Meet the 10 Biggest Musicians From North Carolina

North Carolina has been around since the beginning of the United States. It has also seen incredible innovations such as Orville and Wilbur Wright’s first successful airplane flight in the state’s Outer Banks. What the state is less known for is music, which is surprising, considering some of the best jazz musicians to have ever played were born in the state. As such, let’s explore the 10 biggest musicians from North Carolina.

To compile a list of the 10 biggest musicians from North Carolina, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of musical and celebrity publications and websites including Hello Music Theory, Singers Room, and NC State University News. Next, we selected artists from a range of genres with the biggest cultural impact. After that, we confirmed biographical details using sites like Biography and Britannica.

J. Cole

• Hometown: Fayetteville

One of the biggest musicians from North Carolina is rapper and producer J. Cole. Born Jermaine Lamarr Cole, he first rose to musical prominence with the release of his debut mixtape “The Come Up.” From there, Cole released a string of successful albums including “Born Sinner,” “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” and “The Off-Season.”

Each album was certified platinum by the RIAA, meaning J. Cole has sold over 9 million records. For his musical success, Cole has won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song, three Soul Train Music Awards, eight BET Hip-Hop Awards, and a Billboard Music Award. He is also a noted producer, with his record label Dreamville Records producing albums by noted artists JID and Ari Lennox.

Petey Pablo

• Hometown: Greenville

Another one of the biggest musicians from North Carolina is rapper, singer, and producer Petey Pablo. Born Moses Barrett III, Pablo first rose to musical prominence after signing with Jive Records and releasing the single “Raise Up.” This song reached number 25 on the Billboard charts.

Since then, Pablo has released several successful projects such as the album “Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry” and the single “Freek-a-Leek,” which peaked at number seven on the Billboard charts. Though Pablo spent time in prison in the mid-aughts for bringing a stolen gun on a plane, since being freed he has continued to release new music including the single “Carolina Colors.”

Ben Folds

• Hometown: Greensboro

Ben Folds is a singer-songwriter and one of the biggest musicians from North Carolina. Born Benjamin Scott Folds, he played in several bands before becoming a frontman for the eponymous Ben Folds Five. Since then he has released numerous albums to critical acclaim including “Whatever and Ever Amen” with Ben Folds Five and “Songs for Silverman” solo.

Though Folds has eluded commercial success, he is critically acclaimed for his piano work and compositional acumen. This has led to numerous collaborations with artists and authors like Regina Spektor and Neil Gaiman. He was also a judge on NBC’s “The Sing-Off.” Since 2017, Folds has been the first artistic advisor for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.

Tori Amos

• Hometown: Newton

Another one of the biggest musicians from North Carolina is pianist and singer-songwriter Tori Amos. Born Myra Ellen Amos, she was a musical prodigy from an early age, winning a full scholarship to the Peabody Institute at the age of five. After that, she was the frontwoman for the 1980s pop group Y Kant Tori Read.

From there, Amos embarked on a successful solo career. Her charted singles include “Crucify,” “Cornflake Girl,” “Spark, “Flavor,” and “A Sorta Fairytale.” For her musical success, Amos has won a Q Award, the George Peabody Medal, and has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards. In 2012, she was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

Roberta Flack

• Hometown: Black Mountain

Another one of the biggest musicians from North Carolina is singer Roberta Flack. Born Roberta Cleopatra Flack, she first rose to fame after being discovered in a D.C. nightclub and signing with Atlantic Records. Since then, Flack released several chart-topping singles and helped establish a flavor of R&B called Quiet Storm.

Some of these tracks include “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “The Closer I Get to You,” and most notably, “Killing Me Softly with His Song.” For her musical success, Flack has won an American Music Award as well as five Grammy Awards. She is also the first artist to win Grammy Awards for Record of the Year two years in a row.

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George Clinton

• Hometown: Kannapolis

George Clinton is a singer, musician, bandleader, and undoubtedly one of the biggest musicians from North Carolina. Born George Edward Clinton, he first rose to musical prominence as a staff songwriter for Motown Records. This led to the creation of two separate bands and eventual single music collective, Parliament and Funkadelic, both of which saw commercial success.

Clinton is known for his outlandish fashion sense as well as his style of funk music that drew on Afrofuturism, psychedelic rock, and surrealism. For this, he is considered an influence on everything from funk to hip-hop. For his success, Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He and the band were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Jermaine Dupri

• Hometown: Asheville

Another one of the biggest musicians from North Carolina is rapper, producer, DJ, and entrepreneur Jermaine Dupri. Born Jermaine Dupri Maudlin, he got an early start in music thanks to his father who was a Columbia Records executive. This led to his discovery of the band Kriss Kross and the writing of their number-one hit single “Jump.”

From there, Dupri created his record label So So Def Recordings which signed several hit artists over the years including Bow Wow, Da Brat, and Anthony Hamilton. As for his music, Dupri’s debut album “Life in 1472” peaked at number three on the Billboard Charts. Besides serving as Mariah Carey’s talent manager, as well as co-creating the television show “The Rap Game,” Dupri won a Grammy Award in 2006 for the song “We Belong Together.”

John Coltrane

• Hometown: Hamlet

Another one of the biggest musicians from North Carolina is undoubtedly John Coltrane. Born John William Coltrane, he first rose to prominence as one of the forefront players of Free Jazz. This, plus his pioneering use of musical modes, established him as a premier jazz musician. Due to this, Coltrane appeared on some fifty noted jazz recordings and collaborated with the likes of Miles Davis and fellow North Carolina musician Thelonious Monk.

After that, Coltrane’s career took on a spiritual dimension as best typified by his critically-lauded and commercially successful album “A Love Supreme.” For his musical success, Coltrane won a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Jazz Solo Performance as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Besides also winning a special Pulitzer Prize Award, he was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

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Nina Simone

• Hometown: Tryon

Another one of the biggest musicians to hail from North Carolina is singer-songwriter, pianist, and activist Nina Simone. Born as Eunice Kathleen Waymon, Simone attended the esteemed Juilliard School of Music. She first rose to musical prominence, however, with the hit single “I Love You, Porgy.”

From there, Simone’s career took a decidedly artistic route with subsequent releases strongly influenced by classical music as well as baroque jazz. In later years, Simone was also a noted civil rights activist. Regarded as one of the greatest jazz singers of all time, Simone earned many accolades. Some of these include inductions into the Irish Music Hall of Fame as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Randy Travis

• Hometown: Marshville

Randy Travis is a singer-songwriter and arguably the biggest country musician from North Carolina. Born Randy Bruce Traywick, Travis first rose to prominence with the release of his album “Storms of Life,” which sold over four million records. Since then, he has released a string of hit albums with chart-topping singles and sold over 25 million records.

Some of his best-known songs include “On the Other Hand,” “I Told You So,” and “Three Wooden Crosses.” Considered a pivotal figure in the neotraditional country genre, Travis has received many accolades. These include seven Grammy Awards, five Country Music Association Awards, and 10 Academy of Country Music Awards. He is also a noted actor, having appeared in the movie “Black Dog” and the television show “Matlock.”

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