Kendrick Lamar was the first black musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018 for his album "DAMN."
No, there were other black musicians long before Ellington was even born.
Mattie Shaw, the mother of musician Prince, is black.
Nat King Cole
He is a Great Black Musician.
Barack Obama was not the first Black person to run for President. John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (1964) Musician /Activist Eldridge Cleaver (1968) writer of Soul on Ice Shirley Chisholm (1972) First Black congresswoman / First Black Woman to run for president
Chuck Berry was the first great rock & roll musician, not a jazz musician.
it was bob Marley
my answer to this is black eyed peas
black eyed peas
Black Eyed Peas
The first Black musician to host his own television show was Nat King Cole. His variety program, "The Nat King Cole Show," premiered in 1956 and was notable for being one of the first television shows hosted by an African American. Despite its critical acclaim, the show faced challenges in attracting advertisers due to racial prejudices of the time. Cole's pioneering role paved the way for future Black entertainers in television.