Music

New Book Explores Bobby Fuller's Mysterious Death

9:00pm May 11, 2015

by Alex Cohen

A new book tells the story of Bobby Fuller, who was best-known for the song "I Fought the Law." He was a talented guitarist and producer who moved from El Paso, Texas, to LA. He was on the verge of his big break when his body was found in his car doused in gasoline. The Los Angeles police ruled it an accidental death.

Queue Listen Now

Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform during the 2014 MTV Africa Awards in Durban. Now they've teamed up with a Malian superstar for a song urging South Africans to end attacks on immigrants.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo to South Africans: Stop Attacking Immigrants

5:58pm May 11, 2015

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

There's been a wave of violence against immigrant workers. Now the Grammy-winning singers have joined their voices with Mali's superstar Salif Keita. The message: "United we stand."

Queue Listen Now

Russian Band Pompeya Finds Safety In English-Language Lyrics

6:29am May 10, 2015

Yes there are other bands from Russia besides Pussy Riot. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Daniil Brod, lead singer for Pompeya, who says they wanted to create music that's sunny, light and fun.

Queue Listen Now

Black Thought never met James Brown, but he did play Brown's saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis in the movie Get On Up last year.

Music & Culture

Black Thought Made You A James Brown Mixtape

8:21pm May 09, 2015

by NPR Staff

"Had it not been for all of the breaks, I wouldn't be here where I am today — nor would The Roots," Black Thought says.

Queue Listen Now

The Slants Frontman Fights Government To Register His Band's Name

10:38pm May 08, 2015

by Kat Chow

Simon Tam, the founder and bassist of The Slants, has spent six years trying to register his group's name. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says the name disparages Asians.

Queue Listen Now

On The Word's new album, Soul Food, the group tackles traditional gospel grooves and seriously funky backbeats.

Music & Culture

For The Word, Gospel Is More About A Feeling

7:23pm May 07, 2015

by Tom Moon

The mostly instrumental supergroup's second album, Soul Food, is a rousing, thoroughly modern take on gospel.

Queue Listen Now

Gene DeAnna is curator of the National Jukebox project, which is an online collection of more than 10,000 pre-1925 recordings.

A Long Way From Wax Cylinders, Library Of Congress Slowly Joins The Digital Age

10:03am May 07, 2015

by Brian Naylor

Through the library's website, you can listen to the recording of a former slave or millions of other items. But critics say the library needs to move more aggressively to adjust to the digital age.

Queue Listen Now

Music & Culture

Cuban Drummer Dafnis Prieto's Crisp Rhythms Are 'Good For Jazz'

9:31am May 07, 2015

Triangles and Circles, the new album from Dafnis Prieto, blends Afro-Cuban beats, blues feeling and spontaneous rhythmic variations. Critic Kevin Whitehead says that drums are at the album's heart.

Queue Listen Now

Musician and producer Adrian Utley in his studio in Bristol, U.K., in 2013.

Music & Culture

In Search Of Intensity, Musicians Turn To Adrian Utley

7:00pm May 06, 2015

by Paula Mejia

The Bristol, U.K.-based producer and member of Portishead has become a go-to collaborator for dark, uncompromising rock, with credits on recent albums by Torres, Marianne Faithfull and Perfume Genius.

American folk singer and activist Pete Seeger (left) adopted and helped popularize "We Shall Overcome" by teaching the song at rallies and protests. Here he sings with activists in Greenwood, Miss., in 1963.

Music & Culture

The Inspiring Force Of 'We Shall Overcome'

4:23pm May 06, 2015

by Noah Adams

It is not a marching song. It is not necessarily defiant. It is a promise.

Queue Listen Now