African American film score composers

American films have incorporated music composed by African Americans historically, incorporating genres like jazz, ragtime, and blues. With the introduction of sound film, African American music appeared in feature films, musical shorts, and early “soundies.” In pre-Hollywood era films, African American composers struggled to have their music included formally as part of the score, rather than diegetic background music. African American composers faced significant barriers to scoring major Hollywood films for many decades. In 1959, jazz composer Duke Ellington became the first African American to score a major Hollywood film, Anatomy of a Murder, with formal credit and recognition for this work. From the 1960s onwards, this began to change, with notable figures like Quincy Jones receiving two Oscar nominations in 1968. Today, African American music, including rock and rap, remains a vital part of the filmic experience, particularly through its use in modern soundtracks. History The connection between African American music and film is long lasting, with actors portraying jazz or blues musicians in silent films and live jazz, ragtime, or blues improvisations accompanying silent movi