Search results for

The eclectic performer has tackled her share of genres, but she says she is most inspired by singing styles that rattle the listener physically.

Banning Eyre says a new compilation showcases one of the finest singers Africa has ever produced — and one who might have been an international star had he lived a few years longer.

NPR's Scott Simon remarks on the long career of John Sterling, the New York Yankees' play-by-play announcer, who is retiring at the age of 85.

A new album by Cappella Amsterdam uncovers rarely heard music by the quirky Czech master.

Radio station owner Ralph Epperson kept the twangy sound of live bluegrass, old-time gospel and mountain music cruising over the airwaves from his North Carolina radio station WPAQ long after other broadcasters had stopped. Epperson died Wednesday at age 85.

With his intense stage presence and relentless drive to improve, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan single-handedly brought Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music, to the West and the non-Muslim world. In the process, he influenced an unlikely array of music around the world.

Watch a world premiere performance of choral songs built on texts from important Washington women, from Kamala Harris and Condoleezza Rice to Eleanor Roosevelt, Elena Kagan and Abigail Adams.

Merle Haggard's new album is called I Am What I Am, a phrase that recalls the pugnaciousness of the cartoon character Popeye. But rock critic Ken Tucker says that Haggard's new album is neither combative or passively nostalgic — it's a collection of new songs, all of them written by Haggard, that prove how thoughtful the 73-year-old country star remains.

One of the strongest, most distinctive R&B singers of the 1970s has died. As lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Pendergrass gained international attention; as a solo act, he became a sex symbol. He died Wednesday after a long illness.

Rock musician Jeff Buckley died 10 years ago today at age 30. His talent inspired a legion of fans during his short career.

As Typhoon Mawar thrashes Guam with 140-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rain, two people on the island share eyewitness accounts of what they're seeing.

Randy Newman wrote the songs and scores for all of Pixar's Toy Story movies. As the fourth film opens on June 20, Newman reflects on his time with Woody, Buzz and friends.

Google enters the already crowded field of instant messaging, with a new service, Google Talk. Integrated into Google's e-mail program, the tool allows users to type messages and speak to each other over their Internet connection. But it currently does not work with AOL, Yahoo or MSN instant message services.

Author Miroslav Penkov's new book is a bittersweet, slightly magical history of his native Bulgaria, complete with cross thieves, tragic lovers and a young man who buys the corpse of Lenin on eBay for his Communist grandfather.

Daily Beast and Newsweek editor Tina Brown explores the work of newspaper columnists through readings that propose a new way of looking at the 2012 election and the scandal at Penn State.

Francine Prose takes a comparatively light comic turn in her new novel, about the disappointing lives of a group of people involved in an off-off-off-off-Broadway musical based on a children's book.

No Syrian refugees have arrived in Iowa yet, but people are concerned — some over a Paris-style attack coming to the U.S., and others over proposals they've heard that could single out Muslims.

Irish writer Colm Toibin's novella recounts familiar stories of the New Testament, as seen through the eyes of Jesus' mother. But this isn't the iconic blushing virgin you're used to seeing. Toibin's Mary is modeled after the fierce heroines of Greek tragedies — and she is filled with anger.

Tired of a life without adventure, last week Alt.Latino's Jasmine Garsd and Felix Contreras packed their bags and escaped to the Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York to check out some exciting bands. In this episode, they play songs by their favorite acts at LAMC 2010, from a group of shy young Mexicans who went crazy on the banjo to a zombie-like Spanish punk rocker.

Miriam Toews' new novel is based on an awful true story: The drugging and rape of women in a Mennonite colony in Bolivia. Toews says she wanted to show the women as real humans, not isolated cultists.