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.