Music

The Nashville country quartet Little Big Town recently released its sixth studio album, Pain Killer.

Music & Culture

Country Quartet Little Big Town Finds Fun In Being A Foursome

9:36am January 12, 2015

by Jewly Hight

The Nashville country pop band doesn't have a single lead singer; they take turns, which opens artistic and emotional possibilities. The band recently released its sixth studio album, Pain Killer.

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Music & Culture

An Evangelist Who Spread The Gospel Of The Accordion

11:31am January 10, 2015

by Jon Kalish

Walter Kuehr made his own name by making a name for what he called "the hippest instrument on the planet": the accordion. He died earlier this month at age 59.

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Wilbur Sargunaraj introduces us a barber in his father's home village in India.

Wilbur Goes To Work: New, Very First-Class Video On Village Life

4:48pm January 08, 2015

by Marc Silver

Wilbur Sargunaraj, a YouTube star in India, tests his workaday skills in his family's village: balancing a water jug on his head, climbing a coconut tree, and doing laundry the very old-fashioned way.

Wilbur Sargunaraj sings and dances about village life in India.

World Premiere Videos: Wilbur Dunks A Chicken, Digs Into Indian Food

4:43pm January 08, 2015

by Marc Silver

We proudly present the world premiere of two videos by India's first YouTube star. Life in his father's home village will be celebrated. And, yes, a chicken will take a bath.

Zakir Hussain learned from the best — his father, Allah Rakha, was a tabla legend. But Hussain's career really took off when he started working with the rock musicians he grew up admiring.

Music & Culture

The Tabla Master Who Jammed With The Grateful Dead

12:32pm January 08, 2015

by NPR Staff

Schooled from birth in an ancient instrument, Zakir Hussain always wanted to rock. He found a way to do both after George Harrison gave him some shrewd career advice.

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Austin-based Charlie Belle, led by 16-year-old Jendayi Bonds (center) along with her brother Gyasi Bonds (left) and Zoe Czarnecki, will release a debut EP on Jan. 13.

Music & Culture

Musicians You'll Tell Your Friends About In 2015

2:41pm January 07, 2015

by Ann Powers

The new year offers a new set of musical surprises. Here is a section of 10 acts — under-the-radar or about to explode — who are ready for their moment in the spotlight.

Jamal (Jussie Smollett) welcomes home his mother (Taraji P. Henson), but she has about as much more on her mind as this look makes it seem like she does.

'Empire': A World Of Unbuttoned Shirts And Dishy Music Stories

1:04pm January 07, 2015

by Linda Holmes

Fox's new drama about the family behind a music mega-company is pretty standard soapy television with some nice performances and a limited understanding of music.

Percussionist and bandleader John Santos performs with Afro Cuban batá drums in California's Bay Area.

Music & Culture

How Santería Seeped Into Latin Music

12:35pm January 07, 2015

by Felix Contreras

Santería ceremonies are for calling out to the spiritual world, and that spiritual connection is made through music. Felix Contreras explores how some sacred beats made a secular crossover.

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Contralto Marian Anderson in the role of Ulrica from a Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi's Un ballo en maschera in 1955. Anderson was the first African-American soloist to appear at the Met.

Music & Culture

Marian Anderson's Groundbreaking Met Opera Moment

12:35pm January 07, 2015

by NPR Staff

Sixty years ago, opera singer Marian Anderson made her long overdue debut at New York's Metropolitan Opera. She was its first African-American soloist.

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Beyonce's performance during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in August included clips of a speech about feminism by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Music & Culture

In 2014, Pop Followed Beyonce's Lead

7:28pm January 06, 2015

by Ann Powers

Beyonce's 2013 self-titled album explicitly connected feminism to sexual confidence; it cast a long shadow over the female-led pop singles that dominated Top 40 this year.

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