Musical History

Tina Turner performing in Illinois in 1987

Women Who Shaped History

Tina Turner, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Left an Indelible Mark on Music History

The barrier-breaking singer, who died this week at 83, influenced countless musicians who followed in her footsteps

A mural of Bob Dylan by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra is on display in downtown Minneapolis.

Follow Bob Dylan's Footsteps Through Minnesota and New York

To mark the musician's 82nd birthday, consider a romp through these 11 sites that hold meaning to him

Minnesota has named a stretch of highway for Prince, seen here performing in 2015.

Minnesota Dedicates Highway to Prince

Drive your little red corvette down the stretch of road memorializing the state's favorite son

Willie Nelson is among the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 2023 honorees.

Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Kate Bush and More Join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

In recent years, the organization has been widening the definition of the genre

Musicians Cindy Campbell and DJ Kool Herc take center stage in a 2013 celebration of the 40th anniversary of hip-hop. The brother and sister duo threw a "Back-to School Jam" in August, 1973 and launched a lasting music genre.

How the Block Party Became an Urban Phenomenon

The National Museum of African American History and Culture celebrates 50 years of Hip-Hop this August with a block party on the National Mall

Gordon Lightfoot performing in Beverly Hills, California, in 2019

Gordon Lightfoot, Legendary Folk Musician, Dies at 84

The Canadian singer-songwriter is known for hits like "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Early Morning Rain"

A 1960 portrait of Harry Belafonte 

Harry Belafonte, Groundbreaking Singer, Songwriter and Activist, Dies at 96

A Smithsonian curator reviews Belafonte’s legacy, from breaking racial barriers in the entertainment industry to 70 years of civil rights activism

Now available is the Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey by Robert "Mack" McCormick (above center with Spider Kilpatrick, c. 1960), and this summer, the much-anticipated book is complemented by an exhibit at the National Museum of American History, a box CD set from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and a concert celebration at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall.

Legendary Bluesman Robert Johnson Had Demons. So Did His Biographer

The long-awaited “Biography of a Phantom” unravels some of the mystery and intrigue

Cast members take the stage during the last performance of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

The Curtain Lowers on 'Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway

The final performance of Broadway's longest-running show took place over the weekend

The entirety of Madonna’s 1984 album Like a Virgin is one of the new additions to the National Recording Registry.

Super Mario Bros., Madonna and More Join the National Recording Registry

Every year, the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically important"

Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid.

'The Little Mermaid' Has Been Subverting Expectations for Decades

The 1989 Disney movie musical may have saved the Disney corporation, but it also sent important messages about identity to its young audiences

The app includes roughly five million tracks.

Can Apple Solve Classical Music's Streaming Problems?

The tech giant has created a new app with a search engine tailor-made for the genre

An elaborate dance sequence from the 1943 production, choreographed by Agnes de Mille

Behind 'Oklahoma!' Lies the Remarkable Story of a Gay Cherokee Playwright

Lynn Riggs wrote the play that served as the basis of the hit 1943 musical

Metallica band members Robert Trujillo, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett performing in Los Angeles last year

Metallica Just Bought Its Own Vinyl Record Factory

As demand spikes, the heavy metal band has purchased Furnace Record Pressing in Virginia

Vinyl record sales have growing for the past 15 years.

Vinyl Records Outsell CDs for First Time Since 1987

Music lovers in the United States bought 41 million vinyl albums and 33 million CDs in 2022

Two lucky visitors will spend the night inside the Palais Garnier, exploring the historic opera house and enjoying private tours and other perks.

Parisian Opera House That Inspired 'Phantom of the Opera' Becomes an Airbnb

For just one night, two travelers will spend the night in the Palais Garnier’s Box of Honor

David Crosby playing in Tokyo in December 1975

David Crosby, Folk-Rock Legend, Dies at 81

The counterculture icon was a founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash

Stephen Sondheim sitting in a recording control room in 1987

Cool Finds

Stephen Sondheim’s Lost College Musical Was Found Hidden in Plain Sight

Live recordings from "Phinney's Rainbow" had been sitting on a journalist's bookshelf for years

Beethoven’s handwritten manuscript for the fourth movement of his String Quartet in B-flat Major

Nazi-Looted Beethoven Manuscript Returned to Original Owners

The Czech Republic's Moravian Museum gave the document to the heirs of the Petschek family

The dilapidated jet has been sitting at the Roswell Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico, for decades.

Elvis Presley's Private Jet Is Going Up for Auction

The famous singer bought the JetStar in 1976, a year before his death

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