Jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams was a genius ahead of her time. From child prodigy to "Boogie-Woogie Queen" to groundbreaking composer to mentoring some of the greatest musicians of all time, she never ceased to astound those who heard her play. But for a Black woman in the early 1900s, life as a star did not come easy.

• Mary Lou Williams
• Alfre Woodard
• Delroy Lindo
• Wendell Pierce
• Stanley Crouch
• Robin D.G. Kelley
• Gary Giddins
• Tammy L. Kernodle