After reading Sarah's blog about 11 black actresses to know and love, I was inspired to create my own little list of black musicians/singers. To keep the list from growing exponentially, I've stuck to six of those living today...

Gasp! And Alicia Keys isn't on it! (I like her, btw, she just didn't make my top 6)

Here goes!

6. Mary Jane Blige. Granted, she's probably not best friends with PETA, but she's sold over 40million albums. And she's from the boogie-down.

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5. Tracy Chapman. Maybe cuz "Give Me One Reason" was one of the first songs I learned on the guitar, but TC has a way of hitting home with nearly any music fan.

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4. Corinne Bailey Rae. England represent! She writes, sings and plays. And when asked about her stint in the indie band Helen, she said "It was the first time I'd seen women with guitars. They were kinda sexy – but feminist. I wanted to be like that, at the front of something". Uhm. Yeah.That single-handedly bumped you to spot No. 4, Corinne...

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3. Tina Turner. Ike, shmike. She could be my private dancer any day. Tennessee-born and oh so proud, how can I NOT put Tina on my list!? She embodies soul, grit, and passion. I mean, let's just put Mad Max on the back burner for a second and watch this. <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qtDQlekag24&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qtDQlekag24&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

2. Cassandra Wilson. She's strong, she's talented, and her voice is like buttah. Here's a clip of her doing a cover of "Fragile". <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7cvl4YymMU8&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7cvl4YymMU8&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

1. Lauryn Hill. Talk about poetic. I can play her albums from start to finish, won't skip a song, won't miss a beat. Lauryn started by singing at weddings with her mom, brother and sister (how cute is that!?), and went on to sell out stadiums. Unforutnately she became disillusioned with the industry, and said in an interview, "They didn’t understand how female and strong work together. Or young and wise. Or Black and divine." . This woman is STUNNING. GORGEOUS. Here she sings "Turn the Lights Down Low" <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YwawI9ffBbc&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YwawI9ffBbc&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>