Music & Culture

Born in Texas and settled in Nashville, Tenn., Guy Clark has mentored generations of artists, including Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle — all of whom cite his keen editing skills and prize his stamp of approval.

Music & Culture

Guy Clark, Music's Master Craftsman, On Making Songs Last

6:16pm July 23, 2013

by Melissa Block

A friend and inspiration to the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris, Clark creates songs with the same precision and attention to detail he uses when he's building guitars. NPR's Melissa Block visits the songwriting legend at his home in Nashville,n Tenn.

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Carline Ray, who sang with The International Sweethearts of Rhythm and Mary Lou Williams died on July 18 at the age of 88.

Carline Ray: A Pioneer For Women In Jazz Dies At 88

2:56pm July 23, 2013

A pioneering musician, and the mother of jazz singer Catherine Russell, Carline Ray died July 18. In the 1940s, Ray found a home in the all-female band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm as a guitarist and vocalist. In 2012, Fresh Air spoke with Russell about her mother.

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Music & Culture

Encore: The Many Musical Careers Of Katie Crutchfield

8:04am July 23, 2013

by Daoud Tyler-Ameen

Alabama-born singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield broke through to a bigger audience last year by releasing an aching, bare-bones solo album. Her follow-up album came out in March.

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Grant Hart has had an enigmatic career since his days drumming with the influential punk trio Hüsker Dü.

Music & Culture

Hüsker Dü's Timekeeper Finds A Lost Paradise

5:58pm July 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

Grant Hart has had an enigmatic career since his days drumming for the influential punk trio. His latest project is an ambitious double album, based on an unpublished work by his friend, the late William S. Burroughs.

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Zhang Junmin (second from right) and his band perform the Lao Qiang music special in northwest China's Shaanxi province. The character behind the stage means "drama"; Lao Qiang music used to accompany puppet plays and includes a strong storytelling compon

Music & Culture

A Secret Folk Music Holds Firm In China's Badlands

6:12pm July 19, 2013

by Anthony Kuhn

One of China's hidden musical gems is to be found in the country's hardscrabble northwest, where farmers and the descendents of river boatmen belt out lusty, foot-stomping, knee-slapping folk songs.

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Forro In The Dark: Building On The Sound Of Brazil's Northeast

3:45pm July 17, 2013

Forro in the Dark gets its name from a style of Brazilian dance music, but it doesn't conform to those limitations, instead drawing on influences from Enrique Iglesias to Beck. Hear an interview with the band, as well as a studio performance showcasing its new songs.

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Music & Culture

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

10:57am July 17, 2013

Download new music from EDM star Pretty Lights, Bon Iver side project The Shouting Matches, hip-hop recluse Quasimoto, teenage sensation Lorde and many more.

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Sylvester's 1978 album Step II resulted in a couple of smash singles, "Dance (Disco Heat)" and "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)."

Sylvester: 'Mighty Real' Disco Star Deserves A Modern Spotlight

4:29pm July 16, 2013

by Milo Miles

A new collection of disco numbers, Mighty Real: Greatest Dance Hits, showcases the career of Sylvester. Music critic Milo Miles argues that Sylvester — an openly gay, superstar costume-wearer from the start — was not only a pioneer, but also someone with whom the times have finally caught up.

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Robert Randolph & The Family Band's new album, Lickety Split, is out Tuesday.

Music & Culture

Robert Randolph Ushers In Steel-Guitar Soul With 'Lickety Split'

6:22am July 16, 2013

by NPR Staff

As a kid, Randolph always saw himself as a steel-guitar rock star. Now, the 33-year-old frontman has released a soulful new album with a twist on gospel music.

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Daughn Gibson's latest album is called Me Moan.

Music & Culture

Daughn Gibson: Story Songs Born Of An Odd-Job Life

11:39pm July 14, 2013

by NPR Staff

Gibson is a spiritual heir of Johnny Cash: a deep-voiced country singer whose songs are filled with characters of questionable morality — or just pure evil.

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