Music

The Rock Concert That Captured an Era

Featuring acts such as the Beach Boys, James Brown and the Rolling Stones, The T.A.M.I. Show defined popular music for a generation
March 19, 2010 | By Daniel Eagan

Woody Guthrie's Music Lives On

More than 40 years after the celebrated folk singer's death, a trove of 3,000 unrecorded songs is inspiring musicians to lay new tracks
January 05, 2010 | By Jim Morrison

The Glorious History of Handel's Messiah

A musical rite of the holiday season, the Baroque-era oratorio still awes listeners 250 years after the composer's death
December 2009 | By Jonathan Kandell

Hazel Scott’s Lifetime of High Notes

She began her career as a musical prodigy and ended up breaking down racial barriers in the recording and film industries
October 16, 2009 | By Karen Chilton

A Depression- Era Playlist

Poet David Lehman provides a list of his favorite songs from the 1930s, including works by Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen and others
October 07, 2009 | By David Lehman

Motown Turns 50

For years, the recording industry excluded black artists. Along came Motown, and suddenly everyone was singing its tunes
September 29, 2009 | By Marian Smith Holmes

Jewish Bluegrass

Lovers of the banjo, fiddle and mandolin blend cultural identity and religious faith to create a uniquely American sound
September 24, 2009 | By Jen Miller

Lester Young Turns 100

Billie Holiday’s favorite musician, jazz great Lester “Prez” Young brought a hip, freewheeling sensibility to his saxophone playing
August 25, 2009 | By Jamie Katz

Arlo Guthrie Reminisces About Woodstock

The folk musician talks about his new album – a lost recording of a solo concert held days before the legendary music festival
July 31, 2009 | By Jeff Campagna

Jukebox: Pete Seeger

Pete Seeger is still singing the ballads that popularized folk music and transformed the genre into a call for action
May 2009 | By Joseph Caputo

Julia Keefe’s Jazz

The young musician discusses the joys of improvisation and her new tribute to fellow American Indian artist Mildred Bailey
April 09, 2009 | By Katy June-Friesen

For Smithsonian, Mangione Memorabilia 'Feels So Good'

The jazz flugelhornist and composer kicks off Jazz History Month with a donation to the National Museum of American History
April 03, 2009 | By Jeff Campagna

Odes To Joy

April 2009 | By Joseph Caputo

Benny Goodman's Clarinet

Late in his career, jazz musician Benny Goodman favored a Parisian “licorice stick” as his instrument of choice
April 2009 | By Owen Edwards

A Jazzed-Up Langston Hughes

A long-forgotten poem about the African-American experience is given new life in a multimedia performance
March 13, 2009 | By Laban Carrick Hill

Sing Like A Pirate

March 2009 | By Joseph Caputo

Dr. John's Prognosis

The blues and rock musician shares stories of his wild past and his concerns for the future.
March 01, 2009 | By Kenneth R. Fletcher

Jukebox: A Child Shall Lead Them

February 2009 | By Anika Gupta

Q and A: Wanda Jackson

In the 1950s, Wanda Jackson was one of the first women to record rock 'n' roll.
November 2008 | By Kenneth R. Fletcher

Colombia Dispatch 6: Accordion Rock Stars in Valledupar

Andres 'Turco' Gil's accordion academy trains young children in the music of vallenato, the folk music popular across Latin America
October 29, 2008 | By Kenneth Fletcher

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