'South Texas' Collects Producer's Checkered Career
Huey Meaux wound up in jail twice, but he sure had a knack for finding talent in unlikely places.
Music & Culture
Trumpeters And Troubadours: New And Old Music From Italy
World music DJ Betto Arcos just got back from an Italian vacation. He joins NPR's Jacki Lyden with some of his favorite musical finds.
Jack Clement Worked With Some Of Country Music's Best
We remember recording producer Cowboy Jack Clements, who died Thursday in Nashville at the age of 82. In the 1950s, he helped record Elvis, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison when he worked at Sun Records in Memphis. He also discovered Jerry Lee Lewis and began a life-long friendship with Johnny Cash. Clement later provided the signature sound to one of Cash's biggest hits, "Ring of Fire."
Remembering The People's Throat Singer Of Tuva
In a 1999 interview, Kongar-Ol Ondar demonstrates his ancient style of singing for Terry Gross.
The Biggest Thing Out Of Thailand: An Elephant Orchestra
Based out of a conservation center for former work animals, the Thai Elephant Orchestra is just what it sounds like: a group of elephants trained to play enormous percussion instruments, holding mallets in their trunks and sometimes trumpeting along.
Science Rap B.A.T.T.L.E.S. Bring Hip-Hop Into The Classroom
The program is part of a national push for science education among minorities. A U.S. Department of Commerce study found that blacks and Latinos are half as likely as whites to have a job in science or engineering.
Reunited After 50 Years, An Algerian Buena Vista Social Club Makes Its U.S. Debut
A group of Jewish and Muslim musicians who played together in the bars and cafes of Algiers in the 1940s and '50s thought they'd never see each other again. But after a chance encounter one of them had with a tourist in an Algerian bazaar, their lives changed forever.
Buddy Guy: 'Rhythm And Blues' Titan Channels Guitar Wisdom
The 77-year-old guitarist and vocalist's new two-disc set features cameos from Kid Rock, Keith Urban and members of Aerosmith. But the lyrics merely set the scene, and the jolts come after the verses — when the profound legend begins to play.
Remembering Donald Byrd, Jazz Trumpeter Who Spanned Generations
After he helped to develop the bluesy, driving hard bop style in the '50s and '60s, his funkier commercial hit recordings shaped black pop music through the advent of hip-hop. A committed music educator, the Detroit native was 80 when he died last week.
Vince Gill And Paul Franklin Ain't 'Foolin' Around' With Bakersfield Sound
The country-music star and steel guitarist's new album features Merle Haggard and Buck Owens covers.