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Music & Culture

Dolly Parton Asks Tennessee Lawmakers Not To Put Statue Of Her Up At Capitol

7:14am February 19, 2021

The singer shared a social media message with her fans this week, explaining it wasn't appropriate to erect a statue of her "given all that is going on in the world."

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Chika plays a Tiny Desk concert. (Max Posner/NPR).

Music & Culture

Tiny Desk Playlist: Women Run The Rap Game

7:00am February 19, 2021

by Clover Hope

Writer and author Clover Hope highlights her five favorite Tiny Desks by women rappers.

U-Roy, performing at Reggae Sunsplash in Montego Bay, Jamaica on Aug. 8, 1984.

U-Roy, Jamaican Vocalist Who Defined Dancehall And Presaged Hip-Hop, Dies At 78

9:30pm February 18, 2021

by Patricia Meschino

Influenced by jazz, the Kingston-born vocalist revolutionized the art of occupying a space with his words. "Before U-Roy, no one was toasting," Grammy winner Sean Paul tells NPR.

Music & Culture

Chick Corea: Back In Boston

5:20pm February 18, 2021

by Nate Chinen

The legendary pianist has lived many lives as a musician, from post-bop wunderkind to free-jazz maverick to fusion explorer to chamber-jazz eminence.

Thor Harris performs as part of Dumpster Fire, a socially distant musical performance held at dadaLab event space in Austin.

Music & Culture

City Scenes: The Fight to Save Live Music in Austin

11:51am February 18, 2021

by Jeff McCord

KUTX in Austin shares stories of survival from the live music community.

Pauline Anna Strom, who expanded synth music's color palette in the 1980s, died in December at 74. The posthumous album Angel Tears in Sunlight, out Feb. 19, is her first in over 30 years.

Music & Culture

Music From The Mind's Eye

11:02am February 18, 2021

by Lewis Gordon

The reclusive Bay Area artist awakened new possibilities for synth music in the 1980s. Angel Tears in Sunlight, Pauline Anna Strom's first album in 30 years, was intended to be a creative rebirth.

Music & Culture

Fans Will Almost Certainly Recognize Taylor Swift's New Single

9:58am February 18, 2021

Taylor Swift's latest music is a rerecorded version of her hit: "Love Story." A new version of the 2008 album it came from is out in April. It's part of a plan for her to take control of early work.

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Singer-songwriter and guitarist Tony Joe White was best known for writing "Rainy Night in Georgia," made popular in 1970 by Brook Benton.

Music & Culture

How Dan Auerbach Made An Album With Tony Joe White's Previously Unreleased Demos

7:00am February 18, 2021

by Bruce Warren

The Black Keys guitarist and vocalist discusses honoring the late Americana artist with Smoke From The Chimney, a nine-song collection to be released in May.

Rae Khalil plays a Tiny Desk (home) concert.

Music & Culture

Rae Khalil: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

5:00am February 18, 2021

by Bobby Carter

The rapper, singer and songwriter performs four songs as part of Tiny Desk's Black History Month celebration.

The Fort Lauderdale duo Black Violin wrote "Time to Shine" after reflecting on what happened last year and ringing in the new one.

Music & Culture

On 'Time To Shine,' Black Violin Focuses On The Light

6:05am February 17, 2021

The duo, famed for enmeshing classical and hip-hop, looks back at America's past year and toward its near future on a new song, "Time to Shine."

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