Music Interviews

Enrique Iglesias' song "Bailando" — with versions in Spanish and in Spanglish — has hit big both on the Latin pop charts and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Music & Culture

How Did 'Bailando' Become A Spanglish Crossover Hit?

2:34pm September 29, 2014

by NPR Staff

Enrique Iglesias' catchy song went to No. 1 on the Latin streaming charts before jumping to the Billboard Hot 100. It's hardly the first crossover hit — but demographic shifts might be at play too.

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André Benjamin plays Jimi Hendrix in the new film Jimi: All Is By My Side.

From Sideman To Star: A New Film Captures Jimi Hendrix's Pivotal Year

4:33pm September 23, 2014

Jimi: All Is By My Side focuses on the year Hendrix changed his name and recorded his first album. Director John Ridley and star André Benjamin (a.k.a. André 3000) talk about portraying the guitarist.

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Music & Culture

Controversial Mexican Musician Temporarily Retires From Drug Ballads

8:08am September 15, 2014

by Jasmine Garsd

Alfredo Rios, aka El Komander, is the Jay Z of Mexican drug balladeers. He says government pressure, in the form of fines and banned or canceled concerts, is forcing him to think about retirement.

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Bob Gaudio says that he and Frankie Valli split royalties and performance fees.

Music & Culture

How The Four Seasons Clashed, Dealt With The Mob And Made Lasting Hits

3:58pm September 09, 2014

Bob Gaudio wrote most of The Four Seasons' hits, some of which are compiled in a new anthology. He tells Fresh Air about the band's history, including why its songs had some "anger" in them.

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Music & Culture

Dom Flemons Holds On To Those Old-Time Roots

1:41pm September 01, 2014

Prospect Hill is Flemons' first album since leaving the band Carolina Chocolate Drops. By coincidence, the multi-instrumentalist recorded it the day Pete Seeger died. Originally broadcast July 30.

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Music & Culture

Better Late Than Never: Soul Singer Hits National Spotlight

11:56am August 25, 2014

Soul singer Naomi Shelton had to wait until her 60s to see the release of her debut album. NPR's Eric Westervelt speaks with her about her latest release with her band The Gospel Queens, Cold World.

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Music & Culture

Douglas and Caine Find 'Present Joys' In The Sacred Harp Songbook

6:36pm August 22, 2014

The virtuoso jazz musicians perform from their new album of duets. It features hymns based on a tradition called shape-note singing, which dates to the early 1800s.

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Music & Culture

Fresh Air Pays Tribute To James Brown, 'Godfather Of Funk'

10:58am August 19, 2014

James Brown is featured in the new biopic Get On Up. In '80s and '90s, Terry Gross talked with his biographer and two musicians who played in his band. And in 2005, she talked with Brown himself.

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Music & Culture

In 10 Songs, A Pair Of Brothers Beat Tracks Across History

6:35pm August 14, 2014

Ethan Johns' sophomore album, The Reckoning, follows the tale of two brothers as they travel across the 1850s American frontier.

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Music & Culture

'Soft Suicide' And Other Southern Troubles In 'Roses'

6:23pm August 10, 2014

Christopher Denny's music can be described as Arkansas soul. He talks with NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro about a new album that fuses rock, folk and gospel, called If the Roses Don't Kill Us.

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