Music

With his own record label, Sufjan Stevens is “one of the indie world’s most eccentric and personal songwriters,” says Rolling Stone.

One Man Band

The next Bob Dylan? Maybe. Sufjan Stevens' honest sound and stark lyrics speak volumes to a new generation. And he plays all the instruments

Mariza is gaining a reputation as the new queen of fado.

Portugal's Soulful Sound

Often compared to American blues, fado is gaining global appeal

Although loosely based on The Supremes (above), the movie Dreamgirls is a work of fiction. The real story of the 1960s girl groups, however, changed American music forever.

The Real Dreamgirls

How girl groups changed American music

Ray Charles' Ray-Bans, his celebrity trademark, are held in the collections of the National Museum of American History.

Ray Charles' Fusion of Gospel and Blues Changed the Face of American Popular Music

A visionary virtuoso, Charles made brilliance look easy

35 Who Made a Difference: Renée Fleming

The soprano is renowned for her beguiling voice and presence

35 Who Made a Difference: Wynton Marsalis

In Katrina's aftermath, the trumpeter has rallied support for his native New Orleans

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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

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What is This Thing Called Love?

A new movie explores composer Cole Porter's consummate musical gifts and his remarkable, unorthodox marriage

A Love Letter Set to Music

The night a teenager met the girl of his dreams 50 years ago, the stars were bright above

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Magic Wand

Clarinetist Artie Shaw's recordings recall the nostalgic power of the big-band sound

Born on January 31, 1937 in Baltimore, Phillip Glass began studying music at age 6.

Meet Phillip Glass

From opera halls to neighborhood movie theaters, Philip Glass attracts an enormous audience many of whom have never listened to classical music

Minnie Pearl 1965

How-deeeee!

Homely country togs defined a beloved Grand Ole Opry stalwart

The Smithsonian's Wurlitzer (its console above, with the Star-Spangled Banner) likely played the national anthem before movies.

It's a Wurlitzer

The giant of the musical instrument collection makes tunes— rootin '—tootin' or romantic

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Very Verdi

One hundred years after the maestro's death, the Italian composer reigns, very operatically, in the hearts of music lovers everywhere

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Libba Cotten's Guitar

Left-handed, she taught herself to play, wrote the folk classic "Freight Train" and sang into her 90s

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The Jitterbug Met R&B

And the shag, a stylish Southern dance, was born and reborn along the Carolina coast

A Swoopy, Funky Fun House of Rock

Seattle's new Experience Music Project is a $100 million, technology-enhanced repository of American pop music where anyone can be a rock star

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In Praise of Pianos...

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In Praise of Pianos and the Artists Who Play Them

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The Boys Choir of Harlem Sings a Song of Hope

Hard work, discipline and tough love help inner-city choristers achieve lofty goals

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