Presented below, and organized by alphabetical order, are twenty-five singers and composers who had no children.
ALDRIDGE, Amanda Ira
Amanda Ira Aldridge (1866-1956) was a British opera singer, teacher, and composer. She was also the sister of Luranah Aldridge.
ALDRIDGE, Luranah
Luranah Aldridge (1860-1932) was an English opera singer and the sister of Amanda Ira Aldridge.
BENTLEY, Gladys
Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) was an American blues singer, pianist, and entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance.
BLACKSTONE, Tsianina
Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone (1882-1985) was a Native American singer, performer, and activist. She contributed to the libretto of the opera Shanewis (1918).
BOSWELL, Connee
Connee Boswell (1907-1976) was an American singer who performed with her sisters as The Boswell Sisters in the 1920s and 1930s.
CALVÉ, Emma
Emma Calvé (1858-1942) was one of the most famous French opera singers of the Belle Époque.
DALIDA
Dalida (1933-1987) was a French-Italian pop singer who sang in nine languages and sold millions of records internationally.
GARDEN, Mary
Mary Garden (1874-1967) was a Scottish-born American operatic soprano sometimes called the “Sarah Bernhardt of opera.”
GORE, Lesley
Lesley Gore (1946-2015) was an American singer who recorded her first hit “It’s My Party” at the age of 16.
HOLIDAY, Billie
Billie Holiday (1915-1959) was an influential American jazz singer who used her platform for civil rights activism, such as with the recording of the song “Strange Fruit” (in protest of the lynching of Black Americans).
JONES, Sharon
Sharon Jones (1956-2016) was an American soul singer who released her first record at the age of forty years old. She became the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a funk and soul band inspired by the 1960s/1970s style.
KANE, Helen
Helen Kane (1904-1966) was an American singer and actress whose voice and appearance inspired the creation of the Betty Boop animated character.
KASSIA
Kassia (c.805-died before 865) was a Byzantine abbess, poet, and composer.
MAGNY, Colette
Colette Magny (1926-1997) was a French singer and songwriter who performed in various musical styles, such as blues, jazz, protest songs, and spoken word.
MILLS, Florence
Florence Mills (1896-1927) was an American cabaret entertainer nicknamed “Queen of Happiness.”
PATTI, Adelina
Adelina Patti (1843-1919) was an Italian opera singer and one of the most famous sopranos in history.
PONS, Lily
Lily Pons (1898-1976) was a French-American operatic soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s.
SMYTH, Ethel
Dame Ethel Smyth DBE (1858-1944) was an English composer and a member of the women’s suffrage movement.
THORNTON, Big Mama
Big Mama Thornton (1926-1984) was an American R&B singer and songwriter. She was the first to sing the “Hound Dog” song which later became popularized by Elvis.
VON BINGEN, Hildegard
Hildegard von Bingen (c. 1098-1179) was a German Benedictine abbess, polymath, mystic, and composer.
VON PARADIS, Maria Theresia
Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824) was an Austrian musician and classical composer.
VON TRAPP, Agathe
Agathe von Trapp (1913-2010) was born into the musical family that inspired The Sound of Music.
WATERS, Ethel
Ethel Waters (1896-1977) was an American actress and singer of jazz, swing, and blues who began her career in the 1920s.
Childfree History Museum 