June is African American Music Appreciation Month! Established by President Jimmy Carter as National Black Music Month in 1979, the month honors Black contributions across a range of genres. From folk music, to jazz, R&B, Hip-Hop, and others, Black artists have, and continue, to shape American and global music culture.

To celebrate, the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has curated a playlist of some trailblazing Black artists from throughout history. Some of them, including John and Alice Coltrane, Muddy Waters, Nina Simone, and Louis Armstrong are all connected to Action Fund grantee sites that are actively being preserved today.