Music News

An undated portrait of the violinist Lara St. John.

Top Music School Finds Sexual Abuse Allegations From Violinist 'Credible'

5:40pm September 23, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

In a report released Tuesday evening, Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music said that violinist Lara St. John's account of being raped and sexually abused by her teacher is credible.

Music & Culture

Springsteen Credits Fan's Gift For The Existence Of His New Album

6:57am September 23, 2020

Needing inspiration, Bruce Springsteen says he wandered through his house playing a guitar that a fan gave him. He tells Rolling Stone he wrote the songs for his new album on it in less than 10 days.

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Music & Culture

Member Of The Temptations, Bruce Williamson Jr., Dies At 49

11:18am September 22, 2020

The family of Bruce Williamson Jr., who was a former lead singer with the Temptations, died on Sept. 6 in Las Vegas of complications from COVID-19.

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Doug Carn, left, with his wife, Jean Carn, in a detail from the cover of their album Spirit of the New Land, released on Black Jazz Records in 1972.

Rediscovering The Enormous Social And Spiritual Legacy Of Black Jazz Records

7:01am September 22, 2020

by Martin Johnson

As jazz experienced an awakening in the late '60s and early '70s , a record label from Oakland was at the forefront of capturing it. Now, those records are finally returning.

Music & Culture

Sylvan Esso Will Join NPR Music's Listening Party For 'Free Love'

2:22pm September 21, 2020

by Lars Gotrich

Friday at 3 p.m. ET, NPR Music will host an online listening party for Sylvan Esso's new album, featuring a conversation with members Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn.

Rabbi Yehonatan Adouar teaches a shofar blowing course in Rambam Synagogue in Ramat Gan, Israel

Wanted in Israel: More Shofar Blowers For Socially Distanced Jewish New Year

12:57pm September 18, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

The shofar is a hallmark of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The pandemic means there will be more and smaller prayer gatherings this year, so some cities have offered free shofar-blowing courses.

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A 1939 portrait of opera singer Lawrence Tibbett, the co-founder and first president of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA).

Whistleblowers Allege Culture Of Secrecy, Protection Of Powerful At Singers' Union

11:25am September 18, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

They point to a real estate deal that could drain two-thirds of the American Guild of Musical Artists' financial reserves and a secretive, failed deal with disgraced opera star Plácido Domingo.

Music & Culture

50 Years Ago, Black Sabbath Found Its Sound And Took Metal Worldwide

6:06am September 18, 2020

by Bo Hamby

Recorded in a few days and released just months after the band's self-titled debut, Paranoid delivered bleak but unforgettable songs about war, corruption and trauma.

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Music & Culture

McDonald's Runs Low On Ingredients For Travis Scott Quarter Pounder

5:57am September 17, 2020

The fast food chain's Travis Scott meal is just a Quarter Pounder with the rapper's favorites: cheese, bacon, lettuce, fries, BBQ sauce and a Sprite. The cost is $6.

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Stanley Crouch, photographed during The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music's Beacon Awards Gala on Feb. 27, 2006 in New York.

Stanley Crouch, Towering Jazz Critic, Dead At 74

3:23pm September 16, 2020

by Ethan Iverson

Crouch's engagement with American culture spanned over five decades, numerous mediums and many dustups. His influence on the life and shape of jazz will remain unquantifiable.