It's an old (but good), question and one that will inevitably throw up many significant names. Many of the Jazz greats and the blues legends certainly spring to mind initially. But the question of
'which artist had really paved the way for other black artists to reach the great American public?'
leads to only one real answer. Up until Berry Gordy many artists were successful but most were in their own 'communities'or 'genres'. Sure, Sam Cooke was popular on both sides of America's racial divide but it was Gordy who OWNED the first businesses that transcended that divide. May seem surprising that it was as late as the late 50s before any black musical monatary muscle was finally flexed but there you have it. Mr Berry Gordy Jr. Not only a pioneer in musical terms but a beacon of an example for literally thousands of other artists both at the time and ever since. There are some fantastic people who have achieved many things in soul music but success breeds success, and competition, so without the breakthroughs made at West Grand Boulevard it would have been much harder for the people who followed. The key phrase in the question, for me anyways, wasn't so much 'who paved the way' but rather 'the great American public'. From literally nothing, to the countries biggest black owned business, in one decade. BG gets my vote.