US (1904–1943), singer, jazz musician
 * Pete Wentz, bassist of the band Fall Out Boy
 * Randy Weston, US (1926–2018)
 * Clarence Cameron White, US (1880–1960)
 * Joseph White (José Silvestre White Lafitte) Cuba (1835–1918)
 * Thomas Wiggins (Bethune) or "Blind Tom", US (1849–1908)
 * Clarence Williams, US (1898–1965)
 * Julius Penson Williams, US (born 1954)
 * Mary Lou Williams, US (1910–1981)
 * Olly Wilson, US (1937–2018)
 * John Wesley Work III, US (1901–1967)
 * Stevie Wonder (born 1950)

Z

 * Pamela Z, US (born 1956)

Dates of birth and death are unknown for several composers whose music, published during the 19th century, is described in "Historical Notes on African-American and Jamaican Melodies". These composers include Harry Bloodgood, Samuel Butler, Dudley C. Clark, Harry Davis, Pete Devonear, Fred C. Lyons, Henry Newman, James S. Putnam, and Francis V. Seymour.