Mystic Rhythms: Rush's Neil Peart On The First Rock Drummer
Peart is one of the world's greatest rock drummers, but his earliest influence comes from jazz.
Music
The Original Funky Drummers On Life With James Brown
Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks should have been rivals: James Brown hired both of them to do one job. Instead, they stuck together, and laid the foundation for modern funk drumming in the process.
A Tale Of Dueling Ebola Songs: One From Britain, One From Africa
African musicians have recorded a fund-raising song to help fight Ebola. They say it truly reflects what's happening in their homeland — unlike the Brit pop Ebola song "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
At The Peak Of Her Powers: Barbara Lynn's 'Complete Atlantic Recordings'
Fresh Air rock historian Ed Ward has a look in to a vital part of Lynn's career.
A Light Goes Out In Memphis: Remembering John Fry
Music producer Rick Clark remembers John Fry, co-founder of Ardent Studios, who died last month after 50 years of nurturing some of the best music to ever come out of Memphis.
James Brown On Film: An Admiring And Unflinching Look At 'Mr. Dynamite'
The new HBO documentary Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown traces the singer's career through the words of writers, musicians and former employees.
Weapon Of Choice: Why The Stratocaster Survives
When an instrument sounds as good playing Daft Punk as it does Lawrence Welk, you know it's got something. The Strat just turned 60, but it's barely aged a day.
The Music That Makes Choreographers Move
Peggy Hickey, Jamaica Craft and Mark Morris are all in the business of taking music and making it visible as dance. They share some of their favorite songs of 2014.
Wilko Johnson Set Out To Make One Final Album, But It Didn't Work Out That Way
Facing a fatal diagnosis, Wilko Johnson made what was to be his final album with singer Roger Daltrey of The Who. Then doctors intervened. "Maybe," Daltrey says, "there's a Part 2 to this record."
Billy Joel, Popular Song, PBS, And Needing A Piano
A PBS concert special looking at the legacy of Billy Joel brings some great stuff, some less great stuff, and a chance to reflect.