Articles tagged as Rock Musicians | Smithsonian Magazine

A massive new box set catpulted the classical superstar to the top of the charts

December 16, 2016

Harry and the Potters live in concert in 2007.

Cool Finds

A Brief History of Wizard Rock

This Halloween, check out a genre devoted to Harry Potter’s Wizarding World

October 27, 2016

Iggy Pop Bares More Than Abs in New Art Exhibition About Masculinity

Punk meets pencil in an art show that examines the portrayal of masculinity throughout the centuries

October 21, 2016

Poetry Matters

Is Bob Dylan a Poet?

As the enigmatic singer, songwriter and troubadour takes the Nobel Prize in literature, one scholar ponders what his work is all about

October 13, 2016

John Cohen photographs a young Bob Dylan playing his guitar and harmonica in New York City in 1962.

Trending Today

Five Things to Know About Bob Dylan

When it comes to awards, the times are a’ changin’—and now the iconic musician is a Nobel laureate

October 13, 2016

George Clinton donated to the museum his Parliament Funkadelic Mothership.

Breaking Ground

The New Exhibition on Black Music Could Give Other Museums a Run for Their Money

The collections in the show “Musical Crossroads” at the African American History Museum are near encyclopedic in their scope

September 22, 2016

The Rolling Stones performing live at Summerfest, Milwaukee, on 23 June 2015

For Rolling Stones Fans, This Book Is a Dream Come True

Journalist and author Rich Cohen first covered the Stones on tour in the 90s. Now he revisits that trip and the band’s epic history

June 16, 2016

Europe

Break Free in Freddie Mercury’s Montreux

Visit the Swiss town where Queen’s frontman recorded some of his greatest hits

April 27, 2016

Prince's Minnesota home and studio is known as "Paisley Park."

A la Graceland

April 26, 2016

Prince designed and used this 1989 custom-made Yellow-cloud electric guitar, built by the Minneapolis firm Knut-Koupee. It features his personal symbol at the top and on the side of the fingerboard.

From portraits to guitars, The Artist’s legacy lives on at the Smithsonian

April 21, 2016

A self-portrait made by Johnny Rotten on the walls of the studio where the Sex Pistols recorded their first demos.

Cool Finds

Johnny Rotten’s Graffiti Made These Buildings Historic Landmarks

The Sex Pistols’ home and recording studio are now protected as a cultural heritage sites

March 24, 2016

Bill Cherry, one of the headlining acts during the week.

Go Behind the Scenes at America’s Most Lucrative Elvis Presley Tribute Contest

Get all shook up with the winners of this year’s Tribute to the King

January 8, 2016

The ashram's entrance was once closed to visitors, who had to sneak in or bribe a guard.

Cool Finds

Abandoned Beatles Ashram Is Opened to the Public for the First Time in a Long, Long, Long Time

Get back to the site of the Fab Four’s disastrous meditation retreat

December 10, 2015

Grateful Dead, 2015, "Fare Thee Well" concert, Chicago

We’re Looking for the Best Rock ‘n’ Roll Photos. What’s in Your Collection?

For those who photograph rock, we salute you

December 1, 2015

This portrait of Patti Smith, a photograph by Lynn Goldsmith, was taken in 1976, a year after Horses, Smith’s breakout album.

Poetry Matters

Poet and Musician Patti Smith’s Endless Search in Art and Life

The National Portrait Gallery’s senior historian David Ward takes a look at the rock ‘n’ roll legend’s new memoir

October 16, 2015

Rock the Pope

September 28, 2015

Meryl Streep's a better actress than singer, but that works to her advantage in the film.

What “Ricki and the Flash” Gets Wrong About the Life of a Musician

The new Meryl Streep vehicle is the latest in a long history of movies about bar singers

August 7, 2015

Ronnie Wood (far left) has taken on the role in Rolling Stones originally filled by Brian Jones.

Is a Band Without Its Original Members Still the Same Band?

What gives a musical group its identity? Is it the name on the poster or the people on the stage?

June 29, 2015

History in the making: Sam Smith performs with Mary J. Blige, one of his main influences.

Why We Should Teach Music History Backwards

Rock fans do their own investigative work to understand their favorite groups’ influences. So why can’t the rest of us get with the program?

April 21, 2015

The world's six known punked out snail species, which have mohawk-like spikes, acidic-dyed psychedelic colors and hardcore shells that are falling apart.

New Research

New Deep-Sea Snails Are Nature’s Own Punk Rockers

The spikes on one hardcore species inspired scientists to name it after Joe Strummer of the Clash, who was also an ardent environmentalist

January 6, 2015