Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Musical History

Sofia Liñares in a promotional photo for Black Sabbath: The Ballet, the Birmingham Royal Ballet's new show honoring the city's legendary heavy metal band

New Ballet Takes on Black Sabbath, the Genre-Defining Heavy Metal Band

“Black Sabbath: The Ballet” honors the legendary band that formed in Birmingham, England

Primary image: Sleeping Quarters, by Czech Jewish prisoner Bedřich Fritta, depicts gruesome conditions. After the SS discovered Fritta’s work, they detained him and sent him to Auschwitz, where he died. Background (detail): A musical score by Viktor Ullmann, which was created at Terezin.

Amid the Horrors of the Holocaust, Jewish Musicians Composed Songs of Survival

At the Terezin concentration camp, some of Europe’s top artists found solace in creating new work. Today one musician is determined to give them an encore

Taylor Swift performs during the Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on August 7. 

Swifties Can Now Study Literature (Taylor’s Version)

At a Belgian university, Taylor Swift fans can expect intertextual analysis beyond their wildest dreams

The Glimmer Twins, created by sculptor Amy Goodman

Statues of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards Unveiled in the Duo’s Hometown

The Rolling Stones bandmates both grew up in Dartford, Kent, where they met as teenagers

Photographer Al Pereira captures the crowd at a 2 Live Crew show in Miami, Florida, in an image preserved in the collections of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

How Hip-Hop Was Born 50 Years Ago at a Block Party in the Bronx

Arising out of New York’s close-knit Black communities, the genre revolutionized the music industry and gave rise to a new generation of sounds and stars

Tupac Shakur designed the gold, ruby and diamond crown ring, which recently sold at auction for a little over $1 million.

Drake Buys the Most Valuable Hip-Hop Artifact Ever Sold: Tupac Shakur’s Ring

Shakur designed the piece himself and wore it during his last public appearance before his death in 1996

Paul Kaufmann inherited several of what are thought to be fragments of Ludwig van Beethoven's skull, which he has donated to the Medical University of Austria.

Skull Fragments Thought to Be Beethoven’s Return to Vienna

The composer asked that, following his death, his physician study the illnesses that plagued him during his life

Tony Bennett painting in June 1971

Tony Bennett’s Passion for Art Lives On in His Paintings

Smithsonian curators reflect on the beloved crooner’s legacy as a musician and visual artist

L to R: Michael Anthony, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen pose on a tour bus in 1978.

Why Did Van Halen Demand Concert Venues Remove Brown M&M’s From the Menu?

An investigation of the rock band’s unusual concert rider suggests the stipulation was a savvy marketing move

Desiree Perez, Roc Nation's CEO, walks through "The Book of HOV" with Jay-Z.

In the ‘Heart of the City,’ a Tribute to Jay-Z

The Brooklyn Public Library is celebrating the rapper’s life and career in a new exhibition, “The Book of HOV”

John Mayer, Sammy Hagar and Bob Weir perform with Dead & Company in San Francisco in 2016

Will the Dead Stay Dead After Sunday’s Farewell Concert?

Once again, Deadheads said their goodbyes to the latest iteration of the era-defining jam band

Inside Pennsylvania's State Capitol building, lawmakers are working on efforts to adopt a new official state song.

Pennsylvanians Might Soon Be Singing a New State Song

The state’s official tune simply can’t compete with the likes of “Georgia on My Mind,” lawmakers argue

The historic railway is the highest in America.

You Can Now Take a Sunrise Train Ride to the Top of Pikes Peak

See the panoramic vistas from atop the 14,000-foot mountain that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful”

Members of the New York International Salsa Congress dance during People en Español's Hispanic Heritage Month festival in 2019. The congress has collaborated with the International Salsa Museum in the past, and the groups are partnering again this Labor Day for the museum's next pop-up event.

A Salsa Museum Is Dancing Its Way to the Bronx

While the museum lacks a permanent home, it’s bringing lively events to the “Borough of Salsa”

Big Boi in between verses at Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta on September 10, 2016.

A Rap Legend Looks Back on 50 Years of Hip-Hop

Outkast’s Big Boi traces the genre’s indelible impact on global music and culture

Researcher Laurent Davin plays a replica of one of the 12,000-year-old bird bone flutes recently discovered in northern Israel.

Cool Finds

These 12,000-Year-Old Flutes Mimic the Sound of Prehistoric Birds

The remnants of seven small bird bone instruments were discovered in northern Israel

Paul McCartney and John Lennon performing with the Beatles in 1965

Art Meets Science

The Beatles Will Release One Last Song

Paul McCartney revealed this week that the new record will include A.I.-generated vocals from John Lennon

The exterior of Club Ebony, taken before the renovation

Club Ebony, Historic Stop Along the Chitlin Circuit, Reopens

The legendary Black-owned nightclub hosted the likes of Tina Turner, Ray Charles and more

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

Page 4 of 12