Music & Culture

In 1987, Bernie Sanders -- then the mayor of Burlington, Vermont -- collaborated on a folk album called We Shall Overcome.

Behind The Music: Bernie Sanders

9:33pm January 30, 2016

by NPR Staff

No, this isn't a parody: The presidential candidate has a folk album. The producer of the 1987 recording gives NPR a glimpse inside the studio — and explains the then-mayor's "talking-blues approach."

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"I was just in love with the energy," Anderson .Paak says of attending a black Baptist church for the first time.

Music & Culture

Anderson .Paak: 'The Dot Stands For Detail'

8:07pm January 30, 2016

"I feel that people take you as serious as you take yourself," he says. The rapper-singer's Malibu has received more attention since Anderson .Paak's stellar performances on Dr. Dre's Compton.

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Music & Culture

Walter Martin Remembers Art History Class With 'Arts And Leisure'

5:12pm January 30, 2016

by Michel Martin

Former musician from the band The Walkmen, Walter Martin has gone solo with an interesting new record. It's an amusing song cycle that covers what he calls his "shaky grasp of college art history."

Music & Culture

Across The Blue Ridge - Episode 5 (The High Lonesome Sound)

11:42am January 30, 2016

by Paul Brown

Southern mountain and country singing often sound high, keening and intense. Some people like it, some don't. But how are those sounds made?

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'Downton Abbey' Composer Explains Theme Choices

8:08am January 30, 2016

by Tim Greiving

For six seasons, the elegant, orchestral tone of the beloved TV series has been set by Scottish composer John Lunn, who has won two Primetime Emmys for the show's music.

Music & Culture

Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing

8:00am January 30, 2016

Hear new songs by Mavis Staples, M. Ward, Villagers and more in this month's mix, expertly curated by 10 public-radio hosts.

Ben Haggerty, a.k.a. Macklemore, and Jamila Woods collaborated on the song "White Privilege II."

Music & Culture

'This Song Is Uncomfortable': Macklemore On The Contradictions Of 'White Privilege'

6:26pm January 29, 2016

by Audie Cornish

The rapper says he knew that releasing a nine-minute song that called out his own privilege would — and should — be seen by some as an unwelcome co-opting of the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Paul Kantner (left) and Slick Aguilar perform with Jefferson Starship in August 2009 in Bethel, N.Y.

Music & Culture

Paul Kantner, Co-Founder Of Jefferson Airplane And Jefferson Starship, Dies

4:45pm January 29, 2016

by Maquita Peters

The guitarist and singer channeled his passion for politics and science fiction to become a prolific songwriter. Kantner helped define the San Francisco sound in the 1960s.

Paul Kantner, Co-Founder Of Jefferson Airplane, Dies At 74

4:29pm January 29, 2016

by Tom Cole

Paul Kantner co-founded the band Jefferson Airplane with Marty Balin in 1965. When that band broke up, he founded Jefferson Starship and led the band for more than 40 years. Kantner died in his native San Francisco Thursday after suffering a heart attack earlier in the week. He was 74 years old.

Music & Culture

Lettuce On World Cafe

3:48pm January 29, 2016

Hear songs from the Brooklyn band, which incorporates hip-hop into its energetic funk sound.