Russian Idol
Moscow-born Regina Spektor draws on classical music roots to create and perform pop songs of rare originality
Jukebox
Ode to a Federal Entitlement
The Curiosity of Cats
When the musical opened on Broadway, 25 years ago, few predicted its amazing success—or what it would mean for composer Andrew Lloyd Webber
Elvis Lives!
Thirty years after the King’s death, there’s still a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on, thanks to legions of “tribute artists”
Broadway, Inc.
With shows like Legally Blonde and Wicked, the era of the name-brand musical is in full swing
Die Hard Donation
Bruce Willis gives John McClane’s blood-smeared undershirt to the Smithsonian. Yippee-ki-yay…
Portugal’s Soulful Sound
Often compared to American blues, fado is gaining global appeal
Blues Legend John Cephas On His Music
Piedmont-style blues guitarist John Cephas played at the 2007 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The Real Dreamgirls
How girl groups changed American music
Second Time Around
Invented by Ben Franklin but lost to history, the glass harmonica has been resurrected by modern musicians
Q&A: Lucy Lawless
Lucy Lawless, star of Xena: Warrior Princess, which aired from 1995 to 2001, has given her signature costume to the Museum of American History
35 Who Made a Difference: Steven Spielberg
A renowned director contemplates the lessons of history
35 Who Made a Difference: Wynton Marsalis
In Katrina’s aftermath, the trumpeter has rallied support for his native New Orleans
Jazz Man
Louis Armstrong before he was Satchmo? A youthful Ella? For photographs of musicians great or obscure, just about everyone turns to Frank Driggs
Going for the Gold
A pop-music confection known as The Village People belted out disco hits in the 1970s that morphed into American standards
Young Eyes on Calcutta
Zana Briski and collaborator Ross Kauffman’s Academy Award winning documentary chronicals the resilience of children in a Calcutta red-light district
Return of a Virtuoso
Following a debilitating stroke, the incomparable jazz pianist Oscar Peterson had to start over
“All Music Is Folk Music”
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings may soon be coming to a computer near you
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