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1.
Aretha Franklin performing at Madison Square Garden on June 28, 1968.
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2.
Lauryn Hill at the 41st Grammy Awards, at which she won five Grammys.
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3.
Etta James recording in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, circa 1967.
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4.
Whitney Houston performing in Ahoy, Netherlands, on April 23, 1988.
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5.
Bessie Smith circa 1924.
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6.
Tina Turner onstage in Detroit during her Private Dancer tour on August 18, 1985.
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7.
Diana Ross in Los Angeles on July 16, 1975.
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8.
Toni Braxton at Radio City Music Hall in February 1997.
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9.
Donna Summer performing circa 1979.
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10.
Mary J. Blige in Chicago on October 13, 1995.
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11.
Billie Holiday at a recording session circa 1946.
12.
Tracy Chapman performing in San Francisco on March 15, 1997.
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13.
Chaka Khan performing in Chicago in 1984.
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14.
Ella Fitzgerald in a London hotel on March 6, 1961.
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15.
Minnie Riperton on an episode of Soul Train on October 25, 1975.
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16.
Lauryn Hill and Aretha Franklin on January 21, 1998.
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17.
Aaliyah onstage at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, on August 29, 1998.
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18.
Gladys Knight performing on April 28, 1976.
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19.
Sarah Vaughan rehearsing in New York in 1980.
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20.
Anita Baker onstage at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago in October 1986.
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21.
Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston performing “When You Believe” at the 71st Academy Awards on March 21, 1999.
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22.
Natalie Cole at a reception honoring her in London on October 24, 1975.
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23.
The Pointer Sisters in New York City circa 1983.
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24.
Gloria Gaynor performing in Los Angeles on December 13, 1975.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
25.
Roberta Flack performing at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island on July 2, 1971.
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26.
Aretha Franklin and her album Soul ’69 at Atlantic Records studios in New York City on January 9, 1969.
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27.
Etta James performs at Montreux Jazz Festival in 1977.
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28.
Ella Fitzgerald performing on The Ed Sullivan Show on May 5, 1963.
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29.
Lauryn Hill performing at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands, on May 24, 1999.
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30.
Ma Rainey circa 1923.
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31.
Martha and the Vandellas – Rosalind Ashford, Martha Reeves, and Betty Kelly – arriving in London on March 15, 1965.
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32.
Billie Holiday performing in 1950.
Gilles Petard / Redferns / Getty Images
33.
Mariah Carey performing in New York City on December 8, 1994.
Kevin Mazur Archive / WireImage / Getty Images
34.
Nina Simone performing on October 18, 1964.
35.
Dinah Washington performing in New York City on September 5, 1952.
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36.
Diana Ross at the Super Bowl halftime show on January 28, 1996.
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37.
Bessie Smith onstage in Philadelphia in the early 1900s.
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38.
Whitney Houston performing at Wembley Arena on October 19, 1986.
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39.
Patti LaBelle performing in Rosemont, Illinois, in 1986.
Raymond Boyd / Getty Images
40.
Then-TLC members Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas at the 38th Grammy Awards on February 28, 1996.
Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
41.
Mary Wells onstage in New York City in 1964.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
42.
Lena Horne singing on a set in the 1940s.
Hulton Archive / Getty Images
43.
Donna Summer performing in Atlanta on March 26, 1978.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
44.
Mahalia Jackson performing in Berlin in 1967.
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45.
Ella Fitzgerald performing in 1964.
Tony Evans / Getty Images
46.
Tina Turner performing at the 27th Grammy Awards on February 26, 1985.
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47.
The Supremes — Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson — performing circa 1965.
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48.
Brandy and Whitney Houston on November 17, 1996, at Ebony Magazine’s “Celebrate the Dream: 50 Years of Ebony Magazine.”
Ron Wolfson / Getty Images
49.
Dionne Warwick performing in London on July 18, 1975.
Radio Times / Getty Images
50.
Nina Simone performing at the BBC Television Centre in 1966.
David Redfern / Redferns / Getty Images
51.
Tracy Chapman onstage in Amsterdam on August 20, 1988.
Frans Schellekens / Redferns / Getty Images
52.
And Aretha Franklin during a concert in 1969.
Walter Iooss Jr / Getty Images
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