Some of the most important musical contributions to modern American music have come from African Americans, whose musical roots in African slave spirituals evolved into all our favorite styles: jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, country, pop and rock.

Today Erthe St. James, the Duke of Soul joins me to take a casual look at modern black musicians that have inspired us from James Brown, Quincy Jones and Nile Rogers, to Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Erika Badu.