Dave Matthews

Matthews is known as the lead vocalist, songwriter and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. DMB has sold more tickets than any act from 2000-10.

Counting Crows

Counting Crows is an American rock band from Berkeley, Calif. The band performed at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse in 2007.

Swizz Beatz

As a recording artist, record producer and disc jockey, Swizz Beatz has contributed to the sale of more than 280 million records in the United States alone. He has collaborated with Jay-Z, Beyonce, Bono and Kanye West, among others.

Natasha Bedingfield

Known best for the hit song “Unwritten” Bedingfield is a pop singer and songwriter from Sussex, England. In 2012, VH1 ranked her No. 66 on the “100 Greatest Women In Music” list.

Don Was and his All-Star Band

Was is a Grammy Award-winning musician, bassist and record producer from Detroit. He produced six Rolling Stones albums and has also worked with Bob Dylan, John Mayer, Ziggy Marley and Bob Seger.

David Crosby

Crosby has been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, with the bands The Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash. In addition to being a singer-songwriter, Crosby is a social justice activist and performed at Occupy Wall Street last November.

Cyndi Lauper

Lauper is most famous for her song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” She has sold more than 50 million albums over her career worldwide and has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards.

Roberta Flack

Flack won back-to-back Record of the Year awards at the Grammy’s in 1973 and 1974 for the songs “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song.”

Nelly Furtado

Furtado grew to fame in the early 2000s with her debut album, featuring the songs “I’m Like a Bird” and “Turn Off the Light.” The Canadian artist has won two Grammy Awards.

Nas

Nas is a rapper from Queens, N.Y., ranked No. 5 on MTV’s “The Greatest MCs of All Time.” He performed in the Carrier Dome in 2011 with Damian Marley as part of Block Party.

Matisyahu

Matisyahu is a reggae and alternative rock artist who released his fourth studio album, “Spark Seeker,” this past July. His second album, “Youth,” reached as high as No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums in 2006.

Phillip Phillips

At age 21, Phillips won the 11th season of ‘American Idol.’ Phillips is set to record his first album soon.

Andy Grammer

Grammer released his first album in 2011, and was named as one of Billboard’s 2011 Artists to Watch. He began his career as a street performer in Santa Monica, Calif.

Engelbert Humperdinck

Humperdinck has sold more than 150 million records in the last 40-plus years as a pop singer. His album “Release Me” rose above The Beatles’ “Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields” album on the U.K. charts, he has 63 gold and 24 platinum records and he performed a song for the film “Beavis and Butt-head Do America.”

Emmanuel Jal

Jal is a rapper and peace activist from South Sudan. He was beaten and robbed in his home country on Sept. 8, but is still scheduled to perform.

Angelique Kidjo

Named “Africa’s premier diva” by Time magazine, Kidjo is a Grammy Award-winning artist from Benin, West Africa. She has collaborated with artists such as Carlos Santana, Alicia Keys and Josh Groban.

Liel Kolet

Kolet first achieved fame at age 14 when she performed John Lennon’s “Imagine” on stage with President Bill Clinton at an international event. Now 23, she tries to promote tolerance and unity through her music.

Andy Madadian

Madadian is an Iranian-Armenian singer-songwriter dubbed “The Persian Elvis.” He recently recorded “Stand by Me” with Jon Bon Jovi to show solidarity for the people of Iran.

Voices of Peace Choir

The choir is made of Jewish, Muslim and Christian youths from Tel Aviv-Jaffa. They sing in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

A.R. Rahman

Rahman is a two-time Academy Award-winning composer whom Time magazine dubbed the “Mozart of Madras.” He performed at the 84th Academy Awards as part of the first-ever all-star Academy Awards band.

David Sanborn

Sanborn is an alto saxophonist from Tampa, Fla. He’s worked both as a solo musician and a session musician, appearing on David Bowie’s album “Young Americans.”

Joanne Shenandoah

Shenandoah is an Iroquois singer, composer and acoustic guitarist. She has been given an Honorary Doctorate of Music by Syracuse University.

TEAL-ONE97

TEAL-ONE97 is a rock music collective of American maestros of Middle Eastern and North African descent. The collective debuted in 2012.

Voices of Afghanistan

Voices of Afghanistan is an Afghan musical ensemble featuring musicians from Central Asia and Afghanistan.

BeBe Winans

As a gospel music singer, Winans has achieved fame as a solo artist and as a duo with brother CeCe Winans. In 2012, he released a collection of songs, “AMERICA, AMERICA,” in advance of the election.

Shani Rigsbee

Rigsbee has earned credit as a recording artist, composer and producer. The Hot Springs, Ark., native is also an actress.

—Compiled by Mark Cooper, editor in chief, mcooperj@syr.edu, @mark_cooperjr

Published on October 8, 2012 at 3:35 am

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr