Spingarn Medal
Jazz musicians who received the Spingarn Medal: list of 4 recipients by year.
The Spingarn Medal is awarded annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for an outstanding achievement by an Black American. The award was created in 1914 by Joel Elias Spingarn, chairman of the board of directors of the NAACP. It was first awarded to biologist Ernest E. Just in 1915, and has been given most years thereafter. At its annual convention, the NAACP presents the award after deciding from open nominations. Should the organization end, it would be managed by Howard or Fisk Universities. The gold medal is valued at $100, and Spingarn left $20,000 (equivalent to $463,000 in 2025) in his will for the NAACP to continue giving it indefinitely.
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Recipients
| 2014 | Quincy Jones American record producer and composer (1933–2024) |
| 1983 | Lena Horne American singer, actress, dancer and activist (1917–2010) |
| 1968 | Sammy Davis Jr. American entertainer (1925–1990) |
| 1959 | Duke Ellington American jazz pianist and composer (1899–1974) |